A review by jackroche
Hell is the Absence of God by James Trimarco, Ted Chiang

reflective 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? Yes

2.0

My gut is to compare to Asimov, in that it feels like a story as a mean of explaining a cool idea, without much in the way of emotional investment or styled prose. I do find the idea itself to be a much richer and more complex one than that of “The Last Question”, but the apparent open-endedness doesn’t leave much room for contemplation. And there are characters, but they feel purely like allegorical figures for story function, which almost makes me wish he hadn’t written them at all.