Reviews

Coalescent by Stephen Baxter

book_nerd_1's review against another edition

5.0

I'm surprised a lot of people don't like this book.
A few things about the coalescent society(subspecies?) I found pretty hard to believe.

Spoiler

(Three month pregnacies? Developing a new organ in less than two thousand years?)

but the story was great. I love the idea of eusocial humans and I love how the Xeelee Sequence goes all over time.

I think Stephen Baxter and Alestair Reynolds are the two greatest sci-fi authors of the current day.

adri_'s review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Slow start but some really cool sci fi ideas. Even if it took a long time to get there. 

Lots of thoughts about evolution and our place in the universe

lomedae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

arjohnson5623's review against another edition

2.0

For the vast majority of this book I was deeply, deeply uncomfortable. The choices of an unlikeable, selfish character set in the fall of the Roman character were almost enough to make me put the whole thing down, from prostituting out her daughter to the strange, gut reactions she had in the formation of her heritage-worshiping cult. Glimpses of a historical Arthur were possibly the only thing that saves this from a one-star review— that and the promise of science fiction world-building at the end that hinted at something better, a greater purpose to the suffering sprinkled out throughout the book. I can’t tell if the insect-like people that the Order became was misogynistic or not, or if it was a warning of groupthink, or something different. I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time, and not in a good way.

mikefield's review against another edition

2.0

Gave up about 40 percent in. Lost patience with it.

aodj's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this book, particularly the historical aspect of ancient Britain just after the fall of Rome. The later historical episodes were perhaps less enthralling, but the book overall was a good read.

elzabetg's review against another edition

3.0

Meh.

ashryn's review against another edition

3.0

Harm.. I persevered through the whole thing though I was mostly bored with the history stuff, because I wanted to know how it would link up with the modern day bit... When it finally got to the point, the book makes a fascinating illustration of the eusocial. Strangely this is a concept I was only introduced to over the weekend by an author called mark pesce - the guy who wrote upcoming book "the next billion seconds" ...funny how themes seem to do that in my life.

hawkeyegough's review against another edition

2.0

This book had some really great ideas about human nature and some promising points. Unfortunately, the book jacket led me to believe it would be pretty different than what I read. For example, there were hundreds of pages of backstory about a character who wasn’t the main character and was a really unpleasant person. The book also focused pretty heavily on some physical aspects of reproduction that were detailed to the point of being gross. And this was done repeatedly when it really only needed to be explained once (if at all in the level of detail we were offered). I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the “main” character felt as if he was barely present, the epilogue seemed disjointed and unrelated, and I came away with the feeling that this could’ve been better as a short story.

finlaaaay's review against another edition

3.0

I think Baxter has really fascinating ideas, and this one is rather a doozy - eusocial humans. I didn't like it as much as the others because I think it's a little too focused on women's bodies, and I also detected some malfeasance towards gay people, just subtle hints like characters feeling uncomfortable with it, and never really addressed by the narrative. Wasn't too into that.