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thegreatgabsby's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not usually a fan of SF (totally Team Fantasy) and I got the impression (from the blurb) that this would be pretty heavy on romance (and would potentially be unbearably saccharine) but I decided to read it anyway since it was short and the non-romance-related premise sounded interesting. Boy, was I glad I did. The (translated) writing was easy to follow, the action engaging (and this coming from someone with an almost non-existent attention span) and the romance kept to a bare minimum. While some parts took slower reads to understand (especially all the time-hopping, alternate-timestream madness), it was a pretty exciting read overall.
_wiz_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I couldn't get into the style - this might be a translation issue, but I think not.
colophonphile's review against another edition
Time travel sci-fi, translated from the Japanese. Chapters alternate back and forth between 248AD Japan and various alternate universes along an ever-splitting time line, some far in the future, some deep in the past, some recent yet fundamentally changed. Ogawa manages to handle both the universe's quantum weirdness and the characters' emotional intensity, a combination of skills something not every sci-fi author can muster. The telling is blessedly taut, and the translation seems strong -- a few phrases ably distinguish colloquialisms during different eras, and considering how complicated it can be to unravel time-travel confusion, kudos to Jim Hubbert for having made sense of it in the adapted English.
(Full disclosure, I worked for five years for the company that later published this book.)
(Full disclosure, I worked for five years for the company that later published this book.)
sednadragon35's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was interesting yet I do think as a stand alone it did not have time to explore the world and the characters but I think that it would have done better as a duology or trilogy.
mistrum_crowe's review against another edition
4.0
A definite recommendation to anyone who likes time travel, especially the ones that present some form of interesting play on the conventions. It is quite grim in tone, if a little detached when it comes to details of battles. The ending is kind of weak, but it doesn't detract too much from a really solid piece of writing. I'd most certainly pick up more of this author's work.
lobodepapel's review against another edition
3.0
No es mal libro, pero a mi gusto está medio plano: Mucha descripción de datos que igual no te importan, poca descripción de los que sí te importan y, válgame la rebusnancia, la emoción no es muy emocionante.
Maybe I was not in the mood.
Maybe I was not in the mood.
tom_my's review against another edition
3.0
Really good and interesting. But I devently need to reread some time!
calcifie's review
5.0
This was my first sci-fi book.
It made me cry, laugh and blush.
Words cannot describe this book except for...
I loved it.
It made me cry, laugh and blush.
Words cannot describe this book except for...
I loved it.
yonnyan's review
5.0
Over the weekend, I had the wonderful pleasure of re-reading an #OwnVoices Japanese, science-fiction novel called [b:The Lord of the Sands of Time|6154327|The Lord of the Sands of Time|Issui Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348715383s/6154327.jpg|6333492] by Issui Ogawa for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon. It’s a book that I’ve owned for a long time, and one that I had only read when I originally bought it. After reading it on Saturday, I mentally kicked myself because this is a book that I should read more frequently. There’s more depth within the one-hundred-ninety-some-odd pages of this novel then there is within an entire multi-volume saga of science-fiction books.
The book revolves around a cyborg named Messenger Orville who was created in the 26th century only to be sent back into multiple points in time with fellow cyborgs as an effort to save humanity from going extinct via an alien race known simply as ET.
One of the main aspects of the book that I found to be very compelling is the era of 3rd century Japan, which is a focal point within the book. In Japanese history, in very early times almost to ancient era, Japan was divided into four countries, each corresponding to one of the points on a compass. The ruler of these regions was a woman, chosen at a very young age, to bear the title of Himiko. Himiko was originally a shaman queen, and the chosen girl who bore the title of Himiko was a figurehead and person of worship for the Japanese people. She was someone to whom they all looked up to for guidance and prosperity. This is something that is rarely explored within Japanese literature, particularly modern Japanese literature. Because this era is examined in conjunction with speculative elements, it makes this small book one hell of a fucking read. If you are a fan of Japanese history at its most earliest, then this will definitely be of interest to you. The adaptation of this historical era is woven quite spectacularly with the plot to create a fascinating and evocative thrill ride.
Historical dressing aside, there are many other things to enjoy with [b:The Lord of the Sands of Time|6154327|The Lord of the Sands of Time|Issui Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348715383s/6154327.jpg|6333492] such as our protagonist, Messenger O. The interesting notion of a fabricated machine with a highly adaptive and sentient artificial intelligence system being able to feel emotions similarly to humans is mind-fucking-blowing. It’s written with great care to portray the internal conflicts that the cyborgs face when dealing with emotions with which they have no familiarity. It’s wickedly smart and deliciously contemplative. Couple this with human interactions and a world where relations between machine and humans are just a natural part of life, you’ve got my favourite part of the entire novel.
Other pleasant qualities: an electrically charged pace, the different periods of history reimagined with retro-futuristic traits, an authentic and bittersweet romance, and motifs fuelled with conflicting ideals on the malice, greed, and corruption that shapes human nature.
I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of speculative fiction. I would also like to mention that literature like this is one of the many reasons that I fucking love Japanese literature so goddamn much.
4.75 heartbeats outta 5!
The book revolves around a cyborg named Messenger Orville who was created in the 26th century only to be sent back into multiple points in time with fellow cyborgs as an effort to save humanity from going extinct via an alien race known simply as ET.
One of the main aspects of the book that I found to be very compelling is the era of 3rd century Japan, which is a focal point within the book. In Japanese history, in very early times almost to ancient era, Japan was divided into four countries, each corresponding to one of the points on a compass. The ruler of these regions was a woman, chosen at a very young age, to bear the title of Himiko. Himiko was originally a shaman queen, and the chosen girl who bore the title of Himiko was a figurehead and person of worship for the Japanese people. She was someone to whom they all looked up to for guidance and prosperity. This is something that is rarely explored within Japanese literature, particularly modern Japanese literature. Because this era is examined in conjunction with speculative elements, it makes this small book one hell of a fucking read. If you are a fan of Japanese history at its most earliest, then this will definitely be of interest to you. The adaptation of this historical era is woven quite spectacularly with the plot to create a fascinating and evocative thrill ride.
Historical dressing aside, there are many other things to enjoy with [b:The Lord of the Sands of Time|6154327|The Lord of the Sands of Time|Issui Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348715383s/6154327.jpg|6333492] such as our protagonist, Messenger O. The interesting notion of a fabricated machine with a highly adaptive and sentient artificial intelligence system being able to feel emotions similarly to humans is mind-fucking-blowing. It’s written with great care to portray the internal conflicts that the cyborgs face when dealing with emotions with which they have no familiarity. It’s wickedly smart and deliciously contemplative. Couple this with human interactions and a world where relations between machine and humans are just a natural part of life, you’ve got my favourite part of the entire novel.
Other pleasant qualities: an electrically charged pace, the different periods of history reimagined with retro-futuristic traits, an authentic and bittersweet romance, and motifs fuelled with conflicting ideals on the malice, greed, and corruption that shapes human nature.
I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of speculative fiction. I would also like to mention that literature like this is one of the many reasons that I fucking love Japanese literature so goddamn much.
4.75 heartbeats outta 5!
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