itheory's reviews
214 reviews

Flux by Jinwoo Chong

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Quite difficult to follow. Totally bizarre that the blurb on the back of the book explains something that’s not revealed until 3/4 of the way through the novel.

Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Agency by William Gibson

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

For a book entitled “Agency“, it’s wild how little agency the main characters have. The whole plot seems to take place around them, in the background, pushing them forward with little or no action of their own. Quite bizarre and not much fun to read.

But maybe this is just a second act problem, setting the table for the third book, which has yet to be published. Curious to find out.

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Beautifully written and a bit bewildering

The Armageddon Protocol by Dan Moren

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Good fun as usual.

The Peripheral by William Gibson

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Good, but tricky to read. Have to fill in a lot of gaps and assumptions to grasp what’s happening. 

Artemis by Andy Weir

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Fun problem solving, a bit silly dialog. 

Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

War is hell

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A bit dull to be honest. Feels pseudo-intellectual, but I didn't feel a need to dig into some of the ideas to work out how much was arm waving and how much serious intellectual engagement. I'm glad to have a decent conclusion after the first book, as I feel no need to read any more of the series, even though a bunch of threads remain and some characters haven't seemed to have had a point to them yet.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ponderous