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Russell's Attic #3
Root of Unity
Cas Russell has always used her superpowered mathematical skills to dodge snipers or take down enemies. Oh, yeah, and make as much money as possible on whatever unsavory gigs people will hire her for. But then one of her few friends asks a favor: help him track down a stolen math proof. One that, in the wrong hands, could crumble encryption protocols worldwide and utterly collapse global commerce.
Cas is immediately ducking car bombs and men with AKs -- this is the type of math people are willing to kill for, and the U.S. government wants it as much as the bad guys do. But all that pales compared to what Cas learns from delving into the proof. Because the more she works on the case, the more she realizes something is very, very wrong . . . with her.
For the first time, Cas questions her own bizarre mathematical abilities. How far they reach. How they tie into the pieces of herself that are broken -- or missing.
How the new proof might knit her brain back together . . . while making her more powerful than she's ever imagined.
Desperate to fix her fractured self, Cas dives into the tangled layers of higher mathematics, frantic for numerical power that might not even be possible -- and willing to do anything, betray anyone, to get it.
Cas is immediately ducking car bombs and men with AKs -- this is the type of math people are willing to kill for, and the U.S. government wants it as much as the bad guys do. But all that pales compared to what Cas learns from delving into the proof. Because the more she works on the case, the more she realizes something is very, very wrong . . . with her.
For the first time, Cas questions her own bizarre mathematical abilities. How far they reach. How they tie into the pieces of herself that are broken -- or missing.
How the new proof might knit her brain back together . . . while making her more powerful than she's ever imagined.
Desperate to fix her fractured self, Cas dives into the tangled layers of higher mathematics, frantic for numerical power that might not even be possible -- and willing to do anything, betray anyone, to get it.
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First published September 30, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 27, 2016
Fast paced and Cas as her usual kickass self. I mean who wouldn't love a super hero mathematician??!! 4 stars for a quick, fun read with real-life theoretical math. Popcorn for my vacation.
January 25, 2016
I genuinely do not know what to rate this book. Like, the characters and the general setup are so id-appealing to me that I'll pretty much always be delighted to read about them, but the structure of this book was weird and it was, in places, actively uncomfortable to read. It definitely wasn't as good as the first two books (both of which are GREAT), and yet I read it intently and quickly and cared deeply about it. I wasn't just engaged; I was well on my way to marrying it. So: four stars. But I think an honest rating would be more like two stars for the first half, five stars for the next 25%, three stars for the 5% after that, and then four stars for the remainder.
It's that kind of book.
So, basically, Cas Russell is back, and if you've read the first two books you know exactly what that means. More math! More action! More weird memory issues and total inability to handle or even recognize feelings! More bizarrest-found-family ever! (You can't even call them a family of choice, because Cas didn't choose them. She doesn't even really know the definition of family. And yet.) In this case, there is a problem involving two major (and I mean MAJOR) mathematical discoveries that miiiiiiiight possibly lead to the end of the world as we know it. (And no one feels all that fine about it.)
So far, so great, right? I mean, if you like action SF with spacetoasters, THIS IS YOUR JAM. But. But. The first half of the book is an overlong series of Cas making seriously bad decisions while getting injured. And injured. And injured again. For me, it ended up being like reading about a character holding their breath. And then after 30 pages, they still haven't breathed, and your lungs are starting to hurt, and also your disbelief is crashing to the ground because humans can't survive this, and it's anxiety-inducing and uncomfortable and it rips you out of the novel. I hope, I hope the point of this was to drive home that there are other weird things about Cas, that she can sustain more damage and heal more quickly than normal humans. Even so: weird and unnecessary and, for me, unfun.
During this part, Huang also walks back Cas's character significantly from the point in her overall arc that she reached in the last novel. Which, again, I did not enjoy all that much.
Then the nonstop action cabaret ends, for which I was devoutly grateful, and Cas takes a giant step forward on her arc, or is sort of dragged along it, anyway. That was great! And then Cas does the Bad Decision Boogie, and when she does it, she really does it. Which, again, uncomfortable. But it does allow her to move forward on her character arc yet again, so it's an understandable justification for my cringing.
So, I was actively uncomfortable through more than half of the book. But I finished it and hit the next button several times, hoping against hope for more. And I will now commence haunting Amazon, waiting impatiently for the next one.
Basically: I don't know for sure how I feel about this book. But WOW do I need more of it.
It's that kind of book.
So, basically, Cas Russell is back, and if you've read the first two books you know exactly what that means. More math! More action! More weird memory issues and total inability to handle or even recognize feelings! More bizarrest-found-family ever! (You can't even call them a family of choice, because Cas didn't choose them. She doesn't even really know the definition of family. And yet.) In this case, there is a problem involving two major (and I mean MAJOR) mathematical discoveries that miiiiiiiight possibly lead to the end of the world as we know it. (And no one feels all that fine about it.)
So far, so great, right? I mean, if you like action SF with spacetoasters, THIS IS YOUR JAM. But. But. The first half of the book is an overlong series of Cas making seriously bad decisions while getting injured. And injured. And injured again. For me, it ended up being like reading about a character holding their breath. And then after 30 pages, they still haven't breathed, and your lungs are starting to hurt, and also your disbelief is crashing to the ground because humans can't survive this, and it's anxiety-inducing and uncomfortable and it rips you out of the novel. I hope, I hope the point of this was to drive home that there are other weird things about Cas, that she can sustain more damage and heal more quickly than normal humans. Even so: weird and unnecessary and, for me, unfun.
During this part, Huang also walks back Cas's character significantly from the point in her overall arc that she reached in the last novel. Which, again, I did not enjoy all that much.
Then the nonstop action cabaret ends, for which I was devoutly grateful, and Cas takes a giant step forward on her arc, or is sort of dragged along it, anyway. That was great! And then Cas does the Bad Decision Boogie, and when she does it, she really does it. Which, again, uncomfortable. But it does allow her to move forward on her character arc yet again, so it's an understandable justification for my cringing.
So, I was actively uncomfortable through more than half of the book. But I finished it and hit the next button several times, hoping against hope for more. And I will now commence haunting Amazon, waiting impatiently for the next one.
Basically: I don't know for sure how I feel about this book. But WOW do I need more of it.
January 17, 2016
Root of Unity, book 3 in the Russell's Attic series by SL Huang, was quite a roller coaster. I've found myself becoming quite attached to the nearly unlikable, bristly Cas. (The author deftly manages to take her character to the edge while still giving her enough humanity to avoid alienating the reader.) Cas is a flawed anti-hero. She's damaged--for reasons involving her past but of which she is totally uncertain because her memory is basically a blank--but she is trying to be a better person. For the first time in her life, she has friends who are having a definite effect on her. She is learning to be kinder and gentler. Well, sort of?
I'm drawn to Cas because she is tough--as tough as any male action lead--and takes her hits repeatedly. (And she does take a lot of hits in Root of Unity.) Without going into the plot too much, in this third book in the series, Cas is once again called upon to use her skills as a retrieval specialist to retrieve stolen math formulas so important and sensitive, the fate of the world's global economy depends on them not falling into the wrong hands. And some pretty bad guys want the formulas. (And the subject of encryption codes and the mathsy stuff is so far beyond my limited capabilities, I won't pretend to understand it all. Even so, I was able to follow along without a problem. So I'm kinda proud of myself.)
While little bits of Cas's past are revealed in book 3, it is clear that there is much more to learn, so I guess I'm going to have to wait until book 4 to find out what it is that makes Cas tick. And also for more Rio, hopefully?
A fun, fun read.
I'm drawn to Cas because she is tough--as tough as any male action lead--and takes her hits repeatedly. (And she does take a lot of hits in Root of Unity.) Without going into the plot too much, in this third book in the series, Cas is once again called upon to use her skills as a retrieval specialist to retrieve stolen math formulas so important and sensitive, the fate of the world's global economy depends on them not falling into the wrong hands. And some pretty bad guys want the formulas. (And the subject of encryption codes and the mathsy stuff is so far beyond my limited capabilities, I won't pretend to understand it all. Even so, I was able to follow along without a problem. So I'm kinda proud of myself.)
While little bits of Cas's past are revealed in book 3, it is clear that there is much more to learn, so I guess I'm going to have to wait until book 4 to find out what it is that makes Cas tick. And also for more Rio, hopefully?
A fun, fun read.
October 15, 2015
Whenever I think Cas Russel (Haung in disguise) has reached her pinnacle of awesomeness another book appears to blow me away—excuse the pun! More than a few thing exploded in this book. But it wasn't just the non-stop action on the page that had me riveted; it was the huge amount of personal growth our cranky, bad-ass heroine went through that made this book infinitely satisfying. Cas was put through the mangle in this book, finally learning that she can trust Arthur and Checker—sort of. In addition, the door has been opened to discover just what—or who—made Cas the maths dynamo she is. I can't wait for the next book. The only real downside was that Rio didn't feature. And all this high praise from a person who has to take off her shoes to count to eleven . . .
