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trish204's review against another edition
2.0
This was my first novel by this author, who came highly recommended.
The premise of there being an afterlife, making death no big deal, as well as all the political repercussions (Queen Victoria is still ruling Britain, although from Summerland which basically is "the other side") sounded intriguing. The people here not only have a way of talking to the dead on a special phone, the dead can also rent a medium's body to walk among the living. We also have a spy story full of agents, moles, double-agents and whatnot. And then there is something wrong with this other world, the souls and ghosts/spirits.
Unfortunately, I did not connect with this AT ALL. Maybe it's because I'm not made for spy stories or maybe it's because I was hoping for a bit more otherworldliness.
Whatever it was, I did not connect with any of the characters.
While I hated how Rachel was treated simply for being a woman (this takes place in the late 1930s so sexism, especially in the Service, was even worse than it is nowadays), I also didn't care (except for one of her decisions and that made me hate her).
Peter, Roger, Max, Joe, Nora, Otto, the Prime Minister ... it really didn't matter at all. There was a back-and-forth like a tug-of-war as in any spy story and the writing really was solid but it didn't tickle any of my senses.
Sadly, the same goes for the last effort to make the supernatural more intriguing. I like the idea of much like the idea of the Presence was kinda funny. However, like I said, I was not invested despite that.
Still, thanks go to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to reading this ARC.
The premise of there being an afterlife, making death no big deal, as well as all the political repercussions (Queen Victoria is still ruling Britain, although from Summerland which basically is "the other side") sounded intriguing. The people here not only have a way of talking to the dead on a special phone, the dead can also rent a medium's body to walk among the living. We also have a spy story full of agents, moles, double-agents and whatnot. And then there is something wrong with this other world, the souls and ghosts/spirits.
Unfortunately, I did not connect with this AT ALL. Maybe it's because I'm not made for spy stories or maybe it's because I was hoping for a bit more otherworldliness.
Whatever it was, I did not connect with any of the characters.
While I hated how Rachel was treated simply for being a woman (this takes place in the late 1930s so sexism, especially in the Service, was even worse than it is nowadays), I also didn't care (except for one of her decisions and that made me hate her).
Peter, Roger, Max, Joe, Nora, Otto, the Prime Minister ... it really didn't matter at all. There was a back-and-forth like a tug-of-war as in any spy story and the writing really was solid but it didn't tickle any of my senses.
Sadly, the same goes for the last effort to make the supernatural more intriguing. I like the idea of
Spoiler
God not being dead but hungry and of the old ghosts eating the young eventually, with some fading and some young enduring to become the new old ones, making the cycle go on and on and onStill, thanks go to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to reading this ARC.
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, War, Violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Death, and Death of parent
gtbenathan's review against another edition
4.0
This was really good. Great premise with excellent pacing. The writing is good and characters are understandable. I'm a big fan of this and will be suggesting it often. This is the sort of book that could often slip between the cracks, but I'm glad it didn't for me.
gobblebook's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have really loved this book if I hadn't been confused the whole time. I might have been a lot less confused if I hadn't listened to the audiobook - there are a lot of characters, and with an audiobook you can't flip back to remind yourself who someone is.
It takes place between the World Wars, in an alternate universe where scientists have discovered how to have access to the afterlife. The living can communicate with the dead, and the dead can inhabit bodies to interact with the world of the living. Naturally this makes war very different. The main character, Rachel, is a spy whose skill is underestimated because she is a woman. She gets demoted, but secretly continues her spy work, pretending to be a double agent so that she can uncover the mole in her own agency. The fact that she is pretending to be a double agent and working with another double agent also makes things confusing, because it's hard to keep track of who is really on which side or what the sides even are.
