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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I can't stop thinking of these ideas! It's deliberately "philosophy through sci-fi" in a way that could be pretentious if not for the narrator, a reformed sadist driven insane by their crimes and redemption. The result is that when they digress into ramblings about Kant or Hobbes and relating them to the balance of power between the anarchists and dictators, the digressions are didactic but not pedantic because they're so insane.
EDIT: This was months ago and I still can't stop thinking about this book. Palmer creates a "utopia" and then destroys it by showing the cracks: the edge cases of governing by total consent, the failure of a society to really break with the sins of the past or confront them honestly, the total failure of any utopia with *landlords*, penal systems without punishment, mental illness, the idea of choosing your tribe through some fundamental shared values ...
It's hard to recommend this book because the narrator is annoying and, depending on how you think about his crimes, eventually becomes either a strangely sympathetic madman-with-a-point or a monstrous villain when the full backstory is laid out. It starts off slow and confusing and turns into a tome of pure exposition and philosophizing. But everyone who's read ends up pushing it on all their friends because the need to have SOMEONE to talk to about it is so overpowering.
This book convinced me that anarchist philosophers, and really all philosophers, should either retire or write scifi. This format is the clearest exposition of these ideas I've encountered in any writing.
EDIT: This was months ago and I still can't stop thinking about this book. Palmer creates a "utopia" and then destroys it by showing the cracks: the edge cases of governing by total consent, the failure of a society to really break with the sins of the past or confront them honestly, the total failure of any utopia with *landlords*, penal systems without punishment, mental illness, the idea of choosing your tribe through some fundamental shared values ...
It's hard to recommend this book because the narrator is annoying and, depending on how you think about his crimes, eventually becomes either a strangely sympathetic madman-with-a-point or a monstrous villain when the full backstory is laid out. It starts off slow and confusing and turns into a tome of pure exposition and philosophizing. But everyone who's read ends up pushing it on all their friends because the need to have SOMEONE to talk to about it is so overpowering.
This book convinced me that anarchist philosophers, and really all philosophers, should either retire or write scifi. This format is the clearest exposition of these ideas I've encountered in any writing.
More a wrapper for a metaphysical and philosophical discussion than a true scifi book. Certainly no "hard" scifi in there for lovers of that genre. It reminded me of a China Mieville book more than anything else, using a future setting to play with big ideas.
The read is kind of slow, and dense, but stunning for its ideas and how they are presented. It has some good hooks that keep you going, but don't get at all resolved in this book.
Not for everyone, but definitely great writing and not to be missed.
The read is kind of slow, and dense, but stunning for its ideas and how they are presented. It has some good hooks that keep you going, but don't get at all resolved in this book.
Not for everyone, but definitely great writing and not to be missed.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5, I think? Rich book with an overly-simple ending.
An interesting book set in the 2450's about political intrigue regarding the future equivalent of nation-states ("hives") as well as a boy who can perform miracles. The main narrator is Mycroft Canner and he's apparently killed multiple people in grotesque ways yet now is an "extreme pacifist." It's difficult to discern how this transformation happened but he is deemed quite valuable for his intelligence. In this future, many criminals are made "servicers," meaning that they live their lives in service not able to own property of their own, having to beg for work assignments so that they can be paid in food. Even, I suppose, a serial murder. There are people called "sensayers" which is sort like a secular priest/therapist. Churches are banned since the "Church Wars" and people are not allowed to talk about their personal religious beliefs in groups.
This is an incredibly interesting book that asks a lot of questions about religion, god, what makes a person good, or a person trustworthy, what makes someone influential, what makes a community strong, what would an ideal world look like? How does gender shape our world and what would a world look like without gender? My only real qualms with the book (I listened via audiobook) are the sex scenes and gore. Frequently I felt that both were written for shock value and hence, somewhat immature. I generally don't consider myself a prude about such matters but had real trouble with descriptions of murders and the majority of sex scenes. Generally, they seemed to be for shock value, of little substance, and lacking any grace or art.
If you like contemplating these questions then you'll like this book (even if you don't like the sex or the gore).
This is an incredibly interesting book that asks a lot of questions about religion, god, what makes a person good, or a person trustworthy, what makes someone influential, what makes a community strong, what would an ideal world look like? How does gender shape our world and what would a world look like without gender? My only real qualms with the book (I listened via audiobook) are the sex scenes and gore. Frequently I felt that both were written for shock value and hence, somewhat immature. I generally don't consider myself a prude about such matters but had real trouble with descriptions of murders and the majority of sex scenes. Generally, they seemed to be for shock value, of little substance, and lacking any grace or art.
If you like contemplating these questions then you'll like this book (even if you don't like the sex or the gore).
I really wanted to like this book more. The setting was well conceived and brilliant, and I admire the way the author combined technology and philosophy and political science to create a believable future society.
But the narrator’s style is so pretentious and condescending that I felt like the whole story was being mansplained to me. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, least of all the enigmatic and untrustworthy narrator, and the plot was nearly all buildup and political intrigue with almost nothing actually happening until the very end (and not much even then).
There’s so much potential in this book and so many clever ideas, but it was not really enjoyable to me in the end.
But the narrator’s style is so pretentious and condescending that I felt like the whole story was being mansplained to me. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, least of all the enigmatic and untrustworthy narrator, and the plot was nearly all buildup and political intrigue with almost nothing actually happening until the very end (and not much even then).
There’s so much potential in this book and so many clever ideas, but it was not really enjoyable to me in the end.
Just... Wow. A compelling and thought-provoking read, this debut novel wouldn't let me go. Though the plot is intriguing, the exploration of political, social, and religious ideologies in the future is absolutely encapsulating. I adored the writing style as well!
To me, the content of Too Like the Lightning was almost incidental to the narrative style. Okay, that's not quite true, but the mode of storytelling immediately captured me and I still feel vaguely (if slightly unwillingly) obsessed. I think I should maybe move on to reading the sequels before that feeling fades, but it does feel like a book that takes some time for processing. It's not often I find a book I'm so absorbed by that doesn't inspire binge reading.
Lots of intriguing stuff going on in this futuristic world; I didn't necessarily find it realistic/believable, but I did find it extremely compelling and unsettling, which I think is exactly what Palmer was trying to do. Overall, I was quite impressed and hope the sequels live up to this book.
Also, I must say that the cover art for this book (especially the audiobook) is hilariously unrelated to what it's really about. I guess they were trying to market it as generic sci fi for lack of any other existing category to fit it in.
Lots of intriguing stuff going on in this futuristic world; I didn't necessarily find it realistic/believable, but I did find it extremely compelling and unsettling, which I think is exactly what Palmer was trying to do. Overall, I was quite impressed and hope the sequels live up to this book.
Also, I must say that the cover art for this book (especially the audiobook) is hilariously unrelated to what it's really about. I guess they were trying to market it as generic sci fi for lack of any other existing category to fit it in.
DNF, barely even started. I picked this up on a recommendation without knowing anything about it. I read three pages. Nope, nope, nope, I am not in the least interested in reading pseudo-intellectual garbage set in 2454 but written with the language and ideas of the 18th century Enlightenment.