I'm not sure - 3 ½ stars, if I could. I don't know if I'll vote 3 or 4! Parts of this book were great, and others not so much. I enjoyed the basic plot - following the efforts of Arik to achieve artificial photosynthesis in the Venus colony so as to be able to support one more life - that of his unborn child. Roughly. I enjoyed his, let's say 'voyage of discovery' and found those parts of the book very good...though can't talk about specifics without spoilers. It was an interesting version of the 'limited resources space base' type. There wasn't vast amounts of dialogue but liked what there was, but there was an awful lot of set up and description and sometimes during these chapters, my thoughts did wander. At one point I'd closed the book for the night as it was gone midnight and it wasn't keeping me awake, and when I opened it the next morning, I couldn't remember what I was reading or why I was bothering with it. Luckily, after those few pages, it came back to me, and I am glad I stuck with it as it wasn't actually that hard a read after all. Not sure I was a hundred percent satisfied with the ending, but the climax was an exciting build up at the end, with a reasonable race-against-time feel to it. A lot of the characters were effectively just placeholders but the two actual characters of Arik and his best friend Cam were okay. Arik is clearly quite clever (!) and did come across as reserved and almost robotic in his thoughts, but that felt fairly realistic for an uber-genious type. Not stunningly likeable, mind. So yes, the sci-fi was good, and I think it'll be memorable, but the rest a little dull. ( )

I'm not sure - 3 ½ stars, if I could. I don't know if I'll vote 3 or 4! Parts of this book were great, and others not so much. I enjoyed the basic plot - following the efforts of Arik to achieve artificial photosynthesis in the Venus colony so as to be able to support one more life - that of his unborn child. Roughly. I enjoyed his, let's say 'voyage of discovery' and found those parts of the book very good...though can't talk about specifics without spoilers. It was an interesting version of the 'limited resources space base' type. There wasn't vast amounts of dialogue but liked what there was, but there was an awful lot of set up and description and sometimes during these chapters, my thoughts did wander. At one point I'd closed the book for the night as it was gone midnight and it wasn't keeping me awake, and when I opened it the next morning, I couldn't remember what I was reading or why I was bothering with it. Luckily, after those few pages, it came back to me, and I am glad I stuck with it as it wasn't actually that hard a read after all. Not sure I was a hundred percent satisfied with the ending, but the climax was an exciting build up at the end, with a reasonable race-against-time feel to it. A lot of the characters were effectively just placeholders but the two actual characters of Arik and his best friend Cam were okay. Arik is clearly quite clever (!) and did come across as reserved and almost robotic in his thoughts, but that felt fairly realistic for an uber-genious type. Not stunningly likeable, mind. So yes, the sci-fi was good, and I think it'll be memorable, but the rest a little dull. ( )

Great SF mystery that will pull in readers who like the theory behind the technology, with a smattering of philosophical discussions. A little low on action but high in intrigue, it managed to keep my attention with the right amount of curiosity and suspense. Great twist at the end. ( )

Engaging, pacy and packed with interesting scientific detail, but I found the twist obvious and the climax unsatisfying. ( )

pretty slick ( )