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tree_branch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ekcd_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Where to start?
The characters are utterly forgettable and there is not a single redeemable or meaningful relationship between any of the characters or any facet of the story. They only existed so they could talk to each other as a way to move the plot along. Without the characters the whole book could be reduced to one, drunken rant about “like what if aliens lived on an unstable planet?” He put characters in so it wouldn’t just be a really bizarre lecture
This book reads as 350 pages of history and philosophical waxing and then 50 pages of shitty alien fan fiction that is really just the author patting himself on the back for creating analogies that are complicated enough for readers to think him smart but are ultimately meaningless.
By rooting a story in the present and then layering in completely absurd scientific magic over it really removed me from the story. The physics and math were really inaccessible and honesty glossed over that whole chapter.
Nothing in this story or it’s writing made me care about any of the individuals, civilizations, communities or social movements that were used.
I am gobsmacked that so many people praise this book so highly. I love science fiction and read it almost exclusively. The only thing keeping me from rage quitting half way through was rage reading so I could review this book without people saying “you didn’t finish it so you can’t comment on it”
It gets a 1.5 because I was able to finish it quickly (thank god)
Well screw you, fans of this book, I read it and I disliked it!
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
I don’t regret reading this because at least it gives me something concrete to point my unhinged anger at. Going to drink some tea and read something that I know is good and purehuntersrl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Genocide and War
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Murder
kstericker's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Body horror
becksusername's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
f18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
isabelgalupo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, and War
cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Suicide