February 23, 2022
The Root of Unity offers an improvement at every level of the storytelling. The Cas Russell series has been a fun idea applied to a zany set of adventures but now there's a mysterious thread about Russell's past lurking in the plot, the mathematics has become a much more relevant feature, and the character development has gone from being a light-hearted comedic approach to a substantial element of the delivery.
The team is back but don't expect to see Rio, who is again only referenced in this story. It seems likely that Rio will eventually return but so far there's no real evidence of that. My suspicion is that Rio is linked to Russell's hidden past. There's a Rick and Morty style message in a bottle from past Cas to future Cas which simultaneously advances and obscures the mystery, I loved it.
The rest of the gang are working to prevent the collapse of the modern global economy while continuing to bewilder Cas with their genuine gestures of friendship. Thankfully Russell's no kill streak has been broken and the explosive action has returned with an undefined limit.
I've enjoyed the series and this one is probably the best so far.
It's a little frustrating to figure out what's up with the series having been retitled and reordered and partly rewritten when it got picked up by Tor publishing. From what I read on the author's website, self published book four is the Tor published book two, and Tor book three is the intended but unpublished original book five. My plan is to finish out the original self published four and then jump straight into Tor book three, of course this means I'll miss any new developments in the republished books but I'm not prepared to reread at this point.
The team is back but don't expect to see Rio, who is again only referenced in this story. It seems likely that Rio will eventually return but so far there's no real evidence of that. My suspicion is that Rio is linked to Russell's hidden past. There's a Rick and Morty style message in a bottle from past Cas to future Cas which simultaneously advances and obscures the mystery, I loved it.
The rest of the gang are working to prevent the collapse of the modern global economy while continuing to bewilder Cas with their genuine gestures of friendship. Thankfully Russell's no kill streak has been broken and the explosive action has returned with an undefined limit.
I've enjoyed the series and this one is probably the best so far.
It's a little frustrating to figure out what's up with the series having been retitled and reordered and partly rewritten when it got picked up by Tor publishing. From what I read on the author's website, self published book four is the Tor published book two, and Tor book three is the intended but unpublished original book five. My plan is to finish out the original self published four and then jump straight into Tor book three, of course this means I'll miss any new developments in the republished books but I'm not prepared to reread at this point.
February 7, 2017
(Received an e-book from author for recommendation consideration.)
This is one of my favourite thriller series and Root of Unity definitely doesn't disappoint. Cas is an awesome action hero and her backstory is gradually becoming more and more fascinating. I also really love her moral struggle as she tries to be less ruthless and a better person, influenced by her friends. This seemed significantly darker than the previous 2 books (although it's a while since I've read them) but is still a really good read.
This is one of my favourite thriller series and Root of Unity definitely doesn't disappoint. Cas is an awesome action hero and her backstory is gradually becoming more and more fascinating. I also really love her moral struggle as she tries to be less ruthless and a better person, influenced by her friends. This seemed significantly darker than the previous 2 books (although it's a while since I've read them) but is still a really good read.
November 2, 2015
I enjoyed this one a little less than the first two, probably because Cas takes a lot of damage and I didn't quite believe she could keep going after some of it. But if you like hurt/comfort that is mostly hurt and no comfort (and you don't mind it happening to a woman) this could be good for you. (Note: none of the violence is sexual.)
May 25, 2017
This third iteration of Cas Russell by S.L. Huang did not disappoint. Our heroine is afflicted by her mathematical predilection which starts with Cas and her P.I. friend Arthur trying to help math professor Sonya recover a proof which would turn the world's financial and academic centers on end by invalidating their working models. This would be done by proving that P and NP are the same.
Cas, who's a mathematical prodigy herself, Arthur and the rest of the cast spends most of the time in and out of hot water, trying to rescue Sonya (who has been kidnaped even as her papers have been stolen.
As with previous Huang tales, "Root of Unity" is filled with all the gory details that "Russell's Attic" readers cherish. No sooner did I finish the tale but immediately started reading the fourth volume on Kindle, "Plastic Smile".
Stay tuned!
