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pewter's reviews
85 reviews
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
3.0
This book is, generally speaking, a series of poetic love letters intermixed with short vignettes of story. The world building and context is really a treasure hunt; it's one of those sci-fi styles that explains nothing and just leaves it up to the reader to "figure it out". The romantic letters, and the delivery of them, make for a unique read.
Since it's mostly letters and no linear development (it is a time travel story, after all), it difficult to feel the high stakes of the dangers the two characters are facing. It's not easy to empathize with them individually because they've no history or recognizable cultures (the attempt is a "technology versus the environment"). If I flipped open to a letter right now, I wouldn't be able to distinguish which of the two characters were speaking. They're both written in the same voice, making deciphering the story even more difficult. Their bodies aren't human, their culture isn't explained. The only thing that is relatable for a reader is their love - IF you like romantic musings and poetic waxing and wordplay.
I rated this a Three. I wanted to give it a Two for the "story", but I think there are a few lovely written moments. Perhaps if I was more interested in poetry or love stories, I would have been more invested.
Since it's mostly letters and no linear development (it is a time travel story, after all), it difficult to feel the high stakes of the dangers the two characters are facing. It's not easy to empathize with them individually because they've no history or recognizable cultures (the attempt is a "technology versus the environment"). If I flipped open to a letter right now, I wouldn't be able to distinguish which of the two characters were speaking. They're both written in the same voice, making deciphering the story even more difficult. Their bodies aren't human, their culture isn't explained. The only thing that is relatable for a reader is their love - IF you like romantic musings and poetic waxing and wordplay.
I rated this a Three. I wanted to give it a Two for the "story", but I think there are a few lovely written moments. Perhaps if I was more interested in poetry or love stories, I would have been more invested.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
edit: After realizing that the next books in the series do not follow this main plot or characters, I did change my rating to 4. All the potential this has as a launching point kind of fizzles; all of the flaws a bit less forgivable, if this is the case.
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Finally, some great sci-fi. TL;DR, it's a relaxing read that leaves potential for more.
This is exactly what I'm looking for in terms of world building, character development, story arcs, and techno-terminology. Sci-fi that doesn't over- or under- explain it's world building, as well as explores space and tech in a beautiful, "believable" way.
We've got some relatable characters (both human and not) with unique voices, diverse motivations, and interesting backstories. Though our story begins with a human woman, we get excellent coverage of all our interesting crewmates. Beyond the sci-fi jargon (which is not difficult to contextualize), there is a great deal of humanity and real-life, fleshed-out feelings aboard this ship. Intermixed, we get a little diverse cultural, gender, and romantic exploration (though not enough to derail the momentum of main plot). The dialogue is engaging and believable.
The alien races and the AI all seem believable for sci-fi, albeit a little safe. Similarly, the futuristic technology reflects more of an extension of "sci-fi" than it would an extension of our current tech (motion gestures, holograms, things that fit an older idea of "futuristic"). I think it is the authors intent to fit right into "classic" sci-fi and it's a smart choice - instead of spending hours explaining tech jargon and explaining electronics, we get ample time to explore the characters and relationships instead - clearly what the story is meant to be about.
That is not to say it isn't flawless - the world building borders on exposition at times, often explained to us through not-quite-forced dialogue. The main cast are all very likeable - almost too much so, with few dislike-able traits. Even the antagonists of the story aren't horrible. The book almost reads like a series of character arcs on our way to the plot, like everyone gets their own little episode and then we move on to the next person. This could probably have been handled a little more organically, but since it's the first in a series and it's used for world building - and because I enjoyed them a lot - I forgive it.
All in all, I gotta give this book a 4/5 It's not a perfect book, but it leaves me wanting so much more from the universe. The author has planted a lot of potential here - can't wait for the next.
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PS - really loved the casual uses of xe/xyr pronouns, as well as explorations of gender, physical touch, and sexuality (without being overt). Again, it's just a little hint of potential, and I eagerly wait to see what more this universe has to offer.
--
Finally, some great sci-fi. TL;DR, it's a relaxing read that leaves potential for more.
This is exactly what I'm looking for in terms of world building, character development, story arcs, and techno-terminology. Sci-fi that doesn't over- or under- explain it's world building, as well as explores space and tech in a beautiful, "believable" way.
We've got some relatable characters (both human and not) with unique voices, diverse motivations, and interesting backstories. Though our story begins with a human woman, we get excellent coverage of all our interesting crewmates. Beyond the sci-fi jargon (which is not difficult to contextualize), there is a great deal of humanity and real-life, fleshed-out feelings aboard this ship. Intermixed, we get a little diverse cultural, gender, and romantic exploration (though not enough to derail the momentum of main plot). The dialogue is engaging and believable.
The alien races and the AI all seem believable for sci-fi, albeit a little safe. Similarly, the futuristic technology reflects more of an extension of "sci-fi" than it would an extension of our current tech (motion gestures, holograms, things that fit an older idea of "futuristic"). I think it is the authors intent to fit right into "classic" sci-fi and it's a smart choice - instead of spending hours explaining tech jargon and explaining electronics, we get ample time to explore the characters and relationships instead - clearly what the story is meant to be about.
That is not to say it isn't flawless - the world building borders on exposition at times, often explained to us through not-quite-forced dialogue. The main cast are all very likeable - almost too much so, with few dislike-able traits. Even the antagonists of the story aren't horrible. The book almost reads like a series of character arcs on our way to the plot, like everyone gets their own little episode and then we move on to the next person. This could probably have been handled a little more organically, but since it's the first in a series and it's used for world building - and because I enjoyed them a lot - I forgive it.
All in all, I gotta give this book a 4/5 It's not a perfect book, but it leaves me wanting so much more from the universe. The author has planted a lot of potential here - can't wait for the next.
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PS - really loved the casual uses of xe/xyr pronouns, as well as explorations of gender, physical touch, and sexuality (without being overt). Again, it's just a little hint of potential, and I eagerly wait to see what more this universe has to offer.