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Mindjammer
In the seventeenth millennium, the New Commonality of Humankind is expanding, using newly-discovered faster-than-light travel to rediscover lost worlds colonised in the distant past. It's a time of turmoil, of clashing cultures, as civilizations shudder and collapse before the might of a benevolent empire ten millennia old.
In the Solenine Cluster, things are going from bad to worse, as hyper-advanced technologies destabilise a world in chaos. Thaddeus Clay and his special ops team from the Security and Cultural Integrity Instrumentality are on the trail of the Transmigration Heresy. But what they find is something beyond even their imagining - something which could tear the whole Commonality apart!
In the Solenine Cluster, things are going from bad to worse, as hyper-advanced technologies destabilise a world in chaos. Thaddeus Clay and his special ops team from the Security and Cultural Integrity Instrumentality are on the trail of the Transmigration Heresy. But what they find is something beyond even their imagining - something which could tear the whole Commonality apart!
497 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 22, 2018
Science-fiction set in a future with powerful post-human intelligences has to thread a narrow needle: central characters need to be relateable; but the entites likely to drive outcomes in the story are the powerful post-humans. This book has great world building, and some interesting action sequences, but - to my mind - ultimately founders on that problem: the human characters are flotsam scattered on the surface, while the real conflict builds and resolves deep below. Two other shortcomings of the book: it adheres religiously to the ‘I alone escaped to tell thee’ trope, in which the main characters get out from scrape after scrape while every single supporting character around them dies horrribly. Occassional details added to give the story color descend into technobabble.
All that said, this book is closely related to the Mindjammer role playing setting published by the author. It’s definitely a cut above most books set in role playing game universes.
All that said, this book is closely related to the Mindjammer role playing setting published by the author. It’s definitely a cut above most books set in role playing game universes.
June 4, 2014
I wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't. As an introduction to the Mindjammer RPG setting it succeeds admirably, but as a novel it suffers from several serious problems.
Firstly, for me - and, I suspect, for most people - books are about the characters. The characters here get mind blasted sixty-four different ways, but they don't let the reader into their heads once. The narrative doesn't follow any of them for long enough to build up a sense of the person, or an empathy for them. There's not a lot of reason to care about them.
Secondly, pacing - there isn't any. This feels like one extended battle scene for almost the entire book. That's really tiring.
This appears to be the author turning an rpg game log into a book. That just doesn't work without A) picking some consistent points of view, and B) taking a few breaths to understand why the characters are doing what they're doing.
Still, I fully intend to enjoy the RPG.
Firstly, for me - and, I suspect, for most people - books are about the characters. The characters here get mind blasted sixty-four different ways, but they don't let the reader into their heads once. The narrative doesn't follow any of them for long enough to build up a sense of the person, or an empathy for them. There's not a lot of reason to care about them.
Secondly, pacing - there isn't any. This feels like one extended battle scene for almost the entire book. That's really tiring.
This appears to be the author turning an rpg game log into a book. That just doesn't work without A) picking some consistent points of view, and B) taking a few breaths to understand why the characters are doing what they're doing.
Still, I fully intend to enjoy the RPG.
February 23, 2013
I picked up this book with the Bundle of Holding some months ago, and reading it only occasionally. I can't say it has captivated my attention and I am slogging through the last 25% when I don't have anything else to do (which is rare).
The writing is sometimes difficult to follow and not without errors. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they were specifically looking for a comparison book about interstellar travel or something with a whole lot of cybernetics.
The writing is sometimes difficult to follow and not without errors. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they were specifically looking for a comparison book about interstellar travel or something with a whole lot of cybernetics.
April 7, 2013
Just couldn't get into this...the characters seemed to be walking through their roles, the cursing sounded affected, the protagonists had these superpowers that allowed them to take ridiculous amounts of damage and recover quickly, and there was no logic to the bad guys' delight in torturing their victims.
March 7, 2019
The underlying ideas are quite deep but are hidden behind a series of unrelenting action scenes that aren't particularly original. I suppose this comes from its RPG background. It would make a good campaign setting but needs a little less combat to make a good novel.
January 9, 2015
Amazing book, the story goes up in a crescendo, all logically following the consequences of the clues it's planting along the story. So you can actually predict some of the consequences and also be surprised by some that you understand the clues were there after the fact.
This is solid science fiction, hard space opera, a thrilling ride and amazing cast of characters that are being changed throught the story, that suffer and struggle in their transhuman way. A twinting maze of deceptions, a flurry of conspiracies, sides within sides.
Has some preety violent scenes that are not for the faint of heart, it even has some philosophical hints running throught the story, that have more meat in them that what I previously thought. So good I'll probably read it again next year.
This is solid science fiction, hard space opera, a thrilling ride and amazing cast of characters that are being changed throught the story, that suffer and struggle in their transhuman way. A twinting maze of deceptions, a flurry of conspiracies, sides within sides.
Has some preety violent scenes that are not for the faint of heart, it even has some philosophical hints running throught the story, that have more meat in them that what I previously thought. So good I'll probably read it again next year.
May 3, 2013
Those who know me are surprised to find that I am, in fact, not a particularly big fan of the cyberpunk style vision of the future. That's probably why it took me so long to really get in to this book. However, I'm glad I stuck with it. The character development and plot turned out to be much better than I expected, based on the first part of the book. If you're a fan of this style of science fiction, I expect that you will probably enjoy this novel from the start. But even if you aren't, give this book a chance. You might be surprised.
July 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. The action was fast paced, the science was believable without being too "crunchy", and the approach to defining the "human condition" was excellent.
In many ways the seeing its reminiscent of the Iain M Banks culture series, but is in some ways an easier, less challenging read. I love Mr Banks work, but do always feel like I've had to work for the enjoyment I've derived. This was a much more relaxing read.
In many ways the seeing its reminiscent of the Iain M Banks culture series, but is in some ways an easier, less challenging read. I love Mr Banks work, but do always feel like I've had to work for the enjoyment I've derived. This was a much more relaxing read.
July 17, 2013
Mindjammer has the feel of a first novel. The character's motivations are only weakly explored leading the reader to wonder why they are involved in the situation. The story travels along the railroad inexorably with the protagonists learning one piece of information at a time. The progress is frustrating when every character at every point knows just a little bit more than the protagonists.
December 28, 2015
This is a very interesting transhumanist seventeenth millennium amid the New Commonality of Humankind. The story moves quickly and posits some worth while notions. It is worth picking up for all fans of transhumanist SF and particularly for those interested in the RPG!
May 7, 2014
A great SF-setting for Fate Core and also a massive SF-toolkit. Well worth the money if you're into Fate and Science Fiction.
July 31, 2014
My review at SF Signal:
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2014...
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2014...
August 22, 2012
A whirlwind of ideas, fun, but much not explained. RPG origin shows.
July 20, 2014
A very interesting novel, lots of action-adventure.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews