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dllman05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
3.0
A serial killer, a sentient spaceship, a set of ancient dice, and a creature stalking them all. Jumps between the present day and the much distant future near a singularity in space that lacks an event horizon. Had some really brilliant moments and chapters but then those would trade off with chapters which were so convoluted and confusing that it was difficult to maintain the narrative. Did ultimately tie together at the end and likely redeemed a couple of stars late in the novel to go from didn’t like it to above average. Hard science fiction and perhaps hard to like but I came around in the end.
malenfant's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spikespiegel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
songwind's review against another edition
This book is well written, and interesting, but not engaging. I never came to care about any of the characters and the plot took too long to develop, and so the book was never compelling. Because of this, I did not finish it before it had to go back to the library.
grayjay's review against another edition
3.0
I would say this novel sometimakes sense and sometimes doesn't, but as it is a bit of a satire, maybe that was the point. Blending elements of cyberpunk, space opera, and noir mystery, it features three unrelated characters whose stories are connected by violence and a difficulty in controlling their own destinies.
Michael Kearney is a serial killer and physicist in the 1990s who is on the brink of a discovery that enables space travel and the future settings of the lives of the other two characters—Seria Mau a cybernetic-human disembodied consciousness piloting a stolen military ship, and Ed Chianese, a Virtual Reality junky who falls in with a circus and is put to work as a prophet.
Michael Kearney is a serial killer and physicist in the 1990s who is on the brink of a discovery that enables space travel and the future settings of the lives of the other two characters—Seria Mau a cybernetic-human disembodied consciousness piloting a stolen military ship, and Ed Chianese, a Virtual Reality junky who falls in with a circus and is put to work as a prophet.
angelicide's review against another edition
3.0
An alternate title for this book might be, "WTF?"
I rarely have a difficult time following the plot of a book, but I had absolutely no idea what was going on here until at least two-thirds of the way in. I'm glad I finished it because, although I still don't understand everything that happened, some of the concepts I did manage to grasp were mind-blowing.
The author has a real talent for language and dialogue. His writing is, for lack of a better word, beautiful. He has problems, though, in the area of coherent storytelling. Think William Gibson on LSD.
One of my personal pet peeves involves writers failing to trust the reader and telling them too much. With this book, the pendulum definitely swung the other way. If he had been a bit less poetic and focused more on concrete details rather than dreamy, disconnected imagery, this would probably have been one of my favorite books.
I rarely have a difficult time following the plot of a book, but I had absolutely no idea what was going on here until at least two-thirds of the way in. I'm glad I finished it because, although I still don't understand everything that happened, some of the concepts I did manage to grasp were mind-blowing.
The author has a real talent for language and dialogue. His writing is, for lack of a better word, beautiful. He has problems, though, in the area of coherent storytelling. Think William Gibson on LSD.
One of my personal pet peeves involves writers failing to trust the reader and telling them too much. With this book, the pendulum definitely swung the other way. If he had been a bit less poetic and focused more on concrete details rather than dreamy, disconnected imagery, this would probably have been one of my favorite books.
hyponome's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pedey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
4.5