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owl83's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
I might have gone 3 or 3.5 stars if there had been the SLIGHTEST clue that this is set in a universe that was described in an earlier book.
Or if I had been told to set my brain closer to Doctor Who than to classic SF. We have telepaths, teleportation, dimensional travel (implying time travel), mindships, and much more.
We have a First Contact that isn't really, because half the people in the book have apparently been working with the aliens for a while now.
We start with an interesting subplot with Owen and his entourage. Then suddenly we have a mildly interesting team being trained for a job, which we never actually find out about, and their trainers are annoyingly reticent with information. Enigmatic trainers appear and disappear.
Eventually it's revealed that there are several alien cultures with eleventeen subgroups, and one has infiltrated Earth. OK. Taking them out requires revealing that about half the characters are actually something/someone else, and deploying their various implausible skills so that the world's leaders can be led like kindergarten students into a safe future. "Trust us, we know what's good for you!"
Very little actually happens in this book. There's an enormous amount of VR, and people talking to each other, and indeed a lot of the important stuff stays offstage.
In the end this feels like book 12 of a 15-book series, and I felt quite excluded from whatever the hell was going on. It didn't help that and you know what, the hell with it, I'm staying with the two stars. This whole thing is written for a club I don't belong to, even after reading more than 3000 SF/F books.
Or if I had been told to set my brain closer to Doctor Who than to classic SF. We have telepaths, teleportation, dimensional travel (implying time travel), mindships, and much more.
We have a First Contact that isn't really, because half the people in the book have apparently been working with the aliens for a while now.
We start with an interesting subplot with Owen and his entourage. Then suddenly we have a mildly interesting team being trained for a job, which we never actually find out about, and their trainers are annoyingly reticent with information. Enigmatic trainers appear and disappear.
Eventually it's revealed that there are several alien cultures with eleventeen subgroups, and one has infiltrated Earth. OK. Taking them out requires revealing that about half the characters are actually something/someone else, and deploying their various implausible skills so that the world's leaders can be led like kindergarten students into a safe future. "Trust us, we know what's good for you!"
Very little actually happens in this book. There's an enormous amount of VR, and people talking to each other, and indeed a lot of the important stuff stays offstage.
In the end this feels like book 12 of a 15-book series, and I felt quite excluded from whatever the hell was going on. It didn't help that
Spoiler
Narua is actually Kirat and Siha, Tareq is actually them too, Owen is Rafi and also Jon ...jordyn_lightyear's review against another edition
I picked this up because of the women's prize but didn't realise it was the third book in a trilogy. Couldn't connect with it.
anna_oreally's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
helen_t_reads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
As well as the Earth struggling with rising seas and soaring temperatures, the planet is being observed from afar by other civilizations, and they are ready to make contact.
A group of dreamers and changemakers, along with a global council of young people drafted to reimagine the relationship between humankind and alien societies are preparing for just such an event.
They have an unexpected secret weapon too: Owen, a pop megastar whose ability to connect with his adoring fans is more than charisma. His hidden talent could be the key to uniting Earth as it looks toward the stars.
But Owen’s abilities are so unique that no one can control him and so seductive that he cannot help but use them. Can he transcend his human limitations and find the freedom he has always dreamed of? Or is he doomed to become the dictator of his nightmares?
Sci Fi is not one of my favourite genres at all, so I knew I this particular WPfF title might prove a personal challenge, and it really did, for several reasons.
VR, intergalactic travel and teleportation abounds, and whilst the world building is actually quite impressive, the reading experience is marred because this title is part of a series. The reader feels they have missed a considerable amount of background information, detail and history found in the previous series titles, which explain events and the myriad cast of characters in this one.
I cannot understand why the judges would select a series title for inclusion in the Women's Prize longlist, and there was absolutely nothing of merit about the writing to mitigate such a curious decision.
A vague feeling of confusion and not quite grasping significance pertains throughout: in addition to missing detail and context, there are numerous bewildering other world alliances, and, it is sometimes hard to determine which character is actually speaking within some sections of dialogue.
The characterisation is pretty one dimensional, and there is too much - way too much - telling rather than showing.
I bravely battled on to the end, and thankfully it was a fairly short novel, but even taking into account my lack of affinity with the genre, this one was a bit of a struggle.
A group of dreamers and changemakers, along with a global council of young people drafted to reimagine the relationship between humankind and alien societies are preparing for just such an event.
They have an unexpected secret weapon too: Owen, a pop megastar whose ability to connect with his adoring fans is more than charisma. His hidden talent could be the key to uniting Earth as it looks toward the stars.
But Owen’s abilities are so unique that no one can control him and so seductive that he cannot help but use them. Can he transcend his human limitations and find the freedom he has always dreamed of? Or is he doomed to become the dictator of his nightmares?
Sci Fi is not one of my favourite genres at all, so I knew I this particular WPfF title might prove a personal challenge, and it really did, for several reasons.
VR, intergalactic travel and teleportation abounds, and whilst the world building is actually quite impressive, the reading experience is marred because this title is part of a series. The reader feels they have missed a considerable amount of background information, detail and history found in the previous series titles, which explain events and the myriad cast of characters in this one.
I cannot understand why the judges would select a series title for inclusion in the Women's Prize longlist, and there was absolutely nothing of merit about the writing to mitigate such a curious decision.
A vague feeling of confusion and not quite grasping significance pertains throughout: in addition to missing detail and context, there are numerous bewildering other world alliances, and, it is sometimes hard to determine which character is actually speaking within some sections of dialogue.
The characterisation is pretty one dimensional, and there is too much - way too much - telling rather than showing.
I bravely battled on to the end, and thankfully it was a fairly short novel, but even taking into account my lack of affinity with the genre, this one was a bit of a struggle.
alipals's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lizzie_is_reading's review against another edition
I have never DNFed a book in my life. I am not a huge sci fi fan but have read and enjoyed some. I started reading this as it was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction but I just cannot bring myself to finish it. I found out it is the 3rd book in a series which makes me feel slightly better about giving up. I don't care about the characters or the plot or the writing.
flightyrachel's review against another edition
I think I need to read the previous two books as I have no idea what's going on.
readingtheend's review against another edition
4.0
a lovely slow gentle First Contact story. love this. it felt like a prequel to Star Trek, and I can give no higher compliment than that. Karen Lord is so cool.