Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota‪)‬

Intellect without coherence, too strange for me

This book is deeply (and deliberately) strange in a way that sets it apart, for both better and worse. I gave up at roughly 80% into it. I believe many readers will struggle to enjoy this novel, but those who like what it’s doing will be delighted. It is so incredibly odd that it must be a rare joy to find for those who truly appreciate it.

What is it? A fascinating sci-fi setting rich with culture and philosophy. A vision of Earth grown to a new era, matured past many modern concerns to newer, more “enlightened” perspectives. Gender, religion, nation, and career have all shifted enormously. Many of these developments are quite thought provoking, and their discussion is perhaps the greatest strength of this book.

Speaking of enlightenment, this book has a deep love of 18th century French philosophy. These futuristic ideas are tied back to those long dead thinkers’ writings. If you are into those- particularly Voltaire’s- this book has much to offer you. If you are not, it can feel like the author is perhaps a little hyper focused on them. Personally, I enjoy philosophy but am not much familiar with Voltaire and the other French enlightenment big names, and felt it hard to follow. Since when can someone speak of “the philosopher” so much and give no credit to any Greeks? This doesn’t make it bad, just very niche.

You may have noticed I referred to this as a setting, rather than a story. I should clarify- there is a plot, or several, and the reader will eventually get to learn more about them… just hold on, we have another character entering the stage, with a half page spent describing their outfit, more on their history, an aside where the narrator accuses the reader of something, and then a we need to swap over to an entirely different plot line that is also a swamp to wade through. When you next see the character, they may be referred to by a different name, so you had better be paying attention literally all of the time.

My apologies for the sarcastic rant there, but that general kind of thing happens enough that, if it is unwelcome to the reader, it becomes extremely tiresome. So much of this world and its ideas are genuinely very clever, and I want very badly to enjoy the book. Then I try again, and it is a miserable experience.

I am convinced this author is a very clever one, with an incredible talent for exploring ideas. My conviction was only strengthened after learning what comes next (After conceding that I would not finish the book, I asked my friend who recommended it for spoilers for it and its sequels). So much of what is in these novels sounds amazing, and worth deep thought.

Unfortunately, I find the book too painfully alienating to enjoy or give full credit to. These interesting ideas are so pretentious at times as to be insufferable. Their sincerity felt ever more questionable the more I learned. The narrator of the whole book repeatedly picks fights with the reader and distracts from the whole thing. The plot is so slow and so weird that I don’t care enough to stay.

All that said, this book is great for the right people- but it’s too niche for me.