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heliofoe's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is horror sci-fi. I typically read sci-fi, but not horror. It's not my type of thing, because in horror people always have to do nonsensical things, and a lot of time is spent on describing horrific things that mostly bore me.
Having said that the first contact elements are interesting and the survival elements kept me going.
It doesn't surpass it's genre, which is a genre I don't enjoy, but if you do it's a solid 3/5.
Having said that the first contact elements are interesting and the survival elements kept me going.
It doesn't surpass it's genre, which is a genre I don't enjoy, but if you do it's a solid 3/5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
cjblandford's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked this book. The story gripped me from the beginning and the suspense kept me interested the whole time. The author really conveyed the immensity of space, and what its like to be in outer space as a tiny human. The body horror was really gross and scary, as well as the looming, oppressive darkness that was inside 2I. The writing was very cinematic and I could see this being made into a movie someday. I could easily visualize what the characters were going through (literally) and I loved the imagery. The reason its not getting 5 stars is because the characters felt shallow. Each character had one or two traits and didn't stray from those traits. But that didn't really diminish the whole story, but it could have been a richer experience with more nuance and depth to the characters. I was pretty riveted during the entire read, and enjoyed the overall experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
nickcallebs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, War, Gun violence, and Violence
bookworm513's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Murder
wrzlprmft's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
Hard science-fiction story about a big dumb object with horror elements.
If you want to read Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama, read The Last Astronaut instead – unless you’re not into horror. Almost all the ideas of the classic Rendezvous with Rama are here, but on top you got an interesting cast, a political backstory, further ideas layered on top, an ending that is not vastly open, and, well, horror elements. It’s like a remake improving a good old movie making it better by using modern storytelling advances. On the other hand, if you already read Rendezvous with Rama, you might find this redundant in parts.
That being said, not all is excellent. Some of the political backstory and characters are a bit trite. There is some dissonance in science-fiction hardness, as one aspect is considerably softer (the human–I2 neural interface ). Also I consider the title and cover text somewhat misleading regarding the topical focus of the book.
If you want to read Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama, read The Last Astronaut instead – unless you’re not into horror. Almost all the ideas of the classic Rendezvous with Rama are here, but on top you got an interesting cast, a political backstory, further ideas layered on top, an ending that is not vastly open, and, well, horror elements. It’s like a remake improving a good old movie making it better by using modern storytelling advances. On the other hand, if you already read Rendezvous with Rama, you might find this redundant in parts.
That being said, not all is excellent. Some of the political backstory and characters are a bit trite. There is some dissonance in science-fiction hardness, as one aspect is considerably softer (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
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