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Too Like the Lightning

Book 1 in the series:Terra Ignota

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'Too Like the Lightning' by Ada Palmer is a complex and ambitious science fiction novel set in the 25th century, featuring a futuristic utopian society controlled by seven Hives. The story is narrated by Mycroft Canner, an unreliable and intriguing character who introduces readers to a world where nationhood and traditional identities have been replaced by affinity groups. The plot revolves around political intrigue, philosophical references, and intricate world-building, blending elements of classical philosophy with far-future technology. The book challenges readers with its dense writing style, detailed descriptions, and a narrative that requires deep engagement to fully appreciate the layered storytelling.

The novel is praised for its vivid and detailed world-building, creating a society where gender, religion, and nationality have evolved into new forms. The author, Ada Palmer, weaves together intricate plotlines and diverse characters, offering a thought-provoking exploration of philosophical themes and societal structures. Despite the challenging writing style and complex narrative, 'Too Like the Lightning' captivates readers with its immersive storytelling, intellectual depth, and the interplay of light and beauty within the layered narrative.

Characters:

The characters are complex and morally ambiguous, with a large and diverse cast that embodies intricate societal dynamics and reflects the book's themes.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style mimics 18th century prose, featuring a complex and ornate narrative that challenges readers while incorporating multiple languages and a direct engagement with the reader.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot features a blend of political intrigue and philosophical exploration, centered around a world that has restructured itself post-religious turmoil, focusing on a theft that threatens societal stability.

Setting:

The setting is a futuristic Earth, restructured into a society free from traditional nations, shaped by Enlightenment ideals and rapid technological advancement.

Pacing:

The pacing starts slow as it builds world and character complexity, but it ultimately engages readers as the plot progresses, rewarding patience.
You will criticize me, reader, for writing in a style six hundred years removed from the events I describe, but you came to me for explanation of those days of transformation which left your world the...

Notes:

The story occurs in the 25th century, where organized religions have been outlawed and geographical nations are obsolete due to ultrafast transportation.
Society is structured around the ideals of 18th-century Enlightenment philosophy.
The narrator, Mycroft Canner, is a convicted criminal serving as a 'servicer', forced to do menial tasks for others.
A key theme in the book involves a child named Bridger who has miraculous powers, capable of changing reality.
The writing style mimics 18th-century philosophical treatises, featuring complex sentences and direct appeals to the reader.
The plot revolves around political intrigue, crime, and the dynamics within seven Hives—collective groups with different ideologies.
Gender roles are explored with a fluidity that is central to the story; characters often use gender-neutral pronouns.
The book intertwines philosophical discussions with a briskly paced plot, creating a balance between ideas and action.
Reviewers noted the dense world-building and a large cast of characters, which can lead to confusion.
Despite its complexity, many readers found the novel intellectually rewarding, with themes that provoke thought about contemporary issues.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of violence, sexual assault, and complex moral dilemmas.

From The Publisher:

From the winner of the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Ada Palmer's 2017 Compton Crook Award-winning political science fiction, Too Like the Lightning, ventures into a human future of extraordinary originality

Mycroft Canner is a convict. For his crimes he is required, as is the custom of the 25th century, to wander the world being as useful as he can to all he meets. Carlyle Foster is a sensayer-a spiritual counselor in a world that has outlawed the public practice of religion, but which also knows that the inner lives of humans cannot be wished away.

The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labelling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world's population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competion is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.

And in this world, Mycroft and Carlyle have stumbled on the wild card that may destablize the system: the boy Bridger, who can effortlessly make his wishes come true. Who can, it would seem, bring inanimate objects to life...

Terra Ignota

1. Too Like the Lightning

2. Seven Surrenders

3. The Will to Battle

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings (8)

Incredible (2)
Loved It (3)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (26):

Read It (9)
Want To Read (15)
Not Interested (2)

1 comment(s)

Loved It
5 months

Fast Paced and imaginative with some compelling characters

 

About the Author:

ADA PALMER is a professor in the history department of the University of Chicago, specializing in Renaissance history and the history of ideas. Her first nonfiction book, Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance, was published in 2014 by Harvard University Press. She is also a composer of folk and Renaissance-tinged a capella music, most of which she performs with the group Sassafrass. Her personal site is at adapalmer.com, and she writes about history for a popular audience at exurbe.com and about SF and fantasy-related matters at Tor.com.

The third book of her Terra Ignota series, The Will to Battle, will be released December 2017.

 
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