Book Review: Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams

Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book reviews.

Whoa! Implied Spaces is one of those books that hooked me right from the beginning as Williams's writing is compelling. The first noticeable thing is that the book is a lot of things: a high fantasy adventure, a mystery, and as what the cover might imply, a sci-fi novel (the first few pages made me start doubting whether I got the right book or not)--and Williams excels in all of those areas. Implied Spaces transitions from one mode to another seamlessly and works within its context. Science fiction fans will also appreciate Williams's nod to what's come before him although some might perceive this as a bit cheesy. The highlight of the book for me is the writing style: it's simple yet mesmerizing. The author also knows when to end a chapter and it's a roller coaster ride moving from one section to another. Overall, I'm a big fan of adventure fantasy and while that's the aspect that immediately hooked me (so fantasy fans afraid to dabble into sci-fi might want to give the book a look), Implied Spaces is so much more (sci-fi fans will want to hang in there!) and is a provoking read. Fun and exciting all throughout, easily recommendable to anyone who has an appetite for adventure.

Rating: 3.5/5.

Rating System:

1 - There are better ways to spend your time.
2 - Ho hum books, usually typical of its genre. Probably only recommendable to die-hard fans.
3 - A cut above the rest, usually with one or more elements that sets it apart from the norm.
4 - Highly recommended and is easily a pioneer of the genre.
5 - A classic or it will be.