Karsa Orlong Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) Annihilation (The Southern Reach Trilogy Book 1) by Jeff Vandermeer 2014 - Fourth Estate ebook - 209 pages Winner of the 2015 Nebula Award. Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.This is the story of the twelfth expedition. A couple of years ago I read a book called Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It was about 'zones' containing artefacts left behind by a mysterious alien presence. It was an oddly disjointed book, I found, but there was no way of knowing if it was down to the writing, the translation, or the fact that Russian censors had banned or edited the book for long periods of time, viewing it as a criticism of communism. The only reason I mention this is because, on the face of it, Annihilation follows the basic pattern of that story. What we have here is the story of four women who make up the twelfth expedition to be sent into the mysterious Area X by the clandestine government agency known as Southern Reach. Their mission is to explore, map, and get samples and evidence from the area. Nobody quite knows what Area X is, or how it and its invisible barrier came to be. These four characters are never given names: they are known simply as the psychologist, the surveyor, the anthropologist, and the biologist, who is the narrator of the story, which is told in the form of a journal. A name was a dangerous luxury here. Sacrifices didn't need names. The psychologist is also a hypnotist, and they pass through the barrier in a hypnotised state, and none of the other three knows quite what happened during the transition. On the other side they find wildlife that is not quite . . . right, swamps, deserted, half-sunken and decaying villages, an ominous structure buried in the ground that most call a 'tunnel' but the biologist is sure is a sunken tower, and a fortified lighthouse guarding a bleak shoreline. As darkness descends a chilling, continuous moan from the swamp is their constant companion. In the morning, they descend into the tower. Even though no threat had revealed itself, it seemed important to eliminate any possible moment of silence. As if somehow the blankness of the walls fed off the silence, and that something might appear in the spaces between our words if we were not careful. I found Annihilation to be many things. It is haunting, disturbing, thought-provoking, imbued with a sense of other-worldliness, always creepy, effortlessly hypnotic, and frequently unsettling. It's not thrilling or action-packed - it's not meant to be. It is an absorbing exercise in atmosphere where each word seems to have been chosen with utmost care. It is short and to the point and yet verbose and full of vivid description. It confuses by never giving away any character's name, and yet succeeds in building character from words and action alone. The map had been the first form of misdirection, for what was a map but a way of emphasizing some things and making other things invisible? It's not perfect. As the first in a trilogy, it is not a book for people who want to be spoon-fed all the answers. It's a book that teases until its final page. If you went on a date with it you'd think twice before going on a second. But there's something so enticing about it, you probably would. It's a triumph of style over content. Vandermeer's writing is beguiling and frustrating in equal measure. It's touch and go whether or not he can make you care who makes it to the end - and who doesn't. At 209 pages it is refreshingly, pleasingly concise and left me wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed it. . . . when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonise you. Edited August 3, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Annihilation sounds fascinating. WIshlisted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 fascinating That's another word I could've used to describe it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Hmmm, another one for the wishlist!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) Removed. Edited February 28, 2017 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Wow, that is one long and good review! I don't know if it's my thing, as I tend to get distracted easily but you make it sound really good. I shall have to try to read a few pages of the book on his website, some time, to see if it appeals to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Glad you had a great trip, Steve. The pics were fantastic. Thanks for sharing! I'd dearly love to go to Canada one day. It looks gorgeous. I went to a rodeo once and was also disturbed at how they treat the animals. I'd never go to another one now that I know. Terrific review of Blindsight! Definitely going on the wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Glad you had a great trip, Steve. The pics were fantastic. Thanks for sharing! I'd dearly love to go to Canada one day. It looks gorgeous. I went to a rodeo once and was also disturbed at how they treat the animals. I'd never go to another one now that I know. Thanks Kylie The rodeo was something we kind of felt we had to do, as the Calgary Stampede is the city's major event each year and we just happened to get there for its last couple of days. I really didn't like it, though. We ended up leaving about halfway through. Terrific review of Blindsight! Definitely going on the wishlist. Thanks! I had to take a day away from reading to recover from it It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it hit all the right buttons for me. Definitely one to 'try before you buy', I think. I read the short story, The Colonel, yesterday - which is a linking story between the two novels - and have now