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beyonator's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ipb1's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Wyndham throughout my teens (in all his many pseudonymous forms), but somehow missed this one... and now I wish I had continued to pass it by. The central conceit has potential enough (a multi-generational obsession to explore space), but the stories are just too inconsequential to be of much interest. Ah well - I'll blame Lucas Parkes for dragging Wyndham down.
ratgrrrl's review
3.0
Wonderfully Speculative, But Exceedingly Dry
I decided to take this from Time Out to Did Not Finish because life is too short and I can't see myself getting anything more from this. Not bad, just not fordl me.
As a transfemme, I will be forever amused by the protagonist's name being Troon, which if you aren't trans and/ or chronically online has become a relatively newly minted slur for trans folx, particularly transfemmes, by the particularly virulently hateful Twitter transphobes. I genuinely cracked up when I statted the audiobook.
*Currently on Time Out after reading two of the five stories*
I listened to two of the five linked stories and might come back to the rest at some point, but with so much else to read this is doubtful.
The Cold War, pre-moon landing speculation here is palpable and inspired. I can't imagine just how mind blowing this would have been at the time of publishing. But reading it today, despite the clear quality of the writing and ideas, it's difficult to get over just how dense, drawn out, and dry the writing is.
I generally like to dive into books without reviews, which now I have checked out, and, like so many Audible Included titles from famous authors, it appears that this is a long way from the best and most typical work of this author. This makes it a much better read for a fan or completionist, rather than as an introduction, so I'll be sure to read more of their classics before I return.
Decent performance, if a rather bizarre use of America accent that sounds a bit like Suzy Izzard (stand up comedian) doing an impression of Michael Shannon or Broden Kelly (Aunty Donna) as one of the many Craig Mazins.
I decided to take this from Time Out to Did Not Finish because life is too short and I can't see myself getting anything more from this. Not bad, just not fordl me.
As a transfemme, I will be forever amused by the protagonist's name being Troon, which if you aren't trans and/ or chronically online has become a relatively newly minted slur for trans folx, particularly transfemmes, by the particularly virulently hateful Twitter transphobes. I genuinely cracked up when I statted the audiobook.
*Currently on Time Out after reading two of the five stories*
I listened to two of the five linked stories and might come back to the rest at some point, but with so much else to read this is doubtful.
The Cold War, pre-moon landing speculation here is palpable and inspired. I can't imagine just how mind blowing this would have been at the time of publishing. But reading it today, despite the clear quality of the writing and ideas, it's difficult to get over just how dense, drawn out, and dry the writing is.
I generally like to dive into books without reviews, which now I have checked out, and, like so many Audible Included titles from famous authors, it appears that this is a long way from the best and most typical work of this author. This makes it a much better read for a fan or completionist, rather than as an introduction, so I'll be sure to read more of their classics before I return.
Decent performance, if a rather bizarre use of America accent that sounds a bit like Suzy Izzard (stand up comedian) doing an impression of Michael Shannon or Broden Kelly (Aunty Donna) as one of the many Craig Mazins.
dorisxdw's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe even 4,5 stars, I really liked this one! I was a bit cautious because of the low rating but the description of the short stories following several members of of the Troon family over 5 generations and their part in space exploration was very intriguing. My favorites were the first and last short stories. The first story even had me shed a few tears and the last one was brilliant, especially when you finally figured out what was actually going on. However, the 4th story left me a little confused.
It is also very interesting to see how Wyndham imagined space exploration, as this book was released in 1959 and of course some things are very different.
It is also very interesting to see how Wyndham imagined space exploration, as this book was released in 1959 and of course some things are very different.
bloomsburybaker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mgeake's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ipb1's review
2.0
I loved Wyndham throughout my teens (in all his many pseudonymous forms), but somehow missed this one... and now I wish I had continued to pass it by. The central conceit has potential enough (a multi-generational obsession to explore space), but the stories are just too inconsequential to be of much interest. Ah well - I'll blame Lucas Parkes for dragging Wyndham down.
mittens_the_scamp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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
4.25
lemonicedtea's review
4.0
Interesting book! I’m a fan of Wyndham’s other works and I found this in a charity shop so I thought I’d give it a try; my expectations weren’t that high since this isn’t one of his popular/well-known books and as far as I can tell it’s no longer in print. I don’t like it as much as others of his, but still enjoyed it. Unlike most Wyndham novels, there are absolutely no aliens, rather the science-fiction aims to be “realistic” projections of how humans may expand into the solar system. Lucas Parkes is described as a “technical advisor” but in reality Parkes was Wyndham’s pen name! There are 5 separate stories set in different time periods, following generations of the Troon family. The best one in my opinion is Mars 2094.