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tome15's review
3.0
A novel whose smooth style does not make up for its pretention. It would have made a good short story.
shl1980's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
naki's review
3.0
Interesting character study. reminded me slightly of the style of Ada Palmers Terra Nova series, though not as evolved. The talk of sin got a bit repetitive and I had no sympathy for the main character. Or any of the other characters really.
thesffreader's review
4.0
Review first published on The Curious SFF Reader
The Fortress at the End of Time is a fascinating yet very depressing little book following miserable characters living in a bleak station at the edge of the universe where the suicide rate is so high people don’t even talk to recruits before months because “what’s the point of talking to you if you are going to kill yourself after right?”.
So if you are expecting this book to be an action packed military SF books full of badass fighting scenes and cool characters, I wouldn’t especially recommend this.
However, The Fortress at the End of Time is a truly unique book set in a future where humans can be cloned to other planets thanks to a device called an ansible. The main character, Ronaldo Aldo, is one of such clone who happens to be sent in the worst place possible, the Citadel. Humans have fought and won a war against aliens years ago near the Citadel, and now, a hundred or so of soldiers live there, trying to find a meaning to their boring lives. Aldo’s only hope is for his next clone to “transcend”, to be sent on another planet which is the closest thing to immortality in this world. The thing is, almost everyone on the Citadel hates him.
Aldo is not necessarily a bad man, he is just a very awkward person and not in a cute way at all. During the entire book, he is trying his best to improve the living conditions of the Citadel but his every efforts are seen as insults by the other soldiers and he slowly becomes the scapegoat of the outpost and his victimization only reinforces his need to transcend.
The Fortress at the End of Time is not an easy read, it is extremely well written and very smart but it’s not fun, it’s definitely not a light read and you are probably not going to enjoy it. I really liked what it was trying to do, it is a very ambitious book and I think it did its job well. However, it is very pessimistic and heavy and the main character is pretty unlikeable. I was rooting for him during the entire book but after reading a handful of reviews, I realized that most of the readers thought Aldo was huge prick.
In my opinion, The Fortress at the End of Time explored in a fascinating way how isolation can affect human behaviours. It feels almost claustrophobic, all the humans on the Citadel know they are going to die here after living a long and dull life doing next to nothing on a rock on the edge of the universe and it’s fascinating to see how it affects their lives.
If this study of humanity sounds like it might interest you, I would highly recommend it, otherwise, I don’t think that you should bother. I really liked it but I don’t mind reading very depressing SF books because oddly, it’s what I tend to gravitate towards but I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
The Fortress at the End of Time is a fascinating yet very depressing little book following miserable characters living in a bleak station at the edge of the universe where the suicide rate is so high people don’t even talk to recruits before months because “what’s the point of talking to you if you are going to kill yourself after right?”.
So if you are expecting this book to be an action packed military SF books full of badass fighting scenes and cool characters, I wouldn’t especially recommend this.
However, The Fortress at the End of Time is a truly unique book set in a future where humans can be cloned to other planets thanks to a device called an ansible. The main character, Ronaldo Aldo, is one of such clone who happens to be sent in the worst place possible, the Citadel. Humans have fought and won a war against aliens years ago near the Citadel, and now, a hundred or so of soldiers live there, trying to find a meaning to their boring lives. Aldo’s only hope is for his next clone to “transcend”, to be sent on another planet which is the closest thing to immortality in this world. The thing is, almost everyone on the Citadel hates him.
Aldo is not necessarily a bad man, he is just a very awkward person and not in a cute way at all. During the entire book, he is trying his best to improve the living conditions of the Citadel but his every efforts are seen as insults by the other soldiers and he slowly becomes the scapegoat of the outpost and his victimization only reinforces his need to transcend.
The Fortress at the End of Time is not an easy read, it is extremely well written and very smart but it’s not fun, it’s definitely not a light read and you are probably not going to enjoy it. I really liked what it was trying to do, it is a very ambitious book and I think it did its job well. However, it is very pessimistic and heavy and the main character is pretty unlikeable. I was rooting for him during the entire book but after reading a handful of reviews, I realized that most of the readers thought Aldo was huge prick.
In my opinion, The Fortress at the End of Time explored in a fascinating way how isolation can affect human behaviours. It feels almost claustrophobic, all the humans on the Citadel know they are going to die here after living a long and dull life doing next to nothing on a rock on the edge of the universe and it’s fascinating to see how it affects their lives.
If this study of humanity sounds like it might interest you, I would highly recommend it, otherwise, I don’t think that you should bother. I really liked it but I don’t mind reading very depressing SF books because oddly, it’s what I tend to gravitate towards but I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
lizshayne's review
2.0
This was such a waste of not reading A Tyranny of Queens (which turned up in the mail about 10 minutes after I started this, but I figured I could read it afterwards and this wasn't that long and, anyway, how bad could it be?)
This could have been an interesting book. The things it does with memory and accountability and the future are there, somewhere, in the background, but the main character is neither likable nor interesting--come on, dude, give me ONE of the two--so there's no narrative drive to the book. I don't care. I don't care about his suffering and my resentment for having to pay attention to him made me not care about anyone else either. Interesting premise, but the mud-blob that is the main character cast enough of a pall over the rest of it that I just could not bring myself to care about anyone or thing.
This could have been an interesting book. The things it does with memory and accountability and the future are there, somewhere, in the background, but the main character is neither likable nor interesting--come on, dude, give me ONE of the two--so there's no narrative drive to the book. I don't care. I don't care about his suffering and my resentment for having to pay attention to him made me not care about anyone else either. Interesting premise, but the mud-blob that is the main character cast enough of a pall over the rest of it that I just could not bring myself to care about anyone or thing.
gerhard's review
4.0
Review to follow. Flawed, but fascinating. I always think a good book with bad bits is preferable to a bad book with no good bits.
vinayvasan's review
3.0
A book where absolutely nothing happens for most of the book and is yet such a compelling read. Slow and existential, this is a book about a clone sent to the far edges of civilization to join an space outfit where no one likes him. This is a book on discovery and purpose and trying to fit in even as one realizes no matter how good your intentions, change is difficult and disruptive and not something that everyone likes or even wants.
myxomycetes's review
4.0
This military fiction* novel reads a bit like Walter Miller JR's A Canticle For Leibowitz meets Dino Buzzatti's The Tartar Steppes, which is so much my peculiar square inch of fiction I like that saying I simply liked this book is an understatement. The main character is a bit of an annoying prig, but that's not a bad thing.
* I'm calling this military SF because I suspect it's truer to a lot of people's military experience (being bored a lot in far away places) than zap-pow laser marines fighting alien hordes.
* I'm calling this military SF because I suspect it's truer to a lot of people's military experience (being bored a lot in far away places) than zap-pow laser marines fighting alien hordes.
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