Terminal World

Science fiction with a very big point

Spearpoint is an enormous city that rises vertically over a chaotic and apparently unpromising world. For reasons that aren’t clear at the outset, different elevations on the pinnacle-like city, and different zones across the world, support different levels of technology. Machines seize up irreparably if you travel too far, and people need complicated drugs. A dying angel plummets from his elevated level with a message for the cold and reclusive Quillon, provoking a well-paced journey in which our hero discovers something about all the aspects of his humanity, finds a finely conceived set of people groups who have each come to terms with their strange world in different ways, and grasps the secret of why all this is the way it is.
Alastair Reynolds is one of the most thought-provoking and readable hard-SF writers alive, partly because he loves his characters as much as his science. Indeed, most of his novels explore the boundaries of what it is to be human at every extreme. This tale scintillates because of the steampunk, gothic and fantasy elements he weaves in.
The icing on the cake for audiobook lovers is that this book (as with all Reynold's audiobooks on Audible) is read by the prolific John Lee, who could recite an instruction booklet for self-assembly furniture and make it sound poetic.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great but Different

I discovered reynolds about a year ago by recomendation from a friend. This was the final book I read of his after completing his back catalogue. the main reason this was the last one read was because of the whole "steam punk" thing and I am a fan of the whole space opera, sense of wonder type sci fi. No need to worry though this is pure Reynolds but in a reffreshing new setting. The excellent characterisation is there along with the underpinning "big concept" that he does so very well. As for the narration, I love the way Jon Lee does Reynolds. He doesn't go overboard with character voices but gives enough depth to distinguish them and he lends the prose real gravitas. I really enjoyed this book and if you love Reynolds' other stuff you will love this. It's just a bit different that's all.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mechanistic Inferno

Excellent if perhaps not Reynolds at his best- I'm giving 4 stars but this is still better than any other contemporary sci-fi that I know of. For existing fans you will find all the familiar themes reworked with the usual ingenuity but instead of the complex interweaving narrative structure of the earlier novels we have a simple linear adventure story- perhaps Reynolds has his eyes on the more popular Hollywood market, with characters, set pieces and themes lifted straight out of the genre- 'Mad Max II' being the obvious comparison. Or think Dante with Tank Girl instead of Beatrice. At times the narrative seems laboured and the characters rather stereotypical and simplistic as they run through their self-justifying poses. But as always Reynolds' primary focus is on technology (the title is a pun but I won't spoil the plot!) and the human machine interface. There are plenty of nightmare creatures worthy of a place in the Reynolds Bestiary (you'll love the Vorgs) and a calliope-powered man as well as a little girl with very special psychic powers...enough said. If you haven't read the other books this isn't a bad place to start, followed by 'House of Suns' and 'Century Rain' before tackling the Trilogy- they're all here on Audible.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Frustrated with the lack of a proper ending

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Mostly, yes. I was disappointed and frustrated that it ended when it did. I thought I was only about 70% of the way through it when the story just stopped suddenly. It's as though the author got bored and had decided that we didn't need to know any more. The big thing that the book is leading up-to never actually happens.

Would you be willing to try another book from Alastair Reynolds? Why or why not?

Yes, he's a good author.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

The voices

Any additional comments?

When reading a book you know where you are up-to in the book and know when it's about to end. When listening to an audiobook you don't have this information (unless you look for it), so occasionally a story can just end and you never see it coming. To me, it just didn't feel right that the story ended when it did. It's a shame because what was about to happen would've been more interesting than what did happen in the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Twisted and dark and fast paced

You know that Reynolds will come up with something out of the ordinary and he does not disappoint here. It is full of big ideas and strong contrasts with a complex and self consistent world. The science is of a level approaching magic at times. The gritty and treacherous world that humans have shaped in this strange and fractured place is dark and rich and full of sound and smell and danger. I would have liked to have had more answers at the end but Alistair Reynolds does not write that way. All in all, a fascinating read, well performed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Terminal World

After reading this author's Revelation Space series of books I was hooked on this author's style & approach to space opera SciFi. Whilst not as free roaming as his space operas, this novel contains the same rich plot element ideas & earthy character development. Always digging deeper into lost Alien & technological mysteries, you discover more layers of the onion being peeled away through the journey the main characters take. Never shown the full picture from the start, but rewarded enough as you read through, so as not to be frustrated & ending in ultimate climactic knowledge of the true nature of terminal world.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it

It was a novelty to download in audio an author who's works I've been buying in print. A double treat to have it while only the hardback version is out.
It's typical Reynolds: dark and pessimistic in tone, plus an original and satisfying plot.
The narrator has a commanding voice and is good at differentiating between the characters, although his vocalisation of Meroka was slightly grating in the first two parts.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Simply Superb

Reynolds is at the top of his game. The book has solid believable characters that make you care. The author creates a fantastic but believable world and proceeds to weave a cyber-punk story with flavours of mad max and blade runner. If you haven't listened to an Alastair Reynolds book, this is a great starting point.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Terminal World

This book captures the imagination and the author moulds the very diverse characters seamlessly. By the time I reached the end I felt like the characters were family and found myself rooting for a great ending, which it delivered. I also felt I knew every inch of the extremely foreign landscapes and zones. Best read I have had in ages

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

disappointing

Alastair Reynolds has written some top-notch sci-fi - 'Revelation space', 'Chasm City',and 'The Prefect' being my particular favourites. but he produces duds as well and 'Terminal World' is, in my view, nowhere near his best work.

The sci-fi backdrop is just not convincingly plausible and lacks an imaginative sense of wonder, the plot is confused, narrative momentum is choppy, and I just didn't find the characters engaging.

To cap it all, the narrator Stepehen Lee, who is normally very good, has an off day on this book. His narration lacks variation in pace and tone, and his characterisation and handling of dialogue is very stiff and wooden. Maybe the book defeated him.

So disappointing.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful