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Nest of Worlds
The first novel to appear in English from Polish sci-fi master—and heir to Stanislaw Lem—Marek S. Huberath.
"A masterwork not of science fiction, but of Polish fiction." —3:AM Magazine
"This novel puts your brain on a fast-moving treadmill and asks fascinating questions about the nature of human existence…. A wonderful introduction to the world of contemporary Polish science fiction, and a powerful, probing story that prompts thoughtfulness and self-awareness." —SF Signal, 4.5 Star Review
Nest of Worlds is the first novel to appear in English from contemporary Polish science fiction master Marek S. Huberath. This metafictional adventure, owing as much to Borges, Saramago, and even Thomas More as it does to Stanislaw Lem, describes a world where every thirty-five years, all residents must move to a new “Land,” each a rigid caste society based on hair color, and each person bears a Significant Name that foretells the manner of their deaths. As new arrivals in the land of Davabel, Gavein Throzz, now a high-ranking "black" and Ra Mahleiné, a lowly “white,” defy the authorities who try to separate them as they struggle to build their new lives.
Soon, Gavein finds himself at the center of an epidemic of deaths, though he himself remains suspiciously unharmed. He discovers a book titled Nest of Worlds, populated by characters busy reading their own versions of Nest of Worlds—and the key to solving the mysterious epidemic may lie within this even more mysterious novel. Nest of Worlds is a riveting and mind-bending tour through the nature of narrative, reality, love, and the darkest aspects of human nature.
"A masterwork not of science fiction, but of Polish fiction." —3:AM Magazine
"This novel puts your brain on a fast-moving treadmill and asks fascinating questions about the nature of human existence…. A wonderful introduction to the world of contemporary Polish science fiction, and a powerful, probing story that prompts thoughtfulness and self-awareness." —SF Signal, 4.5 Star Review
Nest of Worlds is the first novel to appear in English from contemporary Polish science fiction master Marek S. Huberath. This metafictional adventure, owing as much to Borges, Saramago, and even Thomas More as it does to Stanislaw Lem, describes a world where every thirty-five years, all residents must move to a new “Land,” each a rigid caste society based on hair color, and each person bears a Significant Name that foretells the manner of their deaths. As new arrivals in the land of Davabel, Gavein Throzz, now a high-ranking "black" and Ra Mahleiné, a lowly “white,” defy the authorities who try to separate them as they struggle to build their new lives.
Soon, Gavein finds himself at the center of an epidemic of deaths, though he himself remains suspiciously unharmed. He discovers a book titled Nest of Worlds, populated by characters busy reading their own versions of Nest of Worlds—and the key to solving the mysterious epidemic may lie within this even more mysterious novel. Nest of Worlds is a riveting and mind-bending tour through the nature of narrative, reality, love, and the darkest aspects of human nature.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1997
8 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
About the author
Marek S. Huberath
23 books36 followersMarek S. Huberath (pen name), born Hubert Harańczyk is a Polish professor of physics in the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. His themes are philosophical, moral and religious: how people become beasts or remain human in extreme circumstances. Many of his stories focus on death. Winner of the Zajdel Award in 1991 for a short story Kara większa and in 1997 for his novel Gniazdo Światów.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 10, 2014
Marek Huberath is a Polish physicist and author of seven books, to date. 'Nest of Worlds' is his first English-language publication, so I read it mainly out of curiosity as to what people over in Poland are reading!
There are some very interesting ideas here but I felt that structurally, the novel had some problems - which is ironic, considering that it's a novel largely about theoretical structures.
The first half of the book concentrates on the story of a couple who have to make a significant journey to travel to a new land. Due to oppressive regulations and strange time-dilation effects (which I freely admit did not make sense to me), in order to remain together, the husband travels by a kind of plane (a day's journey) while the wife takes a four-year journey by ship, in order to arrive at the same time. In the new land, the social structure is different. In both lands, status is determined by hair color. While previously, blondes were at the top of the heap, in the new land they are nothing but chattel, with no legal rights at all.
This first part of the book concentrates on talking about the randomness of social stratification and explores the psychological issues caused by such random classifications. A lot of it seems to be an allegory of fascism and oppressive governments in Eastern Europe.
It's mentioned, almost in passing at first, that a minor character is obsessed with reading a book he's found, called 'Nest of Worlds.' He mentions that he can't finish the book because every time he starts reading it, the pages are different - but pretty much everyone assumes he's having a mental breakdown.
In the second half of the book, a new and very random element causes the book to shift focus completely. Everyone who's had contact with our main character, (Gavein aka David), starts dying. Gavein has alibis, and is not suspected of being a murderer - but still, it seems that in some way, he is Death. When the authorities figure this out, of course, they want to investigate and stop the deaths in some way.
Around here, the narrative starts to be intercut with random stories of people living in other worlds altogether. We learn that these stories are found in the previously-mentioned book, 'Nest of Worlds.' First, the book is passed on to the punk-rock, nose-picking physics student who seems to become obsessed with it as well. Then, the obsession passes on to David, who reads the physics student's notes about the many stories contained in the book and how, using mathematics, he extrapolates from the book the structure of the universe and the many worlds contained within it.
As I said, the ideas are interesting and clever (and there isn't room here to really mention all of them). (It's cute how the theory allows for the existence of our world, as well.) I feel like I might've gotten more out of it if I were more versed in physics. But: I didn't feel like the first half and second half of the book meshed together well; the other-worlds stories were also a bit too choppy and random; and the 'notes' on 'Nest of Worlds' were stuck in, in such a way that I felt that the author failed to work all his ideas into the narrative, so had to stick in 'explanations.'
Stylistically, the book 'felt' like something written in the late 60's or 70's; I was surprised to see that it was first published as late as 1998. (I think the style is inherent to the book, not a translation artifact, because I've also read Michael Kandel's translation of Andrzej Sapkowski's work, which has a completely different style.)
I was reminded a bit of Christopher Priest's 'Inverted World,' at times. I do think fans of the one would enjoy the other. It also brought 'Flatland' to mind.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this interesting work! As always, my opinions are my own.
There are some very interesting ideas here but I felt that structurally, the novel had some problems - which is ironic, considering that it's a novel largely about theoretical structures.
The first half of the book concentrates on the story of a couple who have to make a significant journey to travel to a new land. Due to oppressive regulations and strange time-dilation effects (which I freely admit did not make sense to me), in order to remain together, the husband travels by a kind of plane (a day's journey) while the wife takes a four-year journey by ship, in order to arrive at the same time. In the new land, the social structure is different. In both lands, status is determined by hair color. While previously, blondes were at the top of the heap, in the new land they are nothing but chattel, with no legal rights at all.
This first part of the book concentrates on talking about the randomness of social stratification and explores the psychological issues caused by such random classifications. A lot of it seems to be an allegory of fascism and oppressive governments in Eastern Europe.
It's mentioned, almost in passing at first, that a minor character is obsessed with reading a book he's found, called 'Nest of Worlds.' He mentions that he can't finish the book because every time he starts reading it, the pages are different - but pretty much everyone assumes he's having a mental breakdown.
In the second half of the book, a new and very random element causes the book to shift focus completely. Everyone who's had contact with our main character, (Gavein aka David), starts dying. Gavein has alibis, and is not suspected of being a murderer - but still, it seems that in some way, he is Death. When the authorities figure this out, of course, they want to investigate and stop the deaths in some way.
Around here, the narrative starts to be intercut with random stories of people living in other worlds altogether. We learn that these stories are found in the previously-mentioned book, 'Nest of Worlds.' First, the book is passed on to the punk-rock, nose-picking physics student who seems to become obsessed with it as well. Then, the obsession passes on to David, who reads the physics student's notes about the many stories contained in the book and how, using mathematics, he extrapolates from the book the structure of the universe and the many worlds contained within it.
As I said, the ideas are interesting and clever (and there isn't room here to really mention all of them). (It's cute how the theory allows for the existence of our world, as well.) I feel like I might've gotten more out of it if I were more versed in physics. But: I didn't feel like the first half and second half of the book meshed together well; the other-worlds stories were also a bit too choppy and random; and the 'notes' on 'Nest of Worlds' were stuck in, in such a way that I felt that the author failed to work all his ideas into the narrative, so had to stick in 'explanations.'
Stylistically, the book 'felt' like something written in the late 60's or 70's; I was surprised to see that it was first published as late as 1998. (I think the style is inherent to the book, not a translation artifact, because I've also read Michael Kandel's translation of Andrzej Sapkowski's work, which has a completely different style.)
I was reminded a bit of Christopher Priest's 'Inverted World,' at times. I do think fans of the one would enjoy the other. It also brought 'Flatland' to mind.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this interesting work! As always, my opinions are my own.
