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Cygnus Beta
The Galaxy Game
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • A gripping science fiction saga about three students from a school for those with extraordinary powers, from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds
“A smart science fictional fable as inventive and involving as it is finally vital.”—TordotcomOn the verge of adulthood, Rafi attends the Lyceum, a school for the psionically gifted. Rafi possesses mental abilities that might benefit people . . . or control them. Some wish to help Rafi wield his powers responsibly; others see him as a threat to be contained. Rafi’s only freedom at the Lyceum is a game of speed and agility played on vast vertical surfaces riddled with variable gravity fields.Serendipity and Ntenman are also students at the Lyceum, but unlike Rafi, they come from communities where such abilities are valued. Serendipity finds the Lyceum as much a prison as a school, and she yearns for a meaningful life beyond its gates. Ntenman, with his quick tongue, quicker mind, and a willingness to bend if not break the rules, has no problem fitting in. But he too has his reasons for wanting to escape.Now the three friends are about to experience a moment of violent change as seething tensions between rival star-faring civilizations come to a head. For Serendipity, this change will challenge her ideas of community and self. For Ntenman, it will open new opportunities and new dangers. And for Rafi, given a chance to train with some of the best Wallrunners in the galaxy, it will lead to the discovery that there is more to Wallrunning than he ever suspected . . . and more to himself than he ever dreamed.Includes two bonus short stories “There is a weight and grace to [Lord’s] prose that put me in mind of pewter jewelry.”—NPR “This novel is a satisfying exercise in being off-balance, a visceral lesson in how to fall forward and catch yourself in an amazing new place.”—The Seattle Times
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
March 8, 2015
This is a fascinating book; any plot summary is going to make it sound much more mundane than it is.
Teenage Rafi is a psion in a society that strongly distrusts psionic powers. His abilities have caused even his own mom to pull away from him, and he's been sent to a special school for some questionable 'treatment.' In many ways Rafi's a typical kid. He likes hanging out with his friends and enjoying his favorite sport, Wallrunning. But he's got serious issues to deal with, and not all of them will be solved by his becoming a legal adult on his next birthday. It's not totally surprising when events conspire to push Rafi to run away to a planet where psy skills are much more valued and accepted.
However, on the planet of Punartam, it's not like everything is suddenly going to be easy. Rafi will have to learn a whole new way of living and negotiating society, and he'll come to realize that the issues that he thought were his own personal drama are inextricably tied in with a web of politics that stretches right up to the Galactic level.
As I said, that summary makes the book sound a bit like a YA adventure. It's not. It's a mature, challenging novel that touches on and explores quite a few social themes, on multiple levels.
Most notably, Lord creates a truly new-feeling, original society (actually, multiple societies) here, ones that really don't run quite like ours. The book keeps striking down the reader's assumptions, continuously presenting one thing after another that's just really strange and interesting.
It's not a perfect book. It had a bit of a slow and bewildering start; I felt like many elements could've been introduced more smoothly. The narrative switches POV frequently, and there's often an unnecessary effort required to figure out who's speaking. I don't think that the tense changes fully worked either.
However - extra star for really being unlike anything I've read recently. I'd definitely read more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for the opportunity to be introduced to Karen Lord's writing. As always, my opinions are my own.
Teenage Rafi is a psion in a society that strongly distrusts psionic powers. His abilities have caused even his own mom to pull away from him, and he's been sent to a special school for some questionable 'treatment.' In many ways Rafi's a typical kid. He likes hanging out with his friends and enjoying his favorite sport, Wallrunning. But he's got serious issues to deal with, and not all of them will be solved by his becoming a legal adult on his next birthday. It's not totally surprising when events conspire to push Rafi to run away to a planet where psy skills are much more valued and accepted.
However, on the planet of Punartam, it's not like everything is suddenly going to be easy. Rafi will have to learn a whole new way of living and negotiating society, and he'll come to realize that the issues that he thought were his own personal drama are inextricably tied in with a web of politics that stretches right up to the Galactic level.
As I said, that summary makes the book sound a bit like a YA adventure. It's not. It's a mature, challenging novel that touches on and explores quite a few social themes, on multiple levels.
Most notably, Lord creates a truly new-feeling, original society (actually, multiple societies) here, ones that really don't run quite like ours. The book keeps striking down the reader's assumptions, continuously presenting one thing after another that's just really strange and interesting.
It's not a perfect book. It had a bit of a slow and bewildering start; I felt like many elements could've been introduced more smoothly. The narrative switches POV frequently, and there's often an unnecessary effort required to figure out who's speaking. I don't think that the tense changes fully worked either.
However - extra star for really being unlike anything I've read recently. I'd definitely read more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for the opportunity to be introduced to Karen Lord's writing. As always, my opinions are my own.
March 22, 2016
A young man finds his place in a rapidly changing galactic society.
Rafi Delarua is the nephew of Grace from The Best of All Possible Worlds (he appeared briefly in that book). He's a powerful coercive telepath, like his father was, but he's nothing like his father. At the beginning of the book he's a resident of the Lyceum, a combination school/prison/hospital for kids with psionic powers. The predominantly anti-psi Cygnan society place people there whose powers are either dangerous or difficult to classify. Rafi doesn't use his powers so the people who run the Lyceum don't trust him and take measures to control him. There's also Ntenman, Rafi's best friend and Serendipity, a native Cygnan telepath whose story we follow.
At the same time there are larger forces striving for control and manipulation, including one of the Sadiran survivor colonies which is going to some effort to snap up all pure-bred female Sadiri for what seems to be a life of captivity and coerced breeding. The Sadiri situation is covered in the first book; basically the Sadiri society was patriarchal and few Sadiri females ever left the planet, so when the population of Sadir was destroyed it left a massive gender imbalance with the survivors. There are also issues with the Zhivan trade cartels who are moving to dominate interstellar travel and trade, and taking covert (and eventually extremely overt) action against one of the other major populations.
Only it's all more complicated than that.
This is a completely different sort of book to the first one. The first one was an exploration of a vast and diverse planetary society paired with an exploration of self between two people falling slowly in love. This one shares the exploration element, but does a deep exploration of several of the planets and cultures of this galactic society. It's also basically a coming of age story for the Rafi and Ntenman and to a lesser extent, Serendipity, but that's all treated with a very light hand against such a rich political and cultural background. The societies, particularly that of Punartam, feel really alien.
Ultimately, lots more happens with this one than the first, but I liked the character of Grace Delarua much more than the characters in this one. I didn't like any of the three main characters of this one, with Rafi coming across as a bit thick, Ntenman as venal and Serendipity as shallow. But then again, I don't think the author much likes them either, because she pretty much abandons them in the last quarter of the book where suddenly we get lots of other PoV characters.
I loved the creativity of the rich setting, but the characters weren't great and I thought the execution fell fairly flat in the end. But this is such a cool effort of world-building, I have to rate it up on that alone.
Rafi Delarua is the nephew of Grace from The Best of All Possible Worlds (he appeared briefly in that book). He's a powerful coercive telepath, like his father was, but he's nothing like his father. At the beginning of the book he's a resident of the Lyceum, a combination school/prison/hospital for kids with psionic powers. The predominantly anti-psi Cygnan society place people there whose powers are either dangerous or difficult to classify. Rafi doesn't use his powers so the people who run the Lyceum don't trust him and take measures to control him. There's also Ntenman, Rafi's best friend and Serendipity, a native Cygnan telepath whose story we follow.
At the same time there are larger forces striving for control and manipulation, including one of the Sadiran survivor colonies which is going to some effort to snap up all pure-bred female Sadiri for what seems to be a life of captivity and coerced breeding. The Sadiri situation is covered in the first book; basically the Sadiri society was patriarchal and few Sadiri females ever left the planet, so when the population of Sadir was destroyed it left a massive gender imbalance with the survivors. There are also issues with the Zhivan trade cartels who are moving to dominate interstellar travel and trade, and taking covert (and eventually extremely overt) action against one of the other major populations.
Only it's all more complicated than that.
This is a completely different sort of book to the first one. The first one was an exploration of a vast and diverse planetary society paired with an exploration of self between two people falling slowly in love. This one shares the exploration element, but does a deep exploration of several of the planets and cultures of this galactic society. It's also basically a coming of age story for the Rafi and Ntenman and to a lesser extent, Serendipity, but that's all treated with a very light hand against such a rich political and cultural background. The societies, particularly that of Punartam, feel really alien.
Ultimately, lots more happens with this one than the first, but I liked the character of Grace Delarua much more than the characters in this one. I didn't like any of the three main characters of this one, with Rafi coming across as a bit thick, Ntenman as venal and Serendipity as shallow. But then again, I don't think the author much likes them either, because she pretty much abandons them in the last quarter of the book where suddenly we get lots of other PoV characters.
I loved the creativity of the rich setting, but the characters weren't great and I thought the execution fell fairly flat in the end. But this is such a cool effort of world-building, I have to rate it up on that alone.
June 29, 2015
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/06/28/a...
For a long time I’ve wanted to read something by Karen Lord, so I was excited when I was given the opportunity to review the audiobook of The Galaxy Game. This latest novel by Lord sounded very promising, featuring a compelling blurb that teases a fascinating premise and hints at some action. Thus I admit I went into it with high expectations, but regretfully came out of the experience feeling rather underwhelmed.
I also feel that I should state that The Galaxy Game is a sequel, which I did not realize until I was about half way through the book. It probably would have eased some of the initial confusion, but I still don’t believe it’s entirely necessary to have read the first book The Best of all Possible Worlds before reading this because I was able to piece together a bit of what happened and follow the main story without too many problems. Plus, while it’s true I might have gotten more out of the story if I’d read book one, doing so still probably wouldn’t have negated some of my issues with this novel’s structure or stylistic choices.
In the book we’re introduced to Rafi Delarua, a teenager who is all but imprisoned in a place called the Lyceum which is a school for young people with psi powers. In a society that deeply mistrusts psionically gifted individuals, Rafi has to endure the education and various treatments designed to control those like him. It doesn’t help either that his father’s unethical use of his powers has left Rafi and his family a legacy of disgrace.
Rafi knows it would have been different if he had lived on the planet of Punartam, where psi abilities would be seen as the norm. So the first chance he gets, he escapes the Lyceum and makes his way there. Punartam also happens to be the home of wallrunning – his favorite sport. With the help of his friend, Rafi manages to find a way to not only play but also to train with the best players. Coming here didn’t mean the end of all his problems, however. There are new deals taking place, changes happening in the dynamics between civilizations in the galaxy. Learning how to integrate into a new society is challenging enough, but now Rafi finds out he will also have a role to play in the coming political storm.
It actually sounds more dramatic than it is. While I wouldn’t call this book dull, it did feel like a considerable amount of time was given to explanations of societal themes and classifications. Like I said, if I had read The Best of All Possible Worlds I might not have felt so lost, but regardless, I don’t typically mind putting in time to familiarize myself with a story’s setting. I didn’t even have a problem with the instances where I had to listen to a few sections of the audiobook over again to ensure I understood the significance of certain details. Lord has actually created a very unique and robust world here, which I really enjoyed. No, my struggles with this book had less to do with the deluge of information at the beginning (though it did make for a rough start) and more to do with the bizarre switches in narrative voice and points-of-view, as well as jumps in the plot.
In some ways, listening to the audiobook alleviated this problem. Narrator Robin Miles’ voice work is really impressive here, especially when it comes to her talent with accents. The result is that it didn’t matter how many times we switched POVs, Miles’ use of different voices made it immediately clear to me which character we were supposed to be following, saving me the time to figure it out. The convoluted plot, however, was another matter. This isn’t a light tale to begin with, and the exposition further weighs things down. The story also takes its time to get going, so some soldiering on is required to get to get to the part where it begins to find its stride, which is quite a bit to ask of readers (or listeners, in this case).
One final thing: I wish there had been more wallrunning. What we get in here does not make the sport sound as exciting as it should, also perhaps because it is so difficult to visualize what the players are doing. Rather than getting me pumped up, the action scenes instead made me feel bewildered and out of my depth.
All told, The Galaxy Game was not what I expected. In spite of a fascinating world, I wish there had been more substance to the characters and plot. Narrator Robin Miles did an excellent job, but even her fabulous performance could not resolve the flaws I found that were inherent to the story. However, I think I would have struggled even more with this book if I had read it in its print form. If I had known ahead of time that this was a sequel, I probably would have started with The Best of All Possible Worlds as my first Karen Lord book, and not least because it is book number one – it also appears that the consensus from those who have read both books is that The Galaxy Game was not as strong as its predecessor. When I read that one I will most likely seek out the audio version as well, especially since Robin Miles is also the narrator, and I expect the experience will be more positive.
For a long time I’ve wanted to read something by Karen Lord, so I was excited when I was given the opportunity to review the audiobook of The Galaxy Game. This latest novel by Lord sounded very promising, featuring a compelling blurb that teases a fascinating premise and hints at some action. Thus I admit I went into it with high expectations, but regretfully came out of the experience feeling rather underwhelmed.
I also feel that I should state that The Galaxy Game is a sequel, which I did not realize until I was about half way through the book. It probably would have eased some of the initial confusion, but I still don’t believe it’s entirely necessary to have read the first book The Best of all Possible Worlds before reading this because I was able to piece together a bit of what happened and follow the main story without too many problems. Plus, while it’s true I might have gotten more out of the story if I’d read book one, doing so still probably wouldn’t have negated some of my issues with this novel’s structure or stylistic choices.
In the book we’re introduced to Rafi Delarua, a teenager who is all but imprisoned in a place called the Lyceum which is a school for young people with psi powers. In a society that deeply mistrusts psionically gifted individuals, Rafi has to endure the education and various treatments designed to control those like him. It doesn’t help either that his father’s unethical use of his powers has left Rafi and his family a legacy of disgrace.
Rafi knows it would have been different if he had lived on the planet of Punartam, where psi abilities would be seen as the norm. So the first chance he gets, he escapes the Lyceum and makes his way there. Punartam also happens to be the home of wallrunning – his favorite sport. With the help of his friend, Rafi manages to find a way to not only play but also to train with the best players. Coming here didn’t mean the end of all his problems, however. There are new deals taking place, changes happening in the dynamics between civilizations in the galaxy. Learning how to integrate into a new society is challenging enough, but now Rafi finds out he will also have a role to play in the coming political storm.
It actually sounds more dramatic than it is. While I wouldn’t call this book dull, it did feel like a considerable amount of time was given to explanations of societal themes and classifications. Like I said, if I had read The Best of All Possible Worlds I might not have felt so lost, but regardless, I don’t typically mind putting in time to familiarize myself with a story’s setting. I didn’t even have a problem with the instances where I had to listen to a few sections of the audiobook over again to ensure I understood the significance of certain details. Lord has actually created a very unique and robust world here, which I really enjoyed. No, my struggles with this book had less to do with the deluge of information at the beginning (though it did make for a rough start) and more to do with the bizarre switches in narrative voice and points-of-view, as well as jumps in the plot.
In some ways, listening to the audiobook alleviated this problem. Narrator Robin Miles’ voice work is really impressive here, especially when it comes to her talent with accents. The result is that it didn’t matter how many times we switched POVs, Miles’ use of different voices made it immediately clear to me which character we were supposed to be following, saving me the time to figure it out. The convoluted plot, however, was another matter. This isn’t a light tale to begin with, and the exposition further weighs things down. The story also takes its time to get going, so some soldiering on is required to get to get to the part where it begins to find its stride, which is quite a bit to ask of readers (or listeners, in this case).
One final thing: I wish there had been more wallrunning. What we get in here does not make the sport sound as exciting as it should, also perhaps because it is so difficult to visualize what the players are doing. Rather than getting me pumped up, the action scenes instead made me feel bewildered and out of my depth.
All told, The Galaxy Game was not what I expected. In spite of a fascinating world, I wish there had been more substance to the characters and plot. Narrator Robin Miles did an excellent job, but even her fabulous performance could not resolve the flaws I found that were inherent to the story. However, I think I would have struggled even more with this book if I had read it in its print form. If I had known ahead of time that this was a sequel, I probably would have started with The Best of All Possible Worlds as my first Karen Lord book, and not least because it is book number one – it also appears that the consensus from those who have read both books is that The Galaxy Game was not as strong as its predecessor. When I read that one I will most likely seek out the audio version as well, especially since Robin Miles is also the narrator, and I expect the experience will be more positive.
January 5, 2015
Review copy
I'm fortunate enough to be given a lot of books in exchange for a fair and honest review. On occasion, I will even reach out through services like NetGalley when I hear about a new work that piques my interest. That's exactly what happened here.
Late last year I heard about Karen Lord who was making a name for herself in the SF genre and a new book that would be published in January. A book grand in scope with political and religious overtones. I, like many other readers of my generation had read all of the original six books in the Dune series, I've even read a number of the prequels published over the years. Loved most of those.
When I read the press release for The Galaxy Game. I was convinced, I had to read this...
"For years, Rafi Delarua saw his family suffer under his father’s unethical use of psionic power. Now the government has Rafi under close watch but, hating their crude attempts to analyse his brain, he escapes to the planet Punartam, where his abilities are the norm, not the exception. Punartam is also the centre for his favourite sport, wallrunning – and thanks to his best friend, he has found a way to train with the elite.
But Rafi soon realises he’s playing quite a different game, for the galaxy is changing; unrest is spreading and the Zhinuvian cartels are plotting, making the stars a far more dangerous place to aim. There may yet be one solution – involving interstellar travel, galactic power and the love of a beautiful game."
The problem was the 123 words in the paragraphs above took 336 pages and thousands of words to convey in the actual story. Oh, and the full book didn't convey the story half as well as the synopsis.
There were numerous times I wanted to quit reading this book, but that's not me. Once I start, I see it through to the end. I'm just glad it's over. Time to slip back over to the dark side and read some horror.
The Galaxy Game will be published in Hardback, Paperback, and in a variety of Ebook formats in early January from The Del Rey - Spectra imprint of Random House.
I'm fortunate enough to be given a lot of books in exchange for a fair and honest review. On occasion, I will even reach out through services like NetGalley when I hear about a new work that piques my interest. That's exactly what happened here.
Late last year I heard about Karen Lord who was making a name for herself in the SF genre and a new book that would be published in January. A book grand in scope with political and religious overtones. I, like many other readers of my generation had read all of the original six books in the Dune series, I've even read a number of the prequels published over the years. Loved most of those.
When I read the press release for The Galaxy Game. I was convinced, I had to read this...
"For years, Rafi Delarua saw his family suffer under his father’s unethical use of psionic power. Now the government has Rafi under close watch but, hating their crude attempts to analyse his brain, he escapes to the planet Punartam, where his abilities are the norm, not the exception. Punartam is also the centre for his favourite sport, wallrunning – and thanks to his best friend, he has found a way to train with the elite.
But Rafi soon realises he’s playing quite a different game, for the galaxy is changing; unrest is spreading and the Zhinuvian cartels are plotting, making the stars a far more dangerous place to aim. There may yet be one solution – involving interstellar travel, galactic power and the love of a beautiful game."
The problem was the 123 words in the paragraphs above took 336 pages and thousands of words to convey in the actual story. Oh, and the full book didn't convey the story half as well as the synopsis.
There were numerous times I wanted to quit reading this book, but that's not me. Once I start, I see it through to the end. I'm just glad it's over. Time to slip back over to the dark side and read some horror.
The Galaxy Game will be published in Hardback, Paperback, and in a variety of Ebook formats in early January from The Del Rey - Spectra imprint of Random House.
January 16, 2015
I was excited for The Galaxy Game. The premise sounded wonderful, and I had heard some good things through the grapevine. Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations and I was left feeling a little disappointed by the end of it.
The Galaxy Game tells the tale of Rafi Delarua, whose family has suffered under his fathers unethical use of psionic power. Following the governments attempts to keep a close watch over him and analyse his brain, Rafi escapes from their clutches and flees to the planet Punartum, where his latent psionic abilities are not the exception but the norm. Joining and training with an elite group of 'wall runner' athletes, Rafi is soon swept up by his love of this game as unrest and danger grows across the galaxy.
After reading the opening chapters I knew I was going to struggle with this book. I found it difficult to visualise what was actually happening, and at times I had to actually go back a few pages and start again as I tried to get my head around the events taking place. The plot and structure felt disjointed and jagged, and at times I really felt like the story was bogged down and going nowhere fast. I also felt swamped from the start with the constant influx of names, galaxies, and classifications being thrown at me as I tried to decipher the world Lord had built. I was annoyed to discover after finishing this book that The Galaxy Game is actually the second book set in this universe. Perhaps if I had read that first I wouldn't have struggled so much.
The final third of the book does improve, and some things click into place as the book reaches its climax. But there lies my problem... I don't like books that take long to get going. I also found Lord's treatment of the parkour-like sport of wallrunning and action sequences hard to visualise, and when they are supposed to form such an integral part of your story that is a significant problem.
There were some good things about The Galaxy Game. I liked Rafi's characterisation, and I found myself intrigued by the dynamic of his family and their relationship to their father and his abusive psionic behaviour. All of this was lost however in the disorientation I felt throughout this story.
A disappointing read, with some positive elements. Before reading The Galaxy Game check out Lords first book. This should help alleviate the confusion I felt.
3 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
A review copy was provided.
The Galaxy Game tells the tale of Rafi Delarua, whose family has suffered under his fathers unethical use of psionic power. Following the governments attempts to keep a close watch over him and analyse his brain, Rafi escapes from their clutches and flees to the planet Punartum, where his latent psionic abilities are not the exception but the norm. Joining and training with an elite group of 'wall runner' athletes, Rafi is soon swept up by his love of this game as unrest and danger grows across the galaxy.
After reading the opening chapters I knew I was going to struggle with this book. I found it difficult to visualise what was actually happening, and at times I had to actually go back a few pages and start again as I tried to get my head around the events taking place. The plot and structure felt disjointed and jagged, and at times I really felt like the story was bogged down and going nowhere fast. I also felt swamped from the start with the constant influx of names, galaxies, and classifications being thrown at me as I tried to decipher the world Lord had built. I was annoyed to discover after finishing this book that The Galaxy Game is actually the second book set in this universe. Perhaps if I had read that first I wouldn't have struggled so much.
The final third of the book does improve, and some things click into place as the book reaches its climax. But there lies my problem... I don't like books that take long to get going. I also found Lord's treatment of the parkour-like sport of wallrunning and action sequences hard to visualise, and when they are supposed to form such an integral part of your story that is a significant problem.
There were some good things about The Galaxy Game. I liked Rafi's characterisation, and I found myself intrigued by the dynamic of his family and their relationship to their father and his abusive psionic behaviour. All of this was lost however in the disorientation I felt throughout this story.
A disappointing read, with some positive elements. Before reading The Galaxy Game check out Lords first book. This should help alleviate the confusion I felt.
3 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
A review copy was provided.
December 3, 2021
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
This sequel to The Best of All Possible Worlds is exactly what I needed this month. I just love being back in any world Karen Lord creates. I loved seeing characters I fell in love with again and getting to see more of this galaxy and explore it through the lens of a new character. I for sure need to re-read it one day to gain more because there is so much good in this short story plot wise but also a great level above that that I am positive I did not appreciate completely. In particular my non-visual brain is still trying to grapple with how this wall game works. I would say that I would not recommend reading this before reading The Best of All Possible Worlds since that really sets the ground work of setting up the world and characters in the series.
This sequel to The Best of All Possible Worlds is exactly what I needed this month. I just love being back in any world Karen Lord creates. I loved seeing characters I fell in love with again and getting to see more of this galaxy and explore it through the lens of a new character. I for sure need to re-read it one day to gain more because there is so much good in this short story plot wise but also a great level above that that I am positive I did not appreciate completely. In particular my non-visual brain is still trying to grapple with how this wall game works. I would say that I would not recommend reading this before reading The Best of All Possible Worlds since that really sets the ground work of setting up the world and characters in the series.
March 23, 2016
A quiet 4 stars. I spent a lot of this book mildly confused but also happy to be back into the elaborate universe Lord has constructed. The book lacked the compelling characters of the previous, but retained the fascinating social structures.
November 11, 2022
DNF. Blah.
Read
April 14, 2021The Galaxy Game is not a traditional sequel. It’s set in the same world as The Best of All Possible Worlds and a thread of that story continues in Karen Lord’s newest novel. But the focus this time is on Grace Delarua’s nephew, Rafi.
For years, Rafi watched his family suffer abuse at the psionic hands of his father, delivered via psionic abilities that are not only rare, but not very well understood. When Rafi exhibits similar psionic capabilities, he’s remanded to a special school where the secrets of his brain might be unlocked. Fear of whom and what he might become drives Rafi to leave the school. His aunt tries to help him, but ultimately he must leave the planet for long enough to gain his majority. Then he can make his own decisions about his life and his future.
On planet Punartam, his abilities are not so rare or misunderstood. Punartam is also the centre of the popular sport ‘wallrunning’ – which is a version of parkour performed at different gravities. Rafi and his friend Ntenman get the opportunity to train with the elite. As with all professional sports, however, not all of the game is played on the field or in this case, the wall.
The Galaxy Game is a difficult novel to define. It’s one part coming of age story, one part political intrigue, one part adventure, one part human interest, even though I’m not entirely sure any of the people in this world still qualify as simply human. It’s definitely Science Fiction and probably qualifies as space opera! With so many parts, the book sometimes feels off centre or I hesitate to say piecemeal, but many of the scenes amounted to nothing more than a delivery of history, information or an idea. All the ideas were fascinating; Karen Lord’s world is fascinating. She spends so much time telling us about it, describing in detail all the wonders of it, however, that the thread of the actual story often gets lost.
Another issue I had was the multiple points of view. This may be what had the book feeling so fragmentary. There was a strong thread of plot with Rafi’s story but there was so much else going on, so many point of view characters having their say, that I often forgot whose story I was supposed to be reading. The result being that it was an effort to stay engaged and to care about the outcome.
Beneath these loose threads lies Karen Lord’s exquisite prose. Her world is vast and inventive and her many variations on ‘humanity’ startling and interesting. One of the aspects I enjoyed most in The Best Of All Possible Worlds is carried forward here: the juxtaposition of culture and the dance of people making an attempt to coexist, despite their disparate beliefs. The fear and expectation, exhilaration, are all very well elucidated.
The wallrunning is extraordinary. I can only imagine how much fun it must have been to come up with a unique sport and then put it on the page in a way that makes it so clearly understood. I also liked Rafi. I wanted him to succeed. I just wish we’d had more time with just him. So while this story did not work for me, I found the world as engaging as I did the first time 'round and I would look for another book by Karen Lord.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
For years, Rafi watched his family suffer abuse at the psionic hands of his father, delivered via psionic abilities that are not only rare, but not very well understood. When Rafi exhibits similar psionic capabilities, he’s remanded to a special school where the secrets of his brain might be unlocked. Fear of whom and what he might become drives Rafi to leave the school. His aunt tries to help him, but ultimately he must leave the planet for long enough to gain his majority. Then he can make his own decisions about his life and his future.
On planet Punartam, his abilities are not so rare or misunderstood. Punartam is also the centre of the popular sport ‘wallrunning’ – which is a version of parkour performed at different gravities. Rafi and his friend Ntenman get the opportunity to train with the elite. As with all professional sports, however, not all of the game is played on the field or in this case, the wall.
The Galaxy Game is a difficult novel to define. It’s one part coming of age story, one part political intrigue, one part adventure, one part human interest, even though I’m not entirely sure any of the people in this world still qualify as simply human. It’s definitely Science Fiction and probably qualifies as space opera! With so many parts, the book sometimes feels off centre or I hesitate to say piecemeal, but many of the scenes amounted to nothing more than a delivery of history, information or an idea. All the ideas were fascinating; Karen Lord’s world is fascinating. She spends so much time telling us about it, describing in detail all the wonders of it, however, that the thread of the actual story often gets lost.
Another issue I had was the multiple points of view. This may be what had the book feeling so fragmentary. There was a strong thread of plot with Rafi’s story but there was so much else going on, so many point of view characters having their say, that I often forgot whose story I was supposed to be reading. The result being that it was an effort to stay engaged and to care about the outcome.
Beneath these loose threads lies Karen Lord’s exquisite prose. Her world is vast and inventive and her many variations on ‘humanity’ startling and interesting. One of the aspects I enjoyed most in The Best Of All Possible Worlds is carried forward here: the juxtaposition of culture and the dance of people making an attempt to coexist, despite their disparate beliefs. The fear and expectation, exhilaration, are all very well elucidated.
The wallrunning is extraordinary. I can only imagine how much fun it must have been to come up with a unique sport and then put it on the page in a way that makes it so clearly understood. I also liked Rafi. I wanted him to succeed. I just wish we’d had more time with just him. So while this story did not work for me, I found the world as engaging as I did the first time 'round and I would look for another book by Karen Lord.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
August 29, 2015
Received to review via Netgalley
100 pages into this, I ended up giving up, at least for now. I enjoyed The Best of All Possible Worlds, and thought I remembered it quite well, and yet all the interplay of characters and cultures felt confusing here. It features a minor character from The Best of All Possible Worlds as the main character, so you wouldn’t think it, but to be honest I am wondering if it’s best to read this straight after the first, so that all the societal details are at your fingertips. I just felt lost, unable to attach to characters or events, not quite sure why X was leading to Y, missing jumps of logic.
It’s entirely possible it’s also me being stupid, but I do think this lacked the structure and tightness of The Best of All Possible Worlds. The characters didn’t grab me, either; having Grace and her husband just in the background didn’t help, because they’re already strongly formed characters, and Rafi… you don’t know much about him in the first book, and he’s grown up a bit since then.
I might pick this up again if I ever give The Best of All Possible Worlds a reread, but I’m not that eager about it.
Originally posted here.
100 pages into this, I ended up giving up, at least for now. I enjoyed The Best of All Possible Worlds, and thought I remembered it quite well, and yet all the interplay of characters and cultures felt confusing here. It features a minor character from The Best of All Possible Worlds as the main character, so you wouldn’t think it, but to be honest I am wondering if it’s best to read this straight after the first, so that all the societal details are at your fingertips. I just felt lost, unable to attach to characters or events, not quite sure why X was leading to Y, missing jumps of logic.
It’s entirely possible it’s also me being stupid, but I do think this lacked the structure and tightness of The Best of All Possible Worlds. The characters didn’t grab me, either; having Grace and her husband just in the background didn’t help, because they’re already strongly formed characters, and Rafi… you don’t know much about him in the first book, and he’s grown up a bit since then.
I might pick this up again if I ever give The Best of All Possible Worlds a reread, but I’m not that eager about it.
Originally posted here.
May 5, 2016
Oh the joy of being in the arms of a writer who can truly write – the delight of well-crafted sentences and well-chosen words. I love her ability to tell a meandering, almost mundane, yet mysterious tale of a journey towards adulthood. This layered tale is simultaneously one of coming-to-age, of discovering, through lots of trial and error, one’s vocation, yet also an-oh-so-subtle tale of gender with hints of the effects of inequity, and also a straight science-fiction tale of traveling technology, with never too much time spent on the actual tech to interfere with the fun. This is lovely!
January 26, 2022
2.5 stars
March 7, 2015
So there is this boy named Rafi. He lives on a planet. The name of the planet is immaterial. He attends a school for the psionically gifted. What his gift is, why he is there, what they learn, is never made clear. They make him wear a cap. What is a cap? Why is he being forced to wear it? Why is it giving him nightmares? No idea.
His father disappeared at some point in the past. There are hints that his father used his psi gifts dishonestly, but this is not elaborated on. When did his father disappear? Where did he go? How does Rafi feel about this? No idea.
He decides to run away from the school. A friend helps him get to another planet. This is all super-secret hush-hush spy-stuff. Why is it so hard to leave this school? Why does this make him a target of anyone? No idea.
Rafi wants to play a sport called Wall Running. I don't know know Wall Running is. I don't know why Rafi wants to play it. I don't know how it is played.
A female friend at the school had a crush on him and his friend, the one who helped him run away, had a crush on her. They both leave the school when Rafi does. He's oblivious to the whole thing. So it has no impact on the story that I can see. Just--hey--here is a girl; she likes Rafi; now she is gone.
On this other planet, Rafi is inexplicably befriended by powerful people who find him very interesting. Why? No idea. He plays an informal Wall Running game and draws the attention of some Wall Running big-wigs. They want to start training him in Wall Running. Then someone comes along and sort-of-abducts him--another wealthy, powerful person who cares about what happens to Rafi, without any explanation why.
This is where I gave up.
Imagine sitting at a coffee shop and people at the next table over are having a very intense, in-depth, long-winded conversation about the hi-jinks of some kid you've never met and never will. They're really, really concerned about it. But you don't know who he is or who they are or why he's doing these things or why it all matters or anything at all, really, so it's something you just try to tune out while you drink your coffee and skim a newspaper. It felt kind of like that.
Maybe this was an unlabeled sequel to some other novel that would have filled in the inexplicably missing backstory. If so, I don't care enough to find out.
I got to about p. 190.
His father disappeared at some point in the past. There are hints that his father used his psi gifts dishonestly, but this is not elaborated on. When did his father disappear? Where did he go? How does Rafi feel about this? No idea.
He decides to run away from the school. A friend helps him get to another planet. This is all super-secret hush-hush spy-stuff. Why is it so hard to leave this school? Why does this make him a target of anyone? No idea.
Rafi wants to play a sport called Wall Running. I don't know know Wall Running is. I don't know why Rafi wants to play it. I don't know how it is played.
A female friend at the school had a crush on him and his friend, the one who helped him run away, had a crush on her. They both leave the school when Rafi does. He's oblivious to the whole thing. So it has no impact on the story that I can see. Just--hey--here is a girl; she likes Rafi; now she is gone.
On this other planet, Rafi is inexplicably befriended by powerful people who find him very interesting. Why? No idea. He plays an informal Wall Running game and draws the attention of some Wall Running big-wigs. They want to start training him in Wall Running. Then someone comes along and sort-of-abducts him--another wealthy, powerful person who cares about what happens to Rafi, without any explanation why.
This is where I gave up.
Imagine sitting at a coffee shop and people at the next table over are having a very intense, in-depth, long-winded conversation about the hi-jinks of some kid you've never met and never will. They're really, really concerned about it. But you don't know who he is or who they are or why he's doing these things or why it all matters or anything at all, really, so it's something you just try to tune out while you drink your coffee and skim a newspaper. It felt kind of like that.
Maybe this was an unlabeled sequel to some other novel that would have filled in the inexplicably missing backstory. If so, I don't care enough to find out.
I got to about p. 190.
February 22, 2015
I went back and forth between one and two stars, but it came down to not liking the book. First, I read lots of fantasy and science fiction, so I'm used to unusual names. However, this book took the naming conventions to such a level that I couldn't fathom attempting pronunciation, in my head, so it took me approximately 150 pages before I really began to realize who was who. This was not helped by abruptly changing from viewpoint to viewpoint in first person narrative. It sometime took me pages to realize to whose voice I was listening. The authors heavy reliance on pronouns didn't help much.
Another detriment, it took approximately 2/3 of the book before I really became interested in the story, and yet, I felt as the author spent all this time setting up the plot, and then the meat of the story was left on the editing floor. The author created an incredibly detailed universe with multiple interconnected civilizations that you wanted to explore, but the extensive universe and character creation resulted in stingy plot development. The last third of the book was rushed, had huge plot holes, and left me dissatisfied.
It wasn't worth the 35 cents in overdue library fines. If I was reading this book for a book club or class, I might have enjoyed it more. I feel like the author was writing to "say" something with hidden depth and meaning; however, the first rule in writing is to create a great story. I'm disappointed because I wanted to love this book. It's something that I should have loved, and if the author spent more time on the narrative plot, I would have.
Another detriment, it took approximately 2/3 of the book before I really became interested in the story, and yet, I felt as the author spent all this time setting up the plot, and then the meat of the story was left on the editing floor. The author created an incredibly detailed universe with multiple interconnected civilizations that you wanted to explore, but the extensive universe and character creation resulted in stingy plot development. The last third of the book was rushed, had huge plot holes, and left me dissatisfied.
It wasn't worth the 35 cents in overdue library fines. If I was reading this book for a book club or class, I might have enjoyed it more. I feel like the author was writing to "say" something with hidden depth and meaning; however, the first rule in writing is to create a great story. I'm disappointed because I wanted to love this book. It's something that I should have loved, and if the author spent more time on the narrative plot, I would have.
December 3, 2014
The Best of All Possible Worlds was one of my favorite books that year, so when I got a chance for an ARC of this book I jumped at it. Unfortunately this book is nowhere near as good as that one, almost completely due to poor writing choices.
The book is in third person, except one viewpoint which is in first person. That character is not the main character however, and had a jarringly different tone from the rest of the book, and became horribly distracting. The book simultaneously gives you tons of info dumps that explain the worlds, but somehow is always missing key information of why things are important. I felt no tension or sense of stakes and with a variation of "he would remember this as a really pivotal moment in his life" tacked on at the end of at least 3 different sections, I suppose to give it more weight? I audibly groaned at several last sentences of sections.
The world is still really interesting, and between 40-60% where you learn about the new planet as a character explores it for the first time is really quite solid. The rest of the book just falls so flat and bland with such a great idea behind it.
The book is in third person, except one viewpoint which is in first person. That character is not the main character however, and had a jarringly different tone from the rest of the book, and became horribly distracting. The book simultaneously gives you tons of info dumps that explain the worlds, but somehow is always missing key information of why things are important. I felt no tension or sense of stakes and with a variation of "he would remember this as a really pivotal moment in his life" tacked on at the end of at least 3 different sections, I suppose to give it more weight? I audibly groaned at several last sentences of sections.
The world is still really interesting, and between 40-60% where you learn about the new planet as a character explores it for the first time is really quite solid. The rest of the book just falls so flat and bland with such a great idea behind it.
June 17, 2022
3.5 stars
November 2, 2014
My love for the previous book, The Best of All Possible Worlds, prompted me to pick this up the moment I could. I enjoyed the up close and personal feel the book gave me, while it quietly detailed the struggles of a few survivors of a horrific planetary genocide.
Now, the Sadiri people have settled in and a lot of politics come into play. A lot of politics that made this book a significant struggle for me. The machinations seem to be leading somewhere interesting, but never quite solidify into anything that I could aptly describe.
The story is meant to centre on Rafi, the nephew of Grace Delarua whose father used his psychic abilities to abuse his wife. With his father locked away, the government now wants to monitor Rafi closely to ensure he does not use his own abilities for evil as well. Again, a lot of potential with this story, especially as he seemingly becomes wrapped up in the political aspects (sort of), travels to new worlds, and meets new people.
Along the way, Rafi plays a gravity-defying game called Wall Running that is a bit reminiscent of Ender's Game. With all the politics and uprisings and, well, the title of the book, I thought the game would play a bigger part. I also hoped to see and understand a lot more about the mind ships that were vaguely introduced in the previous book. But all of these ideas, while fascinating--as is the world building--just never quite pay off. Where I was so firmly connected with Delarua and Dllenahkh, I felt nothing for Rafi and his friends. It certainly didn't help that the story jumped from point of view to point of view. One particular character gets a first person point of view that ought to have been significant, save for the fact that I could not figure out which character it was until well into the book.
I do appreciate Lord's prose and attention to detail, but I couldn't handle the meandering nature of this story.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
Now, the Sadiri people have settled in and a lot of politics come into play. A lot of politics that made this book a significant struggle for me. The machinations seem to be leading somewhere interesting, but never quite solidify into anything that I could aptly describe.
The story is meant to centre on Rafi, the nephew of Grace Delarua whose father used his psychic abilities to abuse his wife. With his father locked away, the government now wants to monitor Rafi closely to ensure he does not use his own abilities for evil as well. Again, a lot of potential with this story, especially as he seemingly becomes wrapped up in the political aspects (sort of), travels to new worlds, and meets new people.
Along the way, Rafi plays a gravity-defying game called Wall Running that is a bit reminiscent of Ender's Game. With all the politics and uprisings and, well, the title of the book, I thought the game would play a bigger part. I also hoped to see and understand a lot more about the mind ships that were vaguely introduced in the previous book. But all of these ideas, while fascinating--as is the world building--just never quite pay off. Where I was so firmly connected with Delarua and Dllenahkh, I felt nothing for Rafi and his friends. It certainly didn't help that the story jumped from point of view to point of view. One particular character gets a first person point of view that ought to have been significant, save for the fact that I could not figure out which character it was until well into the book.
I do appreciate Lord's prose and attention to detail, but I couldn't handle the meandering nature of this story.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
May 5, 2017
I actually struggled on whether to give this one two or three stars, but I settled on three since there is a lot of interesting world building going on and the writing is generally good.
I enjoyed "The Best of All Possible Worlds", Lord's previous novel set in this universe, and so I had high hopes that "The Galaxy Game" would expand on the rather interesting universe she was developing. It both does and does not accomplish this. There are a lot of intriguing plot threads teased, but somehow they never quite feel like they go anywhere or coalesce into any particular shape. The action meanders around never quite settling on a main plot or character, to the point where I was two thirds of the way through the book and couldn't really tell you what or who it really about.
There is some very interesting background that picks up from the first book, dealing with struggles between various alien races and societal classes, and I found this by far the most compelling part of the book. However, large sections of the novel are devoted to Rafi, a somewhat angsty and oblivious teenager who, while related to a few people who are very involved in the conflicts going on, seems remarkably clueless and uncaring about all of it. I was frustrated that so much time was devoted to Rafi, since I spent most of the book feeling as if far more interesting things were happening elsewhere.
Overall it just takes the various plot threads in this book far too long to join together in any meaningful way. This was particularly frustrating since the universe that Lord has created is actually pretty fascinating, I just wish that she had thought a little bit more about exactly what story she was trying to tell here.
I enjoyed "The Best of All Possible Worlds", Lord's previous novel set in this universe, and so I had high hopes that "The Galaxy Game" would expand on the rather interesting universe she was developing. It both does and does not accomplish this. There are a lot of intriguing plot threads teased, but somehow they never quite feel like they go anywhere or coalesce into any particular shape. The action meanders around never quite settling on a main plot or character, to the point where I was two thirds of the way through the book and couldn't really tell you what or who it really about.
There is some very interesting background that picks up from the first book, dealing with struggles between various alien races and societal classes, and I found this by far the most compelling part of the book. However, large sections of the novel are devoted to Rafi, a somewhat angsty and oblivious teenager who, while related to a few people who are very involved in the conflicts going on, seems remarkably clueless and uncaring about all of it. I was frustrated that so much time was devoted to Rafi, since I spent most of the book feeling as if far more interesting things were happening elsewhere.
Overall it just takes the various plot threads in this book far too long to join together in any meaningful way. This was particularly frustrating since the universe that Lord has created is actually pretty fascinating, I just wish that she had thought a little bit more about exactly what story she was trying to tell here.
March 8, 2015
...There is a great deal of background to this galaxy. A history that, despite all the things Lord has put into these two novels, is not yet fully revealed. There are a few hints in the novel that the situation on Earth might be explored further for instance. Given what we've learned of it so far that would certainly be interesting but it is but one of many possibilities. Lord has created a universe that allows many more directions for good stories. In this novel, she doesn't quite manage to find a story that allows her to show us her all of her creation though. Too often the reader comes across beautifully phrased but confusion bits of future history or interesting but only marginally relevant cultural observations. The Galaxy Game is not a big book but I think that in the hands of another author, it might have been a novella. I enjoyed at some level but compared to The Best of All Possible Worlds it was a mild disappointment.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
November 7, 2014
Unfortunately this book was not for me.
I was excited about the premise and thought the idea of someone translating a parkor/wall running style competition from brain to page an appealing one but it did not pan out.
Fairly early on in the reading I found myself unable to visualise the action taking place or the layout of the game zone. I’ve a decent imagination and even though I had no idea what the Battle Room in Enders game would look like until it was impressively brought to life on screen, I still knew what was going on and found myself feeling part of it. I did not get the same sensation reading this book and it did not help that despite reading the prologue a number of times and I could not make head or tail of it. There are so many planes/galaxies, species classifications and character names that bear no relation to any word in the English language that it is a very harsh introduction to the book. I hope it does not get other readers off on the wrong foot but when you are reduced to reading letters instead of words any thoughts of pace and flow go right out the window.
In the end I could not continue. I decided to give the book 2 stars, as reading other reviews, I've learnt there is another book set in the same world that came out previously. Had I read this I am sure names, places and writing style would have been more familiar and made getting into the story less work.
Thanks Del Rey and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read the book, I hope we have better luck next time.
I was excited about the premise and thought the idea of someone translating a parkor/wall running style competition from brain to page an appealing one but it did not pan out.
Fairly early on in the reading I found myself unable to visualise the action taking place or the layout of the game zone. I’ve a decent imagination and even though I had no idea what the Battle Room in Enders game would look like until it was impressively brought to life on screen, I still knew what was going on and found myself feeling part of it. I did not get the same sensation reading this book and it did not help that despite reading the prologue a number of times and I could not make head or tail of it. There are so many planes/galaxies, species classifications and character names that bear no relation to any word in the English language that it is a very harsh introduction to the book. I hope it does not get other readers off on the wrong foot but when you are reduced to reading letters instead of words any thoughts of pace and flow go right out the window.
In the end I could not continue. I decided to give the book 2 stars, as reading other reviews, I've learnt there is another book set in the same world that came out previously. Had I read this I am sure names, places and writing style would have been more familiar and made getting into the story less work.
Thanks Del Rey and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read the book, I hope we have better luck next time.
January 7, 2015
Something I want to get out of the way right from the start: while it’s not stated anywhere on the book’s cover, The Galaxy Game is the sequel to The Best of All Possible Worlds. I very much wish this had been made more clear from the onset, not for me (as I’ve read Worlds) but for any unsuspecting readers who haven’t. The book takes place in the same fictional universe, a few years after the conclusion of the first novel. More significantly, several major and minor characters return in roles of various levels of importance. Usually there’s no or very little explanation about their backgrounds, which leaves a lot of information in the dark for new readers.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
January 19, 2015
This is one of those books that has a great concept, a great idea, that is also poorly executed. There are way to many characters that add nothing to the story and while the book is relatively short, it could have even been half the length and lost nothing in the story. A great world concept where nothing happens. The plot tires to be intricate but is actually quite simple, but because it tries to be intricate it leads itself to some confusing and murky waters at times. Disappointing as the synopsis is more interesting and full of life than the actual book. Pure navel-gazing sci-fi.
August 26, 2025
My excitement after finishing The Best of All Possible Worlds lessened slightly in anticipation of The Galaxy Game because I don’t usually read sports-centered books. Wallrunning took up less page time than I imagined and proved central to the goals the characters wanted to achieve in the novel. I never got a complete image of the game, though it was enough to pique my interest without overdoing it. I liked seeing the world from Rafi’s perspective, as it was a good example of a younger character coming to understand the world around him, forming relationships, and taking responsibility for himself and his community. I only wish that we had more time with old characters Grace, Dllenahkh, and others from the first book, because I was curious to see the galactic intrigue through their eyes. I was always about a half-step behind keeping up with the worlds, peoples, diasporas, and respective customs, but this is probably something that could have been clearer if I had managed to slow down. Despite not always immediately recognizing why a character’s actions revealed their true heritage or were a faux pas in the society they visited, there were multiple elements to the story to appreciate, such as reflections on human nature, friendship, and self-determination (personal and planetary). This entry explored the importance of travel, trade, and communication for planetary governments, and considered the delicate question of superabilities - powers that can be extraordinary when applied for the greater good but which require discipline and understanding to prevent abuse. I puzzled over a couple of surprising gender swaps that I may elaborate on further if I end up recording a video review. I was craving a space opera, and this fit the bill pretty nicely despite not having too much jet-setting. There was still plenty of cool technology, landscapes, and world-building. I’ll try not to wait as long before starting Cygnus Beta #3 so that it’s easier to grasp what’s at stake and so I don’t lose what I learned about the intricate cultures.
March 14, 2022
The synopsis spoils quite a significant portion of the plot. Was this a sign of how difficult it is to understand the story? Like it’s predecessor , The Best of all Possible Worlds, it is disjointed with three point of views. These are Rafi Delarusa who was in the first book as a minor character, Ntenman who is Rafi’s best friend and Serendipity. They are all studying at the Lyceum which feels more like a prison than a school. They all yearn to leave and find their place in society. This is the basis of this book whilst events are occurring that will finally their place in society.
I suspect that the audiobook was not the best means of engaging in this book. It failed to keep my attention despite repeating from the beginning. Despite that the three characters are intriguing but they were never fully fleshed out. Even the plot was intricate but never fully realized. I felt I missed key information to make the links required to fully understand.
I will attempt a second reading but physically to see if things improve now that I have a sketch in my mind. There were some concepts that felt slap dash which is a shame.
I suspect that the audiobook was not the best means of engaging in this book. It failed to keep my attention despite repeating from the beginning. Despite that the three characters are intriguing but they were never fully fleshed out. Even the plot was intricate but never fully realized. I felt I missed key information to make the links required to fully understand.
I will attempt a second reading but physically to see if things improve now that I have a sketch in my mind. There were some concepts that felt slap dash which is a shame.
August 27, 2024
This is the second in a trilogy and if you want to avoid confusion, it would help to first read The Best of All Possible Worlds. Lord writes well and the plot is interesting, but my problems with the book had more to do with the pacing and structure. This novel would have been improved by a glossary of people and places (I see she has done this with the third novel in the trilogy). There are so many characters that flow in and out of the story that I was still confused near the conclusion.
This novel mostly reads like young adult scifi/fantasy. We follow three teenagers who for various reasons find themselves in an Academe where they will learn to control their psi abilities. It almost reads like a mix of Harry Potter, including a sports game called Wallrunning and Enders Game, where Rafi and his friend Ntenman, go planet hopping. The pace is pretty slow for most of the book, with undercurrents of political machinations, and then it goes crazy fast at the end.
Structurally it is confusing when Lord changes point of view between characters with no preamble as to who is narrating and I often thought I was following Rafi when in fact it was Ntenman. Serendipity, the only main female character, shows up in the beginning, mainly so that the two guys can get a crush on her, then disappears until the very end. Why? I have no clue what her purpose was to the story. At least, we avoid a long tepid romance like in the first novel. Characters from that first novel show up again here, and there is also an underlying mystery that I presume will be resolved in the last installment, but like I said, characters just appear and disappear.
I will finish the trilogy purely out of curiosity and I do like Lord's world building (the planet Putarnum is cleverly described in this novel), but a good editor could have really helped with the overall focus and structure of the book.
Favorite quotes:
--For art, you master yourself. For war, you master another.
--Coming back is easy. Getting out is hard. Always do the hard thing as quickly as possible. [I am a refugee who had to leave a country quickly and this really resonated with me]
This novel mostly reads like young adult scifi/fantasy. We follow three teenagers who for various reasons find themselves in an Academe where they will learn to control their psi abilities. It almost reads like a mix of Harry Potter, including a sports game called Wallrunning and Enders Game, where Rafi and his friend Ntenman, go planet hopping. The pace is pretty slow for most of the book, with undercurrents of political machinations, and then it goes crazy fast at the end.
Structurally it is confusing when Lord changes point of view between characters with no preamble as to who is narrating and I often thought I was following Rafi when in fact it was Ntenman. Serendipity, the only main female character, shows up in the beginning, mainly so that the two guys can get a crush on her, then disappears until the very end. Why? I have no clue what her purpose was to the story. At least, we avoid a long tepid romance like in the first novel. Characters from that first novel show up again here, and there is also an underlying mystery that I presume will be resolved in the last installment, but like I said, characters just appear and disappear.
I will finish the trilogy purely out of curiosity and I do like Lord's world building (the planet Putarnum is cleverly described in this novel), but a good editor could have really helped with the overall focus and structure of the book.
Favorite quotes:
--For art, you master yourself. For war, you master another.
--Coming back is easy. Getting out is hard. Always do the hard thing as quickly as possible. [I am a refugee who had to leave a country quickly and this really resonated with me]
July 15, 2017
I want to like this book, and want to like the author. But both the story and the writing are flawed. The prose was almost incomprehensible when the author was trying to set the scene. I couldn't understand what was going on in the prologue until I went back after finishing the book. And when Serendipity was introduced, I couldn't even tell whether it was a person or a town or a concept. There were discontinuities and inconsistencies. For example, when the Patrona was introduced, it was inappropriate to call her Patrona, yet later she was called that by other people who are just meeting her and it was perfectly appropriate. Also, I never quite understood who the "cartels" were. I'm sure there was plenty of explanation of it, but my eyes probably slid over it as awkward conversation or awkward fill-in.
The main characters and their stories are interesting. Grace Delarua and other characters from the previous book figure into this one more than I expected from the reviews. There is plenty of room for more books in this universe, and if they happen, I will read them and hope for better.
The main characters and their stories are interesting. Grace Delarua and other characters from the previous book figure into this one more than I expected from the reviews. There is plenty of room for more books in this universe, and if they happen, I will read them and hope for better.
March 23, 2015
If you have read and enjoyed Lord’s The Best of All Possible Worlds, then you should be eager to read her new The Galaxy Game. If you haven’t read her previous novel set in the same universe as this one, then you should go and read The Best of All Possible Worlds. I wish I had, and despite the flaws I see in The Galaxy Game, I’ll starting back at her earlier work and eventually rereading this one again with a bit more familiarity under the belt to guide/support me as a reader.
The Galaxy Game presents itself as a stand-alone novel in its plot (which it truly is), and I had every expectation to adore it as my introduction to Karen Lord’s praised writing. Indeed there is a lot here to affirm that she has exceptional writing talent, and interesting, unique things to say. Unfortunately her writing fails in easily reaching a new reader in the case of this novel, its multileveled complexities obscure its worth.
The plot of the book is rather straightforward and doesn’t really hint at the strengths of Lord’s writing that lie beneath it: her language and her universe building. The heart of the novel is a teenager with psionic powers named Rafi. For historical reasons within this universe, societies largely mistrust these powers and Rafi is effectively kept ‘prisoner’ under government watch at a special school. While he lives a normal teenage life of close friendships and hobbies, the looming responsibilities of adulthood, pressures from his family, and uncertainty over his powers all hover over his daily routines.
Most of this plot exists as a slow build, a nuanced character study that begins to reveal key aspects to Lord’s universe in these novels. Though with a teenage protagonist on a seemingly standard coming-of-age journey, this is far from a young adult book. After a tantalizing prologue, I stepped into this story eager to go along, not really minding that it proceeded so slowly. What I did mind, was that Lord seemed to assume so strongly that readers were familiar with her universe, how it is set up, what the people are like, who different players are. Very little is offered to give a reader bearing.
Alone this might not be a death toll. Complex, subtle novels can work tremendously, even rushing in without firm footing. However added to the assumptions of familiarity and the slow, meandering plot, Lord additionally writes her interesting themes into yet another layer of complexity: multiple points of view. Thankfully these are limited to mostly third person and a first person, but the similarities of third person voices (particularly early on as you are trying to get used to everything), make it hard to tell who is speaking.
Eventually, circumstances force Rafi to flee to a planet where his psionic abilities are far more common, and appreciated. Despite being in a more familiar, accepting environment, Rafi discovers this planet and society comes with its own challenges, one society amid a shifting galaxy of politics, and games.
For all the befuddlement that may befall a reader, The Galaxy Game does have some elements that make it stand out, beyond to beauty of the prose and the interesting sociopolitical commentary at play. Sports pops up in science fiction from time to time, but not too frequently. Lord combines the psyonics with a sport called Wallrunning, one aspect of her world building here that did seem evocatively described, and some of my favorite moments from the book were the parts featuring this. Another great element is simply Rafi. Perhaps it is partly the empathy the reader can sort of feel with Rafi at being out of place, lost, in this society, but parts from the point of view of Rafi (and to a lesser degree his friends) are the closest to familiarity I felt while reading this.
Other reactions to The Galaxy Game seem similar to mine. For instance Sunil Patel’s contribution to the new review section of Lightspeed Magazine echoed well many of my own frustrations with seeing so much potential here, but not coming away really fulfilled. On the other hand, writing for NPR, Amar El-Mohtar had a much more positive reaction despite recognizing the challenging nature of this novel. Aside from differences arising from familiarity with The Best of All Possible Worlds, another factor that I realize may significantly alter one’s perception of the The Galaxy Game could be the format in which you read it. El-Mohtar speaks in her review of needing to flip back to pages previously read. I would have loved the capability to do that, but having an electronic copy alone, this wasn’t possible (well at least not very facile). So get the physical copy if at all possible if you give this one a try.
One final point: in struggling to put my thoughts over this novel into words I did also listen to this fantastic, fascinating interview that Skiffy & Fanty did with Karen Lord on The Galaxy Game. Whether you to decide to read the novel or not (or if you already have read it), I think it’s well worth a listen.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reading copy of this from Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Galaxy Game presents itself as a stand-alone novel in its plot (which it truly is), and I had every expectation to adore it as my introduction to Karen Lord’s praised writing. Indeed there is a lot here to affirm that she has exceptional writing talent, and interesting, unique things to say. Unfortunately her writing fails in easily reaching a new reader in the case of this novel, its multileveled complexities obscure its worth.
The plot of the book is rather straightforward and doesn’t really hint at the strengths of Lord’s writing that lie beneath it: her language and her universe building. The heart of the novel is a teenager with psionic powers named Rafi. For historical reasons within this universe, societies largely mistrust these powers and Rafi is effectively kept ‘prisoner’ under government watch at a special school. While he lives a normal teenage life of close friendships and hobbies, the looming responsibilities of adulthood, pressures from his family, and uncertainty over his powers all hover over his daily routines.
Most of this plot exists as a slow build, a nuanced character study that begins to reveal key aspects to Lord’s universe in these novels. Though with a teenage protagonist on a seemingly standard coming-of-age journey, this is far from a young adult book. After a tantalizing prologue, I stepped into this story eager to go along, not really minding that it proceeded so slowly. What I did mind, was that Lord seemed to assume so strongly that readers were familiar with her universe, how it is set up, what the people are like, who different players are. Very little is offered to give a reader bearing.
Alone this might not be a death toll. Complex, subtle novels can work tremendously, even rushing in without firm footing. However added to the assumptions of familiarity and the slow, meandering plot, Lord additionally writes her interesting themes into yet another layer of complexity: multiple points of view. Thankfully these are limited to mostly third person and a first person, but the similarities of third person voices (particularly early on as you are trying to get used to everything), make it hard to tell who is speaking.
Eventually, circumstances force Rafi to flee to a planet where his psionic abilities are far more common, and appreciated. Despite being in a more familiar, accepting environment, Rafi discovers this planet and society comes with its own challenges, one society amid a shifting galaxy of politics, and games.
For all the befuddlement that may befall a reader, The Galaxy Game does have some elements that make it stand out, beyond to beauty of the prose and the interesting sociopolitical commentary at play. Sports pops up in science fiction from time to time, but not too frequently. Lord combines the psyonics with a sport called Wallrunning, one aspect of her world building here that did seem evocatively described, and some of my favorite moments from the book were the parts featuring this. Another great element is simply Rafi. Perhaps it is partly the empathy the reader can sort of feel with Rafi at being out of place, lost, in this society, but parts from the point of view of Rafi (and to a lesser degree his friends) are the closest to familiarity I felt while reading this.
Other reactions to The Galaxy Game seem similar to mine. For instance Sunil Patel’s contribution to the new review section of Lightspeed Magazine echoed well many of my own frustrations with seeing so much potential here, but not coming away really fulfilled. On the other hand, writing for NPR, Amar El-Mohtar had a much more positive reaction despite recognizing the challenging nature of this novel. Aside from differences arising from familiarity with The Best of All Possible Worlds, another factor that I realize may significantly alter one’s perception of the The Galaxy Game could be the format in which you read it. El-Mohtar speaks in her review of needing to flip back to pages previously read. I would have loved the capability to do that, but having an electronic copy alone, this wasn’t possible (well at least not very facile). So get the physical copy if at all possible if you give this one a try.
One final point: in struggling to put my thoughts over this novel into words I did also listen to this fantastic, fascinating interview that Skiffy & Fanty did with Karen Lord on The Galaxy Game. Whether you to decide to read the novel or not (or if you already have read it), I think it’s well worth a listen.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reading copy of this from Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2017
Muy recomendado. Solo espero que continúe la serie, porque me han encantado los mundos que ha creado y quiero saber más de ellos, al ritmo que ella quiera contármelos, que es el adecuado ^^
August 19, 2020
Really loved this book. I love the different worlds and the intricacies of different civilizations and political manoeuvring.
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