Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Ultimately, Minimum Safe Distance is a fascinating novel about an intergalactic threat and how humanity responds in kind. Ho Yen's novel hosts an intriguing storyline with identifiable development throughout. The work suffers from narrative fragmentation, however, which results in a sometimes disjointed reading experience.
Prose: Ho Yen's prose is readable and generally well-executed, though a degree of stiffness pervades much of the writing.
Originality: Conceptually, Minimum Safe Distance is strikingly fresh and unique. Most notable is the work's detailed worldbuilding surrounding the nature of the SelfMades and the relationship between the Cosmologist and the Ethnologist.
Character/Execution: Minimum Safe Distance features a number of potentially rich and broad-ranging characters. However, due to the fragmentation of the plot, it is difficult to grasp the whole development of these characters; while they are intriguing, readers only have brief glimpses of their collective journeys.
Date Submitted: April 01, 2024
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Minimum Safe Distance is an odd and enticing book that puts a lot of ideas in a blender and results in a refreshing concoction. The book is intoxicatingly divergent in its exploration of the humanity. The plot follows mostly linearly but at a cosmic scale with Earth characters weaving in and out of the story.
Prose: The book comes out the gate with a strong voice and holds that voice consistently throughout. The writing is dynamic and helps set the book apart as something special. Descriptive language is visceral and memorable and the diction effectively conveys the zaniness of the universe the book inhabits.
Originality: Minimum Safe Distance maintains its sparkling creativity while providing cohesion and tenderness that allows its many parts to coalesce. The book does not follow typical patterns or tropes, charting its own course and doing so effectively.
Character/Execution: The book has many characters who fit nicely into the themes and plot as it builds to a larger statement. Deeper characterization takes a slight back seat to the conceptual priorities of the book.
Date Submitted: June 06, 2023
