antolius.josipantolis.from.hr

You can trust Alastair Reynolds to weave a galaxy spanning whodunit. The classic elements are all here: it's a space opera, with relativistic interstellar travel, intriguing post-human societies, AI, even a space chase makes an appearance. And then there's the fact it's a standalone novel: every detail fits neatly, all the mysteries intertwine and build up on each other. And all are answered by the end, making it a really satisfying whole.

This novel gets 5 stars for concept and idea, but then falls short with execution. I loved the premise about maintainers of the machine that runs the universe. And I loved the parallels to computer science and Meltdown & Spectre vulnerabilities in particular. The world-building was satisfying, and the quirkiness made it fun. I appreciated the puns and the technobabble alike. Unfortunately the quirkiness is also what ruined the characters for me. The novel tries at the same time to be silly and fun and to tell a dramatic story about family and personal relationships. I can't go over this contradiction. For example, the main antagonist is simultaneously described as a comical super-villain and a narcissistic sister. The protagonist struggles to maintain sisterly relationship with the villain in accordance to their dead mother's wishes. And then she struggles to survive weekly assassination attempts by her sister. I can't process these two things at the same time. Give me a grounded, interpersonal drama or give me quirky and absurd fun. But not both. Lastly, the ending felt disappointing. There were discussions of finding a systemic solutions, and what appeared to be a setup for a sequels. But the main plot points were mostly swept under a rug. The conspiracy that drives the plot was uncovered at around 3/4 of the way through and the rest of the novel did not contribute much.

An enjoyable cyberpunk read It felt old-school to me, and I guess I mean that in a good way. It has everything: hackers, AI, nanobots, VR, quantum computers, autonomous cars, even a cinematic reimagining of the internet. The core idea of people using virtual avatars to go online and having to re-integrate with them in the end is both cool and clever. There's enough substance to it to keep the story interesting. The novel itself is well structured. It's action packed without it getting overbearing. The pacing is good and the story keeps flowing nicely. It relies a lot on the main protagonist who is the only point of view character. Fortunately, I found her likeable and did not mind that.