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Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota (Terra Ignota, 1) Paperback – January 24, 2017

by Ada Palmer (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,713 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
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From the winner of the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Ada Palmer's 2017 Compton Crook Award-winning political science fiction, Too Like the Lightning, ventures into a human future of extraordinary originality

Mycroft Canner is a convict. For his crimes he is required, as is the custom of the 25th century, to wander the world being as useful as he can to all he meets. Carlyle Foster is a sensayer--a spiritual counselor in a world that has outlawed the public practice of religion, but which also knows that the inner lives of humans cannot be wished away.

The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labelling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world's population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competion is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.

And in this world, Mycroft and Carlyle have stumbled on the wild card that may destablize the system: the boy Bridger, who can effortlessly make his wishes come true. Who can, it would seem, bring inanimate objects to life...

Terra Ignota
1. Too Like the Lightning
2. Seven Surrenders
3. The Will to Battle
4. Perhaps the Stars

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  1. Book 1 of 4
    Terra Ignota
  2. Print length
    448 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 24, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.15 x 9.15 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0765378019
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0765378019
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Previous page
  1. I am the window through which you watch the coming storm. He is the lightning.
    Highlighted by 368 Kindle readers
  2. Man is more ambitious than patient. When we realize we cannot split a true atom, cannot conquer the whole Earth, we redefine the terms to fake our victory, check off our boxes and pretend the deed is done.
    Highlighted by 311 Kindle readers
  3. Sade warns that he who would use Reason as a key to open one door opens many, and he who would make Reason a scythe to fell injustices must beware what else the blade might cut.
    Highlighted by 264 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Book 1 of Terra Ignota, Too Like the Lightning

“Bold, furiously inventive, and mesmerizing…It’s the best science fiction novel I've read in a long while.” ―Robert Charles Wilson

“More intricate, more plausible, more significant than any debut I can recall…If you read a debut novel this year, make it Too Like the Lightning.” ―Cory Doctorow

“Astonishingly dense, accomplished and well-realized, with a future that feels real in both its strangeness and its familiarity.”―RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

"The Terra Ignota books are is the kind of science fiction that makes me excited all over again about what science fiction can do.” ―Jo Walton

“Excellent.” ―Craig Newmark

Praise for Book 2 of Terra Ignota, Seven Surrenders

“A breathless and devious intellectual page-turner, Seven Surrenders veers expertly between love, murder, mayhem, parenthood, theology, and high politics. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.” ―Max Gladstone

“A breathless and devious intellectual page-turner, Seven Surrenders veers expertly between love, murder, mayhem, parenthood, theology, and high politics. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.” ―Max Gladstone

"Wonderfull 18th-century style narrative voice....a richly and highly sophisticated novel that calls for repeated re-readings." ―SFRevu

"The eloquence ofPalmer's reflections on social issues cannot be denied." ―Library Journal, starred review

"Palmer crafts one of the most compelling narrative voices around in describing this impossible, fascinating and plausibly contradictory world." ―RT Book Reviews, 4-1/2 stars

“Devastatingly accomplished…An arch and playful narrative that combines the conscious irreverence of the best of 18th-century philosophy with the high-octane heat of an epic science fiction thriller.” ―Liz Bourke

“Palmer proves that the boundaries of science fiction can be pushed and the history and the future can be married together.” ―Publishers Weekly

Praise for Book 3 of Terra Ignota, The Will to Battle

"It is increasingly clear that we are in the hands of a new master of the genre....There's a resonance and richness to the Terra Ignota series that is like almost nothing else being written today." ―RT Book Reviews, 5 stars

"Innovative, mesmerizing and full of fun. Ada Palmer lets her imagination weave a truly great political science story in an imagined world – full of lessons from real-world history." ―Washington Book Review

"One appreciates the wry humor and the ingenious depth of her worldbuilding. The interplay between reader and narrator is especially enjoyable." ―Publishers Weekly

"Any reader who has ever thrilled to the intricate machinations of the Dune books, or the Instrumentality tales of Cordwainer Smith, or the sensual, tactile, lived-in futures of Delany or M. John Harrison... will enjoy the mental and emotional workout offered by Palmer’s challenging Terra Ignota cycle." ―Locus

"This series is one the best things that has happened to science fiction in the 21st Century and I can’t hardly wait to see where Ada Palmer is going to take us with Perhaps the Stars." ―SffWorld

About the Author

Ada Palmer (she/her) is a professor in the history department of the University of Chicago, specializing in Renaissance history and the history of ideas. Her first nonfiction book, Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance, was published in 2014 by Harvard University Press. She is also a composer of folk and Renaissance-tinged a cappella vocal music on historical themes, most of which she performs with the group Sassafrass. She writes about history for a popular audience at exurbe.com and about SF and fantasy-related matters at Tor.com. Too Like the Lightning was her debut fiction book.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books; Reprint edition (January 24, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765378019
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765378019
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.15 x 9.15 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 1,713 ratings

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Ada Palmer

Ada Palmer

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Ada Palmer is an author of science fiction and fantasy, a historian, and a composer. Her first science fiction series "Terra Ignota" (published by Tor Books) mixes Enlightenment-era philosophy with traditional science fiction speculation to bring to life the year 2454, not a perfect future, but a utopian one, threatened by cultural upheaval. Ada Palmer studies the long-term evolution of ideas and the history of religious radicalism, science, and freethought, especially in the Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Classical Greece and Rome. She teaches in the History Department at the University of Chicago, and did her Ph.D. at Harvard University. She composes close harmony folk music with mythological, science fiction and fantasy themes, and performs with the a cappella group Sassafrass. She also studies the history of manga anime, especially the "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka, blogs for Tor.com and writes the history/philosophy blog ExUrbe.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,713 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They describe it as imaginative, vividly portraying a different world. Many find the story entertaining and rewarding. However, opinions differ on the novel quality, with some finding it intriguing and spellbinding, while others feel the characters are not believable as future humans. There are mixed reviews regarding the writing quality, with some finding the writing stellar and the pacing excellent, while others mention awkward plot lines and self-conscious narrators.

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Thought provokingImaginationEntertainment valueNovel qualityWriting qualityCharacter developmentComplexityPacing
71 customers mention "Thought provoking"64 positive7 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They appreciate the clever storytelling and well-developed world. The book explores philosophical themes while exploring human culture and ideas. Readers praise the clever infusion of knowledge as part of the great unfolding story.

"...The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge..." Read more

"...Overall- an intriguing and thought provoking read that I'd definitely recommend to anyone interested in any of the many things I've mentioned above." Read more

"...crafted, a lovingly shaped book chock full of strange ideas, incidental concepts and a lush future history...." Read more

"...Or not recommend it. It is quite original (and derivative...), erudite (and scholastic...), interesting (and cliché), irritating (and enthusing)..." Read more

51 customers mention "Imagination"41 positive10 negative

Customers find the book imaginative and engaging. They appreciate the vivid writing that depicts a different world with an array of unusual characters. The characterization is stylized and creative, though some readers find it inconsistent. Overall, they praise the beautiful, vibrant, and whimsical world that the characters inhabit.

"...The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge..." Read more

"...Toys and pictures come to life, cures and food made from paper. Mycroft has some sort of master plan for Bridger, but what is it?..." Read more

"...feel, certainly contribute to the way the story is told, giving the reader a personal, ground-level look at the secrets and intrigues that drive the..." Read more

"This is one the most richly textured, sophisticated, imaginative and baffling novels I have read, and it's in the layered, evocative vein of Miéville..." Read more

20 customers mention "Entertainment value"15 positive5 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They describe it as an amazing, rewarding read that keeps them hooked until the end. The story is described as refreshing and stimulating science fiction that invites readers to engage with the characters.

