A review by manuphoto
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ready Player One meets Neuromancer, but with better writing than either of them.

This book is very different from the other Vinge novels that I’ve read, those from the "Zones of Thoughts". Here, things are a lot closer to home, literally.

Vinge still uses some of his old tricks, including the technological singularity and stories told in parallel to converge in the final act of the book, all very well executed.

I’m not a huge fan of cyberpunk, and the parts with the virtual reality “fights” were slogs to be, but luckily the book is not about those. It’s more about how major technological change will affect people, all sorts of people. Also about security and privacy.

To that effect, Vinge has Robert Gu for main character. An interesting choice. A former remarkable poet, considered the best of the best, but also an intimidating persona and.. a complete a**hole. I won’t spoil the story but let’s say Vinge takes Gu to unexpected places during the story.

I’ll be clear, I didn’t find this book nearly as compelling as A Deepness in the Sky for example, but it’s still a solid novel, and a very well crafted one. The plot is interesting; if sometimes confusing, the characters are very distinct and well developed, and some experience great arcs.

All-in-all, and nice piece of science-fiction by one of the masters of the genre. It will make you think about the implications of many things: communication, healthcare, privacy, weaponry, etc. It’s certainly a book that deserves to be analyzed and studied. Plus, it’s Vinge, so it’s still very readable, with even some pretty funny moments.