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grayjay's review against another edition
2.0
Kind and beautiful Kamoj, governor of Argali, escapes a political marriage to an abusive tyrant by marrying a mysterious and handsome off-worlder who turns out to be an exiled member of the ruling family of the galaxy, the Ruby Dynasty.
Why this, of all Asaro's novels, won the Nebula award, I couldn't say. The theme of sexual abuse and trauma, which ripples through all these books, was faced head on. It was slightly less erotic than Ascendant Sun, and had perhaps better storytelling, but was just as melodramatic. Apparently the whole novel is an allegory for quantum scattering theory, but since I don't know what that is, it don't really mean anything to me.
Why this, of all Asaro's novels, won the Nebula award, I couldn't say. The theme of sexual abuse and trauma, which ripples through all these books, was faced head on. It was slightly less erotic than Ascendant Sun, and had perhaps better storytelling, but was just as melodramatic. Apparently the whole novel is an allegory for quantum scattering theory, but since I don't know what that is, it don't really mean anything to me.
fisk42's review against another edition
3.0
It’s always nice to get a pleasant surprise while carrying along on my attempt to read all the Hugo and Nebula award winning novels. There are certain winners that just don’t get talked about very often, the black sheep of the family. So as someone who wasn’t keeping up with Science Fiction when this book was published about 20 years ago, I would have never come across it if it hadn’t won the Nebula. And frankly if I ever had come across it I would have been completely turned off by the cover (I know, I know, there’s a saying about that).
I gave The Quantum Rose three stars but that was rounding down. This book was a combination of several SF tropes that I enjoy. It did that and more, dealing with issues such as alcoholism and rape/patriarchy at the same time. It also helped that although this is apparently in the middle of a series, zero foreknowledge is necessary to enjoy this book.
The novel starts in a very fantasy-ish setting. A feudal (alien) world with lords and ladies and women being bought with dowries. A lord claims the main character for marriage and it turns out he’s from the stars! So it turns out the world this takes place on was part of an Earth empire that expanded for thousands of years and then collapsed. There’s space ships, some form of genetic telepathy/computer assisted mind reading, AI, genetic modifications, all the normal far-future tropes end up. But we see this all through the eyes of what is essentially a backwater bumpkin.
Also there are a couple layers to this novel as apparently the author did her doctoral dissertation on quantum... coupling? (I can’t remember without looking it up). So the entire thing is also an allegory for that. The audiobook didn’t have her essay explaining it which was at the end of he original print book. I’ll have to track it down but either way it only makes it more technically accomplished but doesn’t really affect my enjoyment.
I gave The Quantum Rose three stars but that was rounding down. This book was a combination of several SF tropes that I enjoy. It did that and more, dealing with issues such as alcoholism and rape/patriarchy at the same time. It also helped that although this is apparently in the middle of a series, zero foreknowledge is necessary to enjoy this book.
The novel starts in a very fantasy-ish setting. A feudal (alien) world with lords and ladies and women being bought with dowries. A lord claims the main character for marriage and it turns out he’s from the stars! So it turns out the world this takes place on was part of an Earth empire that expanded for thousands of years and then collapsed. There’s space ships, some form of genetic telepathy/computer assisted mind reading, AI, genetic modifications, all the normal far-future tropes end up. But we see this all through the eyes of what is essentially a backwater bumpkin.
Also there are a couple layers to this novel as apparently the author did her doctoral dissertation on quantum... coupling? (I can’t remember without looking it up). So the entire thing is also an allegory for that. The audiobook didn’t have her essay explaining it which was at the end of he original print book. I’ll have to track it down but either way it only makes it more technically accomplished but doesn’t really affect my enjoyment.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
This is a great story of love and adventure in the Skolian Empire.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
2.0
This novel has a really cool science fiction backdrop but a really insipid plot. In this case, you really can judge a book by its hilariously terrible cover.
It’s a mostly nonsensical story about the whirlwind romance between a petite beautiful snowflake and her creepy husband (who buys her from her family with a room full of treasure, and literally tells her he almost just raped her but decided to marry her instead. AND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC).
Which is really too bad, because the universe is cool. After exploring the galaxy, human technology failed and stranded colonists on their new worlds. Thousands of years later, humans are exploring again and are surprised to find other, slightly differently evolved humans, on other planets. I like the concept but the story in this novel is just SO BAD I cannot possibly recommend it.
Asaro has written other books in this universe; I’d like to hear from anyone who’s read them! I hope they do her world-building justice.
It’s a mostly nonsensical story about the whirlwind romance between a petite beautiful snowflake and her creepy husband (who buys her from her family with a room full of treasure, and literally tells her he almost just raped her but decided to marry her instead. AND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC).
Which is really too bad, because the universe is cool. After exploring the galaxy, human technology failed and stranded colonists on their new worlds. Thousands of years later, humans are exploring again and are surprised to find other, slightly differently evolved humans, on other planets. I like the concept but the story in this novel is just SO BAD I cannot possibly recommend it.
Asaro has written other books in this universe; I’d like to hear from anyone who’s read them! I hope they do her world-building justice.
kdf_333's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
puzumaki's review against another edition
3.0
Set on an agrarian non-technological planet, the young mayor ends up in a strange marriage that takes her farther than she ever knew.
The first half of the book was good, but then it got all sci-fi-y. I rarely am a fan of spaceship sci-fi. The second half of the book felt completely different than the first half. I was also weirded out by the age difference... over 40 years!! Otherwise, I suppose it was okay, just wish it had more transition or a different second half of the book. :P
The first half of the book was good, but then it got all sci-fi-y. I rarely am a fan of spaceship sci-fi. The second half of the book felt completely different than the first half. I was also weirded out by the age difference... over 40 years!! Otherwise, I suppose it was okay, just wish it had more transition or a different second half of the book. :P
cmbohn's review against another edition
1.0
I read this on recommendation from a library reading list, and I just hated it. I'm not sure why I finished it. The idea was not so bad. It started as a sort of [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285] romance story, but got all political and there was too much violence against women in there. Not recommended at all, and I will never read another by this author.
scribal's review against another edition
2.0
it seems like a side story in the series and very heavy on the romance
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1984726.html[return][return]Many years ago, when this book originally won the Nebula, I read it and was distinctly underwhelmed. But that was in the days before my bookblogging became serious; now that I am almost finished working through the Nebula winners, I felt I owed it to the book (and to its author, who engaged with me very gracefully and decently over my criticism) to give it another try.[return][return]Well. In fairness the novel itself is not all that bad, just very ordinary; our viewpoint character is a beautiful aristocrat bred for a submissive personality (which she is able to overcome just sufficiently for the needs of the plot); she is loved by another aristocrat who is from a different planet and conceals a heart of gold under his rugged exterior and alcoholism; and a third aristocrat envies them and tries to break them up ( cut for possible triggering ). Our heroine then goes to her lover's home world where they discover a lost city which his people had carelessly forgotten about. Also the nice aristocrats are locked in conflict with the evil Earth people. Then we find out in an afterword that the entire novel is a metaphor for quantum scattering theory and the three characters should really be considered as elementary particles (I am not making this up). [return][return]I guess the kindest thing that I can say is that this sort of thing is simply not my cup of tea; and I think on reflection that among Nebula winners The Quantum Rose is not quite as bad a novel as Robert Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, and roughly as bad as The Gods Themselves.
thisisalexw's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault