Scan barcode
maddowils's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Blood
justineboots's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read about 70% of this a few years ago and then I returned to it a couple weeks ago and started over.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise was interesting and the journey through the story was satisfying.
The writing can be a bit dense - this is hard sci fi - and be prepared for lots of essay-like exposition dumps. But ultimately the author still used literary imagery and I particularly enjoyed one parallel that was drawn from the start and end of the book.
Interesting commentary too on humanity and the human spirit, human progress and its cost. Some hints of pastoral sci-fi, as well.
I will definitely be continuing the series.
4.5 here, 4 on Goodreads.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise was interesting and the journey through the story was satisfying.
The writing can be a bit dense - this is hard sci fi - and be prepared for lots of essay-like exposition dumps. But ultimately the author still used literary imagery and I particularly enjoyed one parallel that was drawn from the start and end of the book.
Interesting commentary too on humanity and the human spirit, human progress and its cost. Some hints of pastoral sci-fi, as well.
I will definitely be continuing the series.
4.5 here, 4 on Goodreads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
kstericker's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Suicide, War, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Body horror
becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I was so intimidated by this book, but once I got started I was immediately sucked in and found it not only very readable, but incredibly thought-provoking. I feel like I'm smarter for having read it. And I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Child death, Gaslighting, and Torture
katrinarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The most unique sci fi book (or really book of any genre) that I’ve ever read. My only two complaints were the tendency of the author to info dump and a lack of in depth character development. However, I think the plot and ideas do make up for it, just be warned if you need really good character development to enjoy a story. I really enjoyed the background of the story being set in China, parts of it during the Cultural Revolution. The footnotes were a big help to understand more context, and I found it very interesting. I loved the complexity of how the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence impacted the minds and opinions of humans. Would recommend if you are interested in very science-y science fiction, the idea of alien life, thinking about humanity, and a sprinkling of historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
f18's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: War, Torture, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Sexism, Racism, Genocide, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Cursing
isabelgalupo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was dense and extremely difficult to read at points, but it has an undeniable “it” factor that makes you want to get through it quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Police brutality, and War
cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book is a very interesting read but I would honestly describe it more as a political thriller with hard science fiction elements. The aliens are vague and their advanced technologies are more fantasy than based in hard science, though the science on the human side is much more realistic.
Quibbles about genre aside, I found a lot of the conclusions people draw in this book to be very pessimistic and narrow minded. It is a very gloomy book. Many characters make terrible discoveries and then just give up. A terrible doom is coming and we can't do anything about it so we're just going to give up fighting?! Maybe I'm just young but that attitude infuriates me.
That being said, there's some imaginative uses of science in this book and the sequels are set up well. If you like the prospect of doomy political thriller with aliens then this is a very well written example.
Quibbles about genre aside, I found a lot of the conclusions people draw in this book to be very pessimistic and narrow minded. It is a very gloomy book. Many characters make terrible discoveries and then just give up. A terrible doom is coming and we can't do anything about it so we're just going to give up fighting?! Maybe I'm just young but that attitude infuriates me.
That being said, there's some imaginative uses of science in this book and the sequels are set up well. If you like the prospect of doomy political thriller with aliens then this is a very well written example.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood and Death
Minor: Suicide
gladiolus17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
As a translator, I can’t help but comment on the translation, and I gotta say, I would’ve died translating this. The amount of technical vocabulary astounded me, and Ken Liu did a great job (or at least sounded great, since I’ve only read the English version) making these terms make sense in the target text. He also handled the Chinese linguistic quirks with light explanations so the reader can understand rather than omitting them.
Wong has a flat character arc, so although I was interested in him, I was more interested in Ye, since her character arc dipped. I loved how the Cultural Revolution was the basis to her decision in contact the aliens.
My favorite character was Da Shi. He was an asshole, but he got shit done.
I’d recommend this to readers with a science background, since they’d enjoy it more than me, with all the STEM terminology. But if you’re interested in the nitty-gritty explanations of space travel and planets, this is for you
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Murder, and Suicide
tungstenmouse's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Murder, Grief, Death of parent, Cursing, and Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, and Confinement