18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit sketchy, a bit ranty, April 30, 2009
I really like this series, and have rated the earlier books 4s and 5s, but I gotta say this installment in noticeably weaker than the others.
Portions of it seem a bit sketchy and rushed, notably the New Britain segments. We never see the situation building, just one day everything changes. It reads like the author needed to get from here to there to set up for Book 6, but didn't have the spare pages in which to flesh it out.
The situation in America seems, well, a rant. The same story could have been told without dragging current-day politics into it -- distracting greatly from the story and alienating some readers. The previous clowns in office were not the only clowns ever to be there, nor will they be the last. Generic officeholders would have done as well or better.
That being said, the promised climax to the series in Book 6 ("The Trade of Queens") should be well worth the wait.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The others were better but I'd still say buy it, November 20, 2009
From my wife Sarah: I really enjoyed the previous books in the series, and almost didn't get this one because of the reviews. I see that Mr. Stross is writing the next book in this series. So because of that, if you liked the previous books in the series, I'd recommend this book (with one condition - see below) despite the fact that it has some problems.
To tell you about this book, I need to first mention the previous ones in the series. They were great reads. The characters are well developed, the plot was really captivating, and the story lines moved forward in a way that really pulls the reader into this other reality. They were really entertaining, creative, surprising and interesting.
Now about this new edition. All the sections about the New London world put me to sleep. I had to struggle through each one to get to something good. By the end of the book I had no idea why any of it was in there, especially in such detail. It didn't tie into anything! However I suspect it will be revealed in the next book. There were other sections that lulled me, but not as extreme as the New London story.
Also, at times the diaglogue and story line were just difficult to follow. There were long conversations that I just didn't get. I had to really read and reread to try to figure out who some of the characters were, and/or what they were talking about. Some things I just never got. This book was really confusing (I'm a college grad with masters level courses, by the way). I did not find the previous books confusing.
The left wing politics that several other reviewers have mentioned didn't bother me. I'm pretty conservative and sensitive to that stuff, but didn't find it to be overwhelming.
Regardless of the issues with the book, I still enjoyed the story line that revolved around the main character. This book moved the series ahead, and I'm hoping that in the next edition the author goes back to the clarity and great story lines of the previous ones. I'd recommend this book with one condition: If the next book is as good as the others before this one, then this edition would be worth reading just to keep you up to date with the story. It may be smart to wait for the next release. Then see what the reviews look like on the next edition. If they're good, buy this book, and the next one. Or if you're committed to the series, then just buy this one and just read it for the good parts.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing Dark Deeds, September 21, 2009
I'm disappointed ...
I had hoped for innovative twists in cross-world travel, revelations of the fourth world, a few resolutions, perhaps some thinking out of the mess by our heroine, and if not a happy ending at least something.
But there's not much new here. A lot of the book is the trickery of retracing the material of the prior four with some character so the reader is reminded or brought up to speed on the situation, and things on 47 fronts move two inches further ahead, and several villains do dirty deeds while no good news shows up. And at the end the big revelation is that Cheney is evil... Cheney was a lot more interesting in the plot when he was in office, now it seems a bit passe and reaching.
Three stars for decent workmanship in writing and hopes that something more interesting than Republicans happens from here on.
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