Antolius finished reading The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about …
I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy in all shapes and sizes; paper, e-books and audiobooks.
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In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about …
Content warning Mild spoilers coming from discussing novel's structure and some of the foreshadowing
I loved this book from start to finish.
Alastair Reynolds' mastery over atmosphere and style is on display from the outset. As the novel jumps through time with each of Coade's "awakenings" you can almost feel author's enjoyment at the opportunity to capture the style of the era.
While these vivid descriptions and dialog are what drew me in initially, it's the unraveling mystery that made it impossible to put this book down. The foreshadowing was enjoyable over the top, building from subtle hints to overwhelming crescendo. The biggest kick is that as I was slowly piecing together the whole story so was the main protagonist, just from the opposite direction: I was eager to figure it all out and Coade was in active denial of it! Not to mention classic hints such as anagrams and homophones ("I am Coade" quote is pure gold!).
All this intrigue is wrapped into hard core sfi-fi concepts like space exploration, aliens, AI and topology. At the heart of it is the theme of identity which grounds the entire novel. In concert with good character work and proper consequences it gives finale the emotional kick it deserves.
Speaking of finale, Reynolds manages to avoid the pitfalls of rushed endings common in some of his other writing. Pacing here is great, and I had enough space to process the gravity of the story's climax.
All in all, a perfect novel.
From the master of the space opera comes a dark, mind-bending adventure spread across time and space, where Doctor Silas …
In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about …
While I'm a big fan or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the first few Rincewind focused novels are my least favorite. Unfortunately this book shares not only close publication date, but also many of the traits of those early novels which I find disagreeable.
In its core this is an adventure story, with a lot of references to staples of the sci-fi genre, wrapped in a lot of clever world building ideas. However, those ideas are not given proper room to grow and develop; instead plot is propelled ever forward by silly or at times outright nonsensical events. The adventure loses any gravitas it might have had to attempts at silly humor, and I ended up not caring about the characters who felt like empty caricatures.
This is a pity because in his later works Pratchett does manage to craft some of the most wholesome fictional characters I ever encountered. And …
While I'm a big fan or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the first few Rincewind focused novels are my least favorite. Unfortunately this book shares not only close publication date, but also many of the traits of those early novels which I find disagreeable.
In its core this is an adventure story, with a lot of references to staples of the sci-fi genre, wrapped in a lot of clever world building ideas. However, those ideas are not given proper room to grow and develop; instead plot is propelled ever forward by silly or at times outright nonsensical events. The adventure loses any gravitas it might have had to attempts at silly humor, and I ended up not caring about the characters who felt like empty caricatures.
This is a pity because in his later works Pratchett does manage to craft some of the most wholesome fictional characters I ever encountered. And the sci-fi concepts in this book are an interesting blend of rehashing and original. Unfortunately actual negatives outweigh this potential.
Her city is under siege. The zombies are coming back. And all Nona wants is a birthday party. In many …
A collection of loosely related short stories clumsily cobbled together.
Good:
Raises valid concerns about genetic engineering and US patent law.
Bad:
Most characters appear morally wrong for no good reason. It detracts from valid criticism of corporate wrongdoers if all characters are adulterers & chauvinists.
Ending is unbelievable.
There's almost no narrative structure to the novel.
* It should have been an essay.
Read this if you are already invested in Revelation Space series.
Good:
Familiar characters & locations show up.
Ties to the war on Mars, which is one of my favorite parts of the lore.
Story beats reminded me of a Culture series novel.
Bad:
Drawn-out midsection, rushed & unnecessarily complicated ending.
Aliens end up feeling mundane.
Not a viable entry point into the series, despite being advertised as standalone.
Good:
Speculative fiction at its finest.
Great society & world building, shown through a lens of a single life.
Two timelines nicely intertwine & support each other.
The scenes of hardship & revolution resonate deeply.
* Evokes the feeling of classic Sci-Fi without any problematic elements often associated with it.
Bad: ∅
For a depiction of a similar theme check out John Kessel's [b:The Moon and the Other|30753686|The Moon and the Other|John Kessel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491126501l/30753686.SY75.jpg|51302140].
Good:
Picks up nicely from where Foundryside left off
Crasedes is a scary villain
I liked drawing parallels between Foundrysiders and free software movement (though book itself doesn't delve too deep into this)
Bad:
Main characters felt bland, I cared more about villains
Repetitive plot: a new complication arises → clever scriving scene → heist/action scene → repeat
Major plot-lines remain unresolved