Review: Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro #SciFiMonth

Klara and the Sun is a science fiction novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The story explores the perspective of Klara, an AI also known as an Artificial Friend (AF), who is highly observant and fascinated by human behaviour.

WHAT I LIKED

This is the second novel I’ve read by Kazuo Ishiguro, the first being Never Let Me Go, which I loved and highly recommend. So when I saw he had written another dystopian science fiction novel, I was very excited. I love how Ishiguro is able to blend science fiction and dystopian elements into literary fiction, which he has done again in Klara and the Sun.

From the first few pages of Klara and the Sun, I was immediately transported into Klara’s world and perspective from the point of view of an artificial intelligence eager to learn about human behaviour. I found myself caring about Klara and the other AFs in the store very early on, while not even knowing very much about what exactly they were. I wanted to know more and felt compelled to keep reading to find out more.

Klara in particular is a very endearing character. I particularly enjoyed reading her curiosity about human behaviour and her trying to comprehend why people act in certain ways. I think Ishiguro was able to convey really well the perspective of an artificial intelligence who doesn’t fully understand the nuances of human emotions and communication.

Much like Never Let Me Go, the reader learns about Klara’s world in dribs and drabs, a slow building revelation. The world is similar to our own, but something is different and off about it and keeps the reader wondering throughout. This was what I enjoyed the most about Never Let Me Go, so I was pleased that Ishiguro had written this book in a similar way.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Unfortunately, there was a lot I didn’t enjoy about this book from the second half onwards. While the first half was intriguing for the reasons I described above, I felt the plot lost its way in the second half and wasn’t nearly as engaging.

It took far too long to reveal exactly what some of the key dystopian elements of the story were, with some just outright not explained at all which left me feeling unsatisfied. A lot of what was going on in the world was very vague, which is fine at first, but I kept reading in the hope more would be revealed and it never was.

I also didn’t enjoy the direction Klara’s story took in the second half of the book. Certain things I was expecting to happen to Klara by the way the (very predictable) plot twist was going didn’t transpire, which felt anti-climatic. One of the final scenes in the book also made absolutely no sense to me and seemed completely absurd for a science fiction novel. It annoyed me so much I probably would have stopped reading if I wasn’t so close to the end.

VERDICT

I went in with very high expectations for this book, but unfortunately I only rated it 2.5/5 stars in the end. The first half was a solid 4, but unfortunately the second half was very disappointing and the plot didn’t go in a direction that I enjoyed reading. I found myself comparing the plot to Never Let Me Go frequently, which I feel was executed much better overall.

Review: A Closed and Common Orbit – Becky Chambers #SciFiMonth

A Closed and Common Orbit is the second novel in the sci-fi series Wayfarers by Becky Chambers. The story follows two characters: the first is a former ship AI who finds herself in an illegal human-like synthetic body, as she tries to navigate a new world outside the ship. The other character is Pepper, a former child slave as she tries to survive and escape the planet she’s been trapped on her entire life. The story references events that take place in the first book The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but the book can be read as a standalone.

WHAT I LIKED

I really enjoyed the two separate timelines, it was different to the way the first book was written but it was so interesting to see the similarities and differences in the experience of an AI previously shackled to a ship discovering the outside world and a young girl formerly imprisoned inside a factory who had never left the building, doing the exact same thing.

The protagonists, Sidra and Pepper, were both so well written. Sidra figuring out the complexities of social interaction and adjusting to having a body rather than being inside a ship felt so realistic. Pepper navigating her trauma both as a child in the flashbacks and an adult in Sidra’s chapters was also extremely well done. I thought Sidra struggling with not being able to see behind her, being used to having cameras everywhere on a ship, and subsequently standing in the corners of rooms was such a clever little quirk to add in, not something I’ve seen before in stories where an AI gets a body. I loved seeing the two characters develop, and I was very satisfied with the way their arcs ended.

I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, Owl, Blue and Tak. Chambers is so good at creating unique, fleshed out characters. Even though the book was less than four-hundred pages long, by the end I was really emotionally invested in all the characters and their relationships to one another.

I loved the little moments where the crew from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet were mentioned, it was brief enough to keep this book as its own story, but still nice for those who had read the first book (which I strongly recommend doing!).