As a spy thriller, this is quite good. On top of that, the world building is really interesting, even if I didn't always understand it completely. This is normally the kind of genre bending that I love, but I was frustrated by not understanding what was happening a lot of the time.
abookishtype's review against another edition
4.0
What would it be like to exist in a world where death doesn’t really matter? For the British Empire, it means colonizing the afterlife and continuing to play the Great Game forever. Summerland, by Hannu Rajaniemi, is a spy versus spy story set in an alternate 1938 where the Spanish Civil War might lead to another world war. Rachel White works for the Winter Court, the lively side of the British Secret Service. Peter Bloom is a Russian double agent undercover in the Summer Court, the afterlife version of the British Intelligence Service. Rachel knows there’s a mole and Peter knows that someone knows—neither of them knows that there might be a larger, deadlier conflict about to kick off...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
skylarprimm's review against another edition
3.0
You'd think that a book about ghost spies would be a lot more propulsive and entertaining than this one is. I felt like the (largely) missing backstory would've made for a more compelling read. As it stands, the stakes for this one never felt particularly high, and I never developed much affection for any of the characters. This was a pretty big disappointment after waiting so long for a followup to [b:The Quantum Thief|7562764|The Quantum Thief (Jean le Flambeur, #1)|Hannu Rajaniemi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327950631s/7562764.jpg|9886333] trilogy.
cathepsut's review against another edition
5.0
„You are a cruel woman, Mrs. Moore,“ he said between sips.
Reminiscent of Marvel‘s Agent Carter, Mrs. Moore is a secret agent... but that is just the beginning. Set in 1938, we get espionage and counter espionage, glimpses of the Spanish Civil War, the Old Boy‘s Clubs ruling Great Britain, one disenchanted female agent, communism, an alternate reality or rather, a netherworld of ghosts and mediums. Because in this world you go places, when you die. If you have something important to do and own a Ticket...
A little confusing at first, pretty good world building from the start. I had to refreshen my lacking knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, which was a lot of fun in itself.
Real spies and double-agents added extra interest to the story. And a whole bunch of other characters from real life, fitted into this ingenious world. I had a lot of fun looking up all of them.
Is the Zöllner camera based on Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner? Herbert Blanco West took me a bit to figure out... Very educating read, besides being entertaining.
Good pacing, suspenseful, not too predictable, well developed characters. I had a hard time picking sides, because I liked pretty much all of them. And in the end you do not (only) get the expected, which makes it fun. I would pick up a sequel, if there will be one. But this is fine as a stand-alone.
I received this free e-copy from Tor/Forge via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
Reminiscent of Marvel‘s Agent Carter, Mrs. Moore is a secret agent... but that is just the beginning. Set in 1938, we get espionage and counter espionage, glimpses of the Spanish Civil War, the Old Boy‘s Clubs ruling Great Britain, one disenchanted female agent, communism, an alternate reality or rather, a netherworld of ghosts and mediums. Because in this world you go places, when you die. If you have something important to do and own a Ticket...
A little confusing at first, pretty good world building from the start. I had to refreshen my lacking knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, which was a lot of fun in itself.
Real spies and double-agents added extra interest to the story. And a whole bunch of other characters from real life, fitted into this ingenious world. I had a lot of fun looking up all of them.
Is the Zöllner camera based on Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner? Herbert Blanco West took me a bit to figure out... Very educating read, besides being entertaining.
Good pacing, suspenseful, not too predictable, well developed characters. I had a hard time picking sides, because I liked pretty much all of them. And in the end you do not (only) get the expected, which makes it fun. I would pick up a sequel, if there will be one. But this is fine as a stand-alone.
I received this free e-copy from Tor/Forge via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
broente's review against another edition
3.0
The world building was interesting, if only described/explained in more detail. I didn't read as much spy fiction but the tension and the atmosphere were written well. I thought character's motifs weren't always clear, but personally i could forgive this for Rachel White. I fell a little in love with Rachel. I liked the way author treated her and showed inequality and misogyny in the 'high places.' She was unapologetically angry, bitter, stubborn and clever. And I'm a sucker for a female character like that
parah07's review against another edition
2.0
I'm afraid i'm going to join the club of those who were excited about the plot by reading the caption, but who were left feeling like they were missing something after reading the book. It just feels incomplete and somewhere absent.
vanamonde's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Pre WW2 spy drama with a hunt for a traitor that is complicated by the fact he is already dead. Throw in a mechanical god and a working after life makes for a fun story as the author brings this world to life. Recommended.