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samstern's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cavetoad's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Started out well with good pacing and interesting characters but then it bogged down in the last 1/3. Almost bailed on it. An ok but not surprising ending.
halcyonb's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this books. Gripping plot. The characters were a strong point and themes of letting go of dreams, perseverance. Gets you invested with an easy root for good vs evil. Dotted with great ideas like but although not as grand as the first book.
Unexpectedly long
Other note:
- something I found interesting and not commonly written is that many of the characters,.especially qeng ho, are cognizant of their place within their little economic system. I guess that is central to their civilization as "traders"
Unexpectedly long
Other note:
- something I found interesting and not commonly written is that many of the characters,.especially qeng ho, are cognizant of their place within their little economic system. I guess that is central to their civilization as "traders"
aedireads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
ahoffmeyer's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
aranafyre's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me so long to read. It was good but just took forever. I also really wanted more about the zones of thought from book 1. This did not have any of that.
Humans from two different cultures, the Qenv Ho and the Emergents, approach the on/off star and the single planet that hosts sentient spider creatures. The star is off for about a couple of hundred years and the spiders traditionally hibernate in deepnesses. The two human factions fight it out when they arrive and the survivors have to wait for the spider culture to advance in technology far enough to help rebuild their fleet.
The characters were well written and interesting. I wanted to know what happened to them. Overall I felt like the plot was a bit too tidy. Things were relatively predictable and easy though that’s not quite the right word because the characters suffer a lot. I was both happy it ended the way it did and sighed about it being exactly what I expected.
Humans from two different cultures, the Qenv Ho and the Emergents, approach the on/off star and the single planet that hosts sentient spider creatures. The star is off for about a couple of hundred years and the spiders traditionally hibernate in deepnesses. The two human factions fight it out when they arrive and the survivors have to wait for the spider culture to advance in technology far enough to help rebuild their fleet.
The characters were well written and interesting. I wanted to know what happened to them. Overall I felt like the plot was a bit too tidy. Things were relatively predictable and easy though that’s not quite the right word because the characters suffer a lot. I was both happy it ended the way it did and sighed about it being exactly what I expected.
buttcord's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
spikeanderson1's review against another edition
3.0
decent- too drawn out, but decent certainly some original thinking and solid writing
spitzig's review against another edition
3.0
LOVED it. Vinge made alien spiders into people. However, that's not as impressive as making a collectively conscious pack of dogs into people(A Fire upon the Deep, the first book). Also, while it had an interesting way of considering civilizations rise and falling, it wasn't as epic or cosmopolitan as A Fire upon the Deep.
The book had quite a few well done main characters. The plot was good. Basically, espionage.
The book had quite a few well done main characters. The plot was good. Basically, espionage.