Great book with a tremendous dose of a very complex culture
349878
The book is an epic story covering a decade of tremendous change in China. The Irish hero is brilliant and hopelessly in love with a Chinese boat girl. His dedication to helping China is heartwarming.  After reading I felt like I had been on the battlefield beside him.
1775987
Set in the modern day Middle East, Alif is a young hacker who provides secure Internet services to those who may not fully conform to the strictures of a repressive government and a conservative Muslim tradition.  When the government comes after him, he goes on the run with his neighbor and childhood friend, Dina, a young woman who has embraced the Muslim traditions.

So far, this could be any on-the-run, coming-of-age story.  But it is not - in this enchantingly written book, we move between the seen and the unseen, a world of djinn, mystical creatures, powerful religious figures and the horrors of a modern repressive regime.

The language and imagery is beautiful, and you quickly fall into a belief in this strange world that exists in parallel to our own. In general, I am not a fan of fantasy/magic books, but here it feels natural and true.

An impressive must read.
1921353
I came across this book when I was researching gypsy culture (after reading Jan Yoors' "Gypsies").  The title and description caught my attention immediately - because it was an autobiography, by a Romani-Armenian woman from Soviet Union, who immigrated to USA (Los-Angeles) at the age of 15.  I also immigrated to LA (when I was 16), after living in several different countries - so I could definitely relate.

Once I started reading the book, it was impossible to put down.  It's a beautifully written coming-of-age story, with amazing glimpses into Romani culture. It's filled with very real life stories. Some are sad, some are funny - and the writing consistently remains authentic, personal and emotional.

There's travel tales and musicians, folk witchcraft, family drama, and history, and love, and adapting to a new culture.

I highly-highly recommend this book.
182834
This is a wonderful science fiction book that somehow managed to transport me into both the past and the future at the same time.
I love the differences between the worlds in this universe and how they mirror our own cultures and histories in so many ways.
The story is complex and exciting, leaving enough intrigue to pull you into the next book whilst still leaving you with the feeling of a compelte book.
The POV was strange for me at first, with it constantly shifting from one to the other at the drop of a hat, but Lyra somehow managed to do it without losing me or confusing me; it worked!
Overall, I love the worlds and their cultures, the characters and their individual stories, and I will be looking to read the rest of the series.

The reason this book didn't get a full five stars is twofold.
(1) The introduction was a bit too heavy for me. I know that it is a new universe and there is a lot that I need to know to understand what is happening, but I think it could have been spread out a little more through the book. I recommend this book, and I stress that if you do feel a bit overwhelmed with chapter 1, then please push on! It is so worth it!
(2) The second reason is that there is a lot of passion and emotion in this book, which is a good thing, but sometimes the passion came so hard and fast, between characters that had barely met, that I felt a little whiplash.
3012852
As a Turkophile enamored of the ideas and cultures in search of the Goddess, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. You will also dig it if you are interested in ethnic culture and symbolism, especially if you  also like rugs and/or weaving or empowerment of women in the old/third world. If you don't care about any of that, you might not get this book or like it. I cannot honestly say its literary virtues are mighty enough to pull readers in who don't already share that stuff.
92125
An extremely well written, thoroughly researched and exceptionally well laid out story of a culture and crime few people have ever seen in depth. I learned a great deal about the culture though this vicious story with insight from the surrounding community. The author knows the story so well, I could not stop reading.
97835
This is a very important and complex book. Having lived within religion based violence all my life this book provides some clear headed and deep views. The author, though being a Rebbe, shows a deep understanding and knowledge in all three monotheistic religions (not to mention an impressive depth in western philosophy and thought) and more than that- a fair minded and honest approach to each of them.
It is a very complex read...not easy and long winded at times, but well worth it.
3044042
Ryan Brown has produced a book featuring a profound strain of culture that many people are simply unaware of, and yet, from having grown up steeped in the ethos he writes about myself, I can say without hesitation, that its simply not possible to fully understand American culture, unless one understands this subject, as he has so skillfully presented it. Moreover, it is not often that I read a work by a member of academia with such a crisp and contagious sense of humor.

