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readingwitherin's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5 stars
"So whose side are you on, Zen Starling? " he whispered "Are you with Malik? Railforce? The Guardians? I thoughout you were a thief, like me." "I'm not on any side" said Zen "Just my own" "Doesn't work that way," said Raven "Comes a point, Zen, when you have to decide."
This was one action packed adventure that kept me entertained throughout the whole story.
This book is set in the far future, we follow Zen who is a thief who loves traveling along the K-Bahn railroad that travels in a very interesting way that you will just have to read to understand it fully. Zen is a thief who a man named Raven has taken an interest in him and has decided that he will be the one that will help him get something that will change the way things are forever. Along the way Zen starts working with Nova who is a Moto that was one of my favorite characters throughout the story. Nova becomes Zen's companion throughout the book and you see them slowly start becoming very attached to each other. Once Zen starts working for Raven he meets Threnbody who is a young lady who is constantly in the rest of her family's shadow, but turns out to be very strong and wise, as the story progresses. We also get to meet Malik who is an officer of sorts for the Guardians and has been looking for Raven for the past few years.
This story is told in several different parts, each one taking you on a different part of Zen's life and throughout his mission for Raven and what happens once that mission is over. Certain parts were a little easier to read, just because you weren't having to try to figure things out at times. In the back there is a glossary that will give you more information on certain terms and when they would have happened.
Overall I did really enjoy this story and I would love to be able to reread this in the future, and see things I'm sure I missed. I did get a little confused with this world and how all of the different things went together at time. I loved how this was somewhat based around trains at times and that it was how travel is done most of the time. I found it very interesting and I loved how the trains were even given personalities and a voice. It was very original in my opinion and I would love to see trains have a larger part in books again.
If you really like fantasy and trains then I would highly recommend this book.
"Just because you have a chance to change everything, doesn't mean you should."
See reviews first on my blog
Thank you to Netgalley and SwitchPress for an E-Arc of the book in exchange for my honest review.
"So whose side are you on, Zen Starling? " he whispered "Are you with Malik? Railforce? The Guardians? I thoughout you were a thief, like me." "I'm not on any side" said Zen "Just my own" "Doesn't work that way," said Raven "Comes a point, Zen, when you have to decide."
This was one action packed adventure that kept me entertained throughout the whole story.
This book is set in the far future, we follow Zen who is a thief who loves traveling along the K-Bahn railroad that travels in a very interesting way that you will just have to read to understand it fully. Zen is a thief who a man named Raven has taken an interest in him and has decided that he will be the one that will help him get something that will change the way things are forever. Along the way Zen starts working with Nova who is a Moto that was one of my favorite characters throughout the story. Nova becomes Zen's companion throughout the book and you see them slowly start becoming very attached to each other. Once Zen starts working for Raven he meets Threnbody who is a young lady who is constantly in the rest of her family's shadow, but turns out to be very strong and wise, as the story progresses. We also get to meet Malik who is an officer of sorts for the Guardians and has been looking for Raven for the past few years.
This story is told in several different parts, each one taking you on a different part of Zen's life and throughout his mission for Raven and what happens once that mission is over. Certain parts were a little easier to read, just because you weren't having to try to figure things out at times. In the back there is a glossary that will give you more information on certain terms and when they would have happened.
Overall I did really enjoy this story and I would love to be able to reread this in the future, and see things I'm sure I missed. I did get a little confused with this world and how all of the different things went together at time. I loved how this was somewhat based around trains at times and that it was how travel is done most of the time. I found it very interesting and I loved how the trains were even given personalities and a voice. It was very original in my opinion and I would love to see trains have a larger part in books again.
If you really like fantasy and trains then I would highly recommend this book.
"Just because you have a chance to change everything, doesn't mean you should."
See reviews first on my blog
Thank you to Netgalley and SwitchPress for an E-Arc of the book in exchange for my honest review.
karinapplesauce's review
5.0
I follow certain reviewers on Goodreads, and this was a 5-star recommendation that seemed few and far between from that person. So, with that, I decided to give this ago. The premise seemed sort of interesting, but I wasn't entirely sure how a book about trains could possibly hold my attention.
