Reviews

Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi

henkka's review against another edition

3.0

The book got quite good and interesting by the end but the first half was a bit of a struggle to connect to. As things started to unfold a bit more the book got a lot more enjoyable to read. At the beginning the book was feeling like 2/5 but by the end it was 4/5.

bericheri's review against another edition

4.0

I don't usually enjoy spy novels but apparently I do when they're set in a post Great War world, where the afterlife exists and death doesn't matter.

readingtasha's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

apatrick's review against another edition

3.0

Good primarily because it's so unusual. Defies categorization. Completely unlike Rajaniemi's other books, like The Quantum Thief, both in content and in that I had a much easier time following this one.

zoes_human's review

5.0

I received this as part of my Brilliant Books subscription, and I must confess to a moment of dread and doubt when I opened the box. I tried to read "The Quantum Thief" and absolutely hated it, so much so that I didn't finish it. However, BB has done a great job of picking books for me and I do like to give author's more than one chance, so I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did. 

It wasn't particularly suspenseful, mysterious, or surprising. It was, in fact, quite predictable. Yet it was also fun and adventurous. I liked the complexity of the characters, their nuanced morality. I enjoyed rooting for them. In particular, I enjoyed rooting for two people on opposite sides of one another.

All in all, it was a fun, light read. Nothing taxing, but rather a rollicking adventure.

theshrike's review against another edition

2.0

Was kind of disappointed since I loved Rajaniemi's Jean le Flambeur books immensely.

The world is a nice innovation, but I didn't care about the characters in the least. We don't even get a proper resolution to anything.

At the end I just forced me to finish it, just in case the ending would redeem the book. It didn't.

chamblyman's review against another edition

4.0

A spectacular genre-bender that mixes a John LeCarre style byzantine espionage plot with an alt-history "ghost punk" 1930s setting that's something China Mieville might dream up. In Rajaniemi's world, life and death are two dimensions fighting a cold war that just might turn hot! Blazingly fun and thrillingly unique.

psvensson's review against another edition

5.0

Really enjoyable. Smartly done, very original. Gives itself up a bit at a time but really nice all the way.

adepy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-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

4.5

togdon's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting book that didn't quite work for me as well as I'd have liked. It's an alternate history of the year 1938, and that should have been a tip-off that it might not be my thing... Despite the fact that it's sorta-kinda sci-fi and sorta-kinda a spy novel it's also definitely sorta-kinda a period piece. It also felt messy until the last 4-5 chapters, where it tidied itself almost a bit too much. Anyhow, reasonably well written, I've got another of Hannu Rajaniemi's books (The Quantum Thief, which looks to the be the first of a series) on my to-read pile... and I imagine I'll get to it at some point, but not right away.