Book Review: Among Others by Jo Walton

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Among Others by Jo Walton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Among Others felt less like a fantasy novel to me and more like a very long personal tribute to sci-fi. There is a lot to like about the book (which I trust you have already read in other reviews) such as the fantastic writing by Jo Walton, the complex characters, and the "soft fantasy".

However, there is plenty that I equally disliked and unfortunately at times my dislike overpowered the positives. Any lover of SF can appreciate the author's love affair with LeGuin and Silverberg. I too felt some excitement that it was integrated into the story. Sometimes it felt like way too much though. I especially disapprove of the fact that numerous spoilers were included in the story of books I intended on reading. Granted, most are considered "classics" which people may argue have been spoiled by plenty of others in the past. However, it still troubles me.

I also felt that the light sci-fi/fantasy was perhaps a bit too light. Most of the book was just a well-written teenage girl's journal. I read enough of those when I snuck into my sister's rooms decades ago. I wanted an escape - real fantasy or SF.

Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic. Clearly there are multitudes of people who loved the way this story was told. I just didn't feel like there was much of a story. The climax didn't so much climax as simply distract from a lull in the story.

I am almost offensively shocked by people who have compared this book to Ready Player One (probably my favorite book). There is simply no comparison between the two. I felt very little nostalgia or excitement in Among Others, something that ran rampant through RPO.

This is definitely a book for those passionate about SF but who don't expect to find much of it in the story.

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