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lucardus's review
3.0
Wieder so ein unschlüssiges Gesamtbild wie ich es bei fast allen bisher gelesenen Romanen von Reynolds habe. Einerseits schreibt er interessante Geschichten, andererseits habe ich oft das Gefühl, ich habe das irgendwie schon farbiger und spannender geschildert bekommen und irgendwie sieht es anfangs immer großartiger aus als sich am Ende herausstellt. Auch der zweite Band von "Poseidon's Children" bietet, trotz der etwas größeren Bühne mit den Holo-Schiffen, die zu einem anderen Sonnensystem aufgebrochen sind, eher wenig Sense of Wonder; die Protagonisten sind ok, aber ich fühle mich nur als Beobachter und kaum emotional gebunden. Banks AIs haben weitaus mehr Witz und Esprit, bei Kim Stanley Robinson hat man das Gefühl von mehr Tiefe und er schöpft mehr Wunder aus einem vergleichbaren Setting. Die wirklich interessanten Entwicklungen, wie die Merman, bleiben leider nur Nebendarsteller, wobei mich gerade deren Angelegenheiten und ein Protagonist aus deren Ecke viel stärker interessieren würden. Und auch das so groß angekündigte "afrikanische Setting" bleibt auch im zweiten Band eigentlich nur durch Elefanten und die Namen der Protagonisten erkennbar. Angesichts dessen, reicht es, auch wenn ich "On the Steele Breeze" gerne gelesen habe, nur für 3 Sterne.
Nichtsdestotrotz wird schon aus Vollständigkeitswahn der Abschlussband sicher gekauft, aber dann ist erstmal Pause mit Reynolds und ich werde lieber die Backlist von Robinson abarbeiten oder andere britische SF-Autoren ausprobieren.
Nichtsdestotrotz wird schon aus Vollständigkeitswahn der Abschlussband sicher gekauft, aber dann ist erstmal Pause mit Reynolds und ich werde lieber die Backlist von Robinson abarbeiten oder andere britische SF-Autoren ausprobieren.
timinbc's review
4.0
This is a good extension of Blue Remembered Earth. It could stand alone, but I recommend reading BRE first.
This is the kind of huge-scope Reynolds that sweeps along so grandly that you can read it quickly and not get picky about details. When the author sets the scope this large, we have to be forgiving; if he's going to get every detail perfect the story will either be abandoned or never finished.
It's full of characters who make mistakes sometimes. I like that. It's full of Big Ideas, and the plot is complex and more or less believable.
I had some quibbles, but I was able to brush them aside and enjoy the story. Still:
Chiku is the only one cloned?
I suspect the relative-time issues might not stand up to close scrutiny, but as noted above we have to allow that. It did force a clumsy catch-up near the end via encrypted feed about Eunice's actions. Which reminded me that the whole chinging thing didn't feel quite plausible - even now, as VR makes huge strides.
I don't remember from BRE how Swahili became the galactic language, and I can't shake the idea that Reynolds set that up just so he could have elephants.
There are more than a few typos, and repeated use of "breaking" for "braking". Distracting.
Didn't much care for the idea that Travertine was able to invent a superdrive that is vastly beyond the previous one and resolves all those pesky plot issues. Also, while I remember the ve/ver for that character from BRE, and the reason, it's just a given here, never explained.
I found it totally implausible that EVERYONE wanted to suppress research even though
it had become obvious that they won't be able to stop at their destination. The more one defends this with "they are self-sufficient" the more we think "c'mon, no they aren't; for one thing, what are they using for fuel?"
There are, as in so many novels, far too many convenient happenings, and it's not credible that everything important somehow involves our central people.
Two unsynchronized Arachnes, powerful and dangerous and ... hmm, this sounds like Anaander from Leckie's Ancillary series. I'm not suggesting any connection, just noting a coincidence.
So, read fast and enjoy. I look forward to the next one. Will we see Tantors on parasails above Crucible?
This is the kind of huge-scope Reynolds that sweeps along so grandly that you can read it quickly and not get picky about details. When the author sets the scope this large, we have to be forgiving; if he's going to get every detail perfect the story will either be abandoned or never finished.
It's full of characters who make mistakes sometimes. I like that. It's full of Big Ideas, and the plot is complex and more or less believable.
I had some quibbles, but I was able to brush them aside and enjoy the story. Still:
Chiku is the only one cloned?
I suspect the relative-time issues might not stand up to close scrutiny, but as noted above we have to allow that. It did force a clumsy catch-up near the end via encrypted feed about Eunice's actions. Which reminded me that the whole chinging thing didn't feel quite plausible - even now, as VR makes huge strides.
I don't remember from BRE how Swahili became the galactic language, and I can't shake the idea that Reynolds set that up just so he could have elephants.
There are more than a few typos, and repeated use of "breaking" for "braking". Distracting.
Didn't much care for the idea that Travertine was able to invent a superdrive that is vastly beyond the previous one and resolves all those pesky plot issues. Also, while I remember the ve/ver for that character from BRE, and the reason, it's just a given here, never explained.
I found it totally implausible that EVERYONE wanted to suppress research even though
it had become obvious that they won't be able to stop at their destination. The more one defends this with "they are self-sufficient" the more we think "c'mon, no they aren't; for one thing, what are they using for fuel?"
There are, as in so many novels, far too many convenient happenings, and it's not credible that everything important somehow involves our central people.
Two unsynchronized Arachnes, powerful and dangerous and ... hmm, this sounds like Anaander from Leckie's Ancillary series. I'm not suggesting any connection, just noting a coincidence.
So, read fast and enjoy. I look forward to the next one. Will we see Tantors on parasails above Crucible?
psyckers's review
4.0
A brilliant read that casts an immersive view over 500 years in the future. It deals with multiple themes like space travel across solar systems using massive ships carved out of asteroids, genetic manipulation and cloning to give us three identical protagonists to follow, An artificial intelligence that wants to learn, be self aware, and protect secrets found on 'Crucible'.
Many of these themes spawn sub themes of consequences derived from decisions and actions from the characters involved.
There is plenty to feed the imagination in this book.
Many of these themes spawn sub themes of consequences derived from decisions and actions from the characters involved.
There is plenty to feed the imagination in this book.
whiskydj's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jmoses's review
4.0
I enjoyed this nearly as much as the first entry in the series. It takes place quite a while after the first, but is certainly a direct sequel. Good story, fun characters, interesting tech.
brian9teen's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
lizziegracereads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hank's review
3.0
Disappointing. I like the world Reynolds has created but there wasn't much to this book. Same AI vs human themes with some mostly dull twists. Some fairly unbelievable politics amongst a caravan of arc ships. Everyone (bad guys) seems to go from annoying to truly evil in a heart beat. Chiku (yellow and green) come off as petulant children most of the time, whining about why other people won't help them. They get several killed, alienate family members and generally are a destabilizing, non problem solving force.
Definitely will not read the next one.
Definitely will not read the next one.
futuregazer's review
5.0
A good writing job and a wonderful audio reader performance! Don't understand why so many people seem to dislike this (so far) duology. Guess it's just to different from Reynolds's regular stuff for his longstanding audience to hack into. Since I find so few true science fiction SAGAS, I am always happy to read them; especially such unique ones.