Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota

Very engaging story and society, but I was disappointed with the lack of an ending. The book just stopped and basically you have to buy the second book to resolve any of the story lines introduced here. That's a non starter for me.

I knew absolutely nothing about Too Like The Lightning when I picked it up to read it (well, other than the fact that Tor had sent it to me, so it was presumably sci-fi or fantasy.) It's not often that I encounter books I know nothing about, and ever rarer that I end up really loving them, so it was a very pleasant surprise.

It's the twenty fifth century, and Earth has evolved into a kind of utopia where really fast flying cars have made the whole globe accessible, and nations are based on membership rather than geographical location. Our protagonist (as much as he likes to swear that he isn't the protagonist) is Mycroft Canner, a convict sentenced to spend his life being of use to people, and Too Like The Lightning is presented as an in-universe account of events written (mostly) from his point of view. He's also the protector of Bridger, a young boy who can seemingly make all his wishes come true and bring inanimate objects to life. When the house sheltering Bridger becomes the focus of a high-profile theft investigation, it kicks world-changing events into motion, and Mycroft is at the center of it all.

I'm not sure where to start – reading this book was like being drawn into a whole new world and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I had finished. I don't think I've encountered any future utopias that still involve humanity living primarily on Earth – there's Star Trek, but it involves spaceships and aliens. It seems ambitious because it fills in so many details of the world and how we got there from here. It's not entirely a utopia either, all writing is censored and labeled, the practice of religion is outlawed (it's instead been replaced by an order known as the sensayers, who are kind of like psychologists, philosophers, and priests combined, and talk to people about the existential questions that you can't outlaw), and distinctions between genders are not encouraged. And the people populating the world are different too, as you would expect from a world where scarcity wasn't much of an issue – still very much human, but with unfamiliar values and assumptions. I don't think I've encountered such a cohesive and fascinating world in a long time.

I found the writing somewhat pretentious at first. Mycroft is deliberately borrowing heavily from the style of eighteenth century French philosophy, and it seems somewhat incongruous. Plus, he has an irritating habit of occasionally pretending to be the reader reacting to the text. It probably doesn't help that he has a particularly sensational way of looking at the world sometimes – it's pretty clear that it's Mycroft's point of view and not the world itself, though. I got used to it though, in part because the people in the world do seem like real characters (probably because they have the time to be, not having to work all the time.) I'm sure many of the references to Voltaire and Diderot and the Marquis de Sade and Robespierre and the rest went straight over my head, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the book.

There's a pretty large cast of characters, the sensayer Carlyle Foster is probably the most prominent of them, but they're all very memorable. The book itself takes place over only three days, but a lot happens in those days – much of it talking (Too Like The Lightning is classified as political science fiction, so of course there's a lot of politics, which I always love), but none of it is boring. It helps that Mycroft has known most of these people for years and can give us comprehensive introductions to them. The author really takes advantage of the fact that it's presented as an in-universe book to give us information in a natural way. I can't say much else about the plot, it seems to move slowly at first, but there are major payoffs. Also, the book doesn't quite end in a cliffhanger, but you'll be glad that the next book in the duology, Seven Surrenders, comes out this year as well.

A couple of minor annoyances – like I said, the writing style bothered me for the while, and some things never stopped bothering me, like bringing up the national heritage of characters all the time as descriptors – for example both Thisbe Saneer and Bryar Kosala's hair was described as "thick Indian hair", I wish my Indian hair was thick! It just seemed like a shortcut to describing the characters, as well as tying the world to present Earth. Also, I guess it matches the eighteenth century France theme, but it seemed like everyone had weird sexual proclivities.

Too Like the Lightning takes place 400 years in the future, after humanity has reorganized itself into social polities, called hives, based on shared interests and abilities rather than countries of origin; as a consequence, humans tend to be happier and a great deal more productive. Furthermore, since the social factor that historically gave rise to the most wars has been outlawed, most people get along reasonably well. This is not a Utopian society; people still cheat, lie, steal, even murder, but most of them don’t have to spend their lives in a desperate struggle for survival, food, shelter, employment, or affection. Instead, they get to concentrate on friendship, family, play, creativity, achievements, and problem-solving.

