Everything Other World discussion

This months book to read is The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross, winner of the 2013 Locus Fantasy Award.

Abaddon's Gate was interesting. Humanity is fully into colonizing the solar system and an alien artifact puts them on the cusp of interstellar exploration. For some books, it makes an argument of not starting on the third in the series. There were things that left me a little confused, though most of it I could figure out. I've seen the layout of each chapter dedicated to a different person's point of view, this is the first time I saw four points of view represented almost equally. I think it added to the confusion.

It was interesting that Abaddon's Gate (the entire Expanse series actually) is based around an alien protomolocule that is sent to accomplish something in our solar system. In this case, it sets up a gate. It is similar to what the alien race in last months Three Body Problem did.

What did everyone else think

I can understand when people feel a little disoriented when points of view are switched with every chapter. For example, when we read Mitchell's book, The Bone Clocks, I really loved Holly, the beginning character, and then all of the sudden, the POV switched, and i felt heartbroken, because she was my favorite and I wanted to read more about her.

However, in this book, instead of being 100 pages into a character's POV, it was only a chapter, so I didn't get as attached to any one character.

I thought the scenario was slightly similar to the Three Body Problem too.

I could follow along for most of it, though. I think what makes it confusing is when the character's POV isn't anchored to the plot. In stories like this, the plot is the current that makes the story flow and binds it together, so even though it has different characters; POV, you can keep what's going on straight.

At least, that's the technique I use when I'm feeling a bit out of sorts from having whiplash from changing POVs.

Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book.

I read all of The Expanse books, and found The Abaddon Gate to be by far the weakest. At times Abaddon Gate felt like an unnecessary slog. Watching the same event unfold (glacialy slow) from 3 different views became more of a chore than pleasure.

It's a hefty book, and I'm guessing the material didn't deliver as much entertainment to the authors as they hoped. After all it's about the taking, and then reclaiming a space station. Is that worth 600 pages? Maybe, if personal stakes were a bit higher.

I'm a big fan of the whole Rocinante crew, and senator Avasarala. The two guys writing The Expanse have a knack for creating lively characters.

I'm often left with the feeling after reading books that are 600 pages if they could have done it in less. It is really time consuming as well, a big commitment. I thought of writing a longer work myself, but after reading a couple of mammoths, I felt what my readers would feel and decided against it.

So, I can see why you said what you did.

Yet, I can't help but feel that there are other aspects to appreciate as well, so while I kept getting a bit frustrated for not reading the end of the book, often times, there are other aspects to appreciate, like character development or world-building.

I tolerate slower paced books these days better than I had when I was younger.

Funny, I'm the other way around. I would be up to slow books in my teens, twenties, and thirties, but now they seem like a chore.

I'm same as Kurt. I used to enjoy hefty books in my twenties, but later found that there usually isnt enough story in them to justify the lenght.

The Name of The Wind strikes a great ballance between lenght and quality of prose.