Reviews

[spoilers ahead] On one hand, I very much enjoyed the big questions in this book, particularly, how does, first, Utopia, and, later, the loss of all future generations impact man's motivation and inspiration and behavior? I feel some may want to draw a moral to current times about the dangers of nuclear self-annihilation, but I think that misses the more interesting question of what is sacrificed when struggle, whether between nations or against other forces of strife, is removed.

On the other hand, I didn't care much about the characters. My sadness was very shallow when George and Jean's children are the first to disconnect, and I couldn't muster much of any emotion about the joining of the human race to the Overmind. Nor did I feel too sorry about the Overlords' apparent exclusion from full melding with the Overmind.

All in all, very interesting academically, but I very much missed having a sense of empathy and investment with the characters, which gives these types of stories their real power.

milpoolvanhouten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

writermaguire's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-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? No

4.0

adammuly's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a thought-provoking sci-fi. Slow burning at times and page-turning at others. Overall it presents a neat ode to culture and diversity, celebrating them and warning against their opposite.