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johoansson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
odin45mp's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun popcorn scifi thriller, great for a summer vacation read.
I loved the premise: in a world where cloning is commonplace, six clones wake up on a generation ship. Their previous bodies have been brutally murdered. One of them did it. But who? And why? And why can't they remember? Oh, and each of them has a criminal past from before they set foot on the ship.
Lafferty keeps things moving and doles out worldbuilding at a good pace, the worldbuilding definitely kept me interested. The dialogue and characters felt uneven - some I loved and wanted to know more about, others interested me less. I think the author was the same way as we got a lot more life and detail out of some of the clones than others, and I don't think I can point to all of it as plot structure and plot reveal. Joanna and Maria I could have spent more time with even though they already get a good healthy bit of development. Paul and Wolfgang I feel as though I barely knew until late in the book, and even after I got to know them I still didn't particularly care.
It being a murder whodunit I felt the invisible coincidences of PLOT more often than I wanted to, which speaks to a need for more work with the editing team to more organically reveal the mystery to the reader. The journey was mostly enjoyable, and I would recommend it to people who like books like this. It won't be my top Hugo pick this year, but I can see how it made it on the ballot.
I loved the premise: in a world where cloning is commonplace, six clones wake up on a generation ship. Their previous bodies have been brutally murdered. One of them did it. But who? And why? And why can't they remember? Oh, and each of them has a criminal past from before they set foot on the ship.
Lafferty keeps things moving and doles out worldbuilding at a good pace, the worldbuilding definitely kept me interested. The dialogue and characters felt uneven - some I loved and wanted to know more about, others interested me less. I think the author was the same way as we got a lot more life and detail out of some of the clones than others, and I don't think I can point to all of it as plot structure and plot reveal. Joanna and Maria I could have spent more time with even though they already get a good healthy bit of development. Paul and Wolfgang I feel as though I barely knew until late in the book, and even after I got to know them I still didn't particularly care.
It being a murder whodunit I felt the invisible coincidences of PLOT more often than I wanted to, which speaks to a need for more work with the editing team to more organically reveal the mystery to the reader. The journey was mostly enjoyable, and I would recommend it to people who like books like this. It won't be my top Hugo pick this year, but I can see how it made it on the ballot.
tallblondehandsome's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
strigine's review against another edition
3.0
(Rating may shift up a bit, this is my immediate gut response)
An interesting take on the type of conundrum presented in closed-environment mysteries like "Murder on the Orient Express", with added sfnal complications. Because I just read "Hyperion" for book club, it reminded me a bit of that, with the iterative reveal of the different crew members' backstories. (But I enjoyed it muuuuch more than I did "Hyperion".)
I found some of the revelations of the climax a bit dissatisfying. But the characters are all pretty interesting, especially as you find out more about them.
An interesting take on the type of conundrum presented in closed-environment mysteries like "Murder on the Orient Express", with added sfnal complications. Because I just read "Hyperion" for book club, it reminded me a bit of that, with the iterative reveal of the different crew members' backstories. (But I enjoyed it muuuuch more than I did "Hyperion".)
I found some of the revelations of the climax a bit dissatisfying.
Spoiler
Primarily that the ultimate antagonist, Mignon, is not an active part of the story, just someone who shows up in the flashbacks. There's something a bit Moriarty-esque about her.slayder's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eyelit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rosaliethayer's review against another edition
4.0
It took me awhile to get into it, honestly. It was a solid book though.
gjharm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
athryn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved it. I devoured this book pretty quickly, and it's because I love a good whodunit, especially in a science fiction setting. Excellent worldbuilding exploring the implications of cloning and how society might react to it. Great characters. Some great twists and turns to get to the conclusion.