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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio for my free audio copy!
I highly recommend this translated sci-fi novel by the first Chinese woman to win the prestigious Hugo Award. The tone of this book is far more lyrical and descriptive than what I would consider typical in sci-fi. In a landscape of advanced technology, diplomacy, and a history of war, the story explores the tradeoffs between pursuing commerce versus creativity, with Earth and Mars standing in as representatives for the two approaches. Some of the seemingly far-fetched examples are eerily reminiscent of our world now. I really enjoyed the deep exploration of characters in this book and how they grappled with events that challenged their worldviews. It takes some effort to parse everything, but when I finished it, I felt kind of stunned, like I'd been through a major experience that needed time to digest. It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm STILL thinking about it!
I would recommend Vagabonds to current fans of sci-fi, with a bonus if you are also a history or political science buff. I also suggest it to readers who are interested in Asian authors because this book is very different (in a good way!) than a lot of what I've seen on the market. I struggle to think of reading analogs because Vagabonds felt so unique to me, but if you liked [b:Shadow of the Hegemon|9534|Shadow of the Hegemon (The Shadow Series, #2)|Orson Scott Card|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537335644l/9534._SY75_.jpg|2528139] by Orson Scott Card, I think you would like this book.
Other points in this book's favor: It's translated by Ken Liu, who wrote one of my all-time favorite short story collections, [b:The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|24885533|The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|Ken Liu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511290092l/24885533._SY75_.jpg|44534169], and the fantastic audio production is performed by Emily Woo Zeller, who I first heard in the ambitious and compelling work of history, [b:The Making of Asian America: A History|23492717|The Making of Asian America A History|Erika Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440993055l/23492717._SY75_.jpg|43082887]. Really, you can't go wrong, and this book is well worth your time.
I highly recommend this translated sci-fi novel by the first Chinese woman to win the prestigious Hugo Award. The tone of this book is far more lyrical and descriptive than what I would consider typical in sci-fi. In a landscape of advanced technology, diplomacy, and a history of war, the story explores the tradeoffs between pursuing commerce versus creativity, with Earth and Mars standing in as representatives for the two approaches. Some of the seemingly far-fetched examples are eerily reminiscent of our world now. I really enjoyed the deep exploration of characters in this book and how they grappled with events that challenged their worldviews. It takes some effort to parse everything, but when I finished it, I felt kind of stunned, like I'd been through a major experience that needed time to digest. It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm STILL thinking about it!
I would recommend Vagabonds to current fans of sci-fi, with a bonus if you are also a history or political science buff. I also suggest it to readers who are interested in Asian authors because this book is very different (in a good way!) than a lot of what I've seen on the market. I struggle to think of reading analogs because Vagabonds felt so unique to me, but if you liked [b:Shadow of the Hegemon|9534|Shadow of the Hegemon (The Shadow Series, #2)|Orson Scott Card|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537335644l/9534._SY75_.jpg|2528139] by Orson Scott Card, I think you would like this book.
Other points in this book's favor: It's translated by Ken Liu, who wrote one of my all-time favorite short story collections, [b:The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|24885533|The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories|Ken Liu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511290092l/24885533._SY75_.jpg|44534169], and the fantastic audio production is performed by Emily Woo Zeller, who I first heard in the ambitious and compelling work of history, [b:The Making of Asian America: A History|23492717|The Making of Asian America A History|Erika Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440993055l/23492717._SY75_.jpg|43082887]. Really, you can't go wrong, and this book is well worth your time.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Started off really strong, but halfway through the book it started to make me lost interest. There were too many characters representing too many ideas and concepts, that they all started to become too much. Yet the premise and the writing style is great, and the ideas behind many parts of the book were wonderful.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2 - 3 Sterne. Es tut mir weh, dem Buch keine bessere Bewertung geben zu können. Setting und Plot, besonders die politischen Konflikte, sind an sich sehr gut, hätten aber konzentrierter, auf ein paar 100 Seiten weniger, deutlich besser gewirkt.
I read about 200 pages. I enjoyed the premise and the characters, but there was too much pontification about consumerism and freedom and the value and purpose of art and.. those are topics that interest me, just not today. And not when it interrupts the narrative flow.