started the sequel, Echopraxia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I love it when one genre incorporates features of another. I really like how Blindsight sounds like a cross between SF and horror (and how the prologue begins with a quote by a serial killer ). I also love it when books are organised in a non-standard way, i.e. without conventional chapters (like Pratchett, whose books don't have any chapters at all). What's the meaning of Theseus, Rorschach and Charybdis? (Rorschach just makes me think of Watchmen ). It's a bit freaky how you casually mention that Siri had half of his brain cut out. Though the way you describe him - as a thinking, yet unfeeling, alien-type narrator reminds me of the book I'm reading now (Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie). The narrator is an AI and similarly lacks feelings, and I'm also finding it hard to care about her/him/it. Looking at the website I notice there's a short section written in second person. Does the author return to this throughout, and is it not a bit disorienting? I read the short story, The Colonel, yesterday - which is a linking story between the two novels - and have now started the sequel, Echopraxia Where is the review? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 I love it when one genre incorporates features of another. I really like how Blindsight sounds like a cross between SF and horror (and how the prologue begins with a quote by a serial killer ). Yeah He's used some great quotes throughout both books. It's certainly got elements of horror about it. The vampire is properly scary - none of that sparkles in sunlight or loses his soul if he experiences a moment of happiness rubbish Having said that, the vampire in Echopraxia is ten times scarier. But more on that in a day or two I also love it when books are organised in a non-standard way, i.e. without conventional chapters (like Pratchett, whose books don't have any chapters at all). What's the meaning of Theseus, Rorschach and Charybdis? (Rorschach just makes me think of Watchmen ). Hmm, I don't know if it would be too spoilery to say what they mean. Well, Theseus is the name of the spaceship, so that's not spoilery, but . . . Rorschach is the name of the alien spaceship they discover, and Charybdis - I suppose it's just about making the choice between a rock and a hard place, between Scylla and Charybdis, although I like to think it was actually a reference to the whirlpools that Charybdis makes, because the final section of the book has all the chaos and makings of being sucked into a vortex. It's a bit freaky how you casually mention that Siri had half of his brain cut out. Though the way you describe him - as a thinking, yet unfeeling, alien-type narrator reminds me of the book I'm reading now (Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie). The narrator is an AI and similarly lacks feelings, and I'm also finding it hard to care about her/him/it. The weird thing is that I did care for Siri. He's so at odds with the world that I was kind of worried about him, most of the time. All the crew have been augmented in one way or another but none of them trust him. It's almost like it makes him, as you say, the alien. The thing about him having half his brain cut out is having ramifications throughout both books. Lots of guilt from his parents, the break-up of their marriage (that's not spoilery cos it gets mentioned very early on). It's clever, clever stuff. Looking at the website I notice there's a short section written in second person. Does the author return to this throughout, and is it not a bit disorienting? Yeah, there's a lot of that in Blindsight, and I think it's deliberately done to make it disorienting. The first line of the book (well, after the prologue) is 'Imagine you are Siri Keeton', so various parts continue in that way. That's why I ended the review with it Where is the review? Of The Colonel? I hadn't even thought of doing one for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Yeah He's used some great quotes throughout both books. It's certainly got elements of horror about it. The vampire is properly scary - none of that sparkles in sunlight or loses his soul if he experiences a moment of happiness rubbish Having said that, the vampire in Echopraxia is ten times scarier. But more on that in a day or two Yeah, I'm not a fan of all the romanticised vampires hanging around these days, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid urban fantasy. Vampires should be scary (like in 30 Days of Night ). The quotes I saw at the beginning of the story seem very appropriate in that they set a very particular tone for what's about to happen. I like it when quotes are used in this way. What I don't like is when fantasy novels include quotes from real writers (Joe Abercrombie does this in First Law) - no matter how great the quote is, seeing it attributed to someone like Milton or Shakespeare just pulls me right out of novel. An advantage SF has over fantasy, I suppose! Hmm, I don't know if it would be too spoilery to say what they mean. Well, Theseus is the name of the spaceship, so that's not spoilery, but . . . Rorschach is the name of the alien spaceship they discover, and Charybdis - I suppose it's just about making the choice between a rock and a hard place, between Scylla and Charybdis, although I like to think it was actually a reference to the whirlpools that Charybdis makes, because the final section of the book has all the chaos and makings of being sucked into a vortex. Ooh I've never even heard of that (because I was too lazy to Google it ). One of the baddies in Myke Cole's Shadow Ops series is called Scylla - I wonder if that will become relevant in the