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midici's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. All the spoilers.
I really liked some things about this book, and some others I really didn't which made giving it a rating a bit difficult.
Some things I really liked:
-It's set in Canada! I have yet to read a lot of sci-fi set in Canada but anything that makes fun of people for wearing insufficient winter clothing or not knowing the wonder that is peameal bacon, is great by definition
-The way Hwa's organic nature leaves her isolated and is both a weakness and a source of strength
-Joel does manage to come across as a dorky teenager most of the time and I appreciate his earnestness
-The concept overall
Things I disliked:
-Jerky narration made transitions occasionally confusing
-Insufficient description of technology that left me confused (are specs implants? contact lenses? but you can't rip off contact lenses while running which Hwa does several times - are they high-tech glasses? I DON'T KNOW)
-Hwa is very good at fighting people who don't pose a real threat and bad at all the life or death ones. I realize this creates tension and drama but makes her position as bodyguard somewhat suspect
-Unnecessary subplots (what was the point of the side venture where a bunch of other security guards break into her place?). Also, plot I couldn't figure out (if Branch wasn't sending Joel death threats who was? Maybe I'm being a really dense reader here but I don't know)
-If all Joel's siblings wanted was for their dad to just die already and stop involving them in a cult, I feel like they could have solved the issue themselves much earlier
-Why was Branch's plan so bad? If he originally started killing Hwa's friends/colleagues to get her to quit, why continue when it clearly wasn't working? If he wanted Joel to focus on his generation ship idea, why wouldn't he realize that Joel kept ignoring the problem to help Hwa and therefore his plan was not working?
-Point #2 about Branch's plot - I thought he was murdering people in a sort of regular serial killer way... but at the end of the book, when discussing the bio-nano implants that Hwa was 'infected with' she says "What had killed them had saved her." So I guess the nano machines are so occupied with keeping her whole and healthy that they don't mutate and kill her? But if the nano things are the cause of death how did Branch know ahead of time, to get the women to isolated places before they died? Did he do experiments to see how long it would take an 'infection' to kill them? And how come some of them died in a sort of gruesome dismemberment style but one of them just sort of choked to death?
-Point #3 about Branch - a cyborg from the future should be able to survive anything Hwa can survive via her implants. But he doesn't because... I don't know why.
-Last issue here: this is the first and only time I've encountered both "magical healing dick" and the "the dick of death" in the same book. Daniel literally fucked Hwa's disability away and Branch literally fucked like, 3 different women to death. I realize a sci-fi reason is given for both those things but I really don't know how I feel about these troupes even in a context that provides an explanation.
I realize having my dislike section twice as long as my like section makes it seem like I didn't actually like it. I did! I just have many questions and specific aspects I am frustrated with. I liked the characterization, of almost every character. I liked the idea of the United Sex Workers of Canada. I did like (mostly) how the world was described simply as is and the reader needed to pay attention to learn about how implants and gene edits make this world different from out own. I liked how Hwa's inexperience with the high-tech she hasn't had access to all her life gave Joel his own chances to shine, teaching her just as she teaches him self-defense. Daniel I did like, but he seemed a little too perfect. I'd have liked him better with a few flaws - he's nice, patient, talented, loyal, very handsome - he needs to have some sort of human flaw too.
My final gripe here is that Branch implies that if he fails humans will NEVER get to space. They'll never make generation ships, or spread throughout the galaxy. But look, as much as I want to avoid future murderous cyborg entities, I am not okay with everyone being stuck on Earth forever because Joel decides not to go ahead with his ship ideas, after severe trauma enforced by his time-traveling singularity-based descendants. Or whatever. That's not a good enough reason to lose a future full of spaceships, in my opinion.
I really liked some things about this book, and some others I really didn't which made giving it a rating a bit difficult.
Some things I really liked:
-It's set in Canada! I have yet to read a lot of sci-fi set in Canada but anything that makes fun of people for wearing insufficient winter clothing or not knowing the wonder that is peameal bacon, is great by definition
-The way Hwa's organic nature leaves her isolated and is both a weakness and a source of strength
-Joel does manage to come across as a dorky teenager most of the time and I appreciate his earnestness
-The concept overall
Things I disliked:
-Jerky narration made transitions occasionally confusing
-Insufficient description of technology that left me confused (are specs implants? contact lenses? but you can't rip off contact lenses while running which Hwa does several times - are they high-tech glasses? I DON'T KNOW)
-Hwa is very good at fighting people who don't pose a real threat and bad at all the life or death ones. I realize this creates tension and drama but makes her position as bodyguard somewhat suspect
-Unnecessary subplots (what was the point of the side venture where a bunch of other security guards break into her place?). Also, plot I couldn't figure out (if Branch wasn't sending Joel death threats who was? Maybe I'm being a really dense reader here but I don't know)
-If all Joel's siblings wanted was for their dad to just die already and stop involving them in a cult, I feel like they could have solved the issue themselves much earlier
-Why was Branch's plan so bad? If he originally started killing Hwa's friends/colleagues to get her to quit, why continue when it clearly wasn't working? If he wanted Joel to focus on his generation ship idea, why wouldn't he realize that Joel kept ignoring the problem to help Hwa and therefore his plan was not working?