It turns out that this future society is itself transitional. An unusual boy called Bridger is about to herald in radical changes and breathtaking new possibilities. Some might hail Bridger as a Messianic character; others as an expression of evolution who has the good fortune to survive the hazzards that so easily overtake children, especially the different ones. Bridger’s guardians include a fierce woman named Thisbe, a murder, and a living doll. The murderer, Mycroft Canner, is also the narrator.

The penance for crimes that rob the world of something irreplaceable, like a human life, is to become a Servicer, a sort of permanently indentured servant to the world at large. Mycroft has any number of skills that make him valuable to men and women who wield tremendous power, so he travels is rarified circles, but protecting Bridger is his self-imposed priority. To say that his various loyalties and obligations come into conflict is a huge understatement. The trouble starts when Mycroft is framed for the theft of a politically sensitive document, which brings the world’s most dangerous investigators right into Bridger’s home.

At the heart of Mycroft’s narrative is the mystery of why he is the most notorious murderer on the planet. Just how many people did he kill? Or who? And why, and how? The answers to these questions unfold like the petals of a poisonous flower.

Another crucial character is Carlyle Foster, himself something of a mystery that Mycroft sets out to solve. Carlyle is a Sensayer, a sort of self-imposed Servitor. Sensayers are not criminals; they prevent criminal behavior by providing a safety valve for the single most dangerous of human tendencies. Carlyle discovers Bridger by accident, but quickly becomes another of his guardians.

There are too many wonderful characters to name them all in a review. That said, I love the way Palmer introduces a warrior’s perspective in the form of the Major, with a chorus of fighter’ viewpoints from his squad. If wars are a thing of the past, how can there be soldiers? Well, that’s part of the surprise of the first chapter, so I’ll not give it away, but it’s ingenious.

One of the social groups – the least political, the least populous – is the hive of the Utopians. There is an interval in which the narrator describes their work, what motivates them, what they create, which may well be the heart of the novel. Utopians are not particularly well liked; they are often ostracized or targeted for violence, but they are the ones who make the advances that most benefit humanity. Plus the have really cool mascots.

Too Like the Lightning is a tour-de-force. Ada Palmer is a scholar, linguist, visionary, and master of literary devices. (She is also the composer-writer-chief performer of the amazing song cycle Sundown: Whispers of Ragnarok. Check it out.) She is a master because she serves what she loves: the art of storytelling, and stories themselves, that have a life of their own, but only live when someone gives expression to them. I have this image in my mind of Palmer at her computer, with 3 or 4 muses clustered around her: Calliope certainly; Clio, beside her; Thalia and Melpomene competing, perhaps, for the dominant voice and last word. Here’s the thing of it: when writers like Steven Brust and Robert Charles Wilson endorse a newcomer, you may be sure you are in for something truly special, for they simply would not give their word of honor on behalf of anything less.

I really enjoyed this book, with the exception of two elements, one minor and one tangential to the story but quite troubling in terms of race.

Before I discuss those elements, I want to talk about what I liked, because there is A LOT to like and I do highly recommend this book. The protagonist/narrator, Mycroft Canner, is a fascinating and mysterious character, who is keeping a lot back from the audience, but revealing just enough to tantalize. SPOILERS FOLLOW:

A (perhaps?) reformed serial killer, who is still protecting and in love with his partner-in-crime, he also takes care of a child with fantastic powers (this is ultimately more fantasy than sci-fi, despite the flying cars and sociology). He’s also mysteriously connected to a man who may just be the god of another universe. His narration is disturbing, sexually charged, and utterly compelling.

Other characters are also fun: the demure but brave Carlyle, who will not be intimidated when knowledge is at stake; Thisbe, a brash, non-stereotypical Indian woman; Saladin, the partner-in-crime, “liberated” and ruthless. I can’t wait for the sequel, Seven Surrenders, to find out what happens to them. And also to find out more of the backstory of Mycroft and Saladin’s victims–the little we are given whets the appetite.

