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Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota (Terra Ignota, 1) Paperback – January 24, 2017
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From the winner of the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Ada Palmer's 2017 Compton Crook Award-winning political science fiction, Too Like the Lightning, ventures into a human future of extraordinary originality
Mycroft Canner is a convict. For his crimes he is required, as is the custom of the 25th century, to wander the world being as useful as he can to all he meets. Carlyle Foster is a sensayer--a spiritual counselor in a world that has outlawed the public practice of religion, but which also knows that the inner lives of humans cannot be wished away.
The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labelling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world's population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competion is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.
And in this world, Mycroft and Carlyle have stumbled on the wild card that may destablize the system: the boy Bridger, who can effortlessly make his wishes come true. Who can, it would seem, bring inanimate objects to life...
Terra Ignota
1. Too Like the Lightning
2. Seven Surrenders
3. The Will to Battle
4. Perhaps the Stars
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 24, 2017
- Dimensions6.1 x 1.1 x 9.15 inches
- ISBN-100765378019
- ISBN-13978-0765378019
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Book 1 of Terra Ignota, Too Like the Lightning
“Bold, furiously inventive, and mesmerizing…It’s the best science fiction novel I've read in a long while.” ―Robert Charles Wilson
“More intricate, more plausible, more significant than any debut I can recall…If you read a debut novel this year, make it Too Like the Lightning.” ―Cory Doctorow
“Astonishingly dense, accomplished and well-realized, with a future that feels real in both its strangeness and its familiarity.”―RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
"The Terra Ignota books are is the kind of science fiction that makes me excited all over again about what science fiction can do.” ―Jo Walton
“Excellent.” ―Craig Newmark
Praise for Book 2 of Terra Ignota, Seven Surrenders
“A breathless and devious intellectual page-turner, Seven Surrenders veers expertly between love, murder, mayhem, parenthood, theology, and high politics. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.” ―Max Gladstone
“A breathless and devious intellectual page-turner, Seven Surrenders veers expertly between love, murder, mayhem, parenthood, theology, and high politics. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.” ―Max Gladstone
"Wonderfull 18th-century style narrative voice....a richly and highly sophisticated novel that calls for repeated re-readings." ―SFRevu
"The eloquence ofPalmer's reflections on social issues cannot be denied." ―Library Journal, starred review
"Palmer crafts one of the most compelling narrative voices around in describing this impossible, fascinating and plausibly contradictory world." ―RT Book Reviews, 4-1/2 stars
“Devastatingly accomplished…An arch and playful narrative that combines the conscious irreverence of the best of 18th-century philosophy with the high-octane heat of an epic science fiction thriller.” ―Liz Bourke
“Palmer proves that the boundaries of science fiction can be pushed and the history and the future can be married together.” ―Publishers Weekly
Praise for Book 3 of Terra Ignota, The Will to Battle
"It is increasingly clear that we are in the hands of a new master of the genre....There's a resonance and richness to the Terra Ignota series that is like almost nothing else being written today." ―RT Book Reviews, 5 stars
"Innovative, mesmerizing and full of fun. Ada Palmer lets her imagination weave a truly great political science story in an imagined world – full of lessons from real-world history." ―Washington Book Review
"One appreciates the wry humor and the ingenious depth of her worldbuilding. The interplay between reader and narrator is especially enjoyable." ―Publishers Weekly
"Any reader who has ever thrilled to the intricate machinations of the Dune books, or the Instrumentality tales of Cordwainer Smith, or the sensual, tactile, lived-in futures of Delany or M. John Harrison... will enjoy the mental and emotional workout offered by Palmer’s challenging Terra Ignota cycle." ―Locus
"This series is one the best things that has happened to science fiction in the 21st Century and I can’t hardly wait to see where Ada Palmer is going to take us with Perhaps the Stars." ―SffWorld
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Tor Books; Reprint edition (January 24, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0765378019
- ISBN-13 : 978-0765378019
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.15 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #100,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #336 in Political Fiction (Books)
- #1,318 in Dystopian Fiction (Books)
- #3,877 in Science Fiction Adventures
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ada Palmer is an author of science fiction and fantasy, a historian, and a composer. Her first science fiction series "Terra Ignota" (published by Tor Books) mixes Enlightenment-era philosophy with traditional science fiction speculation to bring to life the year 2454, not a perfect future, but a utopian one, threatened by cultural upheaval. Ada Palmer studies the long-term evolution of ideas and the history of religious radicalism, science, and freethought, especially in the Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Classical Greece and Rome. She teaches in the History Department at the University of Chicago, and did her Ph.D. at Harvard University. She composes close harmony folk music with mythological, science fiction and fantasy themes, and performs with the a cappella group Sassafrass. She also studies the history of manga anime, especially the "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka, blogs for Tor.com and writes the history/philosophy blog ExUrbe.com.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as imaginative, vividly portraying a different world. However, opinions differ on the narrative quality, writing quality, and character development. Some find the narrative compelling and spellbinding, while others feel the characters lack depth and are not believable as future humans.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and worth reading. They appreciate the imaginative plot and story. The two books together are described as a masterpiece.
"...The two books together are a masterpiece (I have not read the third yet). The *meaning* comes out...." Read more
"...After all was said and done, I found the book to be well worth the time and effort I put into it, although its abrupt ending with the realization..." Read more
"...It's terrific and I can't wait to read the second installment to see what happens." Read more
"...Or not recommend it. It is quite original (and derivative...), erudite (and scholastic...), interesting (and cliché), irritating (and enthusing)..." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They appreciate the clever storytelling and well-developed world. The book explores philosophical themes while exploring human culture and ideas. Readers praise the clever infusion of knowledge as part of the great unfolding story.
"...The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge..." Read more
"...complex, involved, and intriguing novel, one that deals with complicated issues of religion, politics, gender, and war in an historical style that..." Read more
"...crafted, a lovingly shaped book chock full of strange ideas, incidental concepts and a lush future history...." Read more
"...Or not recommend it. It is quite original (and derivative...), erudite (and scholastic...), interesting (and cliché), irritating (and enthusing)..." Read more
Customers find the book vividly portraying a different world. They appreciate the imaginative writing style and creative characters. The book depicts a vibrant, colorful world with toys and pictures coming to life. It explores political structures in great detail.
"...The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge..." Read more
"...feel, certainly contribute to the way the story is told, giving the reader a personal, ground-level look at the secrets and intrigues that drive the..." Read more
"This is one the most richly textured, sophisticated, imaginative and baffling novels I have read, and it's in the layered, evocative vein of Miéville..." Read more
"...interesting (and cliché), irritating (and enthusing), oh so stylish (and oh so stylishly dated). Definitely a period piece...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the novel. Some find it engaging and thought-provoking, with subtle plot twists and an energetic science fiction narrative set in the future. Others feel the characters are one-dimensional and not believable as future humans. They also mention the book is muddled and heavy on 18th century philosophy.
"...Palmer has delivered a very complex, involved, and intriguing novel, one that deals with complicated issues of religion, politics, gender, and war..." Read more
"...artificial though they may feel, certainly contribute to the way the story is told, giving the reader a personal, ground-level look at the secrets..." Read more
"...Still, I really liked the energy of this baroque science fiction narrative, set in our future but relating events in the readers past, as it mashes..." Read more
"...doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed always on the cusp of being meaningful but..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it stellar, smart, and well-developed. They appreciate the dialogue between the author and reader, and the overall concept is deep. Others mention absurd plot lines, awkward prose, and off-putting style.
"...are subject to violence, sexuality, religious, and offensive opinion (which kind of frightens me) ratings...." Read more
"...is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge of history ; it is highly..." Read more
"...this backdrop, we have our story, written by a self-admitted unreliable narrator, Mycroft Canner, the most notorious criminal of the last few decades..." Read more
"...I did like the writing, if the style of writing was sometimes off-putting. The pacing could be slow at times and very fast at others...." Read more
Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters vibrant, changing, and immersive. The narrator is described as fun and endearing. However, others feel that most of the characters are unlikable, with gender pronouns switching frequently. There are also complaints about the characters' positioning not being clear.