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

I only really have one significant criticism: I had some difficulty visualising a lot of what the alien species looked like, particularly Tak, who is an important character, for the majority of the story. Admittedly, this is partially my fault as it has been a year since I read the first book and I had forgotten a lot of the descriptions, but I can imagine it would be confusing for people who start the series with this book. A small paragraph with the basics whenever encountering an alien race or a even glossary at the back could have been helpful. Apart from that, there really wasn’t anything else I didn’t like.

VERDICT

Overall, I would rate A Closed and Common Orbit at 4.5/5 stars, Becky Chambers is a very talented writer and her Wayfarers series is something really special within the sci-fi genre. This book has easily become a firm favourite of mine, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Record of a Spaceborn Few.

---

This review was written as part of Sci-Fi Month 2020, hosted by imyril at One More and Lisa and Dear Geek Place. Click the banner to find out more about the event!

Banner artwork is by Tithi Luadthong from 123RF.com.

Review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers #SciFiMonth

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a sci-fi novel and the first in the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. It follows the lives of a crew of both humans and aliens on board the Wayfarer, a tunnelling ship, with each chapter focusing on different events on board as they travel towards the most important job of their careers.

WHAT I LIKED

My favourite part of this book was, of course, the characters themselves. I loved reading about all their differing personalities and how they fit in to the running of the Wayfarer. The characters I liked the most were Dr Chef, Jenks and Kizzy, though I really did warm to all of them by the end of the book. I like that all the characters had their own arcs within the story, and seeing the relationships between the characters change and grow. I particularly enjoyed learning the back stories of Rosemary, Corbin and Ohan and the events that unfolded in the book as a result of their backgrounds.

The alien races and cultures in this book were some of the most detailed I have come across in science fiction. It’s clear Chambers spent a lot of time creating all the different species, making them very different to humans both physically and in terms of personality, and I really enjoyed reading about all the cultural differences among the crew. Also, the setting in general, particularly the division among humans as well as the political situation in the Galactic Commons was really interesting. I thought using Rosemary, someone not very well travelled, as the protagonist was a great way to introduce the numerous different cultures and political situations to the reader, and the explanations to Rosemary in the book made more sense this way and didn’t feel out of place.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

There isn’t much I disliked about this book, and my only main criticism is that the book just didn’t feel long enough at 400 pages, bearing in mind that this is a standalone novel (although it’s part of a series, the other novels follow different characters in the same universe). As I was getting closer to the end, the knowledge that I won’t be reading about these characters again was disappointing. I would have loved to get to know the crew more on another mission in a direct sequel, but I respect the author’s decision to move on to other characters/stories.

VERDICT

Overall, the book was a really enjoyable read with several interesting twists and turns so I’m going to give it 4/5 stars. This book has been on my TBR for a long time now and I’m really glad I finally got round to reading it. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series, A Closed and Common Orbit, very soon.

---

 

This review was posted as part of Sci-Fi Month, an event which takes place throughout November and is hosted by imyril at One More and Lisa and Dear Geek Place.

Image credit: Photo by Sebastien Decoret from 123RF.com.

Review: Skyward – Brandon Sanderson #SciFiMonth

Skyward is a YA Sci-Fi novel by Brandon Sanderson, the first in a series of the same name. The story is set on a planet a group of humans crashed landed on years ago while escaping the Krell, a mysterious alien race who continually attacks the planet, forcing the humans to live underground. The story follows Spensa, a teen with dreams to follow her late disgraced father as a pilot to help defeat the Krell, and the obstacles she has to overcome to get there.

WHAT I LIKED

I really enjoyed this book. The setting and history of the human/Krell conflict Sanderson has created is fascinating, and as the story progressed I found myself eager to learn more about what happened and how they ended up where they were. Nothing turned out to be what it seemed on the surface and that was something I really enjoyed about the book.

Spensa is a great protagonist, it didn’t take long for me to warm to her and I felt frustrated along with her when she was continually blocked from pursing her dream of being a pilot. I liked that she wasn’t perfect, and wasn’t automatically amazing at flying and said and did things which were wrong to do, it made her a more realistic character. M-Bot was a really entertaining take on an AI character, and I loved seeing his character develop throughout the story. I also really enjoyed the other character’s in the Skyward crew, even Jorgen by the end, who I found to be a really irritating character at first, and I quickly became emotionally invested in their survival.

The overarching mysteries surrounding who the Krell are and why they keep attacking the planet as well as what really happened to Spensa’s father were plotlines which kept me guessing right until the end, and the big twist and reveals were incredible and nothing I could have worked out myself. I love a book that can completely surprise me like that.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

There is very little I didn’t like about this book. My only significant criticism was the middle of the book, which felt extremely repetitive with a very similar formula of the group training, a sudden Krell attack, something bad happening, then repeating again and again. However, I can understand why this was necessary and intentionally done for the reader to understand and question what later becomes a significant plot detail alongside Spensa and the rest of the team, though I did find it difficult to motivate myself to keep reading at times before I realised this. Apart from that though, there really isn’t anything else I can think of that I didn’t like.

VERDICT

Overall, I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars. I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to pick up the sequel Starsight, which, lucky for me, releases later on this month. If it wasn’t for the repetitiveness in the middle which made it difficult for me to keep reading, the book would have easily been a 5/5.

---

 

 

This review was posted as part of Sci-Fi Month, an event which takes place throughout November and is hosted by imyril at One More and Lisa and Dear Geek Place. There’s still time to sign up and join in if you’re interested!

Image credit: Photo by Sebastien Decoret from 123RF.com.

Review: Waking Gods – Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods is the second book in the Themis Files trilogy, written by Canadian author Sylvain Neuvel. The story continues where the first book, Sleeping Giants, left off, where more of the mysterious robots begin appearing across the world, and this time they threaten humanity’s very existence.

WHAT I LIKED

What I liked the most about Waking Gods was the amount of lore Neuvel has written about the robots. One complaint I had about Sleeping Giants was the lack of world-building about who the robots are, so I was very happy to see lots of backstory in this book. With this extra lore I felt much more emotionally invested in what was going on than in Sleeping Giants.

I also really enjoyed learning more about some of the existing characters from the first book, particularly in the case of of a certain unnamed character whose backstory was a complete mystery in Sleeping Giants to both the reader and the other characters. I didn’t like him at all in the first book, even though I found him to be a fascinating character, but learning of his backstory definitely changed my opinion on him. I was really pleased that Rose had a bigger role in this book too, one of my biggest complaints about Sleeping Giants was how little Rose featured in the story despite how integral her character is to the plot from the very beginning.

As for the new characters, I really liked Eva and her dynamic with Kara and Vincent and I’m very excited to see where her character goes in the next book.

I loved how the book ended. Without spoiling anything, the story ends on a huge cliffhanger that I didn’t see coming which left me with goosebumps. I can’t wait to see how the story continues in the final book.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

One thing I didn’t like, which may have been difficult to avoid for the author, was how fast-paced the story was, it felt too fast. I read this book over the space of a month and it still felt like every event was happening so quickly, despite the book being a similar length to the first in the series. I found it difficult to keep up with all the new developments that were occurring one right after the other.

I also found it difficult to follow some of the conversations, and who was speaking when in certain chapters. With the unnamed character, it was clear when he was speaking as his text was always in bold. But in chapters with other characters speaking to each other, there was no formatting to differentiate who was speaking when, and I frequently found myself confused and having to go back to an earlier point in the chapter to figure out which character was speaking. I think it would have been much easier to follow if the author had written it like a script with ‘Vincent:’, for example.

Finally, no spoilers as to who, but one of my favourite characters died. Of course, these things are inevitable in fiction, but I am really sad that they’re no longer in the story and I was quite shocked when it happened.

VERDICT

Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and I would rate it 4/5 stars. In my review of Sleeping Giants, I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed by my initial impressions based on the blurb on what the story was going to be about and realising it wasn’t what I expected. But with this book I decided to go in with a more open mind and I ended up really enjoying it. I already own a copy of the final book in the trilogy, Only Human, and I can’t wait to read it and write a review in the near future.

Review: Noumenon – Marina J. Lostetter

Noumenon is a science fiction novel and the first in the series of the same name by Marina J. Lostetter. The story follows a convoy of several ships tasked with travelling to an unusual, blinking star spotted by physicist Reggie Straifer to find out what it is and why it is behaving the way it is. Since the star is so far away from Earth, the crew are cloned over a number of generations in order to complete the mission and the story follows their lives on the convoy.

WHAT I LIKED

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. The concept of the crew being cloned repeatedly, instead of the ship repopulating naturally or going into cryo-sleep like in other science fiction stories was what initially drew into reading the book in the first place, and it was also what kept me hooked on it as I was reading. Without going into spoilers, it was very interesting to see how different generations of the same clone would differ, sometimes quite drastically, and in other cases they would be very similar.

The way the story was told through vignettes from different characters’ points of view was very cleverly done, and was a good way of getting around the fact that the story takes place over two thousand years. I was expecting the story to exclusively follow Reggie’s clones, but I definitely preferred seeing all the events unfold through several peoples’ perspectives, rather than the same over and over.

I.C.C., the ship’s AI, was a fascinating character, and being able to view certain events through his eyes provided a really interesting angle to some of the very serious incidents that were occurring on the convoy. Also, seeing him develop over the thousands of years he was on the convoy was something I really enjoyed reading about.

The characters the story followed were diverse and engaging, and there was some positive LGBT representation too, which I wasn’t expecting but was a pleasant surprise. I personally felt the representation was done very well, and it didn’t end in tragedy either which is something we so often see in stories and can be very disheartening.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

As I said above, while I definitely enjoyed the way the story was told through vignettes across different characters and generations I sometimes found myself feeling a bit frustrated when a chapter would end and that would be the last time we ever see that character, since quite a few of the time jumps would be over a hundred years. I understood why it was necessary, since the book covers a huge time period, but in some cases it would take the whole chapter for me to feel fully invested in a character, only for them to never be seen again which left me feeling disappointed.

There were also a couple of storylines which I felt didn’t receive much closure, particularly one that occurred right in the middle of the story which, to me at least, felt like a very significant event, but the chapter ends with another massive time jump and the incident is barely mentioned again. I hope that this is something that is revisited in the sequel.

I also found the ending to be a little anti-climatic, without going into details, but it did set up the sequel well and I expect more will be revealed in the next book.

VERDICT

I gave Noumenon 4/5 stars, there’s very little I’d change about this book and I’m looking forward to picking up the sequel, Noumenon: Infinity.

 

Review: Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone is a YA fantasy novel and the first book in the trilogy of the same name. It’s also the first novel in Bardugo’s Grishaverse, which also includes the Six of Crows duology. The story is set in the country of Ravka, which many years ago was torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a mysterious darkness crawling with monsters. Alina Starkov is the protagonist, a soldier who discovers she is a Grisha, someone with a magical ability that could potentially save Ravka.

WHAT I LIKED

I really enjoyed the setting and worldbuilding in this novel. The whole concept of the Shadow Fold is fascinating to me, and I wish there was more backstory as to what exactly happened which led to the Fold’s existence. I hope this is something that’s addressed in either of the sequels.

The Grisha and their abilities, as well as the fact they don’t seem to be trusted by outsiders was really interesting to me and quite different to what I was expecting. I assumed they would be idolised and revered, and I really liked that the opposite turned out to be the case, it made the Grisha more intriguing.

I also thought the Darkling was a really interesting character, and I’d love to read more about his past. Two other characters I really enjoyed were Genya and Baghra, and I hope they’re featured more in the two sequels.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Unfortunately, there was quite a lot that I didn’t like about this book. I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of the story, but the middle was a real struggle to get through. It felt like it almost changed genres once Alina arrived at the Little Palace and the story transformed into something that resembled a high school drama, which is not really my thing.

I also found Alina to be frustrating as she seemed to be more preoccupied with what Mal and The Darkling thought of her over everything else happening in the story which, at least in my opinion, seemed to be far more important. On the same topic, the love triangle, as brief as it was, made me roll my eyes as I feel like I’ve seen this trope play out so many times already in YA novels. I’m sure lots of people enjoy them, but for me it’s something I’ve grown very tired of seeing in YA.

While I liked the worldbuilding, there wasn’t nearly enough of it in my opinion, and I found it difficult to completely visualise what Ravka is like, particularly in the capitol. I would have also loved to see more of inside the Shadow Fold, as the two big scenes in there were my favourite parts in the story.

VERDICT

Overall, I would give this book 2.5/5 stars, though I’ve thought about giving it a 3 at times. The book had so much potential, but for me it just didn’t quite deliver. I keep going back and forth as to whether I’ll pick up the sequel, Siege and Storm, perhaps if I can find a copy at the library. I’ve heard a lot of people say that Six of Crows is a lot better than the Shadow and Bone trilogy, so I’ll most likely be reading that one next, as the Grishaverse still interests me despite the disappointment from this novel.

