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Lightborn
Lightborn, better known as 'shine', is a mind-altering technology that has revolutionised the modern world. It is the ultimate in education, self-improvement and entertainment - beamed directly into the brain of anyone who can meet the asking price. But in the city of Los Sombres, renegade shine has attacked the adult population, resulting in social chaos and widespread insanity in everyone past the age of puberty. The only solution has been to turn off the Field and isolate the city. Trapped within the quarantine perimeter, fourteen-year-old Xavier just wants to find the drug that can keep his own physical maturity at bay until the army shuts down the shine. That's how he meets Roksana, mysteriously impervious to shine and devoted to helping the stricken. As the military invades street by street, Xavier and Roksana discover that there could be hope for Los Sombres - but only if Xavier will allow a lightborn cure to enter his mind. What he doesn't know is that the shine in question has a mind of its own . . .
464 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
Tricia Sullivan
34 books75 followersTricia Sullivan (born July 7, 1968 in New Jersey, U.S.) is a science fiction writer. She has also written fantasy under the pseudonym Valery Leith.
She moved to the United Kingdom in 1995. In 1999 she won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for her novel Dreaming in Smoke. Her novel Maul was also shortlisted for the same award in 2004.
Sullivan has studied music and karate. Her partner is the martial artist Steve Morris, with whom she has three children.
She moved to the United Kingdom in 1995. In 1999 she won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for her novel Dreaming in Smoke. Her novel Maul was also shortlisted for the same award in 2004.
Sullivan has studied music and karate. Her partner is the martial artist Steve Morris, with whom she has three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 21, 2021
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. The premise caught me: light-based AI in conflict with humanity. However, the execution of the idea left me feeling unfulfilled. At the base of this was the problem that the key technology - 'shine' - was not effectively elaborated for the reader. Rather, the way it worked was inferred through the events and perceptions of the two primary characters. Whilst this can be handled effectively - and is done so across much science fiction - even by the end of the book, I was still unclear on some of the details about how this central technology functioned. There was some creative prose and imagery attempting to convey the experience of 'shine', but it felt like there were just too many gaps. Whilst the characters were well painted, they felt relatively flat and static throughout. There were some twists and turns, including quite a clever one towards the end, but by that stage, the seeds of my reaction had already been sown.
An interesting concept, but with the central idea remaining a bit difficult to follow; it became too much hard work to be really enjoyable.
An interesting concept, but with the central idea remaining a bit difficult to follow; it became too much hard work to be really enjoyable.
November 30, 2016
I really enjoy Tricia Sullivan’s novels, but always find it hard to describe and explain their plots when looking back on them. ‘Lightborn’ seemed more comprehensible than Doublevision and Sound Mind. Her books tend to deal with strange, uncontrollable technologies and their unintended effects. Lots of science fiction writers do this, though. What singles out Sullivan is her excellent female characters. Maul is one of my favourite novels, as I love it when the psychologically oppressive artificiality of shopping centres is explored in interesting ways (see also Days and Kingdom Come). Like Maul, ‘Lightborn’ has a teenage girl as joint-protagonist.
The central conceit of ‘Lightborn’ is that civilisation has collapsed in Los Sombres, a city in the US, after a widely used technology called shine went wrong. The city has been quarantined and most of the population have left or died. The rogue shine caused mass insanity in adults, leaving those that remain mostly unable to take care of themselves. Children are unaffected, so take drugs to delay puberty for as long as possible. At first, the terminology associated with shine seems confusing, but I picked it up quickly enough. It all reminded me rather of Joss Whedon’s two series TV show ‘Dollhouse’, specifically the post-apocalyptic episodes.
The narrative zipped along at a fast pace and I enjoyed both the diversity and the pragmatic attitudes of the characters. Some parts were very funny, others impressively tense. Nonetheless, overall I was relatively unmoved by the book. As the two point of view characters were teenagers, heavily concerned with protecting their families, the deeper implications of the shine technology weren’t really explored. I can’t really go into this further without spoiling the plot, plus it would be tricky to explain. I felt, though, that Dollhouse did this better, exploring the troubling implications and potential abuses of mind-wiping technology. ‘Lightborn’ only touched on the dilemma of whether shine brought freedom or enslavement. On the other hand, the points of view of the adults are perhaps not provided as they are contaminated by shine. I would have liked to hear some of the story from Powaqa’s point of view, though, especially regarding the links between shine and native American medicine traditions. Overall, the characters and setting were very good, however the exploration of technology’s impact on humanity was rather superficial.
