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Satellite was a novel that I had to read for my MA course at university. Like Trouble, it was one that I didn’t expect to love, and this novel broke my heart. No, it didn’t just break it; my heart was obliterated. I fell in love with characters and was utterly destroyed by what happened to them. This is a must-read. Your heart will break, but you will regret not reading the story of Leo, Orion and Libra. Because this is their story, and it needs to be told. I found the way that Nick decided to format the novel extremely interesting; it took some getting used too but I really like it. It was fitting for the novel that had been written. The thing I loved about this novel, was that while it is a science fiction novel, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the scientific jargon.
Full review can be found here: Sarah's Reviews
Full review can be found here: Sarah's Reviews
in honour of this book's writing style, i am going to write in all lowercase for this review. satellite isn't your typical sci-fi. it's slow and very character-focused, and a lot more scientific than i was expecting; a lot of the actual science stuff went over my head. but it was good. it reminded me of a sort of reverse gravity, in fact.
satellite focuses on three teenagers - libra, orion, and the narrator leo, who were born in space and their quest to go back down to earth. as far as i could tell it was set in the near future, which was really interesting, but since it was so character-focused there really wasn't too much worldbuilding - just enough to get you situated, but it kept you fully focused on the characters. the characterization was really wonderful for almost everyone, especially leo. i really liked his character, and his personality, and he had a really strong voice - though that may be in part the writing style.
lake did a really good job of setting the tone, too - it was so wistful and nostalgic and soft, and there's a lot of waiting around but it really goes with the book. it might have been slow, but it wasn't boring.
now: the writing style. i know that a lot of people hated it, and it does take a bit to get into. my critique isn't that it was written in lowercase and text-speak, it's that it wasn't cohesive enough to sound authentic. proper nouns like names were capitalized, but "i" wasn't; abbreviations like "c" and "u're" felt clunky, because they're just ... not used. for me, who spends a lot of the time writing in lowercase, thinking in lowercase and internet vernacular - it just felt weird. and i couldn't figure out why it was written like that - though it did set the tone for the book from the start as one that was going to be softer than most sci-fi we think of.
satellite is a beautiful book. even if you're not a fan of sci-fi you might like this because it's so character driven that the sci-fi aspect isnt overwhelming.
satellite focuses on three teenagers - libra, orion, and the narrator leo, who were born in space and their quest to go back down to earth. as far as i could tell it was set in the near future, which was really interesting, but since it was so character-focused there really wasn't too much worldbuilding - just enough to get you situated, but it kept you fully focused on the characters. the characterization was really wonderful for almost everyone, especially leo. i really liked his character, and his personality, and he had a really strong voice - though that may be in part the writing style.
lake did a really good job of setting the tone, too - it was so wistful and nostalgic and soft, and there's a lot of waiting around but it really goes with the book. it might have been slow, but it wasn't boring.
now: the writing style. i know that a lot of people hated it, and it does take a bit to get into. my critique isn't that it was written in lowercase and text-speak, it's that it wasn't cohesive enough to sound authentic. proper nouns like names were capitalized, but "i" wasn't; abbreviations like "c" and "u're" felt clunky, because they're just ... not used. for me, who spends a lot of the time writing in lowercase, thinking in lowercase and internet vernacular - it just felt weird. and i couldn't figure out why it was written like that - though it did set the tone for the book from the start as one that was going to be softer than most sci-fi we think of.
satellite is a beautiful book. even if you're not a fan of sci-fi you might like this because it's so character driven that the sci-fi aspect isnt overwhelming.
Sadly, DNF at 10%, but that's entirely my own issue. I've never been good at decoding any kind of dialect, it just doesn't make sense in my brain, and this is written entirely in text speak. It's a shame because I think the story is good, it's just too much work for me to read.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Hachette for the opportunity to read it.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Hachette for the opportunity to read it.
This sci fi/realistic/dystopian-y dumpling of a novel has a little something for everyone if you're willing to give it the time it deserves. I say that because I often find myself frustrated with books that move at a slower pace, so in a hurry am I to consume ALL THE BOOKS, but this time I went with it and I'm so glad I did.
I've seen a lot of complaints about the textspeak format used in the book and I honestly had to stop and think about what they were talking about because I completely forgot about it after the first few chapters. It isn't done in a way that takes you out of the story at all.
This will be an easy sell for fans of Ready Player One and The Martian, but also a really good one to recommend to people who want to get into sci fi but are a little intimidated.
I've seen a lot of complaints about the textspeak format used in the book and I honestly had to stop and think about what they were talking about because I completely forgot about it after the first few chapters. It isn't done in a way that takes you out of the story at all.
This will be an easy sell for fans of Ready Player One and The Martian, but also a really good one to recommend to people who want to get into sci fi but are a little intimidated.