I find that, as I have grown older, my tolerance for clunky writing has diminished quite a lot. I love science fiction, but the genre is unfortunately rife with authors who have not really honed their craft. Stirling is such a writer, and no matter how interesting his ideas are, his sub-par writing gets in the way. Having given myself permission to give up on any book that isn’t working for me, I found myself putting down Conquistador less than a quarter of the way in, a book I might have finished — but not necessarily enjoyed — 10 years ago.