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A review by peter__b
Nexus by Ramez Naam
4.0
When going to watch a blockbuster action movie, I usually have an expectation that it will have a fair amount of well produced action sequences with a slightly convoluted plot to keep things moving along. This book is as close as I've come to reading an action movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing since just like with action movies, they can be entertaining when you understand what you're getting in to.
With this book being set in the near future, it has quite a few sci fi elements, which I personally enjoy. The main plot device is actually really interesting and I loved how they went into detail about how it works and it's possibilities and limitations. The story is pretty much straight forward though, with a few too many clichés and tropes for my taste, but at least the twists and turns are somewhat creative. The characters were actually quite well written for the most part, although they also unfortunately got the trope treatment. I did feel for the protagonist, but the real antagonist was a little bit too simple in their motivations. I think my main issue with the book however, was the oversimplification of the main themes. The author goes to great lengths to neatly explain the choices the protagonist has to make, leaving no room for nuance and letting the reader figure it out for themselves.
Overall, the writing was fun, but not great. I figured out quite early on what this book was going to be like, so the straight forward and cliché nature of the story didn't really bother me. I took it for what it was and enjoyed the ride. I liked the futuristic world and the way they used the technologies. The time taken to delve into a few of the character's thoughts and give insight into their motivations was also a nice touch. Apart from the main plot device, the rest of the book is basically a by-the-numbers type action story which is fun, but not something that'll really stick with you.
With this book being set in the near future, it has quite a few sci fi elements, which I personally enjoy. The main plot device is actually really interesting and I loved how they went into detail about how it works and it's possibilities and limitations. The story is pretty much straight forward though, with a few too many clichés and tropes for my taste, but at least the twists and turns are somewhat creative. The characters were actually quite well written for the most part, although they also unfortunately got the trope treatment. I did feel for the protagonist, but the real antagonist was a little bit too simple in their motivations. I think my main issue with the book however, was the oversimplification of the main themes. The author goes to great lengths to neatly explain the choices the protagonist has to make, leaving no room for nuance and letting the reader figure it out for themselves.
Overall, the writing was fun, but not great. I figured out quite early on what this book was going to be like, so the straight forward and cliché nature of the story didn't really bother me. I took it for what it was and enjoyed the ride. I liked the futuristic world and the way they used the technologies. The time taken to delve into a few of the character's thoughts and give insight into their motivations was also a nice touch. Apart from the main plot device, the rest of the book is basically a by-the-numbers type action story which is fun, but not something that'll really stick with you.