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gedh's review against another edition
1.0
Virtually unreadable. No characterisation, flat, boring, dreadful.
essilles's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up. an interesting concept with interesting worldbuilding, but something about it just didn't jive with me. some of it felt hurried, while some of it inexplicably lagged even though the pace was fast, and i just didn't connect with the characters. here's hoping the sequel is better!
latad_books's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this ARC.
3-3.5 stars. Caiden and his family and all the other individuals on his settlement are transported to a different planet when the bovine herds they’re caring for all die. The humans are almost immediately slaughtered by ravenous, terrifying creatures. Caiden manages to evade them and ends up hiding in a spaceship that's marooned on the planet. His best friend Leta doesn’t appear to be as lucky, and in addition to his parents, Caiden assumes she, too, has been ripped apart by the animals.
While aboard the ship, he discovers why the toothy creatures, called nophek, are so much more important than Caiden and everyone he knew—there’s a strange crystal in the creatures’ brains, which Caiden discovers is called gloss. Gloss, it turns out, is used to generate power, so Caiden uses the crystal to bargain himself off-planet with his rescuers, who are a motley band of aliens and humans, who call themselves Passengers. They leave in the spaceship, which, it turns out, can create a multiverse around it, allowing it to transit other multiverses and environments.
Though relatively safe, Caiden suffers crippling nightmares and deep trauma, and after going through a variety of physical and mental transitions, decides he’s going to take on the organization responsible for managing the nophek, and killing his family and friends.
He also discovers there are different multiverses, and multiple organizations involved in the gloss trade, with his family’s murderers being a super-powerful and massive organization, with a separate and similar sort of organization using the gloss to power ancient artifacts by the long dead Graven. Knowing how complex it will be, Caiden still dedicates his life to destroying his family's murderers.
Phew! And That’s the setup! There is a surfeit of really neat ideas, aliens, cultures and technologies in this revenge story, set against a backdrop of secrets, greed, and profits, so, at least the story's foundation is familiar. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed by the huge number of details I had to absorb in short order once I started this book (there is a glossary, thankfully, which I did not consult till the end, as I didn’t feel like disrupting my reading flow).
I was also somewhat dubious about the term multiverses in this story, no matter how cool the idea sounds. In implementation, the author’s multiverses seemed to me to be bubbles of different environments, inimical to species not from the bubble, with the bubbles’ boundaries, or rinds, requiring care to pass through and ships made to do so. A ‘verse seems like it should be a beyond comprehension, massive thing to me, not something that contains a several rooms, for instance.
I also had a hard time wrapping my head around the main supporting characters, the Passengers, whom Caiden falls in with. I could not keep them straight, and had to keep returning to their introduction on the nophek planet to figure out who Caiden was talking to.
Did I like this book? I liked parts, like
-the sheer diversity of aliens, and by extension, the world building
-Caiden’s multiverse-generating ship, which seemed intriguing
-the nophek
Will I continue the series? I’m not sure, though I was mildly curious to know how C developed.
3-3.5 stars. Caiden and his family and all the other individuals on his settlement are transported to a different planet when the bovine herds they’re caring for all die. The humans are almost immediately slaughtered by ravenous, terrifying creatures. Caiden manages to evade them and ends up hiding in a spaceship that's marooned on the planet. His best friend Leta doesn’t appear to be as lucky, and in addition to his parents, Caiden assumes she, too, has been ripped apart by the animals.
While aboard the ship, he discovers why the toothy creatures, called nophek, are so much more important than Caiden and everyone he knew—there’s a strange crystal in the creatures’ brains, which Caiden discovers is called gloss. Gloss, it turns out, is used to generate power, so Caiden uses the crystal to bargain himself off-planet with his rescuers, who are a motley band of aliens and humans, who call themselves Passengers. They leave in the spaceship, which, it turns out, can create a multiverse around it, allowing it to transit other multiverses and environments.
Though relatively safe, Caiden suffers crippling nightmares and deep trauma, and after going through a variety of physical and mental transitions, decides he’s going to take on the organization responsible for managing the nophek, and killing his family and friends.
He also discovers there are different multiverses, and multiple organizations involved in the gloss trade, with his family’s murderers being a super-powerful and massive organization, with a separate and similar sort of organization using the gloss to power ancient artifacts by the long dead Graven. Knowing how complex it will be, Caiden still dedicates his life to destroying his family's murderers.
Phew! And That’s the setup! There is a surfeit of really neat ideas, aliens, cultures and technologies in this revenge story, set against a backdrop of secrets, greed, and profits, so, at least the story's foundation is familiar. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed by the huge number of details I had to absorb in short order once I started this book (there is a glossary, thankfully, which I did not consult till the end, as I didn’t feel like disrupting my reading flow).
I was also somewhat dubious about the term multiverses in this story, no matter how cool the idea sounds. In implementation, the author’s multiverses seemed to me to be bubbles of different environments, inimical to species not from the bubble, with the bubbles’ boundaries, or rinds, requiring care to pass through and ships made to do so. A ‘verse seems like it should be a beyond comprehension, massive thing to me, not something that contains a several rooms, for instance.
I also had a hard time wrapping my head around the main supporting characters, the Passengers, whom Caiden falls in with. I could not keep them straight, and had to keep returning to their introduction on the nophek planet to figure out who Caiden was talking to.
Did I like this book? I liked parts, like
-the sheer diversity of aliens, and by extension, the world building
-Caiden’s multiverse-generating ship, which seemed intriguing
-the nophek
Will I continue the series? I’m not sure, though I was mildly curious to know how C developed.
loge018's review against another edition
2.0
The premise for this story seemed great, but I couldn't make myself care about the characters or story. I powered through to the end, but can't recommend it and won't be looking for part 2.
destrier's review against another edition
1.0
Checks all of the plot and character and setting boxes.
But writing is much more than making up a story and saying what happened. This book is sadly unreadable by me. Check out Long Way To A Small Angry Planet for a similar vibe from a much more experienced writer who can craft a narrative.
But writing is much more than making up a story and saying what happened. This book is sadly unreadable by me. Check out Long Way To A Small Angry Planet for a similar vibe from a much more experienced writer who can craft a narrative.
ryanroseauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fresh take. It plays with some of the greatest tropes in the Epic Fantasy/Space Opera genre in ways I'd never imagined (farmboy hero has never looked like this). The sensory details are beautiful, the characters all rich and uniquely important, and the pacing is on the money. Can't recommend this highly enough.
brandiberry66's review against another edition
3.0
this review is written for me and not the author. most people who like space opera type stories will probably love this series.
i was exhausted reading this book and surprised myself by finding it so exhausting. it was just so... much. everything seemed to be an ultra version of something odd. it was beautiful but overwhelming. but at its heart, the story relies on some thematic devices that just don't do it for me anymore. angry boy grows up, struggles to contain his anger versus his kind heart. i am old and cranky. i want to continue the story but i am dreading the sensory overload of it.
i was exhausted reading this book and surprised myself by finding it so exhausting. it was just so... much. everything seemed to be an ultra version of something odd. it was beautiful but overwhelming. but at its heart, the story relies on some thematic devices that just don't do it for me anymore. angry boy grows up, struggles to contain his anger versus his kind heart. i am old and cranky. i want to continue the story but i am dreading the sensory overload of it.