peachwhiskey's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jubaju's review against another edition
2.0
I don't have a problem with unlikeable characters, but when there's a convoluted plot, a badly explained mystery that's marketed as "weird on purpose" and doesn't try to make itself understood, and superficial side characters, there's not much to like in a novel.
I hated Nyquist. Talk about unhinged toxic masculinity. Not only that, but he's very emotional and has extreme reactions to situations where he's supposed to be in charge. Frankly, I don't know how this man is still alive. He's confused, rudderless, lonely in life, and while those aren't things that I hold against him personally, it made the novel a lot less enjoyable.
The writing style wasn't bad, apart from a few parts where the author tried to play with language and came up with some very wonky constructions. I do believe it made it more difficult to dive into the story.
The plot itself was just a mess. This novel is praised for being "weird Sci-Fi" but it didn't read like that to me. It felt more like a non-planned plot where the author added things as he went along and kept imagining stuff. It was jumbled, uninspired, boring in the way that it never allowed me to dive into it and remained superficial. I question the editors and whoever published this. It could have been so much nicer if the weirdness of the world had been expanded and explained. The superficiality of it made it hard to follow.
I hope the next novels don't follow the same path of a relatively strong beginning that becomes a convoluted trainwreck the more you read.
I hated Nyquist. Talk about unhinged toxic masculinity. Not only that, but he's very emotional and has extreme reactions to situations where he's supposed to be in charge. Frankly, I don't know how this man is still alive. He's confused, rudderless, lonely in life, and while those aren't things that I hold against him personally, it made the novel a lot less enjoyable.
The writing style wasn't bad, apart from a few parts where the author tried to play with language and came up with some very wonky constructions. I do believe it made it more difficult to dive into the story.
The plot itself was just a mess. This novel is praised for being "weird Sci-Fi" but it didn't read like that to me. It felt more like a non-planned plot where the author added things as he went along and kept imagining stuff. It was jumbled, uninspired, boring in the way that it never allowed me to dive into it and remained superficial. I question the editors and whoever published this. It could have been so much nicer if the weirdness of the world had been expanded and explained. The superficiality of it made it hard to follow.
I hope the next novels don't follow the same path of a relatively strong beginning that becomes a convoluted trainwreck the more you read.
bodger's review against another edition
3.0
A piecemeal, sometimes disjointed novel that spends its time flipping between remote narrative descriptions of the world and action, and the internal narrative of the, not entirely stable, main protagonist.
Sometimes this works, and in other places it's really hard to follow.
The world the author has "built" is intriguing. The idea of a place with no night, and another place with no day is intriguing. Especially the social structures that are touched on. The middle area, dusk, is a not quite as well realised. Again though the concept is good.
The other idea the author tries to convey is the concept of time. This doesn't come across as clearly. It's just confusing, the idea of different timelines in different places, or different timelines being experienced by people in the same place. If this sounds confusing, it is. It's a novel idea, but it doesn't quite translate.
When I started this book, I didn't realise it was a series (or expected to be). I'm not sure if I'll get round to the second book, but it is on my list.
Sometimes this works, and in other places it's really hard to follow.
The world the author has "built" is intriguing. The idea of a place with no night, and another place with no day is intriguing. Especially the social structures that are touched on. The middle area, dusk, is a not quite as well realised. Again though the concept is good.
The other idea the author tries to convey is the concept of time. This doesn't come across as clearly. It's just confusing, the idea of different timelines in different places, or different timelines being experienced by people in the same place. If this sounds confusing, it is. It's a novel idea, but it doesn't quite translate.
When I started this book, I didn't realise it was a series (or expected to be). I'm not sure if I'll get round to the second book, but it is on my list.
erikbail's review against another edition
3.0
I love Jeff noon. This one was hard to read. Very boiler plate cringe noir. Every action and plot line felt like it was out of a 101 text book for writing crime noir. Have the book was spent in a foggy place, the other half was spent getting beat up. The main plot device of time was an interesting take and I only finished because it was short. Hoping book 2 is better
bunnicula_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I think this book is maybe amazing? But it was also too much. Too much abstract musings on time. It felt like there was nothing for me to grab hold of as I read it.
hauntingpuns's review against another edition
3.0
Every second page you're reminded that the protagonist is a) going mad b) very nauseous c) quite sweaty, so you start feeling all these things yourself. Other than that, it's an intriguing concept and story.
cody_reads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
spiraldots's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally written for my blog
I received an ARC of this from Angry Robots as I was immediately intrigued as soon as I saw the cover of this book and the description sounded fascinating. It says Science Fiction although this could also easily be classed as Urban Fantasy and would definitely appeal to fans of that sub-genre.
