Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found the dystopian elements of this novel compelling, but ultimately felt the different narratives in this story were disconnected without much pay off.
3.5 Stars.
Firstly, I would like to give Vauhini Vara her flowers. I have trouble getting into speculative fiction, but I was thoroughly impressed by the world building behind The Board, Shareholders, and Exes. Many authors fail at being able to paint a nuanced picture of how government systems would actually come to fruition. In The Immortal King Rao skips these “mysterious terrorist attacks”, “surprise epidemics”, and manufactured wars—her cautionary tale of late stage capitalism, technology, and surveillance is not only plausible, but enriched (most likely due to her experience as a Wall Street Journal tech reporter).
Beyond the world-building, this book was well thought-out and planned. Every artistic decision that Vara makes was revealed to be justified by the end of the book—the perspective changes, time jumps, and crypticness of our narrator. By the end of the book, I definitely felt like I had lived all of these characters’ lives.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the second half of Part II of The Immortal King Rao that the story found its footing. I have a strict finish-every-book-I-read policy; I don’t think that it’s fair to judge a book until you’ve let the author say everything they need to say. Unfortunately, it felt like the early King Rao stories had dragged on. Because of the constant back-and-forth, the audience doesn’t truly understand the sense of urgency that Athena’s story deserves until the two hundred-ish page mark—I don’t think that I would’ve been compelled to return to this book if I’d chosen a different time to start it. While I commend the way Vara builds this world through three simultaneous storylines, they started feeling like obstacle courses that stood in the way of the message.
If the entire book had matched the pacing of the last half, I probably would’ve given it 4 or 4.5 stars. I’d still recommend The Immortal King Rao to those who have the patience for a well-fleshed out speculative fiction.
Firstly, I would like to give Vauhini Vara her flowers. I have trouble getting into speculative fiction, but I was thoroughly impressed by the world building behind The Board, Shareholders, and Exes. Many authors fail at being able to paint a nuanced picture of how government systems would actually come to fruition. In The Immortal King Rao skips these “mysterious terrorist attacks”, “surprise epidemics”, and manufactured wars—her cautionary tale of late stage capitalism, technology, and surveillance is not only plausible, but enriched (most likely due to her experience as a Wall Street Journal tech reporter).
Beyond the world-building, this book was well thought-out and planned. Every artistic decision that Vara makes was revealed to be justified by the end of the book—the perspective changes, time jumps, and crypticness of our narrator. By the end of the book, I definitely felt like I had lived all of these characters’ lives.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the second half of Part II of The Immortal King Rao that the story found its footing. I have a strict finish-every-book-I-read policy; I don’t think that it’s fair to judge a book until you’ve let the author say everything they need to say. Unfortunately, it felt like the early King Rao stories had dragged on. Because of the constant back-and-forth, the audience doesn’t truly understand the sense of urgency that Athena’s story deserves until the two hundred-ish page mark—I don’t think that I would’ve been compelled to return to this book if I’d chosen a different time to start it. While I commend the way Vara builds this world through three simultaneous storylines, they started feeling like obstacle courses that stood in the way of the message.
If the entire book had matched the pacing of the last half, I probably would’ve given it 4 or 4.5 stars. I’d still recommend The Immortal King Rao to those who have the patience for a well-fleshed out speculative fiction.
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation
I wasn’t interested in anything (characters, story, world)
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aside from pacing that was a little slow at times (in places this read a little like a history book), I quite enjoyed this story of a dystopian near future. Vara does an excellent job of painting a scenario that's alarming for being an all-too-logical extension from where we are now. There's a bit of a Brave New World vibe.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-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