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Tour of the Merrimack #1
The Myriad
The Barnes & Noble Review
R. M. Meluch's first novel in more than a decade, The Myriad, begins a series that is an amalgam of subgenres: military science fiction, space opera, time paradox, and alternate history.
On an Earth where the Roman Empire never fell (but instead existed in secret societies for millennia, finally reestablishing itself on the planet Palatine) and is now embroiled in a war against the League of Earth Nations, a much more deadly foe emerges from the darkness of deep space -- the Hive. The governments of Palatine and Earth enter into an uneasy alliance to fight the alien invaders, nondescript antagonists that exist only to consume. While the unified forces try to keep the Hive from destroying human-populated planets, one U.S. battleship, the Merrimack, sets off on a quest to find the Hive's homeworld and take the battle to its source.
During the ship's desperate search, the crew of the Merrimack discovers a strange star cluster with three worlds inhabited by sentient beings. After first contact with the amazingly humanoid populace, Captain John Farragut discovers a series of wormholes that could unlock the secrets that could defeat the Hive -- or destroy humankind forever.
Vaguely reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (specifically, the relentless alien antagonists and the over-the-top, gung-ho characters), Meluch's The Myriad is lighthearted, fast-paced fun. While obviously not as intense or controversial as Heinlein's Hugo Award winning classic, this novel will prove thoroughly enjoyable to fans of military science fiction authors like David Weber and David Drake. Paul Goat Allen
R. M. Meluch's first novel in more than a decade, The Myriad, begins a series that is an amalgam of subgenres: military science fiction, space opera, time paradox, and alternate history.
On an Earth where the Roman Empire never fell (but instead existed in secret societies for millennia, finally reestablishing itself on the planet Palatine) and is now embroiled in a war against the League of Earth Nations, a much more deadly foe emerges from the darkness of deep space -- the Hive. The governments of Palatine and Earth enter into an uneasy alliance to fight the alien invaders, nondescript antagonists that exist only to consume. While the unified forces try to keep the Hive from destroying human-populated planets, one U.S. battleship, the Merrimack, sets off on a quest to find the Hive's homeworld and take the battle to its source.
During the ship's desperate search, the crew of the Merrimack discovers a strange star cluster with three worlds inhabited by sentient beings. After first contact with the amazingly humanoid populace, Captain John Farragut discovers a series of wormholes that could unlock the secrets that could defeat the Hive -- or destroy humankind forever.
Vaguely reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (specifically, the relentless alien antagonists and the over-the-top, gung-ho characters), Meluch's The Myriad is lighthearted, fast-paced fun. While obviously not as intense or controversial as Heinlein's Hugo Award winning classic, this novel will prove thoroughly enjoyable to fans of military science fiction authors like David Weber and David Drake. Paul Goat Allen
375 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
February 28, 2022
Although The Myriad is championed as military science fiction, it is definitely more space opera, even though the story details somewhat the adventures of the Merrimack, a battleship in space. What is most striking about this novel/series is the world Meluch builds, and it is one I will definitely seek more of in the near future.
The story is set several hundred years in the future, and Earth has many colonies under various nations. It turns out, however, that the Roman Empire never really fell, it just went underground for a few millennia. Once a suitable colony (one from the USA) was established, the underground Romans from all over, including many in the USA, flocked to the new colony and established their own empire. The USA has never recognized the breakaway colony and a cold/hot war has been brewing ever since.
The Romans, however, are facing an implacable enemy-- the swarm-- which are basically quasi-organic eating machines looking for their next meal. The entities travel in vast 'swarms' that can achieve FTL travel and the Romans sue for peace due to the common enemy. Aboard the Merrimack, an intelligence officer of Rome arrives to help out as the Merrimack has been tasked with a mission into 'the deep' to root out where the swarm is coming from. They proceed to travel to a galactic cluster and amazingly enough, find a new intelligent species right in the path of the swarm's travels...
The plotting was fun, but this really is more of a character driven romp, and what characters Meluch gives us! Captain Farragut is a rowdy, charismatic leader who is always spoiling for a fight. The Roman is arrogant bastard to a fault, and has been 'enhanced' to become something of a human computer. The crew? A bunch of rough and tumble space marines and the bridge crew also has some stand out characters.
Meluch's wit and dry humor really move this along nicely. This is not really humor/science fiction like Adams, but it is rather tongue and cheek nonetheless. The clipped prose feels a little awkward at times and takes some getting used to for sure, but it does wonders for presenting dialogue.
So, what does Meluch give us here? An alternative future history (if that makes any sense) with a revived and dangerous Roman Empire, strange aliens, some good if brief action (the swarm, once aboard a ship, needs to be fought with swords after all), and some great characters. Forget about the hard science; this is pure opera and lots of fun. 4.5 stars!!
The story is set several hundred years in the future, and Earth has many colonies under various nations. It turns out, however, that the Roman Empire never really fell, it just went underground for a few millennia. Once a suitable colony (one from the USA) was established, the underground Romans from all over, including many in the USA, flocked to the new colony and established their own empire. The USA has never recognized the breakaway colony and a cold/hot war has been brewing ever since.
The Romans, however, are facing an implacable enemy-- the swarm-- which are basically quasi-organic eating machines looking for their next meal. The entities travel in vast 'swarms' that can achieve FTL travel and the Romans sue for peace due to the common enemy. Aboard the Merrimack, an intelligence officer of Rome arrives to help out as the Merrimack has been tasked with a mission into 'the deep' to root out where the swarm is coming from. They proceed to travel to a galactic cluster and amazingly enough, find a new intelligent species right in the path of the swarm's travels...
The plotting was fun, but this really is more of a character driven romp, and what characters Meluch gives us! Captain Farragut is a rowdy, charismatic leader who is always spoiling for a fight. The Roman is arrogant bastard to a fault, and has been 'enhanced' to become something of a human computer. The crew? A bunch of rough and tumble space marines and the bridge crew also has some stand out characters.
Meluch's wit and dry humor really move this along nicely. This is not really humor/science fiction like Adams, but it is rather tongue and cheek nonetheless. The clipped prose feels a little awkward at times and takes some getting used to for sure, but it does wonders for presenting dialogue.
So, what does Meluch give us here? An alternative future history (if that makes any sense) with a revived and dangerous Roman Empire, strange aliens, some good if brief action (the swarm, once aboard a ship, needs to be fought with swords after all), and some great characters. Forget about the hard science; this is pure opera and lots of fun. 4.5 stars!!
April 23, 2017
I found the writing style a bit choppy, but ultimately this was entertaining, if not exactly deep. It was only getting 3 stars until the end. It was not what I expected, and I want it fixed! That's not the feeling I thought I'd have at the end, and now I'm going to have to read the sequel.
August 13, 2007
The review I was mentally writing as I read the book:
The Myriad: Tour of the Merrimack #1 falls into the class of Military SF that borrows heavily from Age of Sail novels. I don't by and large enjoy Age of Sail novels, unless they're exceptional, and I don't much enjoy the Military SF that echoes it. I read David Feintuch's Midshipman's Hope, and enjoyed it, but I would not read it again. That said, I quite enjoyed this book. The action is mostly military, but with some very appealing character dynamics between the captain, and the intelligence officer assigned to him; given the fact that the intelligence officer is from another galactic empire, one until recently at war with Earth, and you get an appealing tangle of resentment, distrust, and mutual respect that I found very compelling. The enemy which has united the two warring factions is horrific and well imagined, the world and its characters more original than I expect from the genre, and the physics are almost a character on their own. It's action packed, and neither the military action nor the periods between ever seem to drag. The book is never predictable and holy mother of unnamed squamous gods what the sweet zombies on Mars is--
The review I wrote after finishing the book:
The Myriad: Tour of the Merrimack #1 by R. M. Meluch is a seducer and a betrayer. I have had my heart ripped out and torn to shreds before my very eyes. I feel alone, abandoned, disconsolate, ruined. Is there really any true and beautiful thing left in the universe? Will I ever find true love? Will anyone ever love me? I'm gong to go play Killing Me Softly and eat cookie-dough ice-cream now.
The Myriad: Tour of the Merrimack #1 falls into the class of Military SF that borrows heavily from Age of Sail novels. I don't by and large enjoy Age of Sail novels, unless they're exceptional, and I don't much enjoy the Military SF that echoes it. I read David Feintuch's Midshipman's Hope, and enjoyed it, but I would not read it again. That said, I quite enjoyed this book. The action is mostly military, but with some very appealing character dynamics between the captain, and the intelligence officer assigned to him; given the fact that the intelligence officer is from another galactic empire, one until recently at war with Earth, and you get an appealing tangle of resentment, distrust, and mutual respect that I found very compelling. The enemy which has united the two warring factions is horrific and well imagined, the world and its characters more original than I expect from the genre, and the physics are almost a character on their own. It's action packed, and neither the military action nor the periods between ever seem to drag. The book is never predictable and holy mother of unnamed squamous gods what the sweet zombies on Mars is--
The review I wrote after finishing the book:
The Myriad: Tour of the Merrimack #1 by R. M. Meluch is a seducer and a betrayer. I have had my heart ripped out and torn to shreds before my very eyes. I feel alone, abandoned, disconsolate, ruined. Is there really any true and beautiful thing left in the universe? Will I ever find true love? Will anyone ever love me? I'm gong to go play Killing Me Softly and eat cookie-dough ice-cream now.
June 26, 2012
A muffin between the shoulder blades? That certainly had me laughing out loud!
When I first read the synopsis for The Myriad I thought “Hive? Insectoid alien menace? That sounds like it might have been done before? Once or twice or maybe a hundred times.” However, the novel comes highly recommended (read the reviews) and I do enjoy military Science Fiction, so I went ahead and bought it anyway. The fact that it has gladiators in space had absolutely nothing to do with it...
As it turns out I underestimated this book. The Hive is actually treated quite unlike the aliens in all those other Mil-SF novels. Quite. I will say this: some of the action seemed a bit absurd, but it suited the general feel of the book, which is fun, fun, fun. Not that The Myriad isn’t a serious book. It does, after all, have that Alien thing going (dark and brooding corridors and the like). The interplay between the captain of the Merrimack and his Roman intelligence officer is excellently portrayed.
I'm not sure why other reviewers are so intent in advertising their ignorance. This is not Meluch's first book, folks. Sorry to disappoint, but it is in fact her eighth novel! (or something like that)
Anyway, I digress, that's neither here nor there. Speaking of which: did anyone see that ending coming? No, look, read this. That’s all I have to say about it…
…except that there are sequels, which I’ll certainly be reading!
When I first read the synopsis for The Myriad I thought “Hive? Insectoid alien menace? That sounds like it might have been done before? Once or twice or maybe a hundred times.” However, the novel comes highly recommended (read the reviews) and I do enjoy military Science Fiction, so I went ahead and bought it anyway. The fact that it has gladiators in space had absolutely nothing to do with it...
