Reviews

Cyber Mage by Saad Z. Hossain

vaindesi's review

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adventurous dark funny

4.0

onespaceymother's review

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4.0

This book is much more science-fiction than fantasy though there’s definitely a good dose of surrealism. It varied chapter to chapter how I felt about it. When the author focused on character driven narrative, in particularly on our main character, I found this charming and engaging. And then we’d go through chapters packed with history and lore and it felt long and dry.

Spoiler ish:


Two god AIs battling in a final fantasy style multiplayer game is pretty fucking fun.

saracat's review

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4.0

Hossain is really skilled at writing complex stories where many characters and storylines slowly come together to form a fuller, bigger picture. What frustrated me about Djinn City (which takes place before this) was the ending. And while a lot of loose threads didn’t get resolved here, this story did have an ending that felt more complete and satisfying for me.

cozy_reading_times's review

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3.0

3.5*
While sadly not as fun as the two tordotcom novellas of Saad Z. Hussain that I previously read, this is still an interesting and unique book. Taking place 2089 in Dhaka, in cyber punk world filled with nano technology but also frequently visited by djinn, this is a story like no other. Sadly, I didn't really vibe with the protagonist, who, while funny, was often also quite insufferable. The story goes in some weird direction, which I liked, but lacks a little bit of direction and coherence. The book could easily have been a little shorter (and coming from me, that critique really says a lot), cutting out some meandering parts. Still, it was an experience, and reading at least one of the author's stories is something I would recommend to every reader seeking to broaden their speculative horizon.

eawtcu2015's review

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3.0

Fun little pulp read that tries a little too hard with some unwieldy world building/story telling. Still, if you know cybersecurity and video game culture it’s a fun read once it gets rolling

andhu's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

captain_valour's review against another edition

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slow-paced

1.0

ktliz's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

ioana00's review against another edition

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

3.0

jerseygrrrl's review

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Clearly an amazing book, but wasn't what I wanted to read right now.