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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i can’t believe i spent 21 hours of my life in this book. that ending was a personal offense, i’m sure.
i have never read anything quite like this; it's a science-fiction, very character-driven, with a heavy focus on society's ideas. it's more like a sociology study, and not to say i didn't like it. but you know, i'm not sure i enjoy reading this neither. i don't know, so many mixed feelings.
i have never read anything quite like this; it's a science-fiction, very character-driven, with a heavy focus on society's ideas. it's more like a sociology study, and not to say i didn't like it. but you know, i'm not sure i enjoy reading this neither. i don't know, so many mixed feelings.
I was excited to check out this international adult Science Fiction novel and was happy to win the raffle for the ARC. I found the plot, the war between Mars and Earth and how it resembled the Cold War to be interesting.
I was completely hooked for the first two hundred pages of this dense Science Fiction. I liked the writing style and translation. However, it was once I hit the middle of this 600-page novel that I struggled to keep picking it back up.
It was not a bad novel at all. It was just too slow-paced for me and lacked intense scenes to keep me hooked.
I do recommend reading this one if you enjoy slow-burn science fiction with a focus on characters. It sadly was not for me.
Rating:
3 Stars out of 5 Stars.
I was completely hooked for the first two hundred pages of this dense Science Fiction. I liked the writing style and translation. However, it was once I hit the middle of this 600-page novel that I struggled to keep picking it back up.
It was not a bad novel at all. It was just too slow-paced for me and lacked intense scenes to keep me hooked.
I do recommend reading this one if you enjoy slow-burn science fiction with a focus on characters. It sadly was not for me.
Rating:
3 Stars out of 5 Stars.
Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu.
Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for providing a free digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Vagabonds is a sci-fi novel about a future settlement on Mars, their history with Earth, and the settlement's struggle with political and societal change. The book is also about a group of teenagers who were sent from Mars to Earth to renew the two planets' relationship after a decades long separation that followed a painful war.
The main character Luoying is 18 and just returned to Mars from her five year stay on Earth. She is struggling with her personal philosophy of life in the context of the extremely different societies she has now experienced. She is also discovering information about her family's past that she never knew - why her parents died and that her grandfather and older brother may know more about it than they were letting on.
This book is hard to describe and review. It is very long and the story is slow moving. There are very long passages about philosophy and the differences between Mars and Earth; mainly that Earth is overly capitalistic to the detriment of creativity and art, and that Mars is overly socialist, to the detriment of personal freedom.
At the start of the book there are very descriptive passages that made me wish the story would get moving. The book is written in third person so I felt quite removed from the characters and the action when it did happen.
I ended up liking Luoying and many of the other characters, and my favorite parts were when the group of teens would spend time together. They had a strong connection because their experience of living on both planets was unique only to them.
The sci-fi concepts are beautifully written - Mars City is built all from glass since sand was the main resource the Martians had to work from. The Martians are dedicated to innovation and creativity, and there is a beautiful passage where the teens invent personal aircraft they control with their bodies, and they fly and dive through giant canyons.
I gave this book 2.5 stars because it was hard to get into and it was really long with a lot of tangential parts that sidelined the story. I was impressed with all of the philosophy and how the author portrayed it through the characters. It felt more like a philosophy text almost than a story.
Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for providing a free digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Vagabonds is a sci-fi novel about a future settlement on Mars, their history with Earth, and the settlement's struggle with political and societal change. The book is also about a group of teenagers who were sent from Mars to Earth to renew the two planets' relationship after a decades long separation that followed a painful war.
The main character Luoying is 18 and just returned to Mars from her five year stay on Earth. She is struggling with her personal philosophy of life in the context of the extremely different societies she has now experienced. She is also discovering information about her family's past that she never knew - why her parents died and that her grandfather and older brother may know more about it than they were letting on.
This book is hard to describe and review. It is very long and the story is slow moving. There are very long passages about philosophy and the differences between Mars and Earth; mainly that Earth is overly capitalistic to the detriment of creativity and art, and that Mars is overly socialist, to the detriment of personal freedom.
At the start of the book there are very descriptive passages that made me wish the story would get moving. The book is written in third person so I felt quite removed from the characters and the action when it did happen.
I ended up liking Luoying and many of the other characters, and my favorite parts were when the group of teens would spend time together. They had a strong connection because their experience of living on both planets was unique only to them.
The sci-fi concepts are beautifully written - Mars City is built all from glass since sand was the main resource the Martians had to work from. The Martians are dedicated to innovation and creativity, and there is a beautiful passage where the teens invent personal aircraft they control with their bodies, and they fly and dive through giant canyons.
I gave this book 2.5 stars because it was hard to get into and it was really long with a lot of tangential parts that sidelined the story. I was impressed with all of the philosophy and how the author portrayed it through the characters. It felt more like a philosophy text almost than a story.
*Thanks to Saga Press & BookishFirst for an advance copy!
Disclaimer: I received a copy from netgalley. This does not impact my review which is honest and unbiased.
Vagabonds is one of those books I've been excited for since I first heard about it. Translated fiction is something I so rarely read and translated science fiction? I've been following the translated works of Ken Liu for a while now and when I saw Vagabonds I knew I had to check it out! Vagabonds is written by the first ever Chinese woman to win a Hugo Award! As a Chinese American, I was thrilled to see Jingfang's win and knew I wanted to support this book with my whole heart. I am so happy to see the diversity within the SF field gaining more and more attention.
Vagabonds is an epic book both in scale and writing. I immediately fell in love with the way it's written from the beginning. With translated work, there's a balance between the writing and the translation and Liu and Jingfang nail it! There's fantastic writing from the prologue and as soon as you keep reading, a fabulously detailed SF world emerges. You might think that Vagabonds is going to be all SF space action from the beginning. Instead Vagabonds is a thoughtful and complex character driven story about home. As we begin leaving home, growing up in other countries, and return home, how do we think about home? What does home come to mean for us? The world building in Vagabonds is incredibly detailed whether it be the planet or the spaceships. For those who appreciate a good detailed world, they should definitely pick up Vagabonds!
I have so much respect for this book and the translation. It's definitely a slower paced read, and I wouldn't take this to the beach (if you could even fit it in your bag), but it's a book you want to savor and sink into. There's political tension and a quest for independence and order amongst the stars.
Vagabonds is one of those books I've been excited for since I first heard about it. Translated fiction is something I so rarely read and translated science fiction? I've been following the translated works of Ken Liu for a while now and when I saw Vagabonds I knew I had to check it out! Vagabonds is written by the first ever Chinese woman to win a Hugo Award! As a Chinese American, I was thrilled to see Jingfang's win and knew I wanted to support this book with my whole heart. I am so happy to see the diversity within the SF field gaining more and more attention.
Vagabonds is an epic book both in scale and writing. I immediately fell in love with the way it's written from the beginning. With translated work, there's a balance between the writing and the translation and Liu and Jingfang nail it! There's fantastic writing from the prologue and as soon as you keep reading, a fabulously detailed SF world emerges. You might think that Vagabonds is going to be all SF space action from the beginning. Instead Vagabonds is a thoughtful and complex character driven story about home. As we begin leaving home, growing up in other countries, and return home, how do we think about home? What does home come to mean for us? The world building in Vagabonds is incredibly detailed whether it be the planet or the spaceships. For those who appreciate a good detailed world, they should definitely pick up Vagabonds!
I have so much respect for this book and the translation. It's definitely a slower paced read, and I wouldn't take this to the beach (if you could even fit it in your bag), but it's a book you want to savor and sink into. There's political tension and a quest for independence and order amongst the stars.
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
A gargantuan beast of beautiful prose, compelling characters, and an unexpected twist on the science fiction genre. Let's not beat around the fact that this book is 640 PAGES LONG, but when you're enjoying a futuristic deep dive into conflict between Earth and Mars, what did you expect?? I'm a huge sucker for intrinsic detailing, historic chronologies, and war that surpasses the boundaries of space. So long as it's written well and maintains my attention, I'll probably love it. I especially LOVED the dystopian leanings of Vagabonds in a sea of militaristic battles and philosophical questions. It makes the book rather difficult to read and a bit lengthy, but I like that, so....
I also loved how Earth and Mars were distinguished from the other. Not just in terms of how they each lived, but also in culture and cultivation of ideas. On Earth, everything seems to be about selling yourself or your thoughts versus on Mars, where it's more of a collective society. This really brought forth the capitalism versus socialism--something that will likely resonate with many readers. It kind of reminded me of The Expanse, minus the aliens. I really liked how neither society was painted as better than the other; they were just different and sometimes difference = war.
Luoyang is a truly compelling main character. After having lived on Earth for a time, she returns to Mars not quite sure of where exactly she belongs. Though there was lots of social science talk in this book, I absolutely adored how her character grew into her own and examined her experiences caught between these two conflicting worlds.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to get the hell out of their comfort zone. It's a risky, beautiful, and thoughtful story, but it IS 600+ pages. It's not for the faint of heart.
I also loved how Earth and Mars were distinguished from the other. Not just in terms of how they each lived, but also in culture and cultivation of ideas. On Earth, everything seems to be about selling yourself or your thoughts versus on Mars, where it's more of a collective society. This really brought forth the capitalism versus socialism--something that will likely resonate with many readers. It kind of reminded me of The Expanse, minus the aliens. I really liked how neither society was painted as better than the other; they were just different and sometimes difference = war.
Luoyang is a truly compelling main character. After having lived on Earth for a time, she returns to Mars not quite sure of where exactly she belongs. Though there was lots of social science talk in this book, I absolutely adored how her character grew into her own and examined her experiences caught between these two conflicting worlds.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to get the hell out of their comfort zone. It's a risky, beautiful, and thoughtful story, but it IS 600+ pages. It's not for the faint of heart.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes