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ISayISayISay t1_ivubspr wrote

Well, I have to disagree. The sci-fi aspect was just a conceit to carry the ideas which are, as you pointed out, an examination of faith. I'd normally find such subject matter outside of my interest, but this book (or these book - there is a sequel) kept my attention focussed. The implausibility of various aspects of the story are not important to it - they are, as I say, just a background on which to lay her thoughts. Other characters though do matter insomuch as our relationship with others is an important part of who we are, and faith and character are intertwined.

I'd suggest you read the sequel to complete the picture.

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FauxCharlatan OP t1_ivuux63 wrote

While I appreciate the recommendation (and the response!), there is no way in heck I will be reading the sequel lol.

Now you see, I would agree with you about the 'hard' science portion of the book taking a backseat to the unfolding internal character drama of the novel, but I feel that MDR spends far too much time in the novel talking pseudoscience and jargon to overlook it.

She haphazardly handles complex scientific concepts while spending way too much of the novel describing to readers how intelligent her characters are and taking so much time to demonstrate it with high falutin dialogue. I mean, she devotes 2 freaking pages discussing 'declensions' and yet expects us to accept her half-baked ideas concerning space flight. It just does not feel consistent.

Again, I think it comes back to expectations. If the book had been classified as 'fantasy/fiction' and not 'science fiction', I may have been more generous in my critique.

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ISayISayISay t1_ivuw8zz wrote

Well, there's a good lesson to be learnt there: don't go in to any book with expectations - espiecially ones based on genre. It's unfair to the author.

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