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lovelylunareclipse 's review for:
The Archive Undying
by Emma Mieko Candon
My god, where do I start with this? For full transparency, I came across this book from a recommendation that states the main characters in this resemble Jayce and Viktor's dynamic from Arcane. And that creator is right, but they didn't warn me about how convoluted and complicated of a read this would be.
I could be going for the obvious here and claim that this book is confusing, as so many reviewers do, but I find that claim untrue to an extent. The book starts by dropping you immediately in the story. No introductions, no prologues to warm you up, and no establishment, just straight up into the plot, and I can understand why most people would find it jarring. However, to the author's credit, all of the moving bolts and gears of the story click along the way if you just hold on to some patience. And patient I am, and I'm grateful for that because this is the most I have ever enjoyed a science fiction book so far.
It wasn't easy, and I find myself often backing up in certain chapters to really understand what is going on, which is why I can't wholeheartedly rate this five stars despite my enjoyment. The prose and the writing are different to what I'm used to, in a good way of course. Once I really understood what I was reading, the story became more enjoyable and it kind of reminds me of media like Pacific Rim, Transformers and of course, Arcane. These stories are enjoyable, but it does take time for you to pick up on the world-building and the setting that they're in.
Like I said before, this book is polarizing, either you really love it or you really hate it. If you're someone who's fascinated with robots, engineering and AI, this is a great read for you. I have always held Pacific Rim dear to my heart, so to read a book that felt almost like an extended version of that world felt gratifying to me. I can't wait for the sequel, my thirst for the world this book has built hasn't been satisfied yet.
I could be going for the obvious here and claim that this book is confusing, as so many reviewers do, but I find that claim untrue to an extent. The book starts by dropping you immediately in the story. No introductions, no prologues to warm you up, and no establishment, just straight up into the plot, and I can understand why most people would find it jarring. However, to the author's credit, all of the moving bolts and gears of the story click along the way if you just hold on to some patience. And patient I am, and I'm grateful for that because this is the most I have ever enjoyed a science fiction book so far.
It wasn't easy, and I find myself often backing up in certain chapters to really understand what is going on, which is why I can't wholeheartedly rate this five stars despite my enjoyment. The prose and the writing are different to what I'm used to, in a good way of course. Once I really understood what I was reading, the story became more enjoyable and it kind of reminds me of media like Pacific Rim, Transformers and of course, Arcane. These stories are enjoyable, but it does take time for you to pick up on the world-building and the setting that they're in.
Like I said before, this book is polarizing, either you really love it or you really hate it. If you're someone who's fascinated with robots, engineering and AI, this is a great read for you. I have always held Pacific Rim dear to my heart, so to read a book that felt almost like an extended version of that world felt gratifying to me. I can't wait for the sequel, my thirst for the world this book has built hasn't been satisfied yet.