next book? Yeah, there's a lot of that in Blindsight, and I think it's deliberately done to make it disorienting. The first line of the book (well, after the prologue) is 'Imagine you are Siri Keeton', so various parts continue in that way. That's why I ended the review with it Ohhh of course! Of The Colonel? I hadn't even thought of doing one for that Maybe just a few general thoughts, then? When is it set in relation to the main novels, and is it required reading for Echopraxia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Yeah, I'm not a fan of all the romanticised vampires hanging around these days, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid urban fantasy. Vampires should be scary (like in 30 Days of Night ). Exactly! I want nasty, scary vampires, not warm cuddly ones The one in Echopraxia is really freaking me out The quotes I saw at the beginning of the story seem very appropriate in that they set a very particular tone for what's about to happen. I like it when quotes are used in this way. What I don't like is when fantasy novels include quotes from real writers (Joe Abercrombie does this in First Law) - no matter how great the quote is, seeing it attributed to someone like Milton or Shakespeare just pulls me right out of novel. An advantage SF has over fantasy, I suppose! Yes, I guess so - if you can accept that people living in 2082 will remember Susanne Vega lyrics I liked the Aristotle one he used: "Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own" Ooh I've never even heard of that (because I was too lazy to Google it ). One of the baddies in Myke Cole's Shadow Ops series is called Scylla - I wonder if that will become relevant in the next book? I hope so! I hope he didn't name a character that just cos he liked the sound of it Sorry, didn't realise you didn't know about Scylla and Charybdis, otherwise I would've explained a bit more http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.12.xii.html Maybe just a few general thoughts, then? When is it set in relation to the main novels, and is it required reading for Echopraxia? I'll see what I can do later on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Exactly! I want nasty, scary vampires, not warm cuddly ones The one in Echopraxia is really freaking me out It sounds epic. And makes me want to try these books even more . . . against my better judgement. I liked the Aristotle one he used: "Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own" Ha! I love that. Sorry, didn't realise you didn't know about Scylla and Charybdis, otherwise I would've explained a bit more http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.12.xii.html It's alright, I Wikied it after you mentioned it. Have you ever read The Odyssey from start to finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 It sounds epic. And makes me want to try these books even more . . . against my better judgement. Go on, you know you it makes sense Have you ever read The Odyssey from start to finish? Yeah, I read it and The Iliad a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) The Colonel by Peter Watts 2014 - Tor ebook - 30 pages The Colonel is a short story (Tor call it a novelette ) which links Blindsight and Echopraxia. Actually, it's more a case of it filling in some more detail on a character from the first novel, and introducing some concepts and a new character who will appear in the second novel. It tells the story of Colonel Jim Moore. As the story begins, Moore is trying to deal with an attack on a military base which is under his watch. The attack, we soon find out, is being carried out by a hive mind - thirteen people whose minds are linked to form one larger 'brain', each person's body being a digit or limb of the larger whole. It's an interesting and exciting sequence which deals with the action at a remove: Moore and his lieutenant are watching and reacting to the attack via satellite imaging from a command centre 'half a world away'. What happens after that chilling attack (chilling because of the ruthless efficiency of the hive mind) would be to spoil too much, but Moore is linked inextricably to the first book, the events of which play a part here. I wouldn't say it was essential to read this story before reading Echopraxia, but then I'm saying that having done so myself and I think it really helped in adding some background and context, and possibly alleviating any confusion at the start of the novel. Watts's writing is as brilliant as it was in Blindsight. The solidity of his world, the way the characters fit into it, the sense of future history, the dialogue, are all outstanding. What you won't get is an ending. It is, in effect, a teaser for Echopraxia, which picks up the story a short while after these events. The Colonel can be read for free here, but please beware that the blurb at the top of that page (stupidly, IMO) and the latter stages of the story contain massive spoilers for Blindsight, so proceed at your peril Edited August 12, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Go on, you know you it makes sense Alright - it's officially wishlisted!! Yeah, I read it and The Iliad a couple of years ago. Oh yeah! Just days before I joined the forum. The Colonel is a short story (Tor call it a novelette ) I never know what the difference is. The attack, we soon find out, is being carried out by a hive mind - thirteen people whose minds are linked to form one larger 'brain', each person's body being a digit or limb of the larger whole. This is like the ancillaries in Leckie's novel! The Colonel sounds exciting. I've struggled with short stories in the past because I feel like they seem to end just as they get going. I'm guessing the length wasn't an