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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A book that rewards thoughtful reading, it's at its best when it's challenging you to put the book down and reflect on the difficult questions it poses. Perhaps its one flaw is that it's a bit too earnest an epic to really draw you into the story or the characters' dramas, but its prose still gives quite a dense, slow-paced text its chance to soar.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF at p. 160
I really want to like this book, and I hope to come back and give it a fair shake sometime but at the moment I've been trying for a week to get into it and it has spun its wheels and not really gone anywhere, and has totally failed to grab my interest.
The world seems interesting and the writing is sometimes beautiful, but far too plodding for me at the moment.
I'll give it a go another time.
I really want to like this book, and I hope to come back and give it a fair shake sometime but at the moment I've been trying for a week to get into it and it has spun its wheels and not really gone anywhere, and has totally failed to grab my interest.
The world seems interesting and the writing is sometimes beautiful, but far too plodding for me at the moment.
I'll give it a go another time.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I realize that this book is definitely not for everyone, but I truly enjoyed it. However, it's quite an undertaking. It's very long and slow-paced, whereas I normally expect sci-fi to be fast and full of action. Therefore, this isn't the book for someone looking for a fun space opera.
The standout for me in this book is definitely the worldbuilding. Even though I spent over 600 pages getting to know the characters, I was surprised that none of them really stood out to me or seemed memorable. Instead, I was much more drawn to the descriptions of Mars and Earth and the dichotomy between the two planets' societies. As the novel unfolded, I also became very interested in the fact that readers and the characters both experienced forced changes of perception alongside each other as things became clear. It was like going on a very slow but interesting journey.
In fact, I wouldn't have minded learning even more about Mars and Earth as they appear in this book because I was fascinated by that aspect of the book and I'm a nerd. I love complex worldbuilding, what can I say?
The standout for me in this book is definitely the worldbuilding. Even though I spent over 600 pages getting to know the characters, I was surprised that none of them really stood out to me or seemed memorable. Instead, I was much more drawn to the descriptions of Mars and Earth and the dichotomy between the two planets' societies. As the novel unfolded, I also became very interested in the fact that readers and the characters both experienced forced changes of perception alongside each other as things became clear. It was like going on a very slow but interesting journey.
In fact, I wouldn't have minded learning even more about Mars and Earth as they appear in this book because I was fascinated by that aspect of the book and I'm a nerd. I love complex worldbuilding, what can I say?
3.2. Interesting world building and characters, but could have been 200 pages shorter.
I got the feeling that the translator was not completely inspired in places. Some very "skippable" prose.
I got the feeling that the translator was not completely inspired in places. Some very "skippable" prose.
I feel so bad because I really enjoyed parts of this but it was dragging SO badly for me. I hope to come back to it someday.