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abgolds's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Very much in the same vein as the first book, asking even stranger questions about distinct evolutionary and communication/technology paths
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Did Not Finish.
I can't explain my dislike of this book. I've read Brin's Uplift series and any number of books that explored a quite-alien-indeed society in some depth. I've had no problem with them.
I was OK with the spiders in book 1. I gave it an A.
For me, this one took a heavy punch to the solar plexus when the early colonists, who had a couple of interesting characters, I had trouble believing that any designer would build that into a non-military ship, and if they did, surely the only reason would be to keep it out of the hands of bad guys, in which case you'd make it a local and quick decision, not one that takes 31 years to implement if they get the signal, and you'd also make it one that blows everything to smithereens. AND you'd give the locals a chance to enter the "no,wait" code to stop it. It felt like "the guy crazy enough to take off his helmet is on the other ship, and I need a plot device to make this careful guy do it .... aha!"
Something about the writing style, I guess, requires me not to have been distracted by that punch.
Maybe I am used to ship AIs that are cool and funny, and I don't want to read about one that is what Kern is.
I do award almost a full point for naming Fabian's assistant ArtiFabian.
And I hope someone will do the physics of a half-kilometre jellyfish spitting rocks very, very accurately into space from a not-too-big moon. Full marks for stretching the envelope there! I wasn't reading closely enough to work out where the orbital mechanics came from. Perhaps the same system that lets 90% of dogs be really good at catching frisbees (and, amusingly, provides 10% klutzes for amusement).
I can't explain my dislike of this book. I've read Brin's Uplift series and any number of books that explored a quite-alien-indeed society in some depth. I've had no problem with them.
I was OK with the spiders in book 1. I gave it an A.
For me, this one took a heavy punch to the solar plexus when the early colonists, who had a couple of interesting characters,
Spoiler
received a message sent 31 years ago that shut down all systems.Something about the writing style, I guess, requires me not to have been distracted by that punch.
Maybe I am used to ship AIs that are cool and funny, and I don't want to read about one that is what Kern is.
I do award almost a full point for naming Fabian's assistant ArtiFabian.
And I hope someone will do the physics of a half-kilometre jellyfish spitting rocks very, very accurately into space from a not-too-big moon. Full marks for stretching the envelope there! I wasn't reading closely enough to work out where the orbital mechanics came from. Perhaps the same system that lets 90% of dogs be really good at catching frisbees (and, amusingly, provides 10% klutzes for amusement).
wauyan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hattea404's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Brilliant to see the integration of Human and portiad societies. And then we got the evolution of another society, not as detailed as the spiders, who are still my favourite, but interesting none the less. And then a 4th, species, to contend with as well. The parallel narratives again worked quite well.
melissa90's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
paulmichaelpeters's review against another edition
4.0
A good sequel that explores the oceans and space.
The first book, Children of Time, was amazing with a wonderfully written villain and one of the creepiest endings. The first book was logical and clear. It brought me fear.
Children of Ruin deals with a similar exploration of the universe when things go wrong. The plot is more sophisticated, like the minds of the alien forms discovered. Undiscovered exploration of spaces, disassembling and reassembling, and problem-solving are how these newly discovered beings operate. Parts of the story seem to be written in this mind-set. They are not always linear and clear like the first story. The writing is equally amazing, my struggle to keep track of all the complexities seemed to distract from the enjoyment of the novel. This was a similar challenge experienced in reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. But with Gone Girl, I found the ending a reward in reading, similarly with Children of Time. My hope that the last third of the novel would pay off with an amazing end was never realized. It seemed to play out as anticipated.
Again - very enjoyable - good - but not great like Children of Time. Sequels can be one of the most difficult things to write. Expectations are high and there is a level that needs to be reached. An enjoyable read, but not easy, and not as rewarding as the first.
The first book, Children of Time, was amazing with a wonderfully written villain and one of the creepiest endings. The first book was logical and clear. It brought me fear.
Children of Ruin deals with a similar exploration of the universe when things go wrong. The plot is more sophisticated, like the minds of the alien forms discovered. Undiscovered exploration of spaces, disassembling and reassembling, and problem-solving are how these newly discovered beings operate. Parts of the story seem to be written in this mind-set. They are not always linear and clear like the first story. The writing is equally amazing, my struggle to keep track of all the complexities seemed to distract from the enjoyment of the novel. This was a similar challenge experienced in reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. But with Gone Girl, I found the ending a reward in reading, similarly with Children of Time. My hope that the last third of the novel would pay off with an amazing end was never realized. It seemed to play out as anticipated.
Again - very enjoyable - good - but not great like Children of Time. Sequels can be one of the most difficult things to write. Expectations are high and there is a level that needs to be reached. An enjoyable read, but not easy, and not as rewarding as the first.
madbarron's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75