incredibrent's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
jackolidus's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
Here’s the premise of the novel: assume that besides just taking the Myers Briggs test or an eHarmony test or that “Which Disney Princess Are You” online quiz, you actually decided who you would associate with based on the results. You wouldn’t just date people who scored like you, you would base your entire social and work life around these people. Assume, in addition, that a personality test was created that ensured that you and the people who scored like you could form a “hyper-collaborative” community. Your fellow Affinity members would support you in all the ways you would want, and all of you together become a whole that is greater than the parts.
What you get is a community (the book sometimes refer to it as a “pseudo-ethnicity”) that starts to threaten traditional communities --- in particular, families and nations. I really like sociological science fiction, and this is a great example of the subgenre. In fact, aside from the idea of the Affinities, there are no other science fiction ideas. Our setting is the modern day world or slightly in the future, with some geopolitical events that seem plausible.
I’ve only read one other Wilson ([b:Spin|910863|Spin (Spin, #1)|Robert Charles Wilson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383726s/910863.jpg|47562]), but this book has much the same feel. The story is told through the eyes of one person, Adam Fisk, who has problematic family issues and joins an Affinity after an experience of urban violence. While the story gets grand in scope, much of that scope is off-screen, with the major focus being Adam’s relationships and his movement towards and away from his fellow Taus (Tau being the Affinity Fisk tested into). As a result, this is much more a personal novel than a “wide screen” event.
That emphasis led to some of my disappointment with the work. We are told there are twenty-two Affinities, but we really only get to know two: Tau and Het. (Note that Het here refers to a letter of the Phonecian alphabet, not het as in straight.) And we mainly get to know Tau, with Het filling in the role of adversary Affinity, for reasons that we hear about, but don’t really see (more off-screen action).
The book is quite readable, but I felt let down by its narrow focus. In many ways, it’s more of a traditional thriller than a science fiction novel, and its ending was more conservative than I expected. I’m giving it four stars, but I think it’s more like 3.5 stars.
What you get is a community (the book sometimes refer to it as a “pseudo-ethnicity”) that starts to threaten traditional communities --- in particular, families and nations. I really like sociological science fiction, and this is a great example of the subgenre. In fact, aside from the idea of the Affinities, there are no other science fiction ideas. Our setting is the modern day world or slightly in the future, with some geopolitical events that seem plausible.
I’ve only read one other Wilson ([b:Spin|910863|Spin (Spin, #1)|Robert Charles Wilson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383726s/910863.jpg|47562]), but this book has much the same feel. The story is told through the eyes of one person, Adam Fisk, who has problematic family issues and joins an Affinity after an experience of urban violence. While the story gets grand in scope, much of that scope is off-screen, with the major focus being Adam’s relationships and his movement towards and away from his fellow Taus (Tau being the Affinity Fisk tested into). As a result, this is much more a personal novel than a “wide screen” event.
That emphasis led to some of my disappointment with the work. We are told there are twenty-two Affinities, but we really only get to know two: Tau and Het. (Note that Het here refers to a letter of the Phonecian alphabet, not het as in straight.) And we mainly get to know Tau, with Het filling in the role of adversary Affinity, for reasons that we hear about, but don’t really see (more off-screen action).
The book is quite readable, but I felt let down by its narrow focus. In many ways, it’s more of a traditional thriller than a science fiction novel, and its ending was more conservative than I expected. I’m giving it four stars, but I think it’s more like 3.5 stars.
anaiira's review against another edition
3.0
If the feeling of an exciting new social startup could be encapsulated in a book, this is that book. And just like that social startup, after the initial groundbreaking "disruption", everything reverts back to a boring stasis.
The social psychology of tranches and affinity groups is interesting -- mostly unsubstantiated, but well within the realm of believability. The approach of writing from the perspective of a member of the "in" group is a refreshing change.
What I would have liked to see include: the impact of defining one's life by algorithms made by a computer and a corporation; more social psychology, maybe an explanation of the Affinity test and an inkling of how it works; and ultimately more character development.
After all, we are Adam Fisk. We too search for a tribe of soulmates, people who just understand us. The broader implications and detriments of tribalism are discussed (as it affects politics, justice, medicine, warfare) but it failed to hit on a personal level. Fisk just drifts through crises, both personal and tribal and fails to elicit empathy.
Interesting concept, could have better execution. Read in a day.
The social psychology of tranches and affinity groups is interesting -- mostly unsubstantiated, but well within the realm of believability. The approach of writing from the perspective of a member of the "in" group is a refreshing change.
What I would have liked to see include: the impact of defining one's life by algorithms made by a computer and a corporation; more social psychology, maybe an explanation of the Affinity test and an inkling of how it works; and ultimately more character development.
After all, we are Adam Fisk. We too search for a tribe of soulmates, people who just understand us. The broader implications and detriments of tribalism are discussed (as it affects politics, justice, medicine, warfare) but it failed to hit on a personal level. Fisk just drifts through crises, both personal and tribal and fails to elicit empathy.
Interesting concept, could have better execution. Read in a day.
morgsy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A real science fiction author's take on something akin to Divergent factions or tribes or clans. Or Harry Potter style houses. And kind of a nod towards Foundation's Psychohistory. This book was a quick short read. It jumped forward a bit, a technique that I don't like a whole lot. And I'm not sure that I agree with the author's choice of protagonist. But the idea is a good one and it was pretty well done. We definitely should be able to test for something like affinity groups, and I hope it works out better than it does in this book.
annelienvan's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting premise. the book really hit its stride and then just... stopped, sadly. I felt there was much more to the story that could have been fleshed out.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
2.0
A couple of interesting things in this one, but mostly it just felt like it was trying to be a mash-up of other near-apocalyptic and dystopian ideas. Not my favorite.
julaun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
olityr's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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