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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I made it 30% through this book and it just seemed at times to be pointlessly overwritten. The story skips perspective enough that my attention lagged. Finally, the characters who worked in intelligence and security seemed really off the mark, like someone who watched a lot of spy movies but did little research wrote them.
This book is very long without anything going on. Until page like 300-400 nothing happens and you can skip it, and if anything did happen it recaps it and you can pick up easily. I promise if you were to start reading at only page 350 you would not be lost at all, if you are struggling to read it (like I was) pls just skip
This book is also so absurd it's painful to read some of the characters and elements they introduce.
I now have two paperback copies of this book and it is also on my kindle and I don't know what to do with them.
This book is also so absurd it's painful to read some of the characters and elements they introduce.
I now have two paperback copies of this book and it is also on my kindle and I don't know what to do with them.
Adrian Tchaikovsky is obsessed with non-human, non-alien sentience. This book was not what I expected, and yet, makes perfect sense in retrospect. A lot of very similar themes to the Children of Time books. This one didn't quite fire up my imagination the way the Children of Time books did, but I quite enjoyed it!
So, not space opera (like I thought? for some reason???) but multiverse. But, a very unique take on the multiverse.
The book starts on a more intimate level, with two young women (cryptid hunters) going to look for cryptids on their vacation. One gets lost under very strange circumstances and doesn't come back. The other tries to move on with her life, with her best friend and the love of her life missing, presumed dead. From there, we move on to several other characters who will play a part in the upcoming shitstorm.
Interspersed with POV chapters from the main characters are little interludes about other parallel earths that evolved different types of sentient life, and they go in chronological all the way from the Cambrian period to the Pleistocene (with charts!).
The character work wasn't as deep here as it could have been, but the real show is the crisis of the multiple earths, and the meeting of different types of sentient beings. I also got a kick out of the villain and what he represented. My only complaint was that parts of the ending were so out there I had a hard time reading them as science fiction; they felt more like bizarre fantasy to me.
I do highly recommend this one, though, especially if you're not into space opera (and why not??) but like a dose of hard science and trippy plotting.
So, not space opera (like I thought? for some reason???) but multiverse. But, a very unique take on the multiverse.
The book starts on a more intimate level, with two young women (cryptid hunters) going to look for cryptids on their vacation. One gets lost under very strange circumstances and doesn't come back. The other tries to move on with her life, with her best friend and the love of her life missing, presumed dead. From there, we move on to several other characters who will play a part in the upcoming shitstorm.
Interspersed with POV chapters from the main characters are little interludes about other parallel earths that evolved different types of sentient life, and they go in chronological all the way from the Cambrian period to the Pleistocene (with charts!).
The character work wasn't as deep here as it could have been, but the real show is the crisis of the multiple earths, and the meeting of different types of sentient beings. I also got a kick out of the villain and what he represented. My only complaint was that parts of the ending were so out there I had a hard time reading them as science fiction; they felt more like bizarre fantasy to me.
I do highly recommend this one, though, especially if you're not into space opera (and why not??) but like a dose of hard science and trippy plotting.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have read up to around 42% and after a month I have finally admitted to myself that I'm just not finishing this book. It's not a bad book, it's actually written very well. It just isn't holding my attention the way an Adrian Tchaikovsky book usually does. I think he spoiled us with "Children of Time" and I'm looking for more like that. This book is more like a multidimensional, time travelling detective story and it just hasn't hit the right notes for me.
I'll keep it in reserve and try again at a later date.
I'll keep it in reserve and try again at a later date.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another fun and interesting read from Tchaikovsky. Some great characters - namely Khan, Lee and Mal - but I felt the story dragged a little in the second half before luring me back in with the ending.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What I love about Tchaikovsky is that I know whatever he writes, I will like. He manages to blend sci-fi with other genres very well. In this case, it’s a mystery. Story wise, I won’t lie, it felt a little dragged at times, but the ending was worth it. On top of that, every other chapter, there’s an interlude about the evolution of a species. I might pick this book again just for those interludes. So many creative evolution ideas.