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justiceofkalr's review
5.0
So when I read older sci-fi I get frustrated by how terribly written the female characters are... if they're even there. This book is pretty much the exact opposite of that. Caroline wins everything. Also the plot was really fun and entertaining. I meant to just read a chapter or two and ended up reading half the book before I'd realized it because it was so easy to get drawn into.
oswallt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jazmin5644's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
weesam_nz's review
4.0
The only book by Simak I have previously read is the wonderful [b:Way Station|190999|Way Station|Clifford D. Simak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326490682s/190999.jpg|348798]. I've been meaning to read more of Simak for years, and have been collecting his books from second hand bookshops whenever I find them.
Cosmic Engineers didn't reach Way Station levels of enjoyment for me, but it certainly wasn't far off. It is a delightful gem of a book which includes god-like beings, time travel, robots, multiple dimensions, space exploration and cryogenics. All this and more packed into a very small book. If you have a couple hours to spare and don't know what to do with yourself, pick up this book and enjoy.
Cosmic Engineers didn't reach Way Station levels of enjoyment for me, but it certainly wasn't far off. It is a delightful gem of a book which includes god-like beings, time travel, robots, multiple dimensions, space exploration and cryogenics. All this and more packed into a very small book. If you have a couple hours to spare and don't know what to do with yourself, pick up this book and enjoy.
markyon's review
3.0
Wham-bam space opera, originally from 1939 but expanded into short novel form by 1950.
It does show its age a little, with rootin'-tootin' Space Reporters, a gorgeous gal who's stayed in suspended animation (but with her mind working!) for hundreds of years.
But there's some great, if implausible, ideas here: colliding universes, alien races, massive machines.
Very much in the Doc Smith vein; not surprisingly, really.
Good fun, but by no means Simak's best.
It does show its age a little, with rootin'-tootin' Space Reporters, a gorgeous gal who's stayed in suspended animation (but with her mind working!) for hundreds of years.
But there's some great, if implausible, ideas here: colliding universes, alien races, massive machines.
Very much in the Doc Smith vein; not surprisingly, really.
Good fun, but by no means Simak's best.
sloshydolphin's review
2.0
Goldern Era sci-fi that aged very badly. While some of the science for the time was impressive and the actual brains of the story is a woman ("a slip of a girl) albeit the woman had been thinking for a thousand years instead of sewing and baking. I have read many Simak and this was i believe a very early work that was fleshed out from a short story. I think it would have been better as a short story.
lindzey's review
2.0
This was old-school hard sci-fi, with thin characters. At least it wasn't long.
A pair of reporters are doing a year-long tour of the solar system when they stumble upon a disabled spaceship containing a woman in suspended animation. It turns out that she has been thinking for 1000 years, and understands math/physics that nobody else does. At Pluto, they encounter transmitted thoughts from a far-away civilization, begging for help. This turns into a slog of faster-than-light-travel, multi-universes, time travel, etc.
A pair of reporters are doing a year-long tour of the solar system when they stumble upon a disabled spaceship containing a woman in suspended animation. It turns out that she has been thinking for 1000 years, and understands math/physics that nobody else does. At Pluto, they encounter transmitted thoughts from a far-away civilization, begging for help. This turns into a slog of faster-than-light-travel, multi-universes, time travel, etc.
the_scribbling_man's review
2.0
This was Simak's first novel(la), and it painfully shows. There are paper thin characters, and there are superfluous names on a page... Cosmic Engineers has both. The writing also makes this feel like a first draft, and is littered with rookie grammar errors.
The plot is rushed, dull and only unpredictable when making unreasonable leaps in logic. It tries to come across as hard Sci fi, but really it's mostly nonsensical. Still, this is classic Simak in many respects; time travel, utopian ideals and benevolent aliens are all classic tropes of his present here. It can make for an enjoyable little space opera at times, but at the end of the day, it's just very average.
Maybe not technically the worst of Simak that I've read, but certainly the least interesting in terms of ideas, and probably the least entertaining.
The plot is rushed, dull and only unpredictable when making unreasonable leaps in logic. It tries to come across as hard Sci fi, but really it's mostly nonsensical. Still, this is classic Simak in many respects; time travel, utopian ideals and benevolent aliens are all classic tropes of his present here. It can make for an enjoyable little space opera at times, but at the end of the day, it's just very average.
Maybe not technically the worst of Simak that I've read, but certainly the least interesting in terms of ideas, and probably the least entertaining.
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