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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This is the final entry in a trilogy and, although they can stand alone, I think you get more from them by reading in order. That said, they don't follow directly on from one another and only a few characters recur (and then usually only being referred to, not a main part of the action).
It is full of ideas, some of which I would have liked to see explored more, but ultimately the sheer number of developments shown and implied kept me invested and interested in their reactions and combinations all the way through. This is a big part of what I enjoy in reading Reynolds, the large-scale speculation and imagination. He has a way with huge, striking set pieces that stick with you.
I had a few issues with the story, mostly around characters' motivations and reactions to events (Kanu repeatedly being so easily persuaded by Swift's explanations/apologies stands out in particular), but they never detracted from my enjoyment. The only aspect that really hurt it for me was the philosophical discussion towards the end. Debating nihilism isn't really a satisfying concept to build a conclusion around, regardless of the apparent stakes, which leaves the rest feeling a bit "look at this cool stuff". There is a lot of cool stuff though.
However, I have been a big fan of Reynolds for years and with very few exceptions have enjoyed all his writing. This book (and the series as a whole) are maybe not on the level of some of his earlier work, but I enjoyed them both very much.
It is full of ideas, some of which I would have liked to see explored more, but ultimately the sheer number of developments shown and implied kept me invested and interested in their reactions and combinations all the way through. This is a big part of what I enjoy in reading Reynolds, the large-scale speculation and imagination. He has a way with huge, striking set pieces that stick with you.
I had a few issues with the story, mostly around characters' motivations and reactions to events (Kanu repeatedly being so easily persuaded by Swift's explanations/apologies stands out in particular), but they never detracted from my enjoyment. The only aspect that really hurt it for me was the philosophical discussion towards the end. Debating nihilism isn't really a satisfying concept to build a conclusion around, regardless of the apparent stakes, which leaves the rest feeling a bit "look at this cool stuff". There is a lot of cool stuff though.
However, I have been a big fan of Reynolds for years and with very few exceptions have enjoyed all his writing. This book (and the series as a whole) are maybe not on the level of some of his earlier work, but I enjoyed them both very much.
While it's supposed to be a standalone novel, it's really not. I lost interest part way in and I couldn't finish the first in the series either.
I didn't realise this tale of far-future space exploration was part of a series until I added it to my GoodReads list, a couple of hundred pages in. I found out later, from Reynolds' website, that all three books in the series are intended to be able to be read individually and I've got to tip my hat to the man, I very much enjoyed this without having read the others in the series. Reynolds' world-building is impeccable, he introduced elements that have presumably been major points in previous books with a deft touch, never infodumping, but never leaving me floundering, wondering what was going on.
I feel like I know Eunice and Chiku Akinya even though they never turn up in this book (sort of). The Tantors are fabulous creations and the Risen maintain their air of intimidating creepiness throughout. The themes are very broad, Reynolds' certainly doesn't stint there. The thoughts on machine intelligence, the idea of the Terror (with a capital T) and the constant theme of hope for mankind and the other intelligences it shares the universe with maybe actually getting along. That is worth reading. Kanu is probably the character who espouses that the most, particularly through his relationship with Swift.
I found Goma to be an interesting character, although she sometimes felt like she was there to push the plot forward more than anything else. And even as an atheist myself, I found her hard-line attitude to Peter Graves somewhat bewildering.
The only bit of characterisation that I really didn't quite felt worked was Dakota's change of heart on Poseiden. She'd been so focused on getting there for so long, and suddenly she changes her mind and thinks it maybe isn't a good idea? I don't really get that.
This was great space opera (and pleasingly sticking with slower-than-light travel for all concerned). I'm definitely going to go back and read the other books in the series now.
I feel like I know Eunice and Chiku Akinya even though they never turn up in this book (sort of). The Tantors are fabulous creations and the Risen maintain their air of intimidating creepiness throughout. The themes are very broad, Reynolds' certainly doesn't stint there. The thoughts on machine intelligence, the idea of the Terror (with a capital T) and the constant theme of hope for mankind and the other intelligences it shares the universe with maybe actually getting along. That is worth reading. Kanu is probably the character who espouses that the most, particularly through his relationship with Swift.
