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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
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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
meganpbell's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Kim Stanley Robinson meets Becky Chambers with more queer cuddling++ and a cast that looks a little like Guardians of the Galaxy but even more diverse (example: a sentient flying train), does that sell you on reading this yet? I was actually close to DNFing this early on—it’s a challenging read with 1600-year-spanning ambition, yet I finished enraptured, immersed in this epic, inspiring story of planetary care and community over corporate greed and interested in learning more about Cree futurism and the author’s nonfiction work on ancient cities.
Read this when you’re in the mood for an ambitious, imaginative, and rewarding work of science-fiction that makes you work for it.
Read this when you’re in the mood for an ambitious, imaginative, and rewarding work of science-fiction that makes you work for it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, and War
Minor: Grief, Death, Slavery, and Medical content
caseythereader's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Thanks to Tor Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- THE TERRAFORMERS reads like a blend of classic and modern sci-fi: ethical debates about the environment and who counts as human mixed with queerness and anti-capitalism.
- There's a lot going on in this book, but it still struck me as quite leisurely. There are long conversational debates, lots of internal processing. The characters have a lot to chew on, which means you're chewing on it, too.
- It also covers a huge span of time, with each section jumping forward in time and centering a different protagonist (which reminded me a lot of Octavia E. Butler's books). I thought at first that I would miss the characters of the first section, but I quickly fell in love with each new introduction and setting. Flying moose? Sentient trains? Considering accessibility for earthworms? Sign me up!
- THE TERRAFORMERS reads like a blend of classic and modern sci-fi: ethical debates about the environment and who counts as human mixed with queerness and anti-capitalism.
- There's a lot going on in this book, but it still struck me as quite leisurely. There are long conversational debates, lots of internal processing. The characters have a lot to chew on, which means you're chewing on it, too.
- It also covers a huge span of time, with each section jumping forward in time and centering a different protagonist (which reminded me a lot of Octavia E. Butler's books). I thought at first that I would miss the characters of the first section, but I quickly fell in love with each new introduction and setting. Flying moose? Sentient trains? Considering accessibility for earthworms? Sign me up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Slavery, Alcohol, Animal death, Colonisation, Death, Excrement, and Medical content
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