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gs_227's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amurph's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
emilycarney's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
2.5
first 100 pages ✅ last 100 pages ✅ all the other shit in between ❌
themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot of fun. The book is divided into thirds. The first concerns the protagonist’s flight from a city called Spirepoint. Spirepoint is a technologically advanced structure that ramps up from ground level to above the atmosphere. I had Spirepoint fingered as a space elevator but the author leaves that as a red herring.
The human habitation on the ramps that spiral round Spirepoint is divided into zones. Each zone allows a certain amount of technological sophistication, down at the bottom is Horsetown where even steam power is erratic and electricity non-existent.
Given the later explanation for the Zones there was no real reason for technological sophistication to increase with distance from the ground and for a little while I thought the plot was borrowing from Verner Vinge’s concepts in his novel A Fire Upon The Deep.
Where we come in is in Neon Heights and the Chandleresque feel of the fugitive is heavily reminiscent of the cinema version of Blade Runner. This section of the book rattles along nicely and drops just enough hints to keep the reader entertained.
Part 2 deals with the travails of the protagonist and his party in the wilds outside Spirepoint and this section with its vorgs and Skullboys borrows heavily from Mad Max. These are not criticisms, just observations as to the overall feel.
Here we also discover that we’re on Mars. The author has dropped several heavy hints but the description of the Valles Marineris was unequivocal. Mars has been terraformed so there is water at the bottom of the giant canyon (and presumably a northern polar ocean?) but the climate is getting steadily colder and a character admits at one point that the planet is too small to hold on to an atmosphere and this would be true of any attempt to do something similar to Mars. The characters’ lives seem short until you remember that a Martian year is nearly twice as long as a terrestrial one.
Part 3 is where there is a sort of a resolution but the explanation of the Zones had my eyebrows climbing. As I understood it, they alter the Planck Length(!) At coarser scales fine- tuned machines can’t operate but messy organics can cope - to a certain extent. Hmm.
The ending leaves many plot stands unresolved. There is a mission to search out more tectomancers. What is the ultimate purpose of the knowledge stored in Cutter’s brain? How do the angels fit into everything? What is the Mire? Is Spirepoint still operational as a transit point? It all screams for a sequel and I’m a bit baffled that Reynolds doesn’t plan on writing one. It rather puts a downer on what is otherwise a very enjoyable yarn.
The human habitation on the ramps that spiral round Spirepoint is divided into zones. Each zone allows a certain amount of technological sophistication, down at the bottom is Horsetown where even steam power is erratic and electricity non-existent.
Given the later explanation for the Zones there was no real reason for technological sophistication to increase with distance from the ground and for a little while I thought the plot was borrowing from Verner Vinge’s concepts in his novel A Fire Upon The Deep.
Where we come in is in Neon Heights and the Chandleresque feel of the fugitive is heavily reminiscent of the cinema version of Blade Runner. This section of the book rattles along nicely and drops just enough hints to keep the reader entertained.
Part 2 deals with the travails of the protagonist and his party in the wilds outside Spirepoint and this section with its vorgs and Skullboys borrows heavily from Mad Max. These are not criticisms, just observations as to the overall feel.
Here we also discover that we’re on Mars. The author has dropped several heavy hints but the description of the Valles Marineris was unequivocal. Mars has been terraformed so there is water at the bottom of the giant canyon (and presumably a northern polar ocean?) but the climate is getting steadily colder and a character admits at one point that the planet is too small to hold on to an atmosphere and this would be true of any attempt to do something similar to Mars. The characters’ lives seem short until you remember that a Martian year is nearly twice as long as a terrestrial one.
Part 3 is where there is a sort of a resolution but the explanation of the Zones had my eyebrows climbing. As I understood it, they alter the Planck Length(!) At coarser scales fine- tuned machines can’t operate but messy organics can cope - to a certain extent. Hmm.
The ending leaves many plot stands unresolved. There is a mission to search out more tectomancers. What is the ultimate purpose of the knowledge stored in Cutter’s brain? How do the angels fit into everything? What is the Mire? Is Spirepoint still operational as a transit point? It all screams for a sequel and I’m a bit baffled that Reynolds doesn’t plan on writing one. It rather puts a downer on what is otherwise a very enjoyable yarn.
rheren's review
3.0
This is a fascinating science fiction read, and I enjoyed reading it very much. It's imaginative and unpredictable, and quite an interesting premise.
However, with that said, there were a couple points I couldn't quite follow. The world is a hideously savage place outside of the carefully structured "zones" where the story begins. It seems almost excessively so: they keep bouncing from one horrifying group to another, until they get to "Swarm", hinted at ominously early on, but Swarm ends up being totally civilized and one wonders how they ended up getting a bad name at all. Their rescue by "Swarm" also seems a bit random and contrived; it "just happened" that Swarm rescued them right when they needed it, even though it doesn't seem like Swarm would ever do that kind of thing. I also had a hard time understanding the elaborate, systemic naivete of the main character (meant to be illustrative of the same attitude in the whole "zones" city). They live their entire lives on a mountain overlooking vast expanses of valley all around them. Have they really never even asked themselves what those other people and cities they could see down in the valley even were? Never even been curious? Doesn't that sound a bit preposterous?
Anyways, a good read but I just had some reservations about a few spots, so I gave it a 3, although I really struggled wanting to give it a 4. I really liked it, except for those few things that didn't seem well-thought-out.
However, with that said, there were a couple points I couldn't quite follow. The world is a hideously savage place outside of the carefully structured "zones" where the story begins. It seems almost excessively so: they keep bouncing from one horrifying group to another, until they get to "Swarm", hinted at ominously early on, but Swarm ends up being totally civilized and one wonders how they ended up getting a bad name at all. Their rescue by "Swarm" also seems a bit random and contrived; it "just happened" that Swarm rescued them right when they needed it, even though it doesn't seem like Swarm would ever do that kind of thing. I also had a hard time understanding the elaborate, systemic naivete of the main character (meant to be illustrative of the same attitude in the whole "zones" city). They live their entire lives on a mountain overlooking vast expanses of valley all around them. Have they really never even asked themselves what those other people and cities they could see down in the valley even were? Never even been curious? Doesn't that sound a bit preposterous?
Anyways, a good read but I just had some reservations about a few spots, so I gave it a 3, although I really struggled wanting to give it a 4. I really liked it, except for those few things that didn't seem well-thought-out.
scottwcoleman's review
Wonderful piece of work. Fantastic world-building and a gritty, action-packed adventure.