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sam_vimes_75's review
5.0
On the surface, the book reads as a Scalzi satire on Asimov’s Foundation series. It is that—and exactly the acerbic humor one would hope from Scalzi. But this is more developed and complex than Scalzi hilariously riffing on a hallowed genre. With its multiple perspectives and galactic scale, Scalzi sets the stage for a trilogy that will stand on its own.
mikemcguire's review
4.0
This is the SF equivalent of a beach read, but Scalzi is always fun. All his characters speak with the exact same snarky dialogue, but as long as you're OK with that, you'll probably enjoy the well-thought-out plot and its nice pace.
readerette's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.25
The way some of the dialogue was written in this one made it harder to read than the other Scalzi books I've read. Great world building that unfolds a bit at a time, relatable characters who cross tropes and feel very real for doing so (and some of whom are hilarious), and engaging take on future human expansion, including all the things we'd likely do wrong.
Started slow for me but started to feel like something I couldn't put down around the 25% mark.
Started slow for me but started to feel like something I couldn't put down around the 25% mark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cursing, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
kyur's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
krislm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
teokajlibroj's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading some science fiction lately and I was shocked at how entertaining this book was. Unlike so many sci-fi books, this doesn't resemble a dry textbook that spends all its time describing the setting while nothing really happens in the plot. It's such a welcome change to have a laugh with sci-fi characters. This actually has an exciting plot with entertaining characters that aren't stuffy. I considered giving it 5 stars for this, but it lost a star because it's a short book that feels mainly like a prelude to the main story.
sannosmo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
midici's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Scalzi book I've read, and I enjoyed it as much as the first. There's something so entertaining about this high-tech, galaxy-spanning empire being populated by - people. Smart people, dumb people, nerdy people, manipulative people - all sorts. But there isn't one character that I couldn't imagine existing today and it's appealing to have what feel like contemporary characters in this epic space drama.
Humanity has taken advantage of the Flow - a sort of inter-dimensional river that allows them to travel vast distances. As with real rivers - you can only follow where it leads. This has led to several impractical cities in all sorts of unlikely places, simply because the Flow leads to and from that location. The things about rivers of course, is that they're ever-changing. They move. and when they move, there's no way to go back to the place that has been cut off.
While most people are in blissful ignorance as to the true nature of Flow, some people have realized not only that the Flow can change, but that it is in a state of Flux and it's about to change quickly. Marce is a physicist who wants to warn people about the Flow collapse, and save as many people as possible. House Nohamapetan and House Lagos are warring merchant guilds that want to use this information to their advantage. And Cardenia is the woman who has unexpectedly become Empress of an empire that's on the brink of an unimaginable catastrophe.
I loved this first book, so I'll need to go find the second, pronto.
Humanity has taken advantage of the Flow - a sort of inter-dimensional river that allows them to travel vast distances. As with real rivers - you can only follow where it leads. This has led to several impractical cities in all sorts of unlikely places, simply because the Flow leads to and from that location. The things about rivers of course, is that they're ever-changing. They move. and when they move, there's no way to go back to the place that has been cut off.
While most people are in blissful ignorance as to the true nature of Flow, some people have realized not only that the Flow can change, but that it is in a state of Flux and it's about to change quickly. Marce is a physicist who wants to warn people about the Flow collapse, and save as many people as possible. House Nohamapetan and House Lagos are warring merchant guilds that want to use this information to their advantage. And Cardenia is the woman who has unexpectedly become Empress of an empire that's on the brink of an unimaginable catastrophe.
I loved this first book, so I'll need to go find the second, pronto.