January 30, 2014
A complex science-fictional metafiction
This is a fascinating creation of a fully realized alternate world that has its own physical laws and societal mores. Further, there are also layers of nested stories, each of which appears in a different font. Readers who like "soft" SF a la LeGuin will enjoy the exploration of the stratified societies in both the main story and the nested ones (it reminded me a bit of "The Dispossessed"). But readers of hard SF will enjoy the exploration of the physics (science geeks will really love the detailed description of the physical laws governing the nested worlds). In short, there's something for everyone in this book, at least everyone who's looking for a thought-provoking yet thoroughly involving read.
This is a fascinating creation of a fully realized alternate world that has its own physical laws and societal mores. Further, there are also layers of nested stories, each of which appears in a different font. Readers who like "soft" SF a la LeGuin will enjoy the exploration of the stratified societies in both the main story and the nested ones (it reminded me a bit of "The Dispossessed"). But readers of hard SF will enjoy the exploration of the physics (science geeks will really love the detailed description of the physical laws governing the nested worlds). In short, there's something for everyone in this book, at least everyone who's looking for a thought-provoking yet thoroughly involving read.
September 5, 2016
Affraid to finish. Ra Mahleine should live.
March 22, 2014
(Originally published in Poland in 1998 this is the first edition in English available this year from Restless Books)
Imagine a world where your social status is determined by the color of your hair and where you must move to a new continent every 35 years. In that new land your status will change and the society there will be different from what you knew. Where the nature of your death is related to your Significant Name. And there will be a special book called the "Nest of Worlds" which describes a very different world from your own. A world where your act of reading just might make a difference on the lives of the characters in it.
Huberath is recognized as one of the greatest contemporary Polish science fiction writers and this is the first of his novels to be translated to English. His work is basically science fiction/fantasy but he also explores some deep philosphical/moral issues along the way. "Nest of Worlds" (Gniazdo światów) won the top Polish science fiction award in 1999.
The concept here is brilliant as you descend down through four versions of the "nested" worlds associated with the books. Each world is unique and complete. Huberath takes us through a careful examination of what that nesting may mean and in doing so draws you, the reader, into the action as well. I found the book a little slow going at first. He allows you to slowly unwind the details of the first world you encounter. That felt a little awkward. But the concept is so interesting that I just couldn't walk away from it. In the end the investment paid off handsomely. What is the nature of the Universe? How do we remain human even in the most extreme situation? What sacrifice will you make for love?
I can't think of a comparable book for "Nest of Worlds". It is a wonderful work by an author at the height of his talent.
For more reviews and independent media commentary check out my blog at http://theviewfromthephlipside.blogsp...
Imagine a world where your social status is determined by the color of your hair and where you must move to a new continent every 35 years. In that new land your status will change and the society there will be different from what you knew. Where the nature of your death is related to your Significant Name. And there will be a special book called the "Nest of Worlds" which describes a very different world from your own. A world where your act of reading just might make a difference on the lives of the characters in it.
Huberath is recognized as one of the greatest contemporary Polish science fiction writers and this is the first of his novels to be translated to English. His work is basically science fiction/fantasy but he also explores some deep philosphical/moral issues along the way. "Nest of Worlds" (Gniazdo światów) won the top Polish science fiction award in 1999.
The concept here is brilliant as you descend down through four versions of the "nested" worlds associated with the books. Each world is unique and complete. Huberath takes us through a careful examination of what that nesting may mean and in doing so draws you, the reader, into the action as well. I found the book a little slow going at first. He allows you to slowly unwind the details of the first world you encounter. That felt a little awkward. But the concept is so interesting that I just couldn't walk away from it. In the end the investment paid off handsomely. What is the nature of the Universe? How do we remain human even in the most extreme situation? What sacrifice will you make for love?
I can't think of a comparable book for "Nest of Worlds". It is a wonderful work by an author at the height of his talent.
For more reviews and independent media commentary check out my blog at http://theviewfromthephlipside.blogsp...
July 23, 2015
Wielki Duet moich ulubionych autorów (Dukaj i Zajdel) chyba zamienił się w Trio. Prawie, *prawie* przestałam czytać na stronie 268 ;). Bardzo nietypowa książka, bardzo w moim typie!
