Reviews

Labyrinthian by Sunny Moraine

tregina's review

4.0

I bought this book when it first came out but I've been sitting on it since then because I knew what I was getting into with it and I knew that the day was going to come when I was going to need to read this book, that it would be exactly what I was looking for. Then that day came and I was right. I am always up for the blending of mythology with science fiction and it is quite deft here, plus the emotional core of the story is very satisfying.

eacolgan's review

4.0

I've had the pleasure of appreciating Sunny's writing for a few years now, and Labyrinthian was a reminder of many of the things they excel at: namely, character development, world building, and atmosphere. The different scenes flowed into each other in a way that made sense, even as the tone drastically changed from fast-paced to tranquil to tense. Theseus was a good character to have narrate the story, and his flaws made him a believable and sympathetic hero. Overall an enjoyable story from a talented writer; I look forward to reading more in the Line and Orbit universe.

ecath's review

3.0

Knowing the author doesn't diminish the good things going on in this book. This is a riff on the legend of Theseus and the minotaur, and happens to be set in space, because yes. When you take science fiction and add Greek mythology, you have my complete and utter attention. Sunny creates a universe you want to roll around in, much like Firefly, where it feels deep and expansive, beyond the corner you get to explore. (See more of this world in Line & Orbit!)

nightcolors's review

2.0

The story was mostly fine. But it didn't work for me overall. The beginning few chapters were interesting but a big chunk of the middle part felt unnecessarily dragged on. I kept losing interest and putting the book down. It ended up taking me 3 days to finish. This section rather made me lose interest in Taur and Theseus's relationship.

I was much more interested in the story behind Taur and his siblings' existences. The mystery and the adventure. But there wasn't as much of that storyline as I would've liked.

Maia's death and Theseus's story of his brother's death were very emotional and well-written, I thought. Also, I couldn't understand why Taur felt he and Theseus had to separate from the other siblings at the end.