6/10
I had forgotten until I finished it that this book is the first in a series, so I keep expecting some answers but only got more questions.

The world-building is dense, maddeningly and somewhat unnecessarily so, I think. I would have appreciated some infodumps (which I normally don’t like)—there was just so much to absorb without much explanation. Even trying to figure things out from context was challenging, especially at first.

I get that the writing style is meant to be like 18th century literature but I found it wearying. I also didn’t enjoy the scenes in Madame’s brothel and the juxtaposition of political plotting with sexual activity. It felt contrived and I found it hard to believe that the characters, based on what we knew of them so far, would behave as described.

At this point, I find the many threads of the plot hard to follow and I keep asking myself if all that convoluted-ness is necessary. I don’t know if continuing the series will result in a big enough payoff for me. Other than Bridger, I don’t like any of the characters and find I din’t care about most of them. The characters to whom I did feel some connection turned out to be other than they seemed. ( )

Despite all the reviews warning me of this, nothing prepared me for the utter confusion that greeted me page after page. Imagine, if you will, reading a book on say, Quantum Mechanics, where you are asked to understand some advanced concepts that are presented (a) out of logical order, (b) with symbols/equations that won't be defined for another 100 pages and (c) with language that often breaks the fourth wall and takes the occasional jaunt into Latin. That is what reading this book was like. And the QM analogy is appropriate in more ways than one because gender and sexuality are fluid in this world which means gendered pronouns are swapped out for generic pronouns adding yet another layer of obscurity and difficulty to the work. There is a dizzying array of characters, each with a complicated affiliation to various nation-state like entities called Hives and the same character is addressed using different names at different points depending upon the person speaking!!! All this effort to understand the world-building feels unjustified in the face of a reward that is a relatively standard trope in SF - trouble brewing in a seemingly Utopian world that has achieved its peace and prosperity by suppressing some of the very things that make us human. That said, I am willing to concede that I am not smart enough to appreciate the finer points of this novel.

Two stars for now just based on this reading experience but that might change in the future. ( )

Part two of my Christmas library miracle, another weird science fiction novel. Although this is a rewarding read and there was much I enjoyed about it, I am awarding three stars for two reasons: 1. The style is hard work for a Christmas holiday read, 2. BBS (Bisected Book Syndrome). The stylistic choices are definitely interesting, while not being easy on the reader. Mycroft Canner, the narrator, is apparently writing this book as a retrospective account of important events in a pastiche of 18th century style. He over-explains, apologises, and occasionally editorialises, as well as responding to interjections from censors and other persons unknown. In addition, there are copious digressions into Enlightenment philosophy and political theory, as well as sections in Latin (with translations in brackets) and various other languages. Perhaps most confusing from my perspective were the names - too many Masons and Martins for me to easily keep track, plus most characters had multiple names and titles. Concerning the second point, this book largely feels like it is setting up a complicated and intriguing world and populating it with striking characters. The narrative covers only seven days in considerable detail, involving a variety of incident but no denouement to speak of. Then it stops very abruptly with ‘Here ends the first half’. I find such cliffhangers very annoying, mostly because they are so transparently manipulative. In such cases, I’d much prefer a huge 1,000 page tome, in the manner of [b:Imajica|567704|Imajica|Clive Barker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333844729s/567704.jpg|1371342] and [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357027589s/14201.jpg|3921305], to a such a separation. Obviously I want to read the next volume, as this book feels totally incomplete without it. By the time I get hold of it, though, I will probably have forgotten all the character aliases and political allegiances!

Those are my gripes, however despite them I kept reading with great interest. In a similar manner to [b:The Just City|22055276|The Just City (Thessaly, #1)|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448145s/22055276.jpg|39841651] and sequels, ‘Too Like the Lightning’ engages deeply with the philosophical underpinnings of the world depicted. One of the main characters is a sensayer, who is employed to have theological and philosophical discussions with others in a safe manner. Organised religion, meanwhile, is banned as too dangerous after ‘Church Wars’ in the past. The characters and events certainly raise many moral issues. For example, the narrator Mycroft Canner is essentially a slave. This status is his punishment for past crimes, which the narrative eventually tells you about and invites you to pass judgement on. He seems to be balancing about seven different jobs while also trying to protect an unusual child with seemingly supernatural powers. The storytelling is largely by dialogue, which I like, although the amount of discussion devoted to top ten most powerful people lists verges upon excessive. Nevertheless, I appreciated the impressive level of political and philosophical detail that went into the world-building. This is a future in which geographically distinct nation states have become irrelevant due to ubiquitous affordable high-speed global transport. This naturally made me wonder about the economics of the world. The same transport system was presumably used for freight as well, but the currency situation was unclear. Euros were mentioned once, but it was unclear whether they were a global currency, or whether variations in law were matched by monetary and fiscal differences. Perhaps the second book will go into that too?

Although the names got a bit confusing, many had a delightful ring to them: Thisbe, Mycroft, Carlyle, Sniper, etc. The use of pronouns was likewise interesting and challenging to the reader. In this future world, the norm is to use ‘they’ for everyone. Except our narrator is trying to emulate an earlier writing style, so sometimes arbitrarily decides to use he and she. Except! Gender pronouns are then applied according to the social role of character in question, rather than the gender they identify as/any physical characteristics they might possess. This makes for a singular effect, similar yet different to [b:Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628] and sequels in which all characters are referred to as ‘she’. When Mycroft switches pronouns for someone mid-paragraph, or launches into a digressive explanation of why a particular pronoun was chosen, though, it becomes slightly distracting.

The main message I am meandering around in this review is that the world has clearly been thought through and designed with great care and this novel's evident purpose is to establish that. Not a huge amount happens, but the reader explores the philosophical foundations of multiple political regimes, sees the legal system in action, and is presented with the important crises in current affairs. Cultural mores about gender, family, and work are elucidated and the characters' positions in the world and political aims detailed. Thus it is a good read for those who enjoy dense, thought-provoking visions of the future. The bisection is deeply unsatisfactory, though. ( )

Complex, futuristic world filled with interacting characters whose motives are hard to understand. The narrator is admitedly unreliable. A tiny bit of magic, the rest is futuristic and surprising. No nations left, religion rejected, morality left to self-chosen groups who all have differing ideas. A hard read, but a deeply intriguing one. ( )

Too Like the Lightning is such a niche science fiction book and it happens so rarely that I am truly amazed by such an original work. Ada Palmer has clearly put an immense amount of work into this book. She is a historian and an erudite in general, especially in philosophy and religious studies, so this was such a treat. But, to say that this book was an easy read would be a lie.

This is a kind of book to discuss in seminars at university, to be reread and written about, as there are so many layers to unpack. Palmer purposefully builds a universe which is both a dystopia and a utopia. It is a sandbox universe for me, not realistic or believable, but intriguing as a thought experiment.

The world we read about is the one where people don't live in nation-states but in "hives" of their own choosing. Hives are huge, almost like continents, with capital cities connected with super-fast travel networks. People don't live in families but in groups they choose based on their preferences and vocation called "bash'es". Following religious wars in the 22nd century, organized religion is the ultimate taboo. Instead of religion, the human need for spirituality is "taken care of" by spiritual advisors, sensayers.

The part I struggled the most with about this book was the style. The narrator of the book is a convict, who in the 25th-century future lives his punishment by doing public service. (The nature of his crime was shocking to me, completely unexpected.) Mostly he is a servant for people in high offices, so he seems to be the perfect person to retell the events we read about. However, he is telling this story in the manner of 18th-century literature which makes it difficult to follow in the context of futuristic sci-fi. But, the most confusing part was the novel's treatment of gender, and this was done on purpose. In this world gender is considered obsolete, everyone is referred to as "they". However, Mycroft is using gendered pronouns, but not always "correctly" or as expected. It takes a while to get used to this, especially because Mycroft is not always a reliable narrator, as he claims himself very early on (so not a spoiler).

Books like this can feel gimmicky and pretentious and this one does, too. You truly can have too much of a good thing. I feel it is asking a tremendous effort from the reader, but the payoff is not that great. This is still an intriguing read, esp. for lovers of heavy politics and philosophy. I wonder if sequels redeem this heavy start, but have no time or patience to go there just yet. ( )