Helpful Score: 5
One of the best books I've read in a while...a great new near future world...with computer surveillance and Big Brother overtones. There are still a few Travelers who can move beyond our realm and change the way others view the world and those who protect them. About halfway through the book I found myself hoping it would be a series and was pleased at the end to find it will be!
Helpful Score: 5
Cutting edge fantasy that speaks to the anxieties of an increasing globalized and mediated world.
Helpful Score: 5
This was very good! Fast-paced, griping, fun, and interesting! I will definitely be waiting to read the next book to see what happens next! The author has certainly got plenty of things to work with in the next book!
But for all that, I have to say that I was never really drawn into this world. I was always just removed enough to easily put the book down, and occasionally would even think parts of story came off as a little silly. It wasn't the plot, it was a hint of flatness in the writing that did it. Every now and again a weak point would break through my suspension of disbelief, and the writing wasn't quite strong enough to hold me captive in the story when that happened.
It's the action more than anything else that keeps you reading this story, but that is very well done. There aren't any slow segments in the book.
Wow though, I don't envy the Travelers any more than the Harlequins! Their experieces in the fourth realm didn't sound all that great, and the other realms look much worse! I don't think I'd be interested in going back to the second realm, and I'm not sure why they'd want to either. And while visiting such a place would certainly provide a lot of perspective on life back home, I really can't see how it would embue the Travelers with all the spiritual mysticism with which they are accredited. The Travelers' spiritual connections seemed very weakly explained in general.
But for all that, I have to say that I was never really drawn into this world. I was always just removed enough to easily put the book down, and occasionally would even think parts of story came off as a little silly. It wasn't the plot, it was a hint of flatness in the writing that did it. Every now and again a weak point would break through my suspension of disbelief, and the writing wasn't quite strong enough to hold me captive in the story when that happened.
It's the action more than anything else that keeps you reading this story, but that is very well done. There aren't any slow segments in the book.
Wow though, I don't envy the Travelers any more than the Harlequins! Their experieces in the fourth realm didn't sound all that great, and the other realms look much worse! I don't think I'd be interested in going back to the second realm, and I'm not sure why they'd want to either. And while visiting such a place would certainly provide a lot of perspective on life back home, I really can't see how it would embue the Travelers with all the spiritual mysticism with which they are accredited. The Travelers' spiritual connections seemed very weakly explained in general.
This was an interesting, thought-provoking book, and a little disturbing at times. The Big Brother allusions are well earned, but the heart of the book revolves around the Travelers, the people trying to protect them, and the people trying to destroy them. I enjoyed seeing modern tech and The Patriot Act taken to logical extremes, and what we've seen of the realms the Travelers go to are quite inventive. I look forward to the next book. If you like old-school SF or lighter cyberpunk, you'll likely enjoy this book.
Helpful Score: 3
A very fast read! It was interesting and action packed. The writing is choppy, and the "facts you need to know" could have been introduced in a way that helped character development, rather than seeming like a rattling off of the facts by whichever character was nearby. Still, an entertaining read, and if more books of this series come my way I would read them.
