eBook, 325 pages
Published July 31, 2021 by Cosmia Press.
It is the end of history and all is known, or will be soon. Humanity long ago transitioned to the era of holy technology. Now humans present as saintly animals, spending their days in meditation and drug-induced euphoria, far from the dark secrets their paradise is founded upon. But when an ancient prophet allegedly returns in the form of a troubled young girl, galactic peace can only last so long.
Geometry for Ocelots is the story of two monarch siblings gone to war at the end of time—a holy empress, and an alcoholic university dean. With galactic resources dwindling, both believe they hold the answer to the crisis; be it spiritual salvation or technological nirvana. Both will be gravely mistaken.
The Dune vibes are strong with this one, and it is a solid three-star book. Read, put aside and never revisit. A pity, though, as the world and its dynamics and inhabitants could have been used to carve a better story.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best books I’ve ever read. The writing is beautiful, the characters are fleshed out, and the plot and themes are incredible. It covers ideas about philosophy and the nature of being in extremely interesting ways, and even without the themes stands alone for pure beauty of prose. The characters are all well written and we get a chance to know them an their flaws in a way that feels three dimensional and realistic without being boring.
TLDR; One of the best books i’ve read, highly recommend.
This book has its flaws, but it came into my life at an extremely critical time, when I was questioning my Christian faith. Its philosophical ideas of a universe which is mysterious, confusing, and no less beautiful or worthwhile for that mystery, really helped me come to terms with my developing agnosticism. Without it, I might not have been able to let go of the beliefs that were holding me back. Is that reason enough to rate it as one of my favorite books? Yes.
Started with an intriguing setting, with a compelling blend of far-future, spiritual technology, giant animals, all with a Buddhist time… but quickly fell apart and devolved into a ham-handed clunker that seemed unsure and uncommitted to any of the ideas off of which it glanced. Its philosophical musings and talk of enlightenment it only drapes over a ham-handed few conclusions it has of history and civilization, around which is a ramshackle plot and dozen paper-thin characters.
I worry that the author may have a drinking problem—or perhaps only one way to communicate people relaxing or under stress.
Pretty good, if ultimately rather dark, sf opera
I enjoyed reading this. It's a vast span of time, and a lot happens, although mostly to only the main characters; one wonders a bit if the rest of the Galaxy is really so passive. The quasi-Buddhist and quasi-Greek and quasi-so-on terms were a bit odd and sometimes off-putting. And I have to admit with some shame that I couldn't always keep straight exactly who was who and whose wife or parent or whatever.
The background universe and technology and philosophy are rather rich and interesting. There's too much exposition at times.
And then (semi-spoiler) at the end in some sense none of it matters. Which is maybe sort of the point, but still...
