franklywrites's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When the main character showed up commenting on the attractiveness of every woman he met, and they all seemed really into him, I was all set to not like this book. But I warmed to him soon enough, those problems mostly went away, and boy oh boy, was this a fun read. The setting is interesting, the premise is interesting, and the plot and the twists just keep going. It ended up as a sort of Die Hard in space with interesting physics going on.
There were a fair few technical explanations, but they never felt out of place or excessive, and I didn't find they ruined the pace of the book for me. I also quite liked how the main character's backstory ended up woven through the plot. I'm going to have to check out a few more of Stith's books at some point.
There were a fair few technical explanations, but they never felt out of place or excessive, and I didn't find they ruined the pace of the book for me. I also quite liked how the main character's backstory ended up woven through the plot. I'm going to have to check out a few more of Stith's books at some point.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
A human story (starting with a mystery and ending much larger) in a very clever setting, beginning with the premise that this ship is traveling so fast that the speed of light is visible (10 meters/sec) in some locations. Nominated for a Nebula award, I am surprised this is not well known.
Much time is spent describing the ship, and when they arrive at a particular planet, more time is spent on how the ship is able to "land" and also the main building on this planet. I feel like some illustrations would help this sort of description, which may be a bit much for some readers. The setting is also lovingly described, and the relativistic science used here is pretty interesting. A postscript contains the "passenger guide" for this ship, along with some author's notes on the setting.
For a 90s science fiction challenge, I chose this book to represent 1990, and because this author is new to me. I was impressed by the science aspects of this book, and the capability of a character (the first officer) who lives in this environment. Two other strong female characters bring the plot along, though has significant growth. The story is engaging and flows by quite quickly.
I liked this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.
Much time is spent describing the ship, and when they arrive at a particular planet, more time is spent on how the ship is able to "land" and also the main building on this planet. I feel like some illustrations would help this sort of description, which may be a bit much for some readers. The setting is also lovingly described, and the relativistic science used here is pretty interesting. A postscript contains the "passenger guide" for this ship, along with some author's notes on the setting.
For a 90s science fiction challenge, I chose this book to represent 1990, and because this author is new to me. I was impressed by the science aspects of this book, and the capability of a character (the first officer) who lives in this environment. Two other strong female characters bring the plot along, though has significant growth. The story is engaging and flows by quite quickly.
I liked this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.
scribal's review against another edition
4.0
This is my favorite Stith book. The story has some interesting ideas about the nature of evil and the science works with the plot.
beabeabea_'s review against another edition
3.0
i give this 3.5 stars, bc i have mixed feelings about it, at times it was so borrowing i scanned some pages but there were others that were sooooo great, the first book is better by far
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