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darbar's review against another edition
3.0
This was a hard one to rate. I loved the suspense and trying to figure out the murderer and the clues, but then it just sort of... Ends. No one is really happy and the people are cut off from earth in the middle of nowhere in the galaxy.
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Aw, darn it, it started so well.
Great setup, but after a while it seemed there was a lot of handwaving going on about how we got from plot point 201 to 202 etc. with quite a bit of "we can't" but two pages later they do. It's all going pear-shaped in space and flashbang! they're nearly all on the planet and various new players are taking charge and it all just fizzles out.
Shell was good, Joké was just annoying, Salvo deserved more attention.
How was Carmila able to be so, er, successful? How was she controlling Brisbane? WAY too much handwaving there.
Great setup, but after a while it seemed there was a lot of handwaving going on about how we got from plot point 201 to 202 etc. with quite a bit of "we can't" but two pages later they do. It's all going pear-shaped in space and flashbang! they're nearly all on the planet and various new players are taking charge and it all just fizzles out.
Shell was good, Joké was just annoying, Salvo deserved more attention.
How was Carmila able to be so, er, successful? How was she controlling Brisbane? WAY too much handwaving there.
jamesnotlatimer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this, mainly because of the ending. While I really liked the book and found it propulsive and compelling, I also felt like too many major threads were left dangling. I don't need everything tied up in a tidy bow by the end, but the ending didn't leave me feeling that anything had been entirely resolved, which was a shame. Space is the perfect environment for a locked-room mystery, and I'd love to read more books like this--just, maybe, with more resolution at the end.
I have mixed feelings about this, mainly because of the ending. While I really liked the book and found it propulsive and compelling, I also felt like too many major threads were left dangling. I don't need everything tied up in a tidy bow by the end, but the ending didn't leave me feeling that anything had been entirely resolved, which was a shame. Space is the perfect environment for a locked-room mystery, and I'd love to read more books like this--just, maybe, with more resolution at the end.
hazzatronica's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Cool promise, often really boring tho.
nadia55's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up on a whim because I liked the cover and the premise sounded interesting, and it ended up just reminding me why I'm usually so precious about what sci-fi I read (even though I love the genre). It was a good premise with some very compelling elements that all just fell very flat. There was a bigger story to be told here that the author just missed (or ignored?) which is fascinating given what is explicitly stated in the afterword. Also, tonally this was all over the map and in my opinion missed really ramping up the tension at several key moments. Part of the problem here was the characters all felt like characters, I could never actually forget that these were not real people and consequently just didn't care about them. I think part of my problem is I expected this to have more of a horror vibe, given the way the story was set up, imagine something in the vein of Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant.
euanspeaks's review against another edition
4.0
Thompson, in a single thome, does better world building than so much sci fi. The space industrial complex is vividly described, and I think the human influence on the universe feels real because it's so deeply flawed and populated by flawed people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if the resolution didn't quite pop like a whodunnit. It's space opera, without a doubt, rather than another genre.
thestainlesssteelrat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
A wonderful mystery of how a colony ship is hijacked and passengers murdered all whilst under the sole control of the AI captain.
The ship launches from Earth travels via gates to Lagos Station before eventually arriving at an established colony planet called Bloodroot.
The crew is essentially the ship itself Ragtime an embedded AI. There is a human crew member who like all passengers travels in stasis, but she is really just there as back up and eventual handover of the passengers.
So how does the back up react when she is thrust into chaos of the Ragtime seemingly offline and 30 odd passengers brutally butchered to death and a wolf roaming the ship.
Although at her destination the ship has to be quarantined and the culprit must be caught, before the colonists can be handed over.
This is such a well told story filled with fully realised characters. There are themes of psychological welfare, separation, belonging, capitalist critique and spirituality inter woven into this locked room mystery in space.
Highly recommend this wonderful standalone novel.
The ship launches from Earth travels via gates to Lagos Station before eventually arriving at an established colony planet called Bloodroot.
The crew is essentially the ship itself Ragtime an embedded AI. There is a human crew member who like all passengers travels in stasis, but she is really just there as back up and eventual handover of the passengers.
So how does the back up react when she is thrust into chaos of the Ragtime seemingly offline and 30 odd passengers brutally butchered to death and a wolf roaming the ship.
Although at her destination the ship has to be quarantined and the culprit must be caught, before the colonists can be handed over.
This is such a well told story filled with fully realised characters. There are themes of psychological welfare, separation, belonging, capitalist critique and spirituality inter woven into this locked room mystery in space.
Highly recommend this wonderful standalone novel.
floriancraft's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
bethiguess's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Love a good murder mystery. Especially one set in space