"...As a book full of interesting characters, it mostly succeeds...." Read more
"...The writing style is lovely and I like the fictitious author as narrator theme, but the story has a hopelessly complex system of many peripheral..." Read more
"...feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed..." Read more
"...But I loved the characters. I quickly found myself wanting to better understand them, their backgrounds, and their motivations...." Read more
Customers have different views on the complexity of the book. Some find it engaging and intriguing, seamlessly blending philosophy, theology, science fiction, and mystery into one melodious brew. Others feel the plot is confusing and boring, with multiple layers of mystery that aren't described. The big reveal at the end was disappointing for some readers.
"...it is highly perceptive and has keen insights on human nature ; it is complex but not overly so ; it is RELEVANT to our times...." Read more
"...At times this novel demands a considerable investment in time and focus, but in the end the reader is well rewarded for perseverance with a complex..." Read more
"...Palmer has delivered a very complex, involved, and intriguing novel, one that deals with complicated issues of religion, politics, gender, and war..." Read more
"This is one the most richly textured, sophisticated, imaginative and baffling novels I have read, and it's in the layered, evocative vein of Miéville..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it bizarre, off-putting, creative, and complex, with good pacing and rhythm. Others mention that the story starts off slow and overdone. The tangents bog down the pacing for handfuls of pages at a time, and the main protagonist acts erratically and without context.
"...twisted and intertwined plots. - good pacing and rhythm. - true to its intended form... - ......" Read more
"...of this 1st book are what left me unsatisfied: it left me with a feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-..." Read more
"...The series of books is slow, punctuated by a lot of emotional turmoil and references to philosophies and historical figures that can give you hours..." Read more
"...love the philosophical and speculative tangents, but they thoroughly bog down the pacing for handfuls of pages at a time...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017When I first read this book, I was very confused about how to rate it because I couldn't figure out what to make of it. I struggled between 3 or 4 stars but definitely not 5.
The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge of history ; it is highly perceptive and has keen insights on human nature ; it is complex but not overly so ; it is RELEVANT to our times.
The cons of this 1st book are what left me unsatisfied: it left me with a feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed always on the cusp of being meaningful but never quite achieving it. In short, it felt like there was no real *point* other than creating a weird dystopic atmosphere just for the sake of it. When I finished it, I felt cheated for investing my time and expectations in it and not really receiving any satisfying wrap up.
THEN I READ THE SECOND BOOK: "Seven Surrenders".
Now I have to reverse myself completely! I think the second book was probably separated from the first due to publishing realities. Not making it too long or something? I don't know.
The two books together are a masterpiece (I have not read the third yet). The *meaning* comes out. What I thought was pointless dystopia is anything but. Yes, bad things happen, but they are *necessary* bad things to communicate the message. The characters assume more dimensions. What was unbelievable falls into a history that is a quite interesting and a plausible consequence of the present attitudes and fears.
I heartily recommend this book as long as you read the second one too! This author has immense potential and I have started following "them" ... :-). Thanks for writing it. Write more! Lots more!
OK, I'm done. Gotta buy the third book and dive into it immediately.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2017Ada Palmer's TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING is yet another first novel on this year's Best Novel Hugo finalists list. Palmer has delivered a very complex, involved, and intriguing novel, one that deals with complicated issues of religion, politics, gender, and war in an historical style that will probably take the reader some getting used to. It may be a struggle for some folks; it was for me at first. But once my head got into the space the story was using, the novel flowed and kept me engaged until the end.
The time is the mid-2450s. The planet has undergone a vast world war with religion and America at the center of it all. A new world order has been put in place, but it appears to be a very draconian one. Public discussions of religion - including traditional faith gatherings as we currently know them - have been outlawed. Normal gender classifications and distinctions are now taboo (this does result in what I think is a bit of a problem with the handling of gender pronouns, with "they, them, and their" sometime being interchangeably used with his and hers, but I suspect we'll find out more in the coming volumes of the story). Written documents (such as the book itself) are subject to violence, sexuality, religious, and offensive opinion (which kind of frightens me) ratings.
