Scan barcode
scheu's review against another edition
2.0
My opinion of this book seems to mirror that of other Goodreaders - excellent concept, love Aldiss, but it didn't feel as though the story was going anywhere and I don't have the patience to plod through the other half of the book, or the sequel for that matter, to get the point.
Nothing against Aldiss, though.
Nothing against Aldiss, though.
geekyawesomejen's review against another edition
3.0
Between OK and liked
Maybe more of a 2.5. It was hard to get through the first third of the book. I don’t think the bit with the first Yuli was necessary. I liked the character of Shay Tal although I wish her story had some sort of in. Seeing their society profess was interesting too, although the rapidity of it was somewhat hard to believe.
Maybe more of a 2.5. It was hard to get through the first third of the book. I don’t think the bit with the first Yuli was necessary. I liked the character of Shay Tal although I wish her story had some sort of in. Seeing their society profess was interesting too, although the rapidity of it was somewhat hard to believe.
cbro_'s review against another edition
4.0
This was just what I needed to scratch the fantasy scale world building itch - without the travelogue, without magic, just world. This book is definitely within the top ten. Neal Stephenson meets Robert Jordan, with his own flare and a strong voice.
sirlancelot2021's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gullevek's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books where you just get lost in time while reading it. Missing stations, Missing exists, Missing everything because you can't stop reading it. Amazing world building, amazing writing, amazing overall story arch.
While it is placed as Sci-Fi, I would also add that it has a touch of fantasy too.
Overall highly recommended
While it is placed as Sci-Fi, I would also add that it has a touch of fantasy too.
Overall highly recommended
pam_ritchie's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very different sci-fi book than I'm used to!
Other reviews mentioned that the planet Helliconia was the protagonist of the book, and that didn't make sense to me, until I had read the book for a while.
The book is looking down on the planet of Helliconia, and showing us the changes that happen to the planet over the years, and so we see different people in power, different races, and we're reminded all the time that every action has an impact on the future, and sometimes it takes us on a brief venture into that future, and tells us what happens, but then it might go back to the 'present', or we might have moved a couple of generations.
Other reviews mentioned that the planet Helliconia was the protagonist of the book, and that didn't make sense to me, until I had read the book for a while.
The book is looking down on the planet of Helliconia, and showing us the changes that happen to the planet over the years, and so we see different people in power, different races, and we're reminded all the time that every action has an impact on the future, and sometimes it takes us on a brief venture into that future, and tells us what happens, but then it might go back to the 'present', or we might have moved a couple of generations.
imyerhero's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t really care for books which get you all involved with one character and then leap forward several generations and introduce you to another entirely new set. Which this book did and the next two will probably do also. However, once we got to the second set, I was very satisfied with Aldiss’ level of intimacy with his characters. His ability to add depth to the world of Helliconia was wonderful.
But sometimes I felt I was just missing something important – there seemed to be obvious foreshadowing with bone disease and all of the astronomical information, but I couldn’t really decipher what it was foreshadowing. I felt like I was supposed to understand something but wasn’t able to. I’m not sure if this was through lack of follow up on Aldiss’ part, or my own inability to look deeper into the story. Either way, it was frustrating.
But sometimes I felt I was just missing something important – there seemed to be obvious foreshadowing with bone disease and all of the astronomical information, but I couldn’t really decipher what it was foreshadowing. I felt like I was supposed to understand something but wasn’t able to. I’m not sure if this was through lack of follow up on Aldiss’ part, or my own inability to look deeper into the story. Either way, it was frustrating.
cornreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5