As it turns out I underestimated this book. The Hive is actually treated quite unlike the aliens in all those other Mil-SF novels. Quite. I will say this: some of the action seemed a bit absurd, but it suited the general feel of the book, which is fun, fun, fun. Not that The Myriad isn’t a serious book. It does, after all, have that Alien thing going (dark and brooding corridors and the like). The interplay between the captain of the Merrimack and his Roman intelligence officer is excellently portrayed.
I'm not sure why other reviewers are so intent in advertising their ignorance. This is not Meluch's first book, folks. Sorry to disappoint, but it is in fact her eighth novel! (or something like that)
Anyway, I digress, that's neither here nor there. Speaking of which: did anyone see that ending coming? No, look, read this. That’s all I have to say about it…
…except that there are sequels, which I’ll certainly be reading!
April 22, 2009
U.S. marines and the reborn Roman Empire . . . in spaaaaaaace! Oh, and there's a creepy alien threat, but I'm mostly just thinking about the U.S./Rome thing. And I punctuate that very advisedly, by the way.
Compulsively readable space opera (I plowed through the entire four-book series in a week). They're that weird thing where they keep being smarter than expected, with interesting ideas and great dialogue, but then as soon as you're complacent about that some of the rampant misogyny comes around and slaps you in the face. I mean . . . yowza. But that notwithstanding, I'd have read about that squad of marines and the gay Roman psychosadist agent for a long time.
Compulsively readable space opera (I plowed through the entire four-book series in a week). They're that weird thing where they keep being smarter than expected, with interesting ideas and great dialogue, but then as soon as you're complacent about that some of the rampant misogyny comes around and slaps you in the face. I mean . . . yowza. But that notwithstanding, I'd have read about that squad of marines and the gay Roman psychosadist agent for a long time.
May 8, 2009
If you don't get hooked during the first conversation all alone between Captain Farragut and the Roman patterner Augustus, then maybe these aren't for you. I liked the first book until then; when I got to the end of that chapter, I was hooked, and when I got to the end of the first book, in which time and space and everything aren't so easy to define any more, I couldn't eat or sleep until I'd gotten my hands onto the next in the series.
These stories follow not just the captain and crew of the U.S.S. Merrimack, but some of their esteemed enemies, the Romans, or Palatines—this being a future when at some point all the Roman Catholics up and left Earth in a stream, establishing their own planet and colonies, a thousands-year plot of positively Jesuitical dimension. So the old Earth, under the United Nations (which does not always back up America) and the Romans are at one another's throats until a far bigger threat comes along, the Hive. These aliens are nasty. They are not secretly just wanting to communicate—or if they are, the frantic science guys can't discover how. They just want to eat, people preferably, but they'll go for your clothes, food, and pretty much anything else except for teeth and the metals space ships are made of. But they don't simply function as convenient targets for our marines to shoot without compunction, because there is still the question of war between Rome and Earth, and all its painful, heartbreaking consequences. Meluch doesn't flinch at the results of a violent lifestyle and yet she's still amazingly good at the hoo ra, high-adrenaline, lets-go-for-broke all out adventure that is the essence of good space opera.
Check out The Wolf Star and Sagittarius Command.
These stories follow not just the captain and crew of the U.S.S. Merrimack, but some of their esteemed enemies, the Romans, or Palatines—this being a future when at some point all the Roman Catholics up and left Earth in a stream, establishing their own planet and colonies, a thousands-year plot of positively Jesuitical dimension. So the old Earth, under the United Nations (which does not always back up America) and the Romans are at one another's throats until a far bigger threat comes along, the Hive. These aliens are nasty. They are not secretly just wanting to communicate—or if they are, the frantic science guys can't discover how. They just want to eat, people preferably, but they'll go for your clothes, food, and pretty much anything else except for teeth and the metals space ships are made of. But they don't simply function as convenient targets for our marines to shoot without compunction, because there is still the question of war between Rome and Earth, and all its painful, heartbreaking consequences. Meluch doesn't flinch at the results of a violent lifestyle and yet she's still amazingly good at the hoo ra, high-adrenaline, lets-go-for-broke all out adventure that is the essence of good space opera.
Check out The Wolf Star and Sagittarius Command.
November 23, 2008
I just finished this book. Generally, I don't read science fiction. Maybe three SF books a year perhaps. And I have to say that when I started this one it took me a little while before I got into it. The beginning was a little rough. Part of this was the writing style, which is blunt and sparse, with very few details given in the way of description, and part of this was the writing itself (plot, character, etc), which I take to be the first novel syndrome--this is R.M. Meluch's first book.
But . . . BUT! After getting through say the first 50 pages or so, suddenly everything clicked. I became absorbed in the characters, in their plight, in how they were interacting with each other. I synced in with the writing style, and I honestly think the writing itself took a giant leap forward and became good. And by that, I mean that I no longer noticed it at all. This is what writer's try to acheive when they write: the total absence of the presence of the writer. After that break, everything worked, and it worked WELL.
The story starts off kind of like a typical Star Trek episode: a spaceship is intent on finding the source of a hideous threat called the Hive. Along the way they run into a few anomalous planets in a globular cluster, inhabited by a people that has not acheived FTL (fast than light) technology . . . and yet they seem to communicate and travel from planet to planet instantaneously. The ship sets out to investigate this mystery, because they want the tech to battle the Hive. They even "beam" down to the planet to meet the natives.
The break in the style and where the novel gets really good is after this initial visit. All of that was setup and now that all of the pieces are in place, the novel takes off and no longer feels like Star Trek. It becomes it's own novel, it's own universe, and I think the main reason is because the characters take over at this point. The Hive becomes a threat, and the mystery about the instantaneous travel is slowly resolved, creating its own set of issues . . . in fact, creating the main problem for the entire novel.
And how the book ends will completely surprise the reader I think. Completely. It's how the novel should end, how it's REQUIRED to end in some sense, but it's still not what you'll expect. And you'll want to rush immediately off and get the next book in series. Not because it ends on a cliffhanger (it doesn't), but because you'll want to know what happens NEXT to these people that you've fallen in love with.
But . . . BUT! After getting through say the first 50 pages or so, suddenly everything clicked. I became absorbed in the characters, in their plight, in how they were interacting with each other. I synced in with the writing style, and I honestly think the writing itself took a giant leap forward and became good. And by that, I mean that I no longer noticed it at all. This is what writer's try to acheive when they write: the total absence of the presence of the writer. After that break, everything worked, and it worked WELL.
The story starts off kind of like a typical Star Trek episode: a spaceship is intent on finding the source of a hideous threat called the Hive. Along the way they run into a few anomalous planets in a globular cluster, inhabited by a people that has not acheived FTL (fast than light) technology . . . and yet they seem to communicate and travel from planet to planet instantaneously. The ship sets out to investigate this mystery, because they want the tech to battle the Hive. They even "beam" down to the planet to meet the natives.
The break in the style and where the novel gets really good is after this initial visit. All of that was setup and now that all of the pieces are in place, the novel takes off and no longer feels like Star Trek. It becomes it's own novel, it's own universe, and I think the main reason is because the characters take over at this point. The Hive becomes a threat, and the mystery about the instantaneous travel is slowly resolved, creating its own set of issues . . . in fact, creating the main problem for the entire novel.
And how the book ends will completely surprise the reader I think. Completely. It's how the novel should end, how it's REQUIRED to end in some sense, but it's still not what you'll expect. And you'll want to rush immediately off and get the next book in series. Not because it ends on a cliffhanger (it doesn't), but because you'll want to know what happens NEXT to these people that you've fallen in love with.
October 1, 2014
3.5 stars! Despite a great deal of silliness, this was a fun read - if you like this sort of thing, which I do. It started off as a goofy military sci-fi novel, full of clichéd characters and not-very-alien aliens. But it’s well-written, particularly the dialog, so I was enjoying it anyway, and to my surprise the book improved steadily, right up to an extraordinary ending.
One reservation: there’s a lot of offensive sexism. The worst is focused on a young female marine who is the subject of many (supposedly good-natured) jokes about her promiscuity. Then there’s the captain, who assigns an attractive officer to the night shift so that he won’t be perturbed by her presence on his shift. The novel has a running theme, actually, of men behaving unprofessionally because of their attraction to a woman.
The friendly aliens are pitiful stuff, right out of a bad Star Trek episode. Even one of the characters wants to know why they aren’t, you know, more alien: “I’ve had less comprehensible conversations with the French!” And guess what: the alien females are markedly less intelligent than their males, a facet which might have been less bothersome in a story not already plagued with sexism.
The enemy aliens, however, are pretty cool: a hive mind, without sentience, which devours everything in its path. Its discovery of human prey has led to an uneasy alliance between Earth and their homegrown enemies: a colony world settled by a resurrected Roman Empire. Yes, Centurions in Space. A Roman officer has joined the crew of an American military ship sent to search for the Hive’s homeworld. The Americans are all, “Woo-hoo, let’s kick some alien ass!” and the lone Roman is Mr. Spock: haughty and spookily smart.
There are some really great action scenes, featuring everything from sword-fighting to antimatter explosions. The dialog is snappy and amusing. One romantic sub-plot is awful, but the slashy one is subtle and intriguing. I loved the ending, and I’m glad there are more book in this series.
One reservation: there’s a lot of offensive sexism. The worst is focused on a young female marine who is the subject of many (supposedly good-natured) jokes about her promiscuity. Then there’s the captain, who assigns an attractive officer to the night shift so that he won’t be perturbed by her presence on his shift. The novel has a running theme, actually, of men behaving unprofessionally because of their attraction to a woman.
The friendly aliens are pitiful stuff, right out of a bad Star Trek episode. Even one of the characters wants to know why they aren’t, you know, more alien: “I’ve had less comprehensible conversations with the French!” And guess what: the alien females are markedly less intelligent than their males, a facet which might have been less bothersome in a story not already plagued with sexism.
The enemy aliens, however, are pretty cool: a hive mind, without sentience, which devours everything in its path. Its discovery of human prey has led to an uneasy alliance between Earth and their homegrown enemies: a colony world settled by a resurrected Roman Empire. Yes, Centurions in Space. A Roman officer has joined the crew of an American military ship sent to search for the Hive’s homeworld. The Americans are all, “Woo-hoo, let’s kick some alien ass!” and the lone Roman is Mr. Spock: haughty and spookily smart.
There are some really great action scenes, featuring everything from sword-fighting to antimatter explosions. The dialog is snappy and amusing. One romantic sub-plot is awful, but the slashy one is subtle and intriguing. I loved the ending, and I’m glad there are more book in this series.
March 28, 2016
This book was juvenile. I thought it was written by a 14 year old boy, but after further inspection, it was an adult female. Meluch apparently hates her own gender enough to throw in every negative stereotype that even Disney princess movies rejected 25 years ago.
