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That was just really good. Looking forward to the next book. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you are a science fiction fan, it'd be hard not to be drawn in to the setting, a planet-sized spaceship built by an unknown culture. Add to the ship's origin mystery some mysteries about the effect that near-immortality has the human psyche and this time-spanning, galaxy-spanning novel provokes some deep philosophical thoughts. Some reviews knock the characters in the book, but I felt the characters were delineated and served the plot well. While they are basically immortal, they still exhibit many of the characteristics that make us all human - jealousy, rage, love, fear. It appears there are more books and stories set in this universe. I'll be checking them out. ( )

Marrow is a book full of surprises - I think of myself as a hoary and cynical sci-fi reader, whom nothing can surprise anymore, and so I'm delighted when a book proves me wrong. Marrow is the story of a giant mystery inside an equally giant ship, discovered empty by humans billions of years ago, left in the galaxy by persons and for reasons unknown. Just as you start to get a sense of what shipboard life might be like, you're plunged into something quite different. Reed writes an excellent page-turner, with characters that are rather unsympathetic - too cold or too soft - the kind of issue that normally would prevent me from liking a book very much. But here, the plot was so gripping, I ended up feeling the book was a great read. My only other criticism would be one for which I don't have a solution - in order to accomplish certain plot points, the events take place over vast expanses of time. Centuries can be spanned in a few sentences, which could feel artificial - but either he did that, or changed other things to happen in an impossibly quick time, which would also feel artificial. I think many readers of science fiction will enjoy this one, and anyone who loves a good mystery and a lot of ambition. ( )

One of my absolute favorites! I have reread this book.

It's just hard, high science fiction. I'll think about it more and attempt to describe it better later. Near-perfect! ( )