Just some quick thoughts
The Tines are the most cool alien species I’ve read about thus far. The fact that they’re individual packs that share a single mind is so fascinating, especially when you think about how old some of them are. It has a very ship of Theseus feel to it. What remains of the original when you’re 600 years old?
The characterization of the Tines was so well done. I was so invested in their lives, wars, politics, and day to day lives. I truly felt for them and I was so sad when scriber was killed off. He truly wanted to be accepted by Johanna and his peers for his hard work and Johanna threw his papers in a fire. Poor guy.
Steel was such a compelling villain. So cunning and truly evil. The way they did experiments by torturing individuals and attempting to put them into a pack to create desired traits was haunting. It was so satisfying at the end when his plans unraveled and he lost it.
Their society is such an amazing world to be thrown into. This book feels like a combination of dark crystal and all the sci fi things I love. You get the best of dark fantasy and the best of sci fi. When I hear the song Veridis Quo by Daft Punk I feel it perfectly encapsulates the feel of this book.
The zones of thought was such a cool concept. It also blew my mind at the end when the countermeasure was used to completely alter the zones showing that they can be determined by those in the transcendence.
The space battles during light speed skipping were such an awesome thing to imagine. Ships blipping in and out of space as their drone weapons attempt to hit them before they can skip again. Vernor explained it like rocks skipping across a pond. The ship designs were really interesting too.
He was so creative with his aliens. The skroderiders are such a crazy idea. Basically plants on wheels that we come to find out were created by the blight itself. A weapon spread across the universe that could be awakened by the presence of the blight. Shoutout to Blueshell for his sacrifice at the end, ultimately showing Pham that he was in control of himself and not the slave of the perversion.
The blight was an interesting AI system. I liked when it was compared to nature in its ruthlessness. No kindness for the lives it takes or uses as a means to achieve its goal. Its goal seemed to simply be expansion and domination.
I could say so much more but my mind is racing. I loved this book.
by LV3000N