I liked book four even more than books two or three. For all you folks who might be worried that they're losing steam by book four, please rest assured.
They're fun, but they're more like candy instead of a satiating meal.įor all you folks who have not been introduced to Bobiverse, start with book one. Sure, they're interesting, but I'd consider them more "filler material".Īnyway, in the end, will I read the next book (and the next 15 after that)? Maybe. Instead of addressing the really interesting core concepts of exploration of the universe, this series continues to get distracted with goofy side-stories that hearken back to Star Trek Holodeck episodes. Admittedly, some of these concepts *are* present, but they feel more like an afterthought as opposed to the main event. I would have liked to see this series go in the direction of exploring more of the implications of what the possibilities are in a world of exponentially multiplying Von Neumann probes. It's a technical concept that becomes a very compelling worldbuilding element. A good example of this is the original presentation and development of the idea of Von Neumann probes. Good science fiction, in my opinion, uses those technical concepts as core plot devices or worldbuilding techniques. Throwing in a bunch of technical terms doesn't equate to "good science". In the world of science fiction, it's low on the science and high on the fiction. Some minor technological/exploratory developments occur within the Bobiverse.Īnother criticism, perhaps the weakest of them all, is that this series could have been SO MUCH more. A few Bobs insert themselves into and interact extensively with a native biological population.ģ. Instead of being satisfied with pumping out a solid trilogy, he seems to be setting up a formula that he can repeatedly follow as he rides off into the Series Sunset.Ģ. That leads into another criticism - it's clear that Taylor intends this to be a long-running series.
I won't go into more detail, but as the book crescendos near the end, don't be anticipating a sweet payoff. As in, "and then I woke up from the dream" terrible. The original premise (Von Neumann probes) continues to be interesting, but it's starting to lose some of its shine as there isn't enough creative development on the theme.įirst off, the most egregious sin of all: The ending is terrible. I wouldn't say it's a page turner per se, but still very interesting! The "Bob personality" makes for interesting reading. In short, if you liked the previous Bobiverse books, you'll like this one. UPDATE #2: Finished the book and assigning an actual rating. UPDATE: The book was released today! Temporarily upgrading my review to 4 stars until I've read it! But the point of Goodreads is not to 5-star every book we're excited about. This book isn't even out yet! Why are people rating it 5 stars?! Like, I get it.
0 kommentar(er)
