Scan barcode
kauffmanajoy's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a bit to get into it at first, but then at the end everything gets going and we start getting some clarity. About 1/3 of the way through, you start to get an idea of what may be going on, but Kirstein does a great job of just teasing it. So the whole time you feel just on the edge of fully understanding. And even at the end, when some things are answered, the bigger unanswered questions encourage you to continue on in the series!
andreacpowers's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this very much and ordered the second. It somehow avoids being and '80's book (Dynasty in Space?). It's timeless.
cliffsboats's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
celiapowell's review against another edition
5.0
This book (and series) is possibly not for everyone - the pacing can sometimes be slow, as it goes off into details about one part of the world (through the eyes of the narrator, the steerswoman Rowan) - but I absolutely loved it. The world is so detailed and different, and it's science fiction that takes at least a book or two to slowly reveal itself as science fiction rather than fantasy.
ceciliatan's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent science fiction that feels like fantasy
I first read this when it first came out and it’s a delight to rediscover this world and these characters. This book and this series remind me so much of everything I loved when I first discovered Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books.
I first read this when it first came out and it’s a delight to rediscover this world and these characters. This book and this series remind me so much of everything I loved when I first discovered Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books.
cj_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
A forgotten classic that's sadly out of print nowadays. Fantasy novel that begins pretty simple but goes in an extremely creative direction as the series goes on. It presents a massive amount of questions in front of the reader and trusts that the reader will be interested enough and clever enough to figure everything out. Has huge Gene Wolfe energy but feels way more accessible.
zorkkanna's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lily1304's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
I'm not very into fantasy usually, but I liked this a lot more than I expected to. The plot builds slowly but the world building was interesting enough to keep me going. There is a lot of random death though - almost like NPCs, minor characters or extras who just casually get killed? It was a little weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
peregrine's review against another edition
3.0
This was surprisingly compelling! At first it felt like a fairly generic 80s medieval fantasy of a kind that I've been unimpressed with in the past, but it became more and more interesting as it went on and I learned more about the world and the philosophies of the characters.
I can't describe my favorite thing about it without spoiling that thing, so I'll stay vague: I felt like I as a reader (especially as a spec fic reader) was a participant in the story in an unusual and very satisfying way. The careful, logical problem-solving employed by the protagonist to solve a mystery in her world mirrored my own logic as I tried to solve a different but related mystery, one inaccessible to the characters themselves but that I as a 21st century reader had the background to engage with. And while in another book this might have created more distance between me and the characters, here it did the opposite. Rowan and Bel are pleasant traveling companions, and I felt like I was right there with them, helping to untangle the mystery with the knowledge I could add to the mix.
At the end of the book, the mystery I'm intrigued by still hasn't been solved, but I'll definitely keep reading the series!
I can't describe my favorite thing about it without spoiling that thing, so I'll stay vague: I felt like I as a reader (especially as a spec fic reader) was a participant in the story in an unusual and very satisfying way. The careful, logical problem-solving employed by the protagonist to solve a mystery in her world mirrored my own logic as I tried to solve a different but related mystery, one inaccessible to the characters themselves but that I as a 21st century reader had the background to engage with. And while in another book this might have created more distance between me and the characters, here it did the opposite. Rowan and Bel are pleasant traveling companions, and I felt like I was right there with them, helping to untangle the mystery with the knowledge I could add to the mix.
At the end of the book, the mystery I'm intrigued by still hasn't been solved, but I'll definitely keep reading the series!