All of this has been put in place as the cost for a near utopia built on abundance. The population lives in a world that has no borders in terms of citizenship - it really doesn't matter where you live, since you can claim allegiance to any country on the planet you like. The economy is controlled a number of groups called Hives, which have complex interactions with each other and the population. Crime is still a problem, even with the abundance of resources that is available to everyone. The punishments, though, are handled differently. A criminal is sentenced to being a Servicer. Servicers have no possessions. They must go about the world doing good deeds in support of their fellow humans.
(I could go on for a lot longer about the world building that Palmer did for this novel, but it would take up the entire review, and I don't think you want that.)
So, Mycroft Canner is a Servicer. Carlyle Foster is a Sensayer, a sort of spiritual counselor in a world that has abolished religion. While a Servicer's life is simple, a Sensayer's calling is not. With a job of counselor to a population that still believes in something greater than themselves, Foster's life is one long balancing act. Foster is assigned as the new Sensayer to a family which controls the usage of all cars on the planet (except for those of the Utopian Hive - like I said, it's complicated). On his first visit to the bash Foster stumbles upon a secret that Canner is already aware of since he is there performing service for the family. The secret, a boy name Bridger, could upend the balanced utopia because of what he can do - make his wishes come true. And thus the novel begins.
But of course, nothing is that simple. Pretty soon, the political wheels start spinning, and everything we've learned about society in the 2450s is turned completely upside down and around to the point where we're really not sure what's going on. We eventually do find out what Mycroft Canner's crime was (and if you are squeamish you may want to zip through that section about 250 pages into the book), and that there is more to him and the rest of the government that meets the eye. Throw in an additional crime of a stolen modified "Seven-Ten" list - think a popularity list published by the main newspaper of the various Hives upon which the economic stability of the planet is resting - and you have a recipe for a very intriguing story that starts one way, but ends another.
There's a lot of misdirection going on in this novel. Mycroft, Carlyle, and all the rest of the cast are definitely not what they appeared to be when we first meet each of them as the novel unfolds. The political intertwining that becomes apparent as the novel approaches its conclusion is enough to make your head spin not only on its axis 360, but along the *other* axis (think shoulder-to-shoulder) 360 degrees as well. I don't think any character in this book can be trusted.
As I already mentioned, it takes some time (well, it took me some time, anyway) to get into the novel's style. The (apparently) inconsistent use of gender pronouns is difficult to follow, at least at first. And while I don't mind the speculation of the handling of religion, sex, and violence by the society depicted in the novel, it may be a bit disturbing to some. After all was said and done, I found the book to be well worth the time and effort I put into it, although its abrupt ending with the realization that there are more books to follow (one more to tell the tale of Mycroft Canner, and four in all for the Terra Ignota series made me wish I didn't like it so much (see my statement about discovering new authors in my review of Yoon Ha Lee's NINEFOX GAMBIT).
But I did like it, and I certainly am looking forward to the next book in the series, SEVEN SURRENDERS, to be published later this year. I look forward to the continuation of Mycroft's tale. I suspect it will also be well worth my time.
Top reviews from other countries
- Rob TReviewed in Canada on February 21, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Worldbuilding A Complex Future Human Culture
This book is slow to start, hard work, but worth every minute. If I were not going move on to volume 2 next, I would re-read it again now. Like a great film, musical recording, or other piece of provocative art, I am confident that I will enjoy, and be engaged, by this work even more the second time through.
It felt almost dreamlike to me; never quite sure where the characters are, which ones are present, the sense of the space in which they are in, and moving from place to place suddenly and without clarity. This was frustrating at times, and required re-reading at times. Perhaps intentionally, the reader is made to feel like the proverbial fish-out-of-water in this odd but obviously human world.
The worldbuilding itself is admirable and likely reason enough to read the book; it feels complex, layered, and plausible. As a reader, I am as much interested in being a tourist in this world as I am following the plotline of these particular characters.
There are also the cascade of big philosophical ideas, past, present, and imagined future. These ideas are often embodied in the top level social structure of the world called a "Hive".
Just marvelous through and through.
