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Damir Salkovic's Reviews > The Other Side
The Other Side
by
by
“DigiLink corrupted the mind. Books were burned. NetPedia gutted knowledge. Everything became standardized by thousands of paid trolls posing as real users. SoulBook sterilized dissent. Simulations replaced life. And IQs shrank – genetically enhanced or not.”
The Other Side opens with an explosive scene that hints at a rapid-paced military sci-fi adventure. What follows instead is a complex, introspective, meticulously layered political thriller. Humanity – if it can still be called that, after centuries of genetic and cybernetic enhancements – is ruled by a tyrannical alien race, the Travelers. The sole survivor of a space skirmish is reconstructed in a new body, somehow obtaining a connection to the all-powerful Field. With the help of a bureaucrat who is questioning her purpose and allegiance, and a rebel AI, he turns his newfound powers against his oppressive overlords. A tense cat-and-mouse game ensues, with the fate of the universe in the balance.
After a breathless opening, the narrative occasionally loses momentum amid dense plotting, making sections harder to navigate. I kept getting lost in the early sections until I found the author’s cadence. Even then the skipping between different perspectives (and their personal AI “egos”) often made me backtrack.
Florian Armas has poured a lot of philosophical thought, technological research, and even social identity theory. Right to privacy, technofeudalism, renegade AIs, and autonomy all get their turn, as do present-day (nascent) concerns about digital surveillance and exploitation. Feminist themes are particularly resonant, examining impossible choices women face between self-protection and societal expectations – even in a distant (and very different) future. There’s enough material for several novels here, and at times the Big Ideas trip each other up, jarring the reader out of the story.
This is a meaty novel, definitely not an easy read. But the conceptual richness and sheer span of the author’s imagination kept me invested throughout. There’s a bit of Gibson here, a dash of Richard Morgan, more than a helping of Ian McDonald. Minor editorial issues aside, if you persist through the confusion, you’ll be rewarded.
The Other Side opens with an explosive scene that hints at a rapid-paced military sci-fi adventure. What follows instead is a complex, introspective, meticulously layered political thriller. Humanity – if it can still be called that, after centuries of genetic and cybernetic enhancements – is ruled by a tyrannical alien race, the Travelers. The sole survivor of a space skirmish is reconstructed in a new body, somehow obtaining a connection to the all-powerful Field. With the help of a bureaucrat who is questioning her purpose and allegiance, and a rebel AI, he turns his newfound powers against his oppressive overlords. A tense cat-and-mouse game ensues, with the fate of the universe in the balance.
After a breathless opening, the narrative occasionally loses momentum amid dense plotting, making sections harder to navigate. I kept getting lost in the early sections until I found the author’s cadence. Even then the skipping between different perspectives (and their personal AI “egos”) often made me backtrack.
Florian Armas has poured a lot of philosophical thought, technological research, and even social identity theory. Right to privacy, technofeudalism, renegade AIs, and autonomy all get their turn, as do present-day (nascent) concerns about digital surveillance and exploitation. Feminist themes are particularly resonant, examining impossible choices women face between self-protection and societal expectations – even in a distant (and very different) future. There’s enough material for several novels here, and at times the Big Ideas trip each other up, jarring the reader out of the story.
This is a meaty novel, definitely not an easy read. But the conceptual richness and sheer span of the author’s imagination kept me invested throughout. There’s a bit of Gibson here, a dash of Richard Morgan, more than a helping of Ian McDonald. Minor editorial issues aside, if you persist through the confusion, you’ll be rewarded.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
October 15, 2025
– Shelved
October 15, 2025
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Finished Reading
