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crimsoncor's review against another edition
4.0
very Le Carre vibes out of this one but with a crazy sci-fi premise tacked on. Really captures the world-weary nature of the cold war spy game.
ink_and_fury's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
joepasaran's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
georgethom's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
Summerland is the name of the afterlife. Discovered by Victorian scientists this alternative history is set in 1938 where Queen Victoria still reigns from the other side and war in/with Spain is brewing. We get a spy thriller to see us through these interesting ideas of a world where death doesn't really matter because you can call people up on a special phone, although spies still exist and people are turned to the opposite side of the Empire and become moles. Rachel White is frustrated by the system of old boys networks and is desperate to catch the mole to prove her worth as an agent in the service that doesn't really value women.
theaurochs's review against another edition
4.0
Having just ripped my way through Rajaniemi’s Jean Le Flambeur trilogy, it is safe to say that my expectations (or perhaps just hopes) were sky-high for more of their writing. I flew through that trilogy, devouring the fantastic displays of imagination and revelling in the literary inventiveness on display. Moving from that feast of sci-fi creativity to a period-piece alternate history spy novel was always going to be jarring, and I definitely think it suffered from my lofty expectations. While still a novel full of intriguing ideas and incredibly paced plotting, Summerland is a lot more restrained (one could argue coherent) in its ideas and ambition, leaving a solid story that is probably more accessible than The Quantum Thief but certainly less exciting as well.
The plot feels like a classic spy thriller, and would certainly not be out of place in a Le Carré. Somewhat similarly to The Quantum Thief, we use a fairly familiar-feeling plot to ground us in a bizarre and unusual world. Death, it appears, is not the end. Somewhere in the mid-to-late Victorian era a group of scientists using fledgling electronic devices manage to contact the spirits of the recently deceased, and learn that there is a whole new world with entirely new dimensions that can house spirits after the death of the body. This happening at the peak of the British Empire means that the Empire did what it does best, and colonised the afterlife. Fast-forward to the late 1930s and the setting of this novel. The cold war is brewing between western powers and the Soviet Union; with the revolution in Spain serving as the current proxy war. But this time, it’s not just the fate of Europe that hangs in the balance, it is the very spiritual future of mankind. And the weapons used in the conflict include nightmarish constructions created of and fuelled by the souls of the deceased.
Against this backdrop of conflict we follow Rachel White, a British intelligence operative struggling to make her way in a very male-dominated industry and time, rife with nepotism. She is unjustly demoted and decides to seek out a soviet mole in order to clear her name. The mole is in fact one Peter Blooms, a recently deceased intelligence officer (and our second POV character) working for the “Summer Court”; the arm of the British Intelligence service that operates in Summerland, the realm of the dead.
It's an intriguing setup, and the drama that follows feels by and large authentic to the world it inhabits. The motives and character actions have an authentic feel that fleshes out the unique atmosphere of a world where death is verifiably no longer the end. We get to see ideological conflicts expressed, for speculative ideologies informed by this world, and as such we as the reader can puzzle together the shape of the world. The focus of the book is more rooted in the individual though, in these two secret agents and the chase between them, as Rachel slowly builds their trap but in doing some puts themself in a more precarious position, having to go behind their superior’s backs and potentially crossing the line to traitor themself. It’s classic spy stuff and makes for a fun read, even if you don’t care about the wider world and politics. It is a short and sharp book, with very little wasted time; the plot moves inexorably onwards and always feels snappy, despite the fact that we do actually take time for character moments and reflection. The relationship between Rachel and her war-veteran husband serves as a good foil to the spy drama and adds some welcome and effective characterisation.
The exposition in some places is a little brute-force, which is definitely disappointing. There is a whole world here and it's clear that Rajaniemi wants to explore it, but we get a few too many instances of repetition of core elements early on to get us up to speed. Not entirely offensive as it makes getting on board with the world easier, but it is a little disappointing. I’m also not sure about the rising threat of the story; while it does still mostly focus on the two spies, we inevitably get embroiled in bigger and bigger plots and revelations until we’re looking at civilisation-level existential threats. This maybe isn’t so out of place in spy novels, I can imagine the revelation of a nuclear threat or something similar, but it does still come across as slightly cheesy and make me wish we’d maintained the personal stakes; allowing the wider conflicts to simply play out in the background. Also, the prose is just a lot more straightforward. It’s far from poor, and works excellently to drive the story along, but compared to the sheer beauty and nesting narrative structure of The Fractal Prince it’s a distinct step down.
A really enjoyable and inventive sci-fi spy thriller, that presents an intriguing world and takes us for a fun ride through it. It has all the flawed characters and double-crosses you could want from your spy story, and more than enough well-realised imagination to carry the sci-fi side. Only really a slight let-down when compared to the shining brilliance of Rajaniemi’s earlier work.
The plot feels like a classic spy thriller, and would certainly not be out of place in a Le Carré. Somewhat similarly to The Quantum Thief, we use a fairly familiar-feeling plot to ground us in a bizarre and unusual world. Death, it appears, is not the end. Somewhere in the mid-to-late Victorian era a group of scientists using fledgling electronic devices manage to contact the spirits of the recently deceased, and learn that there is a whole new world with entirely new dimensions that can house spirits after the death of the body. This happening at the peak of the British Empire means that the Empire did what it does best, and colonised the afterlife. Fast-forward to the late 1930s and the setting of this novel. The cold war is brewing between western powers and the Soviet Union; with the revolution in Spain serving as the current proxy war. But this time, it’s not just the fate of Europe that hangs in the balance, it is the very spiritual future of mankind. And the weapons used in the conflict include nightmarish constructions created of and fuelled by the souls of the deceased.