issue here? Thanks for the spoiler warning. Was going to check out the story but will leave it for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 This is like the ancillaries in Leckie's novel! I must get around to reading that soon. I've had it for ages The Colonel sounds exciting. I've struggled with short stories in the past because I feel like they seem to end just as they get going. I'm guessing the length wasn't an issue here? No, not for me. But then I knew I'd be diving straight into Echopraxia as soon as I finished it. I did read one review which piled a load of criticism on Tor (not Watts) for not making it clear that it isn't a standalone story. A valid point, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Yeah, I read it and The Iliad a couple of years ago. I haven't read The Odyssey nor The Iliad fully (though I do own them), but I'm proud to say I've translated parts of it from ancient Greek to Dutch, for my Greek exam classes . EDIT: I hope this doesn't come off as arrogant, that's not how I mean it to be . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I haven't read The Odyssey nor The Iliad fully (though I do own them), but I'm proud to say I've translated parts of it from ancient Greek to Dutch, for my Greek exam classes . EDIT: I hope this doesn't come off as arrogant, that's not how I mean it to be . It doesn't come off as arrogant at all. I think it's awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 It doesn't come off as arrogant at all. I think it's awesome. Big Double Ditto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Echopraxia by Peter Watts 2014 - Head of Zeus ebook - 352 pages It's the eve of the twenty-second century: a world where the dearly departed send postcards back from Heaven and evangelicals make scientific breakthroughs by speaking in tongues; where genetically engineered vampires solve problems intractable to baseline humans and soldiers come with zombie switches that shut off self-awareness during combat. And it’s all under surveillance by an alien presence that refuses to show itself. Echopraxia begins fourteen years after the day the Fireflies made First Contact with Earth which, in turn, happened five years before the beginning of Blindsight. Here, we are introduced to the character of Dan Brüks, a biologist who has exiled himself to field study in the Oregon desert after his life fell apart when one of his experiments had been used by others to cause large scale bloodshed, and his wife had fled to Heaven, the virtual universe into which Siri Keeton's mother had also retreated in the first book. Dan's only company, apart from rodents and snakes, are the inhabitants of a monastery a few miles away, members of the Bicameral Order - a hive mind which speaks in tongues and needs augmented human jargonauts to translate for them. These hive minds, burgeoning across the world, have been responsible for huge leaps in scientific knowledge, gaining them fortunes in patents in the process, and yet they place their beliefs in their faith. But they leave Dan alone and he leaves them alone. Until one night when the zombies come. Brüks panned the view -- -- and almost missed it: a slither of motion from stage right, an amplified blur. Something that moved faster than anything Human had any right to. The camera was dead before Nineteen even felt the heat. The booster went down. Another dozen feeds died in an instant. Brüks barely noticed. He was staring at that last frozen frame, feeling his gut clench and his bowels turn to ice. Faster than a man, and so much less. And just a little bit colder inside. Before he knows what's happening, Brüks has escaped to the safety of the monastery. It is here that the novel's cast assembles, including the vampire, Valerie. Yes. Valerie the Vampire. And, as funny as that sounds, she is the scariest character I've encountered in a novel in an age. Fairly soon, when the main thrust of the story moves beyond Earth and into the inner Solar System (for reasons I won't spoil), and when Dan and the crew of the Bicameral spaceship Crown of Thorns are forced into close proximity and enclosed spaces, Valerie haunts the shadows and nooks and crannies of the vessel, stalking Dan, ramping up the fear and paranoia in glorious, deliciously frightening ways. Even when she's not present in a scene her presence still looms, lurking at Dan's and, by extension, the reader's shoulder. Chilling mind-games and moments of sheer terror are sprinkled throughout the book, the fear that Valerie will kill every one of the augmented and non-augmented humans on-board in the blink of an eye a constant companion. Dan is the only character to be non-augmented. He is what the others call a 'baseline' human, still relying on screens to access the splinternet whilst the others just shrug a shoulder to see everything in their minds. Some, including the wonderfully skittish and amusing ship's pilot Rakshi Sengupta, call him a 'roach'. But why is she so preoccupied with him? And, more to the point, why is Valerie? Ultimately, where Blindsight was an examination of consciousness and identity, Echopraxia becomes an examination of faith and freewill. Is the latter something we ever truly have? Dan Brüks would certainly debate that. The story also connects, as you would expect, with the first novel, but not necessarily in the ways one might imagine. It is less a direct sequel than it is an extension of Watts's universe. The journey of the crew of the Theseus, and Siri Keeton particularly, cast a shadow over the story. However, this is very much Dan's tale. He and the characters around him are excellent and I genuinely liked all of them. This doesn't mean they are all nice people, by any means, but you