But it did. This was a fantastic example of world building. Zen Starling, as a thief and a train junkie ("railhead"), gets recruited for a mission and then the reader gets to see a world wide open.
Traveling between planets in fiction tends to be one of a few things, but this was totally unique. The novel could have gotten itself bogged down by the details at the sacrifice of a narrative (like in [b:Seveneves|22816087|Seveneves|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449142000l/22816087._SY75_.jpg|42299347], which I just read recently), but this was a perfect blend of both.
But it did. This was a fantastic example of world building. Zen Starling, as a thief and a train junkie ("railhead"), gets recruited for a mission and then the reader gets to see a world wide open.
Traveling between planets in fiction tends to be one of a few things, but this was totally unique. The novel could have gotten itself bogged down by the details at the sacrifice of a narrative (like in [b:Seveneves|22816087|Seveneves|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449142000l/22816087._SY75_.jpg|42299347], which I just read recently), but this was a perfect blend of both.
wadezone's review against another edition
4.0
A very imaginary and interesting book that includes trains.
lara_bookish_turtle's review
2.0
When I reflect back on this, it was an excellent book with such unique concepts, mostly great characters and excellent world-building. But I just never got into it when I was reading. The writing style just didn't appeal to me and I didn't feel that it fit with the story.
The concept and setting were both brilliant. It is a really unique world, rich in detail which Reeve has created. I loved the way the society was structured. The way details were gradually revealed throughout the novel was quite well done, and I was really fascinated by the concept of K-gates.
Also, there are plot twists everywhere! This book is so unpredictable. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, something new would happen and I would be questioning everything all over again. I could never guess what would happen next.
Sometimes I found the storyline confusing and hard to follow though. There was a lot of new terminology in addition to the unusual names for people and places. Even with the glossary at the back I still thought that the story was hard to follow.
Some of the dialogue was also inconsistent and I didn't think it flowed very well. Some chunks were really quite blunt, cute and funny like this:
"You came back for me?"
"Yes!"
"Well, that was stupid," she said. "And very nice of you."
But then there were parts which were borderline meaningful but I just thought were weird:
"When I was up there, and I thought I'd never see you again, I felt as if my heart would break. My heart is not made of self-repairing compounds, Zen Starling."
The dialogue just didn't work for me.
Also, Zen as a character was complex and well written, but I just didn't like him. At all.
Anyways, it was a great concept and brilliant world which was created, but it just didn't work for me. Maybe I'll read the sequel, maybe I won't. It ended on a cliff-hanger, but I'm not sure if I can be bothered to read it. I don't think it's fair to give this book only two stars, it probably deserves three or four, but this is how I felt about it so I'm going to do it anyway.
The concept and setting were both brilliant. It is a really unique world, rich in detail which Reeve has created. I loved the way the society was structured. The way details were gradually revealed throughout the novel was quite well done, and I was really fascinated by the concept of K-gates.
Also, there are plot twists everywhere! This book is so unpredictable. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, something new would happen and I would be questioning everything all over again. I could never guess what would happen next.
Sometimes I found the storyline confusing and hard to follow though. There was a lot of new terminology in addition to the unusual names for people and places. Even with the glossary at the back I still thought that the story was hard to follow.
Some of the dialogue was also inconsistent and I didn't think it flowed very well. Some chunks were really quite blunt, cute and funny like this:
"You came back for me?"
"Yes!"
"Well, that was stupid," she said. "And very nice of you."
But then there were parts which were borderline meaningful but I just thought were weird:
"When I was up there, and I thought I'd never see you again, I felt as if my heart would break. My heart is not made of self-repairing compounds, Zen Starling."
The dialogue just didn't work for me.
Also, Zen as a character was complex and well written, but I just didn't like him. At all.