-
Jean RosalesReviewed in Mexico on October 2, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars Densa pero aburrida, y con algunas emociones aisladas
Too Like The Lightning es el primer libro de la serie Terra Ignota, que tiene lugar en una tierra futura en la que no existen los países como los que los conocemos hoy en día, sino que hay varios territorios, organizaciones e incluso familias que controlan diferentes aspectos de la vida diaria. Es una novela densa, que rara vez explica claramente los pormenores o razones de lo que pasa, por lo que hay algunas cosas que se entenderán hasta mucho después. Supongo que ese estilo de escritura es parte de la intención de la autora, pero en mi caso fue un obstáculo muy grande para disfrutar la novela, pues muy pocas veces llegaron a interesarme los dilemas de los personajes, y no me quedaron ganas de leer las otras 2 novelas de la serie.
- Anna B.Reviewed in Germany on August 27, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars deep and fascinating world, great caracters
I personally loved this book, as well as its sequel "Seven Surrenders". The world is deep and original and utterly fascinating with its cultures and politics and wonderful little details. The characters are interesting and lifelike, and most of them have unexpected secrets. That said, this book has its quirks (that worked very well for me, but might not for everybody). The narrator is Mycroft Canner, a reformed felon whose crime you only discover rather late into the book. Be warned, it is really bad and disgusting. Mycroft has a rather unique narrating style that I really liked, though it took a bit of time to get used to. Rather confusing is his unreliable use of personal pronouns for people. Apart from the world-building and politics and a little boy called Bridger that can animate toys, there are also very interesting discussions of religion, sex and gender in a world where these things are not lived publicly. I'd definitely recommend the book for people who like rather weird societies and political intrigues, and don't mind a rather flowery narrator. If possible though you should read the free sample of the book before buying it, if you like that you will like the rest of the book as well.
- Cliente AmazonReviewed in Spain on February 8, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book
The "head of zeus" edition is very nice, good paper and well done sizing. The book is just amazing. I started it "on faith" reading a few good reviews and I was blown away. It's a difficult book, for people with some backround in the humanities or a strong love for complex and multi-leveled stories. The reward for your trouble is one of the most original, compelling, philosophically witty and emotionally devastating science fiction books I have ever read. The only flaw is that, in some parts, it's excessively long and descriptive, with an attention to psychological details of minor and not all that interesting characters. The editor should have trimmed several parts to make it slimmer: I really didn't need that much information about Carlyle Foster, nor is he such an important character to the story. I liked the second and third books even better: they fortunately lack those 50-100 extra pages.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars A scifi novel of dense writing, allusions and philosophy that is utterly superb
This is a stunningly good novel, a social science fiction set in 25th century where people belong to 'bashes' - from the Japanese basho - clans where the similarity is in philosophy rather than national background, and religion is all but outlawed after horrific religious wars. There is a particular reverence for the European, particularly the French, enlightenment and the book, narrated by a servicer - a former criminal whose sentence is to serve the public - is written somewhat in the style of an 18th century novel, complete with regular direct addresses to the reader.
It is a very dense book - not so much in the language, although there are huge stretches of dialogue that are rather heavy - but in ideas and plot. While there are many overt references to great thinkers, from Rousseau and Diderot to de Sade - there are many more subtle, and I am sure many more that I will have missed due to a shameful lack of knowledge of the subject. Much of the plot revolves around the machinations of the more powerful bashes, with a large cast of characters, and brought to mind the politics of Frank Herbert's Dune books. Adding to the possible confusion of characters is a trend of several of the more politically important to be known by different names in different cultures, although the quality of the writing mitigates against this and it forms part of the cultural colour of the novel.
Also amongst the threads of philosophy and plot we grapple with crime and redemption, on learning the offences that lead Mycroft, our narrator, to lose his liberty. Another trope that reflects on an issue of our present is a fluidity of gender - indeed, a cultural belief that someone's gender is almost beyond the pale to mention.
This is a stunning achievement, a novel of depth and texture and simply wonderful writing. I almost can't wait for the second half of the story, although I think I may cleanse my palate with some lighter fare first.