Scan barcode
ejkimberley's review against another edition
4.0
A strong planetary romance in the tradition of that genre, with a constant element of suspense. This is a book about life and death which lives and dies by its science-fiction premises, more than by its characters' own confrontations with its life and death motifs. For the most part, this is simply because its characters aren't all they could be, and their relationships are in many cases not at all well fleshed out. Some resolution is offered in its final ten pages, but this is really all that is given to the reader.
This is a short book, as GRRM's books go. He might be partly excused for the incompleteness of his characters and their motivations by virtue of its brevity and his comparative youth as an author at the time of its writing. He might be further excused by virtue of the compelling world he builds around them, the building of which consumes the majority of the text.
But for a book so devoted to the themes of love and life and death, we are given little by which to understand the characters' relationships to them. The dying world of Worlorn, in the end, is the main character of this book. Old Kavalar culture, whose own death approaches, is a co-star. Yet the people whose eyes we view these quite compelling developments through are largely husks.
This is a book for the science fiction reader. For the reader of GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire who was drawn in to its primary characters for their own sake, it will be a disappointment. For the reader of planetary fantasy who wishes to see a new world built and a history and the story of its culture unfolded before them, this is a very compelling title.
This is a short book, as GRRM's books go. He might be partly excused for the incompleteness of his characters and their motivations by virtue of its brevity and his comparative youth as an author at the time of its writing. He might be further excused by virtue of the compelling world he builds around them, the building of which consumes the majority of the text.
But for a book so devoted to the themes of love and life and death, we are given little by which to understand the characters' relationships to them. The dying world of Worlorn, in the end, is the main character of this book. Old Kavalar culture, whose own death approaches, is a co-star. Yet the people whose eyes we view these quite compelling developments through are largely husks.
This is a book for the science fiction reader. For the reader of GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire who was drawn in to its primary characters for their own sake, it will be a disappointment. For the reader of planetary fantasy who wishes to see a new world built and a history and the story of its culture unfolded before them, this is a very compelling title.
cesarcb04's review against another edition
3.0
Inició muy bien, terminó muy mal, se vuelve predecible y los personajes no tienen el final que merecen, una verdadera lastima y un absoluto desperdició para todo el potencial que mostró al inicio.
bookwyrm242's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide
zesty_lemon's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
callandor19's review against another edition
3.0
Neat to see GRRM working in a space that’s somewhat removed from what’s become his most notorious setting. Some neat worldbuilding that avoids getting too dull by being focused on human element. Very much in the Frank Herbert tradition of elevating pulp sci-fi with a postmodern anthropological perspective. Not as up my alley as ASOIAF, and no as engrossing as Dune, but pretty fun and a strong debut in retrospect.
raphaelsantos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
vespix's review against another edition
The characters just frustrate me. The focus on a super misogynistic society makes the book unpleasant to read. The planet is interesting — terraformed only for a decade or so while it passes close enough to a star then abandoned — but not enough to slog through the mess of interpersonal relationshis that is the main storyline only to be slapped with an open ending at the end (yes I peeked, it's awful; would count as cliffhanger if there was a sequel).
It's not that I'm bored of this book, no. It's just generating too many negative emotions.
It's not that I'm bored of this book, no. It's just generating too many negative emotions.
gabipoderosa's review against another edition
3.0
Con mucha pena le doy 3 estrellas, solo porque no pude conectarme en ningún momento con nada.
El mundo es maravilloso, la política, los personajes… pero no, algo me faltó.
Una historia de amor no es, el amor es un motor en una parte de la historia pero incluso esa relación es compleja y no pude empatizar.
Ya he leído muchos otros relatos del autor de ciencia ficción, como Una canción para Lya: yo pensaba que sería asi esta novela, que lograría conectarme como me pasó anteriormente. Pero no.
Ojo que, la recomiendo si te encanta la ciencia ficción dura y clásica, este libro lo considero clásico.
Pero en resumidas cuentas: un mundo increíble, una historia vigente y novedosa, un clásico de ciencia ficción y una buena narración.
El mundo es maravilloso, la política, los personajes… pero no, algo me faltó.
Una historia de amor no es, el amor es un motor en una parte de la historia pero incluso esa relación es compleja y no pude empatizar.
Ya he leído muchos otros relatos del autor de ciencia ficción, como Una canción para Lya: yo pensaba que sería asi esta novela, que lograría conectarme como me pasó anteriormente. Pero no.
Ojo que, la recomiendo si te encanta la ciencia ficción dura y clásica, este libro lo considero clásico.
Pero en resumidas cuentas: un mundo increíble, una historia vigente y novedosa, un clásico de ciencia ficción y una buena narración.
22lukem's review against another edition
4.0
I looove all the stuff where they go to the tower block city, so cool! This is a really good book all about how we choose to face death. Lots of scheming and twists and manhunts!
loois's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0