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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Pretty interesting story, somewhat flat characters though. It appears obvious to me at least that Asimov honed his craft to a very fine point over time, and this was during his early works so while it’s good, the others are much better. Also isn’t quite as consequential to the universe as I was hoping but again - the universe wasn’t even planned by Asimov so that’s not a real fair critique.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have a very similar impression of this book as with the first in the series, The Stars, Like Dust--except where that novel had a weak start and stronger ending this was the opposite, for me. The plot revolves around what is essentially a slave planet to a nearby planet, and we're with the slaves. So many stories are told from the perspective of the strong or the rulers, while this one starts out with the powerless and their struggle. Of course, as these things go, the scope of the conflict expands inexorably, and before long the plot involves the top of the pyramid.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, as a refresher from galaxy-scale conflicts. But, given that this is in Asimov's "Galactic Empire" series of novels, you knew the emphasis would shift sooner or later. Unfortunately, I grew to like the homey, pitiable characters and didn't appreciate the shift to power players. Asimov's characterization is all over the place.
Plot-wise, I suppose the book is fine, fitting into the sequence of the Galactic Empire series while remaining stand-alone. The writing isn't super elegant, so in sum this is just another book to read if you're already reading Asimov.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, as a refresher from galaxy-scale conflicts. But, given that this is in Asimov's "Galactic Empire" series of novels, you knew the emphasis would shift sooner or later. Unfortunately, I grew to like the homey, pitiable characters and didn't appreciate the shift to power players. Asimov's characterization is all over the place.
Plot-wise, I suppose the book is fine, fitting into the sequence of the Galactic Empire series while remaining stand-alone. The writing isn't super elegant, so in sum this is just another book to read if you're already reading Asimov.
Hmmm, it was good. It talked of Trantor and it related to the rest of the series. I'm not sure however if I'll ever want to read it again.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Too many characters to keep track of in the fast-paced ending.
(reread) This didn't seem to have a lot of momentum, like the story was always trying to get going but had to be pushed to the next phase each time. The central mystery — who is Rik? What was his warning? — is fine, but there's little idea of what to do to answer, other than wait around for stuff to happen. By no means bad, but not up to much of his other work.