Today I'm reviewing a book on release day! Thank you so much Tor Books for approving my request via NetGalley for this one!
As an eARC copy this is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!
Lockstep by Karl Schroeder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As a science fiction lover as soon as I saw Lockstep on NetGalley and read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it, so I was very pleased when I was approved for it!
Lockstep is the story of Toby, a young man that gets lost while on a spaceship to claim a comet so his family can confirm their claim to the small planet they have started colonizing. When he wakes up an insane amount of time has passed, more than he can wrap his head around but in a way less than he can imagine. Things have changed immensely and he has become a figure of legend.
This is one classic science fiction kinda feel book. Issues that are important for us now are also important in the future. Despite the technology or the far reaches of space, despite thousands of years of evolution, there are some treats of human nature that don't seem to change much.
There's plenty of unusual technology and the main one is the one that gives name to the book, the lockstep, though is not exactly the name of a technology, but the name of a society/culture/empire that has risen due to a certain technology. Sometimes the explanations were a bit confusing for me, so I had to re-read a certain paragraph to fully understand what was going on with the timeline.
Toby's character was a lil bit irritating at first, it took him quite a while to get his head around all the changes, the time it had passed, the new world he woke up to, but his switch from being overly trusting at first and then suddenly being all suspicious of the people that helped him. I understand being unsure of who to trust when you've discovered your life is in danger and that you have no idea what's going on in this new world, but staking out on his own without means and hoping for the best really wasn't the best idea. Thankfully he starts making more sensible choices the more he learns about the new world he finds himself in.
The narrative seemed to have some odd jumps forward here and there, specially when a confrontation was coming, it seems like the stage was all set up and then we found outselves ahead of time with it solved. It felt a bit like cheating, since we didn't know how Toby actually got himself out of it, what arguments he made and what really happened. We get the preparation and the outcome, so we can guess, but not know. That's probably what contributed more for me not to give a higher rating to this book.
It's a solid science fiction read, with very minimal romance and plenty of bigger issues being discussed, as family dynamics, the power of religions and myths and how power corrupts. It shows us the best and worst of human nature and how usually both are more closely intertwined than we'd like.
3 to 3.5 stars for this one.
View all my reviews
As an eARC copy this is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!
Lockstep by Karl SchroederMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
As a science fiction lover as soon as I saw Lockstep on NetGalley and read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it, so I was very pleased when I was approved for it!
Lockstep is the story of Toby, a young man that gets lost while on a spaceship to claim a comet so his family can confirm their claim to the small planet they have started colonizing. When he wakes up an insane amount of time has passed, more than he can wrap his head around but in a way less than he can imagine. Things have changed immensely and he has become a figure of legend.
This is one classic science fiction kinda feel book. Issues that are important for us now are also important in the future. Despite the technology or the far reaches of space, despite thousands of years of evolution, there are some treats of human nature that don't seem to change much.
There's plenty of unusual technology and the main one is the one that gives name to the book, the lockstep, though is not exactly the name of a technology, but the name of a society/culture/empire that has risen due to a certain technology. Sometimes the explanations were a bit confusing for me, so I had to re-read a certain paragraph to fully understand what was going on with the timeline.
Toby's character was a lil bit irritating at first, it took him quite a while to get his head around all the changes, the time it had passed, the new world he woke up to, but his switch from being overly trusting at first and then suddenly being all suspicious of the people that helped him. I understand being unsure of who to trust when you've discovered your life is in danger and that you have no idea what's going on in this new world, but staking out on his own without means and hoping for the best really wasn't the best idea. Thankfully he starts making more sensible choices the more he learns about the new world he finds himself in.
The narrative seemed to have some odd jumps forward here and there, specially when a confrontation was coming, it seems like the stage was all set up and then we found outselves ahead of time with it solved. It felt a bit like cheating, since we didn't know how Toby actually got himself out of it, what arguments he made and what really happened. We get the preparation and the outcome, so we can guess, but not know. That's probably what contributed more for me not to give a higher rating to this book.
It's a solid science fiction read, with very minimal romance and plenty of bigger issues being discussed, as family dynamics, the power of religions and myths and how power corrupts. It shows us the best and worst of human nature and how usually both are more closely intertwined than we'd like.
3 to 3.5 stars for this one.
View all my reviews
I just tried to leave a comment but Blogger ate it, so here we go again!
ReplyDeleteToby sounds like a bit of a tricky character, it always drives me crazy when a character tries to do everything on their own instead of seeking out help from those around them, so I think I would struggle with him at times. Aside from that though, this sounds like a solid sci fi read, and I'm always fascinated by books that examine both the beauty and cruelty of human nature. Lovely review Pili!
Toby did annoy me at first, but thankfully he grew out of it soon enough! It was a very intriguing world and concept!
DeleteThank you, Jenny!
I actually like cleaner, almost old school science fiction every once in a while, so this might work just a bit better for me. I don't mind the light romance either. I just received a finished copy and I'm kinda excited about it.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to compare notes!
This was very much a welcome change for me too! I cannot wait to hear what you think, Maja!
DeleteTwin, I *wish* I could keep up with you and all these great books you review. I'm incredibly jealous of your reading speed. I'm lucky to do 1.5 - 2 per week, and my to-read list just keeps growing... However, please keep sending me those recommendations though! I'm always happy to add them! =)
ReplyDeleteAaahh, those ever-growing TBR list! Don't worry twin, reading always ought to be a pleasure, not a duty! ;)
DeleteSounds like a deep science fiction book that was a bit confusing. Sounds good, thanks for sharing the great review Pili!
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit confusing at times but it was quite interesting anyways!
DeleteThank you, Jeann!