-Point #2 about Branch's plot - I thought he was murdering people in a sort of regular serial killer way... but at the end of the book, when discussing the bio-nano implants that Hwa was 'infected with' she says "What had killed them had saved her." So I guess the nano machines are so occupied with keeping her whole and healthy that they don't mutate and kill her? But if the nano things are the cause of death how did Branch know ahead of time, to get the women to isolated places before they died? Did he do experiments to see how long it would take an 'infection' to kill them? And how come some of them died in a sort of gruesome dismemberment style but one of them just sort of choked to death?
-Point #3 about Branch - a cyborg from the future should be able to survive anything Hwa can survive via her implants. But he doesn't because... I don't know why.
-Last issue here: this is the first and only time I've encountered both "magical healing dick" and the "the dick of death" in the same book. Daniel literally fucked Hwa's disability away and Branch literally fucked like, 3 different women to death. I realize a sci-fi reason is given for both those things but I really don't know how I feel about these troupes even in a context that provides an explanation.
I realize having my dislike section twice as long as my like section makes it seem like I didn't actually like it. I did! I just have many questions and specific aspects I am frustrated with. I liked the characterization, of almost every character. I liked the idea of the United Sex Workers of Canada. I did like (mostly) how the world was described simply as is and the reader needed to pay attention to learn about how implants and gene edits make this world different from out own. I liked how Hwa's inexperience with the high-tech she hasn't had access to all her life gave Joel his own chances to shine, teaching her just as she teaches him self-defense. Daniel I did like, but he seemed a little too perfect. I'd have liked him better with a few flaws - he's nice, patient, talented, loyal, very handsome - he needs to have some sort of human flaw too.
My final gripe here is that Branch implies that if he fails humans will NEVER get to space. They'll never make generation ships, or spread throughout the galaxy. But look, as much as I want to avoid future murderous cyborg entities, I am not okay with everyone being stuck on Earth forever because Joel decides not to go ahead with his ship ideas, after severe trauma enforced by his time-traveling singularity-based descendants. Or whatever. That's not a good enough reason to lose a future full of spaceships, in my opinion.
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I actually loved this book, or if it just seems that way because of what a slog my last read was. Either way, this is definitely a fun cyberpunk futurism thriller. I look forward to reading more from Madeline Ashby in the future.
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
Smart, well-paced, and well-plotted. A thriller with a futuristic-ish setting that will appeal to both sci-fi readers and thriller readers who might not usually overlap.
jesperhauge's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this cyber-punk style sci-fi novel for its female protagonist, and her female view. There aren't to many of those around in my feeds. I also liked the milieu, the tech ideas, and the action parts.
What I liked less was the progression of the novel. There are some jumps in time specially towards the end, that left me a bit confused, and had me feeling like something was left out.
What I liked less was the progression of the novel. There are some jumps in time specially towards the end, that left me a bit confused, and had me feeling like something was left out.
iceberg0's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting future telling of the direction our cities may take us.
polychrome's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fascinating main character and a satisfying ending. Could be a bit choppy at times, but it eventually became clear what was happening. I wish there had veen more time spent developing the world of the setting.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
Very different. Sci-fi isn't really my thing though but I don't see this one winning Canada reads. Nor would I really recommend it. I did enjoy the Canadian focused twist on the Sci-fi genre. I found the story itself lacking somewhat. I wanted more.
whatabetty's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really freaking good sci-fi. The atmosphere and world that's created is compelling and I wouldn't mind reading other stories set in the same universe. Some of the themes and issues/questions it raised were super interesting, too.
Company Town wouldn't have worked if it's protagonist, Hwa, wasn't as well-written as she was. She's a boss-ass disabled WOC. She is complex, clever, tenacious, tough yet vulnerable and most of all, a survivor. She's not a caricature or a cardboard cutout. She has a backbone and does shit.
I especially enjoyed the small (relatable lbr) bits regarding how her background factored into her everyday life/past, like how and why she just goes by Hwa rather than Go Jung-Hwa. Oh, and yay @ it being set in Canada for once and not in some post-apocalyptic version of New York. I was hooked from the synopsis and first few pages tbh and I'm so down for this type of sci-fi.
Company Town wouldn't have worked if it's protagonist, Hwa, wasn't as well-written as she was. She's a boss-ass disabled WOC. She is complex, clever, tenacious, tough yet vulnerable and most of all, a survivor. She's not a caricature or a cardboard cutout. She has a backbone and does shit.
I especially enjoyed the small (relatable lbr) bits regarding how her background factored into her everyday life/past, like how and why she just goes by Hwa rather than Go Jung-Hwa. Oh, and yay @ it being set in Canada for once and not in some post-apocalyptic version of New York. I was hooked from the synopsis and first few pages tbh and I'm so down for this type of sci-fi.