clovis_clover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fun adventure! At different times it manages to feel like a Christie murder mystery, a 2001-style sci-fi thriller, and towards the end like an homage to Neuromancer.
Loved that most relationships mentioned defaulted to queer, and Ryu's non-binary identity. Also the nods to real-world politics and fascination with conspiracy, which I found fairly subtle yet effective.
Couple 'characters' were exactly as functional as the plot needed them to be in each given scene, but not something that bothered me overly much.
I'll be happy to check out Wallace's other books!
Loved that most relationships mentioned defaulted to queer, and Ryu's non-binary identity. Also the nods to real-world politics and fascination with conspiracy, which I found fairly subtle yet effective.
Couple 'characters' were exactly as functional as the plot needed them to be in each given scene, but not something that bothered me overly much.
I'll be happy to check out Wallace's other books!
rorrin'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
dhasenkampf's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay but nothing I'll remember by next week. The story isn't anything new, if you've read even the barest minimum of sci fi books set in space then you'll have seen everything here before. The character work wasn't special or particularly well done. There wasn't enough dialogue for me, a complaint which I've never had and didn't realize could be a thing. But in this novel, there are pages and pages and pages where the MC tells us what is happening but almost never speaks. And when she does speak at least half of her words are a variation of the f-word. (For such a genius she has a very limited vocabulary.)
Overall, meh. It was all right, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who already enjoys space operas.
Overall, meh. It was all right, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who already enjoys space operas.
sonygaystation's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
reads_vicariously's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of science fiction and a decent fan of murder mysteries, and I'm beginning to realize how much I enjoy the merging of these two genres. For me Dead Space contained a lot of what I liked about both genres, and only a little of what I don't care for as much.
In terms of science fiction: it has the futuristic setting, the multi-planet spanning plot, the space stations and outer space exploration, the fusing and man and machine, and the excitement of artificial intelligence.
In terms of murder mysteries: it has, well, the mysterious murder, the cast of suspicious characters, the red herrings, the betrayals, and the numerous twists and turns.
The author does a good job of developing the characters and building the world(s) around them. I especially liked the Protagonist (a brilliant scientist-turned-lowly-security officer who struggles with her past defining her future), the Investigator (an calm and commanding Martian with a complex past I would love to learn more about), and the Lawyer (a disagreeable rich boy who actually has a heart of gold, er maybe bronze).
The book also engages with a lot of interesting concepts, including unchecked capitalism, corporate enslavement, scientific exploration, and the pros/cons of artificial intelligence. Even being set so far in the future, it felt a little too close to home with its portrayal of greedy, insensitive corporations and Earth as an uncouth antagonist of other worlds and species.
My main complaint is the overwhelming amount of exposition. Though a lot of the details relate to the characters and the setting, they still came across as bloated and overdone. Exposition is par for the course with science fiction, but here it just felt like much too much. Also, I had some minor quibbles with comically overdone action sequences involving robotic spiders.
Overall there's a lot to like here, from the compelling characters to the scenes of brutal violence to the surprising plot twists. There's also a nice bit of representation of the LGBTQ+ community and persons with disabilities, which was refreshing. It's a character-driven space murder mystery with elements of horror, and the second half especially had my flying through the pages.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
In terms of science fiction: it has the futuristic setting, the multi-planet spanning plot, the space stations and outer space exploration, the fusing and man and machine, and the excitement of artificial intelligence.
In terms of murder mysteries: it has, well, the mysterious murder, the cast of suspicious characters, the red herrings, the betrayals, and the numerous twists and turns.
The author does a good job of developing the characters and building the world(s) around them. I especially liked the Protagonist (a brilliant scientist-turned-lowly-security officer who struggles with her past defining her future), the Investigator (an calm and commanding Martian with a complex past I would love to learn more about), and the Lawyer (a disagreeable rich boy who actually has a heart of gold, er maybe bronze).
The book also engages with a lot of interesting concepts, including unchecked capitalism, corporate enslavement, scientific exploration, and the pros/cons of artificial intelligence. Even being set so far in the future, it felt a little too close to home with its portrayal of greedy, insensitive corporations and Earth as an uncouth antagonist of other worlds and species.
My main complaint is the overwhelming amount of exposition. Though a lot of the details relate to the characters and the setting, they still came across as bloated and overdone. Exposition is par for the course with science fiction, but here it just felt like much too much. Also, I had some minor quibbles with comically overdone action sequences involving robotic spiders.
Overall there's a lot to like here, from the compelling characters to the scenes of brutal violence to the surprising plot twists. There's also a nice bit of representation of the LGBTQ+ community and persons with disabilities, which was refreshing. It's a character-driven space murder mystery with elements of horror, and the second half especially had my flying through the pages.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
virginspine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
literarybitch's review against another edition
4.0
I approve. Honestly there's not much to say, this is exactly what I want in a sci fi. Big bad corporations, robot prosthetics, dystopian indenture, AI overseers, space colonies, and at the center: a good ol whodunit
shay_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0