This is a very important book that comes at a very important time, a time when misunderstanding the smoldering existential angst, in many parts of the country will exact some great costs, if we are not fully aware of the causes. While this book is not about politics, per se, the political implications for misreading the public anxiety described herein is enormous.  Honor Bound is highly recommend reading.  I would give it more stars if they were available.
2630276
"Portraits of a Marriage" by Sandor Marai is the autopsy of a marriage (and thereby a culture as well) from three perspectives--the first wife's, the husband's, and the first love's (and second wife's).  Each tells the tale of their interlocking lives with some detachment, and uses their tale to comment upon their society at the same time.  Much of this work is simply brilliant--you can watch the Austro-Hungarian Empire crest and then crumble as you read.  This is a dense work, and difficult to begin, but once in, I was hooked.  Mr. Marai was a fantastic writer and social commentator, as this and his other works show...please keep those English translations coming!
1718952
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written book of cultural pride and celebration, and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.  Understanding different cultures is not only essential to breaking down  barriers, but downright enyoyable.  Having traveled in many different  countries around the world, my capacity and desire for cultural enrichment  and experience never ceases.  I find it sad that a culture so young, yet so  old surrounds us but is not nearly as well understood as those on other  continents.  The youth and confusion of this culture stems from a very  embarassing moment in this countries history; the age of it harkens from  mysterious Africa.  This book delivers a profound message from a woman  willing to share her experiences.  I found it did me a tremendous amount of  good and left me yearning for more in fully understanding the richness of  the fabric from which it was woven.  I look for more from this author!
418960
North American readers of overseas mysteries, I think, are looking for a fresh view of the world and a description of life and cultures elsewhere, all in the context of a crime that must be resolved. Eliot Pattison's work in this book and others is certainly the most intense of these cultural mysteries, in that not only are the locales much different from the norm, but so, too, are the many cultural crosscurrents that gird the stories. It makes for a fascinating reading experience, but also, for those of us who are not up to speed on Tibetan, Uighur or Kazak cultural and spiritual beliefs, and occasionally difficult experience.

Some critics have wearied of Pattison's continual references to Chinese subjugation of peoples in these territories. And we certainly do get the point--these are areas that have been occupied by China, often, or perhaps usually, brutally. I don't doubt those aspects of these stories, and they serve to frame the attitudes of characters who are trying to maintain their cultural and national identities, as well as those characters that are cloaked in the attitudes of oppressors.  Certainly, hearing that can get old, but that reality is very much a part of the mysteries that the main character must solve.

I highly recommend this book and others by Pattison. Just be prepared for the challenge of them.
1952757
Exactly the kind of high-concept, unfamiliar-territory kind of book I love most. Its not for every reader, to be sure, but it is very definitely for this one.

(Do be warned, though, that this book is quite brutal at points. Trigger warnings galore. These are by no means the core of the book, but that makes them doubly jarring when you do reach them.)

Ive accumulated Many Thoughts about this book, but a few central notes:

---

 At the level of sheer storytelling craft, Palmer is astounding. She makes the story do mid-air acrobatics here, and pulls it off.

 This book is a masterpiece of worldbuilding, and of exposition for that worldbuilding. Palmer excels at creating intriguing questions and promises; questions that are just begging to be answered. And every question she answers raises a new question, one layer further. (I hope she can keep it up to the finish, but so far shes done admirably with the answers as well.)

 Fantastic, fantastic ideas and themes. I particularly love the idea of sensayers, which the book opens with  its a complete reworking of the ideas of religion and theology. In many senses, some of what this book does is create a functioning future culture which is founded on very modern values: individualism; equality; global community. In the real world, our values sometimes feel at odds with a culture founded around less-recent principles. A world trying to extrapolate the kind of culture we might bring about is strange, unique, and fascinating.

 The novel leans on heavily stylized voice, and constant conversation with the reader. I absolutely loved it. I do suspect, though, that some readers will find this less delightful than I did. Its one of those books where you should really read the first couple of chapters as a sample; itll be a love-it-or-hate-it situation. I loved it.

