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I've been hearing about Tobias S. Buckell's Xenowealth series for years and finally got around to it last month. My schedule made reading time difficult to find, so it probably suffered somewhat from that, but overall, I really enjoyed Crystal Rain, book 1 in the Xenowealth series.
John DeBrun has no memory of his past, but there are a few odd things he's realized about himself, such as the fact that he doesn't seem to age or get sick (unbreakable!). We find him established with a wife and son an ...more
John DeBrun has no memory of his past, but there are a few odd things he's realized about himself, such as the fact that he doesn't seem to age or get sick (unbreakable!). We find him established with a wife and son an ...more
This book was so much fun to read. Imagine another planet inhabited by Caribbean people and Aztecs. Imagine “gods” that require blood sacrifices. Imagine a world settled by humans who get cut off from the rest of humanity and have lost most of their technology and whose origins are the stuff of myth and legend. This is the setting of "Crystal Rain" by Tobias Buckell.
When you read as much genre fiction as I do, you start recognizing the formulas and get pretty good at determining where the story ...more
When you read as much genre fiction as I do, you start recognizing the formulas and get pretty good at determining where the story ...more
The Azteca have finally found a way across the Wicked High Mountains and are descending upon Capital City, slaughtering all the Nanagadans that get in their way. The young mayor of Capital City has plans, but all they will do is delay the Azteca. The Nanagandans' only hope is that the explorer John deBrun can find a mythical artifact from long ago, the Ma Wi Jung. Helping John is the bioengineered (to be AWESOME) Pepper, while an Azteca spy skulks undetected in hopes of hindering their quest.
The ...more
The ...more
My automatic aversion to protagonists suffering from amnesia has been slightly placated by how well this story manages its slow reveal. Structurally, a few things I expected to happen did not happen, which was a pleasant surprise. I may have found a new favorite “tough guy” character in Pepper,
It is still not clear to me why the opposing Azteca force chooses to strike at the time they do, and it’s unclear why the Teotl are culturally inclined to enslave, or why they’re physiologically so adapta ...more
It is still not clear to me why the opposing Azteca force chooses to strike at the time they do, and it’s unclear why the Teotl are culturally inclined to enslave, or why they’re physiologically so adapta ...more
Crystal Rain - Tobias S. Buckell
SF; 7/10
SF; 7/10
Well, I finally finished this one and I'm glad that I did. I read this on my blackberry in short spurts, so it took a little longer than usual to finish. I almost gave up on this book, actually. I found the beginning a bit slow going and was becoming frustrated by his use of the dialect. Right at the point where I said, ok I'll give it one more chapter, things really started to pick up & the story kept my interest to the end. I will definitely continue with the next books in the series.
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4.0 to 4.5 stars. Excellent debut novel. Fantastic world-building (much of which is only hinted at or briefly disclosed in this novel), great characters (with "Pepper" going on the list of one of the best characters of recent years) and a good story. Recommended.
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Strange book.
Aug 28, 2009
Shellie (Layers of Thought)
marked it as to-read
Jun 12, 2010
Deedee
marked it as to-read
Oct 31, 2010
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Apr 13, 2013
Stephen
marked it as to-read
Aug 05, 2013
Steve
marked it as to-read
Jun 29, 2014
Yulande Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Oct 20, 2014
Patrick
marked it as to-read
Dec 18, 2017
Kiran
marked it as to-read
Dec 30, 2019
Tani
marked it as owned-unread