The best part of this book is the setting, which is absolutely stunning. The city is split into two sections – Dayzone and Nocturna. In Dayzone, the sky is made up of layers and layers of brightly coloured bulbs so that it is always day, while in Nocturna it’s almost permanently dark and the constellations are made up of the few remaining bulbs high up. To travel between the two halves, you need to take a train that travels via Dusk which is the shadowy region between the two.
Many characters, like Nyquist, have homes in both Dayzone and Nocturna letting them choose when they wish it to be night. Another excellent addition to the world-building is the concept of time. The idea of having permanent day and night is already enough to play with the usual concepts of time, but in this city everybody is also on different timelines and you can choose which ones you want and change as you travel. Nyquist is always fiddling with his wristwatch to update it to the timeline of his current area such as updating the time in the pub so that he’s able to drink.
The plot of the story starts out as your basic missing persons case, but develops into much more than that as Eleanor Bale, the missing woman, turns out to be much more important to the city than first thought. I won’t mention too much of the plot as being a mystery, I wouldn’t want to spoil it. The main character is Nyquist who I really enjoyed reading about, and the rest of the side characters are all fantastic and well-written with interesting backgrounds and motives. Eleanor in particular was really enjoyable to read about and I loved it as we slowly discovered more about her and her background.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would have recommended it just for the amazing world-building alone, however having fantastic characters and an excellent plot means that this is definitely a novel worth reading and I struggled at times to put it down.
I received an ARC of this from Angry Robots as I was immediately intrigued as soon as I saw the cover of this book and the description sounded fascinating. It says Science Fiction although this could also easily be classed as Urban Fantasy and would definitely appeal to fans of that sub-genre.
The best part of this book is the setting, which is absolutely stunning. The city is split into two sections – Dayzone and Nocturna. In Dayzone, the sky is made up of layers and layers of brightly coloured bulbs so that it is always day, while in Nocturna it’s almost permanently dark and the constellations are made up of the few remaining bulbs high up. To travel between the two halves, you need to take a train that travels via Dusk which is the shadowy region between the two.
Many characters, like Nyquist, have homes in both Dayzone and Nocturna letting them choose when they wish it to be night. Another excellent addition to the world-building is the concept of time. The idea of having permanent day and night is already enough to play with the usual concepts of time, but in this city everybody is also on different timelines and you can choose which ones you want and change as you travel. Nyquist is always fiddling with his wristwatch to update it to the timeline of his current area such as updating the time in the pub so that he’s able to drink.
The plot of the story starts out as your basic missing persons case, but develops into much more than that as Eleanor Bale, the missing woman, turns out to be much more important to the city than first thought. I won’t mention too much of the plot as being a mystery, I wouldn’t want to spoil it. The main character is Nyquist who I really enjoyed reading about, and the rest of the side characters are all fantastic and well-written with interesting backgrounds and motives. Eleanor in particular was really enjoyable to read about and I loved it as we slowly discovered more about her and her background.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would have recommended it just for the amazing world-building alone, however having fantastic characters and an excellent plot means that this is definitely a novel worth reading and I struggled at times to put it down.
tkadlec's review against another edition
5.0
Let’s get this out of the way: this book will not be for everyone. The world Noon creates is one that is imaginative and frankly a bit weird. It all revolves around time. Time is a commodity. People live within different times: some standard, some commercially available for the right price. The city he operates in is divided between Dayzone (permanent day) and Nocturna (permanent night). In between is Dusk, a terrifying and fantastical place that operates by its own rules.
The story itself is ultimately a hardboiled detective story set in a world that is part science-fiction, part fantasy (Dusk in particular reminded me a lot of the “Other” world in Gaiman’s Coraline). It’s fast-paced and creepy, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Noon does a great job of world-building over the course of the book—in fact many of the twists come in the form of revelations about the world itself. A very unique and enthralling read.
The story itself is ultimately a hardboiled detective story set in a world that is part science-fiction, part fantasy (Dusk in particular reminded me a lot of the “Other” world in Gaiman’s Coraline). It’s fast-paced and creepy, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Noon does a great job of world-building over the course of the book—in fact many of the twists come in the form of revelations about the world itself. A very unique and enthralling read.
imyril's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0