“This is the book that convinced me Asimov was being overly arrogant in refusing to edit his work.
It's divided into three sections that really feel like they have little to do with each other.
The first is very scientific and requires a decent understanding of physics and chemistry. I found it pretty dry, but it set up some interesting ideas.
The second part is the gem of this book: a narrative set in another dimension with beings completely alien to our understanding of life who are nevertheless very sympathetic and fascinating.
The third part is where the book really fell apart for me. After determining at the end of the second part that the very existence of our dimension was imperiled, the third portion of the book picks up a minor character from the first part and turns into a soft-core porn love story set on the moon. The narrative appears to have lost the plot and focuses more on how the guy can have sex with a low-g woman without breaking her bones.
I was thoroughly disappointed by this novel. It had such potential and just squandered it. ”
Aphreal wrote this review Friday, October 3 2008.
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