wordswithnima's reviews
112 reviews

Having grown up reading Clarke and Asimov, I was super excited for this one, but it fell short of my expectations. Conceptually, it was very interesting. In terms of writing style, characters, and story, not so much. It's the kind of book where the overarching ideas—big questions about science, beliefs, and the universe and the impact of communism on cultural thought—are given more importance than the narrative in which they're presented, and it was a bit of a drag to get through.

I'm disappointed to say that I'm among the minority of readers who did not like the culmination of this series. Tragedy upon tragedy, insufferable personalities, no resolution or growth, no real reason to root for anyone. Every time a character showed strength of self, it soon devolved. I got to the end because I wanted to see the series through, but reading this book felt like pulling teeth. The third book left off with the promise of character arcs that would align with the political and social learnings that were packed into the pages (which were the bits I found most interesting in book 4), but it never reached that kind of conclusion. Maybe that's what the author intended, and if so, I suppose it was well done, but all I feel is relief that it's over.