A frontier world on the back end of nowhere is the sort of place people go to get lost. And some of those people have secrets worth hiding, secrets...
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reviews
Jan 10, 2009
Joelle
rated it: 
Disclaimer: This isnt as much a review of the book as it is a report on my enjoyment of the book, and its probably more useful as a way to check on my tastes and quirks than to decide whether to read the book[return][return]It's terribly hard to write a book and I am conscious I couldn't even write something half as good as an awful book. And this book is not awful at all! [return]But this is just to say I hate to criticise someone's hard work, but when I try to write a review books I often end
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Jan 01, 2011
Lightreads
rated it: 
Crunchy SF about the mining exploitation of a planet with a population of amphibious aliens, and corporate wrongdoing, and people who can alter probability with their minds, and redemption, and time forks.
To be fair, this book had the misfortune to intersect my life during a deeply frustrating snowed-in interlude, some bad travel, and today a – let’s just call it the aftermath of New Year’s and leave it at that. So not good context.
But still, meh. There’s a lot of stunt w More...
To be fair, this book had the misfortune to intersect my life during a deeply frustrating snowed-in interlude, some bad travel, and today a – let’s just call it the aftermath of New Year’s and leave it at that. So not good context.
But still, meh. There’s a lot of stunt w More...
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Nov 09, 2011
Robert
rated it: 
Undertow was a tepid read for me. I'll start with the good. The aliens are frogs that evolved into civilization forming beings. Some reviewers had issue with this choice of animal, but I found the alien behavior and society convincing. The idea of probability engineering is also intriguing. The only other book I have read that touches upon this idea is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with the Improbability Drive.
Now here's the bad. Probability engineering in Undertow doesn't More...
Now here's the bad. Probability engineering in Undertow doesn't More...
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Aug 10, 2009
Sisimka
rated it:
I've previously read Carnival and Hammered by Elizabeth Bear. I've also sampled short stories by the author. I really enjoy her writing style - and even though the plot of Carnival failed to move me, I kept reading because of the characters, culture and story-telling.
Undertow is somewhat similar to Carnival. It has the world-building and in depth characters I've come to expect from this author, but this time I enjoyed the story more. As I have found is typical with an Elizabeth B More...
Undertow is somewhat similar to Carnival. It has the world-building and in depth characters I've come to expect from this author, but this time I enjoyed the story more. As I have found is typical with an Elizabeth B More...
Dec 17, 2007
Brownbetty
rated it:
One sentence: Solid writing, nicely foreign future, good speculative use of the human impact of quantum physics, oddly un-foreign aliens.
I liked that the aliens, "ranids" or froggies in the vernacular, didn't have a species name. They call themselves "people" as most people do. Only the humans called them ranids. They were genderless, and this was done so well that at one point in the book there was what I assume was a spell-checker error and the neutral pronou More...
I liked that the aliens, "ranids" or froggies in the vernacular, didn't have a species name. They call themselves "people" as most people do. Only the humans called them ranids. They were genderless, and this was done so well that at one point in the book there was what I assume was a spell-checker error and the neutral pronou More...
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Oct 21, 2008
Tatjana
rated it: 
I clearly am not well suited to this flavour of sci-fi. I try... I really do... but it kind of leaves me empty.
Usually I can finish the books, but not this one. Of the fiction I was reading (Anansi Boys, Gunslinger, Nothing but the Dog, etc.), this book was incredibly flat. Usually I hear the voices and see the sites like a movie. There was no humour, no depth, no *life*.I thought I'd try to wake it up with the audio CD. That was much worse. The reader was definitely not my style... and it More...
Usually I can finish the books, but not this one. Of the fiction I was reading (Anansi Boys, Gunslinger, Nothing but the Dog, etc.), this book was incredibly flat. Usually I hear the voices and see the sites like a movie. There was no humour, no depth, no *life*.I thought I'd try to wake it up with the audio CD. That was much worse. The reader was definitely not my style... and it More...