Review: Temeraire – Naomi Novik

Temeraire is a fantasy/alternate history novel set during the Napoleonic Wars where dragons exist and are paired with human handlers to be used in military combat. The story follows the journey of British Navy Captain Will Laurence, who stumbles upon an unhatched dragon egg on a French ship which later hatches and is named Temeraire. Laurence is forced to quit his promising career and join the ranks of the Aerial Corps with Temeraire in the fight against Napoleon’s forces. This book is the first in a series of nine novels by Naomi Novik, and is also known as His Majesty’s Dragon in the US.

WHAT I LIKED

As a history student who has a particular in interest in the Napoleonic Wars, and a lover of dragons in general, this book is right up my street. I knew before I even started reading it that there was a high chance I was going to love it, and my assumption was correct. I loved this book, and it took me a long time to finish it because I just didn’t want it to end. Temeraire, and the other dragons in the Aerial Corps, are all incredibly charming and it didn’t take long for me to be attached and emotionally invested in all of them. It was hard not to smile reading Temeraire’s dialogue.

The bond between Temeraire and Laurence was my favourite part of this book, and I loved seeing their bond strengthen as the novel went on. I was pleasantly surprised by Laurence’s character, I expected him to be resentful of his situation, having to leave his successful career and betrothed to join the Aerial Corps, who had a very poor reputation amongst outsiders, but Laurence’s dedication to Temeraire and his welfare was incredibly heartwarming to read.

I also really enjoyed the inclusion of women in this book, I initially assumed the story would stay historically accurate by not allowing women in the military, but I was very happy to see women are very much a part of the Aerial Corps and treated just the same as everyone else. It was also nice to see Laurence overcome his initial prejudices after first meeting Harcourt, a female handler.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

To be honest, there is very little I didn’t like about this book except that it wasn’t quite long enough, at 342 pages I would have liked for it to have continued for a bit longer. Additionally, I would have liked to see some more action, as there were only a few action scenes, and they were written so well that I wanted more. Apart from those minor things, it really was a perfect read.

VERDICT

I can easily give Temeraire 5/5 stars. It was everything I could have possibly wanted from a fantasy novel and I’m really excited to get stuck into the sequels.

Review: Sleeping Giants – Sylvain Neuvel

Sleeping Giants is the first book in the Themis Files series by Sylvain Neuvel. The story follows scientist Dr. Rose Franklin and her team, who are tasked by the government with researching a mysterious giant hand that Franklin had quite literally stumbled into as a child, deep beneath the earth. As the story goes on, other body parts are discovered, which raises questions as to what this giant is and where it came from.

WHAT I LIKED

Sleeping Giants is different from many other works of fiction as the story is pieced together through various ‘files’, including interviews, phone transcripts and journal entries. This was one of the main things that I enjoyed reading in this story, as I had never read anything like it before.

I finished the book in about three days, which is incredibly unusual for me (I usually take at least a couple of weeks, but more often than not around a month to finish a book) and it’s definitely a credit to how gripping the book is. As the story progressed, I found it harder and harder to put the book down as the files continued to be left on cliffhangers and I just had to know what happened next. Without spoiling anything, there were several plot twists in the book which genuinely made my jaw drop (I’m sure those who have read the book will know what events I’m talking about), and I didn’t see them coming at all.

My favourite characters were Rose and Kara, and I really enjoyed seeing their characters develop throughout the story. I also liked the unnamed interviewer’s character, and how his identity remains a mystery to both the characters and the reader throughout the story.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

To be honest, the book didn’t turn out to be entirely what I was expecting, which was a bit disappointing. Without spoiling it too much, I was hoping there would be more story surrounding what exactly happened immediately after Dr. Franklin first discovered the hand, and then more of a focus on the origins of the giant itself. Instead, a lot of the book seemed to deal with the international response surrounding the giant’s discovery, which I found a bit tiresome to read after a while.

As I said before, Dr Franklin was the most intriguing character to me, but it felt like her character took a back seat for the majority of the book in favour of other characters. While I liked the other characters, and found them and their relationships to one another intriguing, I was more interested in Rose and her connection with the giant so I felt disappointed by the lack of content surrounding that. Particularly as the blurb was so focused on Rose.

VERDICT

Overall, I would give the book 4/5 stars. While it was not entirely what I was hoping for, I nonetheless still really enjoyed the story, and it’s not too often where I come across a book which I simply can’t put down. I have already bought the sequel, Waking Gods and intend on reading and reviewing it soon. There’s still so many questions left unanswered at the end of Sleeping Giants which I hope will be addressed in the next book.