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youshouldreadthisif's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
llayaz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
micksland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars
Winner: 2017 Locus Award for Best First Novel
Nominee: 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award
Nominee: 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Nominee: 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novel
___
This book received critical acclaim, and it's easy to see why. The concept behind the novel is that the universe is governed by the imperial calendar, which is effectively a mass delusion. As the number of followers increases, the government gains more and more power, allowing it to change the fundamental rules of physics. Heretics that weaken the calendar are to be exterminated.
Enter the protagonist, Kel Cheris, who is sent to put down a heresy along with the consciousness of a dead mass murder trapped inside her skull. (Wait, what?)
Lee does excellent things with the plot, and I was very invested in seeing how the story turned out. However, there was something jarring and off-putting about the worldbuilding that I never quite got over. The novel is relatively short, and I kept wanting more explanations for everything.
As an example, the Kel fleet is divided into ships called cindermoths, boxmoths, and bannermoths, among others. But why are they moths? Are they living symbiotes? Are they just metal ships shaped like moths? And what is the difference between them? Similarly, the lack of information made it difficult to keep track of the various factions, both within and outside the government. There was no dearth of interesting ideas, but I would have appreciated more time to explore all of them.
Even with those critiques, I absolutely loved the two protagonists and I'm interested in seeing what happens as the story progresses. Now that I have a (precarious) grasp on the worldbuilding, I think I'll enjoy the sequel more.
Winner: 2017 Locus Award for Best First Novel
Nominee: 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award
Nominee: 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Nominee: 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novel
___
This book received critical acclaim, and it's easy to see why. The concept behind the novel is that the universe is governed by the imperial calendar, which is effectively a mass delusion. As the number of followers increases, the government gains more and more power, allowing it to change the fundamental rules of physics. Heretics that weaken the calendar are to be exterminated.
Enter the protagonist, Kel Cheris, who is sent to put down a heresy along with the consciousness of a dead mass murder trapped inside her skull. (Wait, what?)
Lee does excellent things with the plot, and I was very invested in seeing how the story turned out. However, there was something jarring and off-putting about the worldbuilding that I never quite got over. The novel is relatively short, and I kept wanting more explanations for everything.
As an example, the Kel fleet is divided into ships called cindermoths, boxmoths, and bannermoths, among others. But why are they moths? Are they living symbiotes? Are they just metal ships shaped like moths? And what is the difference between them? Similarly, the lack of information made it difficult to keep track of the various factions, both within and outside the government. There was no dearth of interesting ideas, but I would have appreciated more time to explore all of them.
Even with those critiques, I absolutely loved the two protagonists and I'm interested in seeing what happens as the story progresses. Now that I have a (precarious) grasp on the worldbuilding, I think I'll enjoy the sequel more.
rachaar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lucardus's review against another edition
3.0
Ich gestehe, ich bin nicht ganz sicher, was ich von diesem Roman halten soll. Einerseits tut sich hier ein (zumindest dem Eindruck nach) einzigartiges Universum mit exotischen Waffen und Technologien auf, andererseits bleibt all dies aber auch irgendwie auf Abstand von mir als Leser.
Während sich die erste Hälfte etwas zieht, wird es im zweiten Teil interessanter, vor allem, weil andere (wenn auch meist kurzzeitige) Perspektiven eingestreut werden und nicht nur die der Hauptprotagonistin. Trotzdem man Einblicke in die Welt des Hexarchats erhält, bleibt Vieles unklar bis zum Ende: Welche Technologie/Physik steckt hinter den (ziemlich verheerenden) Waffensystemen; Was hat es mit den "exotischen Effekten" auf sich, was mit den Gefechtsformationen der Kel; Inwieweit spielen die kalendarischen Systeme und Mathematik eine Rolle?
Hinzu kommt, dass ich zur Hauptprotagonistin keine emotionale Bindung aufbauen konnte und sich obendrein ein "Sense of Wonder" nur sehr eingeschränkt einstellt, denn es bleibt oft bei Beschreibungen von Waffenwirkungen und Gefechtssituationen, während andere Dinge für meinen Geschmack zu wenig dargestellt und "belebt" werden. Insgesamt litt meine Leselust im ersten Teil vor allem darunter, dass die "Belagerung" der häretischen "Fortress of Scattered Needles" irgendwie nicht von der Stelle kommt. Diese Mischung aus rätselhafter Technologie und Military-SF hat mich in gewisser Weise kalt gelassen, obwohl sie eigentlich vom Ansatz schon hochinteressant sein müsste. Die Autorin hat sich keinen Gefallen darin getan, mich als Leser hier fast völlig allein zu lassen, obwohl ich nicht gerade wenig Erfahrung mit SF habe und durchaus in der Lage bin auch exotischere Szenarien zu verdauen.
Erst in der zweiten Hälfte hingegen nimmt der Roman an Fahrt auf und lässt zumindest ansatzweise erkennen, welches Potential in diesem Universum und der Geschichte insgesamt liegen könnte.
Momentan habe ich den Eindruck, dass man die Trilogie insgesamt bewerten muss, um hier ein faires Urteil fällen zu können, aber es reicht nicht zu einer 4-Sterne-Wertung für den ersten Band.
