This is one of those books where everything you need to know in the first chapter is explained in the blurb. The last line sets up the rest of the book.

To be honest, bits of code and html wafting about, ghosts fizzing with static and video clips, and infecting people so they die a horrible death… well that’s a lot to take in. Maybe I was just confused for most of the book. Underneath the layers of confusion there is a complex mystery unfolding, where some of the deaths might have had human assistance, or might even have been self-inflicted. The atmosphere, the worldbuilding of a set of floating laboratories and habitats linked together like an oil rig, with waves, storms, fog and occasional sunshine is all very well done.

The characters leave something to be desired. Apart from there being a great many of them, some are well characterised, and the vast majority aren’t. I’m not sure the editor did the wonderful job the author thanks them for, when there are scenes in a room with three or four people in it, where the pronouns create confusion.

The story is very good, the concept brilliant, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. It ebbs and flows, the ease of reading, possibly along with the plot complexity. I ought to like the Salt Oracle. It has all the elements I enjoy, But I didn’t and it frustrates me.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF. This is marketed as a standalone, but I was missing informations to fully understand this world. I personally do not like stories where there’s not enough world building. I just keep guessing and wondering on the most basic things and I don’t enjoy that.

I‘m afraid this was not my cup of tea. I was super intrigued by the description and was sure that I‘d love it. Unfortunately I didn’t. Something about the style threw me off.

This was my first and possibly last book by Wilson. I only got 20% in. Supposedly a standalone book, but there was a lack of world-building and explaining what certain terms mean. Which meant a very confusing read.
Why the ghosts can attack and hurt people, why people don’t live to be old anymore.
It almost felt translated, and some of the sentence structures felt too complicated.
A real pity.