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roadtripreader 's review for:

Detonation Boulevard by Alastair Reynolds
3.75
adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didn't even have to suspend disbelief - humans would definitely install racetrack circuits connecting to otherplanets and moons if (when) we manage to take off from earth without a hitch

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Sixty hours driving?! I can't even deal with a 40 minute drive. And that (besides lack of racing talent) is why I am no schoemaker or Raikkonen. Zimmet and Catling on the other hand, talk about insane, courageous, ludicrous and entertaining.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Felt like I was in the crowd, snacks in hand, cool beverage splashing out the bottle. Cheering as Shogi made it past the geyser, exclaiming in horror as Mittendorfer was blown out the sky, sighing in relief as his ejection pod activated and standing ovation when the winner eventually got onto the pidium.

It was thrilling.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
Zimmer the "Almost-Machine" pleading with Cat Catlin in the middle of a crater in the heart of Detonation Boulevard.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “winning on Io mattered more than anywhere else in the system. It might not be the race that decided a tournament, but it was the one that forged legends.” (Catling on Jupiter's moon)
🖤 “The future only existed as far as the next corner, the next breaking zone.” (Rufus on time)
🖤 “The sponsors liked an underdog. They liked a winner even more.A Good Samaritan? Not so much.” (Catlin on bravery)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■Space Sponsors and Advertising
■ Ejection Cockpit pods.
■Consciousness-management neural mods. I need one yesterday.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025