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todd_bissell's review against another edition
2.0
Cliffs: Dude-narrator was raised by an asshole, turns into an asshole himself. Receives near omnipotent ability to mindfuck people into doing what he wants. His ambition (and his semi-guilt for dissing his sister) winds up getting his brother-in-law killed by way of a war crime. The dude-narrator vows revenge against religious cult that did the slaughter. He's told not to go through with the revenge plot. He does anyway, it fails. He feels bad, then feels okay. The End.
TL;DNR: Not a good way to get into Gordon R Dickson's stuff, or into any science fiction, for that matter.
TL;DNR: Not a good way to get into Gordon R Dickson's stuff, or into any science fiction, for that matter.
weng's review against another edition
Not really sure how I feel about it. Very dated in terms of style but has its moments.
smiorganbaldhead's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an interesting and thought-provoking read. The economic system central to the plot seems far-fetched, particularly in that governments are expected to pay for mercenaries hired by rebels after the rebels have been defeated. However it is interesting to think about the implications of this system (at least for me, someone very interested in economics).
The main character is not very sympathetic, as he’s essentially the bad guy for the second half of the novel. Still, he can be interesting to read about. The revenge plot reminded me of Henry Kuttner’s Fury, particularly with the semi-prescient sage character pulling strings in background.
I also enjoyed the world-building, particularly regarding the Friendlies. They are shown as multi-faceted, including some fanatics (as seen at a major turning point in the middle of the book), some pragmatists (Bright), and some sympathetic true believers (Jamethon). I appreciated how the book took a balanced view of them as religious people, avoiding coming across as either anti-religious or as evangelism.
While this book is less mystical and in some ways less fun than the previous Dorsai books, it explores interesting ideas and made me think, which is definitely a positive for a science fiction book.
The main character is not very sympathetic, as he’s essentially the bad guy for the second half of the novel. Still, he can be interesting to read about. The revenge plot reminded me of Henry Kuttner’s Fury, particularly with the semi-prescient sage character pulling strings in background.
I also enjoyed the world-building, particularly regarding the Friendlies. They are shown as multi-faceted, including some fanatics (as seen at a major turning point in the middle of the book), some pragmatists (Bright), and some sympathetic true believers (Jamethon). I appreciated how the book took a balanced view of them as religious people, avoiding coming across as either anti-religious or as evangelism.
While this book is less mystical and in some ways less fun than the previous Dorsai books, it explores interesting ideas and made me think, which is definitely a positive for a science fiction book.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
A harder read than I remembered. Basically a logic driven book written parallel to [b:Dorsai!|263111|Dorsai! (Childe Cycle, #1)|Gordon R. Dickson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389845085s/263111.jpg|2252902]. But in this book, the main character Tam, is a brat. It's hard being in his head page after page. He does dumb things then blames the world. And again there is an ornamental woman, Lisa, to rescue and reward him. And yet the book pulls together right at the very end. This is a book about belief, but I'm not sure that it's right or true. It does try very hard. The whole splintering of man versus those that stay home kind of echoes the out-of-Africa spread of man. Given when it was written, I'm not sure it was intentional or what it would mean. But there are questions sitting there. 3.5 of 5.
larshendrik's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
rogue_runner's review against another edition
2.0
Finally finished omg. Took so long for like 200 pages. A pretty unlikeable and irredeemable character through and through, and I've only given this 2 stars because the plot is somewhat different to most scifi/fantasy trope plots are.
katmarhan's review against another edition
4.0
7/10
In this installment of Dickson's Childe Cycle, we learn about the Final Encyclopedia and the man seemingly destined to lead it, Tam Olyn. Turning his heart and unique powers toward "Destruct", Tam roams the galaxy and works his way up the ranks of Newsman's Guild, all the while manipulating people and events as he seeks a very personal revenge with interstellar consequences.
Fast-paced action with philosophical interludes, the book is both interesting and thought-provoking.
In this installment of Dickson's Childe Cycle, we learn about the Final Encyclopedia and the man seemingly destined to lead it, Tam Olyn. Turning his heart and unique powers toward "Destruct", Tam roams the galaxy and works his way up the ranks of Newsman's Guild, all the while manipulating people and events as he seeks a very personal revenge with interstellar consequences.
Fast-paced action with philosophical interludes, the book is both interesting and thought-provoking.
franklenraymond's review against another edition
3.0
The ending was a bit less than fantastic. The failure of the protagonist Tam to achieve his goal of DESTRUCT led him back to the initial role that the Final Encyclopedia folks identified for him year's before. A story of individualism and learning your place in the world and your limitations.
Attempts to be gritty, but falls short. Feels a bit dated.
Attempts to be gritty, but falls short. Feels a bit dated.
bookcrazylady45's review against another edition
3.0
I do not find interesting, humorous or compelling books about religion, especially fanaticism. I cannot do justice to this book due to my own bias. Stories centered on the Friendlies put me off. I found most of the characters not to my taste and the protagonist Tam is unpleasant. There were glancing bits of interest when characters from previous books came into play but over all it just didn't work for me. It did, however, advance the narrative of the cycle. I gave it a higher rating the first time I wrote it..long before my personal prejudices had grown.
jjm3233's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best military sci-fi stories ever, a look at the human condition; of faith and jealousy. Of all the "childe" cycle books; this one has the best developed, most human characters - probably because the nearly unbeatable Dorsai are absent as primary characters.