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diziet_sma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sheyri's review against another edition
2.0
Nur deshalb nicht abgebrochen, weil ich den zweiten Teil als günstiges Mängelexemplar bekommen habe. Hat mich aber nicht davon abgehalten, das letzte Drittel nur querzulesen bzw. nur den Dialog.
berni396's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
davecapp's review against another edition
4.0
For fans of Anne Lechie and Neil Asher this is solid speculative SciFi. A juxtaposition of real world, extreme intelligence (from past civilizations) and AI with virtual worlds. And surprisingly they all tie together for a compelling story that gets very deep, yet holds both your attention, and the storyline together till the end. Good character development, and the AI constructs have personalities reminiscent of characters from Iain Banks Culture Series. All in all an enjoyable read.
carkamok's review against another edition
3.0
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS A REVIEW FOR SCIFINOW MAGAZINE.
https://www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/heroes-reborn-blu-ray-review-worth-the-wait/
Galaxies can be engineered, civilisations can be enslaved and the Creation Machine can resurface – threatening to tear entire clusters of planets apart.
The burden of stopping such a catastrophe lies with young heroine Fleare Haas, the estranged daughter of the totalitarian Hegemony leader Viklun Haas.
Fle journeys all across the Spin: from Obel Moon, where our protagonist is initially imprisoned but manages to run away, to sitting in orbiters in space just above the Catastrophe Curve. And yet they’re all very believable backdrops. Indeed, author Andrew Bannister’s exemplary world building brings a sense of awe to The Creation Machine – you can’t help but marvel at his descriptive prowess, something we hope continues in the two planned sequels.
If the interstellar locations weren’t enough to convince you of how intricate a space opera Bannister’s debut novel is, then the characters, which include a sentient cloud, a multitude of intriguing lifeforms and modified humans, will surely charm.
With so much unique detail spanning the residents of the Spin it’s easy to be enthralled. But there’s always a seemingly dissimilar event happening one after another, and it’s difficult trying to tie them together, if at all. It’s clear that this is due to the swift and unapologetic action. You are dropped in medias res at every interval, and it certainly takes some getting used to.
It seems like Bannister is trying to make up for this, often by providing either too much narrative information or by shoeing in the characters’ dialogue for a cheap and cheerful explanation. It comes across as fragmented, with the structure only starting to take shape around two thirds into the book.
Still, if you stick with The Creation Machine, you will find a beautiful space opera trilogy that’s just waiting to explode in a well-crafted first attempt, ready for future stories.
https://www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/heroes-reborn-blu-ray-review-worth-the-wait/
Galaxies can be engineered, civilisations can be enslaved and the Creation Machine can resurface – threatening to tear entire clusters of planets apart.
The burden of stopping such a catastrophe lies with young heroine Fleare Haas, the estranged daughter of the totalitarian Hegemony leader Viklun Haas.
Fle journeys all across the Spin: from Obel Moon, where our protagonist is initially imprisoned but manages to run away, to sitting in orbiters in space just above the Catastrophe Curve. And yet they’re all very believable backdrops. Indeed, author Andrew Bannister’s exemplary world building brings a sense of awe to The Creation Machine – you can’t help but marvel at his descriptive prowess, something we hope continues in the two planned sequels.
If the interstellar locations weren’t enough to convince you of how intricate a space opera Bannister’s debut novel is, then the characters, which include a sentient cloud, a multitude of intriguing lifeforms and modified humans, will surely charm.
With so much unique detail spanning the residents of the Spin it’s easy to be enthralled. But there’s always a seemingly dissimilar event happening one after another, and it’s difficult trying to tie them together, if at all. It’s clear that this is due to the swift and unapologetic action. You are dropped in medias res at every interval, and it certainly takes some getting used to.
It seems like Bannister is trying to make up for this, often by providing either too much narrative information or by shoeing in the characters’ dialogue for a cheap and cheerful explanation. It comes across as fragmented, with the structure only starting to take shape around two thirds into the book.
