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byelingual_kegan's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Weird format and pacing to get used to at first but Asimov has always excelled with short stories, so it's no wonder that he found a way to make it work for novel-lenght.
Sometimes the plot solves problems in a way that takes away from the sense of urgency, and some others you end up with the same basic character in every era but eh. Trying to write a Big History through individual lenses is an ambitious project and this is wayy more than a fair shot at it.
It's also very funny which! why aren't more people talking about how hilariously tongue in cheek Asimov is?!
Sometimes the plot solves problems in a way that takes away from the sense of urgency, and some others you end up with the same basic character in every era but eh. Trying to write a Big History through individual lenses is an ambitious project and this is wayy more than a fair shot at it.
It's also very funny which! why aren't more people talking about how hilariously tongue in cheek Asimov is?!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Colonisation
maeverose's review
Dnfed at 67%
TL;DR: I found it boring and it does in fact read like it was written in the 40s for a male-only audience.
I wanted to read the books after watching season one of the show because I really liked it, but unfortunately I found this book to be pretty boring. I really like the changes that they made for the show, tbh I think those changes make for a much more interesting story. Obviously I can’t fairly compare it to the books being as I couldn’t even finish the first one, but I already know based on what I did read that I personally prefer the show, and I’d rather not waste my time reading the books if I’m just gonna be bored…
As for my thoughts on what I did read: This book is all politics. Yes the show has a lot of politics as well but at least there are some breaks from it… Plus in the show I felt much more invested in the characters and therefore the plot. I felt zero connection to the characters in the book because we didn’t get to know them at all. They’re also almost all old men. I did know going in that there were no female characters but it just feels so strange to read a book where you hardly know if women even exist because they’re never mentioned… It’s also super dialogue heavy. There’s very little description of the environment, people’s thoughts, or what’s actually happening visually. Which I think added to my boredom. Not that I expected poetic writing but some description would’ve been nice.
Sorry to all the cishet dudebros out there who will get mad at this review lol (except I’m not actually sorry..)
TL;DR: I found it boring and it does in fact read like it was written in the 40s for a male-only audience.
I wanted to read the books after watching season one of the show because I really liked it, but unfortunately I found this book to be pretty boring. I really like the changes that they made for the show, tbh I think those changes make for a much more interesting story. Obviously I can’t fairly compare it to the books being as I couldn’t even finish the first one, but I already know based on what I did read that I personally prefer the show, and I’d rather not waste my time reading the books if I’m just gonna be bored…
As for my thoughts on what I did read: This book is all politics. Yes the show has a lot of politics as well but at least there are some breaks from it… Plus in the show I felt much more invested in the characters and therefore the plot. I felt zero connection to the characters in the book because we didn’t get to know them at all. They’re also almost all old men. I did know going in that there were no female characters but it just feels so strange to read a book where you hardly know if women even exist because they’re never mentioned… It’s also super dialogue heavy. There’s very little description of the environment, people’s thoughts, or what’s actually happening visually. Which I think added to my boredom. Not that I expected poetic writing but some description would’ve been nice.
Sorry to all the cishet dudebros out there who will get mad at this review lol (except I’m not actually sorry..)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Suicide
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Ableism, Confinement, Sexism, War, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death
shieldbearer's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Y'know I would have liked this a lot better if it was actually about the encyclopedia. For what it is it's well constructed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Colonisation, War, Murder, Gun violence, and Death
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