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blanchak's review
Richard Powers is the author of some of my favorite books EVER but I just cannot deal with the preciousness and pretentiousness of the language in this one! He clearly found his rhythm and voice in later work? I thought it would be fascinating to read an older book imagining the future of AI in the ChatGPT moment we find ourselves in. I just can’t get into this book though! I think I also find it hard to trust a “hostage in the Middle East” story from pre- 9/11, pre-Arab Spring, pre- decades of forever war (and CIA torture and etc)?! The stakes and politics of such a story are just so wildly different now?
stewreads's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
profpeaton's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
manek_m's review
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
taylormorgantm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
logophile's review against another edition
5.0
The language is sometimes a little too precious. The alliteration is distracting at times—"sallying forth among the salients" and "eidolons of eiderdown"—and when I read the phrase "stipulate the stipule," I got the idea it may have occurred to Powers out of the blue and been the seed for the entire book.
But the final chapters won me over. There are far too many books that are engaging and engrossing for most of their length, only to let you down in the final chapters. There's something to be said for a book that you have to force yourself to plow through to reach a totally satisfying ending that at last wins you over.
Was it intentional that the sections on the artists and programmers working in perfect freedom on such an intellectually stimulating project at the Cavern were so dry and superficial, while the chapters on the hostage in Lebanon were so much more compelling and vivid?
But the final chapters won me over. There are far too many books that are engaging and engrossing for most of their length, only to let you down in the final chapters. There's something to be said for a book that you have to force yourself to plow through to reach a totally satisfying ending that at last wins you over.
Was it intentional that the sections on the artists and programmers working in perfect freedom on such an intellectually stimulating project at the Cavern were so dry and superficial, while the chapters on the hostage in Lebanon were so much more compelling and vivid?
tundragirl's review
5.0
I remember virtually nothing about the tech side of this novel, and practically everything about the hostage side. I found Powers' descriptions of a man kept in solitary confinement for years and years to be harrowing. This book has remained with me strongly.