wouldn't expect that, would you? Echopraxia surprised me. In many ways, it is a re-run of Blindsight's main story, and yet it somehow manages to be completely different. It is still unforgivingly heavy on the science, it takes no prisoners, and it is relentlessly uncompromising. But, unlike some, I didn't find it difficult to follow. Watts's writing seems to me to be so refined, as if he's chipped away and chipped away until every word is exactly where it should be, chosen for specific purposes, polished to a shine. Perhaps it is not as revelatory as its predecessor, but it is still fabulous stuff, consistent, hard as nails, and right on the bleeding edge of science fiction. Together, these two novels have catapulted him right to the top of my list of 'must-read' authors. And he does it all in less than 400 pages. Oh, and the zombies? He has a scientific explanation for them, don't worry! Valerie cocked her head as if listening to faint music. She almost smiled. 'Please...,' Sachie whispered. 'Not angry,' Valerie said. 'Don't want revenge. You don't matter.' 'You don't - - but...' Bodies. Blood. A building full of corpses and the monsters who'd made them. 'What do you want, then? Anything, please, I'll--' 'Want you to imagine something: Christ on the Cross.' And of course, once the image had been incanted it was impossible not to imagine. Sachita Bhar had a few moments to wonder at the sudden spasms seizing her limbs, at the way her jaw locked into startling dislocation, at the feel of a thousand blood-hot strokes exploding like pinpricks across the back of her skull. She tried to close her eyes but it doesn't matter what kind of light falls on the retina, that's not vision. The mind generates its own images, much farther upstream, and there's no way to shut those out. 'Yes.' Valerie clicked thoughtfully to herself. 'I learn.' Sachie managed to speak. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she knew that was fitting; it was also the last thing she would ever do. So she summoned all her willpower, every shred of every reserve, every synapse that hadn't already been commandeered for self-destruction, and she spoke. Because nothing else mattered anymore, and she really wanted to know: 'Learn... wha...' She couldn't quite get it out. But the short-circuiting brain of Sachita Bhar managed to serve up one last insight anyway, amid the rising static: This is what the Crucifix Glitch feels like. This is what we do to them. This is... 'Judo,' Valerie whispered. To finish, I'll just quote Richard Morgan from his blog, cos it made me laugh: Ever wondered what X-Men or Avengers Assemble might have looked like if it were written for adults and based on actual bleeding edge science – now you don’t have to; Peter Watts is back after cometary absence and burning bright as ever across the genre skies. Zombies, vampires, post-human prophets and invasion from outer space – Echopraxia reads like some dark, twisted superhero ensemble piece, but with all the prose gravitas of a novel by Cormac McCarthy or Philip Roth. Its late twenty first century future feels at one and the same time dizzyingly outlandish and all too grimly real, exploding with high-end concepts, laced through with harsh human truths. If science fiction can really be claimed as a literature of ideas, then Watts is without doubt its premier practitioner – Echopraxia is a depleted uranium shot across the bows of complacent, by-the-numbers SF, and a bright rallying cry for the soul of the genre. F***ing awesome! http://www.richardkmorgan.com/2014/07/if-you-only-read-one-science-fiction-novel-this-year/ ETA: changed second extract Edited August 14, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 It doesn't come off as arrogant at all. I think it's awesome. Big Double Ditto! Thanks to the both of you ! Steve, great review again! I'm interested in the science element of the story. Those quotes sure contain some great prose. I'm glad you enjoyed these two books so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Thanks Gaia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Awesome review again! I skimmed over the very first part (just in case it spoiled Blindsight ) but I love the extracts - and the way you describe Valerie is terrifying. Stuck on a ship with a freaky vampire? AND there's zombies?? Must. Read. This. Series. Is it better than the first book, or just as good? I know you said it's not quite as revelatory as Blindsight, but I guess sometimes simpler is better? Love Richard Morgan's recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Awesome review again! I skimmed over the very first part (just in case it spoiled Blindsight ) but I love the extracts - and the way you describe Valerie is terrifying. Stuck on a ship with a freaky vampire? AND there's zombies?? Must. Read. This. Series. Thanks Laura There's no spoilers for Blindsight, as if! The zombies aren't the kind that you'd expect, so don't get your hopes up for hordes of undead wandering around eating people Is it better than the first book, or just as good? I know you said it's not quite as revelatory as Blindsight, but I guess sometimes simpler is better? Oh it's in no way simpler than Blindsight. I didn't mean to give that impression. What I was trying to say was that I went into the first book with no expectations and got blown away by it, and the way it uncovers its central mystery is, I think, smoother and more organic than Echopraxia. I don't think this sequel is quite as mind-blowingly good, but I went into it with my expectations sky high, so the fact that it got anywhere near being as good is hugely impressive, I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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