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tiggum's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the first half of this book but felt it fell down a bit after that. Firstly, there didn't seem to be enough time spent on describing Hollow World and it seemed like Ellis really should have had a lot more questions, and even when he was being shown around and given tours, we the audience never really saw any of it.
But the main problem was with the primary antagonist. I found the reveal of who Ren was really disappointing and it just didn't really get any better from there. Then there were a few little things that could have been overlooked if the core was good, but since it wasn't they just contributed to the problem. Also there seemed to be a couple of loose ends left at the end.
I think if you took everything that happened before Pax and Ellis go to see Pol and then went in a different direction from that point onward it could be good, but the way it played out just didn't work for me.
But the main problem was with the primary antagonist. I found the reveal of who Ren was really disappointing and it just didn't really get any better from there. Then there were a few little things that could have been overlooked if the core was good, but since it wasn't they just contributed to the problem. Also there seemed to be a couple of loose ends left at the end.
I think if you took everything that happened before Pax and Ellis go to see Pol and then went in a different direction from that point onward it could be good, but the way it played out just didn't work for me.
michaelwindrunner's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the story a lot and think Michael Sullivan did a great job creating a future with some powerful themes about God, Love and Utopian Society. I couldn't give it three stars though because of the strong language.
norma_cenva's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good book. I was so happy to see a version of an Atheistic future world. And a completely different take on your normal time travel story. It looks like it was a stand alone, but it was a quite nicely written one!
samanthabryant's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting time travel novel that ended up being about what makes humans human.
keats_the_listener's review against another edition
5.0
Hollow World is telling a modern story about masculinity, contemporary culture, and identity in the tradition of the Ambiguous Utopian visions of Left Hand of Darkness or The Dispossessed. It has a feeling of Ursula K LeGuin and H.G. Wells, while at the same time being a more modern reimagination of the premise of coming to terms with "utopia." I read this book for the first time a couple of years ago, and relistening to it, following recent political events within the United States makes me think about the exciting way our lives are continually reflected back at us when we look into the future and see our hopes and fears blend into one.
cpcabaniss's review against another edition
3.0
Michael J Sullivan quickly became one of my favorite authors last year as I read through his Legends of the First Empire and Riyria books. Hollow World has been on my list ever since and I finally made time to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't love it.
There are parts of Hollow World that I really enjoyed, but it didn't have anything that stands out in my mind like Sullivan's other novels have. The characters had potential, but none of them ever jumped off the page and became real for me. The writing was good, but also didn't seem quite on par with his other works, and the pacing of the story was somewhat lagging.
Science fiction and I don't always get along, so perhaps that is the reason this one didn't work for me as well as Michael's fantasy novels. The concept was interesting, as time travel is generally fascinating. In the beginning it felt like this might become a mystery as Ellis joins the inhabitants of Hollow World and tries to figure out who or what is behind the crimes that have begun to plague them. That story line doesn't ever exactly take off, however.
Ellis as a character was rather frustrating. I never felt that I really got to know him. He had some very human characteristics and failings which were easy enough to relate with, but he never became more than just a name on a page. The other characters followed a similar pattern. I enjoyed Pax, for the most part, but the ending was a little odd where he was concerned.
Overall this was just ok for me. It's probably not one that I will pick up again and I'm not sure that I'm interested in continuing if he decides to turn it into a series, as he has hinted in the past.
There are parts of Hollow World that I really enjoyed, but it didn't have anything that stands out in my mind like Sullivan's other novels have. The characters had potential, but none of them ever jumped off the page and became real for me. The writing was good, but also didn't seem quite on par with his other works, and the pacing of the story was somewhat lagging.
Science fiction and I don't always get along, so perhaps that is the reason this one didn't work for me as well as Michael's fantasy novels. The concept was interesting, as time travel is generally fascinating. In the beginning it felt like this might become a mystery as Ellis joins the inhabitants of Hollow World and tries to figure out who or what is behind the crimes that have begun to plague them. That story line doesn't ever exactly take off, however.
Ellis as a character was rather frustrating. I never felt that I really got to know him. He had some very human characteristics and failings which were easy enough to relate with, but he never became more than just a name on a page. The other characters followed a similar pattern. I enjoyed Pax, for the most part, but the ending was a little odd where he was concerned.
Overall this was just ok for me. It's probably not one that I will pick up again and I'm not sure that I'm interested in continuing if he decides to turn it into a series, as he has hinted in the past.
varghoss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
denizyildiz's review against another edition
DNF
I couldn't get into the book. I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style nor the world building. And after a good amount of struggling through it, I simply gave it a miss.
Not my kind of book
I couldn't get into the book. I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style nor the world building. And after a good amount of struggling through it, I simply gave it a miss.
Not my kind of book
tyrean's review against another edition
3.0
Although there were some parts that I absolutely loved in this extremely interesting tale of time travel, some of the pacing just didn't work for me, and I wanted even more descriptions of the characters and their surroundings, or maybe of some of the secondary characters. Michael J. Sullivan is a brilliant writer, and this is definitely book that tackles a range of difficult subjects and fascinating world-building, but for some reason at the end, I just wanted something more of the secondary characters - even Pax's annoying roommate. I love the beginning, I love the ending, but somewhere in the middle . . . I lost the joy of it.
helenid's review against another edition
3.0
If I’d known that the story was only 49% of the book I’d have finished this in one sitting.
It’s good but I ended up with that feeling of... ‘how can I only be at 40%, this feels like the end is nigh’. So not having a second version and a ton of ads for other books written by Sullivan would have helped!
An alternative Time Machine take that is entertaining and interestingly different.
It’s good but I ended up with that feeling of... ‘how can I only be at 40%, this feels like the end is nigh’. So not having a second version and a ton of ads for other books written by Sullivan would have helped!
An alternative Time Machine take that is entertaining and interestingly different.