I found Goma to be an interesting character, although she sometimes felt like she was there to push the plot forward more than anything else. And even as an atheist myself, I found her hard-line attitude to Peter Graves somewhat bewildering.
This was great space opera (and pleasingly sticking with slower-than-light travel for all concerned). I'm definitely going to go back and read the other books in the series now.
This 600-page capstone really completes the trilogy nicely.
I was a little slow to get into the first book. But the world was interesting, by the end of it, and I wanted more. By the time I finished the second book, I couldn't wait for the third book to be released in the US--so I bought a British edition online six months early. Totally worth the 30 bucks.
Each book in this series represents a chapter in a generational story, so characters carry over from book to book. But this is science fiction, so long lives and technological upheaval mean that each novel's setting is a very different world from the one before. It makes for a rich environment to tell big tales. Each novel, too, is a different kind of story: the first one is a mystery, the second a political intrigue, the third an exploration.
Also: This author respects the speed of light, but still manages to tell a tale full of grandeur and mystery.
Read all three. They get progressively better.
As for this novel on its own... Big love, big loss, big hope... everything about the book is big. I loved it.
I was a little slow to get into the first book. But the world was interesting, by the end of it, and I wanted more. By the time I finished the second book, I couldn't wait for the third book to be released in the US--so I bought a British edition online six months early. Totally worth the 30 bucks.
Each book in this series represents a chapter in a generational story, so characters carry over from book to book. But this is science fiction, so long lives and technological upheaval mean that each novel's setting is a very different world from the one before. It makes for a rich environment to tell big tales. Each novel, too, is a different kind of story: the first one is a mystery, the second a political intrigue, the third an exploration.
Also: This author respects the speed of light, but still manages to tell a tale full of grandeur and mystery.
Read all three. They get progressively better.
As for this novel on its own... Big love, big loss, big hope... everything about the book is big. I loved it.
I really enjoyed reading this trilogy. There have been a few commenters saying that this trilogy is not as good as Reynolds' other stuff, and that this book in particular is not as good as the other two in the trilogy, and I don't disagree - maybe it's not as strange or thought-provoking or new, but I don't feel that Reynolds is a man who can have a bad idea and there was so much that was great in these books that I just couldn't put them down. All three were books that made me look forward to my commute. They were books that I would read while walking on the street from the subway to my house, an even better endorsement for the third one because I was reading the giant hardcover edition.
I read these books out of order; I picked up On the Steel Breeze first, not knowing it was part of a trilogy, and it stood alone. That said, reading Blue Remembered Earth made some things from the second book clearer, and though it's been said that the third stands alone as well, I found myself wishing I'd read the first and second books more recently so I would better remember the relationships and events that lead up to this finale. And now I want to read the first two again. I really liked following the Akinya family across the centuries and the light years. Their generational drama and mysteries were fascinating. I especially loved the African backdrop and message of environmentalist. There were some things I would have really liked to see fleshed out - in particular the Evolvarium. I'd love to read about it from the AIs point of view - Swift was such an interesting character, and the discussions of consciousness re: all the AIs introduced in this series were great. This is a series I'll likely buy for myself because I'll definitely be revisiting it!
I read these books out of order; I picked up On the Steel Breeze first, not knowing it was part of a trilogy, and it stood alone. That said, reading Blue Remembered Earth made some things from the second book clearer, and though it's been said that the third stands alone as well, I found myself wishing I'd read the first and second books more recently so I would better remember the relationships and events that lead up to this finale. And now I want to read the first two again. I really liked following the Akinya family across the centuries and the light years. Their generational drama and mysteries were fascinating. I especially loved the African backdrop and message of environmentalist. There were some things I would have really liked to see fleshed out - in particular the Evolvarium. I'd love to read about it from the AIs point of view - Swift was such an interesting character, and the discussions of consciousness re: all the AIs introduced in this series were great. This is a series I'll likely buy for myself because I'll definitely be revisiting it!
To be quite honest... I bought this book because of the cover. I like pink. It did seem like good holiday reading, too. I'd seen it in the book shop before and probably looked it up at home, so I must have seen that it's the third part of the series, but there is no indication of that anywhere on the cover. Even inside it's difficult to find. It is possible to enjoy it on its own, though.
