SF Signal: REVIEW: Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder

REVIEW: Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder

REVIEW SUMMARY: Schroeder delivers an action-packed hard science fiction story that isn't afraid to go as deep with the characters as it is with ideas.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Hayden Griffen lives in the world of Virga - a balloon of air supported by artificial suns. He is out to avenge the death of his parents and ends up working for his sworn enemy. What follows is a romp through the world-let of Virga complete with pirates, intrigue, and a quasi-steam punk world.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Characters evolve and grow, the science is interesting but not overwhelming, excellent wold-building ideas
CONS: The only thing I can think of is that it probably isn't a book for those who don't enjoy science fiction. It isn't universally accessible, maybe.
BOTTOM LINE: Excellent hard science fiction that any fan of the genre would enjoy.

is it really hard scifi? sounds more like steampunk fantasy. what makes it hard scifi? i can not imagine the world.

Posted by mrt181 on Wednesday October 31, 2007 at 10:00 PM

Is it hard SF?

Well, compared to Schroeder's other books, no, not really. However, I think there is a lot hard SF buried underneath the story. We don't need to know it yet so we don't see it. What we get is a cracking good, vaguely steampunkish adventure story.

Posted by jp on Thursday November 01, 2007 at 3:19 PM

I'm afraid what you have so far from me is a crappy review that is short on details. I admit I banged this one out because I didn't have a lot of time and I wanted to write down how I felt about it before it got too far from having finished the book.

I'll do more when I finish the sequel, and explain the nature of the ideas presented.

Finally, it really isn't steampunk - just sort of like it.

Posted by Scottsh on Thursday November 01, 2007 at 4:57 PM