June 18, 2018
Zważywszy na to, że jestem ogromnym fanem literatury Lema, Zajdla i Dicka wiele osób polecało mi tę książkę jako obowiązkową do przeczytania. Rzeczywiście opowiadanie zrobiło na mnie spore wrażenie. Przedstawia niezwykły świat, w którym imiona i kolor włosów decydują o roli społecznej oraz o tym, jak zakończy się nasza egzystencja. Opisany świat może nie różnić się z początku od naszego, ale zostały dodane do niego trzy niezwykłe elementy, które stopniowo poznajemy, ukazując nam to, że pomimo wielu podobieństw jest to zupełnie odrębna rzeczywistość. Właśnie to powolne odkrywanie tego, jak ten świat jest różny od naszego, kiedy zaczynamy rozumieć, które elementy na to wpływają, powoduje niezwykłość tej powieści. Nasze rozumienie buduje się stopniowo, aż wreszcie zaczynamy dostrzegać, że nie są to wielkie elementy, ale ich wpływ na świat jest ogromny. Genialna opowieść do polecenia wszystkim fanom Zajdla, Lema, Dukaja i Dicka jako pozycja obowiązkowa.
I’m a big fan of Lem’s, Zajdel’s and Dick’s works so lots of people recommended me this book. Indeed it made a huge impression on me. It presents the extraordinary world where names and hair colours set your role in the society and even the end of your life. The whole world is shown at the beginning as the same as ours but slowly we see that despite some similarities this is a completely different reality. Exactly this measured uncover of how this world is different from ours and what exactly made it such, is a great asset of this story. Our understanding is building slowly but at the end we realise that these elements are rather minor but their impact is huge. This is an amazing story worth to recommend to all fans of Lem, Zajdel, Dukaj and Dick as obligatory to read.
I’m a big fan of Lem’s, Zajdel’s and Dick’s works so lots of people recommended me this book. Indeed it made a huge impression on me. It presents the extraordinary world where names and hair colours set your role in the society and even the end of your life. The whole world is shown at the beginning as the same as ours but slowly we see that despite some similarities this is a completely different reality. Exactly this measured uncover of how this world is different from ours and what exactly made it such, is a great asset of this story. Our understanding is building slowly but at the end we realise that these elements are rather minor but their impact is huge. This is an amazing story worth to recommend to all fans of Lem, Zajdel, Dukaj and Dick as obligatory to read.
January 30, 2019
Genialna książka! Błyskotliwość i intelekt autora przebija się w każdym akapicie. Niezależnie czy chodzi o psychologię postaci, opis świata przedstawionego (tak fascynującego i innego niż nasz, a jednocześnie tak podobnego) czy odkrywanie coraz to nowych łamigłówek, jakie przygotował dla nas Huberath.
Za kluczowe osiągnięcie pisarza uważam stworzenie prostej, lekko humorystycznej historii, która jednocześnie wykazuje się niezwykłą głębią. Na czytelnika od pierwszych stron czekają zagadki do rozwiązania, a tajemnice i "dziwność" kryją się niemal w każdym rozdziale (których jest tu trochę ponad setka). Wreszcie, szkatułkowa kompozycja utworu, za którą odpowiada samo "gniazdo światów", w udany sposób podsuwa nam rozwiązania, prowadząc do przewrotnego i oryginalnego końca tej powieści. Potrafię sobie wyobrazić, jaki ogrom pracy kosztowała Huberatha konstrukcja tak rozbudowanego - a przy tym spójnego - utworu.
Gdzieś czytałem, że "Gniazdo Światów" można śmiało postawić obok Solaris i traktować jako kultowe dzieło polskiej SF. W zupełności zgadzam się z tą opinią: możliwe, że GŚ jest nieco słabsze pod względami literacko-artystycznymi od klasycznej powieści Lema, ale z pewnością jest to pozycja obowiązkowa - nie tylko dla fanów literatury science fiction.
Za kluczowe osiągnięcie pisarza uważam stworzenie prostej, lekko humorystycznej historii, która jednocześnie wykazuje się niezwykłą głębią. Na czytelnika od pierwszych stron czekają zagadki do rozwiązania, a tajemnice i "dziwność" kryją się niemal w każdym rozdziale (których jest tu trochę ponad setka). Wreszcie, szkatułkowa kompozycja utworu, za którą odpowiada samo "gniazdo światów", w udany sposób podsuwa nam rozwiązania, prowadząc do przewrotnego i oryginalnego końca tej powieści. Potrafię sobie wyobrazić, jaki ogrom pracy kosztowała Huberatha konstrukcja tak rozbudowanego - a przy tym spójnego - utworu.
