Philosophical investigation and exploration

Very interesting, a little boring (for me). Maybe I'll come back to try and finish it when I'm more in the mood.

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others may love it, I bounced off hard

fascinating dystopian setting. perfect narration. unfortunately the story lacks pace and has a huge ensemble of characters who are never quite differentiated enough to make the political intrigue feel realistic amongst trying to work out who someone is and so why something is a crisis. got part way; couldn't face another 13 hours of it.

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Excellent book

Such a vividly realised world. I was immersed and in awe. I would recommend this to anyone.

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1 person found this helpful

Well-crafted opener that ends abruptly

What did you like most about Too Like the Lightning?

The setting is complex and unique and intriguing. The way the characters think and act is provocative and compelling.

What other book might you compare Too Like the Lightning to, and why?

I would compare it to the work of Gene Wolfe, in that it is a rather disorientating but worthwhile read.

What three words best describe Jefferson Mays’s performance?

Overly-dramatic, distracting.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Unfulfilled. There's a lot of set-up, but no real resolution to the plot in this book, which ends very abruptly. It's not even really a cliff-hanger, the book just ends to be picked up by the next one.

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5 people found this helpful

Long and fascinating novel

It took me a while to get into the world of this novel, listening to the audiobook wasn't helping, because of unfamiliar terms. Characters however are quite interesting and clearly illustrated, they exchange a number of philosophical conversations as well as carrying on with the story, and, even if it's a long novel, there aren't too many characters to keep track of. Very interesting ideas are part of its world building, and make this novel unique and captivating. Unexpected plot twists abound, and by the time you get to the end you get answers to most mysteries but there's another half of "history" to be told, in the sequel, so I expect even more surprises and look forward to them.

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Outrageously brilliant in scope, invention, innovation, language, characters etc etc.

I've listened to it twice at this point. There's so much detail and so many layers to penetrate but to me it felt like embarking on some exciting, thrilling, unpredictable adventure again when I read second time. 'Mycroft Kanner, Ockham Syneer, Prince Ganymede, The Anonymous, JEDD Mason.....' What breadth of imagination from Ada Palmer!! One of the best I've ever listened to. Excellent narrator.
Can hardly wait for book two. Fourth wall, thou hast no place here!

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4 people found this helpful

Hmmm!

Since I can't write a proper review for toffee, a stream of conscious will follow:

A miracle is seen and then mostly ignored.

Nice world building.

Everybody is so very serious about what appears to be a trivial event.

So many characters I lost track.

I may not be intelligent enough to appreciate this book.

A future Jack the Ripper..perhaps.

How did the boy end up there? Did I miss something?

Moriarty is revealed just in time to make you long for book 2.

Narration was good and understandable at x2 playback speed.

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2 people found this helpful

Complex intrigue

A little too dense for my liking, too much leaning on the 18th century style of intrigue. With so many characters and "families" to keep track of it was a bit like trying to remember Tolstoy's ovs

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3 people found this helpful

Too Like the Lightening

2.5 ⭐

I'm rounding up from 2.5, not because this is a bad book but simply because it just felt like a relationship where I was doing all the giving but not getting as much in return.

I'm not sure what to say or even what to think or feel about this book. At times it verges on genius and at others I was so close to packing it in.
It is well written, well narrated, and the world building, the style and the ideas are strange and unusual - mostly in a good way... I think?

All the names, factions and alliances etc.. were hard to keep track of though. I think a kindle copy would massively help here. I'm not particularly interested in politics in reality so it really does not interest me listening to really strange never ending garble about 7 10 lists and all the rest.

Also I dislike magic.

I thought the whole thing with fet ishising the 18th century and other historical figures and time periods was strange and just really lazy actually.

I know I have used the word "strange" too many times. I usually like strange. But I don't think I like this.

In saying all that though I feel like I want to listen to it all over again 🤷

I'm clearly very confused about my feelings here.

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What to make of this then?

Throughout the 20 plus hours of Too Like the Lightning I found myself rating it anywhere from 1 to 5 stars.

Ada Palmer definitely has a touch of genius, occasionally throwing in ideas that really make you stop and think. Sadly, stopping to think is deadly as it distracts, and I constantly found myself rewinding to try and pick up lost threads.

This is no casual background listen. There is a cast of thousands, often with similar or even the same name as other characters. People are referred to using a first name, later a surname then confusingly, just the name of their faction or 'hive'. Gender pronouns are changed regularly with a 'he' becoming a 'she' becoming a 'they'. Keeping it all straight is a challenge especially within the dense and complex web of alliances and allegiances that develops in a confusing and unfamiliar world. Throw in the fact that the tale is told in an oddly narrated first person style via an unreliable narrator (Mycroft) who frequently breaks the fourth wall; often referring to you yourself dear reader.... well it's confusing.

Plot development is a distant second to world building so the pacing is slow and I found myself wondering just when the payoff would come with even Mycroft admitting that he would need a second book to fully set the scene.

So a complex, frustrating labyrinthine web of.... I'm not sure what really.
Sounds like 1 star and a refund.
And yet dear reader, I find myself instantly downloading Seven Surrenders, the 2nd in series and plunging back into the madness.
Mycroft, my dear impenetrable, most unreliable of narrators I find myself intrigued just enough to journey with you some more. Though I cannot trust you, I will not abandon you until you have finally revealed the mystery of this maddening, meandering tale of political cloak and dagger.

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5 people found this helpful