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ntembeast's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Not gonna lie, this book surprised me with how much I really, truly, authentically ended up enjoying it. My initial thoughts were, "Ooh! Klance-coded space gays! That sounds dope as fuck!" After picking it up and realizing we were starting on a slightly more juvenile tone, I was admittedly slightly underwhelmed, but the environment and plot to the story had me intrigued enough that I kept going, and now that was a good decision.
Ambrose and Kodiak play off each other in the way that any good complex relationship should-- they're different enough that things aren't smooth or easy, but their interactions are exactly the kind of clashes necessary for growth and unexpected chemistry. And overarching across their continually fluctuating and progressing dynamics we have The Mission and The Mystery, because not all is as it seems (because of course it isn't; when ever is it as it seems? Actually, you'll have a moment where it is exactly as it seems, and ironically, that's gonna be the worst one yet, but you're gonna have to read the book until you hit that moment, and when it does-- Oof. Big oof.).
But it's this book's really well-executed dance and balance between our two boys as they try to figure each other out and grow closer, and the ambiguous, ominous horror waiting to unfold just beyond your awareness that makes this book so much better than I had anticipated. Even being able to get an inkling of just exactly what's going on in the book's overt plot and the plot that's hidden, waiting to strike from the shadows of foreshadowing doesn't distill the enjoyment. It was a fuckin' ride. And let me tell you, when that veil is torn to shreds you get your first gut-punch of truth? It makes everything so much more horrifying and terrible and sad from every moment forward. Every moment of warmth and humor and lightness is weighted, and the only one looking on in unmasked mortification is you, the reader.
It's honestly an absolute delight to be able to read a sci-fi that took such well-established tropes and twisted it around the authenticity that's at the heart of what we call "humanity"-- the feelings inside of us, the connections we make and cherish. It brings it spiraling-- spiraling, spiraling, spiraling into such a point of sweetness and concentrated purpose, where all unnecessary things have been stripped away, that it's one of the most satisfying endings I've read to a book in a fair minute.
Now, praise aside, the book is not without its flaws, one more egregious than the other, but I can't post this review without them being mentioned. There are a couple of moments that can come across as fatphobic, though they're done without malice or significant ill intent, in my opinion. They're very fleeting, no more than a passing comment in perhaps two sentences in different parts of the book, with the only slightly lingering focus being on one small section of paragraph where a character comments on another's weight gain.
However, the much larger issue is when we come across a transmission from a radio station with South American hosts that literally state, word for word, "Remember, our intelligence might be low, but at least it's not artificial." While there have been mentions of bigotry of all kinds within the text prior to this and after this, it's typically countered within the story by the characters, but this really stood out as unnecessary racism in a book of otherwise great content. It's the only real blemish that still mars my experience with this book, and although it wasn't repeated, I still didn't appreciate its inclusion. If it was meant satirically, that's one thing, but it's too unchallenged in the text to sit right with me regardless.
Barring those instances, the book was an effortless and engaging read, and went by so fast. I truly did enjoy every other aspect of it, down to every tragic and stupid moment. While it's not a perfect book, it definitely comes damn close if Gay Space Dinguses is your agenda. I highly recommend it, and here's to hoping the author does a little better with some of their problem areas in the upcoming sequel. Thanks for a fantastic, painful ride--quite literally.
Ambrose and Kodiak play off each other in the way that any good complex relationship should-- they're different enough that things aren't smooth or easy, but their interactions are exactly the kind of clashes necessary for growth and unexpected chemistry. And overarching across their continually fluctuating and progressing dynamics we have The Mission and The Mystery, because not all is as it seems (because of course it isn't; when ever is it as it seems? Actually, you'll have a moment where it is exactly as it seems, and ironically, that's gonna be the worst one yet, but you're gonna have to read the book until you hit that moment, and when it does-- Oof. Big oof.).
But it's this book's really well-executed dance and balance between our two boys as they try to figure each other out and grow closer, and the ambiguous, ominous horror waiting to unfold just beyond your awareness that makes this book so much better than I had anticipated. Even being able to get an inkling of just exactly what's going on in the book's overt plot and the plot that's hidden, waiting to strike from the shadows of foreshadowing doesn't distill the enjoyment. It was a fuckin' ride. And let me tell you, when that veil is torn to shreds you get your first gut-punch of truth? It makes everything so much more horrifying and terrible and sad from every moment forward. Every moment of warmth and humor and lightness is weighted, and the only one looking on in unmasked mortification is you, the reader.
It's honestly an absolute delight to be able to read a sci-fi that took such well-established tropes and twisted it around the authenticity that's at the heart of what we call "humanity"-- the feelings inside of us, the connections we make and cherish. It brings it spiraling-- spiraling, spiraling, spiraling into such a point of sweetness and concentrated purpose, where all unnecessary things have been stripped away, that it's one of the most satisfying endings I've read to a book in a fair minute.
Now, praise aside, the book is not without its flaws, one more egregious than the other, but I can't post this review without them being mentioned. There are a couple of moments that can come across as fatphobic, though they're done without malice or significant ill intent, in my opinion. They're very fleeting, no more than a passing comment in perhaps two sentences in different parts of the book, with the only slightly lingering focus being on one small section of paragraph where a character comments on another's weight gain.
However, the much larger issue is when we come across a transmission from a radio station with South American hosts that literally state, word for word, "Remember, our intelligence might be low, but at least it's not artificial." While there have been mentions of bigotry of all kinds within the text prior to this and after this, it's typically countered within the story by the characters, but this really stood out as unnecessary racism in a book of otherwise great content. It's the only real blemish that still mars my experience with this book, and although it wasn't repeated, I still didn't appreciate its inclusion. If it was meant satirically, that's one thing, but it's too unchallenged in the text to sit right with me regardless.
Barring those instances, the book was an effortless and engaging read, and went by so fast. I truly did enjoy every other aspect of it, down to every tragic and stupid moment. While it's not a perfect book, it definitely comes damn close if Gay Space Dinguses is your agenda. I highly recommend it, and here's to hoping the author does a little better with some of their problem areas in the upcoming sequel. Thanks for a fantastic, painful ride--quite literally.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Fatphobia
wheatlyre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Abandonment, Racism, War, Transphobia, and Homophobia
lavender_lores's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book can fit so much book in it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gaslighting
Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
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