Aspanna
9/19/2015
Exceptional book. The story is complicated and compact. This book could have been easily a hefty trilogy. The world feels massive, the cast is huge, the pace is relentless. Mister Seth Dickinson is a powerful writer.
That said, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted. 80% of the book felt too dry. I felt I was reading an amazingly written history book. The events kept happening way too fast to fully appreciate. I couldn't process the information, the feelings, the consequences of a scene, before I was thrown into the next. Being able to write a tight story is a great gift. But sometimes too tight a storytelling leads to detachment and apathy. Probably it is my fault because I chose to listen the audio book instead of reading the actual text. The text gives you the option to stop reading, letting the story sink in, unlike audio that goes on with or without your attention. I will reread it to test this theory.
The epic conclusion though draws you in. All pieces come together at last to reveal the whole picture.
A really satisfying experience overall.