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burns_cheadle's review
3.0
3 stars: not my cup of tea. As much as I admire the author’s courage to take on a tale of this scope, it became a trudge for me. Boat of a Million Years began to feel like Book of a Million Pages as it entered its protracted epilogue in the final third. The short story collection comprising the premodern wanderings of The Survivors was interesting enough to sustain me but I never felt truly invested in any of the characters.
rbixby's review against another edition
3.0
A long road to get where it was going. The last fourth of the book is when it got interesting for me. The first three quarters was -- I won't say it was a slog -- just interesting enough to keep me reading. I almost put this down in favor of the newly released, and greatly anticipated, Rhythm of War, but this wasn't a book I necessarily wanted to leave unfinished. I guess that speaks to maybe liking the story more than I'm letting on, but the simple fact is Anderson is dealing with some BIG ideas here and I wanted to see how he resolved them. It just took longer than I expected to get there.
Whenever I think about books like these after I finish them, that take on big concepts and spend a lot of time setting things up, I wonder if the book would have been better trimmed down. What parts could be removed without affecting the story? Honestly, I really don't know that it would have benefited. The point of all this was the history the Survivors lived through and how it made them more human in the end than us mere mortals, especially when technology caught up to what the Survivors naturally had, and how that technology changed the course of human history.
In the end, I'm glad I read this. Anderson is a favorite, despite his appalling use of adverbs on occasion.
Whenever I think about books like these after I finish them, that take on big concepts and spend a lot of time setting things up, I wonder if the book would have been better trimmed down. What parts could be removed without affecting the story? Honestly, I really don't know that it would have benefited. The point of all this was the history the Survivors lived through and how it made them more human in the end than us mere mortals, especially when technology caught up to what the Survivors naturally had, and how that technology changed the course of human history.
In the end, I'm glad I read this. Anderson is a favorite, despite his appalling use of adverbs on occasion.
spitzig's review
3.0
It was ok. Not so much from a hard SF standpoint. Most of the book was about a few immortals who "just don't die(easily)". They don't get sick, age(past ~25), and are "vigorous"(survive most wounds). It starts with a Phonecian guy sometime before the Roman Era. There is a Taoist "philosopher", who isn't anything special-other than a really old Chinese peasant. There's a Viking. There's a Japanese courtesan. A prostitute in Constantinople. A Native American. A Roman bureaucrat. An American slave. The book is about people who mostly aren't anything special. They just don't die and have to hide this. Most of them look for others like themselves, which is hard, considering they hide themselves.
Eventually, they find each other. Soon after, they are discovered by the world. Science is used to find WHY they are immortal, and everyone is made immortal. Everyone becomes introverted. The "Survivors" don't relate to the new generation, and want to explore. They go to a planet that is likely to have life. After that, it is more usual SF. Well done, but usual.
Eventually, they find each other. Soon after, they are discovered by the world. Science is used to find WHY they are immortal, and everyone is made immortal. Everyone becomes introverted. The "Survivors" don't relate to the new generation, and want to explore. They go to a planet that is likely to have life. After that, it is more usual SF. Well done, but usual.
ariel1524's review
2.0
Some awkward transphobia towards the end of the book left a bad taste in my mouth. Otherwise, it's solid historical fiction with a small bit of Sci Fi at the end. Definitely would've liked to see the characters develop more and the immortality topic explored further
hagbard_celine's review
3.0
Fun, with an ending full of weird optimism. Demerits for the author's attempts to write in a couple of different caricatured vernaculars.
merlandre's review against another edition
4.0
Quite an Odyssey. I didn't know what to expect but a long, complex tale following "immortals" over millenia. Well written and interesting. Lots of variety of cultures and characters.
professorplum's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I loved the concept of this book. It did slow down in certain parts and I had to push to get through. I enjoyed the variety of characters and could find something to relate to in each of them. Some tropes feel a little dated by now, but overall an interesting and informative work of science fiction.
sisimka's review against another edition
4.5
Really, this is a five-star book but it did get a little dry and didactic at times. Nevertheless, the research and philosophy clearly show Anderson's passion for this project. His writing is beautiful.
jimmypat's review
2.0
Tedious, boring, and repetitive - if those were the points that Anderson wanted to make about immortals, he succeeded admirably. There was a hint of a good story here, but it was ruined by cardboard characters doing the same thing interminably and never really growing.