"...into the space the story was using, the novel flowed and kept me engaged until the end. The time is the mid-2450s...." Read more

"...references to philosophies and historical figures that can give you hours of diversion online...." Read more

"...This book evoked nothing but feelings of confusion and apathy, and I had reached the limits of my endurance...." Read more

"Profoundly weird. Profoundly intellectual. This was one of the most fun, philosophical sci-fi novels I've read in a while...." Read more

121 customers mention "Novel quality"77 positive44 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it engaging with subtle plot twists and an energy-filled narrative set in the future. Others find the characters unreliable and the future world implausible. The book is also heavy on 18th century philosophy, but some find it charming.

"...Overall- an intriguing and thought provoking read that I'd definitely recommend to anyone interested in any of the many things I've mentioned above." Read more

"...artificial though they may feel, certainly contribute to the way the story is told, giving the reader a personal, ground-level look at the secrets..." Read more

"...Still, I really liked the energy of this baroque science fiction narrative, set in our future but relating events in the readers past, as it mashes..." Read more

"...doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed always on the cusp of being meaningful but..." Read more

68 customers mention "Writing quality"27 positive41 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it stellar, smart, and well-developed. They appreciate the dialogue between the author and reader, and the overall concept is deep. Others mention absurd plot lines, awkward prose, and off-putting style.

"...I did like the writing, if the style of writing was sometimes off-putting. The pacing could be slow at times and very fast at others...." Read more

"...is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge of history ; it is highly..." Read more

"...this backdrop, we have our story, written by a self-admitted unreliable narrator, Mycroft Canner, the most notorious criminal of the last few decades..." Read more

"...The writing style is lovely and I like the fictitious author as narrator theme, but the story has a hopelessly complex system of many peripheral..." Read more

42 customers mention "Character development"28 positive14 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters vibrant and changing, with a large number of them. The narrator is fun and the names are great. Others say that almost all the characters are unlikable, and the gender pronouns switch frequently. There are also concerns about the characters' positioning and lack of clarity regarding their cliffhanger.

"...makes it work with excellent world building, and the most endearing untrustworthy narrator...." Read more

"...As a book full of interesting characters, it mostly succeeds...." Read more

"...feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed..." Read more

"...The writing style is lovely and I like the fictitious author as narrator theme, but the story has a hopelessly complex system of many peripheral..." Read more

42 customers mention "Complexity"24 positive18 negative

Customers have different views on the complexity of the book. Some find it engaging and intriguing, seamlessly blending philosophy, theology, science fiction, and mystery into one melodious brew. Others feel the plot is confusing and boring, with multiple layers of mystery that aren't described. The big reveal at the end was disappointing for some readers.

"...it is highly perceptive and has keen insights on human nature ; it is complex but not overly so ; it is RELEVANT to our times...." Read more

"...I'll be blunt, the Seven Ten list plot was kind of boring and confusing and I just didn't care all that much about it...." Read more

"This is one the most richly textured, sophisticated, imaginative and baffling novels I have read, and it's in the layered, evocative vein of Miéville..." Read more

"...great, deep, complex, more than human characters. - twisted and intertwined plots. - good pacing and rhythm. -..." Read more

40 customers mention "Pacing"24 positive16 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find it creative and complex, while others mention it's slow at times and fast at others. The book starts slowly but the narrator is compelling.

"...twisted and intertwined plots. - good pacing and rhythm. - true to its intended form... - ......" Read more

"...of this 1st book are what left me unsatisfied: it left me with a feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-..." Read more

"...The series of books is slow, punctuated by a lot of emotional turmoil and references to philosophies and historical figures that can give you hours..." Read more

"...-building on the grand scale, and a cast of characters so vivid and multifarious that being in their company is almost as bewildering as it's..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars This will be a strange review
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    When I first read this book, I was very confused about how to rate it because I couldn't figure out what to make of it. I struggled between 3 or 4 stars but definitely not 5.

    The pros are many: the book is immensely original; it is *smart* ; the author has an excellent command of the English language and a deep knowledge of history ; it is highly perceptive and has keen insights on human nature ; it is complex but not overly so ; it is RELEVANT to our times.

    The cons of this 1st book are what left me unsatisfied: it left me with a feeling of dystopic gloom, made me often doubt that the characters are too one-dimensional and not believable as future humans, the story seemed always on the cusp of being meaningful but never quite achieving it. In short, it felt like there was no real *point* other than creating a weird dystopic atmosphere just for the sake of it. When I finished it, I felt cheated for investing my time and expectations in it and not really receiving any satisfying wrap up.

