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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
I didn't remember a darn thing about this book from the first time I read it. It had great moments. Looking forward to reading it again.
Excessively florid, way too many ellipses, and dead gods the sex scenes were far too frequent and filled with quivering loins and liquid centers and fiery manhoods. Amazing world building, though.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really like Joan Vinge's writing and read a lot by her in my teens and early 20s. This wasn't as good as "The Snow Queen," but it was still good.
What started as a sci fi Snow Queen riff has fully grown into its own by this book, and honestly, it's absolutely fascinating to see how Vinge decides to end the cycle for now, and that even as far back as this we have writers engaging with climate change and ecology. Does the daughter have to deal with ambient rape threats a lot? Yes, but it only really starts to come in towards the end of the book. This has still been a hell of a ride and one series I'll eagerly recommend to others.
Usually authors start out clean and pure and then, as popularity grows, they get raunchier slowly over time. Like Michael Crichton. However, Joan Vinge didn't do the gradual thing. She completely changed between one book and another. This book had tons of sex and "f" words. I ended up skimming over lots of stuff, just to find out how the Snow Queen series ended. In the end, the two books don't seem to gel since they have such different styles. Plus, the characters are so self-centered that you just can't care about them. None of them would listen to the people that were most important to them or take any time to try to talk things out. They made a big mess of their lives.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes