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Vast
Linda Nagata Book Review

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Plot Summary of Vast
"Linda Nagata's fiction is rich, full, and complicated. It is highly to her credit that she can pack a book as densely as she does and still keep it readable.

Of course, this makes the plot almost impossible to describe - suffice to say, four people, part of the tattered remnants of humanity, go in search of the Chenzeme - an alien race 30 million years gone, who nonetheless are the killers of the human race. "

Ivy, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Vast
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 60%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - search for identity/new understanding
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - explorer
Age: - long lived adults
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading - mind control - can read emotions
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
Age: - long-lived adults
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount

Setting
Spaceship setting: - alien spaceship - a space station - futuristic human freighter/transport
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - actual description of sex
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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