Hey Jared,
Another short read, but not as good as the last one.
Title: The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred
Author: Greg Egan
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Distant Future, Space Colonization
Synopsis: Camille is desperate to escape her home on colonized asteroid Vesta, journeying through space in a small cocoon pod covertly and precariously attached to a cargo ship. Anna is a newly appointed port director on asteroid Ceres, intrigued by the causes that have led so-called riders like Camille to show up at her post in search of asylum. Conditions on Vesta are quickly deteriorating—for one group of people in particular. The original founders agreed to split profits equally, but the Sivadier syndicate contributed intellectual property rather than more valued tangible goods. Now the rest of the populace wants payback. As Camille travels closer to Ceres, it seems ever more likely that Vesta will demand the other asteroid stop harboring its fugitives.
Recommendation: Recommended but only barely.
I found the world to be a bit dull which left the characters feeling like there wasn’t much for them to interact with. There were plenty of details but everything still felt vague. I’m left wish for more information about Vesta and that the synopsis was more accurate about what the plot is actually about.
The characters were also a bit indistinct. There were two main characters and at least one secondary character. I never felt like I truly understood or related to any of them. So when the plot was attempting to move along, nothing felt super important until everything was vital to the story. The plot didn’t build, so much as it unfolded and then sprung the climax in your face.
Ok, so it wasn’t bad. No regrets reading it, but I also have no desire to reread it again in the future nor read anything else in the same world or by the author……..Soooooo, I guess you’d say I was underwhelmed. Anyway, back to work.
Robert
Reading Over The Shoulder 