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oblue02's review against another edition
4.0
Isekai, in my science fantasy space opera?? It's more likely than you think.
junglezee's review against another edition
4.0
This is a hella fun book. It reminds me of those summer blockbusters that come out that are super fun, like Detective Pikachu. That movie looked hella fun and enjoyable, and it was. It didn't go for Best Picture Oscars, but it was never meant to. That's what this book was like for me: I knew it wasn't going to be the best literature I'd read all year, but the storyline seemed cool, the title was interesting, and I found myself curious about the cover art, so I dove in (that last note about the cover art – I've read an embarrassing number of books by judging the cover. It's actually not that bad of a strategy!).
The book is a fun experience. The future world that Max Gladstone creates is fun to frolic in! He doesn't shy away from taking us into a wide variety of unique situations and introduces really cool sci-fi dynamics into those situations to create an easily readable hero's tale. I found some of the twists to be mildly predictable, but not to any extent that I was bored or found myself trying to hurry through chapters. There's so many cool things to think about in the Empress of Forever world!
This book largely takes place in space, so, read it if you're down with that and in need of a pretty quick burst into the cool world created by Max Gladstone.
It took me an entire month to read this because I went on a little reading hiatus, but I should be back up to speed now.
The book is a fun experience. The future world that Max Gladstone creates is fun to frolic in! He doesn't shy away from taking us into a wide variety of unique situations and introduces really cool sci-fi dynamics into those situations to create an easily readable hero's tale. I found some of the twists to be mildly predictable, but not to any extent that I was bored or found myself trying to hurry through chapters. There's so many cool things to think about in the Empress of Forever world!
This book largely takes place in space, so, read it if you're down with that and in need of a pretty quick burst into the cool world created by Max Gladstone.
It took me an entire month to read this because I went on a little reading hiatus, but I should be back up to speed now.
zaphod46's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, with a slight twist on the usual 'chosen one' plot.
jewbitche's review
5.0
I
Am honestly unable, like emotionally, to review this right now.. I’m fragile and happy and definitely crying. Needless to say, it’s a good book.
Am honestly unable, like emotionally, to review this right now.. I’m fragile and happy and definitely crying. Needless to say, it’s a good book.
kpitts13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
azu's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a tiny bit disapointed with me, for not liked this book more. It has everything to be a 2019-fav and yet...
I don't know why exactly, but past the middle, I grow bored of the story. It didn't catch my attention anymore. Too much things were happening and it seemed the book has not end. In a bad way.
BUT. That being said, I really think I should re-read it and give it another chance, later because I love how the author build his worlds, I'm amazed by his ideas and the characters and their relationships were so great ! All these reviews that are like "a feminist Guardians of the Galaxy" ? Yes, it is, and it's the best thing in the world !!
I don't know why exactly, but past the middle, I grow bored of the story. It didn't catch my attention anymore. Too much things were happening and it seemed the book has not end. In a bad way.
BUT. That being said, I really think I should re-read it and give it another chance, later because I love how the author build his worlds, I'm amazed by his ideas and the characters and their relationships were so great ! All these reviews that are like "a feminist Guardians of the Galaxy" ? Yes, it is, and it's the best thing in the world !!
rkiladitis's review against another edition
5.0
A sci fi adventure to smash the patriarchy by! Viv is a tech visionary/genius a la Steve Jobs. Competitors have stolen her work, so she's determined to get it back. She breaks into her competitor's offices and plans to wipe her creations off their drive,s but everything changes when a mysterious woman in glowing green shows up and grabs Viv, rendering her unconscious. Viv wakes up a prisoner in a strange place, but realizes pretty quickly that she's in outer space, and a monk named Hong is there to save her. They join forces with a space pirate named Zanj (when she's not trying to kill them), who's been trapped by the Empress - the woman in glowing green - in a star for 3 thousand years. Together, the trio flies to a world called Orn, which has been left decimated by the Empress, but encounter a post-apocalyptic tribe called the Ornclan. Viv and the chieftain's daughter, Xiara, hit it off REALLY well, which helps, because Xiara has to keep Viv and Hong safe from her mother, who's selling them out to the bad guys.
Absolute fun, wild space opera adventure with fully realized, strong female characters, razor sharp wit, and fantastic worldbuilding. The last page left me yelling for more - when does book 2 come out?
