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rajs's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite from Reynolds, but still a pretty fun read. Part of the story follows Floyd in 1950s Paris, while the rest of the story follows Auger in the 24th century. A little confusing at the beginning. What you need to know is that there are two factions of humans - the Slashers (pro-nanotechnology) and the Threshers (anti-nanotechnology).
xsea's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
branch_c's review against another edition
4.0
I had a feeling when I read the description that this would be a good one, and that turned out to be true. While I could see the spark of brilliance in the two previous books I’d read by Reynolds, the premise and setup of this one sounded too good to miss.
The gradual revelation about the reality of the situation is expertly done, keeping up the suspense both in Floyd’s POV sections and in Auger’s. I liked Floyd better as a character, which may have been intentional - Auger’s prickly personality was presumably created by design. She was still mostly likable, except at moments where her condescension toward Floyd showed through. Likewise her antagonism toward Cassandra didn’t seem entirely warranted.
The plot is tight and well-executed. Having said that, there’s a section toward the end, around the time that Auger and Floyd complete their journey from E2 and interact in some depth with the Slasher / Polity characters, in which the writing seems a bit looser. There’s some repetition, some excess dialogue, and a bit of info dumping that to me seemed like a slight drop in the polished story up to that point. But it’s a minor lapse, if anything, and overall I certainly enjoyed the book.
The gradual revelation about the reality of the situation is expertly done, keeping up the suspense both in Floyd’s POV sections and in Auger’s. I liked Floyd better as a character, which may have been intentional - Auger’s prickly personality was presumably created by design. She was still mostly likable, except at moments where her condescension toward Floyd showed through. Likewise her antagonism toward Cassandra didn’t seem entirely warranted.
The plot is tight and well-executed. Having said that, there’s a section toward the end, around the time that Auger and Floyd complete their journey from E2 and interact in some depth with the Slasher / Polity characters, in which the writing seems a bit looser. There’s some repetition, some excess dialogue, and a bit of info dumping that to me seemed like a slight drop in the polished story up to that point. But it’s a minor lapse, if anything, and overall I certainly enjoyed the book.
asl4u's review against another edition
3.0
turned out better than I thought. I might have liked it more if it had been read by someone else, or if I'd read it myself. The reader's accent (not his German or other - but his sliding tendency) makes everyone sound like a gangster... a bit distracting from the story.
cheekme's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
malcolm_eckel's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
There is a lot of Alastair Reynolds's usual austere, beautiful sci-fi magic in this one, but the dramatic structure of the novel lets it down. Several interesting characters drift out of the narrative around halfway through, and the ones that remain don't have any real agency over events for almost all of the rest of the novel. It goes from being a complex sci-fi wonder, full of intertwining plot threads and strong character voices, overlapping noir mystery and space opera in a truly unique way, to a long roller-coaster of increasingly unbelievable near misses that the characters just react to, waiting with the reader for the book to wind its way to its obvious conclusion. I love Reynolds, but this is not his best work.
ussjorvik's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kaamezcua2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
pigsflew's review against another edition
5.0
Century Rain is a mixture of Space Opera and Noir Mystery that is utterly satisfying to the end. I absolutely loved every part of the story as it unfolded; Reynolds' extremely capable hand was put to great use in this one.
komali_2's review against another edition
3.0
While probably the furthest removed from reality of the Reynolds books I've read, Century Rain is still entertaining. Long winded in the Reynolds style, but it manages to stay engaging. Good for people who can't decide if they're history nerds or sci fi nerds.