-
One lame aspect of the book is the old fashioned notions of heroism. The heroes are never afraid. Take Indiana Jones, for instance. He was afraid all the time, but did the heroic things all the same. Meluch's characters are joking around because they aren't afraid of anything, which makes for a much less dramatic scene. The only time a character was afraid was very near the end, and of course it was a female that was in trouble, saved by a guy.
-
The sophomoric vibe that I kept getting is hard to articulate. The Merrimack is THE BEST ship in the fleet with THE BEST captain and THE BEST xenologist and THE BEST commander of its fighter crew. Now it gets THE BEST intelligence officer. To bring up the previous example of Indiana Jones, he gets bested by that French archaeologist in the first movie a few times. The Merrimack is perfect. Why not make it interesting and write a story about a great but flawed ship?
-
The LEN group was an obvious reference to the neoconservative's view of Europe circa 2005. There's an army of space bugs that eats everything in its path, and the Europeans want to make friends with it. No matter what your politics, I think humanity can agree that shooting ravenous insects is an act of self preservation and should be assisted, not mocked. But no, they're straw man caricatures of the way the US looked at our Old World cousins at that time. They exist in the story for no other reason than to be a juvenile insult or political statement.
-
One lame aspect of the book is the old fashioned notions of heroism. The heroes are never afraid. Take Indiana Jones, for instance. He was afraid all the time, but did the heroic things all the same. Meluch's characters are joking around because they aren't afraid of anything, which makes for a much less dramatic scene. The only time a character was afraid was very near the end, and of course it was a female that was in trouble, saved by a guy.
-
The sophomoric vibe that I kept getting is hard to articulate. The Merrimack is THE BEST ship in the fleet with THE BEST captain and THE BEST xenologist and THE BEST commander of its fighter crew. Now it gets THE BEST intelligence officer. To bring up the previous example of Indiana Jones, he gets bested by that French archaeologist in the first movie a few times. The Merrimack is perfect. Why not make it interesting and write a story about a great but flawed ship?
-
The LEN group was an obvious reference to the neoconservative's view of Europe circa 2005. There's an army of space bugs that eats everything in its path, and the Europeans want to make friends with it. No matter what your politics, I think humanity can agree that shooting ravenous insects is an act of self preservation and should be assisted, not mocked. But no, they're straw man caricatures of the way the US looked at our Old World cousins at that time. They exist in the story for no other reason than to be a juvenile insult or political statement.
August 12, 2015
Those horrifically evil butterflies are out to get us all!! Run away!!
Yeah, so I misread the first couple hundred pages of this book. I misunderstood the butterfly pattern disruptions as early warning system to mean that the big baddies actually were butterflies.
I was so excited! FINALLY!! There’s an author willing to unmask butterflies as the truly evil beings that they are!! God. I hate butterflies.
I spent the entire time imagining the crew of the Merrimack hacking butterflies to death with their swords. I was filled with gleeful delight. Yeah. The baddies aren’t butterflies. Sigh. Oh, well.
The pacing and descriptions were a bit off for me. I constantly found myself wanting more descriptions or far fewer descriptions. I was very pleased with the battle scenes and the deaths of secondary characters. I always appreciate a good secondary character death.
Like Allison, I’m giving an extra star for the ending. It’s amazingly spectacular. If the book was really about ending the existence of all butterflies, it would have been a solid five stars.
Yeah, so I misread the first couple hundred pages of this book. I misunderstood the butterfly pattern disruptions as early warning system to mean that the big baddies actually were butterflies.
I was so excited! FINALLY!! There’s an author willing to unmask butterflies as the truly evil beings that they are!! God. I hate butterflies.
I spent the entire time imagining the crew of the Merrimack hacking butterflies to death with their swords. I was filled with gleeful delight. Yeah. The baddies aren’t butterflies. Sigh. Oh, well.
The pacing and descriptions were a bit off for me. I constantly found myself wanting more descriptions or far fewer descriptions. I was very pleased with the battle scenes and the deaths of secondary characters. I always appreciate a good secondary character death.
Like Allison, I’m giving an extra star for the ending. It’s amazingly spectacular. If the book was really about ending the existence of all butterflies, it would have been a solid five stars.
March 4, 2009
Based on the cover art and cover copy, there's nothing to distinguish this book from the 40 metric tons of mediocre-to-bad sci-fi out there. If I hadn't read Brownbetty's review, I never would have picked it up. But luckily I did, and now it's my duty to pass the news along: this is some fantastically fun space opera, right here. Not quite Lois McMaster Bujold good, but close--full of interesting characters, a believable first contact story, and insect-like space predators that are much scarier than the Wraith. Oh, and slashiness. Did I mention there is awesome yummy slashiness, too?
It's not a perfect book--I'm kind of bummed out, for example, that hundreds of years in the future, men who sleep around continue to be studly while women who like to get it on are still considered sluts--but it was still a blast to read, with a killer ending that will leave you racing to find the next volume. New space opera series to devour FTW!
It's not a perfect book--I'm kind of bummed out, for example, that hundreds of years in the future, men who sleep around continue to be studly while women who like to get it on are still considered sluts--but it was still a blast to read, with a killer ending that will leave you racing to find the next volume. New space opera series to devour FTW!
December 23, 2017
When I grabbed this book based on an internet buddy's recommendation, I was picturing David Weber-esque sci fi... what it really is, if you squint, is Star Trek fan fic.
