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An enthralling space opera that had me ravenously going back til the very end. Immaculate setpieces that I couldn't help but envision seeing in the theater. Memorable characters, absolutely meaty amounts of worldbuilding, and an incredible twist that caught me completely off guard.
The multiple perspectives and time jumps were a bit confusing for the first few chapters (Christopher Nolan's Momento comes to mind), but once I understood the flow of the novel it was easy enough to keep up with. Overall such a pleasant surprise of a debut that Iām still thinking about months later!!
Jan 24, 2024
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I'm not a big fan of his prose. He writes like a stereotypical scientist (no shade to the scientists, you have many redeeming and necessary qualities). Meaning it's very straightforward, to the point, and action oriented, but it's also the sort of writing where you're just begging them to say something beautiful or profound (but they never do).
That being said, the main character is a scientist, so it kind of works. Also, as someone who struggles with concision in my own writing, I admire the way he can hone in and drive a plot with his writing style.
Speaking of which, the plot is great. It's like the majority of classical science fiction, meaning the ideas are what really drive the novel, and the characters are simply vehicles for said ideas. Personally, I like idea-driven literature, so this redeems it for me. The plot is addicting and it will keep you coming back for more. There's also an enjoyable twist. Oh, and apparently a show based upon the novel is coming out soon, so now is the perfect time to preemptively read it.
Feb 19, 2024
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First book of the year and I started it off right. Sweet with a tinge of bitterness at some turns, haunting, thrilling. Will have you running through the city of Chicago.
Feb 1, 2024
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With the Netflix series coming out, I can't recommend the book trilogy enough.
It's the approachable sort of hard sci-fi that delves into complicated concepts without getting too deeply into the weeds. Everything is really well set up and explained, and like all the best trilogies, every book in the series gets better than the one that came before.
It was also written by a Chinese author (Cixin Liu) in the early 2000s, so it offers a unique perspective and gives you a glimpse into how someone from a country like China (the world's second largest economy, but with dramatically different economic/political processes and historical/cultural development than the US or Europe) views the realities of the present and the possibilities of the future (spoiler: its way more optimistic than a lot of Western authors... to an extent).
But most importantly, the series is full of some really interesting ideas and concepts, especially in regard to the Fermi Paradox. It makes you think, imagine, and philosophize, which is what I love about reading sci-fi. Anyway, it's definitely worth reading the series before having your idea of it tainted by the TV show, which will inevitably butcher certain aspects, and tarnish what your imagination could have dreamt up on its own.
Mar 24, 2024
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its a fun fact I like to whip out now and then
Feb 26, 2024
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I truly lead a different life now because of it
Jan 24, 2024
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trust me they won't know what hit them!!
Jan 31, 2024