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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Phew, this book was A LOT, both stylistically and conceptually. Reading this felt like watching a three-hour big budget scifi movie: All of your senses are blasted by a constant new onslaught of characters and concepts, they throw around a lot of jargon that sounds cool but doesn't really mean anything, and just when you think it's over another twist happens. You leave entertained, but also exhausted, and that about sums up how I feel after reading this.
The worldbuilding was cool, but nothing was ever fully explained. I'm not a hard scifi/fantasy fan in that I need every little detail explained to me (in fact, I get bored by that), but I do want to know how your world works. Even after almost 500 pages I couldn't tell you that for Empress of Forever. Every time I felt like I was about to grasp a concept, it slipped away as Gladstone jumped onto yet another thing.
Vivian was an interesting and flawed main character, and while I may not have agreed with her decisions, I still understood why she was making them. I also really liked the secondary characters who helped her out; in fact I wanted even more from their POV than the random snippets we got. Looking back, I feel like this would have worked better as a multi POV story.
The worldbuilding was cool, but nothing was ever fully explained. I'm not a hard scifi/fantasy fan in that I need every little detail explained to me (in fact, I get bored by that), but I do want to know how your world works. Even after almost 500 pages I couldn't tell you that for Empress of Forever. Every time I felt like I was about to grasp a concept, it slipped away as Gladstone jumped onto yet another thing.
Vivian was an interesting and flawed main character, and while I may not have agreed with her decisions, I still understood why she was making them. I also really liked the secondary characters who helped her out; in fact I wanted even more from their POV than the random snippets we got. Looking back, I feel like this would have worked better as a multi POV story.
Spoiler
The resolution depends on all of them working together in a single conscious-sharing entity, but since like 95% of this book is from Viv's POV, I feel like the ending didn't have quite the impact it was supposed to, because I'd spent so little time in these other characters' heads.Too much "boy in a boat" scenario with just random side adventures
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Brilliant entrepreneur Vivian Liao wants to change the world and challenge oppressors. She goes on a daring mission to do just that, but her plans go astray when she encounters an aggressive alien. Unable to escape, Viv awakens into the unknown; flung far into the future. To understand this new world and journey back to her own time, Viv needs all the willpower and skill she can muster. Gladstone provides detailed character development by sharing everyone’s internal thoughts and ramblings, often in between short bouts of dialogue. Naudus does an excellent job highlighting the passions and deep emotions of the internal monologues. Naudus’ immersive reading easily captures the massive galaxy Gladstone has created. Empress of Forever is an action-packed, thought provoking, space opera that shows readers even when you are far from home, at the core, we are all human. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson and Ashok K Banker.
Fun, if a bit meandering. Vivian is an interesting protagonist, with a lot of faults but still likable. The ending felt abrupt despite the rest of the book feeling like it went on for a bit too long. Overall would give this a 3.5. Enjoyable, but not something I would read again.
Wonderful book
Here's a strange testimony to the writing in this book: I teared up reading the acknowledgements at the end. The book was wonderful, with big themes, an interesting universe, and complex characters. The characters experienced real, believable growth, and came together as a team with trust and love.
Here's a strange testimony to the writing in this book: I teared up reading the acknowledgements at the end. The book was wonderful, with big themes, an interesting universe, and complex characters. The characters experienced real, believable growth, and came together as a team with trust and love.
Liked this quite a bit. Making friends is important :)
Update 11/27/2020 - Ambivalent? Did I really say that? I hate what I read of this and it still brings up feelings of immense frustration. I be absolutely adverse to finishing this book. The reviews only make me more disappointed at this mess. Boring pirates! Ugh.
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I am a huge fan of the author's work and so was excited for this excerpt. After reading it, I have to admit that I am ambivalent about this story. I really enjoy the three main characters. But the plot is confusing me. Multi-worlds. Weird empress. Dead worlds. A cloud that seems to control this world. I am not adverse to finishing this book to see what the payout might be. But I can't say that I be excited to do so either. I will be interested in seeing what the reviews of the full book will be. Arrrr!
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I am a huge fan of the author's work and so was excited for this excerpt. After reading it, I have to admit that I am ambivalent about this story. I really enjoy the three main characters. But the plot is confusing me. Multi-worlds. Weird empress. Dead worlds. A cloud that seems to control this world. I am not adverse to finishing this book to see what the payout might be. But I can't say that I be excited to do so either. I will be interested in seeing what the reviews of the full book will be. Arrrr!
A solid 4.5
This book took me so much longer to read than I anticipated. I don’t read many science fiction novels, and it’s time I do. While they’re complex, and quite detailed, the stories they tell are so fascinating. This was a great stand alone story and I would definitely read more of Max’s novels.
This book took me so much longer to read than I anticipated. I don’t read many science fiction novels, and it’s time I do. While they’re complex, and quite detailed, the stories they tell are so fascinating. This was a great stand alone story and I would definitely read more of Max’s novels.