The things I didn’t like–the description of members of the Asia-based Mitsubishi (a sort of “shareholder democracy” in a post-national world) is off. Their culture is more an extrapolation of well-known features of the classical past of East Asia than an extrapolation of where they might go in a few hundred years. I thought it was less well-done than the extrapolation of where Europe would go culturally.

What I really disliked, much more intensely, was that Africa is not really part of the “civilized world” in this future. There’s a “Great African Reservation” with warlords and borders, and though there are non-stereotypical black characters, they are based outside of sub-Saharan Africa. (For context, the other reservations are for religious groups such as Mennonites, Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists). I found this a troubling piece of worldbuilding and hope it is somehow explained or developed in a different direction in later books.

These reservations aside, it will be on my Hugo ballot this year and I will read the next one.

Three stars because I cannot make up my mind : one or five?

The good:
- great postmodern setup reminiscent of John Wright's best (Golden Age trilogy) (yes, I know, he has turned Scott Card bad since then...), neither an utopia nor a dystopia, just a (n in/)fortunate consequence.
- great, deep, complex, more than human characters.
- twisted and intertwined plots.
- good pacing and rhythm.
- true to its intended form...
- ... with a convention reversal twist in the person of the narrator. Candid is not so innocent when all is said and done ;-) Or not :-)
- Good Latin.

The bad:
- The "Toy Story" meets "Star Wars" meets "Matrix" angle. There should really be a quota on memes recycling. Seriously. Nothing new, everything recycled, it makes it all look like a green transhuman nightmare.
- Archetypisation. Ideologies are joyfully mixed with lifestyles in a top up expose that willfully ignores the steps between its top and its bottom even though intermediary conditions are part of the story.
- First book in a duo/trilogy with no clear cliffhanger and no clear characters' positioning. It makes it quite hard to review, even though you should get a somewhat clear idea of where it is all going (I know I am;-)
- A few pages of original+ translation Latin dialogues. Come on. It is quite irritating to read the same text twice (more or less). Masons should have been speaking Klingon, just for the lolz ;-)
- So so French.

The ugly:
- true to its intended form but ...
- ... while breaking the fourth wall was a staple, doing so repetitively soon makes it irritating. Expressively calling to the reader irritation makes it unbearable.
- Gender indetermination. My biggest peeve here actually. It worked for Ann Leckie for the readable/interesting part of her trilogy because primo it had no influence whatsoever and secundo it helped establish her main character as an asexual construct. But here Ada Palmer takes a wholly different approach that, while allowing her to deepen her world building, fully alienates the reader.

My main issue here is that I cannot recommend this book.
Or not recommend it.
It is quite original (and derivative...), erudite (and scholastic...), interesting (and cliché), irritating (and enthusing), oh so stylish (and oh so stylishly dated).

Definitely a period piece.
But are you a man of this time?
;-)'

This is unequivocally one of the most audacious and skillful books I have ever read. Enlightenment-era philosophy taken to its Utopia ideals in a future five centuries from now, with the Nation-state being a thing of the past and the entire world in commuting distance. A sprawling cast of people at the highest and lowest reaches of power, dark secrets, miracles, adultery, technological marvels, the sins of the fathers carried by their children, honour, torture. This book has everything.

There are a lot of bad things contained within "everything".

I was agog with delight while reading the first half of this book. I was enjoying it so much that there was no urgency to finish. It would be there waiting, and I could savour it a chapter or two at a time. Because I was reading an e-arc (thank you, Tor books!) I know exactly when that delight faltered. That was at the 56% percent mark, when I found out who our narrator was. I had known he was a convict, but due to some discussion around the Canner Device, I thought his crime had been privacy related. It was not privacy related.

Spoiler! Highlight to read. Our narrator is a rapist, torturer and mass murderer. He killed 17 people. He "made a list of the worst ways for a human to die and went through it systematically". /spoiler. So that put a dent in my leisurely perusal. I read straight to the end once that bombshell hit, and from then on it was just one dark reveal after another. The utopian system is on the brink of war, there are no happy marriages, eccentric brothers are trying to commit suicide several times a year, sexual assault is a regular factor of life for the powerless, a priest gives advice on torture, and everyone is a murderer. Basically, when the cover copy said "inspired by enlightenment-era philosophy," I should have thought harder about actual enlightenment-era philosophy.

The whole thing is masterfully done. A significant part of the joy I took in the first half of the book was how it uses a phrase I thought I understood (European, Humanist, Cousin) and then explains it a chapter later in such a way that makes me re-evaluate everything. Phrases, plots, and characters were introduced in one way and then BOMBSHELL everything you assumed is wrong. The technique continued (oh my word did it continue) in the later part of the book, I just didn't like the bombs any more. The whole thing is plotted like a chain mail vest.

So yes. I can't give this less than five stars, because it's audacious and actually pulls it off. I want to throw it at all my philosopher friends. I just don't know if I like it.

P.S. As I look at the cover copy again, I make a note to never read anything Tor describes as "dark and gritty".

I have the ability to read challenging, even experimental books. I was really interested in the world this author builds, for about the firs 80 pages, but then the world-building went on, and on, and on, and then about halfway through I realized I had just read 50 pages of stilted dialogue and analysis, that did little more than flesh out the diplomatic intricacies of this hyper-complicated world. It's like sitting through an EU summit of the far future. At first the unusual narrative form was interesting (an imagined running dialogue between the reader and narrator), but then it got kind of annoying and inconsistent. I abandoned the book, which is something I rarely do. This author is clearly very well read, has encyclopedic knowledge, and is also very interested in this bizarre and complex world she has imagined, but she lacks some basic story-telling skills, and her prose is not strong enough to compensate for that.

What a pretentious piece of crap! Shame on me that I didn't notice it was another "book one of ..." so I struggled through 429 pages hoping that somehow it would pull together and mean something. Grab a bunch of historical fact and fiction, throw it in the blender with some modern sci fi memes and toss in a little titillating porn and pour out the mess that is this book. Let's not forget the latest vogue - all the people in the future are non-specific in gender sometimes referred to is he in a dress, she in pants and they whenever it suits the author. Meh! such a poor attempt to be contemporary. Fortunately there is still still good sci-fi to be had but this isn't it. I'm not sure who reads this kind of writing and enjoys it - but it shouldn't be labeled as sci-fi or anything close to that. More like the sci fi version of Fifty Shades of Gray. Too bad I was forced to give it even one star for this review.

The beginning sets up a fascinating plot about a toddler who brings objects to life with his mind, then promptly abandons it in favor of a mind-numbingly intricate description of the politics of a future Earth. I read one-fifth of it, hoping that the next page would return to the story to the science fiction genre. As a work of speculative political fiction, I'm sure it's wonderful; but if you enjoy science fiction, steer clear of this one.

This is a complex novel that will reward rereading. It is not an easy read, especially at first. Fans of Gene Wolfe will appreciate the dedication that has gone into making this world. The prose is stylized, archaic, but well executed and brilliant. The digressions into philosophy are some of the cleverest and best parts of the book. The world culture is a fascinating thought-experiment.

Much as I enjoyed and appreciated Palmer's intriguing future society, I found the big reveal at the end deeply disappointing. This won't stop me from continuing to read the Terra Ignota works. Palmer seems to have quite a bit more to say about this world and the nature of the gods (or God) that rule it.

Very interesting novel with interesting and new ideas of a futuristic sosciety. The author is clearly well versed in the history and philosophy of the 18th century, and she makes very good use of that knowledge to enrich the novel, and of the novel to enrich the readers of her knowledge.

I went into the book knowing nothing about it. When I read the description I imagined a convict, a teacher, and a kid on the run. But no this is a more low key story with heavy political undertones. It's a very interesting read on what problems would be like in an utopian world, even minute ones.

Perhaps for a deep student of philosophy or history this would be not as new. But to me, it was an incredibly creative canvas of new ideas connected to old ideas. And certainly a variation on the starships in space which so dominate science fiction. Worth giving a chance!

Very complex and thought-provoking. Philosophical musings are very interesting but may be not to the liking of some. The only problem I had with it was the pacing: little is resolved after a whole book. There is a story, but the threads just keep multiplying.

Palmer spends a lot of time world building in this book but there is so much more at play. Enlightenment language and references, philosophy, some linguistic gender bending, Latin and more. Not necessarily action packed but still engaging and more of a political thriller in terms of story. Good read especially if you enjoy the academic aspects.

Be patient. Keep reading. The plot thickens and, just about the time you're ready to give up thinking it's never going to go anywhere, it takes off at breakneck speed. Can't wait to see how it's all going to end!

Well written story with a lot of thought behind it, not the normal boring shoot-em stab-em blow-em up plot lines so common now. The author has taken time to think about what the difference between our now, and what the future could and should bring. I will definitely get the second book when it comes out .

give it a hundred pages. the narration is difficult to grasp at first, what with all the fourth-wall breaking and assumption of the reader having all that context, but it's so worth the challenge, and the payoff is that much sweeter for the effort.

This book is challenging g too read - easy to gloss over the subtleties or be distracted by one's own reactions. I highly recommend this but invite you to push through the first quarter of the book...

One of the most ambitious debut novels I’ve read in years, Too Like the Lightning is a science fictional tale set on Earth in 2454. The prose is gorgeous and the ideas interesting, but I had some difficulty following the meandering plot and connecting with the characters. It sometimes read like an elaborate exercise in worldbuilding rather than a story, though I know many people who love this book and would argue that that’s the entire point.

Very engaging story and society, but I was disappointed with the lack of an ending. The book just stopped and basically you have to buy the second book to resolve any of the story lines introduced here. That's a non starter for me.

Book with interesting ideas ultimately about utilitarian vs Kantian world views contained in a story with a few compelling characters and others imperfectly developed. Overtop this some speculative social science writing on a future stateless world compelling in our neo blood and soil tumults at the start of this 21st; mystery story; perhaps less than truthful narrator with some plot twists. High stars for ideas over story, but worth the ride.

One of the most interesting novels I've ever read! The author builds an amazing world that I did not want to leave. I cannot wait to read the next book or find someone else who has read it to talk about it!

A mere dabbler in the sci-fi - fantasy genre (Asimov, Tolkien, Gibson, Donaldson, Stephenson) I was enthralled by Palmer's premise, characters and plot; all of which are nuanced, fertile and wildly unpredictable w/out getting mired in clutter or confusion. Palmer masterfully sets the stage for 'they're' ingenious Hive world w/ notables and notions that echo our own, but skewed into exquisitely extreme ideals born of a fanaticical fatigue with Faith and Fatherland. A crackingly original read; personalities that seared my heart, philosophies that boiled my brain and a page-burning plot.

What has happened is this: Since it takes place in the distant future, who can dispute what MIGHT be? Therefore, the author has carte blanche to throw the kitchen sink in if she wants. But she hasn't thought through the implications of this proposed world. It just doesn't work for me. The idea that Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau, largely unread today except for school assignments and by academics, cited by no one as guides to 21st Century policy decisions of any sort, should, 500 years from now, be of interest to anyone, let alone used as the basis for social policy, just isn't convincing. The result is one of those books where complexity is supposed to equal profundity. It doesn't.

A good, succinct summary of some of the book’s contradictions has been provided by another two-star reviewer, Estarianne:

“But the most annoying thing to me is that she built this great narrative around a post race and post gender civilization, and then obsesses over the race and gender of every character she introduces. 500 years in the future, apparently international travel is instant and people choose their "hive" identity, but people are still defined by their ethnic heritage- this one "pure Indian" and that one having "brown eyes from a Japanese grandmother" . . . Wouldn't brown eyes and Asian grandparents be the norm since China and India are currently the most populous countries and the white people have all gone mixed (light eyes being recessive)? And would people even describe them that way if China and Japan no longer exist as we know it? Why would racial mixing still be something people attend to at all?

“And while they supposedly don't have gender pronouns, the narrator analyzes every character's secondary sex characteristics to the last detail. This one is male-ish despite having breasts and hips. This one is androgynous even shirtless because there are women who change their bodies. The gender fluidity is an illusion as the narrator definitely zeroes in on sex.”

Religion is similarly confused. Open religious practice is out in this future society, but then the society is described as going overboard in providing individual counselling to everyone on just that subject – a clear public acknowledgment and ubiquitous reminder of the influence of religion. It’s a muddle and it’s just not convincing that such a society would cohere. Gene Wolfe is a lot better at this sort of thing.

Most unlike the lightning: the light shed by Ada Palmer's astonishing debut is a lasting sun-flood. I'm seeing things differently and I've only just begun digesting the book's ideas. I am torn between wanting to scream READ THIS WORLD, and wanting to give a measured description of the many ways in which it's actually quite a testing novel. In brief: virtuoso storytelling, world-building on the grand scale, and a cast of characters so vivid and multifarious that being in their company is almost as bewildering as it's pleasurable.

I am the same age as Jo Walton, who comments on the back cover that it's hard for a book to knock you sideways when you're a crusty old reader who thinks they've seen it all. (I'm paraphrasing). Sadly, this is true. I just do not expect any more that a novel will leave me as punch-drunk with delight as this one did, though I always hope for it. I will be very surprised if I read anything more exciting or intelligent this year.

"Too Like the Lightning" is a fascinating, unique, and philosophically rich vision of the future. Palmer's worldbuilding is top-notch, based on potential resolutions to instabilities and questions that we deal with in our present moment. Within this convincing setting, she weaves a story with unforgettable characters and an engaging plot. Absolutely worth the price of admission.

Be patient. Keep reading. The plot thickens and, just about the time you're ready to give up thinking it's never going to go anywhere, it takes off at breakneck speed. Can't wait to see how it's all going to end!

Interesting, but flawed. Very baroque narrative, multiple points of view. Suggestions of a fascinating world, if you have the patience to follow the breadcrumbs. Gave up when the end story started to develop a supernatural theistic back story.

The book starts slowly, but Mycroft is a compelling narrator. Palmer has a compelling approach to gender, sex, violence, and politics. The narrative radically gains steam at the end and i cannot wait for part two.

Deep and wonderful world building. I do have to say though, there’s a bit of naivety on the core premise of a “nation less” population just because people can travel all the time. Misses the deep psychological attachment of many humans to the place they were born - and assumes everyone is as jetset as folks living in cosmopolitan metro areas. She does not seem to account for the fact that vast majorities of people have no passport today and no interest in ever getting one.

The beginning sets up a fascinating plot about a toddler who brings objects to life with his mind, then promptly abandons it in favor of a mind-numbingly intricate description of the politics of a future Earth. I read one-fifth of it, hoping that the next page would return to the story to the science fiction genre. As a work of speculative political fiction, I'm sure it's wonderful; but if you enjoy science fiction, steer clear of this one.

Too Like the Lightning is a delightfully rigorous novel that explores the complexities of human thought. Each page is intellectually engaging and I would encourage readers to read with a keen eye. Simply revolutionary and breathtaking.

I am getting spoiled. Three of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy novels have come out in the past twelve months. It's an embarrassment of riches. Include Too Like the Lightning in that mix. It's tough to get into, but there are at least twenty characters that are interesting and do not fit into simple archetypes. Beautiful exposition on history and philosophy and some really great sci-fi style Big Ideas. Highest recommendation. I regret not waiting until the second half is out to start it as I want the rest immediately.

Reads like a primer on 18th century philosophy, dress and society, but incoherently transposed into the future. Little actual characterization or plot, less and less inclined to finish the book the further I go.