Reviews

3-1/2 stars. I was very engaged in the first half of this, a bit less so during the third quarter, and confused by the end. An original idea and great world-building. I felt as if the last few chapters got a bit too chaotic and unclear.

pine's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

An ensemble thing with a variety of characters that were interesting to me in particular, though the handling of some of the characters I was not thrilled about.

oblivione's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mschlat's review against another edition

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3.0

One of those reads where I felt there wasn't enough book for what the author was trying to do. It's an interesting tale of a city built above the ocean (think oil rigs) in a dystopian world. Miller posits a diverse population with some crucial class differences but almost no politics (in that governance has been handed over to shadowy AIs). You have a host of narrators (not surprisingly, more connected than you first think), a mysterious broadcast about facets of the city, and the sudden appearance of a warrior woman with an attendant orca and polar bear.

That's a lot, and that description still skips a great deal of material. Miller brings it all together and answers (almost) all the questions, but it read too fast for me. I didn't really savor all the connections. However, I'd be interested in trying more books from Miller --- there's a ton of inventiveness here.

emmaulb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

3.0

I was excited to read this book and there were many elements I enjoyed about it, but it was too much to keep track of. The climate dystopian world was pretty interesting and dark, rich people escaping the flooding by building floating cities that hosts many refugees. So obviously a humongous wealth gap, really poor living conditions etc. I was also excited about the animals bonding with humans, which I think there should have been more of!

It didn’t feel completely worth it to juggle that many characters, and there were too many real life themes that could have been impactful but fell short. For example there was a genocide that was clearly inspired by indigenous people… idk am I the only one that thought that was weird?? Also an epidemic called the breaks that was basically sci-fi aids (especially because it had gay connotations??) but didn’t seem necessary to have that connection in the end.

taylorhohulin's review against another edition

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5.0

You know those restaurants where the story is, "This guy went and lived in Italy, fully immersed himself in the culture there, and came back to America where he started a restaurant that so perfectly represents the feel and taste of the country"? I feel like that's what Sam J Miller did. Except, instead of starting a restaurant, he wrote Blackfish City. And instead of going to Italy, he hung out in my brain for a few months.

For serious, it's like this book was written for me. Weird sci fi stuff that doesn't get textbook-y. Multiple converging storylines. Beautiful writing.

This was so good and so fun and ridiculously easy to read. Highly recommended for out-of-the-box sci fi fans.

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