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andrewliptak's review against another edition
2.0
Fun concept, but very poor execution. Review redacted to SF Signal.
mrawdon's review against another edition
3.0
Adventure, romance, tragedy, and humor. I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It uses The Odyssey as it's basic structure: a man coming back from war 15 years (and many adventures, some of which we read about) later, but knowing that is not necessary to enjoy it. The characters are genuine and well-realized. The background (orbitals and ships in Earth vicinity in the near future) is not tremendously novel, but the author works to make the various communities the hero visits seem authentic. Recommended to anyone looking for a fun read.
old_tim's review against another edition
4.0
In Spin the Sky, Stauber transforms the bones of the Odyssey into near space opera. Cesar Vaquero leaves home to fight in the Spacer War, only to spend 15 years wandering before returning home. His wife Penelope is running the family ranch and fending off suitors as best she can. Homer’s islands are now orbitals, each one stranger and potentially more deadly than the last.
A couple of things really stand out. First, the character development is excellent. While this book has a fairly large cast of characters, they feel fleshed out and developed. Minor characters feel more enigmatic than underdeveloped. There’s a sense of mystery with them (Asia, for example) where you’d love to see more of their own stories. Secondly, the universe of Spin the Sky is a fascinating place. The orbitals are diverse and wondrous places. Again, there’s a sense that other fantastic tales of this universe could be told.
***minor spoilers***
My major gripe is that a couple of plot points seemed forced, rather than to come naturally from the characters. Why exactly did Cesar have to travel for 15 years before he could return home? Why did the black hats need the Vaqueros’ cattle?
I’m no classics scholar, but I had a lot of fun making the connections between Cesar’s misadventures and those of brave Ulysses.
A couple of things really stand out. First, the character development is excellent. While this book has a fairly large cast of characters, they feel fleshed out and developed. Minor characters feel more enigmatic than underdeveloped. There’s a sense of mystery with them (Asia, for example) where you’d love to see more of their own stories. Secondly, the universe of Spin the Sky is a fascinating place. The orbitals are diverse and wondrous places. Again, there’s a sense that other fantastic tales of this universe could be told.
***minor spoilers***
My major gripe is that a couple of plot points seemed forced, rather than to come naturally from the characters. Why exactly did Cesar have to travel for 15 years before he could return home? Why did the black hats need the Vaqueros’ cattle?
I’m no classics scholar, but I had a lot of fun making the connections between Cesar’s misadventures and those of brave Ulysses.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book okay. Certainly there was nothing that made me want to put it down (well, maybe the ending, but by that point I was already finished). But I also have the disappointed feeling that it was only half realised. There are so many interesting ideas and people and places, but they feel unfinished or unexplored, and as much head hopping as we do (too much, for me, which might be an unfortunate side effect of the premise) we never seem to be following the right people or the most interesting stories. The Odyssey in Space seems like the best idea ever to me (and the reason I picked this up) but it's never quite what I want it to be. Now give me a book about Calypso and Spider House, and I'll be all over that.
tregina's review
3.0
I liked this book okay. Certainly there was nothing that made me want to put it down (well, maybe the ending, but by that point I was already finished). But I also have the disappointed feeling that it was only half realised. There are so many interesting ideas and people and places, but they feel unfinished or unexplored, and as much head hopping as we do (too much, for me, which might be an unfortunate side effect of the premise) we never seem to be following the right people or the most interesting stories. The Odyssey in Space seems like the best idea ever to me (and the reason I picked this up) but it's never quite what I want it to be. Now give me a book about Calypso and Spider House, and I'll be all over that.
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