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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I picked this up on a whim because I liked the cover and the premise sounded interesting, and it ended up just reminding me why I'm usually so precious about what sci-fi I read (even though I love the genre). It was a good premise with some very compelling elements that all just fell very flat. There was a bigger story to be told here that the author just missed (or ignored?) which is fascinating given what is explicitly stated in the afterword. Also, tonally this was all over the map and in my opinion missed really ramping up the tension at several key moments. Part of the problem here was the characters all felt like characters, I could never actually forget that these were not real people and consequently just didn't care about them. I think part of my problem is I expected this to have more of a horror vibe, given the way the story was set up, imagine something in the vein of Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant.
Thompson, in a single thome, does better world building than so much sci fi. The space industrial complex is vividly described, and I think the human influence on the universe feels real because it's so deeply flawed and populated by flawed people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if the resolution didn't quite pop like a whodunnit. It's space opera, without a doubt, rather than another genre.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A wonderful mystery of how a colony ship is hijacked and passengers murdered all whilst under the sole control of the AI captain.
The ship launches from Earth travels via gates to Lagos Station before eventually arriving at an established colony planet called Bloodroot.
The crew is essentially the ship itself Ragtime an embedded AI. There is a human crew member who like all passengers travels in stasis, but she is really just there as back up and eventual handover of the passengers.
So how does the back up react when she is thrust into chaos of the Ragtime seemingly offline and 30 odd passengers brutally butchered to death and a wolf roaming the ship.
Although at her destination the ship has to be quarantined and the culprit must be caught, before the colonists can be handed over.
This is such a well told story filled with fully realised characters. There are themes of psychological welfare, separation, belonging, capitalist critique and spirituality inter woven into this locked room mystery in space.
Highly recommend this wonderful standalone novel.
The ship launches from Earth travels via gates to Lagos Station before eventually arriving at an established colony planet called Bloodroot.
The crew is essentially the ship itself Ragtime an embedded AI. There is a human crew member who like all passengers travels in stasis, but she is really just there as back up and eventual handover of the passengers.
So how does the back up react when she is thrust into chaos of the Ragtime seemingly offline and 30 odd passengers brutally butchered to death and a wolf roaming the ship.
Although at her destination the ship has to be quarantined and the culprit must be caught, before the colonists can be handed over.
This is such a well told story filled with fully realised characters. There are themes of psychological welfare, separation, belonging, capitalist critique and spirituality inter woven into this locked room mystery in space.
Highly recommend this wonderful standalone novel.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love a good murder mystery. Especially one set in space
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Murder mystery on a space ship with a bit of action thrown in. All together felt a bit rushed and didn’t really care for any of the characters. Never really felt much suspense despite some of the big twists and turns - every chapter felt light and too short. Some ideas I’ve seen done better elsewhere (rogue AI).
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated