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azzurro22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
sweekune's review
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
⭐ 3.25/5 ⭐
Audiobook narrated by Sophie Aldred.
My first dive into Tchaikovsky's work. A girl falls through a crack between parallel worlds on Bodmin more. Neanderthals appear in London. The universe is under strain, cracking, and all these parallels have to work together to stop it collapsing
- The premise of this story was awesome and I appreciate the idea. At times it because a little boring or just too weaving and I found myself zoning out but overall it was enjoyable.
- I really enjoyed the interludes between the plot chapters where the reader is treated to the history of lots of different parallel earth's and their sentient species. I'm a sucker for prehistoric life and speculative evolution and this very much appealed to that side of me.
- The characters sometimes felt a little flat. There were a lot of them and I think that prevented some of them being fleshed out properly.
Enjoyable but not stunning sci-fi. Would recommend for those who enjoy speculative evolution, parallel worlds and portal sci-fi.
Audiobook narrated by Sophie Aldred.
My first dive into Tchaikovsky's work. A girl falls through a crack between parallel worlds on Bodmin more. Neanderthals appear in London. The universe is under strain, cracking, and all these parallels have to work together to stop it collapsing
- The premise of this story was awesome and I appreciate the idea. At times it because a little boring or just too weaving and I found myself zoning out but overall it was enjoyable.
- I really enjoyed the interludes between the plot chapters where the reader is treated to the history of lots of different parallel earth's and their sentient species. I'm a sucker for prehistoric life and speculative evolution and this very much appealed to that side of me.
- The characters sometimes felt a little flat. There were a lot of them and I think that prevented some of them being fleshed out properly.
Enjoyable but not stunning sci-fi. Would recommend for those who enjoy speculative evolution, parallel worlds and portal sci-fi.
kymzii's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is the sort of book that basically ticks all my boxes. It is a grand sci-fi, but firmly routed in contemporary life on Earth. It is quasi-fantasy: in that a lot of the technology is so advanced that it is basically magic. The other creatures/characters are like living spaceships based on trilobites, or little furry rat men - Basically things that Jim Henderson would have a field day creating. And there is a plot with many different converging story lines that cross genres, from romance to spy.
Saying that, there is quite a bit that didn't quite hit with this book (as you'd imagine over such a complex book that spans 600pages). Some of the prose was a little overwrought, a lot of the characters felt flat and there were some dodgy plot decisions (like why bring the villain along?) that didn't seem to make sense.
Saying that, there is quite a bit that didn't quite hit with this book (as you'd imagine over such a complex book that spans 600pages). Some of the prose was a little overwrought, a lot of the characters felt flat and there were some dodgy plot decisions (like why bring the villain along?) that didn't seem to make sense.
all_kat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
samkie's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
meadowboy's review
adventurous
funny
medium-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
3.5
helloiammikki's review against another edition
5.0
If you like exploratory scifi, parallel universe theories, multiple pov storytelling, diverse characters, a story where the journey is more important than the end or the start... Oh, and 'aliens'. Then this book might be for you.
At just under 600 pages, don't expect a whirlwind of constant action and tension, but do expect action and do expect tension. There are some lulls in the pacing here and there, but overall, it kept my interest throughout, and I feel like Tchaikovsky managed an intricate and elaborate story that was wrapped up quite well, which is by far not always the case with stories like these. I didn't understand an iota of the science behind it, so don't quote me on saying it's credible, but to a layperson like me, it all sounded well thought out at least.
This was my first Tchaikovsky, and I will certainly be picking up more of his work.
At just under 600 pages, don't expect a whirlwind of constant action and tension, but do expect action and do expect tension. There are some lulls in the pacing here and there, but overall, it kept my interest throughout, and I feel like Tchaikovsky managed an intricate and elaborate story that was wrapped up quite well, which is by far not always the case with stories like these. I didn't understand an iota of the science behind it, so don't quote me on saying it's credible, but to a layperson like me, it all sounded well thought out at least.
This was my first Tchaikovsky, and I will certainly be picking up more of his work.
jebecky's review against another edition
Really interesting premise, but I kept getting distracted from around 25% to 70% when I stopped. It dragged for me, but others might find it more engaging.