    THEN I READ THE SECOND BOOK: "Seven Surrenders".

    Now I have to reverse myself completely! I think the second book was probably separated from the first due to publishing realities. Not making it too long or something? I don't know.

    The two books together are a masterpiece (I have not read the third yet). The *meaning* comes out. What I thought was pointless dystopia is anything but. Yes, bad things happen, but they are *necessary* bad things to communicate the message. The characters assume more dimensions. What was unbelievable falls into a history that is a quite interesting and a plausible consequence of the present attitudes and fears.

    I heartily recommend this book as long as you read the second one too! This author has immense potential and I have started following "them" ... :-). Thanks for writing it. Write more! Lots more!

    OK, I'm done. Gotta buy the third book and dive into it immediately.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Sarah
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overall story, but can be confusing at times. Not a light read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is going to be an incoherent review, so I'll apologize right off the bat. This is not an easy book. It was 430 pages of struggle for me. There are few info dumps. The style is different. Mycroft Canner (the main character) is writing this book in the style of the 18th century (sort of- most of the book is written perfectly normally) to address someone reading it from the future. He frequently addresses the reader, breaking the flow of the narrative to address the reader in thee and thou and ask you questions and make arrogant assumptions about how you feel.

    There are few info dumps about the world and how it came to be because he thinks you are reading this from 400 years in the future, or thereabouts, and would therefore, presumably know much of what he is telling you about the history of the world. So no info dumps. Sort of.

    To give you a quick and dirty run down, of which I will undoubtedly miss many points, it's like this: the book is set in the future, where people have cool clothes that change with what they think, or make them invisible, or boots that are also weapons, visors that allow them to see what other people see and have text message conversations with people, or call them directly. They have trackers which track (obviously) and call police and monitor heart beats and give or deny security clearance. There is no more talk of gender, no more he and she. Women can choose not to grow breasts if they wish and so hide their physical sex. Clothes are genderless. They have anti-aging drugs and average life expectancy is over 150. People are often adopted into familial units called 'bash(es?) where the ba'kids might be chinese, the ba'pa european, and the ba'ma indian. When the ba'kids grow up they can choose to belong to one of several hives, based on what they desire or find important in life and start a new 'bash with their spouse. There is no war. There is no organized religion. Religious questions may be directed to your sensayer, whose training allows them to cover questions and matters of all religions, and it is always private, and proselytizing is definitely not allowed. Most people speak more than one language, with latin being reserved for the elite.

    You wouldn't think this would be a mystery plot, but it is. It begins with a boy named Bridger, who can "miracle" things into existence. Toys and pictures come to life, cures and food made from paper. Mycroft has some sort of master plan for Bridger, but what is it? Then this thing called the Seven Ten list is stolen and I still can't exactly tell you why it's important other than to expose mysteries within mysteries. Just as you think your figuring something out, some bomb is dropped on you about someone's identity, or past events or motives. I'll be blunt, the Seven Ten list plot was kind of boring and confusing and I just didn't care all that much about it. It's the mysteries within the mysteries that will keep you reading, and there are OH SO MANY.

    So Mycroft, I love, weirdly, if you read it you'll find out why that's weird. I did like the writing, if the style of writing was sometimes off-putting. The pacing could be slow at times and very fast at others. The chapters feel long and the book dense in general. The world building was both exactly what I'd want from a meaty sci-fi book and also somehow incredibly imaginative. The setting was beautiful and I'd absolutely love to see it recreated in CGI someday.

    But, the book confused me a lot. Many people have many names and many titles and Mycroft will often point out a physical sex and a gender identification while everyone else refers to them as they and it can be difficult to follow. Thanks to the sensayers, there are lots of parts where the characters are debating or relaying philosophy to the reader, Voltaire, Marx, and many others I can't name. Some paragraphs are written in latin and translated directly after and it was just unnecessary words on the page. The parts where Mycroft breaks off to address the reader were also sometimes tiresome and I just wanted to get to the story, but in the end, I am absolutely 100% DYING to find out what happens next, so for that much, I give it four stars.

    Overall- an intriguing and thought provoking read that I'd definitely recommend to anyone interested in any of the many things I've mentioned above.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Rob T
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worldbuilding A Complex Future Human Culture
    Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is slow to start, hard work, but worth every minute. If I were not going move on to volume 2 next, I would re-read it again now. Like a great film, musical recording, or other piece of provocative art, I am confident that I will enjoy, and be engaged, by this work even more the second time through.
    It felt almost dreamlike to me; never quite sure where the characters are, which ones are present, the sense of the space in which they are in, and moving from place to place suddenly and without clarity. This was frustrating at times, and required re-reading at times. Perhaps intentionally, the reader is made to feel like the proverbial fish-out-of-water in this odd but obviously human world.
    The worldbuilding itself is admirable and likely reason enough to read the book; it feels complex, layered, and plausible. As a reader, I am as much interested in being a tourist in this world as I am following the plotline of these particular characters.
    There are also the cascade of big philosophical ideas, past, present, and imagined future. These ideas are often embodied in the top level social structure of the world called a "Hive".
    Just marvelous through and through.
    Report
  • Anna B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars deep and fascinating world, great caracters
    Reviewed in Germany on August 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I personally loved this book, as well as its sequel "Seven Surrenders". The world is deep and original and utterly fascinating with its cultures and politics and wonderful little details. The characters are interesting and lifelike, and most of them have unexpected secrets. That said, this book has its quirks (that worked very well for me, but might not for everybody). The narrator is Mycroft Canner, a reformed felon whose crime you only discover rather late into the book. Be warned, it is really bad and disgusting. Mycroft has a rather unique narrating style that I really liked, though it took a bit of time to get used to. Rather confusing is his unreliable use of personal pronouns for people. Apart from the world-building and politics and a little boy called Bridger that can animate toys, there are also very interesting discussions of religion, sex and gender in a world where these things are not lived publicly. I'd definitely recommend the book for people who like rather weird societies and political intrigues, and don't mind a rather flowery narrator. If possible though you should read the free sample of the book before buying it, if you like that you will like the rest of the book as well.
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  • Bill M
    5.0 out of 5 stars The power-play among the different groups to prevent war from again laying waste to the world and to consolidate their house's power ...
    Reviewed in Australia on December 26, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Humankind in the future has divided itself into seven houses based upon different life philosophies rather than on nation states and/or religious views. The power-play among the different groups to prevent war from again laying waste to the world and to consolidate their house's power is written about in philosophical terms.
    Report
  • Elettra Tsikoudis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Meraviglioso
    Reviewed in Italy on April 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Scritto molto bene, con poche (pochissime) parti in Inglese che imita lo stile del diciottesimo secolo e per tutto il resto del libro lo stile è assolutamente contemporaneo. Molto interessante l'uso dei pronomi.
    Storia davvero intrigante e ben scritta e mondo tra utopia e distopia abbastanza realistico. Per la trama consiglio la pagina di wikipedia che la descrive bene. In generale ottimo acquisto, non vedo l'ora di leggere gli altri!
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  • Jean Rosales
    3.0 out of 5 stars Densa pero aburrida, y con algunas emociones aisladas
    Reviewed in Mexico on October 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Too Like The Lightning es el primer libro de la serie Terra Ignota, que tiene lugar en una tierra futura en la que no existen los países como los que los conocemos hoy en día, sino que hay varios territorios, organizaciones e incluso familias que controlan diferentes aspectos de la vida diaria. Es una novela densa, que rara vez explica claramente los pormenores o razones de lo que pasa, por lo que hay algunas cosas que se entenderán hasta mucho después. Supongo que ese estilo de escritura es parte de la intención de la autora, pero en mi caso fue un obstáculo muy grande para disfrutar la novela, pues muy pocas veces llegaron a interesarme los dilemas de los personajes, y no me quedaron ganas de leer las otras 2 novelas de la serie.
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