Yeah, I only read this series because I was given them; the first one was dreadful and I was dubious about reading on. He's supposedly worked as an engineer, but I wouldn't want to rely on anything he designed. Alastair Reynolds is the best Brit writing space opera currently, by a long distance, in my view.
I enjoyed how you went into the different issues that were addressed in the story-which made me want to read it, actually, even though you didn't like it. Which is probably not what you intended, but there it is. :)
Since I'm not that crazy about all the science in a lot of science fiction, (to me a lot of it gets bogged down in science that, frankly, I do not understand), this sounds like a book that I might enjoy.
Well, 2.5 * is between OK and "liked it" (I use the Goodreads rating system). One could never accuse Asher of being slow-paced, there's plenty of action (pew! pew!) but there is a lot of science - it's just implausible or plain wrong much of the time. As a series it's not as well plotted as some of his others, plays to most of his weaknesses rather than his strengths, in terms of imagination (i.e. SF aspects) BUT it does seem to have more to it in the food-for-thought department than perhaps anything else he's written, certainly that I've read.
My experience is that people who are mainly looking for the thriller aspects of space opera and people not so well versed in science, tend to like Asher more than I do.
Since I'm not that crazy about all the science in a lot of science fiction, (to me a lot of it gets bogged down in science that, frankly, I do not understand), this sounds like a book that I might enjoy.
My experience is that people who are mainly looking for the thriller aspects of space opera and people not so well versed in science, tend to like Asher more than I do.