The Merrimack (love the civil war reference) is very Enterprise-like, and it's Captain, John Farragut, very much evokes images of Capt. Kirk. Maybe he's a little more personable and nicer. Augustus the 'patterner' from the rival star Empire (based on Rome, which is fun) could easily be Spock, if he was a sarcastic a-hole. Obviously, he was my favorite ;).
The plot involves the Hive, which are somewhere between the Borg and the Buggers from Ender's Game, and are the reason the two human empires aren't at war, and a lost civilization that may have some sort of secret to stable worm holes.
The people on the planet were right from TOS central casting, a mostly benevloent dictator that would have been right at home trading barbs, yet ultimately giving Capt. Kirk respect.
In very Trek fashion, after a cool battle, there's time travel, and things reset in a most unpleasing way, making it unclear exactly what the heck is going on. That would have been fine if this actualyl was Star Trek, where you know what the canon is and what's going on, here it was painful.. characters dead came back, and my boy Augustus seems to have either gone back home or left all together.
While the story and world were very good and definitely would encourage further reading, the time travel bit at the end (as usual) hurt my head and definitely makes me less enthused for further reading.. we'll see how it goes.
The Merrimack (love the civil war reference) is very Enterprise-like, and it's Captain, John Farragut, very much evokes images of Capt. Kirk. Maybe he's a little more personable and nicer. Augustus the 'patterner' from the rival star Empire (based on Rome, which is fun) could easily be Spock, if he was a sarcastic a-hole. Obviously, he was my favorite ;).
The plot involves the Hive, which are somewhere between the Borg and the Buggers from Ender's Game, and are the reason the two human empires aren't at war, and a lost civilization that may have some sort of secret to stable worm holes.
The people on the planet were right from TOS central casting, a mostly benevloent dictator that would have been right at home trading barbs, yet ultimately giving Capt. Kirk respect.
In very Trek fashion, after a cool battle, there's time travel, and things reset in a most unpleasing way, making it unclear exactly what the heck is going on. That would have been fine if this actualyl was Star Trek, where you know what the canon is and what's going on, here it was painful.. characters dead came back, and my boy Augustus seems to have either gone back home or left all together.
While the story and world were very good and definitely would encourage further reading, the time travel bit at the end (as usual) hurt my head and definitely makes me less enthused for further reading.. we'll see how it goes.
May 8, 2017
Well, that was quite the experience. I don't read/listen to straight up sci-fi/space opera that often. Not sure why because I've enjoyed it each time I tried. This one with its classic-style cover caught my eye so I read the blurb and it lives up to its cover. To get you in the picture, it has a military age of sail navy in space feel to it. And, the Roman Empire is restored and conquering away in space with the US as their foe, how cool is that?
The Myriad is space opera and the beginning of a series so there was a large cast of characters, multiple points of view and quite the world building for me to get up to speed on. This can be tricky when I'm experiencing it in audio, but I managed.
For one, the main body of characters are colorful and easily distinguished. Yes, I suppose they fall into certain caricatures or type. I would even go so far as to think a crew like what you got on the Original Star Trek (it has that classic style to it). Captain Farragut is at the center of things. He's larger than life and a 'seat of the pantser' who has the loyalty and love of his crew because he gives his all for and to them. Behind him are his tough, intelligent female second in command, Callie Carmel and his third, the often underestimated, Gwen the Hamster Hamilton. The enigmatic Roman patterner, Colonel Augustus, who is his intelligence officer and who has most of the crew suspicious of him. Tough gritty Marine sergeant, TR Steel, secretly crushing on one of his Marines, Kerry Blue, who has a reputation for liking lots of sex and for being a hard-fighting Marine of the top squad. Mo the Doctor and Don Jose Maria the scientist and philosopher round out the main cast.
There are a few scientific or engineering discussions that I just decided to let that race right on by. They were necessary to explain the whys and the hows of what the folks were doing, I suppose, but I'm one who is good without all that explanation when it comes to my sci-fi. When you start debating the science of space-time continuum and creating a time paradox, I'm just going to sit that one out. Until it happens and I can do the 'oh, that's why that was bad/good'.
This is an action adventure mostly because the ship and its crew is out there to protect the human worlds from a devouring alien hoard who only live to eat. Period, no higher intelligence going on there. There are military-style battles of all sorts that get intense and drastic as the humans are backed into a corner many times.
But there are also internal battles within the human race. The humans are not a cohesive group even in the future here as there are a bureaucratic League of Earth Nations separate from the Geo-political divisions that exist and govern with the LEN and the Merrimack on two separate and diverse missions out there that clash.
A silent battle of sorts is the postponed war for conquest that the Americans and Romans were locked in right up until they had to join forces against the alien eaters. There is also a fun new adventure for the ship when they encounter a new race in a hidden planet cluster.
It really was old-style swashbuckling entertainment and doesn't try to be more though Holy Moly, that twist near the end was quite the corker. That was one time I was glad I paid attention to the scientific discussion prior or I’d have been lost as to what happened. I had a good time and definitely look forward to more adventures with the crew of the Merrimack.
Narrator Review: 5 Stars
The book narrator, John Glouchevitch, was a first for me, but I thought he did a fab job with that huge cast: gender, accent, class, race, pacing, emotions, and tone. He had me riveted during the exciting parts, laughing at the humor and sad at the right moments. His droll, cynical Augustus voice paired with Farragut's excitable Kentucky twang was a hoot. Overall, I was totally into his storytelling.
My thanks to Brilliance Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Myriad is space opera and the beginning of a series so there was a large cast of characters, multiple points of view and quite the world building for me to get up to speed on. This can be tricky when I'm experiencing it in audio, but I managed.
