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Jenine's Reviews > Holy Fire
Holy Fire
by
by
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The longer I read this book, the fewer stars it got. It started off as a strong 5-star speculative fiction winner. Really interesting views on what the next 100 years of humanity will bring. What post-humans will look like, think like. Some of his theories are silly or ridiculous. But a lot of them are within the realm of conceivable possibility, and thus interesting.
But it takes more than some interesting concepts to make a novel. You also need a plot. And you need characters who aren't flat, insipid nothings. Even the European Literati, spouting deep and meaningful insight into the nature of art and humanity were BLAH. So boring. So pointless.
There is a lot of interesting philosophy in here. And if it had been packaged as a series of speculative essays on 21st century fin-de-siècle humanity, that would have been great. But it isn't. It's sold as a novel. Which it most definitely is not.
If you are a pointy headed academic intellectual, there are heaps of fodder here for you to work on with some freshmen literature class. You could come up with all sorts of interesting book club questions on the nature of this or that character and how their environment shaped their views and actions.
But the truth is, every time Sterling came close to an actual plot in this book he skittered away like a nervous kitten. There were a couple of times when an actual story could have broken out. So close! And then ... NOTHING. Just ... nothing.
All I can say is I'm glad to be done with this book and free of it.
But it takes more than some interesting concepts to make a novel. You also need a plot. And you need characters who aren't flat, insipid nothings. Even the European Literati, spouting deep and meaningful insight into the nature of art and humanity were BLAH. So boring. So pointless.
There is a lot of interesting philosophy in here. And if it had been packaged as a series of speculative essays on 21st century fin-de-siècle humanity, that would have been great. But it isn't. It's sold as a novel. Which it most definitely is not.
If you are a pointy headed academic intellectual, there are heaps of fodder here for you to work on with some freshmen literature class. You could come up with all sorts of interesting book club questions on the nature of this or that character and how their environment shaped their views and actions.
But the truth is, every time Sterling came close to an actual plot in this book he skittered away like a nervous kitten. There were a couple of times when an actual story could have broken out. So close! And then ... NOTHING. Just ... nothing.
All I can say is I'm glad to be done with this book and free of it.
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Reading Progress
March 2, 2015
– Shelved
Started Reading
March 3, 2015
–
Finished Reading