The central conceit of ‘Lightborn’ is that civilisation has collapsed in Los Sombres, a city in the US, after a widely used technology called shine went wrong. The city has been quarantined and most of the population have left or died. The rogue shine caused mass insanity in adults, leaving those that remain mostly unable to take care of themselves. Children are unaffected, so take drugs to delay puberty for as long as possible. At first, the terminology associated with shine seems confusing, but I picked it up quickly enough. It all reminded me rather of Joss Whedon’s two series TV show ‘Dollhouse’, specifically the post-apocalyptic episodes.
The narrative zipped along at a fast pace and I enjoyed both the diversity and the pragmatic attitudes of the characters. Some parts were very funny, others impressively tense. Nonetheless, overall I was relatively unmoved by the book. As the two point of view characters were teenagers, heavily concerned with protecting their families, the deeper implications of the shine technology weren’t really explored. I can’t really go into this further without spoiling the plot, plus it would be tricky to explain. I felt, though, that Dollhouse did this better, exploring the troubling implications and potential abuses of mind-wiping technology. ‘Lightborn’ only touched on the dilemma of whether shine brought freedom or enslavement. On the other hand, the points of view of the adults are perhaps not provided as they are contaminated by shine. I would have liked to hear some of the story from Powaqa’s point of view, though, especially regarding the links between shine and native American medicine traditions. Overall, the characters and setting were very good, however the exploration of technology’s impact on humanity was rather superficial.
May 2, 2011
The urge to unnecessarily classify a project is a strong one and accordingly as I began this book I found myself trying to do just that. The results were inconlusive, the two main protagonists are both in their early to late teens, so it could legitimately have been a coming of age story, but the book deals with the devastating although localised effect on humanity of a mind altering disaster and so my first thoughts were that it was a zombie apocalypse tale, although this evolved into thinking it was a dramatic exploration on the definition of consciousness. And running throughout all of this is a seam of urban resistance, so maybe it’s a war story.
The answer of course is that Sullivan has taken all these threads and woven a beautiful tapestry from them. Her writing style makes for easy reading but you have to pay attention to follow the intricacies of the si-fi themes that she teases onto the page. The plot also makes several twists and turns and is not handed to you on a plate. Refreshingly though you do not finish this story with a ‘huh’ on your lips, but rather a considered thoughtfulness.
I’m not convinced that she has accurately captured the voice of the children in her story as they all spoke with a far more mature voice than I would have expected but then adversity forces maturation. However, as a mother I suppose Sullivan is in a better place to judge than myself.
Lightborn is one of the nominations for this years Clarke awards and the one whose premise attracted me the most. In combining the themes that she has, Sullivan has not disappointed.
Lightborn is available from Orbit books
If you like this book then check these comics
The Light from image Comics – An apocalyptic story where people are infected by the Light
DMZ from Vertigo comics – Excellent urban war story
You can check out an interview that Tricia did with Geek Syndicate at www.geeksyndicate.co.uk
and a video interview I did with her at this years Arthur C. Clarke Awards on the same site.
The answer of course is that Sullivan has taken all these threads and woven a beautiful tapestry from them. Her writing style makes for easy reading but you have to pay attention to follow the intricacies of the si-fi themes that she teases onto the page. The plot also makes several twists and turns and is not handed to you on a plate. Refreshingly though you do not finish this story with a ‘huh’ on your lips, but rather a considered thoughtfulness.
I’m not convinced that she has accurately captured the voice of the children in her story as they all spoke with a far more mature voice than I would have expected but then adversity forces maturation. However, as a mother I suppose Sullivan is in a better place to judge than myself.
Lightborn is one of the nominations for this years Clarke awards and the one whose premise attracted me the most. In combining the themes that she has, Sullivan has not disappointed.
Lightborn is available from Orbit books
If you like this book then check these comics
The Light from image Comics – An apocalyptic story where people are infected by the Light
DMZ from Vertigo comics – Excellent urban war story
You can check out an interview that Tricia did with Geek Syndicate at www.geeksyndicate.co.uk
and a video interview I did with her at this years Arthur C. Clarke Awards on the same site.
July 22, 2012
For me this was an interesting, often admirable book, which I didn't enjoy quite as much as I'd expected given what I'd heard about this author -- and also what I'd witnessed at a couple of conventions.
My main problem with the book was that it took too long to achieve take-off. The plot is stimulated by some interesting developments in AI and communications technology, and is set in a credible milieu, but the first two-thirds of the narrative wanders around this set-up at too great a length for my liking, a problem exacerbated by the ultra-short chapters. I was 300-odd pages in before the plot development started to grip me. At that point, the intensity kicked up a couple of notches. From then on, I was hooked all the way to the ending. Had that kick-up happened earlier, or the first two-thirds been compressed a bit, I'd have awarded the book a higher rating.
Other positives: the novel is very well written througout, and I did like the main protagonist (Roksana), though I wanted to see more of her in the FallN persona. In contrast, the other main character, Xavier, irritated me throughout.
Another reason for my somewhat lukewarm reaction to this novel is that it felt like YA dressed in adult clothes. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but I'm just not that into YA fiction (and wasn't even as a YA, decades ago), so perhaps it was never destined to be my favourite thing.
All that said, I would read more by Tricia Sullivan. She's an interesting writer.
7/10 overall. (Bloody star system!)
My main problem with the book was that it took too long to achieve take-off. The plot is stimulated by some interesting developments in AI and communications technology, and is set in a credible milieu, but the first two-thirds of the narrative wanders around this set-up at too great a length for my liking, a problem exacerbated by the ultra-short chapters. I was 300-odd pages in before the plot development started to grip me. At that point, the intensity kicked up a couple of notches. From then on, I was hooked all the way to the ending. Had that kick-up happened earlier, or the first two-thirds been compressed a bit, I'd have awarded the book a higher rating.
Other positives: the novel is very well written througout, and I did like the main protagonist (Roksana), though I wanted to see more of her in the FallN persona. In contrast, the other main character, Xavier, irritated me throughout.
Another reason for my somewhat lukewarm reaction to this novel is that it felt like YA dressed in adult clothes. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but I'm just not that into YA fiction (and wasn't even as a YA, decades ago), so perhaps it was never destined to be my favourite thing.
All that said, I would read more by Tricia Sullivan. She's an interesting writer.
7/10 overall. (Bloody star system!)
July 27, 2012
This was a very cool and intriguing read.
I will confess that I was a bit annoyed about the beginning of this book. It immediately starts at the point where things go wrong. Now this shouldn't have to be a problem if the author manages to work in the backstory of how things were before things went wrong pretty quickly. She doesn't however and I had a hard time picturing how the world had been before the fall.
That annoyance aside this was an amazing story. The setting was disturbing and grim: Sullivan manages to describe the ruined city so well I felt trapped in that dark, desolate world while reading and I couldn't help but feel sorry for those affected by the Shine. The lead characters were really cool. I did feel like kicking Xavier from time to time, because he was acting like a brat at the most inappropriate moments.
Things get a bit chaotic near the end of the book: you really have to pay attention to understand what is happening and why. I had to reread some passages to make sense of some things.
I very much enjoyed this dark view of the future and I will certainly check out other works by Sullivan.
I will confess that I was a bit annoyed about the beginning of this book. It immediately starts at the point where things go wrong. Now this shouldn't have to be a problem if the author manages to work in the backstory of how things were before things went wrong pretty quickly. She doesn't however and I had a hard time picturing how the world had been before the fall.
That annoyance aside this was an amazing story. The setting was disturbing and grim: Sullivan manages to describe the ruined city so well I felt trapped in that dark, desolate world while reading and I couldn't help but feel sorry for those affected by the Shine. The lead characters were really cool. I did feel like kicking Xavier from time to time, because he was acting like a brat at the most inappropriate moments.
Things get a bit chaotic near the end of the book: you really have to pay attention to understand what is happening and why. I had to reread some passages to make sense of some things.
I very much enjoyed this dark view of the future and I will certainly check out other works by Sullivan.
July 4, 2016
My first thought on this is it feels like a teen TV show. All the adults are no longer able to survive in a post-apocalyptic scenario and it's up to the kids to band together and save the day. This doesn't make it bad but limits it from being anything special, as used in one of the chapter titles it seems like just another zombie apocalypse.
The device for this apocalypse is the Shine, a sort of direct brain interface training tool . However, you could replace it with magic, psychic powers, the soul, the internet or 101 other things and it changes little. They even refer to the devices for using it as macguffins.
One of the real let downs is Xavier. He is a particularly dull character and his sections are very boring (until the changes towards the end). Rocksana, on the other hand, is a great lead and really drives the story along. I understand why it is necessary for us to see the events at the ranch but I wish we could have had Rocksana driving these revelations somehow.
It comes together at the end reasonably well but the whole thing takes far too long and is more okay than very good.
The device for this apocalypse is the Shine, a sort of direct brain interface training tool . However, you could replace it with magic, psychic powers, the soul, the internet or 101 other things and it changes little. They even refer to the devices for using it as macguffins.
One of the real let downs is Xavier. He is a particularly dull character and his sections are very boring (until the changes towards the end). Rocksana, on the other hand, is a great lead and really drives the story along. I understand why it is necessary for us to see the events at the ranch but I wish we could have had Rocksana driving these revelations somehow.
It comes together at the end reasonably well but the whole thing takes far too long and is more okay than very good.
March 19, 2011
This is a story of a near-future cyberdisaster in California, with all the adults' brains corrupted by a massive software malfunction and two teenagers caught in the peculiar interactions of the badly damaged society. Neuromancer meets Hurricane Katrina, perhaps.
I previously had tried Sullivan's Maul, which made the shortlist for both BSFA and Arthur C. Clarke awards a few years back, and wasn't enthused, completely failing to spot the link between the two story lines until I read someone else's review months later; Lightborn left me a bit like that too, with densely described incident and characters, but also an abrupt ending which I didn't understand and lots in the middle which I couldn't keep track of (I lost my place in it yesterday and found it surprisingly difficult to find again where I had stopped reading). No doubt that is a reflection more on me than on the author
I previously had tried Sullivan's Maul, which made the shortlist for both BSFA and Arthur C. Clarke awards a few years back, and wasn't enthused, completely failing to spot the link between the two story lines until I read someone else's review months later; Lightborn left me a bit like that too, with densely described incident and characters, but also an abrupt ending which I didn't understand and lots in the middle which I couldn't keep track of (I lost my place in it yesterday and found it surprisingly difficult to find again where I had stopped reading). No doubt that is a reflection more on me than on the author
February 9, 2011
Reviewers generally admired Sullivan's new spin on the fairly common postapocalyptic device of a world without functional adults. They noted that as with several recent SF novels with young characters (like Mira Grant's Feed and The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins) Sullivan forces her protagonists to face some very adult pain. Critics were somewhat divided on her world-building, however; some found the ubiquity of the Shine technology implausible, while others felt it to be a realistic representation of the near future. But despite such disagreements, critics agreed that Lightborn is worth looking into. This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
October 12, 2010
By far the best SF novel I've read in a long time, LIGHTBORN is fiercely intelligent, with all the intense speculation of the best science fiction, but also with the sheer, heart-thumping excitement of a really great zombie thriller. The two POV characters are intensely real and sympathetic, grounding the speculative aspects of the novel in a strong emotional connection - I really, really cared about what would happen to both of them, but especially to Roksana, who's a really fabulous, strong but vulnerable heroine.
I loved it.
I loved it.
January 21, 2011
I have read other books by Tricia Sullivan which were all good but so far Lightborn has been the best and most absorbing. At the beginning of the book I thought the character relationships and plots were slightly predictable however, about half way through things seemed to change up a few gears and the story became much more unpredictable and even more of a page turner.
The concept of the Lightborn was also very interesting and one I had not encountered before in reading, definately looking forward to reading more books by this author.
The concept of the Lightborn was also very interesting and one I had not encountered before in reading, definately looking forward to reading more books by this author.
August 23, 2014
I liked the concept of this book but found that it wasn't particularly well explained. At the start you are introduced to one of the protagonists however there is just mention of shine with no explanation of what it is and how it is used, throughout the book it just takes the knowledge of shine as a given which I found quite frustrating.
Overall I found the plot quite jumbled and not explained to the reader very well and so you had to fill in many gaps yourself and at the end of the book I found the ending a bit disappointing and uneventful.
Overall I found the plot quite jumbled and not explained to the reader very well and so you had to fill in many gaps yourself and at the end of the book I found the ending a bit disappointing and uneventful.
February 7, 2012
Stick with it! Good start, drags in the middle, but shakes things up at the end. Overall, it was not quite out there enough for me, felt a bit safe, especially compaared to the relatively similar New Model Army by Adam Roberts. Read Double Vision instead, that's much better.
Although, if you have just read Neuromancer, and liked it, I'd recommend this as a good follow up, it feels a little like an updated version of that.
Although, if you have just read Neuromancer, and liked it, I'd recommend this as a good follow up, it feels a little like an updated version of that.
June 4, 2015
3/4ths of a great book, Sullivan's novel ideas and whirlwind introduction are sadly let down by a clumpy and drawn-out finish. In trying to draw together all the explanatory points into an ex-machina-knowledge-dump, the credulity of the reader becomes unfairly strained, and the identities of the characters irredeemably blurred. Worthwhile, but flawed.
December 23, 2014
This is one of the best SF books I've read in recent years. It combines an elegantly simple idea with a compelling story and tight plotting. Marvellous stuff.
October 11, 2012
Near future SF about mind control using light that goes wrong. Not too bad but a bit long.
May 8, 2020
Dull, dull, dull. Cardboard characters, confused plotting, too many coincidences. Couldn't be bothered to finish it.
April 30, 2019
I think this will be on my worst book of the year list. Sorry, I don't think, I know. It's unusual for me to give one star to a book because I try to read what I think I will like, but I majorly missed my blank with this one.
September 8, 2019
sort of a local more-sf version of a zombie apocalypse, with an added AI aspect, and way too much exposition required in the denouement, which is never a good sign. mostly, it just seemed more shallow than i'd expect of this writer.
November 11, 2022
Another solid book from Sullivan!
Not as good as Dreaming in Smoke, but interesting!
Not as good as Dreaming in Smoke, but interesting!
February 11, 2024
The interesting premise is what draw me to this book however I'm just not a fan of what was done with the premise. The book could've been so much better.
November 6, 2024
Can’t be bothered to finish this. It’s like a chore
December 6, 2022
I got this book in 2011 on the strength of Michelle West’s review in Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine (May-June 2011). I will admit, I bounced off it twice – got about halfway through and set it aside . I don’t know if this counts as a spoiler or not but when I approached the story as if it were an anime in prose form, all of a sudden the logjam broke.
The author spends very little time with exposition. Instead, she throws the reader in the deep end from the start. The characters have knowledge gained from living in this world. We, Dear Reader, have to pick it up as we immerse ourselves. Except for one passage – delivered as an actual lecture via flashback, which tickled me no end – every clue is delivered almost as an aside, usually via dialogue or internal monologue. I actually started taking notes and looking up things I didn’t get right away. You don't really need to know how it works - just that it does.
Yeah, Xavier is not a tremendously sympathetic character. He’s impulsive, self-centered and a pain in the ass to everyone around him. So…. In other words, a typical, hormonal, male, high school freshman (or would be, if there were still schools in the Quarantine Zone). Roksana is competent, caring, tough – everything that makes her a sympathetic character . As people, they are utterly, frustratingly believable – and I can’t think of higher praise for an author than she has created Real People and then opened portals into their thoughts and dreams. Even – or maybe ‘especially’ - if you just want to slap one of them.
The story is not a zombie apocalypse – that’s a chapter title, by the way, not a spoiler. The story is not at all what you think it is – or maybe it is for you, but it was not to me. .
A dozen years after publication, I think Lightborn still holds up.
The author spends very little time with exposition. Instead, she throws the reader in the deep end from the start. The characters have knowledge gained from living in this world. We, Dear Reader, have to pick it up as we immerse ourselves. Except for one passage – delivered as an actual lecture via flashback, which tickled me no end – every clue is delivered almost as an aside, usually via dialogue or internal monologue. I actually started taking notes and looking up things I didn’t get right away. You don't really need to know how it works - just that it does.
Yeah, Xavier is not a tremendously sympathetic character. He’s impulsive, self-centered and a pain in the ass to everyone around him. So…. In other words, a typical, hormonal, male, high school freshman (or would be, if there were still schools in the Quarantine Zone). Roksana is competent, caring, tough – everything that makes her a sympathetic character . As people, they are utterly, frustratingly believable – and I can’t think of higher praise for an author than she has created Real People and then opened portals into their thoughts and dreams. Even – or maybe ‘especially’ - if you just want to slap one of them.
The story is not a zombie apocalypse – that’s a chapter title, by the way, not a spoiler. The story is not at all what you think it is – or maybe it is for you, but it was not to me. .
A dozen years after publication, I think Lightborn still holds up.
October 7, 2012
This book.
I both loved it and hated it, loved may be too strong a word, as might hated. But I shall explain.
I hated the start, it was so confusing. I had literally no idea what was going on. The book basically took you into a party full of people that you had never met and then left you to try and mingle. Yet this kept me reading, I had to know what was going on.
I even put the book down for a day or two, intending to leave it, but the question constantly crept into my mind: What is the lightborn?
I hated the characters, they seemed so flat and forced, as did many of the situations. The author seems to have a tenancy to suddenly remember she wants to write an adult novel so slaps in random swears, e.g. "hey I'm running away from a robot.... actually I need a s***" this actually happened more then once.
Then the book got interesting. I loved the idea of lightborn and A.I. growing smart, it seriously reminded me of a book I loved and read:Feed and I could easily imagine this taking place in that world. (On a side note I really must track down a copy of Feed and re-read it, I haven't since I was a young teen)
I loved what it did to people; mushed their mind but kept them going in some sort of Borg-Esq hive-mind. I imagined the anger and bouts of craziness as the lightborns emotions temporarily fighting the A.I. influence.
Then suddenly it introduces some native-americans which seemed just to slow the pacing of the story and served no real purpose. One minute we have this super complex A.I. lifeforms the next we are being told it has something to do with some voodoo type magic. Add this to my hate list.
Unfortunatly due to the characters being so undeveloped I feel the [SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
A.I. slowing taking over Xavier to be handled a bit boringly. However I liked the after mass.
Then it's all over. The author just seemed to want to end it all happy ever after.
I loved the idea of this book. I loved what I imagined it to be. I loved the general theme, setting, effects etc. I just hate how they were handled.
I both loved it and hated it, loved may be too strong a word, as might hated. But I shall explain.
I hated the start, it was so confusing. I had literally no idea what was going on. The book basically took you into a party full of people that you had never met and then left you to try and mingle. Yet this kept me reading, I had to know what was going on.
I even put the book down for a day or two, intending to leave it, but the question constantly crept into my mind: What is the lightborn?
I hated the characters, they seemed so flat and forced, as did many of the situations. The author seems to have a tenancy to suddenly remember she wants to write an adult novel so slaps in random swears, e.g. "hey I'm running away from a robot.... actually I need a s***" this actually happened more then once.
Then the book got interesting. I loved the idea of lightborn and A.I. growing smart, it seriously reminded me of a book I loved and read:Feed and I could easily imagine this taking place in that world. (On a side note I really must track down a copy of Feed and re-read it, I haven't since I was a young teen)
I loved what it did to people; mushed their mind but kept them going in some sort of Borg-Esq hive-mind. I imagined the anger and bouts of craziness as the lightborns emotions temporarily fighting the A.I. influence.
Then suddenly it introduces some native-americans which seemed just to slow the pacing of the story and served no real purpose. One minute we have this super complex A.I. lifeforms the next we are being told it has something to do with some voodoo type magic. Add this to my hate list.
Unfortunatly due to the characters being so undeveloped I feel the [SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
A.I. slowing taking over Xavier to be handled a bit boringly. However I liked the after mass.
Then it's all over. The author just seemed to want to end it all happy ever after.
I loved the idea of this book. I loved what I imagined it to be. I loved the general theme, setting, effects etc. I just hate how they were handled.
July 9, 2013
Every now and then you realise you’ve been remiss in not reading an author. This book isn’t perfect – there’s a mystical author handwave or two that slightly whacks you in the face – but it’s a fascinating work that dumps you into a brilliant, fascinating world where light codes human experience and knowledge, until rogue Ais get involved. It starts off in a fictional town on the night of The Fall, introducing us to our heroine, Roksana, a strong, interesting, fleshed out character of a young woman who overcomes mountainous obstacles in order to do what’s right, no matter how difficult.
October 10, 2011
I'm not entirely sure what the technology is that drives this book but I think that light is used to transmit information to the brain which happens once a child reaches puberty. Obviously it goes horribly wrong and a bunch of kids have to save their town. The ending swerves and involves onions and I'm not entirely sure who won.
March 24, 2012
Just not sure about the direction of this one - not my style with the technological God reference
August 12, 2012
I expected to love this as it's the kind of subject I like. Like 'Maul' it left me pretty cold. I gave up half way through.
August 26, 2013
This book is one of the worst books I've ever read....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews