Wow, this is just so amazingly written and original! It reads like an old classic yet it's interwoven with aspects of science fiction and humor. I like everything about this story, from the depressive thoughts of the narrator to the mystery of the Guanjans... This is just a very enticing plot line

You'll first be impressed with the diction - complicated but not overbearing - but you'll stay for the plot. Addicting. Suspenseful. Descriptive. Relatable. Unique. Then rational thought will abandon you and you'll be drawn in fully. Huge space vessels and distant planets will begin to feel more real than the pile of dishes and the dinner yet to be cooked in the next room. Laundry will go undone and life's sundry items abandoned.
I couldn't stop until it was done and lingering images still float in my brain.
Recommend recommend recommend. You won't be disappointed. Best book I've read in a very long while

John E. Boyd's journey to Guanjo had me totally enthralled. I visited places I never thought I'd go, met with some interesting and sometimes scary characters. The story moves along at an easy pace and the author's description of the individual planets and people have stayed with me long after I finished reading. A haunting tale told expertly. I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented author. In a word, Brilliant!

This is such an imaginative book, covering so many things - a dogged determination for discovery, the wonder of relationships and a single minded perseverance to carry out what one man believes to be his calling.
The book is split into three clear sections, each capturing the reader by the throat. It starts with a journey; and boy what a journey. Will John E Boyd make it against all advice and odds to Guanjo? Make it he does, and the pace of the book changes as we are introduced to the Guanjans and their world. Once the characters are all firmly embedded in your hearts, the idiosyncrasies of their world are slowly revealed... and prepare to be disturbed! Part three offers a stunning conclusion not to be missed.
I will never look at a frog in the same way again.... Thanks Joel!!!

I just finished reading, and the author is a master of unique characters and locale's. John E. Boyd, the protagonist, suffers from depression, a vicious ex-wife, and a crazed robot cat. Despite despising the main character by the end of the book, itself a masterful writer's ploy, the book is thoroughly enjoyable and kept me coming back for more. Memorable characters, from Adil the street urchin under far away stars, to Dalia his ex-wife doctor who will always eclipse him, to John himself, depressive adventurer. Worth a read, indeed. I will be looking up some of his other titles

Guanjo is pure imagination. From the beginning of the book, you are invited along on a journey. John Boyd is fascinated with the fate of the lost team of Guanjo, and is determined to visit the planet himself and find out what became of them. It takes him a while to get there, and the book at this point, had a road-trip feel to it. He meets many engaging characters along the way, not least of all Bob the bot cat. At times you feel like he is never going to make it. But make it, he does. He finds Guanjo, and the people who now inhabit it. But he soon finds that all is not as it seems, as the Guanjan's have made a ghastly compromise in order to survive. I don't want to give too much away, but I will just say that my brother has a phobia of frogs, and I now have a cruel desire to buy him this book for Christmas! How the writer scares, horrifies, repulses and fascinates the reader with a creature as seemingly harmless as the frog, is all part of the genius of this book. I enjoy this author's style, and as with his other novels, this book is extremely well written and executed. I can't wait for more.