erikanderson333 's review for:

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

5.0

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Too Like the Lightning is not your typical novel. It’s sci-fi, political intrigue, and philosophical treatise, all in one, with a hefty dose of meta-commentary layered throughout. It challenges many of the norms of writing, and some core aspects of human nature. The plot is focused on deftly unraveling the tangled web of politics that controls this society from the shadows, delivering a constant sense of action and suspense even though not much actually happens. For me, it’s the ending that ruins books like this, if the reveal doesn’t live up to the mystery. Too Like the Lightning avoids that pitfall by leaving much of the mystery for the sequel to reveal.