Aug 05, 2011
Janne
rated it: 
Well-written, modern sci-fi. Fast paced plot, interesting characters, future tech and a froggy alien race. The fun part is 2/3rds into the book when the quantum probabilities go crazy in a video flashback writing mode. Recommended!
Jan 18, 2009
Kristen
rated it:
Q: How do you know when you've read a really good book?
A: When you put it down and go, "Wow."
And then after a few moments' consideration, you say, "Wow."
That would be Undertow.
A: When you put it down and go, "Wow."
And then after a few moments' consideration, you say, "Wow."
That would be Undertow.
Feb 09, 2010
Mira
rated it:
On a planet called Greene's World, run by the Charter Trade Company, a civil war may be brewing between the frog-like natives and the humans. An assassin, a probability conjurer, a data miner, a revolutionary, and a native have big parts to play in the coming storm. The mining operations may be more than they seem, and probability manipulation is out of control...
Jul 26, 2009
Kariss
rated it:
We had the probability drive scene with Douglas Adams now we have the Bohr & Heisengerg's interpretation of quantum theory. Plus poor Schodinger's Cat
knows if it is alive or dead.
knows if it is alive or dead.
Jan 03, 2012
Phil
rated it:
Conjuring = manipulation of probabilities to ensure the desired outcome.
Awesome idea. But aside from using that as an explanation of intersteller transportation (which was actually pretty awesome), the potential was squandered. All conjuring was mentioned secondhand when showing it could have been amazing.
Overall, I think there was a lot that could have happened, but in the end I just felt disappointed.
Awesome idea. But aside from using that as an explanation of intersteller transportation (which was actually pretty awesome), the potential was squandered. All conjuring was mentioned secondhand when showing it could have been amazing.
Overall, I think there was a lot that could have happened, but in the end I just felt disappointed.
Jan 30, 2009
Jessica
rated it:
I enjoy her fnatasy novels but her sci fi left me wanting more. It didn't make a lot of sense through out the book and then it just kind of ends.
Nov 27, 2008
Michãel
rated it:
I liked a lot of the plot, but never got attached to any of the characters (except one alien). some interesting ideas, but eh...
Apr 22, 2010
Lyn
rated it:
The Matrix meets Little Fuzzies with Bear's usual panache. Engaging, well-paced, and thoughtful. Includes physics.
Aug 31, 2011
Joy
rated it:
Interesting world, interesting aliens, interesting science. Nice to see a cautionary tale that takes the shades of grey and complexities of life into account.
Mar 22, 2009
Jdevoss
rated it:
Confusing at time, but I listened to it as an audiobook. Sci-fi with a bit of fantasy mixed in.
Jun 29, 2009
Karen
rated it:
Not bad -- a little too lawyery...I enjoyed but I find myself forgetting what happened already...
Sep 12, 2010
Enjoyable, but felt like a novella's worth of story padded into a novel.
Sep 08, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Elizabeth Bear knows how to build characters and plots without revealing too much information, a tactic that keeps you spellbound. While this was not my favorite of her novels, I liked it very well and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern science fiction.
Feb 10, 2008
Avarice
rated it:
This was a solidly mediocre read, the characters had some good moments but were largely kind of flat. The plot development was reasonable but not wildly exciting; there were a couple of interesting twists in the tech but nothing really memorable. Check out Dust by this author, however, it kicks the crap out of this one.
Dec 17, 2009
Michelle
rated it:
Next SF Book Club pick. Started Scardown by this author a couple of weeks ago, and for some reason it didn't hold my interest. I'll give it another try and compare it with this, her latest.
Feb 26, 2011
Kris
rated it:
I loved this book. Full of cyberpunk tech, aliens, conspiracies, and plots that always surprised me by spinning off in directions I wasn't expecting. Highly recommended.
Jan 27, 2008
Miss Ginny Tea
rated it:
This is good, very good. There's a lot going on here, but it's worth the attention it requires. The characters are interesting and diverse and so damned complex.
Feb 09, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
Feb 08, 2012
