Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross Synopsis: A post-human is chased across a star system and to the bottom of an ocean by competing wealthy and powerful people who want a code in her head worth a nigh-unimaginable fortune. Book Review: Like all of Stross’s works, this combines an intricately built world and tight plotting with a biting sense of humor and palpable misanthropy. It’s a strange mix. The first section of the book takes part in a flying church that is SO GOTH my inner teen shrieks in delight (yeah, The Crow was one of my favorite movies in High School). It’s played for humor, and it’s a lot of fun while still being serious and disturbing in parts. Which, BTW, is another strange flavor to watch out for. There are occasional spikes of pure horror that drop out of nowhere and blast you with nightmare fuel, before going back to standard SF fare. The writing is clever, in some places overly so, but that helps to give it Lovecraftian overtones. It is an odd palette that Stross paints with.
SF/F Review - Neptune's Brood
SF/F Review - Neptune's Brood
SF/F Review - Neptune's Brood
Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross Synopsis: A post-human is chased across a star system and to the bottom of an ocean by competing wealthy and powerful people who want a code in her head worth a nigh-unimaginable fortune. Book Review: Like all of Stross’s works, this combines an intricately built world and tight plotting with a biting sense of humor and palpable misanthropy. It’s a strange mix. The first section of the book takes part in a flying church that is SO GOTH my inner teen shrieks in delight (yeah, The Crow was one of my favorite movies in High School). It’s played for humor, and it’s a lot of fun while still being serious and disturbing in parts. Which, BTW, is another strange flavor to watch out for. There are occasional spikes of pure horror that drop out of nowhere and blast you with nightmare fuel, before going back to standard SF fare. The writing is clever, in some places overly so, but that helps to give it Lovecraftian overtones. It is an odd palette that Stross paints with.