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cweeks_ng's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As a newer fan of sci-fi, I enjoyed parts of this book a lot. I’d say the larger ideas of the author were excellent, but the execution in the plot and characters was a let down for me. Not interested enough to continue the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and War
cdbrendel's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Suicide, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dished_pallor's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An interesting, extremely slow-burn premise that pays off. Book has a tendency to "tell" not "show" and it can be a bit grating and wooden. But I'm a sucker for hard scifi with big mysteries.
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture, Death of parent, Murder, and War
maddie_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
I usually prefer faster pace books but I really enjoyed this one.
I really enjoyed
I really enjoyed
- writing style
- the tension and mystery
And learning more about
- China's cultural revolution
- Science concepts - a lot were explained well enough that I could understand without a science background
I never felt bored listening to this but some of the science parts went completely over my head and I didn't want to look them up out of fear of spoilers so I felt a bit lost during some of the super science heavy parts.
Spoilers:
Fyi it ends on a cliffhanger.
I love books that make me say wtf lol dried out people rolls?? What the fuck! Cutting a boat in half with a nano string?? Destroying microcosm societies??love it, absolutely loved the part at the end with the bug metaphor- The Bugs have never truly been defeated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
monsty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and War
atalea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
4.0
At the beginning it was a five star read for me, but at the end it became a little too science heavy for me which deflated my interest a bit. I do love how the author explains difficult scientific concepts, it made it easier to follow. Very interested to see how things continue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Pregnancy, and War
lighterthaneyre's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I've heard repeatedly that this book is amazing from lots of men whose opinions I respect.
This is a very dense, hard sci fi book. I found it a little tedious from a pacing perspective, and I found the main character an irritating emptiness. He is often an excuse for other characters to contemplate upper level physics.
The descriptions of the physics, and the extremely human reaction to the ideas ka fascinating. This book presents a lot of ideas that were interesting to think about. This might not be on any of my "all time best" lists but I absolutely want to hear the author expand on the ideas he has set up.
Also it's so refreshing to get a very un-American/non-Western voice for sci Fi. Another reason to look forward to the next book
This is a very dense, hard sci fi book. I found it a little tedious from a pacing perspective, and I found the main character an irritating emptiness. He is often an excuse for other characters to contemplate upper level physics.
The descriptions of the physics, and the extremely human reaction to the ideas ka fascinating. This book presents a lot of ideas that were interesting to think about. This might not be on any of my "all time best" lists but I absolutely want to hear the author expand on the ideas he has set up.
Also it's so refreshing to get a very un-American/non-Western voice for sci Fi. Another reason to look forward to the next book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Police brutality and War
hannahlabi's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Violence and War
bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Police brutality and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
ali1311's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
I'd heard a lot about this book, which was why it was such a bummer to find it so disappointing! At first, I thought it was just me and my love of romance/an emotionally driven character or sci-fi not being my preferred genre that made me feel like the story fell flat, but upon reading some other reviews, it seems it's not just me. Which is a relief because I thought I was being a real hater for no reason. Alas, there is reason. The book was interesting but the writing reads as somewhat robotic and I wouldn't say we know any of the characters well. In fact, I think there were too many characters and we didn't get to really attach ourselves to a specific character as our protagonist for much of the book. I also don't have enough of a STEM brain for this book. The science didn't interest me much, and with no interesting characters to supplement the complex science, I spent a lot of the book feeling lost and a bit bored. Overall, I see what the author was trying to do and I can see why someone would enjoy this book, but I thought it was a bit bland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and War
Minor: Murder