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mjohn058's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this (audio) book. It was read exceptionally well by Ali Ahn, to the extent that I think book readers might be missing out on a superior telling. In any case…
I enjoyed the subjects, the construction, and the devices used. Well written.
I particularly enjoyed the subtle evolution ofship as the story progressed. So much jargon, but since we were learning alongside them, it made perfect sense story-wise. Delightful.
I was disappointed thatthe plot shifted back to Freya’s perspective for the balance of the book. I was very invested in the ship-as-narrator construction, and it felt unnatural to pivot back to focusing the plot on an individual after spending an ever-increasing amount of pages devoted to the humans in aggregate. . To that end, I think the book should have more-or-less ended with ship’s destruction. The author had done such a good job pivoting my focus to the ship and the humans in an abstract way, I frankly didn’t care about Freya’s journey .
Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and can’t wait to try out some more of the authors works!
I enjoyed the subjects, the construction, and the devices used. Well written.
I particularly enjoyed the subtle evolution of
I was disappointed that
Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and can’t wait to try out some more of the authors works!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Suicide
laurenexploresbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
nobirdtennis's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Just okay! I liked this well enough, and the science-y details didn’t bug me too much, as someone who is usually turned off by “hard” sci-fi. Needed more bisexuals. I really liked Jochi as a character, and I like Robinson’s exploration of the “why” behind space travel and condemnation of the hubris of science bros. I would read more of Robinson’s work after having this as my introduction, but I don’t think I would rush to recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
teresareads's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
mbs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
One of the initial things I enjoyed was the narrative framing of the book: an AI that's been instructed to compose a narrative account of a generation ship's voyage to a neighbouring star. While I found it slightly heavy-handed in some of the initial parts, by the time I finished the book, I really appreciated this sort of experimentation with narrative structure, which isn't as common as it used to be in high-profile SF works.
Another high point of this book for me came about likely because I read it immediately following Seveneves. It presents an entirely different view of long-term space habitation and human nature that manages to reject the techno-solutionism and allegories condemning altruism that Stephenson indulges in, without being heavy-handed or naively rosy. There are many difficult situations in the story, and people's worst natures are on display, along with the long-reaching consequences of those situations.
I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anybody who's a fan of (relatively) hard-science space exploration stories, as a contrast to the common tropes of Bravely Pioneering a New World and Technology Always Wins.
Another high point of this book for me came about likely because I read it immediately following Seveneves. It presents an entirely different view of long-term space habitation and human nature that manages to reject the techno-solutionism and allegories condemning altruism that Stephenson indulges in, without being heavy-handed or naively rosy. There are many difficult situations in the story, and people's worst natures are on display, along with the long-reaching consequences of those situations.
I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anybody who's a fan of (relatively) hard-science space exploration stories, as a contrast to the common tropes of Bravely Pioneering a New World and Technology Always Wins.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
gdpaters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
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