Reviews

The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson

caustic_wonder's review

3.0

It's not very science-y for a science fiction book. It's actually not very science fiction-y at all, now that I think about it. The basic premise is, yes, but the rest of the book is hardly unfathomable. There isn't a lot of detailed explanations about the mechanics or the physics or the irrefutable laws of something that I will never understand. It's a simple story about people doing things that somehow make no sense at all and yet they work.

qwedsa123's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

l2intj's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Mind blown. 

krakentamer's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. This is my third [a:Robert Charles Wilson|27276|Robert Charles Wilson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1426178785p2/27276.jpg] book after [b:Spin|910863|Spin (Spin, #1)|Robert Charles Wilson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383726s/910863.jpg|47562] (which I liked immensely) and [b:Axis|116410|Axis|Robert Charles Wilson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312044997s/116410.jpg|3364117] (which I was a bit disappointed by). I like how the author can completely disrupt the entire Earth's society and yet still present relatable characters. There was a bit of hand-waving about the mechanics of the chronoliths, especially regarding

Spoiler

cause and effect

.
Overall, this made me eager to seek out other books by Wilson (even if I'm going to skip Vortex)

lfro2013's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by this one. I was hoping for something a bit more plot driven, but this book was kind of less about the plot and more about what happened on the way. I get that it was focusing on the human element, and focusing on how people in the real world might react to such a science fiction scenario, but honestly I just wasn't very bowled over by it. The characters are pretty cool, but I was disappointed to get to the end and realize that the span of the entire book was just a bit, dull.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Violence

avocadotoast121's review against another edition

4.0

4,5 stele*
Am trecut printr-un reading slump de ficţiune pentru aproximativ 3 ani aş putea spune şi asta a fost cartea care m-a scos de acolo. Ea împreună cu “1984” de George Orwell au făcut echipa perfectă pentru a îmi demonstra că ficţiunea încă are texte de oferit pentru mine.
“Cronoliţii” sunt nişte structuri arhitecturale impunătoare,asemenea unor totemuri ale terorii, ce sosesc într-un mod violent din viitor pentru a prevesti anumite bătălii. Fiind martor la sosirea primului cronolit, protagonistul îşi dedică inconştient viaţa descoperirii surselor acestor “monumente” ale viitorului militar, deşi la început îşi neagă obsesia pentru ele. Balansȃdu-se între casnicia eşuată şi munca sa de cercetător şi scriitor de programe, el de fapt devine devotatul lucrului care i-a adus doar aspecte negative, momentul în care viaţa lui începe să decadă fiind chiar momentul în care el îşi are prima întȃlnire cu un cronolit. Deşi are o echipă în spate, sau mai degrabă, echipa îl are pe el în spate, se atinge momentul crucial al cărţii. Ȋntrebarea este: cine este în spatele acestui joc cu păpuşi? Cine trage sforile cronoliţilor şi de ce?
Ȋi recunosc meritul pentru premiul “John W. Campbell Memorial” obţinut şi o recomand cu drag tuturor care doresc să iasă din reading slump.

sashastadler's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

nga's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.0

gobblebook's review

3.0

In the near future, strange towers start appearing all over the globe, monuments to future victories by some leader named Kuin. This raises questions about the possibility of time travel and the nature of causality - is it possible to prevent Kuin's victories? To what extent do the towers cause the victories they predict? There were some interesting ideas here, but the story itself fell a bit flat. I think it is a fascinating premise, but Wilson didn't quite know what to do with it and it felt like the story just petered out at the end. I don't regret reading it, especially because I'm a big fan of time travel literature. I listened to the audiobook, and it is read by one of my favorite narrators, Oliver Wyman, so I enjoyed the audiobook.

mabs's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0