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although's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
What a tough book to review. It was heinously boring and slow. Who in the world wants to read a scifi travelogue with no plot or characters?. At the same time, it's hard to divorce the review from this book's historical significance. Clearly, the concepts and "world-building" in this book were way ahead of their time and influential on the future of scifi. 2 stars for enjoyment, 4 stars for historical significance = 3/5 total.
maiiau's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.0
sunshine42's review
5.0
Hmmm.... This book made me feel...a lot, but not really a lot. Just.. Much? I don't know. It slightly broke my heart a bit and burrowed itself in the crevices it dug. And it made me feel a lot and also nothing. And feel a gladness, but still feel nothing. Not an emptiness sort of nothing. Not a numb sort of nothing. Just...a "clear" sort of nothing.
Unflinching.
This is not just a sci-fi book. It is an exploration of the ultimate "meaning" of life, of your and my existence, of our place in the universe, the meaning and "purpose" of the cosmos itself.
It is like a pair of glasses you put on and then see everything in different shades. But you won't really be able to take them off afterwards. And you're neither glad nor despairing because of that. You just feel nothing.
Contemplating.
Unflinching.
This is not just a sci-fi book. It is an exploration of the ultimate "meaning" of life, of your and my existence, of our place in the universe, the meaning and "purpose" of the cosmos itself.
It is like a pair of glasses you put on and then see everything in different shades. But you won't really be able to take them off afterwards. And you're neither glad nor despairing because of that. You just feel nothing.
Contemplating.
jrt_lit's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
chaosetc's review
2.0
This book is about a search for "the creator", which he calls the Star Maker. It's basically an origin story for panpsychism. In tone it reminded me of The Silmarillion but at an even higher level, crossed with social and political philosophy, or in some cases just pure fantasy. There were some interesting ideas that I think could be used as the basis for compelling sci-fi stories, but you won't find those stories here.
xosirenox's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
wickedmitch's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the first classic sci fi books I ever read. Happily I can say it still holds up quite well. It blends spiritual musing with outlining a myriad of potential lifeforms. I think I appreciate it even more than I did reading it nearly a decade ago.
sunnybopeep's review against another edition
2.5
It’s not a bad book, but I didn’t like it. Once he stopped describing cool alien guys (with their suspiciously human tendencies), I stopped having fun… Sorry, Doris… I’ll never be like you.
allan_p's review against another edition
4.0
Awe inspiring imagination, a product of it's time clearly but at certain points very gripping and unfathomably imaginative, Stapledon writes about the incomprehensible.
arf88's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. Classic sci-fi that everyone seems to agree is a great book that influenced so many of the best sci-fi writers out there. But I just found the entire thing tedious and boring.
In theory I should love this book, the story of a disembodied mind traveling through time and space to meet other lifeforms. But it was like reading an encyclopaedia, nothing but "facts" regurgitated with nothing to make you care about the individuals that made up each race.
Some of the reviews of this book make it seem like it's going to be full of intelligent, life changing prose, as if simple scope of time and distance is profound on it's own. But there wasn't anything deeper in this than the unknown narrator realizing how inevitable, universal, and pointless war is. There are plenty of other books, plenty of other sci-fi, that explore the same theme without putting you to sleep.
It gets two stars and not one because there were some parts of this I enjoyed near the beginning, before the boredom set in too much.
In theory I should love this book, the story of a disembodied mind traveling through time and space to meet other lifeforms. But it was like reading an encyclopaedia, nothing but "facts" regurgitated with nothing to make you care about the individuals that made up each race.
Some of the reviews of this book make it seem like it's going to be full of intelligent, life changing prose, as if simple scope of time and distance is profound on it's own. But there wasn't anything deeper in this than the unknown narrator realizing how inevitable, universal, and pointless war is. There are plenty of other books, plenty of other sci-fi, that explore the same theme without putting you to sleep.
It gets two stars and not one because there were some parts of this I enjoyed near the beginning, before the boredom set in too much.