Cas, who's a mathematical prodigy herself, Arthur and the rest of the cast spends most of the time in and out of hot water, trying to rescue Sonya (who has been kidnaped even as her papers have been stolen.
As with previous Huang tales, "Root of Unity" is filled with all the gory details that "Russell's Attic" readers cherish. No sooner did I finish the tale but immediately started reading the fourth volume on Kindle, "Plastic Smile".
Stay tuned!
December 26, 2017
There are a lot of things I liked about this book; I love Cass, Checker and all the other characters, the intrigue, the math nerdery. But Arthur's voice was suuuper off and it threw the whole book off for me. He's speaking a semi-mangled version of AAVE that feels very forced on the author's part. In the immortal words of Pete Campbell, not great, Bob.
January 1, 2018
Good junk food for the brain books. The series is entertaining and quick to read. My only real complaint, one that makes the books harder and harder to read, is that Arthur's dialect is so awful and nonsensical it borders on the minstrel. If you don't know AAVE and don't have people to verify it, don't try to write in it.
February 16, 2018
These books are super fun, even though I can't pretend to understand even a tiny bit of the math.
October 12, 2016
Cas Russell and her mathematical superpowers are back! Root of Unity is the third book in Russell’s Attic series (start with Zero Sum Game), a series of fast paced, science fiction action thriller’s. Cas Russell has superhuman math abilities which she uses to work as a mercenary, instantly calculating the trajectory of bullets and the exact parabolic arcs needed to leap between buildings.
However, Cas is also trying to become a better person. It’s a strange journey for our anti-heroine, and Roots of Unity opens with her “falling off the wagon” – killing people again after she’d gone all of book two without murdering anyone. Over the course of the last two books, she’s found something very new for her: friends. Cas is horrible at interpersonal relationships, but she’s trying her best to learn this friendship thing.
So when one of her new friends, Arthur, who acts as her moral conscious of a sorts, needs help, she decides to help him out, even if she’s not getting paid. Arthur’s childhood best friend is a mathematician who’s developed a world shaking proof that could undo the encryptions that the entire digital world depends on. And it’s been stolen.
Meanwhile, questions about Cas’s past are piling up. I’ve always wanted to know more about Cas’s background. How did she get her powers? Where did she come from? While Root of Unity doesn’t provide answers, the questions are starting to gain a greater urgency as Cas’s dreams worsen and she realizes the limitations of her own mathematical powers.
Roots of Unity was the exact book I needed at the moment I read it. Something fun and fast paced with characters I could care about. Cas is such a complete mess, which is probably why I loved her character so much. Immediately after finishing Roots of Unity, I headed straight to book four so expect to see a review of that before too long!
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
However, Cas is also trying to become a better person. It’s a strange journey for our anti-heroine, and Roots of Unity opens with her “falling off the wagon” – killing people again after she’d gone all of book two without murdering anyone. Over the course of the last two books, she’s found something very new for her: friends. Cas is horrible at interpersonal relationships, but she’s trying her best to learn this friendship thing.
So when one of her new friends, Arthur, who acts as her moral conscious of a sorts, needs help, she decides to help him out, even if she’s not getting paid. Arthur’s childhood best friend is a mathematician who’s developed a world shaking proof that could undo the encryptions that the entire digital world depends on. And it’s been stolen.
Meanwhile, questions about Cas’s past are piling up. I’ve always wanted to know more about Cas’s background. How did she get her powers? Where did she come from? While Root of Unity doesn’t provide answers, the questions are starting to gain a greater urgency as Cas’s dreams worsen and she realizes the limitations of her own mathematical powers.
Roots of Unity was the exact book I needed at the moment I read it. Something fun and fast paced with characters I could care about. Cas is such a complete mess, which is probably why I loved her character so much. Immediately after finishing Roots of Unity, I headed straight to book four so expect to see a review of that before too long!
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
January 4, 2016
Cas doesn’t find life easy when she’s between jobs, so she’s almost relieved when Arthur asks her to work on behalf of an old friend… though she’s less impressed when it turns out that the friend in question, a maths professor whose work has been stolen, didn’t actually want their help. When Cas hears what’s in the notes that have been taken from Professor Halliday, however, she immediately understands the consequences: this is a proof that would turn modern cryptography on its head.
This is the third novel in the Russell’s Attic series, featuring mathematical action hero Cas Russell. You should start with Zero Sum Game for the full picture; parts of this story would make much less sense without that background, so I wouldn’t recommend reading this series out of order. If you loved the series to date, though, you'll find this a worthy successor.