For one, the main body of characters are colorful and easily distinguished. Yes, I suppose they fall into certain caricatures or type. I would even go so far as to think a crew like what you got on the Original Star Trek (it has that classic style to it). Captain Farragut is at the center of things. He's larger than life and a 'seat of the pantser' who has the loyalty and love of his crew because he gives his all for and to them. Behind him are his tough, intelligent female second in command, Callie Carmel and his third, the often underestimated, Gwen the Hamster Hamilton. The enigmatic Roman patterner, Colonel Augustus, who is his intelligence officer and who has most of the crew suspicious of him. Tough gritty Marine sergeant, TR Steel, secretly crushing on one of his Marines, Kerry Blue, who has a reputation for liking lots of sex and for being a hard-fighting Marine of the top squad. Mo the Doctor and Don Jose Maria the scientist and philosopher round out the main cast.
There are a few scientific or engineering discussions that I just decided to let that race right on by. They were necessary to explain the whys and the hows of what the folks were doing, I suppose, but I'm one who is good without all that explanation when it comes to my sci-fi. When you start debating the science of space-time continuum and creating a time paradox, I'm just going to sit that one out. Until it happens and I can do the 'oh, that's why that was bad/good'.
This is an action adventure mostly because the ship and its crew is out there to protect the human worlds from a devouring alien hoard who only live to eat. Period, no higher intelligence going on there. There are military-style battles of all sorts that get intense and drastic as the humans are backed into a corner many times.
But there are also internal battles within the human race. The humans are not a cohesive group even in the future here as there are a bureaucratic League of Earth Nations separate from the Geo-political divisions that exist and govern with the LEN and the Merrimack on two separate and diverse missions out there that clash.
A silent battle of sorts is the postponed war for conquest that the Americans and Romans were locked in right up until they had to join forces against the alien eaters. There is also a fun new adventure for the ship when they encounter a new race in a hidden planet cluster.
It really was old-style swashbuckling entertainment and doesn't try to be more though Holy Moly, that twist near the end was quite the corker. That was one time I was glad I paid attention to the scientific discussion prior or I’d have been lost as to what happened. I had a good time and definitely look forward to more adventures with the crew of the Merrimack.
Narrator Review: 5 Stars
The book narrator, John Glouchevitch, was a first for me, but I thought he did a fab job with that huge cast: gender, accent, class, race, pacing, emotions, and tone. He had me riveted during the exciting parts, laughing at the humor and sad at the right moments. His droll, cynical Augustus voice paired with Farragut's excitable Kentucky twang was a hoot. Overall, I was totally into his storytelling.
My thanks to Brilliance Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 22, 2014
Wow, just wow. I really don't know where to begin with this one. When I first started reading this, my initial reaction a couple of chapters in was that this might just be the worst SF novel I have ever read (and yes, I've read some of Gentry Lee's oeuvre). I have read a couple of Meluch's earlier novels, which I thought I recalled as not bad at all, so I was beginning to theorize that maybe Meluch had had a bet with her agent to see if she could write a parody of fourth-rate Trek TOS fan-fic and actually get people to buy it. By two-thirds in, the utter don't-give-a-monkey's insanity of the whole setting and downright ballsiness of ideas like the Roman Empire going underground for two millennia and recreating itself once humanity had achieved FTL had begun to grow on me a little, but the ending was a disappointing cop-out.
It's hard to believe this book was written in 2005. Even a bottom-rank 1940s pulp magazine might pass on this one, it's so bad. It's not that the characterizations and politics, sexual and not, are stereotypes, they barely achieve one-dimensionality at times; the almost literally tree-hugging LEN diplomats for one are a parody of a parody, and the main characters are such obvious imitations of Kirk, Spock, Bones et. al. that it's a wonder that the estate of Gene Roddenberry hasn't sued. At times the book almost begins to win the reader over with its sheer silliness, and whilst on one level the alien Hive is YA hegemonizing swarm, Meluch does a good job at conveying its utter alienness and horror - it's about the most well-realized part of the whole book.
So, I keep coming back to the idea, this /has/ to be a joke, doesn't it? But there are four more books in the series, and Meluch is reportedly working on a much-delayed sixth. Perhaps she simply realized that you cannot under-estimate the lack of discernment of the average MilSF reader (and I will gladly confess to MilSF being a guilty pleasure of mine) and decided to cash in, but even an endless David Weber infodump about treecats is better than this.
It's hard to believe this book was written in 2005. Even a bottom-rank 1940s pulp magazine might pass on this one, it's so bad. It's not that the characterizations and politics, sexual and not, are stereotypes, they barely achieve one-dimensionality at times; the almost literally tree-hugging LEN diplomats for one are a parody of a parody, and the main characters are such obvious imitations of Kirk, Spock, Bones et. al. that it's a wonder that the estate of Gene Roddenberry hasn't sued. At times the book almost begins to win the reader over with its sheer silliness, and whilst on one level the alien Hive is YA hegemonizing swarm, Meluch does a good job at conveying its utter alienness and horror - it's about the most well-realized part of the whole book.
So, I keep coming back to the idea, this /has/ to be a joke, doesn't it? But there are four more books in the series, and Meluch is reportedly working on a much-delayed sixth. Perhaps she simply realized that you cannot under-estimate the lack of discernment of the average MilSF reader (and I will gladly confess to MilSF being a guilty pleasure of mine) and decided to cash in, but even an endless David Weber infodump about treecats is better than this.