Absolute fun, wild space opera adventure with fully realized, strong female characters, razor sharp wit, and fantastic worldbuilding. The last page left me yelling for more - when does book 2 come out?
loganslovelylibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book WAY more than I actually did. The world building was exceptional and unlike anything I've read before, stretching across space and time and exploring unfamiliar people and places, gods and planetary systems. But combining the complex world with Gladstone's very specific writing style just did not work for me. I liked the characters, but their motivations seemed to fall flat. Towards the end I just wanted to be finished with the book already.
Glad I read it, but probably wouldn't recommend.
Glad I read it, but probably wouldn't recommend.
bookwormkarou's review against another edition
A lot of time has passed since I started it, I remember I was interested but I don't think I longer am.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
My second Gladstone book; I'd put this one at a 3.5 - there were parts where I felt it would be a four, but the overall feeling I get doesn't inspire me to round up. It's absolutely imaginative, and the best part for me is the exploration of identity, and what contributes to the concept of a person, and especially how a person changes over time to become someone different. The key revelations along these lines are nicely done - but there are only a couple of these in the whole 480-page length.
Much of the remaining length is taken up by an action/adventure plot that's a bit on the formulaic side - which is okay, but again, in this case I feel there's probably too much of it. And throughout there is the sense of "anything goes" - which can also be okay, but it sometimes seems to give the writer license to surprise the reader with something new and simply chalk it up to a heretofore unannounced element of his world building. In particular, the vague blending of actual space travel with cyberspace gave that aspect an unfinished feel, and with everything that's crammed into this book, a few more cogent sentences about how that worked doesn't seem like too much to ask. The characters were certainly well-drawn, though I could have done with less agonizing by most of them about their life choices.
Yes, there are hints of Gibson and Banks here, but even more evident is the influence of Zelazny's Lord of Light, which I admit I wouldn't have thought of if Gladstone hadn't mentioned it in the acknowledgements. He also spoke a bit about the gaming influences, and after reading that, it struck me that there's more than a bit of resemblance to Ready Player One here.
All in all, a solid accomplishment, fun to read, but a bit lengthy, and somewhat more serious, but at the same time less rigorous, than I'd have preferred.
A couple of minor random observations: there's a reference to a "twenty-foot schooner" (p. 13), which suggests a lack of familiarity with sailing vessels. I suppose a schooner that small could be constructed, but I've never heard of one. Also, there's an early comment by Zanj in which she tells Viv "You can quit standing in the light." (p. 84) This is strikingly similar to the story about Diogenes that inspired the title of the excellent nonfiction book Stand Out of Our Light. Zanj does indeed seem to have, for much of the story, a fair amount of the somewhat obnoxious personality attributed to Diogenes, so this could well be intentional.
Much of the remaining length is taken up by an action/adventure plot that's a bit on the formulaic side - which is okay, but again, in this case I feel there's probably too much of it. And throughout there is the sense of "anything goes" - which can also be okay, but it sometimes seems to give the writer license to surprise the reader with something new and simply chalk it up to a heretofore unannounced element of his world building. In particular, the vague blending of actual space travel with cyberspace gave that aspect an unfinished feel, and with everything that's crammed into this book, a few more cogent sentences about how that worked doesn't seem like too much to ask. The characters were certainly well-drawn, though I could have done with less agonizing by most of them about their life choices.
Yes, there are hints of Gibson and Banks here, but even more evident is the influence of Zelazny's Lord of Light, which I admit I wouldn't have thought of if Gladstone hadn't mentioned it in the acknowledgements. He also spoke a bit about the gaming influences, and after reading that, it struck me that there's more than a bit of resemblance to Ready Player One here.
All in all, a solid accomplishment, fun to read, but a bit lengthy, and somewhat more serious, but at the same time less rigorous, than I'd have preferred.
A couple of minor random observations: there's a reference to a "twenty-foot schooner" (p. 13), which suggests a lack of familiarity with sailing vessels. I suppose a schooner that small could be constructed, but I've never heard of one. Also, there's an early comment by Zanj in which she tells Viv "You can quit standing in the light." (p. 84) This is strikingly similar to the story about Diogenes that inspired the title of the excellent nonfiction book Stand Out of Our Light. Zanj does indeed seem to have, for much of the story, a fair amount of the somewhat obnoxious personality attributed to Diogenes, so this could well be intentional.