Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire)

A fantasy story with virtually no underlying science or theories to support any of the technology that the story is based upon.

The author doesn't even attempt to explain the principles upon which any of the weapons systems described in the story might operate. The closest we get to an explanation are some vague references to calendars and mathematics.

If one excludes the speculative "technology", The Ninefox Gambit becomes an ordinary tale of political intrigue, conflict and magic. If you're a fan of fantasy then this might be worth a look but if you're a Sci-Fi fan, keep looking.

A lot of moving parts. A bit like walking through a carnival house of mirrors. The dense culture, and convoluted plotting combined to make it a challenge to "see" the story.

Worth exploring for its world-building, and (ultimately) for the plot developments. But, in the end, not quite as satisfying in character development. Curious enough about following books that I'd consider reading more.

Interesting story, with some odd mechanics and the occasional slightly absurdist touches of humour. Like all good sci-fi (or fantasy, for that matter) it did have an internal logic that gave it a twist. Good enough for me to want to continue reading the series, but not good enough for me to rush out to do so.

This book is like nothing I've ever read before. Even having read it, I'm not totally sure I really understood the world-building in it. The world is governed by the calendar of the heptarch, and any group that tries to change the calendar is labeled as heretics. Heretics are subject to being invaded by troops loyal to the heptarch, of which there are several factions.

At the beginning of the story Kel Cheris, who is a captain in the Kel infantry, is on the verge of reaching the objective of the battle she is fighting when her unit is recalled and Cheris is assigned to compete with others who outrank her to plan how to defeat the latest bunch of heretics that have taken over The Fortress of Scattered Needles. Cheris is also what we would call a math genius, which seems to be very important in this reality, and it is her plan that the heptarch chooses which places her in command of the invading force.

The book is well written and the characters of Kel Cheris and Jedao are deftly done. I had a little trouble really wrapping my head around the importance of the calendar and the differences between the canonical calendar and the heretical calendar; it all seemed to come down to numbers. And I didn't quite snap to WHY this should be the case, but maybe it was just me.

There is a sequel coming out, and since at the end of the book things were actually starting to make sense to me I'm curious to see where the author will take Kel Cheris.

It's interesting, yet hard to stay engaged with. There are so many (it seems to be) intentional avant-garde-type oddities per page that it is hard to connect with the characters.So while I'd give it a 4 -start review for it's intelligence, creativity, and quality of prose, I just found it too hard to engage the characters in order to achieve the type of escape that I...well...that I require even of the speculative fiction that I want to be intellectually challenging.

It entertained yet made me work to keep up. There were also several novel concepts introduced and classic ones twisted in such a way as to be new. One of the highlights for me were the emails written by one of the main enemies.

An fun exotic world with future society that has cooperating but somewhat rival factions with an interesting physics angle. May be somewhat of a Asian society allegory. All in all a fun sci-fi read.

with this book.

The most interesting idea of book (from my point of view) is undeveloped there, I mean human worldview directly affecting the real world. The story of a "mad" rebellious general is quite trivial to my mind.

A completely unexpected introduction to a world that operates under different rules. The story does one of those things for which make sci-fi/fantasy so enjoyable--it opens a window on an implausible alternate universe, then, through compelling characters and language, makes it completely believable.

Really enjoyed this. You are thrown right into the middle of a complex world with its own set of rules of physics -- totally different in content but similar in complexity and cohesiveness to Brent Weeks' Lightbringer world. But it all sorts itself out and becomes rapidly engrossing.

The writing itself is a pleasure -- engaging and challenging but stays out of the way of the characters and the story. Rare that I'm that happy with the language is a scifi work.

My only disappointment is that I have to wait a year for #2.

I should add that I bought this with my own $$$, not as an advance copy. I'm pretty happy with the purchase and would do it again with no hesitation.

Engaging, elliptical space opera. A revived, disgraced general teams with an obedient but insightful warrior during a time of rebellion against a fascist regime. A bit difficult at first, but truly rewarding.

It was a pleasant, and interesting change from your usual Sci-fi. It pushes your imagination, and makes you wonder where science might take our understanding (and manipulation) of reality. I'm looking forward to more.

Sorry, not sorry. Was told for best result to read this book twice. Barely staggered across the finish line once. Gibberish for much of the book. The universe building here was totally unconvincing to me. Cheris had such potential to be an effective character but she became incomprehensible.

This novel is a difficult but rewarding read. Interesting characters, and technology, however the central concept of "High Calendar Technology" is never really explained. It's a bit maddening, like someone describing a beautiful painting but never actually telling you what its a picture of.

The world of the Hexarche, and the fantastical concepts of weapons never before imagined, combined with societal structures so alien, but yet so human, challenges the well read 'sci-fi' reader. And impresses. Can't wait for book 2.

Having just finished a very predictable "us vs the bad guys" SF military effort by Jay posey this was a much more creative take on the genre...with its exotic zodiac based weapons and strategies it would make an excellent board game!

Utter pretense. What would be amateurish drivel becomes an insultingly time-wasting affront through utter self-seriousness. Pacing, character development, and imagery are all over the place, never congealing into a recognizable story. The vaunted universe-building is internally inconsistent and under-developed from a reader's perspective - that is, so many haphazard elements are slap-dashed together, never to be mentioned again, that the reader's attention and mental energy is continually abused, never rewarded.

Moreover, the "calendrical warfare", much ballyhooed, literally boils down to the following. I encourage you to read this sentence twice - "calendrical warfare" allows you to use weapons that cause visible numbers, that is, numerical characters to explode fountain forth from your targets, so long as the target keeps track of their days, weeks, and months in the same way that you do. The stupidity ingrained in that statement runs all throughout this trite pretender to high science fiction. There are probably a thousand side characters, none of them relatable or memorable. No coherent antagonist is developed. There are no stakes to any encounters, as the author's wildly undefined power scaling allows any and all outcomes from any situation. The author periodically introduces awkward, heavy-handed imagery and metaphors, as if recalling an admonition to do so every 5-10 pages, and be assured that these are the only types of imagery employed. Non-sequiturs in narrative and dialogue abound. The only character arcs attempted terminate inevitably in sappy melodramatic schmaltz that leave one dreading the next climax.

Do not be misled by the droves of fans insisting that their enlightened minds allow them to find in this gruel a supposed ambrosia. The novel's foreign author, vague prose, and progressivist themes make is rich ground for signalling about one's intelligence and refinement. There is no ambrosia. The emperor has no clothes. Go read "Hyperion" if you want a great high science fiction and interstellar war.

This was a fantastic scifi read. The author doesn't bother trying to give silly explanations of all the exotic technology, they just immerse you in it, and let you figure it out for yourself. Nice change of pace.

Do you enjoy space opera and having to piece together a fragmentary understanding of a language, society, and science with only context as your guide because that's what you'll get with this novel; and I mean only context because Yoon Ha Lee won't give you anything else. In some novels this disconnection and distance can assist you in focusing on the story and characters by relieving you of any ancillary burdens but in this book the story is so intertwined in the idea of calendrical whatever it became a distraction for me. It leaves you free to speculate and imagine how a calendar can have a profound impact on physics and politics but it does pull you away from the primary story and characters - which are intriguing but ultimately slightly disappointing. I enjoyed this book and do recommend it to anyone who enjoys 'fill in the blank' type writing but I think Yoon Ha Lee can do better. I plan on giving him the chance when the book is published.

Gargles the most awful tropes of science fiction without actually making any damn sense at all. Like listening to a little kid tell you about their favorite video game for an hour. Reading this is like listening to someone sing their heart out at karaoke without knowing the lyrics: might be fun unless you actually wanted it to mean something. Admittedly I did not get past the first couple chapters.

This was an absolutely original and creative work with real depth. More importantly, the characters were not willfully stupid to drive suspense (I've just finished wading through some sci fi schlock).

This may not be for everyone however - this is not your standard space marine book (I like those too). This has a very complex world that you are thrown right into.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!