mquill93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
tvatnick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
reclusivereader's review against another edition
3.0
I was enjoying so much of this.. riiight up until the end.
heatherllama's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
steeevie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mullane45's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. Just.
Michelle ‘Shell’ Campion is an astronaut from a family of astronauts, and she’s just gotten her first big job: piloting the Ragtime, a large deep-space ship delivering thousands of cryogenically frozen people to the distant colony of Bloodroot. Except Shell isn’t really piloting the ship; she’s just the human back-up. She'll be asleep for the whole journey, just like her cargo. The ship’s AI does all the work of piloting the ship. And in the whole history of human space travel, a ship’s AI has never failed…
I thought Tade Thompson’s Rosewater trilogy had its moments, but it never quite achieved the depth or coherence that I’d have liked. It was a whirlwind of ideas, but too many of them felt thinly drawn, and lacked cohesion. It felt a bit lightweight. Far From the Light of Heaven, a deep-space murder mystery slash sci-fi survival horror, feels like a step-up, although it’s still not quite top drawer.
This standalone (at least for now) is more focused, and does a better job of developing its main character(s). The story escalates nicely, and I appreciated the universe-building that was achieved with only three main components (Earth, Bloodroot, and the Lagos space-station that bridges the two). Thompson also continues to infuse Nigerian culture into his sci-fi, which gives things a distinctive slant.
However, he still struggles with set-pieces (despite the desperate situation, nothing here ever sets the pulse racing) and still fails to properly back up the weirder aspects of his story. A lot of the more fantastic elements simply are, and you more or less have to accept them without ever really understanding them. It feels like Thompson often gets over-excited by his own ideas and begins to run with them before he’s fully walked them through. The first half of the novel - not coincidentally when there's less going on - is definitely the stronger.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Thompson has an absolute banger in him, and if Far From the Light of Heaven isn’t quite it, it’s still an entertainingly pacy sci-fi yarn with a fun cohort of characters.
Michelle ‘Shell’ Campion is an astronaut from a family of astronauts, and she’s just gotten her first big job: piloting the Ragtime, a large deep-space ship delivering thousands of cryogenically frozen people to the distant colony of Bloodroot. Except Shell isn’t really piloting the ship; she’s just the human back-up. She'll be asleep for the whole journey, just like her cargo. The ship’s AI does all the work of piloting the ship. And in the whole history of human space travel, a ship’s AI has never failed…
I thought Tade Thompson’s Rosewater trilogy had its moments, but it never quite achieved the depth or coherence that I’d have liked. It was a whirlwind of ideas, but too many of them felt thinly drawn, and lacked cohesion. It felt a bit lightweight. Far From the Light of Heaven, a deep-space murder mystery slash sci-fi survival horror, feels like a step-up, although it’s still not quite top drawer.
This standalone (at least for now) is more focused, and does a better job of developing its main character(s). The story escalates nicely, and I appreciated the universe-building that was achieved with only three main components (Earth, Bloodroot, and the Lagos space-station that bridges the two). Thompson also continues to infuse Nigerian culture into his sci-fi, which gives things a distinctive slant.
However, he still struggles with set-pieces (despite the desperate situation, nothing here ever sets the pulse racing) and still fails to properly back up the weirder aspects of his story. A lot of the more fantastic elements simply are, and you more or less have to accept them without ever really understanding them. It feels like Thompson often gets over-excited by his own ideas and begins to run with them before he’s fully walked them through. The first half of the novel - not coincidentally when there's less going on - is definitely the stronger.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Thompson has an absolute banger in him, and if Far From the Light of Heaven isn’t quite it, it’s still an entertainingly pacy sci-fi yarn with a fun cohort of characters.
bigdarklove's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
roaringmamalion's review against another edition
4.0
The AI won’t fail. That’s why it’s in charge. And so begins this space mystery - yes, it’s a mystery, not your typical sci-fi/space travel story. I enjoyed the character development and have a delightfully vague comprehension of the “alien” species in the story (as is usual for me with any, even light sci-fi). The story is unique and engaging - I’d read more with these characters, but I’m also happy letting their story wrap up here.
cassidee_omnilegent's review against another edition
I’m not going to rate this book because I think I’m realizing that space mysteries just aren’t for me. I never seem to enjoy them. Hachette Audio sent me an audiobook and Orbit sent me a physical copy, and I thank them kindly for it! The narrator was a bit monotonous for my taste, but that could have also been because I am not a fan of the genre. I do think it was really well written, I can see many sci-fi lovers enjoying Far From the Light of Heaven!