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mlewis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Alcohol
thecasualbooknerd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Murder
Minor: Death, Suicide, and Grief
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 puresavvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Additionally, the next two books in this series were overtly misogynist & this one was not. I think this book would be a great standalone novel.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, and Grief
soitis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
tungstenmouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts
fruya'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
4.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Medical content