Still, if you stick with The Creation Machine, you will find a beautiful space opera trilogy that’s just waiting to explode in a well-crafted first attempt, ready for future stories.
diesmali's review against another edition
3.0
The author creates a lively universe with interesting characters. The plot loses its thread somewhere along the line, as the author has a bit too many ideas to run with for such a short book, but it's decent enough. I suppose I will continue with the next in the series.
markyon's review against another edition
4.0
Creation Machine is a Space Opera that is a thrilling debut novel for its author.
Fleare Haas is a ‘rich kid gone wrong’ whose previous exploits have led her into isolation and solitary imprisonment in a monastery on Odel’s Moon.
Through backstory we read of Fleare’s past: her relationship with her estranged father, Viklun, (who happens to be the leader of the Hegemony and one of the richest people in the galaxy), her friends and lovers, her enlistment in Society Otherwise, the army created in opposition to the Hegemony (and her father). We discover that she becomes part of a military programme to become enhanced and then the obliteration of Soc O and the declaring illegal of enhanced people like Fleare.
But most of all we read of Fleare’s present – her escape from her imprisonment, and her fugitive run from Odel’s Moon to Thale and the Catastrophe Curve, which leads to her meeting up with her ex-comrades (Kelk, Muz and Jez) and enemies.
To broaden the picture a little, at the same time we also get a wider view of the artificial galaxy known as The Spin through Alameche, a character whose role as viceroy to the Emperor – sorry, the Patriarch – in the empire of The Fortunate, is one best suited to his rather extreme tastes. He is the sort of character who makes Darth Vader seem like a novice, the sort of person who will kill people for fun, with no reason other than to kill them. There’s clearly something afoot and the ambitious Alameche is given charge to make sure that the Patriarch knows what’s going on. This involves schemes and counter-schemes amongst the social hierarchy, and ultimately the mysterious and pretty unknown creators of The Spin, the artificial galaxy where all this happens. For one of their ancient machines has been found – and it is coming back to life…
It’s been a long time since I read a novel in nearly one sitting, and even longer since it was a debut. I started reading this one on its arrival and couldn’t put it down, finishing the book in a weekend. Andrew’s book delivers in spades everything I’m looking for in a Space Opera – imaginative settings, strange aliens, an arsenal of unusual weapons, and, most of all, characters I like and who I want to know what happens to them. This is a book that is fast-paced and stylish, but not one where its literary merits outweigh its sheer enthusiasm and sense of enjoyment.
It reminded me of the first Peter F. Hamilton I read in its sense of epic-ness, or the first Iain (M.) Banks I read in its intelligent plotting and its sense of humour. I particularly liked the fact that I recognised lots of old-school touches – the huge alien devices (BDO’s), the various alien species, the different environments the characters travel through – but this is undoubtedly something new – 21st century Space Opera, with knowing nods and winks to the past and a few contemporary expletives thrown in for good measure.
Whilst the book has a tight focus, it does have the feel of being part of a bigger picture. There’s strange flora and fauna (including a very memorable and deliberately unpleasant type of mega-eel), and journeys from rainforest to desert, from iceworlds to lava fields which give you a feel of the multitude of potential locations within the Spin.
I was a bit put off initially by the title, which gave me the impression that the novel was going to be yet another philosophical debate on gods and AI. But I was very, very wrong. In the end it’s more like Jack McDevitt’s Engines of God, where the BIG alien objects do not outweigh the quality of the characterisation. The characters made me think of Dan Simmons’s Endymion, as they became people I cared for as I read. Fleare became as memorable to me as Anaea did in Simmons’ Endymion novels, and her relationship with Muz is a joy (though not always easy).
The latter part of the book leads to things going all Neuromancer, and whilst there is an ending, like Endymion it is clear that there’s more to tell in the next book.
