![]() ![]() ![]() And yes, there are elements of science fiction, but not nearly the kind of hard science fiction that Reynolds is known for. It has elements of time travel, alternative history, noir detective murder mystery, even a little Stephen King thrown in for effect. Unfortunately, this is not science fiction, or is, at best, only marginally so. I’ve found him to be an outstanding writer of “hard” science fiction, one of the absolute best. I’ve read hundreds of science fiction works and at least a dozen penned by Alastair Reynolds. Does the book merit a re-read? Not from me. Would this make a fun movie? Certainly, and I'll make the popcorn. ![]() The SF world we're given is compelling, and the overarching story is engaging enough not to bail on it I kept trying to enjoy what I could from this, but the final chase scene in the Climactic Last Act is just too contrived and extended for my patience. The other characters are pretty much just there to move things along. Of the two leads in Century Rain, one is much too twitchy and the other is a perfect mensch better taken together than separately, as they balance each other out. ![]() Reynolds has given us better characters before and since this novel. Until the two separate story-lines come together about halfway through, the book doesn't really exist as a coherent whole and, even then, doesn't rise above the faux-"Casablanca" thread at the heart of this almost-hard-SF tale. Unbalanced, awkwardly-paced, and unsatisfying, this is not a good representation of Reynolds' overall work. ![]()
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