Nathaniel

Good details, but I wish I had looked for a more up to date edition (if one is available). This was written in the 90's, and I would like information on what research has accomplished since that time.

That said, I'm glad I read it. I skimmed some portions, and dug into the details in others, which is about what I expected.

Something is interrupting ships that attempt FTL travel, and trapping them in an unknown system. An array of alien civilizations are bottled together, and not only manage to stay alive, but thrive, integrate, fight, struggle, and bond.

There is a scene describing the torture and mutilation of a cat halfway through.

Also carries numerous editing issues, missing sentences, and unbelievable character actions.

This is a high altitude view of the industrial revolution, and for that purpose it's great. It answered a lot of the questions I had about how we went from smithing to factories.

The first portion of the book has a bit of “high school history paper” to it, but it's about what I was looking for.

A good toe in the door of industrial history, and 9t gave me some leads on where to go next.

The geography was the only believable part.

Tortuously fabricated dialogue, absurd placement of a revelation about the mystery, and what is, at it's core, a story of a guy's canoe trip.

I am not certain the sidekick Zack actually exists, and isn't just a conversational mirror.

And the mystery? I'm going to spoil it right here. I wouldn't, but the quality of the book demands I save others the strain of surviving to the end. Wolverines, and moose that wandered into an area they didn't traditionally occupy. Two critters, mixed up sightings.

Find me a chapter without a quote worth pinning down. I dare you.

The further you get into the story, the better it gets. I've never read such a convincing depiction of the way time can slip by as one ages. Bear in mind that it was written in 1949, and is shaded by the gender ideas and roles of the time.

I'm not a court politics fan, so I was hanging on by my fingernails through parts. That said, it was worth it. A wonderful world, magic system, and characters.

I'm not a big fantasy kind of person, but I love alternate histories. This feels like a perfect blend of the two.

This is not good cheese.

Not bad, but it really feels like a paint by number.

However I review this, it needs double the score.

I would have lived and died for this book when I was a kid.

The last quarter made up for a slow start.

I am WAY outside the target demographic for this, but it still had some lines that furrowed my brow, and let me consider my life for a moment.

Glad I finished it, probably won't tackle the sequels.

It was even worth listening to the occasional bit of French.

For the first third, I was just riding along. “Ok, I kind of remember this character, what was going on with this guy, where is this happening... Wait. WHO JUST DIED. WAIT, THEY DIED?!”

I realized I was COMMITTED.

I'm in for book 3.

This isn't my jam- I don't like cyberpunk, and I've never dabbled in LitRPG.

HOWEVER.

This was great. A ton of interesting twists and turns, and a satisfying ending. A protagonist I liked and was interested in.

I did NOT tear up at the end. Absolutely not at all. None.

Maximum stars!

Fantastic horror. The flavor of Laird Barron, but with a very relatable protagonist.

Three very unique reads, all satisfying in the finish. I recommend.

Whooooweee this was a good one. I was fully committed by 30 pages in.
I would have bought another copy to read if I had forgotten this one at home over a weekend.

What. An. Ending.

A story about a first nations band in northern Canada, the narrator is PERFECT.

This book really clicked when I read a popular fan theory about time travel and possession.

I'm pleased to say it's better than the first, and I'm excited to follow through to the third!