Full review: http://strangecharmbooks.co.uk/2015/0...
This is the third novel in the Russell’s Attic series, featuring mathematical action hero Cas Russell. You should start with Zero Sum Game for the full picture; parts of this story would make much less sense without that background, so I wouldn’t recommend reading this series out of order. If you loved the series to date, though, you'll find this a worthy successor.
Full review: http://strangecharmbooks.co.uk/2015/0...
May 18, 2017
I loved all the hints at Cas's backstory in this one, and am dying to find out where they lead. When does the next book come out?!? Also loved the development of her relationships with Checker and Arthur. I feel like we saw a lot more of Checker especially than usual. But holy shit Cas was put through the wringer this time! How many different kinds of injuries did she get?? Girl needs to sleep for about six weeks.
Math as superpower and math as world-destroying is still cool, though I don't know enough about the specific math to be entirely convinced that it would do what they said it would do. SL Huang clearly knows her stuff, though, so I trust her on that.
Can't wait for the next book.
Math as superpower and math as world-destroying is still cool, though I don't know enough about the specific math to be entirely convinced that it would do what they said it would do. SL Huang clearly knows her stuff, though, so I trust her on that.
Can't wait for the next book.
Read
November 8, 2015I liked the book quite a lot, particularly in how it developed Cas as a character and furthered the mystery of just who she is. One note I'd have is that while I LOVE Arthur as a character, there are times when the use of AAVE for him feels very...off. I'm not objecting to the use of AAVE at all, but oftentimes writers don't realize that as a dialect, it has grammatical rules, and here it just felt very forced and stilted. I enjoy the character a lot but it was distracting, especially in the first half of the book.
October 22, 2015
This may be the best of the Russell's Attic series yet.
The action is superb, the tension was ramped up and high, the characters have grown more nuanced and rounded, and Cas Russell's interactions with other humans remains hilarious because she is still somewhat clueless about people. In this novel, her mathematical skills come to the fore because a proof is stolen--and we find out a little more about Cas' past.
The action is superb, the tension was ramped up and high, the characters have grown more nuanced and rounded, and Cas Russell's interactions with other humans remains hilarious because she is still somewhat clueless about people. In this novel, her mathematical skills come to the fore because a proof is stolen--and we find out a little more about Cas' past.
October 6, 2015
I really really love these books. In this one, Arthur asks Cas for help tracking down a stolen math proof that could change the face of cryptography. The further along they get, the more shocking discoveries they make; about the state of math, friendship and trust, and Cas' own past.
Characters I love, math with fascinating implications, and lots of precision violence. What more could I ask?
Characters I love, math with fascinating implications, and lots of precision violence. What more could I ask?
July 24, 2016
This series really doesn't disappoint. Fast pace action with an amazing anti-hero. The plots and inevitable twists are always pushing the story and Cas' character forward.
In this one we got a lot more glimpses into Cas' past though teasingly just enough to need to know more. It's going to be really interesting once Cas cracks her own code.
In this one we got a lot more glimpses into Cas' past though teasingly just enough to need to know more. It's going to be really interesting once Cas cracks her own code.
September 8, 2016
Did. Not. Like. Cas was so labile in this story. Her obsession with being able to do math, her weird loyalty to being a better person because of Arthur, the thing she did with Checker (spoiler!) in this book... I didn't enjoy this one at all. The mathematicians were all caricatures. I feel certain whoever wrote the first two books in this series didn't write this one. No bueno.
November 12, 2015
Math makes my head hurt, it's fascinating; yet still it makes my head hurt..
A good read and the lead is a piece of work, creative, compelling and fun in all senses, yet still math makes my head hurt..
A good read and the lead is a piece of work, creative, compelling and fun in all senses, yet still math makes my head hurt..
December 1, 2016
One of the best in the series so far. Damaged heroes, strange disclosures, delusions, explosions, partial revelations, and some amusing interstitial stories.
Being human is hard enough for all of us who know where we come from and can get a decent amount of sleep...
Being human is hard enough for all of us who know where we come from and can get a decent amount of sleep...
October 1, 2015
This book is soooooooo good. I can't wait for the next one.
October 1, 2015
I really love this series. Can't wait for more.
July 11, 2016
These books just keep getting better.
December 18, 2015
nooooo i want more give me more
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews