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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have a very similar impression of this book as with the first in the series, The Stars, Like Dust--except where that novel had a weak start and stronger ending this was the opposite, for me. The plot revolves around what is essentially a slave planet to a nearby planet, and we're with the slaves. So many stories are told from the perspective of the strong or the rulers, while this one starts out with the powerless and their struggle. Of course, as these things go, the scope of the conflict expands inexorably, and before long the plot involves the top of the pyramid.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, as a refresher from galaxy-scale conflicts. But, given that this is in Asimov's "Galactic Empire" series of novels, you knew the emphasis would shift sooner or later. Unfortunately, I grew to like the homey, pitiable characters and didn't appreciate the shift to power players. Asimov's characterization is all over the place.
Plot-wise, I suppose the book is fine, fitting into the sequence of the Galactic Empire series while remaining stand-alone. The writing isn't super elegant, so in sum this is just another book to read if you're already reading Asimov.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, as a refresher from galaxy-scale conflicts. But, given that this is in Asimov's "Galactic Empire" series of novels, you knew the emphasis would shift sooner or later. Unfortunately, I grew to like the homey, pitiable characters and didn't appreciate the shift to power players. Asimov's characterization is all over the place.
Plot-wise, I suppose the book is fine, fitting into the sequence of the Galactic Empire series while remaining stand-alone. The writing isn't super elegant, so in sum this is just another book to read if you're already reading Asimov.
Hmmm, it was good. It talked of Trantor and it related to the rest of the series. I'm not sure however if I'll ever want to read it again.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Too many characters to keep track of in the fast-paced ending.
(reread) This didn't seem to have a lot of momentum, like the story was always trying to get going but had to be pushed to the next phase each time. The central mystery — who is Rik? What was his warning? — is fine, but there's little idea of what to do to answer, other than wait around for stuff to happen. By no means bad, but not up to much of his other work.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
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
The first half of the book was fast-paced and exciting, but it did begin to lag more and more in the latter half. For that reason, it took me a while to finish it.
I was as unimpressed with this one as I was with the other two in the "series." I read them "out of order," in that I read the first one published first, but having read all three, I truly cannot see that it matters what order you read them in. They all take place in the same imagined universe, but there are otherwise no references to events in the other books, as near as I could tell. Perhaps someone who is a greater devotee to Asimov can find some very minor allusions, but I certainly didn't care enough to hunt, and there is nothing in any of the books which depends on your knowing something from the others--or which ruins a surprise in the others. The robot books are vastly superior. Trying the Foundation series next.
medium-paced
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No