In short, I can’t recommend this one highly enough. There’s the odd slight misstep – it loses a point from me for a badly made and ill-timed dildo joke in the first few pages – but otherwise it does everything I expect, and admirably. In short, Creation Machine is the best Space Opera I’ve read in ages.
A surprisingly good debut – this one should be a monster.
Fleare Haas is a ‘rich kid gone wrong’ whose previous exploits have led her into isolation and solitary imprisonment in a monastery on Odel’s Moon.
Through backstory we read of Fleare’s past: her relationship with her estranged father, Viklun, (who happens to be the leader of the Hegemony and one of the richest people in the galaxy), her friends and lovers, her enlistment in Society Otherwise, the army created in opposition to the Hegemony (and her father). We discover that she becomes part of a military programme to become enhanced and then the obliteration of Soc O and the declaring illegal of enhanced people like Fleare.
But most of all we read of Fleare’s present – her escape from her imprisonment, and her fugitive run from Odel’s Moon to Thale and the Catastrophe Curve, which leads to her meeting up with her ex-comrades (Kelk, Muz and Jez) and enemies.
To broaden the picture a little, at the same time we also get a wider view of the artificial galaxy known as The Spin through Alameche, a character whose role as viceroy to the Emperor – sorry, the Patriarch – in the empire of The Fortunate, is one best suited to his rather extreme tastes. He is the sort of character who makes Darth Vader seem like a novice, the sort of person who will kill people for fun, with no reason other than to kill them. There’s clearly something afoot and the ambitious Alameche is given charge to make sure that the Patriarch knows what’s going on. This involves schemes and counter-schemes amongst the social hierarchy, and ultimately the mysterious and pretty unknown creators of The Spin, the artificial galaxy where all this happens. For one of their ancient machines has been found – and it is coming back to life…
It’s been a long time since I read a novel in nearly one sitting, and even longer since it was a debut. I started reading this one on its arrival and couldn’t put it down, finishing the book in a weekend. Andrew’s book delivers in spades everything I’m looking for in a Space Opera – imaginative settings, strange aliens, an arsenal of unusual weapons, and, most of all, characters I like and who I want to know what happens to them. This is a book that is fast-paced and stylish, but not one where its literary merits outweigh its sheer enthusiasm and sense of enjoyment.
It reminded me of the first Peter F. Hamilton I read in its sense of epic-ness, or the first Iain (M.) Banks I read in its intelligent plotting and its sense of humour. I particularly liked the fact that I recognised lots of old-school touches – the huge alien devices (BDO’s), the various alien species, the different environments the characters travel through – but this is undoubtedly something new – 21st century Space Opera, with knowing nods and winks to the past and a few contemporary expletives thrown in for good measure.
Whilst the book has a tight focus, it does have the feel of being part of a bigger picture. There’s strange flora and fauna (including a very memorable and deliberately unpleasant type of mega-eel), and journeys from rainforest to desert, from iceworlds to lava fields which give you a feel of the multitude of potential locations within the Spin.
I was a bit put off initially by the title, which gave me the impression that the novel was going to be yet another philosophical debate on gods and AI. But I was very, very wrong. In the end it’s more like Jack McDevitt’s Engines of God, where the BIG alien objects do not outweigh the quality of the characterisation. The characters made me think of Dan Simmons’s Endymion, as they became people I cared for as I read. Fleare became as memorable to me as Anaea did in Simmons’ Endymion novels, and her relationship with Muz is a joy (though not always easy).
The latter part of the book leads to things going all Neuromancer, and whilst there is an ending, like Endymion it is clear that there’s more to tell in the next book.
In short, I can’t recommend this one highly enough. There’s the odd slight misstep – it loses a point from me for a badly made and ill-timed dildo joke in the first few pages – but otherwise it does everything I expect, and admirably. In short, Creation Machine is the best Space Opera I’ve read in ages.