Gdzieś czytałem, że "Gniazdo Światów" można śmiało postawić obok Solaris i traktować jako kultowe dzieło polskiej SF. W zupełności zgadzam się z tą opinią: możliwe, że GŚ jest nieco słabsze pod względami literacko-artystycznymi od klasycznej powieści Lema, ale z pewnością jest to pozycja obowiązkowa - nie tylko dla fanów literatury science fiction.
April 10, 2013
przewidywalna końcówka
May 14, 2014
Could not finish it.
May 7, 2014
DO NOT read this book and hope your reader will do the same. It's amazing!
December 29, 2020
Wspaniała! Świetny pomysł, który rozumiemy w pełni dopiero pod koniec. Lubię takie zabawy z czytelnikiem :) Dobrze wykreowany świat, który zostawił mnie pod wrażeniem.
October 30, 2016
if there's a person that wants to tell you the ending - stop listening.
this book was interesting. definitely not something you see everywhere - it's a no surprise that it was given the Zajdel Award for Best Fantasy Fiction.
the world inside that book was extraordinarily constructed, you just wanted to read it, or stop reading it in some places. it took me a while to read it whole but... I'm glad it did. I wouldn't want to read it any other way.
if I was asked what genre is "Gniazdo Światów" (or "Nest of Worlds"), I'd say that it varies between fantasy, sci-fi, thriller with a bit of dystopia.
I can't really tell you what is it about - you have to read it - but it can somehow play with your mind and...
...you probably will stop reading on page 269 (Polish edition). you'll know why when you read it.
this book was interesting. definitely not something you see everywhere - it's a no surprise that it was given the Zajdel Award for Best Fantasy Fiction.
the world inside that book was extraordinarily constructed, you just wanted to read it, or stop reading it in some places. it took me a while to read it whole but... I'm glad it did. I wouldn't want to read it any other way.
if I was asked what genre is "Gniazdo Światów" (or "Nest of Worlds"), I'd say that it varies between fantasy, sci-fi, thriller with a bit of dystopia.
I can't really tell you what is it about - you have to read it - but it can somehow play with your mind and...
...you probably will stop reading on page 269 (Polish edition). you'll know why when you read it.
January 11, 2022
This is still the best book I've ever read. Jam-packed with ideas, the plot flows through them effortlessly. It more or less swaps genres, going from dystopia to supernatural to a treatise on the nature of reading, finishing with damned 4th wall break that, even though I knew it was coming this time around, is an amazing conclusion. Both times I genuinely wanted to put down the book, attend to Gavein's plea, I just didn't because I hate leaving things unfinished.
I want to marry this book, even in the middle of a reading slump, I wolfed it down in 4 days, curiously the same amount of time as the first read.
I want to marry this book, even in the middle of a reading slump, I wolfed it down in 4 days, curiously the same amount of time as the first read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2019
I've never been so guilt tripped by a book that I actually stopped reading. Well. At least in this case it's completely legit way to finish the story.
The book has a lot of interesting concepts and gimmicks, but overall writing feels bit dated (I actually thought the book is older than it truly was) and I didn't found characters interesting (yet it didn't stop me from empathizing with situation they were in to the degree that enabled aforementioned guilt-trip).
I highly recommend, it's not masterpiece, but it's very interesting literary experience.
The book has a lot of interesting concepts and gimmicks, but overall writing feels bit dated (I actually thought the book is older than it truly was) and I didn't found characters interesting (yet it didn't stop me from empathizing with situation they were in to the degree that enabled aforementioned guilt-trip).
I highly recommend, it's not masterpiece, but it's very interesting literary experience.
June 13, 2015
Ciekawa metafizyczna hochsztaplerka.
April 8, 2014
amazing. i've lost my tongue.
March 28, 2014
Metaphysical, metafictional science fiction.
July 19, 2015
extraordinary, very original world, plot makes you turn pages automatically like complicated thriller, but, sadly, an ending can be seen from halfway through the plot.
May 18, 2016
classic; must read
August 9, 2022
My expectations were low. I picked this book at random in a library and I mostly expected generic crappy dystopia. But hey, even crappy books are a bit fun to read sometimes and it got some award or whatever, so perhaps it would surprise me. And boy it did surprise me.
Warning, some (mostly minor) spoilers ahead.
At first, generic dystopia hypothesis seemed to fit, love between different castes etc. Writing style was weird, very compact and simple, and made it hard to be even slightly connected with the characters. (Later, when noticed the author is a physicist I realized why the writing style felt vaguely familiar -- it is quite similar to scientific papers.) There was this weird thing with different speed of time in different heights but whatever, perhaps it will make more sense later, right? So I went on.
It was a middle of a book and the story didn't move much. But a lot of people died. And now, it seems like they died because they met the main character? Okay, weird... Wait, the hell? Now the main plot is really about "anybody seen by the main character dies"? Yes, it was.
At that moment, I read the book mostly because I just didn't want to drop the book after I read the first half. The reading almost caused me physical pain. But I went on.
Throughout the book, the author was clearly preparing ground to use book "Nest of the Worlds" inside the story, so I was mildly interested in the way it would explain all this nonsensical crapfest. Turns out, it does not. Suddenly, when the main character starts reading the Nest of the Worlds, the whole plot just moves to some crazy meta stuff about worlds inside the book which also have the Nest of the Worlds book inside, so there is some tree of the worlds inside books with some "scientific" relations between them... I mean, it might be actually interesting thought experiment if it was written by someone who does not write prose as a scientific paper.
Actually, there is an explanation for the part of the plot where everybody dies. It's your fault. Your, as the reader of the book. Because, the time in the book goes on only because you read the book. So, if you would have stopper reading, the deaths would stop. Actually, the hero begs you to stop reading, so that his wife won't die. And, to be honest, I was very tempted to. But it was like five pages till the end...
Warning, some (mostly minor) spoilers ahead.
At first, generic dystopia hypothesis seemed to fit, love between different castes etc. Writing style was weird, very compact and simple, and made it hard to be even slightly connected with the characters. (Later, when noticed the author is a physicist I realized why the writing style felt vaguely familiar -- it is quite similar to scientific papers.) There was this weird thing with different speed of time in different heights but whatever, perhaps it will make more sense later, right? So I went on.
It was a middle of a book and the story didn't move much. But a lot of people died. And now, it seems like they died because they met the main character? Okay, weird... Wait, the hell? Now the main plot is really about "anybody seen by the main character dies"? Yes, it was.
At that moment, I read the book mostly because I just didn't want to drop the book after I read the first half. The reading almost caused me physical pain. But I went on.
Throughout the book, the author was clearly preparing ground to use book "Nest of the Worlds" inside the story, so I was mildly interested in the way it would explain all this nonsensical crapfest. Turns out, it does not. Suddenly, when the main character starts reading the Nest of the Worlds, the whole plot just moves to some crazy meta stuff about worlds inside the book which also have the Nest of the Worlds book inside, so there is some tree of the worlds inside books with some "scientific" relations between them... I mean, it might be actually interesting thought experiment if it was written by someone who does not write prose as a scientific paper.
Actually, there is an explanation for the part of the plot where everybody dies. It's your fault. Your, as the reader of the book. Because, the time in the book goes on only because you read the book. So, if you would have stopper reading, the deaths would stop. Actually, the hero begs you to stop reading, so that his wife won't die. And, to be honest, I was very tempted to. But it was like five pages till the end...
July 13, 2024
Klasyka polskiej SF… socjologicznej? Tak by się zdawało na początku. Huberath kreuje świat gdzie co 35 lat należy się przenieść do innej krainy, gdzie ludzie są podzieleni na kasty, gdzie imię determinuje to w jaki sposób umrzemy. A potem robi się dziwnie, kiedy zaczynają ginąć kolejne osoby. A potem robi się jeszcze dziwniej, kiedy na scenie pojawia się książka pod tytułem “Gniazdo światów”.
Nie jest to mój styl, ale mimo tego dałem się wciągnąć. Byłem bardzo ciekawy ostatecznego wyjaśnienia tajemnicy tego świata i nie byłem rozczarowany. Ale też nie dałem się oczarować. Kiedy zaczynamy wchodzić w szkatułkowość, troszkę ciężko dać się mocniej wciągnąć w “zagnieżdżone” historyjki (choć ta więzienna była intrygującym konceptem i czuję trochę niedosytu). Huberath miał ciekawy pomysł i go udźwignął, a przy tak “pojechanych” pozycjach zawsze boję się, że autor się koncertowo potknie o własne nogi. Brawa za pomysł na świat (światy?), jednak książka mnie nie zachwyciła.
Nie jest to mój styl, ale mimo tego dałem się wciągnąć. Byłem bardzo ciekawy ostatecznego wyjaśnienia tajemnicy tego świata i nie byłem rozczarowany. Ale też nie dałem się oczarować. Kiedy zaczynamy wchodzić w szkatułkowość, troszkę ciężko dać się mocniej wciągnąć w “zagnieżdżone” historyjki (choć ta więzienna była intrygującym konceptem i czuję trochę niedosytu). Huberath miał ciekawy pomysł i go udźwignął, a przy tak “pojechanych” pozycjach zawsze boję się, że autor się koncertowo potknie o własne nogi. Brawa za pomysł na świat (światy?), jednak książka mnie nie zachwyciła.
March 20, 2020
Rozczarowujące. Pomysł ciekawy, ale historia nie ma odpowiedniego rozmachu, fabuła trochę słabo rozwinięta, słaby warsztat. Mogła z tego wyjść epicka powieść jak Atlas Chmur, ale wyszła jakaś mamałyga, którą ledwo da się czytać. Gdy akcja się kończy zostaje jeszcze prawie 100 stron, które ledwo co wnoszą do fabuły. Moim zdaniem autor na siłę chciał umieścić kilka pomysłów w jednej książce i niestety nie wyszło.
November 8, 2020
Dostałam tą książkę w prezencie i pierwsze kilka stron czytałam głównie dlatego. Wydawała się zbyt skomplikowana, ale... Po parunastu stronach zaczęła mnie coraz bardziej wciągać.
To zasadniczo dość ciekawa refleksja o życiu, gra między autorem i czytelnikiem, której po prostu nie mogłam przerwać. Całość przeczytałam w kilka dni i będę z pewnością szukać innych czytelników, żeby przedyskutować książkę :)
To zasadniczo dość ciekawa refleksja o życiu, gra między autorem i czytelnikiem, której po prostu nie mogłam przerwać. Całość przeczytałam w kilka dni i będę z pewnością szukać innych czytelników, żeby przedyskutować książkę :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2025
Genius. Like nothing else I’ve read. A book you will Never forget.
Which doesn’t mean I love everything about it.
But, when the last word, on the last page was read, I slowly put the book down and all I could do was nod my head and smile.
Which doesn’t mean I love everything about it.
But, when the last word, on the last page was read, I slowly put the book down and all I could do was nod my head and smile.
January 7, 2022
As with most SF some of it felt lost in translation but just for sheer disorienting weirdness this book is worth the read.
February 13, 2022
A 4.5 I guess but it deserves the round up.
May 10, 2023
Re - we - lac - ja!
September 24, 2025
It was amazing. I just couldn't finish nest of worlds it guilted me into putting it down
November 18, 2025
Wtf did I just read? I haven’t read many scifi books, but the first half I kind of loved. The second was harder to read, but the ending was good and I liked it.
August 12, 2019
Super interesting!
Not to be stereotypical, but this is similar in a lot of ways to my favorite SF author, Stanislaw Lem. Lot of interesting philosophical and mathematical bits in here, from the idea that the inhabitants of this world have to periodically relocation to different regions, where suddenly their racial statuses are entirely different, to the fact that relativistic time dilation occurs simply with altitude there as well. From there weird stuff starts happening, and then, not to spoil things, but it starts getting a little, uh, Inception-y.
While it's true the different sections of the book could have been melded together a little more smoothly, in some ways the disjointed transitions mirror the odd things the characters are going through, and at the very least, there are lots of interesting conceits to mull over.
Quite enjoyable.
Not to be stereotypical, but this is similar in a lot of ways to my favorite SF author, Stanislaw Lem. Lot of interesting philosophical and mathematical bits in here, from the idea that the inhabitants of this world have to periodically relocation to different regions, where suddenly their racial statuses are entirely different, to the fact that relativistic time dilation occurs simply with altitude there as well. From there weird stuff starts happening, and then, not to spoil things, but it starts getting a little, uh, Inception-y.
While it's true the different sections of the book could have been melded together a little more smoothly, in some ways the disjointed transitions mirror the odd things the characters are going through, and at the very least, there are lots of interesting conceits to mull over.
Quite enjoyable.
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