-still incredible but it feels like the author didn't expect to have to write this sequel at all and kind of starts dropping plot bombs with no warning towards the end, resulting in the greatest chain of deus ex plot twists ever in literally the last 100 pages or so -the climax is earthshattering and insane but then the ending is confusing and underwhelming. still giving this 4 out of 5 stars for sheer scope and richness of story

-incredible. the author must have been on salvia the entire time as he clearly has whatever the opposite of aphantasia is. -equal parts sadomasochistic both physically and emotionally. gave me massive psychological damage. what is this book even about -each of the seven stories is incredible but the scholar's tale is something extra. i am rarely moved to tears by stories... this one was an exception. special shoutout to the tale of the priest, which is a special form of horror about the worst ethnographic trip known to the human species. -the author really excels in subtle worldbuilding. several throwaway sentences about the fate of the planet earth, illegal floating technologies, even the nature of the political dynamics between the governing forces are almost more intriguing than the main plot.

way too mundane for what is happening in the story

the plot is fine but it's written in such an annoying, insufferable style that it's barely readable

-would you rather live in a world where contact with aliens is never made, or a world where an alien signal is received and the top scientific minds in the world are sent to the nevada desert to ponder the signal for 2-3 years only to come away without conclusions? -more of a series of thought experiments than a coherent sci-fi book -if the ending is inconclusive, that's the whole point -i was regularly screenshotting quotes and passages from the first half. no one has understood the struggle of extracting facts from research and described it quite as well as my man stanislaw. i wish i read this in time to quote it in my thesis