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isabellesbooks's review against another edition
2.5
I was confused and uninterested in this book until I was like 95% through it, but it was fantastic from there so I’m a little conflicted. My dad loves Peter F. Hamilton, specifically Fallen Dragon, and recommended it to me (see also: he was begging me to read it until I finally gave in). 800 pages of a book you never really wanted to read in the first place is a big commitment but I guess I love him. I am glad I read this in the end, but whether it’s because of the relief I feel from it being over with or the genius ending of the book I have no idea.
PS— please never tell my mom about this book my family has in common now because it was so full of sex. She would be appalled at this entire situation
PS— please never tell my mom about this book my family has in common now because it was so full of sex. She would be appalled at this entire situation
branomir's review against another edition
2.0
2.5*
As per usual with a .5 quotation, I took some time deliberating which side I would lean to for my official star rating on GR. Eventually the fact that I've no desire to read this book again or anything else by this author, swayed me towards a two star rating.
It's not that the book is bad per sé. Nor is the author, it's just that there is nothing in this book that made me care, but despite that I did make it through 800 pages in a month, so I can't deny that it's mostly well written. In the end I can appreciate the book, but I didn't really enjoy it.
Part of the problem is that this book is far longer than it needs to be, entire chapters could have easily been left out. The world building got out of hand. Every planet we visit (most of them through flashbacks) halts the story to give an elaborate history of its origins. Far more often than not this had no bearing on the plot whatsoever. So I ended up doing something which I very rarely do: I started skipping bits. After I while I could tell by the paragraph structure where the actual plot started going again and so I just jumped to that, ignoring the elaborate background info dumping. It didn't affect my understanding of the plot at all. Take a cue from my favourite author, Mr. Hamilton: if you want to write about your world so excessively, save it for the appendices or companion novels.
Another problem for me was that this book was a lot more about ideas than it was about the people, which isn't my cup of tea. None of the characters were likeable or people I could care about or had goals or philosophies I could admire. The book takes care not to take sides either and went for a rather nihilistic nobody is ever really wrong or right approach that I couldn't quite appreciate.
The structure is weird, there are a lot of flashbacks, a large amount of them pointless and then at about the 90% mark our "expectations are subverted" and the plot At this point I was pretty much done with caring and I just read to finish it with a mild curiosity as to the end. It was disappointing, even though a little twist in the end would be in theory something I would enjoy, but by that time I was so far past caring that it did little to me, especially considering it had
As I was reading it, I came up with a lot of possible twists and I feel like most of my ideas are actually a lot better than what actually happened. There seems to be so much wasted potential. We have two characters of opposing views so I was looking forward to them meeting and the clash of personalities, but not only did it take ages for them to finally meet, their interactions were mostly meh and made little sense to me. I'm really left feeling a little disappointed.
There was also a severe case of manic pixie dream girl, combined with lots and lots of teenage sex. Apart from being highly uncomfortable to read about as an adult, it was just really unnecessary to the story. I'm not exactly a prude, there was just an uncomfortable amount of focus on her body and how sexually compliant she was. And when we find out The worst part is that this character could have worked if only she'd been treated as an actual person rather than a plot device.
(Minor annoyances: How does the author know so much about physics and technology yet doesn't know the difference between farther and further? Also, there's no such thing as nor has there ever been a sabre-toothed tiger.)
In the end I can't really hack apart the book, the world building is good if overdone and the plot is okay and the characters aren't horrible for the most part. There just not really much I can say to recommend it either. For me, this is where Mr. Hamilton and I part ways unfortunately.
As per usual with a .5 quotation, I took some time deliberating which side I would lean to for my official star rating on GR. Eventually the fact that I've no desire to read this book again or anything else by this author, swayed me towards a two star rating.
It's not that the book is bad per sé. Nor is the author, it's just that there is nothing in this book that made me care, but despite that I did make it through 800 pages in a month, so I can't deny that it's mostly well written. In the end I can appreciate the book, but I didn't really enjoy it.
Part of the problem is that this book is far longer than it needs to be, entire chapters could have easily been left out. The world building got out of hand. Every planet we visit (most of them through flashbacks) halts the story to give an elaborate history of its origins. Far more often than not this had no bearing on the plot whatsoever. So I ended up doing something which I very rarely do: I started skipping bits. After I while I could tell by the paragraph structure where the actual plot started going again and so I just jumped to that, ignoring the elaborate background info dumping. It didn't affect my understanding of the plot at all. Take a cue from my favourite author, Mr. Hamilton: if you want to write about your world so excessively, save it for the appendices or companion novels.
Another problem for me was that this book was a lot more about ideas than it was about the people, which isn't my cup of tea. None of the characters were likeable or people I could care about or had goals or philosophies I could admire. The book takes care not to take sides either and went for a rather nihilistic nobody is ever really wrong or right approach that I couldn't quite appreciate.