Spoiler
"If he could steal Nova back from death perhaps it would make up for all the deaths he caused at Spindlebridge." Um, what?! You just killed all those people, and without you Nova would never be in the situation. Just because you went back for her you think that covers it? Also, does he ever feel any remorse? Because it doesn't seem like it!Anyways, it was a great concept and brilliant world which was created, but it just didn't work for me. Maybe I'll read the sequel, maybe I won't. It ended on a cliff-hanger, but I'm not sure if I can be bothered to read it. I don't think it's fair to give this book only two stars, it probably deserves three or four, but this is how I felt about it so I'm going to do it anyway.
ella_angel77's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
liked the world building and the characters, shame you don’t find out about the mother and how she ended up
emleemay's review against another edition
5.0
“Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know what’s beyond that gate?”
This is a book for the curious. This is for those readers who get excited by possibility. If you like the idea of a great, wild universe spread out before you, full of mysteries and secrets, then I highly recommend you step into this world.
Reeve has created one of the richest, most imaginative worlds I have ever read about. It's set many centuries into our future, when Old Earth has been left behind and a great network of mysterious train tracks run through the universe. Let one take you where you want to go, where you've never been, or even to places you never knew existed.
“You step aboard a train, and the train goes through a K-gate, and you step off on another planet, where the sun that was shining on you a moment ago is now just one of those tiny stars in the sky.”
It's a compelling heist, set to the backdrop of this complex web of science, mystery, droids and emperors, all of which make up the future of space civilization. To be honest, it took my breath away. I read this book in wide-eyed wonderment from the very first pages to the ending. Words and imagery collide to make the impossible seem so real.
It's a fast-paced, constantly-moving journey of excitement, as Zen Starling - a street rat from Thunder City - is given the opportunity to play a part, infiltrate the Emperor's train, hang out with the aristocrats and, ultimately, steal an old, mysterious box for the equally mysterious Raven.
Yes, yes, it is all of that. It's pretending and nearly dying and uncovering secrets. It's runaway trains and betrayals and weird creatures called Hive Monks:
“He was a Hive Monk, a colony of big brown beetles clinging to a roughly human-shaped armature.”
BUT this book is so much richer than all of that. Every word counts. Questions arise about authority and the relationship between power and knowledge (how those in power have the ability to define knowledge and truth). Reeve's droids beg the question of what it means to be human. Are sentient droids really anything other than people made from different materials?
“I am human,” she said. “I have a processor for a brain instead of a lump of meat, and my body is made of different substances, but I have feelings and dreams and things, like humans do.”
It's also a really diverse novel. Most of the characters, including Zen, are described as "brown" or "dark-skinned" with white people being a minority. Which actually makes a lot more sense than most novels, given that white people are only about 15% of today's population and that is estimated to drop below 10% in the next fifty years.
Not only that, but there is diverse sexuality with men married to men and women married to women. And the genderless droids make room for discussion about the differences between men and women - how much difference really exists beyond the way the world sees you?
It's such a great story, both interesting in concept, and heart-pounding. I loved how there were no simple villains and the "bad guy" is not all he seems. He has his own back story that shapes him into more than a one-dimensional character with a mindless agenda. And Zen Starling is not a typical hero either. He does some awful things in order to survive and he is allowed to make mistakes and be selfish.
In short: This is a clever sci-fi novel that makes space seem utterly magical.
Doors to other worlds, ancient civilizations, and a whole universe of possibility. The ending closes the door on this chapter, but it's left in a perfect position to open another one. I get goosebumps just thinking about where that might take us...
“He was going to miss everything. But he guessed that was how everybody always felt. Everyone was losing things, leaving things behind, clinging to old memories as they rushed into the future. Everyone was a passenger on a runaway train.”
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lils333's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
ohthatkimberley's review
5.0
I have been eyeing this since Philip Reeve posted an update on Goodreads about it, and finally picked it up in Waterstones on a 3 for 2 offer. It was brilliant and fast-paced. I cannot wait to read the sequel!
colorwired's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0