Reviews

This Virtual Night by C.S. Friedman

celiapowell's review

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4.0

I loved and re-read "This Alien Shore" multiple times, but that was many years ago and it took me a little while to get back into the world of the Guerans and human variations. Once I did, this was great - essentially a stand-alone adventure about a game designer on the run from the law, trying to figure out why he's been accused of planting malware into one of his games, and getting himself into more and more trouble as he goes along. A fast paced adventure with some very tense action sequences and a satisfying conclusion.

jadom's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

spinstate's review

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

elllljayyyy's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kira_dance's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

mllocy's review against another edition

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4.0

Great follow up to This Alien Shore

This was a great sequel, long in the making, of This Alien Shore. It was a delight to re-immerse myself in the Outrider world and especially pleasant because never did I expect a sequel. Friedman does a wonderful job of putting compelling characters into her stories and pulling all the threads together into a coherent tapestry. This book was another example of her ability to tell a great story of intrigue, suspense and action. One thing I would love to see more of is some kind of glossary or explanation of the different variants and the different Gueran variants. Can’t wait for the next book!

bloodymargie's review

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4.0

A very fun read!

chromatick's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars

After doing a re-read of This Alien Shore, which was written in 1998 I was eager to dig into this one. It's a sequel, but written twenty plus years later. How would it hold up?

For the most part it does. While it's not as densely packed as the first book, and not nearly as forward thinking as that novel was, it's still a mostly enjoyable ride. Ironically this book feels more dated than the original and while it's more fun, it's not as clever. Still, I enjoyed the two characters and the journey they take even if it did wrap up a little too quickly in the end.

I've always been a fan of Friedman's work, and there was a lot to like here, but I still prefer This Alien Shore.

interruptedreader's review

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4.0

SUMMARY: After an attack on a spacestation's life support system by two gamers, authorities scramble to find the game designer behind the attack.

I was very interested to read this second book by C.S. Friedman because I loved his first book of this universe, This Alien Shore. This was a good whodunit with a nice psychological twist, but also may have been a pandemic allegory, which is not my jam right now. Kept me reading right to the end though!

jkennedy9472's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.0

C.S. Friedman doesn't disappoint after so many years since This Alien Shore. This Virtual Night focuses on a virus that threatens the safety of humanity on their space stations. One game designer is pinned to take the fall. So many great scenes-- my book club loved this one just as much as the first one!