laurelbk 's review for:

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

1.5

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I wanted to enjoy this book, but there were so many elements that did not come together for me. The themes it was trying to bring in were solid, but it either went way too far to take it seriously or it did not go into them in a satisfying way. 

This book discusses a lot about personhood and identity. Overall, solid ideas and things that are interesting to explore! However, it takes a weird turn and almost feels like it is becoming a joke of itself. 

There are a few concepts it walks straight up to, looks in the eye, and then promptly forgets and never brings up ever again. There are two in particular that stick out to me. At the end of Part 1,

they discover a method to bypass the mental limiters that make it difficult for some people to communicate. Rather than dind ways to make it more equal or find ways to fix it for people in the future, they just never bring up that it can be fixed ever again.

 At the end of Part 2,

they bring up the idea that some of the people who are made are being intentionally designed in a way that is not comparable with the larger world. They briefly wonder why this is not something that was not updated or changed with the times, but it is never mentioned again.

Overall, this book somehow had too much and not enough. It would likely be better as three books that either go into more details on each arc, or cut down on some of the extras that weigh things down. The concepts introduced are generally good, but it goes way beyond the normal point and comes across as a big, unfunny joke.