I've read and loved Hur's translations so I was truly looking forward to this book. but alas it was either the wrong book at the wrong time or the wrong audience because I could not ever get into the story.

I loved parts of the writing and much of the dialogue. I was intrigued at the idea of this story but the execution just didn't make it for me. I kept getting pulled out of the story, not able to follow the narrative and the combination of plot and musings and character just never came together for me.

I will still make sure to read Hur's next book because he's such an excellent writer.

with gratitude to netgalley and HarperVia for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Toward Eternity is a difficult book to review and one that I’m feeling very conflicted about.

It is a novel set throughout different time periods from “The Near Future” and going forward in time. Each chapter is narrated by a different character who has found or is given a notebook to record their lives in. There are many fascinating sci-fi concepts including nanites, AI, a global futuristic war, and space travel. I absolutely loved all of this.

There was a lot of philosophical musing about memories and language and music and poetry which I feel like I didn’t get the most out of. The first section set in the near future felt really heavy and slow. I would love to listen to the author speak or take a class on this as I sometimes felt like I just wasn’t absorbing it all.

I really liked this one, and the cover is beautiful! But I’m left feeling dazed and a little confused and so I’m giving this a 3.5/5.

Having read a number of Hur’s translations of Korean books, I was curious to see what the translator had to say on his own. Toward Eternity completely delivered. A sci-fi book for fans of This is How You Lose the Time War, the timeline spirals out from a near future to a nuclear wasteland filled with clones.

But through the desolation, the story locks into the power of poetry, the desire to create and the crystalline quality of love. There’s commentary on AI powers, some nebulous robots, and a lot of loose associations that build a web of connections.

My favorite point of view was Delta, one of the clones that has mutated, so that she remembers lines of Romantic poetry which underlie her original code. So often soul searching requires gazing through the eyes of a partner, but it’s the echo of poetry, combined with the final scraps of humanity that helps to escape the spiral of anonymity.

I feel like I should’ve loved this book as it’s right up my alley. I loved the beginning where it was more so an academic study. Where we had test subjects or patients who had their dna altered with nanotechnology. There was the scientific element yet so much commentary about poetry and literature and I loved it.
However from beginning to end, it felt like I read 2 different books. It just appeared to me to be another story in which AI takes over and controls the world.

I had to rad multiple chapter several times, it got beyond confusing and in a way that I knew what was happening but like why?

This one was just not for me

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Theoretically, I should've loved this book. In practice, I didn't. The first 65% feels more like an academic study or essay rather than a novel, as it's more of an exploration of the meaning of poetry, language, and what it means to be human through various examples, with a little bit of plot and characters to guide that discussion. There are references to various authors, and for someone who has read or knows about English and universal literature as well as literary criticism, most of them won't go unnoticed since they're directly mentioned or very heavily implied (Eliot, Emily Dickinson, Borges, Rossetti, Staszak, to name a few). However, I don't think these references contributed much, at least during the first two to three quarters of the "story." The narrative starts to take shape towards the end, but I don't think it's strong enough to uphold the entirety of the story it wants to tell. We don't spend enough time with each of the POVs, and because of this, the care we are supposed to feel when something happens to them doesn't really hit as it's supposed to. It turns really Kantian and Heideggerian as well, which I thought was an interesting choice and fit the overall philosophical tone of the book, but, again, I feel it would've fit better as an academic paper. The sci-fi aspect was more of a net in which the existential debate falls upon the consideration of a future ruled by AI, a fear that's very real and a very hot topic right now.

I should note that I really dislike the stream of consciousness genre (I've read it from different authors, languages, and literary movements, and I always dislike it), but, while this does kind of follow that style, it was also very easy to read. I think I went into it expecting something different than what I got, but I also think the elements within it don't really work because of the imbalance in their presentation.

First of all I want to say, this cover is STUNNING! This book knocked my socks off and I loved almost every single aspect of this book!

The novel was interesting enough but I struggled to maintain interest the further I read. It is well-written overall but the dialogue felt weak and even cheesy at the end.

I appreciate what the author has created but it unfortunately is just not for me.

The author and I share a deep love of language, but have deeply differing opinions about poetry (he loves it, I've always loathed it). So while I enjoy the contemplations on AI and humanity, about evolution and loss and love, I'm at best indifferent to all the poetry.

Which is to say that if you enjoy poetry and feel a deeply human connection to it, as well as the other things I mentioned above, I think you'll really love this book and should check it out.

As for the sci-fi elements, it was really interesting the expanse of time (centuries) that the book covers. The conceit of all of these people writing in the same book felt a little stretched sometimes, but it's executed fine.

I think character readers might struggle a little bit with each chapter (essentially) being from a different character. And since they generally all have the same progenitor, it makes internal sense that their voices are similar but maybe wouldn't offer enough variety/personality/exposure to truly grow attached to any one.

Toward Eternity is a nice piece of Literary Fiction with a very strong Sci-Fi angle, it could also be referred to as speculative fiction & even dabbles into dystopia (basically all the things I love!) I think it would take a fan of Sci-Fi to truly enjoy this book, but I do think it’s a near-home run for the right reader!

This book is a great exploration into the question of “what does it mean to be human?” That thread of the book is very enjoyable and thought provoking, but the actual story and plot line is very entertaining and was a joy to read.

The start of this novel takes place in what I’d call a near-ish, or the not too-distant future. Humankind has created a revolutionary nanotherapy which cures cancer by replacing one’s cells with nanites (android cells.) This leads to the recipient becoming “immortal.”

The story makes several jumps through into the future where these “immortals” take on different roles in society and serve different functions, or are another “instantiation” as Hur often refers to them as. The reader is always being challenged to think about what makes someone/thing human?

Each “jump” as mentioned above is told from the POV of the characters/immortals/instantiations as time moves forward into the figure - over many years (centuries, I suppose, although it’s not always explicitly mentioned.) The characters are all linked or curiously enough, even “the same.” Without giving much away on that, I can say that it all works really well and was entertaining to read.

The novel also makes the reader think about what perils can be behind such technologies with original good intentions. And again, will these technologies create the jump to non-human? And back to that question of “what does it mean to be human?” Self-awareness? A soul? Get ready to think about all these things during/after reading this book. I’ve wrapped up reading this one a few days ago and these questions still sit with me in a very good way.

Thank you Netgalley, Anton Hur and HarperVia for the opportunity to read an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

What makes a soul? What gives something/someone humanity? What would the consequences of immortality be?
This book, unfortunately, was not for me. I didn't expect so much of it to be about poetry, music, and language. I just really struggled to stay interested in the plot but I did want to see how it ended. I think the ending was beautiful and perfect for this story.

Toward Eternity by Anton Hur [May 15, 2024]

2.5/5 (rounded up to 3) “Toward Eternity” by Anton Hur is a dynamic combination of science fiction and fantasy, from nanites and AI, to dragons, immortality, rapture, and God(s). I was initially attracted to the book cover and the synopsis. The expansive and philosophical nature of this debut work makes it difficult to review. The voice at least in the beginning reminds me a bit of the voice in the “Murderbot Diaries” and the first half of this book was very character driven. As the book progresses, however, the mixing of poetry and the philosophical exploration of humanity, wonder, and what it means to be [human] remind me of the film “Interstellar.” The deep dive into memories and language is rich and fascinating and somehow I was both intrigued by the detailed prose and simultaneously put off by the frequent philosophical musings. The pacing was perhaps the most difficult for me. As interested as I was in world building and characters, I found this novel a bit hard to get through. I kept getting lost in the meditative deviations and couldn’t seem to come back to this story as a whole. There is a pretty clear distinction between the character-driven first half and the suspenseful, further future second half; so much so that it feels like two different stories. It leans more literary, than science fiction, relying on classic sci-fi tropes. Overall the contemplative dialogue of this novel was refreshingly different, though I’m not sure that this story worked for me as a whole.

Thank you to HarperVia, Anton Hur, and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC!

This was the best ARC I've read, and one of the best books I've read this year! It did have similar vibes to the Sea of Tranquility, which is also noted in the blurb. Although, while Sea of Tranquility was itself similar to Cloud Atlas by Mitchell, this book did not make me think of Mitchell's writing at all. In a way, the connection between these works and these authors is similar to the protagonists of Toward Eternity that are connected to each other, but are not as similar as they might expect to be, ever evolving.

Writing is beautiful. If nothing else, this book is an ode to language. Given that the author is a well-known translator, this made perfect sense. The beginning felt a bit impersonal - I was happy to read about the character's lives, but I did not become invested in them until later. As a matter of fact, the first person I really cared about was Delta. All Eves were just so amazingly written to me.

And that ending! I knew what was happening almost immediately, but it did not lessen the impact of those last couple paragraphs.

I have this problem where I tend to start guessing what the "twist" is in most books once I feel like I've been given enough information. In a lot of cases I get it right, and in some cases I get it well in advance, which makes reading such books a bit uneventful. This is not that kind of a book. There is no big twist. It all unfolds very naturally with nothing to guess, just life to witness. All the events feel real, instead of being artfully concealed twists. Kudos!

4/5 stars. This was an ambitious, introspective, and thought-provoking book, and I’m very glad I read it. The first half is very character driven and somewhat slow paced, with quiet but lovely prose and a dreamy, meditative vibe. Then it pivots into a different kind of book as it jumps into the further future. It becomes much more of a thriller, while still maintaining most of the meditative and philosophical qualities of the first half. I think this is a little bit of a magic trick! I’m impressed that the author managed to keep such a clear through-line when writing in such different styles and with multiple different POV characters.

I haven’t fully decided what I think of this book, except how much I liked reading it. Initially I felt that I liked the prose and character-driven aspects of the first half better; it’s a bit more focused and accessible. The second half is a little more far-reaching and some of the plot elements didn’t land for me. But after sitting with it a few days I’m starting to really appreciate the overall experience of reading the book, and the way it seamlessly moved from accessible character driven narrative to…something else that I can’t quite describe. I have found myself thinking back on the book a lot, and I’m certainly going to reread it.

I don’t know if every single thing the author was trying to do worked for me, but overall I enjoyed this a lot, and I think some aspects of it will really stick with me. This is an impressive and thought-provoking debut. I’m very interested to see what Anton Hur will do next!

Thank you to HarperVia, Anton Hur, and NetGalley for graciously providing an e-ARC for review!

5⭐️ NEW FAVORITE!

When I got the email that my ARC request had been approved I jumped and flailed in my parked car so hard I accidentally beeped the horn is some poor lady’s face. I was so unbelievably excited to read this book and SOMEHOW… it GENUINELY exceeded my VERY HIGH expectations.

It’s so good that I feel self-conscious about writing a review. Like how on Earth am I qualified to say ANYTHING about this piece of art. Every word I am putting down in this review space is so fraught. We haven’t invented words for how good this book is.

I am something of a Pondering person, one might say. I like to Ponder things & how they are represented in art. A lot of the feelings and ideas in this book are the types of things I like to ponder; family, love, death, language, bodies. Expansive and complex yet simple and fundamental to humanity. ANTON HUR GETS IT.

I am such a fan of his translations, and this book seriously exudes love and care for his art and the craft of writing. I love being able to feel on a line-by-line basis that what’s being written is important. No water weight, yet it’s not so dense that it’s difficult to read. One would benefit from reading at a controlled pace, to really squeeze the meaning and rhythm and reason out of every paragraph. ALMOST LIKE READING POETRY…. who said that.

Amazing. I will be ordering copies for myself and every person I know who can read.

HUGE THANK YOU to NetGalley & HarperVia for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. AND THANK YOU ANTON HUR! Just in general!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC!

Wow, I honestly have no words (the irony of that, if you end up reading this book.)

I had no idea what was going on for a solid 70% of this book. So the fact that I managed to finish it in about 2.5 days should tell you exactly how compelling it was. A very strange mix of sci-fi, dystopian, techn0-thriller-adventure that all combined to make something so interesting I literally could not put it down.

This novel is definitely not for everyone. But if you're at all interested in AI and distant- (or not so distant?) future fiction, it is for you. If you played the game Detroit Become Human, you should 1000% read this. The way that deviants become more (or less) human is very present in this book. The plot twists alone make it worth it. If you like sci-fi and you need something to chew on, read this!

This was a hard book to read, not going to lie. I feel like it was dense and required a lot of brain power. However, I’m not gonna fault the book too much for that as I read it during a hard time where it was hard to focus. The overall book itself wasn’t bad the story was interesting and was very atmospheric.

Toward Eternity was most engaging when it began. I think there is a moment in which the farfetchedness becomes more tangible, near when the Eves start to pop up. I think this concept is so fascinating, and in many ways, it's executed nearly perfectly. And oh, the writing of this book, the WRITING. I would stop to read the prose aloud to my loved ones in shock because of how beautiful it was. And honestly, when the prose started to become secondary to the very intense space opera-esque plotline, that's when the book started to lose me. I want to see Anton Hur write poetry. I want to see Her spend days and days  on purple prose. I'd read some sort of The Goldfinch-esque maximalist novel from Anton Hur.

Wow. Absolutely incredible. I felt left behind by the narrative at times, a little inaccessible to all in the level of its brilliance and intelligence, which is what kept it from being 5 stars. But Hur was just out of this world in his expansion of language and love for both reading and writing.

Truly incredible. One of the best I've read this year. Dazzling in scale, written gorgeously, with a deep understanding of our past and future (and far, far future). Felt it rolling over me in waves. Creates a sense of time and technology that is beautiful and haunting. Describes in tense and fine detail the physical heft of words, the weight of poetry, and what it means to read and to write. The kind of book that inspires you to seek out more stories, to write your own, to look for them in the textures of the universe itself. Unforgettable.

In "Toward Eternity," Anton Hur, already acclaimed for his translation skills, reveals his prowess as a novelist, delving into the core of humanity.

Initially unfolding leisurely, the narrative immerses us in the inner worlds of its protagonists before accelerating through time, challenging readers with its intricate Russian Doll-like recursions. While I found the story's beginning more accessible, its temporal jumps offer profound insights into the interplay between past and present.

The novel's true brilliance lies in its exploration of memory, artistry, and the human condition amidst technological progress. Questions reminiscent of the Ship of Theseus paradox emerge, probing the nature of identity, while discussions on artistic expression prompt reflection on the essence of creativity. Hur's background in translation adds a unique perspective to these inquiries, enriching the narrative.

"Toward Eternity" presents a plethora of themes ripe for contemplation, blending existential ponderings with gripping sci-fi elements. Hur crafts a narrative that seamlessly oscillates between philosophical depth and thrilling entertainment, promising a captivating read.

I eagerly anticipate further exploration of Hur's work and extend my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.