Anyway, I suppose I share the sentiments of my fellows about the length of the book; a lot of drawn out technological explanations contributed to it, but what else are you expecting with space opera? The convoluted names of everything [deepness isn't just in the sky with stuff named the Unthinking Depths. the Beyond and the Transcend], the scope of the plot, the conflict between different groups, a bit of familial drama, sinister illness, the future of an entire species hanging in the balance; all of these have evolved to be very stereotypical of space opera. I guess the over abundance of tech-talk went the way of Episode I [midichlorians anyone?] and can tend to do a lot to demystify a good experience.
However I think that the intensity of the plot is enough to balance out the denser parts of the book, once you plow through it.
2 comments:
I always thought that if I wrote about a high-technology world that I'd explain everything as best I could, but I realized something after reading this book: if there's a speeder bike, I'd rather know about how awesome it is to ride one than about how it works.
Frankly I believe that if a writer wasted time trying to explain some vastly complex or even simple technology, than the book would begin to dull. The reader(at least me anyway) cares more about the characters and the story about the technological elements of it. I think a quick, simple description with little extra hints as the story progresses would do the trick. I mean when it comes to science fiction, chances are there are plenty of new and exciting technolgies that if you started trying to explain, you'd never get around to continuing the plot. My philosophy- Story and characters come above all. Unless some technology is the cause of some major element in the bood, then maybe flesh that out a little. Other than that, concentrate on Jane and John.
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