The structure is weird, there are a lot of flashbacks, a large amount of them pointless and then at about the 90% mark our "expectations are subverted" and the plot
Spoiler
we thought we were working towards turns out not to be what it was really about all along and we get a new plot for the last 100 pages or so.Spoiler
a stupid fade to black.As I was reading it, I came up with a lot of possible twists and I feel like most of my ideas are actually a lot better than what actually happened. There seems to be so much wasted potential. We have two characters of opposing views so I was looking forward to them meeting and the clash of personalities, but not only did it take ages for them to finally meet, their interactions were mostly meh and made little sense to me. I'm really left feeling a little disappointed.
There was also a severe case of manic pixie dream girl, combined with lots and lots of teenage sex. Apart from being highly uncomfortable to read about as an adult, it was just really unnecessary to the story. I'm not exactly a prude, there was just an uncomfortable amount of focus on her body and how sexually compliant she was. And when we find out
Spoiler
that she was effectively prostituting herself it only becomes all the worse.(Minor annoyances: How does the author know so much about physics and technology yet doesn't know the difference between farther and further? Also, there's no such thing as nor has there ever been a sabre-toothed tiger.)
In the end I can't really hack apart the book, the world building is good if overdone and the plot is okay and the characters aren't horrible for the most part. There just not really much I can say to recommend it either. For me, this is where Mr. Hamilton and I part ways unfortunately.
seafamboonie's review against another edition
3.0
Not too shabby. He puts a lot of detail into the technology, culture of various worlds, and the setting of the time. I thought that the book was relatively short for the amount of inserted detail that explained the military makeup of the head corporation, layouts and politics of the city, etc, and the book felt somewhat short at the end. I feel the amount of detail given warranted a longer novel.
However, still a solid read. It must be decent if I wanted the book to be longer.
However, still a solid read. It must be decent if I wanted the book to be longer.
mwideman's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
3.0
mcr314's review against another edition
3.0
A bit weaker than his other books.
I did enjoy it though.
I did enjoy it though.
jeremyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alizy's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
webjoram's review against another edition
3.0
En esta novela Peter Hamilton repite muchos de los esquemas que ya utilizo en la saga de novelas ambientadas en la Federación. Al igual que en la "estrella de Pandora" y "Judas Desencadenado", el autor realiza una exhaustiva descripción de la sociedad en donde se ambientan las novelas proporcionando al lector multitud de detalles que dan credibilidad al desarrollo tecnológico que se ha producido. Esta profundidad en la descripción del entorno es una de las razones por las que me gustaron esas dos novelas, ademas de por tener una trama bien construida y mantener el suspense a través de casi 2000 páginas.
En esta ocasión el autor repite esquema; una sociedad altamente evolucionada, que se encuentra en un momento crucial de su historia y que debe enfrentar un peligro desconocido....El problema es que ni los personajes ni las situaciones por las que pasan permiten mantener una tensión adecuada. En mi opinión esta es una buena historia a la que le sobran páginas. A lo largo de la narración hay momentos que te desesperas esperando que suceda algo, que se "desencadene el infierno" y por desgracia esto no sucede hasta el último cuarto del libro cuando la acción se desencadena a raudales llegando a un final hasta cierto punto imprevisible. Posiblemente esta es la mejor parte del libro y en cierto modo consigue reconciliarte con su lectura.
En definitiva una novela interesante que solo recomendaría a gente con paciencia y constancia.
En esta ocasión el autor repite esquema; una sociedad altamente evolucionada, que se encuentra en un momento crucial de su historia y que debe enfrentar un peligro desconocido....El problema es que ni los personajes ni las situaciones por las que pasan permiten mantener una tensión adecuada. En mi opinión esta es una buena historia a la que le sobran páginas. A lo largo de la narración hay momentos que te desesperas esperando que suceda algo, que se "desencadene el infierno" y por desgracia esto no sucede hasta el último cuarto del libro cuando la acción se desencadena a raudales llegando a un final hasta cierto punto imprevisible. Posiblemente esta es la mejor parte del libro y en cierto modo consigue reconciliarte con su lectura.
En definitiva una novela interesante que solo recomendaría a gente con paciencia y constancia.
konain's review against another edition
2.0
Too many and way too long backstories that don't contribute much to the main story or characterisation.
No all-round character development. One character given disproportionately more time than other main characters. And even then, he doesn't act consistent to his character for most of the book.
An unnecessarily long romance which is less a romance and more a badly written porn.
Fallen dragon feels just like a deux ex machina rather than the focus of the story.
Shallow plot. Certainly not worth 800+ odd pages.
Stupid end.
Plenty of smaller issues, but can't bother to write them all. Disappointing stuff from a master writer.
No all-round character development. One character given disproportionately more time than other main characters. And even then, he doesn't act consistent to his character for most of the book.
An unnecessarily long romance which is less a romance and more a badly written porn.
Fallen dragon feels just like a deux ex machina rather than the focus of the story.
Shallow plot. Certainly not worth 800+ odd pages.
Stupid end.
Plenty of smaller issues, but can't bother to write them all. Disappointing stuff from a master writer.