Reviews

Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton, Gareth L. Powell

clacksee's review against another edition

4.0

Amahle travels the galaxy in an endless circuit, visiting the same works over and over again. Until she meets a boy who shares a puzzling and disturbing bit of news.

The first chapter was tough going. It was just a walk off inscrutable text: looooooooong sentences and longer paragraphs. I nearly put the book down — but I’m really glad I didn’t.

I’ve not read any Peter Hamilton, but I know that what Gareth Powell excels at is creating compelling characters. And that’s on display here.

travelgirlut's review against another edition

3.0

For some reason I missed that this was a novella until I was 80 percent of the way through it. Not knowing that kind of tinged my feelings for it since things were just moving so fast and oh so conveniently. I get it now, but wish I'd known from the start so I wouldn't have been so judgemental most of the way through. In fact, I would have loved to see more of this book's world in a full-length book that would've done more justice to the themes herein. So I give it three stars for being good but not blowing my mind.

heather_dowell's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

crafalsk264's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 This novella/short story is set far in the future  when travel between planets, galaxies, and even the universe is commonplace. Our story focuses on Amahle, a human whose life has been extended by gene therapy and advanced medical practices to be a multi-millennium lifespan. She is also a Light Chaser—a solitary pilot of a ship that makes a circuit of the galaxy  while stopping every 1000 years at predetermined planets to exchange memory collars that record all of the wearers’ experiences and are passed down to successive generations. These experiences were marketed as entertainment to the wealthy, influential  elite. When she begins to recognize multiple individuals over time who identified themselves to her as “Carloman,” she begins to question her  beliefs. One thing then another begin to trigger her memories of a lover who has come to her in multiple reincarnations, beginning as her husband on earth before Amahle signed up as a Light Chaser. When one of his reincarnations whispers to her that she shouldn’t trust her ship’s AI, she begins a complicated examination to find out who she is really working for and why. 

This is the first book by these authors I have read, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. In some ways, the book was chaotic with switches from Amahle’s current time to replays of contacts with Carloman’s various reincarnations. But the world building is well done, the characters are interesting, if partially developed, and the ending  is satisfactory. Recommend to science fiction, fantasy, and space operas.

annasirius's review against another edition

3.0

There was a lot in here: exploration of several planets and their cultures; many distinct concepts on which the plot hinged (e.g. holms, the Exalted, strangelets, reincarnation with people being able to remember their past lives and being in love with the same person in all of them); a grand lovestory, and more.

I think the authors bit off too much. It would have taken more to get me on board with some of those ideas and to make them work together. Amahle quite suddenly goes from sceptical cluelessness to deep understanding, leaving the reader behind with a big question mark. We never fully learn why she doesn't remember her past lives and the holms and then can suddenly recall them. The whole idea of these holms that exist outside of space and time was not well explored.

In order to sell me the grand lovestory, I would have liked to see the two main characters more developed and to see more of their relationship. In return, some of the planet exploration could have been cut - it wasn't relevant to the plot.

sidra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Hard Sci fi. Novella. Not what I usually read so not sure what to say, felt out of my depth. Made some interesting comments about society in general. Got lost in some of the science (physics?) jargon. Beginning was terribly slow but then it picked up. Confused by the ending. 

Plot:

Combination of love story and space opera was nice. In the ending, was everything they did to stop The Exalted pointless or did they actually innovate and develop but still create Light Chasers?

mahit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

zzzrevel's review against another edition

3.0

A bit too cerebral for my taste but mildly
entertaining also. It will not be in everyone's
taste, but I imagine if you are a PFH fan you
would enjoy this one.

leebill's review against another edition

4.0

Ingenious. Lots of science. Well written

speljamr's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

4.5