 This is Part 1 of a duology. It cuts off very abruptly  with a reasonable stopping point, but abruptly nonetheless. I was a little shocked to realize I was two chapters from the end of the book.

 The audiobook narrator, Jefferson Mays, is excellent. Best reader Ive had the fortune to encounter so far. Incredibly expressive, a huge range for representing an epic and diverse cast of characters, never over the top, and makes even the narrative (and typographical!) gymnastics flow naturally. (I understand the printed book has some typographical tricks I probably missed in the audio, but somebody else will have to weigh in on those :P )
1225493
While it has a pretty steep difficulty curve (by which I mean it will be a little difficult to understand at first), this is a dense and deep story about the human spirit, stagnation, and a lot of other great themes that I don't need to list.  While this is far-future science fiction, it almost reads more like a fantastical myth than science fiction, and in fact is based on one of the ancient myths (hint: the protagonist's name).

If you peruse the first few pages of this book, don't be put off by the jargon.  Yes, the book starts out a bit slower than many other pop-sci fi books would, and yes it can be difficult to grasp what's happening, but the little bit of work you put in up front will be worth it.  If you like fantasy (real fantasy, not the modern schlock), sci-fi or even just great story telling then this book is definitely for you.  I imagine it has had a hard time finding a very mainstream audience due to the seemingly inaccessible use of language, which is a shame because this is one of the best books I've ever read.

On that note, Phaethon is probably one of the best characters I've ever read.  His strength-of-will in the face of any opposition and even temptation kept me completely hooked on the story.  He's not the only great character, but I don't want to get too wordy so I'll avoid giving a description of my other favorites.

I can't think of too much negative to say.  There's some pacing problems.  I just started the second book, but I'm not sure really what the details of all of the technology are.  For all I know, there are major inconsistencies or even plot holes, but since I don't completely grasp this distant culture's technology I can't be certain.  But, I feel like I don't need to get it 100%.  Sure I could read it slower and really study it out, but the story is what hooked me and all of the sciencey jargon is just a backdrop for the great story and characters.

You probably won't like this book if you're really into the dour, nihilistic sci-fi of yesterday (such as Neuromancer - which is a great book, but can be kind of a bummer).  If you prefer hopelessness you won't find that here.  This book is about big ideas and while it does deal with negative themes, in the end it's uplifting if only to see people who haven't crumbled under the weight of those negative things.

I'd say give it a chance.  You may not love it, but I can't imagine anyone walking away from this saying, "That was a horrible book".  I can only see some people saying, "Well, that wasn't my cup of tea."
3508406
One of the most deeply moving books I've ever read -- and one that makes as much sense to me as any I've read.  It will stay on my shelf forever.  It's a criticism of the culture we've created.  It encompasses so many things -- all the things that make up our living during this time on this planet:  spirituality, philosophy, paradigm shift, environment, nature, indigenous people, alternative living, Native American cultures, social criticism, technology...  A book to be read over again from time to time.
4138166
I found this book fascinating. It's a great story set against an anthropological backdrop I didn't know existed.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because there were a couple of characters that I kept getting mixed up, and the prose sometimes got so deep I felt like I had been separated from the story.

I can't even describe it...just a rich, rich story.
1246702
I loved this book. It was well researched and beautifully written. It gave insight into the values, beliefs, and socialization of an ancient culture of people and their respect for mother earth. There is a lot to learn from this work because it is of yet another culture torn apart by colonization.. A great read.
186509
This is one of the best books I've read in years, and I read a lot.  A complex story, told from the points of view of three very different people from the same neighborhood whose lives intersect in subtle but important ways.  It's hard to understand the negative reviews that say issues were unresolved.  The issue of who the murderer is was resolved at the very end, subtly, as is the case with all the other issues in this fascinating book.  You have to use your mind and think while you are reading this, as you have to do with all good literature.  I will remember these characters and their stories for a long, long time.