3.5 Stars. My third read of Hull Zero 3: It is really interesting and there are great characters all the way through, but I and others struggled to understand and keep track of the layout of the ship which really hampered the storytelling. Without giving spoilers, what actually happened that got the lead characters and Ship into such trouble is not as clear as I thought it could be and so ultimately I was not really convinced by the novel. Still, having said that, this is my third time through it and it has many great characters, plot lines and ideas like most Greg Bear novels.

This book made me remember why I fell in love with SciFy to begin with. Narrative very fast paced as if you’re in a video game, yet complex and thought provoking themes that stick with you long after the final page.

Like all Greg Bear books, this one has layers of action, mystery, meaning, morality and scientific speculation. This one’s wrapped around a mystery that slowly unfolds into something philosophically horrific. A very good read (and journey) the first time through, a great one the second time.

Not quite worth $9.99

This book has two components: a tricky little mystery play in which tantalizing things keep happening, but you can't quite figure out why until well towards the end, and a much more serious take on the morality of colonialism in its most extreme form. There's also the whole question of the meaning of life in it. It goes from mysterious and fascinating to disturbing and haunting.

Great concept and a fun sci-fi read, I like the way the style of the writing starts out confused and gradually gets clearer as the main character starts to "wake up". However, one thing that distracted from the story was the way the author focused on how The Teacher physically moved around the environment; it almost became a subplot. The book is like Pandorum meets Pitch Black at its best in the sci-fi style themes, at the end of the book the story becomes a bit lost but if you stick it out, it is a good wrap up.

A dark, weird and thoroughly engaging story about how the best laid colonization plans can go awry. Creepy stuff that haunts my daydreams.

Good start, but it dissolves into drivel. Read the first two thirds them put it down.

I enjoyed the story and loved the underlying ideas. I think the only flaw was that the story kind of compressed and there could have been some more story in there. I hope the author sees the missing stories and writes them as well. I would love to hear more about the battle and supernova not to mention the purpose of the mysterious silver "alien". More please.

If you are ready to read something different from the countless thousands of previous hard SF speculations on slow ships to the stars, this is it. I'm a pretty voracious SF/Fantasy reader, 55 years old, reading 80% SF since I was 11 and discovered Clarke after a recommendation from my mother. My favorite authors are all hard SF; Heinlein, Clarke etcetera... This is a great work of art, truly a terrific achievement from Greg Bear. Action fans will not be disappointed, yet neither will those who crave emotion. If you've never read true speculative "hard" SF (fiction that really tries to reveal a possible future based on current science), Hull Zero Three will create an impossible standard that will have you disparaging books for years. Read and delight, is my advice.