Reviews

The Bohr Maker by Linda Nagata

fusrodah's review

3.0

It took a long while to finish this one, and I'm pretty sure I know why. As interesting as the premise was, a few things stopped me from really getting into this book.

Positives first. The plot is really good. Nagata puts forth a really unique world here, with the premise of makers being prevalent and influencing lives. We understand that there are artificial worlds here too. I'd also say the characters are all different and well realised. I cannot pick a favorite character though.

That transitions me nicely to why I didn't enjoy it as much. The writing is... well tough to follow most of the time. It seems overly descriptive sometimes and others feels inadequate. Another gripe is that I never really could pick a favorite character. As much as I liked them, I never loved them.

__apf__'s review

3.0

Heavily influenced by Altered Carbon: people can be reduced to digital versions of themselves (and move between bodies), extending the lifetimes of the fortunate while the poor live in squalor. Nagata adds a new twist with a Maker that can create new Makers (loosely, an AI that can alter human DNA and also create other new AIs like it). Parts of it felt like hard sci-fi, but yet there were also gaps in the technology and plot that felt like magic, so the novel felt inconsistent to me.

ineffablebob's review

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The Bohr Maker takes place an unspecified number of decades in the future when humanity has invented artificial intelligence running on nanotech platforms (called Makers), colonized near-Earth space, mastered body modification, and created virtual reality via brain implants. But all these advances are not equally distributed, and the author follows both some of the haves who live without want and virtually move about freely, and the have-nots that struggle to find food and are stuck in slums. The powers-that-be have restricted technological progress in order to maintain the systems that they rule, under the guise of concern for the damage that runaway technology could do to Earth - a valid concern, but used largely to keep the masses down. The story plays out as a techno-thriller with different parties chasing the Bohr Maker, an illegally advanced system that finds its way to a poor woman who sees her new AI abilities as magic. I found it an intriguing read with expansive world-building and largely interesting characters, and the way it all ends certainly left me looking forward to seeing how the world changes in the next book.

funcharge's review

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

tuftymctavish's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'm not really into the cyberpunk genre of sleeving, ghosts and atriums, so my interest throughout this rather peaked and troughed. It’s very fast paced, jumping from scene to scene, setting to setting, relying on you keeping up with proceedings.

mattgetsliterary's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The science fiction elements were cool, but I couldn’t get invested in any of the characters.

squirrelfish's review

4.0

I liked this book a lot, in fact I'd put it up as a favorite of the year... if I hadn't already read [b:Limit of Vision|1187826|Limit of Vision|Linda Nagata|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312042457s/1187826.jpg|1175822] by the same author. The books are very similar, particularly in the characters. I like Limit better, and will definitely read the rest of Nagata's novels, but hope they're a little more different from each other.

cindywho's review

3.0

This one was way better than Tech-Heaven. If the characters were outlandish, they matched their environment - which was fascinating. How far could nanotechnology go? Could it make humans godlike? From dystopia to world building to immortality, it's a fun ride. Some aspects reminded me of The Diamond Age and [b:Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|29587|Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168033624s/29587.jpg|1413]. I did wonder why there was little discussion of the distinction between the death of the body and the death of brain/mind patterns. (April 15, 2006)

tessa_rosie's review

5.0

This has to be one of my favourite reads so far of 2021! First the SEA representation through Phousita 10/10. Secondly, I had no clue what nanotechnology was about until I read this book, and I think it’s use in the book really brings about the question of what it means to be human and how Nature (with a capital N) will adapt to new tech.

walterthewobot's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5