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A review by pigsflew
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds
2.0
Diamond Dogs was an incredibly gritty story with no happy ending, and no lessons learned for the main character. It appears to be a moral lesson in greed and pride; how the characters who survive the novel seem to suffer a fate worse than death. It is of course well written, but does not contribute to the RS universe of which it is a part, except in setting up monsters to be taken down or used later (see Galactic North).
Turquoise Days made a brave attempt at exploring the Pattern Jugglers, a probable sentient species that is so alien that humans can't actually decide if it is sentient or not; it does a fantastic job of that exploration. The problem with this story is that ultimately they are contemplating the destruction of an entire world's worth of an intelligent species to prevent the reemergence of one man. It appears to me that the solution could be much more simple.
I cannot complain about the design and artful storytelling behind these two stories; Reynolds has not faltered there. But their content does not agree with me.
Turquoise Days made a brave attempt at exploring the Pattern Jugglers, a probable sentient species that is so alien that humans can't actually decide if it is sentient or not; it does a fantastic job of that exploration. The problem with this story is that ultimately they are contemplating the destruction of an entire world's worth of an intelligent species to prevent the reemergence of one man. It appears to me that the solution could be much more simple.
I cannot complain about the design and artful storytelling behind these two stories; Reynolds has not faltered there. But their content does not agree with me.