Against this backdrop of conflict we follow Rachel White, a British intelligence operative struggling to make her way in a very male-dominated industry and time, rife with nepotism. She is unjustly demoted and decides to seek out a soviet mole in order to clear her name. The mole is in fact one Peter Blooms, a recently deceased intelligence officer (and our second POV character) working for the “Summer Court”; the arm of the British Intelligence service that operates in Summerland, the realm of the dead.
It's an intriguing setup, and the drama that follows feels by and large authentic to the world it inhabits. The motives and character actions have an authentic feel that fleshes out the unique atmosphere of a world where death is verifiably no longer the end. We get to see ideological conflicts expressed, for speculative ideologies informed by this world, and as such we as the reader can puzzle together the shape of the world. The focus of the book is more rooted in the individual though, in these two secret agents and the chase between them, as Rachel slowly builds their trap but in doing some puts themself in a more precarious position, having to go behind their superior’s backs and potentially crossing the line to traitor themself. It’s classic spy stuff and makes for a fun read, even if you don’t care about the wider world and politics. It is a short and sharp book, with very little wasted time; the plot moves inexorably onwards and always feels snappy, despite the fact that we do actually take time for character moments and reflection. The relationship between Rachel and her war-veteran husband serves as a good foil to the spy drama and adds some welcome and effective characterisation.
The exposition in some places is a little brute-force, which is definitely disappointing. There is a whole world here and it's clear that Rajaniemi wants to explore it, but we get a few too many instances of repetition of core elements early on to get us up to speed. Not entirely offensive as it makes getting on board with the world easier, but it is a little disappointing. I’m also not sure about the rising threat of the story; while it does still mostly focus on the two spies, we inevitably get embroiled in bigger and bigger plots and revelations until we’re looking at civilisation-level existential threats. This maybe isn’t so out of place in spy novels, I can imagine the revelation of a nuclear threat or something similar, but it does still come across as slightly cheesy and make me wish we’d maintained the personal stakes; allowing the wider conflicts to simply play out in the background. Also, the prose is just a lot more straightforward. It’s far from poor, and works excellently to drive the story along, but compared to the sheer beauty and nesting narrative structure of The Fractal Prince it’s a distinct step down.
A really enjoyable and inventive sci-fi spy thriller, that presents an intriguing world and takes us for a fun ride through it. It has all the flawed characters and double-crosses you could want from your spy story, and more than enough well-realised imagination to carry the sci-fi side. Only really a slight let-down when compared to the shining brilliance of Rajaniemi’s earlier work.
christajls's review against another edition
2.0
Reviewed on Women Write About Comics
In an alternative version of 1938, death is no longer a thing to fear and the afterlife is no longer a hypothetical. As long as you have a Ticket you can spend your afterlife in Summerland, a metropolis of the dead. It’s a desirable place where you can exist in comfort and keep in touch with both the living and the dead. Of course, no community exists in a vacuum, and the politics that influence the living world make their way into Summerland as the British and Soviets compete for power.
Rachel White is an SIS agent with an eye on Summerland, and she discovers a Soviet mole within their ranks. But he’s an operative with friends in high places, and blowing the whistle could mean ruining the career she’s worked so hard to achieve. Should she risk going rogue in order to bring him in?
Summerland reads like a classic spy story, right down to the Soviet antagonists, but with a science fiction twist. There is a lot of scientific and mathematical theory worked into the fictional elements, which gives it a very authentic feel. However, the heavy use of these elements and the complicated plot ultimately makes the story a little difficult to follow. Which would be alright if the character arcs were the real pull.
Rachel White and the deceased Peter Bloom are the two POV characters, and I wasn’t particularly pulled in by either of them. Rachel feels a bit like a caricature of a woman rather than a real person. Every decision and thought she makes seems to circle around one of the men in her life. Peter, on the other hand, seems to move through his life and death with no urgency or excitement despite the actual high stakes plot he’s involved in. I loved the concept of this novel, but in the end, the pieces don’t come together the way I hoped they would.
In an alternative version of 1938, death is no longer a thing to fear and the afterlife is no longer a hypothetical. As long as you have a Ticket you can spend your afterlife in Summerland, a metropolis of the dead. It’s a desirable place where you can exist in comfort and keep in touch with both the living and the dead. Of course, no community exists in a vacuum, and the politics that influence the living world make their way into Summerland as the British and Soviets compete for power.
Rachel White is an SIS agent with an eye on Summerland, and she discovers a Soviet mole within their ranks. But he’s an operative with friends in high places, and blowing the whistle could mean ruining the career she’s worked so hard to achieve. Should she risk going rogue in order to bring him in?
Summerland reads like a classic spy story, right down to the Soviet antagonists, but with a science fiction twist. There is a lot of scientific and mathematical theory worked into the fictional elements, which gives it a very authentic feel. However, the heavy use of these elements and the complicated plot ultimately makes the story a little difficult to follow. Which would be alright if the character arcs were the real pull.
Rachel White and the deceased Peter Bloom are the two POV characters, and I wasn’t particularly pulled in by either of them. Rachel feels a bit like a caricature of a woman rather than a real person. Every decision and thought she makes seems to circle around one of the men in her life. Peter, on the other hand, seems to move through his life and death with no urgency or excitement despite the actual high stakes plot he’s involved in. I loved the concept of this novel, but in the end, the pieces don’t come together the way I hoped they would.
faroresdragn's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is pretty interesting, and the author goes to really neat places with it, though the idea of a permanent afterlife kind of reduces the importance of espionage in the living world, which is the entire plot of the book. But I also really liked the idea of what the soviets would have done if they got their hands on soul technology.
laurii's review
2.0
I wish this book was more science fiction and less spy novel. The concept of the afterlife, the city of Summerland, and the Presence were all very interesting, but I think I just don't care for spy stories regardless of how much I like the premise.