Lavie Tidhar is one of my favorite write and he could write a shopping list and my review would sort of “tought provoking, gripping, original, entertaining”. I love his alternate historical novels, his fantasy novels, and his work as editor of world sci-fi anthologies.
That said NEOM is a great story, it made me think of a mix of dream and dystopia. A place for the young and rich which is not far from the reminder of a far away past.
A novel that kept me reading, moved me to tears for an old automaton being destroyed, love the characters.
I enjoyed it, found it entertaining but it also made me think as the descriptions of NEOM are so similar to those of our world.
It can be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend to read Central Station to appreciate all the nuances of this story
I strongly recommend it, many thanks to Tachyon Publications for this digital copy, all opinions are mine