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pipen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
xover's review against another edition
3.0
Reynolds writes well and the world is interesting and full of sfnal concepts, but the characters are a bit flat and the hellishly convoluted plot is on rails. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but in a "despite its flaws" kind of way, so only three stars for Chasm City.
PS. I think you could probably write a feature-length article on the plot problems here, and their impact on the characters, but I can't be arsed to tackle it just now.
PS. I think you could probably write a feature-length article on the plot problems here, and their impact on the characters, but I can't be arsed to tackle it just now.
ice119's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jakejake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
mdkdub's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
grandpapotato's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mcduggan33's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
yevolem's review against another edition
3.0
This was the second book published in the Revelation Space series and it's excluded from the trilogy, which is a reasonable decision, as it can entirely work as a standalone novel. Although there are connections with the other books, they aren't of much importance and mostly serve for series worldbuilding and trivia. As for the order you should read this, it may be better to read it after the first book, which would be the publication order. I almost always read series in publication order and perhaps I should have with this one as well. If you read this after the third book in the trilogy, it may feel like none of it's a surprise and everything is already known. I didn't particularly feel that way but others have.
As with Reynold's other books, I found this in severe need of hundreds of pages to be omitted, yet it reads quickly enough. His writing style continues to be both be fine overall, yet only moderately engaging at best, as most of the time I found myself oddly detached from everything that was happening. In some ways that was for the better because if I were more engaged I would've had less tolerance for the various events that occur that I found to be entirely ridiculous, which is quite a common feeling for me when I've read his books. I found the mystery and twists were foreshadowed early and often, but I don't know if that would be a common experience. I don't think this detracted from my overall enjoyment, but it's difficult to be confident about that.
A reductive and brief summary is: A guy has lost his memory then wanders around for many 100s of pages and then regains his memory. The End. It's very different from the other Revelation Space books, so don't expect a space opera, but rather more a mix of investigative mystery, revenge thriller, and tourism. These differences didn't matter to me and I liked it just as well as the other books in the series, although that isn't really praise. I read through my reviews of the trilogy and I'm certainly not as upset now as I was at the time. I'll read more Reynolds in the future and see how it goes, though mostly as group reads.
As with Reynold's other books, I found this in severe need of hundreds of pages to be omitted, yet it reads quickly enough. His writing style continues to be both be fine overall, yet only moderately engaging at best, as most of the time I found myself oddly detached from everything that was happening. In some ways that was for the better because if I were more engaged I would've had less tolerance for the various events that occur that I found to be entirely ridiculous, which is quite a common feeling for me when I've read his books. I found the mystery and twists were foreshadowed early and often, but I don't know if that would be a common experience. I don't think this detracted from my overall enjoyment, but it's difficult to be confident about that.
A reductive and brief summary is: A guy has lost his memory then wanders around for many 100s of pages and then regains his memory. The End. It's very different from the other Revelation Space books, so don't expect a space opera, but rather more a mix of investigative mystery, revenge thriller, and tourism. These differences didn't matter to me and I liked it just as well as the other books in the series, although that isn't really praise. I read through my reviews of the trilogy and I'm certainly not as upset now as I was at the time. I'll read more Reynolds in the future and see how it goes, though mostly as group reads.
sasubrr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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