krissywtf's review
2.0
Hmm
Honestly, this book was not for me. If you're into vague, meandering storytelling then you'll enjoy this book. I couldn't really grasp wtf was going on and by the end, I was just relieved to be done.
Honestly, this book was not for me. If you're into vague, meandering storytelling then you'll enjoy this book. I couldn't really grasp wtf was going on and by the end, I was just relieved to be done.
luminary's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
My initial thoughts were not so good. I want to start first with that the author has a lot of promise and potential as a writer. But I cannot ignore the constant grammatical mistakes and slip-ups he made by constantly jumping back and forth with his tenses. At times, the story was in the present tense, and then other times it would revert to the past tense, which made it jarring at times.
The pace moved a bit too fast with all the information that was presented to the reader. Perhaps this could be due to it being the first of the series and thus having to catch the reader up to speed with the laws of this story's universe. I do believe that some things could be changed to help alleviate the overwhelming sensation as you read on. Such as marking when each chapter will begin with a new POV character.
Spoiler
When the story first began, it was marked by the POV tag of "Ansel Black", and though the story had several more POV changes, it never once noted a POV change again. It also would jump back and forth between past or present periods. Were you Jan from the beginning of the dystopian society? Were you seeing the life of one of the murdered victims? Or were you Ansel making his way through this dystopian society?Spoiler
Much of the information changed as it seemed fitting to the author, too. A prominent example would be the case of Ansel's parents. At one point he was heavily implied to be the son of Jan and John, the latter parent was killed by ANI before Ansel was born. But in later scenes, Ansel talked about going hunting with his dad. It is not made clear his true lineage, but from a reader's perspective, it creates muddled waters and adds unnecessary confusion. Although, I am unsure if this could be elaborated better in book two, seeing as this is the first of a series. As such, I am hesitant to weigh it significantly.Spoiler
One thing I am disappointed about is that, as much as Ansel was hyped up to be a brilliant (and last) detective of a dystopian society, we actually never see him do any major detective work. A lot of what he discovers is handed to him by other characters driving the plot in the background. This makes him come off rather weak as a detective.Despite all of these issues, I did enjoy the book and felt compelled to keep picking it up in my downtime. While Nathan has much to improve on as a writer, he has a creatively dark world for readers to explore. The Chaos Principle raises many questions as the mystery slowly unravels, which pulls the reader further in. Power imbalance and moral philosophy seem to be the prominent themes driving the story.
raerae's review
5.0
In a far flung future utopia where humanity is shepherded by an all-powerful AI (ANI) – no one suffers. Life is primarily lived in the Stream, a virtual reality tailored especially for each individual experience. For most people, this life is enough. Yet for some people, deemed Abnormalities, there is little meaning to be found in a life of constant comforts within a well-regulated virtual existence.
Ansel Black is a detective whose job is largely made redundant by ANI’s omnipotence – yet he persists in investigating the rare cases of Real Crime. When 5 people are found dead under mysterious circumstances, he finds himself pulled away from the routine banality of a regular investigation and plunged into a deep philosophical journey that will forever alter his understanding of his relationship with himself and with ANI.
The writing in the novel is exquisite, the prose is rich in metaphor that lends the work a sense of profound appreciation for wonder. The atmosphere is melancholy and contemplative, I found it quite like a mix of Chris Moriarty’s The Spin Trilogy and PKD’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Like all good sci fi there is social commentary embedded deep into the fabric of the story, with a beautiful dance between concept and setting that allows both to shine without either overshadowing the other.
Overall a very pleasant and thought provoking experience.
Ansel Black is a detective whose job is largely made redundant by ANI’s omnipotence – yet he persists in investigating the rare cases of Real Crime. When 5 people are found dead under mysterious circumstances, he finds himself pulled away from the routine banality of a regular investigation and plunged into a deep philosophical journey that will forever alter his understanding of his relationship with himself and with ANI.
The writing in the novel is exquisite, the prose is rich in metaphor that lends the work a sense of profound appreciation for wonder. The atmosphere is melancholy and contemplative, I found it quite like a mix of Chris Moriarty’s The Spin Trilogy and PKD’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Like all good sci fi there is social commentary embedded deep into the fabric of the story, with a beautiful dance between concept and setting that allows both to shine without either overshadowing the other.
Overall a very pleasant and thought provoking experience.
lezlie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
This book is for those who enjoy the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky as well as readers looking to feed their imagination - those who love when they read a paragraph of an event, or character's inner monologue, then put the book down to contemplate the meaning behind it and get lost chasing theories down rabbit holes. I will admit that some of the latter parts of the book lost me a bit, the ideas and concepts are so big! It is truly a marvel (at least to me) when an individual can create such a work.
richardrbecker's review
3.0
2.5 stars, rounded up. Nathan Johnson serves up a great take on a philosophical-metaphysical concept of sorts in The Chaos Principle — one fun enough for four stars had the execution not fallen into its own simulation of uneven and, at times, overwritten chaos. And while that may sound harsh, let me also assure you that Johnson is a talented writer with a promising future.
