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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still steaming from one of the reviews here suggesting that because this book doesn't bridge the gap between SF and Fine Lit'rachuh, it wasn't worth reading and probably wasn't worth writing.
Feh. The author gets to choose what kind of book it is, and is under no obligation to any reader. Many authors can't even align themselves with what makes money, because their compulsion is to write the story they want to tell.
Can Palmer write stuff that readers like? Hugo award says yes. Now, her first novel, and it's fun, with a what's-going-to-happen-next plot, interesting worldbuilding, and a central character who's pretty much MacGyver in Space but has some people and self issues to work through. Competing-power-groups is a good base for a story, and Palmer interestingly spreads them along the good-bad spectrum.
Here in COVID time, it's exactly the kind of story I wanted. Come back next year if you demand a groundbreaking tour de force, informed by transcendent sensibilities and revealing a shattering understanding of the human condition, leaving the reader in tears at the realization that Shakespeare and Derrida and Borges were just scratching at the edges of the superb intellectual achievement that is finally realized here.
The Asiig? Somehow I knew halfway through that they were going to be greatly underexplained by the end. But Palmer did an OK job of at least showing one and hinting at their nature. As if she wants me to NEED to read book two ... well, I will.
Maybe we'll find out who the Shielders came to be, and get a story about how this Space Place came to be, and how the shields got built. Hmm, maybe they're made of scrith!
Feh. The author gets to choose what kind of book it is, and is under no obligation to any reader. Many authors can't even align themselves with what makes money, because their compulsion is to write the story they want to tell.
Can Palmer write stuff that readers like? Hugo award says yes. Now, her first novel, and it's fun, with a what's-going-to-happen-next plot, interesting worldbuilding, and a central character who's pretty much MacGyver in Space but has some people and self issues to work through. Competing-power-groups is a good base for a story, and Palmer interestingly spreads them along the good-bad spectrum.
Here in COVID time, it's exactly the kind of story I wanted. Come back next year if you demand a groundbreaking tour de force, informed by transcendent sensibilities and revealing a shattering understanding of the human condition, leaving the reader in tears at the realization that Shakespeare and Derrida and Borges were just scratching at the edges of the superb intellectual achievement that is finally realized here.
The Asiig? Somehow I knew halfway through that they were going to be greatly underexplained by the end. But Palmer did an OK job of at least showing one and hinting at their nature. As if she wants me to NEED to read book two ... well, I will.
Maybe we'll find out who the Shielders came to be, and get a story about how this Space Place came to be, and how the shields got built. Hmm, maybe they're made of scrith!
cecile87's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this romp, even though it was overstuffed with characters, world-building, structures I couldn’t visualize in my mind, and quite a few obstacles our hero had to surmount. Towards the end, I wasn’t quite sure what all was going on. There was a war—to grab power over a ramshackle of a space community. But the alliances left me confused—at least the ones of the bad guys. Still don’t know what the Aseeg are and their purpose in the story.
There were characters I hadn’t kept track of. I listened to this book rather than read an e-book, which made it a challenge to keep track of everything going on. If I read the next edition I will borrow an e-copy rather than audio. The reader was fair—although he seemed to drone on, with tepid alterations of his voice for characters. There were so many, I don’t blame him.
There were characters I hadn’t kept track of. I listened to this book rather than read an e-book, which made it a challenge to keep track of everything going on. If I read the next edition I will borrow an e-copy rather than audio. The reader was fair—although he seemed to drone on, with tepid alterations of his voice for characters. There were so many, I don’t blame him.
lowkeymarie's review against another edition
Never feels good to DNF a giveaway, but I'm not about to put myself in a reading slump. 🤷🏻♀️
There was interesting stuff going on in the setting, but there was way too much technobabble, I didn't care about the plot or the characters, and none of the humor was landing for me.
There was interesting stuff going on in the setting, but there was way too much technobabble, I didn't care about the plot or the characters, and none of the humor was landing for me.
smg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
alinareading's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
matty_braugen's review
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
4.0
geekwayne's review
3.0
'The Finder' by Suzanne Palmer was the October pick for my online book club.
It's a SF novel about a sort of repo man in space named Fergus Ferguson. He is on his way to recover a stolen space ship, but before that can happen, he is sabotaged and left for dead. He finds himself amongst a family of clones, in a group of space stations with quesionable food and a cryptic cipher to solve that will get him access to the ship. His capers lead him to devise odd inventions, ala McGyver, and to think on his feet a lot.
I liked it well enough, but there were numerous deaths of groups of people off on the sides of the novel. This bothered me because I was never led to care about them and the brutality felt a bit too casual. Still, I might be in for a next adventure because the story sped by nicely.
It's a SF novel about a sort of repo man in space named Fergus Ferguson. He is on his way to recover a stolen space ship, but before that can happen, he is sabotaged and left for dead. He finds himself amongst a family of clones, in a group of space stations with quesionable food and a cryptic cipher to solve that will get him access to the ship. His capers lead him to devise odd inventions, ala McGyver, and to think on his feet a lot.
I liked it well enough, but there were numerous deaths of groups of people off on the sides of the novel. This bothered me because I was never led to care about them and the brutality felt a bit too casual. Still, I might be in for a next adventure because the story sped by nicely.
elllljayyyy's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ibnjah's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mimig312's review
3.0
Review forthcoming... initial thoughts... took about 100 + pages to get into this story. Its a breezy sci-fi read and good palate cleanser from heavier space operas.