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woolerys's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 3/5
Characters - 5/5
Setting - 5/5
Genre - 4/5
Clarity/coherence - 3/5
Imagination - 5/5
TOTAL: 4.14
I felt unsettled and confused by how the world was constructed (everything is so engineered), but really enjoyed how it set the stage for such an expansive definition of "person" and how that figured into the story. It seemed to me (someone without much science education) that the science in the world-building was a mix of really accurate, specific things (eg atmospheric differences in the Archaen period vs Pleistocene) and really far-fetched, barely-sketched-out things (eg anti-gravity mesh). I loved all the characters and was always sad to leave one behind even as I was excited to meet a new one—the main characters change over the course of the book, which is divided into three parts that are each several hundred years apart. On the flip side, you get to see how a character’s legacy plays out over a longer time period, which was cool.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, and Ableism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
CW for footage of a public demonstration violently attackedalsoapples's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, War, Ableism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Slavery
Moderate: Classism, Sexual content, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent and Violence
azrah786's review against another edition
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was gifted a copy of the book from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, injury, death, animal death, animal cruelty, medical content, ableism, sexual content, colonisation, displacement
--
This book is something totally different to anything I’ve read before.
Sectioned into 3 stories which take place in the far future each a couple of centuries apart, The Terraformers narrates the development of a planet called Sask-E which is being made into an “old Earth” away from Earth by the private corporation that owns it.
The first story follows a member of the Environmental Rescue Team – who help oversee the terraforming project – and a conundrum that she faces when she stumbles across a civilisation believed to be extinct living in secret on the planet. The second story follows another group of characters developing a viable transit system for the planet who start to uncover some of the questionable dealings that the ruling corporations are involved with, and this particular storyline is further explored in the third story.
Each story is linked to the next through certain actions and events that occur in the previous one and I really liked how through this span of time we got to see the long term evolution of the setting and the communities of this world. This is something that much longer series fail to do but Newitz has done really well to capture in just over 300 pages.
The extensive worldbuilding which encompasses such a distinctive future is full of feats in science and technology which will equally awe and perplex you. There are a vast array of characters that come into the fray ranging from humanoids to animals and even robots all of varying levels of intelligence and personhood – this includes a flying sentient train who is one of the leading protagonists. Outlandish concepts aside, it allowed the story to bring into discussion many prominent social and ecological issues.
However, just how many moving parts there were in this book was probably the greatest drawback. There was always so much going on that the individual character arcs didn’t feel like they were given enough room to breathe. Also the flow of time made the relationships that were developed feel sort of rushed. From the three parts it was Destry’s story that I was most engaged with because the direction of the plot and her character development was the clearest.
That’s not to say that the other characters weren’t good because I was very much invested in the welfare of the various individuals we meet across the whole book, they just didn’t stand out much on their own.
All in all this is an admirable book that both has a cosy feel to it but is also one that gives the reader much to think about. Definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of the work of Kim Stanley Robinson in terms of themes and Becky Chambers in terms of characters.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I was gifted a copy of the book from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, injury, death, animal death, animal cruelty, medical content, ableism, sexual content, colonisation, displacement
--
This book is something totally different to anything I’ve read before.
Sectioned into 3 stories which take place in the far future each a couple of centuries apart, The Terraformers narrates the development of a planet called Sask-E which is being made into an “old Earth” away from Earth by the private corporation that owns it.
The first story follows a member of the Environmental Rescue Team – who help oversee the terraforming project – and a conundrum that she faces when she stumbles across a civilisation believed to be extinct living in secret on the planet. The second story follows another group of characters developing a viable transit system for the planet who start to uncover some of the questionable dealings that the ruling corporations are involved with, and this particular storyline is further explored in the third story.
Each story is linked to the next through certain actions and events that occur in the previous one and I really liked how through this span of time we got to see the long term evolution of the setting and the communities of this world. This is something that much longer series fail to do but Newitz has done really well to capture in just over 300 pages.
The extensive worldbuilding which encompasses such a distinctive future is full of feats in science and technology which will equally awe and perplex you. There are a vast array of characters that come into the fray ranging from humanoids to animals and even robots all of varying levels of intelligence and personhood – this includes a flying sentient train who is one of the leading protagonists. Outlandish concepts aside, it allowed the story to bring into discussion many prominent social and ecological issues.
However, just how many moving parts there were in this book was probably the greatest drawback. There was always so much going on that the individual character arcs didn’t feel like they were given enough room to breathe. Also the flow of time made the relationships that were developed feel sort of rushed. From the three parts it was Destry’s story that I was most engaged with because the direction of the plot and her character development was the clearest.
That’s not to say that the other characters weren’t good because I was very much invested in the welfare of the various individuals we meet across the whole book, they just didn’t stand out much on their own.
All in all this is an admirable book that both has a cosy feel to it but is also one that gives the reader much to think about. Definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of the work of Kim Stanley Robinson in terms of themes and Becky Chambers in terms of characters.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Ableism
sarrie's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
In full honesty this was a DNF for me. The characters were incredibly flat to the point that the whole store felt stale.
However the ideas here were fascinating. If you're looking for a novel with intensely interesting ideas then I would recommend this. From the company that focuses on terraforming for profit, to the personhood and worth that was being touched on, it had some super interesting things. But it was unreadable for lack of any real character depth or interest. The events of the novel felt almost manipulative because of how flat the characters were.
However the ideas here were fascinating. If you're looking for a novel with intensely interesting ideas then I would recommend this. From the company that focuses on terraforming for profit, to the personhood and worth that was being touched on, it had some super interesting things. But it was unreadable for lack of any real character depth or interest. The events of the novel felt almost manipulative because of how flat the characters were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, and Death
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