Während sich die erste Hälfte etwas zieht, wird es im zweiten Teil interessanter, vor allem, weil andere (wenn auch meist kurzzeitige) Perspektiven eingestreut werden und nicht nur die der Hauptprotagonistin. Trotzdem man Einblicke in die Welt des Hexarchats erhält, bleibt Vieles unklar bis zum Ende: Welche Technologie/Physik steckt hinter den (ziemlich verheerenden) Waffensystemen; Was hat es mit den "exotischen Effekten" auf sich, was mit den Gefechtsformationen der Kel; Inwieweit spielen die kalendarischen Systeme und Mathematik eine Rolle?
Hinzu kommt, dass ich zur Hauptprotagonistin keine emotionale Bindung aufbauen konnte und sich obendrein ein "Sense of Wonder" nur sehr eingeschränkt einstellt, denn es bleibt oft bei Beschreibungen von Waffenwirkungen und Gefechtssituationen, während andere Dinge für meinen Geschmack zu wenig dargestellt und "belebt" werden. Insgesamt litt meine Leselust im ersten Teil vor allem darunter, dass die "Belagerung" der häretischen "Fortress of Scattered Needles" irgendwie nicht von der Stelle kommt. Diese Mischung aus rätselhafter Technologie und Military-SF hat mich in gewisser Weise kalt gelassen, obwohl sie eigentlich vom Ansatz schon hochinteressant sein müsste. Die Autorin hat sich keinen Gefallen darin getan, mich als Leser hier fast völlig allein zu lassen, obwohl ich nicht gerade wenig Erfahrung mit SF habe und durchaus in der Lage bin auch exotischere Szenarien zu verdauen.
Erst in der zweiten Hälfte hingegen nimmt der Roman an Fahrt auf und lässt zumindest ansatzweise erkennen, welches Potential in diesem Universum und der Geschichte insgesamt liegen könnte.
Momentan habe ich den Eindruck, dass man die Trilogie insgesamt bewerten muss, um hier ein faires Urteil fällen zu können, aber es reicht nicht zu einer 4-Sterne-Wertung für den ersten Band.
most_trusted_lieutenant's review against another edition
1.0
This is light SF, and basically epic fantasy in space. Which came as a surprise, since I've read a lot of reviews/opinions saying that the book is strong/hard/confusing, and with math defining the laws of the world.
But the math words here don't have any meaning, they don't refer to real math concepts. Instead, they describe the magical effects that Hexarchate (our galactic empire) uses in warfare. Like the "Basis Vector Ideal Field" instead of Field of Faith. This does not make the descriptions less imaginative, though.
Apart from this, which I expected to be the specialty of the book, it feels heavy on tropes. Galactic empire is hegemonial and organized in factions, members of which all have the same character traits. The people get comments like "That's so [Faction Name]" a lot. Soldier faction is blunt, unimaginative, down-to-earth, taking pride in the most inappropriate jokes ever heard in Hexarchate. Spy faction can't greet you without starting some kind of game. Our MC has a mentor, whom she has substantial reasons to despise, but of course he actually has the heart of gold.
Worldbuilding concepts of calendrical system of beliefs and formation instinct are great and in the vein of what I wanted to get from the book, but they appear in purely epic-fantasy-style situations, which is not how I'd like to explore them. More info on society, utilities and minutiae would be more interesting to me than endless intrigue.
But the math words here don't have any meaning, they don't refer to real math concepts. Instead, they describe the magical effects that Hexarchate (our galactic empire) uses in warfare. Like the "Basis Vector Ideal Field" instead of Field of Faith. This does not make the descriptions less imaginative, though.
Apart from this, which I expected to be the specialty of the book, it feels heavy on tropes. Galactic empire is hegemonial and organized in factions, members of which all have the same character traits. The people get comments like "That's so [Faction Name]" a lot. Soldier faction is blunt, unimaginative, down-to-earth, taking pride in the most inappropriate jokes ever heard in Hexarchate. Spy faction can't greet you without starting some kind of game. Our MC has a mentor, whom she has substantial reasons to despise, but of course he actually has the heart of gold.
Worldbuilding concepts of calendrical system of beliefs and formation instinct are great and in the vein of what I wanted to get from the book, but they appear in purely epic-fantasy-style situations, which is not how I'd like to explore them. More info on society, utilities and minutiae would be more interesting to me than endless intrigue.
timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
Three stars plus one for sheer audacity.
And I'm filing it as a fantasy.
I'm sure I have never seen a book in which the proportions of content were like this one.
Let's see ... 15% plot, 45% handwaving and 40% outright BS.
It's ridiculous.
And it's unputdownable.
I'm going to read the next one, and at the end I fully expect that I will hate both of them with an eternal fire. But by golly, I *will* read it.
I have a math degree, maybe I'm biased.
And I was NOT pleased with the part of the ending where Bah.
And I'm filing it as a fantasy.
I'm sure I have never seen a book in which the proportions of content were like this one.
Let's see ... 15% plot, 45% handwaving and 40% outright BS.
It's ridiculous.
And it's unputdownable.
I'm going to read the next one, and at the end I fully expect that I will hate both of them with an eternal fire. But by golly, I *will* read it.
I have a math degree, maybe I'm biased.
And I was NOT pleased with the part of the ending where
Spoiler
everyone on the ship is very, very dead, except one. Guess who is the lucky one?tregina's review against another edition
4.0
Really impressed with the ways that I was enveloped by the world and drawn into the story, dropped right into the deep end but nonetheless never feeling like I wouldn't be given the tools to understand what was happening. I have a lot of thoughts I need to let simmer a little before I try to articulate them, starting with the fact that it quickly becomes clear we're asked to identify with the oppressors in these particular conflicts, so hopefully I'll remember to come back and delve a little deeper into that.