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jdhacker's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Interesting socio-political though experiment more than it is a novel. Looking at in broad strokes, with some occasional microscoping in at key events, two species first evolving then slowly developing culture and technology on sister worlds. The two are vaguely stand-ins for the US/USSR, though there are some pretty serious deviations from both, and it eventually leads to post-ww2 era nuclear stand-off and nuclear annihilation (other than some survivors off planet).
If you're looking for a good narrative driven scifi novel, you might want to skip this as there are barely characters let alone a 'story' in the traditional sense, but it *is* a good read as long as you know what you're getting in to.
Its got a lot of what you'd expect from a 50s/Heinlein era sf writer in terms of glorification of a really strange (definitely not modern) sort of libertarian-ism that still sees value in community and community building. As well as a lot of fear of certainly not real form of communism that inevitably leads to totalitarianism. But they're both such caricatures here in service to the overall fable it feels a lot less out of place.
Also, as others have noted, it was unfinished manuscript of notes after Piper's suicide, finished by Kurland with rather limited changes.
If you're looking for a good narrative driven scifi novel, you might want to skip this as there are barely characters let alone a 'story' in the traditional sense, but it *is* a good read as long as you know what you're getting in to.
Its got a lot of what you'd expect from a 50s/Heinlein era sf writer in terms of glorification of a really strange (definitely not modern) sort of libertarian-ism that still sees value in community and community building. As well as a lot of fear of certainly not real form of communism that inevitably leads to totalitarianism. But they're both such caricatures here in service to the overall fable it feels a lot less out of place.
Also, as others have noted, it was unfinished manuscript of notes after Piper's suicide, finished by Kurland with rather limited changes.
ramsfan1963's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Not really a novel, more the history and evolution of two neighboring planets. No real character development, but interesting as the two worlds develop radically different government styles.
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