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r_hunt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Unusual in its construction and pacing, but so skillfully executed that it doesn’t really matter. A very refreshing read for a long-time fantasy reader who prefers characters that are competent on the page and in the narration. Lots of interesting worldbuilding that is only somewhat explained, but again the skill of the author makes that an asset rather than a negative.
whattamess's review
2.0
DNF 40%
It started off really good! I was bragging about how great it was, and I didn't get it why so many DNF'd it. I spoke too soon and shot myself in the foot.
For some reason I thought this story was about Fae. Until I realized it was about demons, and thought, "Holy shit! I love this!" The whole demon world building was fantastic. I loved the ideas Martha Wells had. You know....I may get back into later. It was really a great idea. The only buggar was that it was boring. Martha Wells couldn't grab me with this one. I'm having a weird feeling the end is going to be good. Murderbot was the same, but it was so short I would get to the good parts in no time.
It started off really good! I was bragging about how great it was, and I didn't get it why so many DNF'd it. I spoke too soon and shot myself in the foot.
For some reason I thought this story was about Fae. Until I realized it was about demons, and thought, "Holy shit! I love this!" The whole demon world building was fantastic. I loved the ideas Martha Wells had. You know....I may get back into later. It was really a great idea. The only buggar was that it was boring. Martha Wells couldn't grab me with this one. I'm having a weird feeling the end is going to be good. Murderbot was the same, but it was so short I would get to the good parts in no time.
astronad's review against another edition
2.0
It is HARD to immerse yourself into this story. It's like wanting to dive into a pool only to realize the top is frozen solid ice. This obviously leads to a lot of problems. 70%, 80% 90% into the book I still felt like I barely know who these characters were and the depths of their relationships to one another.
It's not that they are two dimensional or the world is underdeveloped. I have a feeling the opposite is true. The author has this entire world and story fleshed out in her head but had trouble translating the complexities and details into text. She seems to have forgotten that the rest of us are unfamiliar with this world and its rules and therefore need some sort of explanation to the concepts and cultures she presents. (Or maybe I'm just giving her too much credit coz I wanted desperately to like this book).
There is barely any cultural context to anything that happens in this book and the author doesn't seem interested in answering any of the questions she leaves us with. (Again, I chalk this up to her knowing all of these in her mind and tricking herself into thinking that it's common knowledge).
There are so many stories I would rather hear about in this world than the one she told us. Tell us about the war between the Demons and the Saredi and how Grandmother ended it. Tell us about Bashasa and the rise of the Rising World coalation. Tell us about the first coming of the Heirarchs and their full story until their defeat. Tell us about how Kai lost his demon body or Grandmother lost her human body and what that means to them and how the world sees them.
The story we got felt flimsy and pointless in comparison. The high points fell flat. The reveals, boring. I just wanted to finish reading this book and move on to the next.
What else? The pacing is bad. There is no sense of the passage of time. The dual timelines of past and present feel entirely too separate. I cannot for the life of me tell you where the climax of this story was.
I feel like there is a good story somewhere in here if you just restructure, focus more on certain events, give us a little bit more insight into the motivations of some characters, and leave less things up for interpretation.
Overall, I was very very disappointed. But I won't give up on you, Martha Wells. I will continue to read The Murderbot Diaries.
It's not that they are two dimensional or the world is underdeveloped. I have a feeling the opposite is true. The author has this entire world and story fleshed out in her head but had trouble translating the complexities and details into text. She seems to have forgotten that the rest of us are unfamiliar with this world and its rules and therefore need some sort of explanation to the concepts and cultures she presents. (Or maybe I'm just giving her too much credit coz I wanted desperately to like this book).
There is barely any cultural context to anything that happens in this book and the author doesn't seem interested in answering any of the questions she leaves us with. (Again, I chalk this up to her knowing all of these in her mind and tricking herself into thinking that it's common knowledge).
There are so many stories I would rather hear about in this world than the one she told us. Tell us about the war between the Demons and the Saredi and how Grandmother ended it. Tell us about Bashasa and the rise of the Rising World coalation. Tell us about the first coming of the Heirarchs and their full story until their defeat. Tell us about how Kai lost his demon body or Grandmother lost her human body and what that means to them and how the world sees them.
The story we got felt flimsy and pointless in comparison. The high points fell flat. The reveals, boring. I just wanted to finish reading this book and move on to the next.
What else? The pacing is bad. There is no sense of the passage of time. The dual timelines of past and present feel entirely too separate. I cannot for the life of me tell you where the climax of this story was.
I feel like there is a good story somewhere in here if you just restructure, focus more on certain events, give us a little bit more insight into the motivations of some characters, and leave less things up for interpretation.
Overall, I was very very disappointed. But I won't give up on you, Martha Wells. I will continue to read The Murderbot Diaries.
qog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ettegoom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
I love murderbot, so was excited to try something else by Martha Wells, and I was not disappointed.
I loved that the setting and cultures were Middle-east adjacent, with a plot built around rebellion against genocidal colonial powers. Seems somewhat topical right now.
The characters and cultures were interesting and well developed within the structure of the story, rather than in extensive exposition.
The magic systems are also interesting. I'm frustrated that I didn't know it was an unfinished series when I started.
I loved that the setting and cultures were Middle-east adjacent, with a plot built around rebellion against genocidal colonial powers. Seems somewhat topical right now.
The characters and cultures were interesting and well developed within the structure of the story, rather than in extensive exposition.
The magic systems are also interesting. I'm frustrated that I didn't know it was an unfinished series when I started.
mweld's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Certainly a bit confusing and hard to follow at times but enjoyable
beeeeg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookgeekin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
gedsparrowhawk'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? No
3.75
dwimblim's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the split past/present layout, and the magic & characters. I thought the plot/politics were a bit confusing and I never had a perfect grasp of what was going on. Nice to read though.