bellisk's review against another edition
1.0
I think this is the first book I have started reading and given up on this year. The protagonist was awful and annoying, would never have lasted in any lab I've worked in as long as he did in Genetron's, and somehow only became more insufferable when he injected himself with his experiment. Ugh. Fortunately my partner reminded me that I could stop reading the book, and I instantly became three times as happy.
sfwordsofwonder's review against another edition
4.0
Check out my full, spoiler-free, video review HERE.
Great start and premise, diverges into something not expected but still overall good.
Great start and premise, diverges into something not expected but still overall good.
elmmegan's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
torturedfiber's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stephen_coulon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's a story about a genetically engineered intelligence that sets out to take over the world. I’ve been fascinated with Telhard de Chardin’s idea of the “noosphere” for decades, ever since reading about it in Tom Wolfe’s essay “Sorry, but Your Soul Just Died” (1997). I set out reading this novel cold, with no inkling of its contents other than knowing that Bear takes a rather “out there” approach to crafting his plots in that he pushes popular sci-fi concepts to their absolute extremes. So it was a nice surprise to discover the imagined noosphere that anchors this novel, especially seeing as it was published nearly 20 years before noospherics became popular following 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹 films. There’s not much humanity to connect to in this tale, and Bear’s prose isn’t exactly artistic, but the book’s central conceit is absorbing enough to make this a thought provoking science fiction romp that veers off into unexpectedly shocking directions.
cheshire_the_cat's review against another edition
3.0
Once again as with Blindsight (just without the egregious ableism of that one) a book where the premise could have done very well as an imaginative essay but I'm not sure it required a narrative.
pustulio's review against another edition
5.0
HOOOOOOOOOOOLYYYYYY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Ya en serio, ¿que pedo con este libro?
Es uno de los pocos libros, en los que me he encontrado perdido pensando en lo que va a pasar después. ¡En serio que pedo!
EL FINAL ME DIO ESCALOFRÍO QUE PEEEEEEEEDO
Estoy como anonadado, me parece super chingón que un libro "vieito" me pueda volar la mente tanto como lo ha hecho este. Ciencia ficción en toda su extensión de la palabra. Me quedaron dudas, que ya le preguntare a la barrita rica. Y definitivamente lo volveré a leer pronto.
Resumen ligero porque la verdad cualquier cosa que les diga podría parecer un spoiler. Aunque pasan tantas cosas en el libro que la verdad ni importara si les cuento el final.
Un científico logra crear unas celulitas que piensan. Y ya, no voy a decirles más.
De verdad leanlo, Greg Bear debería tener más reconocimiento en el mundo. No he leído nada más de él, pero por este libro se ganó mi corazón y un lugar en mis escritores de ciencia ficción.
Y ahora un gif de CIENCIA, BIIIITCH!
Ya en serio, ¿que pedo con este libro?
Es uno de los pocos libros, en los que me he encontrado perdido pensando en lo que va a pasar después. ¡En serio que pedo!
EL FINAL ME DIO ESCALOFRÍO QUE PEEEEEEEEDO
Estoy como anonadado, me parece super chingón que un libro "vieito" me pueda volar la mente tanto como lo ha hecho este. Ciencia ficción en toda su extensión de la palabra. Me quedaron dudas, que ya le preguntare a la barrita rica. Y definitivamente lo volveré a leer pronto.
Resumen ligero porque la verdad cualquier cosa que les diga podría parecer un spoiler. Aunque pasan tantas cosas en el libro que la verdad ni importara si les cuento el final.
Un científico logra crear unas celulitas que piensan. Y ya, no voy a decirles más.
De verdad leanlo, Greg Bear debería tener más reconocimiento en el mundo. No he leído nada más de él, pero por este libro se ganó mi corazón y un lugar en mis escritores de ciencia ficción.
Y ahora un gif de CIENCIA, BIIIITCH!
elvenpanther's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I felt that this novel fell short of it's potential. While the general premise was intriguing, the sci-fi aspect of its plot very quickly became farfetched, mulch more farfetched than I generally prefer my sci-fi. It's a genre that you go into fully willing to suspend your disbelief, but in some cases, such as with this novel, the plot isn't structurally sound enough to support that suspension of disbelief.
Another aspect of the novel that left me wanting was the characters. While we were introduced to several individuals, all from various backgrounds, they all felt almost shallow, in the sense that there was no connection with them. A couple of the characters seemed like they were only there to fill pages and did not actually feel as if they contributed to the storyline.
Another aspect of the novel that left me wanting was the characters. While we were introduced to several individuals, all from various backgrounds, they all felt almost shallow, in the sense that there was no connection with them. A couple of the characters seemed like they were only there to fill pages and did not actually feel as if they contributed to the storyline.