So what went right? The Chaos Principle is a philosophical murder mystery in a world where Artificial Intelligence has taken over the planet and given people (homebodies) a new virtual reality that is further powered by their collective minds. The AI is called "Annie" or ANI, and it is powerful enough to influence the physical world as much as the immersive worlds most people have fused themselves into.
The protagonist, Ansel, is one of the last human detectives in the world. He is tasked with finding out who murdered five homebodies. To do it, he must travel in both the physical world as well as some of the virtual worlds where most of humankind has retreated as a means to deal with resource scarcity.
Pretty cool, right? It would be if Ansel channeled more cyberpunk or crime noir coolness. As a protagonist, he starts strong until undergoing some seemingly abrupt transformations that make him seem less cool and much more in line with some average joe. It also doesn't help that the chapters are nonlinear, which means you have to put his story on hold to meet a neverending cycle of new characters (none of whom you'll ever really care about) that could possibly be anywhere on the timeline. Even Callista, whom Ansel finds to be the most exciting person he meets on his quest for the truth, isn't all that interesting. And that's probably because Johnson forgets that crime noir has different requirements than a thought experiment (which is what the author was really working on in this book).
More than that, however, Johnson takes too long to find his voice as an author in this first book. While it eventually evens out, expect some work deciphering his prose on the front end, e.g., "The steady shines of envoy vessels streak along the horizon, leaving thin trails of light across his wet-fatigued vision." "The accumulated winds of the sweeping prairie played across the open windows of their vehicle as if it were a wind instrument, shifting unpredictably north and east in uncontrolled gusts and flittering through a range of howling octaves." "The man walks towards Ansel with short steps, hard-soled heels clicking against a vaguely luminescent black floor."
Every time you have to define "vaguely luminescent" or "wet-fatigued" or "flattering ... howling octaves," you stop dead in your tracks. And it happens way too much on the front end, making the experience feel like work. Later in the book, it's not as problematic, but that assumes someone has decided to stick with it. And that may be as good as any reminder to keep the storytelling simple, so the prose doesn't draw more attention to itself than the plot.
The bottom line? The Chaos Principle is perfect for someone looking for a thought experiment story, provided they are willing to surf through a few hundred pages or so to do it. The reward is two-fold: 1. It could potentially raise some interesting discussions with like-minded friends. 2. You support the early work of an author who is just getting started, which is why I rounded up to 3 stars. I know Johnson has it in him to write a genuinely fantastic book. There are several scenes in this one that prove it. Time is on his side, especially space-time if he can noodle it.
So what went right? The Chaos Principle is a philosophical murder mystery in a world where Artificial Intelligence has taken over the planet and given people (homebodies) a new virtual reality that is further powered by their collective minds. The AI is called "Annie" or ANI, and it is powerful enough to influence the physical world as much as the immersive worlds most people have fused themselves into.
The protagonist, Ansel, is one of the last human detectives in the world. He is tasked with finding out who murdered five homebodies. To do it, he must travel in both the physical world as well as some of the virtual worlds where most of humankind has retreated as a means to deal with resource scarcity.
Pretty cool, right? It would be if Ansel channeled more cyberpunk or crime noir coolness. As a protagonist, he starts strong until undergoing some seemingly abrupt transformations that make him seem less cool and much more in line with some average joe. It also doesn't help that the chapters are nonlinear, which means you have to put his story on hold to meet a neverending cycle of new characters (none of whom you'll ever really care about) that could possibly be anywhere on the timeline. Even Callista, whom Ansel finds to be the most exciting person he meets on his quest for the truth, isn't all that interesting. And that's probably because Johnson forgets that crime noir has different requirements than a thought experiment (which is what the author was really working on in this book).
More than that, however, Johnson takes too long to find his voice as an author in this first book. While it eventually evens out, expect some work deciphering his prose on the front end, e.g., "The steady shines of envoy vessels streak along the horizon, leaving thin trails of light across his wet-fatigued vision." "The accumulated winds of the sweeping prairie played across the open windows of their vehicle as if it were a wind instrument, shifting unpredictably north and east in uncontrolled gusts and flittering through a range of howling octaves." "The man walks towards Ansel with short steps, hard-soled heels clicking against a vaguely luminescent black floor."
Every time you have to define "vaguely luminescent" or "wet-fatigued" or "flattering ... howling octaves," you stop dead in your tracks. And it happens way too much on the front end, making the experience feel like work. Later in the book, it's not as problematic, but that assumes someone has decided to stick with it. And that may be as good as any reminder to keep the storytelling simple, so the prose doesn't draw more attention to itself than the plot.
The bottom line? The Chaos Principle is perfect for someone looking for a thought experiment story, provided they are willing to surf through a few hundred pages or so to do it. The reward is two-fold: 1. It could potentially raise some interesting discussions with like-minded friends. 2. You support the early work of an author who is just getting started, which is why I rounded up to 3 stars. I know Johnson has it in him to write a genuinely fantastic book. There are several scenes in this one that prove it. Time is on his side, especially space-time if he can noodle it.
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