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casualblasphemy's review
4.0
An intriguing novella/thought experiment about a hyper-tall structure. Nail 30 of these together and you’ve got one of his full-bore novels.
ababoglo's review
4.0
3.5 roundup. Fascinating premise and enjoyable writing. But this novelette suffers from underdeveloped characters and underwhelming conclusions...
icallaci's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Not much of a story. Really just an excuse to geek out over the technical details of building a tower into space.
tartancrusader's review
3.0
Yeah, not bad. It feels incomplete, however, a fragment of a larger work.
graypeape's review
4.0
This novella was my first experience with Stephenson's work, so I don't know how it compares to his longer works. I enjoyed it, even if some of the more technical stuff got a little dull for me- other readers will find and have found it fascinating, just not my thing. Having said that, it was mostly interesting. The story is about a billionaire wanting to build a 20 KM high tower, and he enlists the help of a childhood friend to do so. There's a lot of story about finding the right piece of real estate for this venture, then a lot of science and engineering to get it built. In between, we get to know the main character, Emma, a bit better, as well as our billionaire, Carl. I liked Carl, he seemed like he'd be fun to hang out with. The story manages to keep your interest, even though there's not really any action till the end. The ending left me a bit wanting, it was a little abrupt to me, but YMMV. I would like to see the story continued, find out what happens once the tower is completed, what becomes of it. I don't know how likely that is, but one can hope.
#AtmosphæraIncognita #NetGalley
#AtmosphæraIncognita #NetGalley
nate_s's review against another edition
3.0
Great concept, and a story with a lot of potential, but it ends in what feels like the middle. Disappointed there wasn't more to it.
marysobie's review
5.0
Great short story. super fast read - technical yet humanistic future of a space tower. And Neal writes female characters so well!
thebookler's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rocabarraigh's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0