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A review by catapocalypse
Superluminal by Vonda N. McIntyre
2.0
This was the third of four books by Vonda McIntyre gifted to me by someone who had known her.
I had looked forward to reading this expansion of McIntyre's novella, "Aztecs," but it turned out to be disappointing. The original novella was very physically and emotionally connected to the characters, and the pilot Laenea in particular. It served as the first few chapters of the novel almost unchanged, so I was shocked to find that the majority of the book afterward focused on Radu's point of view, instead. Laenea got pushed into the background, and never wholly returned to the level of focus that the early chapters gave her. Orca and the entire concept of the Divers felt shoved in at the beginning (her section wasn't in the original novella), despite their importance by the end. I think the themes and premises of the Pilots and the Divers would have benefited from a lengthier book or even two separate books.
So much of the book felt detached from the characters compared to its beginning, which is a shame since many felt promising, if only we could have spent more time with them. Some of the interactions between characters were baffling, anger flaring at the drop of a hat because the characters were suddenly too stubborn or obtuse to handle a situation well. Then at other times, they'd suddenly have a brilliant insight into what another person would do or was doing. None of that felt like it fit together well, so I've rated it 2.5 stars.
I had looked forward to reading this expansion of McIntyre's novella, "Aztecs," but it turned out to be disappointing. The original novella was very physically and emotionally connected to the characters, and the pilot Laenea in particular. It served as the first few chapters of the novel almost unchanged, so I was shocked to find that the majority of the book afterward focused on Radu's point of view, instead. Laenea got pushed into the background, and never wholly returned to the level of focus that the early chapters gave her. Orca and the entire concept of the Divers felt shoved in at the beginning (her section wasn't in the original novella), despite their importance by the end. I think the themes and premises of the Pilots and the Divers would have benefited from a lengthier book or even two separate books.
So much of the book felt detached from the characters compared to its beginning, which is a shame since many felt promising, if only we could have spent more time with them. Some of the interactions between characters were baffling, anger flaring at the drop of a hat because the characters were suddenly too stubborn or obtuse to handle a situation well. Then at other times, they'd suddenly have a brilliant insight into what another person would do or was doing. None of that felt like it fit together well, so I've rated it 2.5 stars.