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kosame707 's review for:
Dying of the Light
by George R.R. Martin
I must admit it took me a while to really get into this story. It might have had to do in part with the unusually descriptive and detached introduction and the writer's choice to unveil all the complexity of the world he has created letting small cryptic hints fall here and there - a device that I came to fully appreciate later.
But once I did enter I got gripped for good. A book as multilayered as this, as it tends to happen with most good science fiction, offers many readings and satisfies or disappoints depending on how many of those layers appeal to a particular reader. I personally was not overly interested in the love story between Gwen and Dirk. I also didn't identify and connect with the two main characters, as I have read many people point put in their negative reviews. And yet Ioved the novel for other reasons. For Jaan and Garse, and even Bretan to an extent. For the way it lays out so well what happens when two different cultures clash; how we tend to judge the other based on our own set of values, taking them as universal and most importantly, unequivocally right. I also appreciated the fact that the author gives the readers enough space to have a mind of their own, sharing in the impressions of the main character, but not necessarily agreeing with him. Because of this it is true that part of Dirk's emotional voyage might have been lost to me, as my own inclinations would have taken me elsewhere. But the roller coaster is still there in terms of the action and the thrill of not knowing what the next page will bring - an unexpected turn in a plot that seemed perfectly laid out, a discovery that might flip around the meaning of previous scenes, a death that seemed impossible... GRRM doesn't fail to deliver in all those points, that is for sure. Add to that a genuinely rich and compelling world-building and you have me (at least) for the ride.
But once I did enter I got gripped for good. A book as multilayered as this, as it tends to happen with most good science fiction, offers many readings and satisfies or disappoints depending on how many of those layers appeal to a particular reader. I personally was not overly interested in the love story between Gwen and Dirk. I also didn't identify and connect with the two main characters, as I have read many people point put in their negative reviews. And yet Ioved the novel for other reasons. For Jaan and Garse, and even Bretan to an extent. For the way it lays out so well what happens when two different cultures clash; how we tend to judge the other based on our own set of values, taking them as universal and most importantly, unequivocally right. I also appreciated the fact that the author gives the readers enough space to have a mind of their own, sharing in the impressions of the main character, but not necessarily agreeing with him. Because of this it is true that part of Dirk's emotional voyage might have been lost to me, as my own inclinations would have taken me elsewhere. But the roller coaster is still there in terms of the action and the thrill of not knowing what the next page will bring - an unexpected turn in a plot that seemed perfectly laid out, a discovery that might flip around the meaning of previous scenes, a death that seemed impossible... GRRM doesn't fail to deliver in all those points, that is for sure. Add to that a genuinely rich and compelling world-building and you have me (at least) for the ride.