I pretty much knew from the first few pages of this book that I was going to absolutely love it, and I'm happy to say that I was right! This is such a unique novel - genuinely unlike anything I've ever read before. By turns whimsical, fiercely intelligent, erotic and bold, Ada Palmer has crafted a vision of the future that is hopeful, which is so refreshing given that we are obsessed with dystopia and apocalypse at present. Set entirely on Earth and populated by unforgettable characters, Palmer has interesting commentary on gender, crime and punishment, politics, religion... the list goes on and is all tied up with a fantastical bow. Suffice to say that this was an absolute delight from page one and I cannot wait to pick up the sequel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I finish Too Like The Lighting very conflicted. It's wildly ambitious. The world-building is immense. The plot is intricate. The narrative - and that narration, not to mention that narrator - are challenging, as they are intended to be. It's a philosophical debate tackling centuries-old themes of morality, religion, the individual, the soul and free will through the lens of science fiction. This is gold dust, right?

And yet.

For me, the narration was challenging for the wrong reasons - transparently manipulative, deliberately obscure. I had to force my way through it (and I have some Latin, and a passing awareness of 18th century French philosophy, as well as a weakness for world-building, labyrinthine narratives and purple prose). But I spent far too much time and energy trying to keep track of what was going on - to have Caesar turn around mid-novel and say 'I don't get why everyone is so exercised about this theft' was vindicating, but also increased my frustration. After all, this is a curated history; if I don't know the answer to that question either, Mycroft is just a terrible, terrible narrator (amongst other things).

Crucially, Palmer never made me care about (or even be particularly interested in) any of the characters we spend the most time with. The most intriguing group (the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash) were largely sidelined; Madame was a cypher; Saladin given a single chapter in which to emerge from the shadows and show his terrifying principles; JEDD Mason was kept firmly out of frame. The narrative seemed more interested in teasing secret identities and relationships amongst the world leadership; but it never convinced me any of these actually mattered except as a heavy-handed illustration of how incestuous the corridors of power.

Consequently, Too Like The Lightning often felt like drowning in treacle, with sporadic outbursts of rage and frustration (I really, really didn't respond well to Dominic; or to the sudden flourishing of final act sexposition). I have no patience for world-building (however socially interesting in principle) that ultimately shows us only the palaces of the powerful and a brothel - when depicting a future utopia, no less. What a wasted opportunity. As with so much of the novel, it's clearly in conversation with much that has gone before (both SFnal and otherwise), but I'm not convinced it's a conversation I care to listen to in full.

AND YET.

I'll be thinking about it for weeks. It IS full of interesting ideas. So it clearly hasn't failed - it has fascinated me, even if I have resented every minute.

This is very much an aspirational book: I want to be the kind of reader who reads a Jane-Austen-esque science fiction novel with highly complex ideas and sentence structure. But I am not. I read a few pages, got frustrated, put it down, picked it back up again from the beginning, read a few pages, got frustrated, put it down again, and so on and so forth. I am sure this is brilliant but I am even more sure that I will just never be in the mood to read it.

Although I thought this was a very interesting and thought provoking read, the book as a whole didn't really work for me. Ada Palmer is definitely ambitious when it comes to this debut and you can clearly see her skill as a writer. The world building is done well and the writing is good. However for me this book didn't translate into a compelling story for me and there a few times I was a bit confused. I also didn't feel invested in the characters and found it to be quite a long read. Overall this one wasn't for me but don't let that put you off trying this book out if you are interested in it.

This book mostly frustrated me. It's very long, very wordy and requires (as Mad Eye Moody might say) CONSTANT VIGILANCE. You let your attention slip for one minute and you're completely lost and have to skip back a couple of pages to pick up the plot again. What annoyed me most was that, despite it's many flaws, this book has me desperate to read the sequel. Something in my brain decided somewhere around the 80% mark that since I had sunk days of reading into these characters I was therefore invested and I had better find out how it ends!

So I suppose it has that going for it, at the end it is a gripping story, you just have to pick through a lot of gubbins to get to the plot. I think I finally understand what my friends were saying when they stated that they just couldn't get on board with A Series of Unfortunate Events because of all the interludes in the writing. I personally don't mind ASOUE but this was too much. Not only are you dealing with a very complex society in which this story is set but you also have to deal with a narrator constantly steeping in to clarify (which almost always just confused me more). 

Most irritating to me was the way this book dealt with gender. I should, in theory have liked this, I enjoy books willing to include gender neutral characters. However our narrator, where they do use gendered pronouns takes their time to fully explain what attributes meant that they used 'he' or 'she' for a particular character. It adds to the word count unnecessarily and it doesn't really add to the setting of the book. 

Another thing you might need if you're planning on reading this is a primer on philosophy. The author is clearly quite clued up on this topic and, while the narrator does try to explain references to obscure philosophers, it's quite a lot to plough through. 

This is no ordinary science fiction story. This is more like an exercise in creative thinking. There are some great ideas within this, and as I say the core story is remarkably compelling, I just find myself unwilling to force myself through the following titles in this series if they are anywhere near as wordy as this one.

My rating: 3/5 stars (I was won round by the end).

By the way, I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm a bit at a loss at how to review this novel. It's just so...different to literally everything I've read. It's a historical recounting. It's a political thriller. It's a murder mystery. It's a bit of everything, and yet it's not.

The story is narrated by Mycroft Canner. He is not the protagonist, yet he is a part of all events, small and large. He does not liaise with world powers, but he does give advice when asked. He's telling the story of Bridger, a young boy who can create Miracles. And yet, he is not the main character, even if Mycroft at one point speculates that the story is his. We have people we follow, but by and large they are narrated from Mycroft's perspective. He is the writer after all.

So plot. The story occurs over several days, but so much happens it feels like an eternity. It doesn't help that our narrator takes his time to fill us in on historical events, or philosophical narratives or the political manoeuvrings of the elite. And yes it does go towards building the world up and informing us, but at times they can be distracting and tangential. I'd say you'd have to be a very specific type for this to truly shine. I still really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I got everything out of it that I could.

Characters. We have odd Mycraft. A combination of humble yet brilliant, yet so so self deprecating. We have the aforementioned Bridger. We have the sensayer Caryle Foster, who is shown to be a truly gentle sole. We have every major power consolidated into one person; Kings, Prime Ministers, Emperors and more. It's not a cast of thousands, but there are many. And they are all fleshed out to a degree, and that degree is dependent a large deal upon how much Mycroft is telling us. I think a large portion of the story deals with misdirection. Playing with how we view the world, taking it and twisting it, so that we think we've come to know something, and then it's pulled out from underneath.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. Definitely. But, and it's a heavy but (I know you're laughing), it would have to come with a rather large warning. This book isn't for everyone. Hell, I don't think it's for most. It's extremely heavy on exposition in parts, philosophy in others, and as such going in blind would make for a difficult read. That said, it's such a unique experience, I'll still try and get others to read it, and I 100% want to know what happens next. I remember reading someone say it feels like half a book, and that's definitely true.

Too Like the Lightning is the first in a duology by Ada Palmer. In a world which looks, at first glance, to be a utopian society, this is a narrative from a somewhat unreliable narrator, picking at the seams of that society. The prose has a charmingly eighteenth century feel to it, a baroque style which, whilst dense, packs in a lot of detail, and helps evoke a regency atmosphere, somewhat appropriate to a post-scarcity world.

Speaking of which, the world. It’s one in which it appears the needs of the bulk of humanity have been met. Most people are part of one of the large social groupings, or ‘hives’, which have distinct high level ideologies and backgrounds. These semi-utopian institutions are backed by the ability to travel anywhere on the globe, seemingly very quickly. Of course, the utopia has its own issues. There’s the implication that violence is still a familiar tool of humanity, and if no-one is starving, there’s still plenty of room for ego, for conflicts based on social status. There’s other quirks as well – like the Servitors. Those who commit crimes are simply left loose, but required to perform tasks for other citizens in payment for food. Though this is a world where murder is almost unknown, it’s one in which the darker impulses of humanity still percolate. The servitors feel a lot like indentured servants, for example. Further, in a world which has actively banned the teaching of religions outside of reservations, there’s a feeling that theology is seen as a black market indulgence.

In all instances, this is a world which takes its background seriously, and spins out a plausible society based on that. It’s a society which is prepared to challenge the preconceptions of the modern reader, and to lay out consistent philosophical approaches to defend its structure. This allows the world to have a feeling of depth to it, and a vivacity and charm matched with a gentle corruption which make this future seem very real.

In this semi-ideal future, our interlocutor is Mycroft. Made a servitor for an unknown crime, Mycroft is a prodigy. Quick thinking, erudite and clearly rather damaged, his liquid prose makes for easy reading. Mycroft, a broken intellectual, is just one of a great many weird and wonderful characters. There’s the twins that manage the world transport network, wired entirely into the grid, never having seen the sun, and quite happy that way. There’s the mysterious J.E.D.D. Mason, whose gaze seems to compel truth from those around him. There’s Bridger, the young boy who may have unusual capacities of his own, and Ganymede, the European prince in an egalitarian world. The cast is sprawling, but given enough room on the page to become themselves, each a unique entity. Some characters carry layers of personality, exposing themselves as the story continues – and not everyone is entirely who you, or they, think they are.

The story? Well, it starts gently, exploring the world, and looking at the potential impact of Bridger, a child with potential. The pace is a languid one, allowing for exploration of some of the ideas on the page, giving the reader room to get accustomed to the characters and their society. It does, however, gradually pick up momentum – by the end of the text, the plot is an unstoppable juggernaut, one which is almost impossible to put down. There’s some good stuff in here – for example. questions about the way we structure societies, what sacrifices were willing to make. They’re tied up with thefts, deaths, and some extremely tense verbal sparring. Without spoilers, I’ll say that though it takes a while to build up a head of steam, the narrative payoff, when it arrives, is totally worth it.

This is an elaborate, inventive, intriguing piece of sci-fi. It’s probably not for everyone, but it’s a thoughtful exploration of humanity and our future, and if you’re in the right mood, absolutely worth a read.
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This book was, in a word, overwhelming! I only reached the 20% point and I still had little idea of who the characters were, where the world was situated, and what events where occurring. Science fiction is a genre I read relatively little of but is one I am gradually acclimatising myself too, and so, this may be a fault of the unprepared reader rather than the overenthusiastic author.

A common problem with a book for me is it starts strong and either doesn’t stick the ending or meanders its way there. Too Like the Lightning did the opposite, it started overwhelming and frustrating, and ended up clear and compelling.

The big frustration of this book is how little hand-holding there is. Very little is ever made explicitly clear to the reader. The story relies on continually introducing or revealing new things in the world: new characters, new things that have been going on that you haven’t been seeing, new parts of the world. Right to the end. There isn’t ever a point where it’s all set up and you experience the story within those parameters. That unfolding is the story.

It’s ok once you’ve bought in, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t off-putting at times. I found the first third almost impossible and the middle uneven – I’d be getting into the story in one scene and the next I’d be confused again. I kept wanting the book to stop being in flux and get on with it, but it was. I just couldn’t see it until I was done. The ending sequence really cracked the whole thing open for me and it not only mostly made sense, but made really interesting sense.

Summaries are a bit useless to this book because: a) trying to get this down in a paragraph would be laughable, and b) spoilers. A lot of the narrative interest of this book relies on revealing connections between events and people.

Instead, here’s the information I wish I’d known going in which might have made getting to the understanding a bit easier.

In the 25th century humanity has reached a point of utopia. Violence doesn’t happen much here. People get to live their lives and do their jobs and it mostly all stable and comfortable.

People live in a family unit called a ‘bash’ made up of people you’ve chosen to live with, either because you’ve grown up with them or you find them along the way. They aren’t really based on biological family, though that can be involved.

People are likely members of one of 7 hives (Humanists, the Cousins, the Masons, the Gordians/Brillists, the European Union, Mistubishi, and Utopians). These each have different values, different forms of governance, and different laws. There are also hiveless people. People can still have country of origin affiliations (strats), but that’s optional as well.

Religion is illegal (mostly due to violence) and people can’t meet in groups of more than 3 with the same ideas. Instead, people who want to explore the big philosophical and spiritual questions consult sensayers to counsel them individually to come to their own belief system.

It’s a mostly genderless society where pronouns and gendered mannerisms and dress are taboo – I say mostly, because a theme the book plays with throughout is that gender cues are something that we are aware of whether we want to be or not, regardless of biological gender, and these can be used in different ways.

See – it’s complicated.

And I’m not even dealing with the plot or character elements here such as Mycroft, Bridger, and the Seven-Ten List or the Enlightenment themes.

This is hard-humanities speculative fiction. Hard scifi grounds itself in speculating way out within scientific ideas. Too Like the Lightning speculates way out within the ideas of history and sociology and philosophy.

Palmer covers a lot of philosophical and speculative ideas in this story, but the main question, I think, that you should be aware of is: what does it take to keep a utopia going? What’s the difference between how people think the system works and how it really does? To do this Palmer has to introduce you to how the system works through diving into it so that when she gets into the plot you understand the ramifications of what’s being revealed. It’s high-level show don’t tell.

When I finished I wanted to go back to the start and go through it again – a practice which is basically unheard of for me – to try and understand the narrative better. I don’t think re-reading it would help in this, by the way, I think the messiness of it is part of what makes the book what it is. I don’t think it’s a book I’m ever going to go through and really ‘get’ completely.

I’d recommend this for someone looking for a tough but worthwhile read.

There’s a time and a place for light, escapist books. There’s a time and a place for easy narrative structures and everything lining up how it’s expected to. But sometimes you want something difficult – you want to stretch and think and be confused and wrestle with a book. Sometimes you want to see what ‘speculative’ literature can really do when someone pushes it. This is a book for those times.

Too Like the Lightning has fantastic, complicated world building. Like Iain Banks Culture novels, but written by a linguist and ancient historian who adds more layers. Hard to follow at points - the kind of book that makes you tell people to be quiet you're concentrating. Interesting characters and premise around religion, though a bit ornate about sex without being erotic. Did not follow through on the promise of the world, as clearly the first third of a story, so it goes without satisfying the reader's curiousity. If you like complicated series, dive in...

Ambitious, dense, intelligent, thinking-SFF. This is not a book to tear through for pure entertainment but one to savour. It’s erudite content and twisting plot may put it outside the reach of those who read fantasy purely for entertainment because this book makes you work and demands you apply yourself. That said I really enjoyed it. Often a narrator who stands between the reader and the action in a SFF novel detracts from the story but in this instance it really worked – as if we needed an interpreter. I feel like this will be with me for a long time and may be better for a reread. I don’t believe I’ve absorbed everything in the first round.

Me hace gracia pensar que cuando leí Ninefox Gambit dijera que era una lectura difícil. Después de afrontar Too Like the Lightning me parece que el buen libro de Yoon Ha Lee se queda a la altura de la cartilla de Letrilandia en cuanto a dificultad. Tanto me ha costado leer el libro de Ada Palmer.

La autora nos suelta sin más explicación en un futuro que nos parece tan incomprensible como a un habitante del siglo XV le parecería nuestra época actual. Y no hace ningún esfuerzo por situarnos o por orientarnos. La exposición, que aparece en unos diálogos que también se las traen, más que aclararnos conceptos nos hunden en la vorágine de nuevos vocablos y situaciones. Si a este cóctel se le añade un narrador no confiable la curva de aprendizaje necesaria para leer Too Like the Lightning es muy empinada. Tanto que a veces necesitaba descansar entre capítulo y capítulo para “limpiar el paladar”. Es por esto y por sus más de cuatrocientas páginas que he tardado bastante en terminarlo.

El aspecto filosófico y especulativo de la obra es excelente. Aunque en el fondo me parece una versión muy hipócrita de un dominio oligárquico, la reutilización de filosofías del siglo XVIII en una sociedad moderna es un golpe de genio. La organización mundial se divide en Hives, no en nacionalidades trasnochadas (en este sentido me recuerda un poco a Infomocracy), a las que se puede pertenecer por afinidad a los ideales. La idea subyacente es que la opinión mayoritaria es el MAL, porque es capaz de imponerse a los demás sin necesidad de negociar.

Capítulo aparte merecen los personajes, desde ese estupendo narrador que rompe constantemente la cuarta pared para hablar al lector de forma directa al resto del plantel que Ada Palmer hace desfilar ante nosotros. En una sociedad donde los géneros se han superado, la constante y forzada distinción entre hombres y mujeres de acuerdo a sus características conductuales que no físicas consigue aumentar más la confusión del pobre lector.

Este es uno de los problemas que le veo al libro. Ada Palmer es tan inteligente que se recrea en su propio conocimiento. En un momento de la narración llegar a traducir frases del latín al latín, algo que me parece absurdo. Creo que tampoco hubiera pasado nada si no se dedicara a rizar el rizo en situaciones excesivas, como la reunión en un burdel. ¿Es ánimo de provocación o algo necesario para el desarrollo de la obra? Me inclino más por lo primero.

Además, cuando ya casi estamos agotados por la lectura, se descuelga con un final en el que las piezas comienzan a encajar, y que nos deja con la miel en los labios.