Heidi Suen

Reading this was like going on a waterslide down a waterfall that lead into a maelstrom with a sharp rock at the bottom.

Despite the death on every level, Tianming's romantic gestures and payoff were both incredible and tragic. My favourite parts to read were regarding Tianming's fairytales being realised into strategies for humanity. It was painful, but in a real way, the futility of humanity against the vast cruelness of space.

Ignoring the way women are characterized as beautiful objects to be admired, the revelations of the characters inner thoughts which even the reader aren't privy to is what made the book so entertaining. The rollercoaster of hope and despair wasn't just one note; it happened many times, never in ways I expected which kept me on the edge. Great thought invoking read.

Summary (w/ spoilers):

Our past protagonist experiences the worst that humanity has to offer and reacts realistically. She is not a stubbornly positive main character with superior morals - she is a hurt character who loses faith in humanity, and operates in a state of shock and single-mindedness. There is scant accountability or even repentance for humanity's self-serving destruction, so when she is presented with a chance to change humanity's existence, she takes it.

To me, this is what can happen when horrible acts are turned a blind eye - history is doomed to repeat itself. The stifling of progress and science in 1966 China scars her, and in turn, she enables a power that can stifle modern scientific progress that will last generations after her, sending humanity to extinction.

Overall review:

This book had me thinking about it days after I reading because of the existential questions and in-depth concepts introduced. I really enjoyed unravelling the story’s mysteries alongside the protagonists, but blundered through the hard science parts. It’s hard to know if my amazement is just being overwhelmed from lack of understanding coupled with the fact this won a Hugo, but I can’t deny I felt engaged after finishing this story.

Thoughts on other people's reviews:

I AGREE characters seem to exist only to serve the plot. The scale the book is going for is huge so it makes sense personal development is nothing in comparison and could be a waste of time - however the lack of nuance is too drastic for me. For example, women in this story have single-minded goals that they coldly pursue, and save for appearing motherly, show no emotional sensitivity, which is odd given women are typically socialized to do so.

I DISAGREE that colluding with aliens for human intervention is unrealistic. Imagine being a 20-something year old losing your dad in a murder your mother enabled to save herself, being forced to partake in deforestation and experiencing the apathy for it firsthand, and seeing systems of power moving on from the pain that they inflicted on you. After being betrayed over and over from an individual to global scale, how could you still have faith in humanity?

As per usual, loved the characters, the tension, etc. I needed to take breaks from how stressed I was getting. This was definitely more complex with more moving parts compared to the first book. SOMETHING was always happening - great for the rollercoaster feeling, but it left me still a little bit empty at the end even though it was generally a suitable ending for everyone.

While some books get you with the banter between characters, this one gets you by bantering with YOU. The unique first person narration and philosophical spiels were fun. Not only did I get a story but also some self reflection on what it means to live and be a main character/hero in your own life. Some interesting plot twists but in some ways it felt a bit rushed at the end.

Once you get past all the names thrown at you, the story falls into place. Unanswered questions are appropriately teased or swiftly answered depending on the foreshadowing or context. The characters all have their own motivations and feel compelling. They're quippy and funny to boot, I love the banter. I still find a bunch of 15-18 year olds scheming and killing a bit too surreal at times so I try to forget their ages.

I wasn't expecting too much romance but was pleasantly surprised. One of the couples already had prior history so this pairing made sense. Without getting into spoilers, other romantic entanglements I'm either unconvinced or pleasantly surprised.

I really enjoyed the gradual turn from tough school life to all out war. The pacing felt good. I understood all the motivations from individual characters despite it only being told from main character's view. My one qualm is sometimes her fears/convictions flip flop - she goes from wanting to utilize the gods, to fearing them, and then back to utilizing the gods. I know she's an unreliable narrator but not a shadow of doubt seemed to linger once she really jumped off the deep end. Overall still a great book I stayed up from 12am to 5am? due to the story.

The amnesia was a spicy addition and many moments had me on my seat of will they won't they get caught. I still don't feel convinced of the whole reason the war happened. The villain is pretty one dimensional, no arc for him at all.

I love the banter and pining between the two! However I feel like I'm forced to accept the war that happens as a backdrop.