Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Overall, an easy sci-fi read that hasn't aged poorly over the course of 30 years. At times it can be a bit long winded, but I appreciated Robinson's worldbuilding (no pun intended) ability.
I'd recommend to those that are interested in sci-fi.
I'd recommend to those that are interested in sci-fi.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novel really suffered from poor editing. I could not believe how many comma splices existed. This made reading extremely slow, as I sometimes had to re-read run-on sentences numerous times to gather the meaning.
I also don't understand why after the decently interesting opening of what seemed like a sabotage and issues with a newer Middle Eastern colonization, we backtrack into the beginning, and nothing really seems to happen except soap opera drama and Nadia having superhuman engineering abilities and supposedly everybody else was a stupid mess-up.
I also don't understand why after the decently interesting opening of what seemed like a sabotage and issues with a newer Middle Eastern colonization, we backtrack into the beginning, and nothing really seems to happen except soap opera drama and Nadia having superhuman engineering abilities and supposedly everybody else was a stupid mess-up.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
I never even started to listen to disc 12 of the 21 disc set and i'm not about to now, after being on vacation for two weeks. Only having one narrator was very confusing for me. This mostly failed to hold my interest at all. I found the new cult elements to be disturbing. I don't really care for any of the characters (well there was one that i kind of liked but i'm not sure if it was really her or her mixed with another character) and there are just so many of them. As far as i can tell this was asking a couple of interesting questions but the execution was meh to annoying.
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one. I think it might have been my first hard scifi book ever, and I was pleasantly surprised that despite there being a whole lot of science in it, the characters were still interesting enough to mostly remain engaging. This is a book that is deeply concerned with the minutiae of the process of turning a mostly barren planet into a home. What that means for the scientists who go there first, how they feel about their lives, their roles in society, their relationships to each other. What it means for the new society blossoming into something new and strange and quite unlike anything seen before. What it means for politics, and also what it means for the specific scientific details of "how do we make this a livable place".
I would say the balance between scientific and political details vs character development and interpersonal relationships is about 60 to 40, and sometimes I found myself wishing there was more of the latter. Whats there is quite good, and some scenes I found deeply moving and memorable, such as some of the first 100 settlers reflecting on the fact that no one speaks their language, and they will live the rest of their lives conversing in English and Russian. Or a debate about the role of humanity and consciousness in the universe, and what it entitles us to in the grand scheme of things.
I wish there had been more of that and less of the specific scientific nitty gritty details but I understand thats part of the draw for a lot of people, and I dont think I was ever bored. I will probably continue with book 2, as the first one ends on a really intriguing note that leaves me wanting more.
I would say the balance between scientific and political details vs character development and interpersonal relationships is about 60 to 40, and sometimes I found myself wishing there was more of the latter. Whats there is quite good, and some scenes I found deeply moving and memorable, such as some of the first 100 settlers reflecting on the fact that no one speaks their language, and they will live the rest of their lives conversing in English and Russian. Or a debate about the role of humanity and consciousness in the universe, and what it entitles us to in the grand scheme of things.
I wish there had been more of that and less of the specific scientific nitty gritty details but I understand thats part of the draw for a lot of people, and I dont think I was ever bored. I will probably continue with book 2, as the first one ends on a really intriguing note that leaves me wanting more.
I enjoyed the politics and all the different perspectives on each person’s personal views. But there were too many passages which were dull and just uninteresting.
If you have a significant other who appears everytime you even think about reading, wait on this book. It needs your full attention, not them.