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mentat_stem's review
4.0
Mostly academic politics (and some actual politics), slowly unraveling the mystery of an object with strange physical properties. Some action and romance is tossed in for good measure. Very dry and I'm not sure there's anyone I would actually recommend it to.
Glowing endorsement, right? Well, it was a VERY relaxing read for me and I enjoyed the science. Considering how idea dense I normally take my fiction, this single idea - extrapolated from a handful of "maybes" grounded in current (as of mid '80s) theoretical physics - managed to grab my interest and carry me along for the length of a novel. Mostly good writing. The "good" characters got fleshed out quite nicely - flaws and catastrophic mistakes and all - while the "bad" characters were cardboard cutouts.
Expanding my thoughts for a blog post.
Glowing endorsement, right? Well, it was a VERY relaxing read for me and I enjoyed the science. Considering how idea dense I normally take my fiction, this single idea - extrapolated from a handful of "maybes" grounded in current (as of mid '80s) theoretical physics - managed to grab my interest and carry me along for the length of a novel. Mostly good writing. The "good" characters got fleshed out quite nicely - flaws and catastrophic mistakes and all - while the "bad" characters were cardboard cutouts.
Expanding my thoughts for a blog post.
northeastbookworm's review
5.0
Excellent scientific thriller about the attempts to locate and contain a monopole. Benford does a great job describing how science is really done.
ericlawton's review
1.0
Appalling.
Even as SciFi, the premise is not enough for a full length book.
But as a misogynist and colonialist novel, it takes many sexust myths for granted and enthusiastically supports the theft, by the United States using heavily armed force, of artifacts from Greece.
Defenders only have the excuse that it's a few decades old and that's how "we" thought, are refuted by characters in the book who opposed this, showing that people in those times objected to the bigotry, so people could have known better, but the author portrays them as obviously foolish for rejecting male and US superiority.
Even as SciFi, the premise is not enough for a full length book.
But as a misogynist and colonialist novel, it takes many sexust myths for granted and enthusiastically supports the theft, by the United States using heavily armed force, of artifacts from Greece.
Defenders only have the excuse that it's a few decades old and that's how "we" thought, are refuted by characters in the book who opposed this, showing that people in those times objected to the bigotry, so people could have known better, but the author portrays them as obviously foolish for rejecting male and US superiority.
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