The story is told (mainly) through the perspective of Goma Akinya and Kanu Akinya. I don't have particularly strong opinions about either. Well, maybe a little about Goma. I am very glad she survived (as well as her wife), but at times I wished she would have made more effort at befriending the Second Chancers (some politically conservative/religious group). On the other hand, she had good reasons to dislike them and I did not myself experience her situation, so...
Eunice Akinya (or the Eunice construct, whatever) was rather annoying at times. She reminded me a lot of Sphene from Ancillary Mercy (by Ann Leckie).
I always liked Dakota even though she was a villain sometimes (or at least an antagonist). I love her backstory, and something about the way she talked felt strange, for some reason. Considered. Deliberate. Maybe not-quite-right. Almost alien, other, though that is pretty much opposite to the ideas and themes of the book.
I will say straight away - and this is the main reason I wanted to review this book - I am incredibly glad the lesbian couple survived. It looked many times like one or both would die, or that they'd separate or get separated or even divorce. I don't really follow TV series, but I have gotten the impression that f/f couples rarely get happy endings.
Also, I love that most or all of the characters seemed to be POCs, and the Akinyas are a socially, economically and politically successful family of African descent. (I can't remember which country/countries. That was mentioned at some point, but mostly the Akinyas seemed to talk about just Africa.) Other characters had names that seemed (to me, ignorant white European) South or South-East Asian.
Then the diversity of species/civilisations. First of all Humans. Then there were robots, originally created by humans, now independently inhabiting Mars. The Tantors or Risen, who are descended from elephants (and look like elephants), who are trying to establish themselves and keep the line going. Those are the primitive civilisations of Earth descent. Then there are the higher alien civilisations. I LOVE high alien civilisations. Both the M-builders and the Watchkeepers were incredibly much more advanced than Humans, Robots or Risen, and probably impossible for us to understand. I would love to know more about them, but I also love the mystery.
This review turned out sort of messy and incoherent, but the point is that I enjoyed the book. I'll look out for Alastair Reynolds' books in the library, because I believe there might be at least one that didn't interest me before, so I'll look at it again.
The story is told (mainly) through the perspective of Goma Akinya and Kanu Akinya. I don't have particularly strong opinions about either. Well, maybe a little about Goma. I am very glad she survived (as well as her wife), but at times I wished she would have made more effort at befriending the Second Chancers (some politically conservative/religious group). On the other hand, she had good reasons to dislike them and I did not myself experience her situation, so...
Eunice Akinya (or the Eunice construct, whatever) was rather annoying at times. She reminded me a lot of Sphene from Ancillary Mercy (by Ann Leckie).
I always liked Dakota even though she was a villain sometimes (or at least an antagonist). I love her backstory, and something about the way she talked felt strange, for some reason. Considered. Deliberate. Maybe not-quite-right. Almost alien, other, though that is pretty much opposite to the ideas and themes of the book.
I will say straight away - and this is the main reason I wanted to review this book - I am incredibly glad the lesbian couple survived. It looked many times like one or both would die, or that they'd separate or get separated or even divorce. I don't really follow TV series, but I have gotten the impression that f/f couples rarely get happy endings.
Also, I love that most or all of the characters seemed to be POCs, and the Akinyas are a socially, economically and politically successful family of African descent. (I can't remember which country/countries. That was mentioned at some point, but mostly the Akinyas seemed to talk about just Africa.) Other characters had names that seemed (to me, ignorant white European) South or South-East Asian.
Then the diversity of species/civilisations. First of all Humans. Then there were robots, originally created by humans, now independently inhabiting Mars. The Tantors or Risen, who are descended from elephants (and look like elephants), who are trying to establish themselves and keep the line going. Those are the primitive civilisations of Earth descent. Then there are the higher alien civilisations. I LOVE high alien civilisations. Both the M-builders and the Watchkeepers were incredibly much more advanced than Humans, Robots or Risen, and probably impossible for us to understand. I would love to know more about them, but I also love the mystery.
This review turned out sort of messy and incoherent, but the point is that I enjoyed the book. I'll look out for Alastair Reynolds' books in the library, because I believe there might be at least one that didn't interest me before, so I'll look at it again.