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Book 3, here we go. I remember some of this from reading it 30 years ago, let's see if it's as weird as I recall.

@futzle This is definitely an odd one. Odder still, but possibly in a compelling way, is the TV series they made of this. It used to be on Prime Video but it's off now. Worth chasing up if you're an Alan Thicke fan.

@pelagikat That's exactly how I felt. It's a rather terrifying and plausible vision of the near-future but damn it's a slog. Some of the narrative perspectives don't seem to add much value other than fulfilling the author's Tolstoy-esque ambitions.

That said, almost a year later I can still vividly recall sections of the book and its imagery. That's certainly not the case with most books I read.

Overall I'm glad I read it, but I will absolutely never read it again. Solidarity with you in your task ✊🏼

@Barbarius great suggestions! I read them many years ago as a teenager and I may run out of puff after three. Dune Messiah reads differently now, with some more adult appreciation but also in the post-9/11 era as well.

Peer pressure from November Kelly

@pelagikat There are many, many characters with a narrative perspective. Most of them are quite alienating though - and it's a loooong book! To be honest I'm not sure if I'm glad I finished it.

I was quite intrigued to revisit the Revelation Space universe. This rambling, largely pointless story felt tired. The characterisation was thin throughout. The ending was disappointing for its lack of resolution. A real shame.

Interesting to revisit this setting after so many years. I wonder what an older, more jaded version of me will make of it.

I continued on to this after reading Blindsight, because even though I didn't love it I had some enduring questions. An error on my part. There were more deliberate ambiguities than plot points in this book.

I won't provide a plot précis. This has some compelling concepts and big ideas, but was frankly a mess. Characters' motivations remain inexplicable even at the end of the book.

Amusingly this AMA with the author seems to boil down to "you're reading it wrong". Authors, please get over yourselves.

@koosli I stopped this halfway through, probably due to the unevenness you allude to. I should finish it though! Some interesting short works in there.

This deepened my appreciation of Woody and my understanding of his life and work. The inclusion of handwritten work, photos and ephemera was beautiful and makes the reader feel connected to him as a person in a way that sterile words on a page can't.

The ideas are compelling, and the inclusion of recreated vampires is a weird but interesting diversion. There's no emotional core though. In some ways that's by design - the primary narrative POV is of someone who's had significant, personality-destroying psychosurgery. I found myself asking why should I care about any of this throughout.