Helpful Score: 3
Science Fiction Book of the Century?! Maybe..., January 7, 2006
Reviewer: Pugs (San Francisco, CA)
Underappreciated science fiction masterpiece; on par with Dune or Foundation. Probably the most ambitious exercise in imaginative world-creation ever attempted; Wingrove manages to pull it off with ease. But what really sets Chung Kuo apart is that it is so entertaining while still grappling with important religious, social, historical and philisophical issues. Jump in, and be prepared for a wonderful ride that you will not soon forget.
Reviewer: Pugs (San Francisco, CA)
Underappreciated science fiction masterpiece; on par with Dune or Foundation. Probably the most ambitious exercise in imaginative world-creation ever attempted; Wingrove manages to pull it off with ease. But what really sets Chung Kuo apart is that it is so entertaining while still grappling with important religious, social, historical and philisophical issues. Jump in, and be prepared for a wonderful ride that you will not soon forget.
Helpful Score: 2
This book is HUGE. The futuristic, dystopic world drawn is intense and complex, interesting and ... repulsive at times. The characters are both various and also complex, like the world itself. I loved the futuristic side of this book, as well as the complexity and the multiple conflicts, but I could have done without the graphic sexuality. It kept me from reading the rest of the series, which I'm sure are equally fascinating.
