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aido_potato's review against another edition
4.0
I was going to give this just 3 stars because I got so sick of war stuff, but the last chunk is much better than the middle slog. I still think the focus on war takes away from this feeling like a more fully realized world, but some really cool stuff happens between the shooting.
lightiron's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0
rebeccazh's review against another edition
June 2017: reread in preparation for [b: The Raven Stratagem|30691976|Raven Stratagem (The Machineries of Empire #2)|Yoon Ha Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466524955s/30691976.jpg|51237351] and I understood more than I did the first time round. It's amazing how quickly I get attached to Cheris and Jedao. Onward to [b: The Raven Stratagem|30691976|Raven Stratagem (The Machineries of Empire #2)|Yoon Ha Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466524955s/30691976.jpg|51237351] now and I hope it knocks my socks off.
so. damn. good. can't wait to read the sequel
so. damn. good. can't wait to read the sequel
maiiau's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kenziekuma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those stories that afterwards lingers and makes you rethink how you see the world. It took me a while to get into the story but then it flew.
Captain Kel Cheris is disgraced by unconventional tactics; her chance to redeem herself is to host the mind of long-dead tactician Shuos Jedao normally this would subsume the original mind but together these two work on the siege and form a new alliance that will change things.
It's an interesting read and I'm glad I read it, I didn't continue reading this series when reading the Hugos as I felt I needed some breathing space between me and the next book in this series..
I have to admit that I found it a bit difficult to get into but compelling once I was there.
Captain Kel Cheris is disgraced by unconventional tactics; her chance to redeem herself is to host the mind of long-dead tactician Shuos Jedao normally this would subsume the original mind but together these two work on the siege and form a new alliance that will change things.
It's an interesting read and I'm glad I read it, I didn't continue reading this series when reading the Hugos as I felt I needed some breathing space between me and the next book in this series..
I have to admit that I found it a bit difficult to get into but compelling once I was there.
meghaha's review against another edition
4.0
Ninefox Gambit is the best recently published sci-fi book I’ve read since Ancillary Justice. The novels have a lot in common, both being militaristic sci-fi operas about a multi-self rogue agent at odds with an evil galactic empire.
The funny thing is, I don’t even have any fondness for militaristic-themed books in particular, but the world-building and imaginativeness of both books won me over anyway. Yes, I can confess to being a little wearied at points by the fact that Ninefox Gambit is basically a novel of non-stop battles (so much shooting and death) but it was so good overall it doesn’t matter.
Above all, I really enjoyed the sensation of being thrown feet-first into a world, without any kiddie floaters— it was a pleasant feeling of disorientation, being confronted by a book-specific array of terminology and density of information from the get-go. The world Yoon Ha Lee has created is so well thought-out, with its associated tech terminology, even if it was a bit challenging to parse at first. The best thing is that Lee actually trusts his readers, and doesn’t explain his designs in a simplistic manner or ease us in, but believes we’re smart enough to keep up with the complexities, and that’s a delightful feeling. I mean, there’s all this math-based world-building involved (the nitty-gritty of which I can’t pretend to understand) but it was all so COOL, and fresh.
As added bonus(es), this book is about suppressing mathematical heresy; the society is an Asian multi-cultural one (sweet bean pastries are serious business!); the servitors are really cute sentient robots; and what happens when the laws of physics are bent by heresy makes for some grotesquely weird and searing images. I really enjoyed this one.
Quotes:
"Taking away people's names denied their power, a lesson Cheris tried not to think about."
"A little heresy went a long way, unfortunately."
"The universe ran on death. All the clockwork wonders in the world couldn't halt entropy."
The funny thing is, I don’t even have any fondness for militaristic-themed books in particular, but the world-building and imaginativeness of both books won me over anyway. Yes, I can confess to being a little wearied at points by the fact that Ninefox Gambit is basically a novel of non-stop battles (so much shooting and death) but it was so good overall it doesn’t matter.
Above all, I really enjoyed the sensation of being thrown feet-first into a world, without any kiddie floaters— it was a pleasant feeling of disorientation, being confronted by a book-specific array of terminology and density of information from the get-go. The world Yoon Ha Lee has created is so well thought-out, with its associated tech terminology, even if it was a bit challenging to parse at first. The best thing is that Lee actually trusts his readers, and doesn’t explain his designs in a simplistic manner or ease us in, but believes we’re smart enough to keep up with the complexities, and that’s a delightful feeling. I mean, there’s all this math-based world-building involved (the nitty-gritty of which I can’t pretend to understand) but it was all so COOL, and fresh.
As added bonus(es), this book is about suppressing mathematical heresy; the society is an Asian multi-cultural one (sweet bean pastries are serious business!); the servitors are really cute sentient robots; and what happens when the laws of physics are bent by heresy makes for some grotesquely weird and searing images. I really enjoyed this one.
Quotes:
"Taking away people's names denied their power, a lesson Cheris tried not to think about."
"A little heresy went a long way, unfortunately."
"The universe ran on death. All the clockwork wonders in the world couldn't halt entropy."
harmonictempest's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating setting and a really interesting way of writing characters. I like how the oblique reveal of both the protagonists and their decisions, though the most important decision they make could be better developed.
The calendar system was intimidating at first, but eventually I appreciated the exercise of translating it into plainer terms, which makes certain parts of how the world actually works a little more obvious.
Fun to peel apart, not quite as satisfying an examination of empires as it could have been.
The calendar system was intimidating at first, but eventually I appreciated the exercise of translating it into plainer terms, which makes certain parts of how the world actually works a little more obvious.
Fun to peel apart, not quite as satisfying an examination of empires as it could have been.
laurarhds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0