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sparklefarm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A very fun space romp (with a space heist thrown in for good measure!) that also has time to muse thoughtfully about personhood, friendship, and chosen family.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and War
rochellehickey's review against another edition
2.0
DNF
I tried. I got 60% of the way through but could not finish. The idea is fun: a rescue mission in space! 99% female cast of characters! Diverse populations!
The downside, it wanted to hit you over the head with diverse descriptions that it completely took away from the plot and pacing of the story. It went into in-depth detail about multiple characters pronouns instead of letting it just be and letting the story flow. Page 309, for example, refers to “masculine-presenting” servers. The biggest dilemmas the characters seem to address are what someone’s pronouns are. As an example, on page 310, “She decided to stick with gender-neutral pronouns.” Every decryption of someone’s pronouns could have been added in the dialogue as “she said”, “they said”, “he said”, etc. This happens in every single chapter, multiple times. An entire paragraph was dedicated to explaining why someone’s pronouns were “they/them”.
The majority of the beginning of the book is narrative description. It repeats itself multiple times so you understand the point that AI’s are people. Star Trek does this with Data but they don’t repeat this sentiment after every commercial break to make sure you understand it.
A really exciting part happens where you see the perspective of the victims of the rescue mission and the mysterious planet they landed on. It’s fascinating and you want to stay to learn more, except it goes back into space and you don’t hear about it again. You might after page 310 but I don’t know. It’s brief and it’s what pushed me to page 310, but there was no going back to that planet in sight.
If you can get past the long drawn out descriptions then you might enjoy this book.
Thank you to Saga Press for sending me an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
I tried. I got 60% of the way through but could not finish. The idea is fun: a rescue mission in space! 99% female cast of characters! Diverse populations!
The downside, it wanted to hit you over the head with diverse descriptions that it completely took away from the plot and pacing of the story. It went into in-depth detail about multiple characters pronouns instead of letting it just be and letting the story flow. Page 309, for example, refers to “masculine-presenting” servers. The biggest dilemmas the characters seem to address are what someone’s pronouns are. As an example, on page 310, “She decided to stick with gender-neutral pronouns.” Every decryption of someone’s pronouns could have been added in the dialogue as “she said”, “they said”, “he said”, etc. This happens in every single chapter, multiple times. An entire paragraph was dedicated to explaining why someone’s pronouns were “they/them”.
The majority of the beginning of the book is narrative description. It repeats itself multiple times so you understand the point that AI’s are people. Star Trek does this with Data but they don’t repeat this sentiment after every commercial break to make sure you understand it.
A really exciting part happens where you see the perspective of the victims of the rescue mission and the mysterious planet they landed on. It’s fascinating and you want to stay to learn more, except it goes back into space and you don’t hear about it again. You might after page 310 but I don’t know. It’s brief and it’s what pushed me to page 310, but there was no going back to that planet in sight.
If you can get past the long drawn out descriptions then you might enjoy this book.
Thank you to Saga Press for sending me an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
freddiereadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really liked the diversity and the AI take (a similar process to pregnancy) but the plot wasn’t it for me
crico's review against another edition
4.0
A wild space quest with a large cast of unique and complex characters. I really enjoyed this listen but there were definitely sections I had to listen to twice to make sure I was following the story and not getting lost in the crow of characters.
dryden's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ksuthie's review against another edition
adventurous
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
sunfishe's review against another edition
Might come back to it, but it wasn't holding my attention
hollyn_middle's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
Stina Leicht is the quintessential science fiction author for the 21st century. Classical sci-fi readers have been reading about the 21st century and beyond since the 18th century. Today's reality has far outdistanced the concepts put forth even by some of the greats. Leicht writes of a time in the future where it is no longer necessary to explain personal pronoun preferences; they are a fait accompli. Yet, there still exists the us and them mentality we experience daily. In the case of LOKI'S RING, there are the humans that eschew AI in any form (acting much like the right in today's world), and there are the inclusive (much like today's left) who have embraced AGIs (Artificial General Intelligences) as full citizens.
Speculative fiction is the perfect vehicle to provide perspective on the politics of the time in which it is written. As I enjoyed the interplay between diverse characters, I couldn't help but notice the humanity of the AGIs in their interactions with their flesh and blood cohorts and the often inhumanity of those who rejected the AGIs. At its heart, LOKI'S RING falls somewhere in between hard and soft science fiction. It does, however, pack a page turning punch as the two factions come face to face over rights to an alien-made artificial solar system. No allegory of our time would be complete without a devastating disease that kills those afflicted in a most horrific way.
A good novel should provide escape from the mundane, make the reader think, and evoke an emotional response. LOKI'S RING does all of this and more.
[PS: do NOT skip the Acknowledgments pages. They are the best [insert your favorite expletive here] Acknowledgments pages I have EVER read!]
Speculative fiction is the perfect vehicle to provide perspective on the politics of the time in which it is written. As I enjoyed the interplay between diverse characters, I couldn't help but notice the humanity of the AGIs in their interactions with their flesh and blood cohorts and the often inhumanity of those who rejected the AGIs. At its heart, LOKI'S RING falls somewhere in between hard and soft science fiction. It does, however, pack a page turning punch as the two factions come face to face over rights to an alien-made artificial solar system. No allegory of our time would be complete without a devastating disease that kills those afflicted in a most horrific way.
A good novel should provide escape from the mundane, make the reader think, and evoke an emotional response. LOKI'S RING does all of this and more.
[PS: do NOT skip the Acknowledgments pages. They are the best [insert your favorite expletive here] Acknowledgments pages I have EVER read!]
caseymac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Violence, War, and Xenophobia