A surprisingly good debut – this one should be a monster.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of Creation Machine through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Creation Machine is a fast-paced and chaotic space opera of epic proportions. It’s quirky and full of personality, and was pretty much everything I had hoped it would be. It’s the first novel in a new series called The Spin Trilogy, which is an appropriate title when you think about it.
The series covers the aftermath of a civil war that took over dozens of planets and systems. The people are still reeling from the impact of it all, still hurting from the loss and even failure in some cases. Some are still resisting, while others have given up.
Creation Machine was a fun and unpredictable read. The characters were so full of personality and quirks that it was impossible to guess what they were going to do next. The series itself truly is a space opera, but it’s brought to epic proportions thanks to the healthy dose of chaos thrown into the mix.
I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I really enjoyed the characters, even if it did take me a little bit of time to get used to them. Fleare is not your typical rich girl. Or rather, she could be, if you throw the ‘rebellious daughter’ description into the mix. But she takes it several steps farther – actively joining her father’s opposition in the war. That one fact alone is enough to show how determined she is, and just how strongly she feels about her father’s morals (or lack thereof).
The plot is a little chaotic at times. Both in the good sense, and in the confusing sense. That would probably be my one major complaint of the novel. There are dramatic time shifts all over the place, and it takes a little getting used to in order to really figure out what is happening. Once I got into the swing of things I was fine.
Though I have to say that I also kind of love the shifts in time. Most of it was split between two points in time; before everything happened, and after. The before was obviously leading up to whatever Fleare did to get herself arrested, and the after followed her escape and ensuing escapades.
I will say that I do think this novel/series would be best suited to those that love space operas. I think it falls strongly enough into that niche genre where it may be considered odd or off-putting to anyone not actively looking for something like it.
I’m looking forward to the next two novels in this series. While this novel was focused mostly on the points I mentioned above, I did get a sense of strong worldbuilding going on in the background. I’m really hoping we can see more of the world that Andrew Bannister created (no pun intended) in the next couple of books.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Creation Machine is a fast-paced and chaotic space opera of epic proportions. It’s quirky and full of personality, and was pretty much everything I had hoped it would be. It’s the first novel in a new series called The Spin Trilogy, which is an appropriate title when you think about it.
The series covers the aftermath of a civil war that took over dozens of planets and systems. The people are still reeling from the impact of it all, still hurting from the loss and even failure in some cases. Some are still resisting, while others have given up.
Creation Machine was a fun and unpredictable read. The characters were so full of personality and quirks that it was impossible to guess what they were going to do next. The series itself truly is a space opera, but it’s brought to epic proportions thanks to the healthy dose of chaos thrown into the mix.
I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I really enjoyed the characters, even if it did take me a little bit of time to get used to them. Fleare is not your typical rich girl. Or rather, she could be, if you throw the ‘rebellious daughter’ description into the mix. But she takes it several steps farther – actively joining her father’s opposition in the war. That one fact alone is enough to show how determined she is, and just how strongly she feels about her father’s morals (or lack thereof).
The plot is a little chaotic at times. Both in the good sense, and in the confusing sense. That would probably be my one major complaint of the novel. There are dramatic time shifts all over the place, and it takes a little getting used to in order to really figure out what is happening. Once I got into the swing of things I was fine.
Though I have to say that I also kind of love the shifts in time. Most of it was split between two points in time; before everything happened, and after. The before was obviously leading up to whatever Fleare did to get herself arrested, and the after followed her escape and ensuing escapades.
I will say that I do think this novel/series would be best suited to those that love space operas. I think it falls strongly enough into that niche genre where it may be considered odd or off-putting to anyone not actively looking for something like it.
I’m looking forward to the next two novels in this series. While this novel was focused mostly on the points I mentioned above, I did get a sense of strong worldbuilding going on in the background. I’m really hoping we can see more of the world that Andrew Bannister created (no pun intended) in the next couple of books.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
aaafton's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fascinating concept with some great world building. This is hard sci-fi with some dense writing, but really intriguing universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
Moderate: Genocide