/lit/ - Literature

Space/sci-fi horror review 1/5: Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear

A bit lighter on the 'horror' than I was expecting, given the subject matter. Apart from the terror and tension conveyed in the opening chapters it felt more like an old-school adventure - brisk pace, easy to read, motley band of characters trying to get from A to B etc. None of this is a bad thing, just not quite what I expected.

The most enjoyable aspect and definitely the book's main strength was the atmosphere and descriptions of travelling through the ship, which alone made it a great read. Was a bit disappointed with the way the plot unraveled in the final quarter of the book - until that point things had been kept simple and tight, but the payoff on the major points felt lackluster and suffered from a lot of handwaving by the author. I also couldn't shake the feeling that the exciting shit that happened before the start of the story could have been expanded up more in some way, seemed a bit of a waste desu.

Overall, 7/10. Thoroughly entertaining with great atmosphere let down slightly by a lacklustre plot resolutions.

Next up: Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds