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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Body horror, Cannibalism
Loved this mystery in space! Complex, fast paced, fun.
It took me until Chapter 4 to get fully engaged, but I really loved it. I enjoyed the characters and all of the backstory.
It took me until Chapter 4 to get fully engaged, but I really loved it. I enjoyed the characters and all of the backstory.
Far From the Light of Heaven wasn't my first outing with Tade Thompson, but it was probably the least satisfying.
I've read [b:Rosewater|38362809|Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy, #1)|Tade Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534300082l/38362809._SX50_.jpg|51884865] and [b:The Murders of Molly Southbourne|34417038|The Murders of Molly Southbourne (Molly Southbourne, #1)|Tade Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495129861l/34417038._SY75_.jpg|55520132], and liked both of them. They had unique premises that felt fresh, and the writing was sharp and engaging.
This latest book by Thompson is a murder mystery set in space, presented in tidy chapters and with steady pacing. The problem for me was that the plot didn't unfold as smoothly as I would have liked. There was a choppiness to the story that made me feel distanced from the locked-room setting in which the story takes place.
While there were many interesting ideas, it felt like they often branched off or were introduced at odd moments in the story. At times I was completely engaged, but just as often I was also slightly confused. For me, the overall result felt a bit too unfocused to really love it the way I wanted to.
I've read [b:Rosewater|38362809|Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy, #1)|Tade Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534300082l/38362809._SX50_.jpg|51884865] and [b:The Murders of Molly Southbourne|34417038|The Murders of Molly Southbourne (Molly Southbourne, #1)|Tade Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495129861l/34417038._SY75_.jpg|55520132], and liked both of them. They had unique premises that felt fresh, and the writing was sharp and engaging.
This latest book by Thompson is a murder mystery set in space, presented in tidy chapters and with steady pacing. The problem for me was that the plot didn't unfold as smoothly as I would have liked. There was a choppiness to the story that made me feel distanced from the locked-room setting in which the story takes place.
While there were many interesting ideas, it felt like they often branched off or were introduced at odd moments in the story. At times I was completely engaged, but just as often I was also slightly confused. For me, the overall result felt a bit too unfocused to really love it the way I wanted to.
I would have liked this better if the narrator was better.
If I had to choose one word to sum this up, I'd go with stupid, a word I used in a fair few of my status updates for this book.
This is soft scifi (borderline fantasy with how little science there is at times) mixed with a crime thriller with aliens, anti-capitalism and a random (completely unnecessary) sex scene with a demon (in a pool of lava) thrown in, for seemingly no reason.
We've got:
-Poorly executed multi-POV
-Bad "science"
-Random aliens
-Far too many plot threads
-A rushed ending
-Dull characters
-Staccato writing
-So MUCH stupidity
-A rogue AI who has zero limitations (a great example of how soft this scifi is)
I honestly have so many issues with this I'm not even sure I'm up for giving it a full review! I started out enjoying it despite some of the flaws that are immediately apparent, but by the end I was rolling my eyes non-stop. It was almost fun from a hate-read point of view, but man I just think it's an awful book.
My favorite example of the stupidity in this book is when the mass-murderer crashlands on Bloodroots, one of the characters in power there questions whether or not they need to go after him as he may not be dangerous, we don't know his motives! HE KILLED 31 PEOPLE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!
Nonetheless, thanks to Carol, Stephen and Nataliya for the buddy read!
This is soft scifi (borderline fantasy with how little science there is at times) mixed with a crime thriller with aliens, anti-capitalism and a random (completely unnecessary) sex scene with a demon (in a pool of lava) thrown in, for seemingly no reason.
We've got:
-Poorly executed multi-POV
-Bad "science"
-Random aliens
-Far too many plot threads
-A rushed ending
-Dull characters
-Staccato writing
-So MUCH stupidity
-A rogue AI who has zero limitations (a great example of how soft this scifi is)
I honestly have so many issues with this I'm not even sure I'm up for giving it a full review! I started out enjoying it despite some of the flaws that are immediately apparent, but by the end I was rolling my eyes non-stop. It was almost fun from a hate-read point of view, but man I just think it's an awful book.
My favorite example of the stupidity in this book is when the mass-murderer crashlands on Bloodroots, one of the characters in power there questions whether or not they need to go after him as he may not be dangerous, we don't know his motives! HE KILLED 31 PEOPLE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!
Nonetheless, thanks to Carol, Stephen and Nataliya for the buddy read!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a closed-room murder mystery taking place in space, and the story that follows was just as fun as the premise. I found the world-building really impressive and original (I don't generally read scifi so take that with a grain of salt) and while I wish some ideas were explored with more depth, I loved the humor and I was curious to the end about what would happen. Definitely excited for what's next!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book begins well, with a strong premise that had me interested immediately. Colony-ship Ragtime has sailed through the stars for ten years. But when first mate Michelle Campion wakes up, she discovers a horrible crime has happened, the ship's AI has broken or gone AWOL, and she has no idea how to figure out what happened. Investigator Rasheed Fin goes on board to take a look...
A closed room mystery, in other words. As someone who loves crime fic and SF, this was right up my street. I think I enjoyed the SF elements the most - the broader world was fascinating, I wanted to know more about the ship's AI, the colony worlds, the aliens, etc.
After the aforementioned strong beginning, the mystery element didn't work as well for me - there was less an investigation and more happened-upon discovery in places. It also ends fairly abruptly. I was left with a sense that it wasn't quite finished, but without enough strings for another book (of course I could be wrong about that).
A promising, interesting read that is trying new things, and I'd definitely like to return to the author again.
A closed room mystery, in other words. As someone who loves crime fic and SF, this was right up my street. I think I enjoyed the SF elements the most - the broader world was fascinating, I wanted to know more about the ship's AI, the colony worlds, the aliens, etc.
After the aforementioned strong beginning, the mystery element didn't work as well for me - there was less an investigation and more happened-upon discovery in places. It also ends fairly abruptly. I was left with a sense that it wasn't quite finished, but without enough strings for another book (of course I could be wrong about that).
A promising, interesting read that is trying new things, and I'd definitely like to return to the author again.