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milliemudd's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Death
Minor: Xenophobia, Drug use, and Fatphobia
kivt's review
3.0
this was a weird book. The setting, characters, politics, and the Game all seemed well developed and realistically complicated. But I was left feeling like I was reading the second book in the series. throughout the book, I felt like there was just some backstory I was missing. The ending was unnecessarily melancholy.
waclements7's review
3.0
Lots of details and world building is good, but it’s hard to really get attached to any of the characters.
mdpenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I suspect that the original idea for this may have been to base it on Key Largo but that it grew into something completely different. As with Scott's other book that I read, the world-building was excellent. I love that there is plot-independent art and that her characters are interested in seeing it. It's something that is very much a part of most human cultures but that's neglected in a lot of science fiction. The story itself was excellent, too: I liked the idea of a VR AD&D-style GM getting drawn into politics and bringing gaming geeks to bear on the situation. I think, however, that the story wasn't complicated enough to warrant the complicated telling. I think that it would have been stronger if it had been told from just two perspectives rather than four, but I can see why it would be hard to get all of the emotions right, so I can't say that I blame the author. Having to introduce so much through so many different perspectives made the first half kind of weak, but the overall effect was good and, overall, I enjoyed it.
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
Burning Bright was fun and a good enough way to pass the time.
When Lioe arrives on the world of Burning Bright, she’s not thinking about anything other than the Game: the continous video game RPG which is popular with humans across the known universe. However, when Lioe uses character templates of a Burning Bright native, she becomes inadvertently drawn into complex local politics.
As far as I know, everyone in Burning Bright was bisexual, which was fantastic. I also liked that this future world didn’t seem to have any problems with homophobia and sexism.
Lioe is involved with a woman, Rosche, for most of the book, but I’m not sure if it was really a romance. Lioe and Rosche don’t seem to feel much for each other, but that could just be a general flaw of the novel. Besides, Rosche is a pretty flat character. I still don’t know much about her besides that she’s presented as a sexy, fiery dockworker.
I think the most emotional relationship was probably between Ransome and Chauvelin, but again there’s issues with the characters appearing emotionally dampened, particularly at the end. I would venture to guess that none of these characters really feeling anything is why I never became attached to them.
Besides that, my other quibble is the three sections that took place inside the RPG game. I just didn’t get the point of them and felt that they slowed down the pacing.
The world building was amazing. Scott never uses infodumps, but you are still able to get a sense of the scope of the universe she’s created. This feels like a real, breathing world. The descriptions of the Storm and the carnival on Burning Bright were particularly lovely, and there were also some nice things going on with the idea of the alien’s kinship structures.
All in all, I found Burning Bright to be entertaining but not a book I’m likely to ever return to. I would recommend this to people looking for a science fiction book with a focus on video games or which brings same sex relationships to the forefront.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
When Lioe arrives on the world of Burning Bright, she’s not thinking about anything other than the Game: the continous video game RPG which is popular with humans across the known universe. However, when Lioe uses character templates of a Burning Bright native, she becomes inadvertently drawn into complex local politics.
As far as I know, everyone in Burning Bright was bisexual, which was fantastic. I also liked that this future world didn’t seem to have any problems with homophobia and sexism.
Lioe is involved with a woman, Rosche, for most of the book, but I’m not sure if it was really a romance. Lioe and Rosche don’t seem to feel much for each other, but that could just be a general flaw of the novel. Besides, Rosche is a pretty flat character. I still don’t know much about her besides that she’s presented as a sexy, fiery dockworker.
I think the most emotional relationship was probably between Ransome and Chauvelin, but again there’s issues with the characters appearing emotionally dampened, particularly at the end. I would venture to guess that none of these characters really feeling anything is why I never became attached to them.
Besides that, my other quibble is the three sections that took place inside the RPG game. I just didn’t get the point of them and felt that they slowed down the pacing.
The world building was amazing. Scott never uses infodumps, but you are still able to get a sense of the scope of the universe she’s created. This feels like a real, breathing world. The descriptions of the Storm and the carnival on Burning Bright were particularly lovely, and there were also some nice things going on with the idea of the alien’s kinship structures.
All in all, I found Burning Bright to be entertaining but not a book I’m likely to ever return to. I would recommend this to people looking for a science fiction book with a focus on video games or which brings same sex relationships to the forefront.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
vortacist's review
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stelepami's review
4.0
An old favorite. I've been a fan of Ms. Scott for about ten years, and this is one of my favorites. I wish there were books on this world, it's such a fascinating and intricate place. The plot, I think, is secondary to the setting. Which is not to say that the plot isn't any good, just that I would like to visit Burning Bright.
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