September 7, 2012
Okay, this lone star rating is unfair.
I liked the book, right up to the bang-crash-let's dive into an alternate reality at the end of book 1, which is part of a series...
Did I miss something here? I spend time investing in a bunch of characters who are wiped out at the end? And I'm expected to buy the next book?
I loved the Roman Empire. I liked the tensions between characters. I don't like the reality shift, and I don't like it so much I gave this a 1 star. I can't say it's okay.
I liked the book, right up to the bang-crash-let's dive into an alternate reality at the end of book 1, which is part of a series...
Did I miss something here? I spend time investing in a bunch of characters who are wiped out at the end? And I'm expected to buy the next book?
I loved the Roman Empire. I liked the tensions between characters. I don't like the reality shift, and I don't like it so much I gave this a 1 star. I can't say it's okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2018
Odd.
The most frustrating thing was the awful descriptions of the female characters in the book. Don't know if the author was just conditioned to that or if she was trying to sound like all the male sci-fi authors at the time, but it was hard to deal with.
Also, the ending was strange and unsatisfying.
The most frustrating thing was the awful descriptions of the female characters in the book. Don't know if the author was just conditioned to that or if she was trying to sound like all the male sci-fi authors at the time, but it was hard to deal with.
Also, the ending was strange and unsatisfying.
November 15, 2017
Oh yeah, 4 Stars for this action-packed romp through space and time. Normally I can't stand time travel stories but this one incorporates time and paradox in an engaging and believable thread. Oh Augustus, what happened??!! Anyone who is survivor of a dining-in will instantly identify with the characters here. A very nautical themed space story will keep your attention to the (surprising) end.
October 7, 2021
Fun read! Marines and the Roman Empire! Comic-book style characters that I ended up liking, especially Augustus!
January 6, 2024
A well-paced military space opera! More time spent on character development than on explaining the science, but it makes for a fun read. Loved some of the characters and can’t wait to read more, but SHOCKED by the fact that this is written by a woman. Truly bad romance/under-developed female characters/misogyny.
March 13, 2012
If you enjoy solid, exciting and well-crafted military sci-fi do yourself a favor and check out R. M. Meluch’s The Myriad. Honestly stop reading this review and check it out. The novel makes an interesting discussion piece, more on that later, and is definitely one of the more engaging military sci-fi novel I’ve read. The Myriad takes an interesting premise with characters whose personality’s are ratcheted way up to 11 and really runs with it right up until the heartrending twist at the novel’s close.
The Myriad takes the idea that despite Rome’s fall the Roman Empire never really died just went into hiding amongst secret societies. On day the opportunity arises to abandon Earth for a new home: the planet Palantine and Rome jumps at it severing ties with Earth and starting the first Galactic Civil war. The Myriad opens just as the Palantine has surrendered to the League of Earth Nations due to the emergence of a new and merciless enemy known only as the Hive. Inhuman carnivores the Hive are attracted to the FTL communication employed by both sides. The Merrimack has been assigned the task of eliminating a finding the Hive home-world and are joined in this endeavor by a Roman Patterner Augustus; an experiment in posthuman engineering. It is on this mission that The Merrimack stumbles across the titular Myraid, a cluster of stars that houses an isolated civilization and other potentially more useful secrets.
Name any number of sci-fi influences and The Myriad can be seen borrowing from just about all of them. There are shades of Battlestar Gallactica (the Commander of the Marine pilots reminded me of Colonel Tigh), a dash of Aliens, a pinch of Starship Troopers, and heck even a light dusting of Star Trek. Meluch pulls all these disparate influences into a convincing and refreshing whole that manages to stand well on its own. This isn’t really a novel about fine details and intricate science but one about high adventure and bold deeds; more adventure sci-fi than hard sci-fi. Meluch has done her best to make the Merrimack feel more like an traditional sailing vessel with nice touches like the swords issued crew members (effective against boarders, human or otherwise), to the fact that the futuristic guns aboard the vessel are hand loaded by crews, and there is something delightfully old school (if not historically accurate) about the use of animals and insects on board as low-tech sensor systems.
The characters are all very much the gung-ho over-the-top types. Captain John Farragut is a cavalier, no-holds barred swashbuckler type; as adept with strategy and tactics as he is with his sword. The Marine commander, Colonel Steele is an overly aggressive take action type who lusts after one of his soldiers, the ship’s “morale officer” Kerry Blue (yes, that’s a euphemism). While the Roman Patterner, Colonel Augustus, is as precisely as arrogant and holier-than-thou as one would expect. It goes on and on; everyone painted in bold strokes. While it doesn’t touch too closely on the finer details of human emotion and relationships these broad strokes do provide for an easy connection to the characters and the perfect framework for high energy action.
The novel ends with a bang. A real gut-shot of an ending. Really, the less said about it the better. It didn’t really mar by enthusiasm for the novel by any means but absolutely did not see that twist coming. The Myriad, with its easy characterization, fascinating world, and entertaining action makes for a quick read. It definitely left my ready to jump immediately into the second book The Wolf Star. While not a perfect novel by any means, there is a certain adolescent quality to the relationships (particularly the romantic leanings of several crew members, an area that other military sci-fi series sometimes struggle with as well) depicted in the novel, but as gung-ho military sci-fi The Myriad works quite wonderfully. If you’re looking for an entertaining read that will have you on the edge of your seat, and ready for more once you’ve hit the last page, you need look no further than The Myriad.
The Myriad takes the idea that despite Rome’s fall the Roman Empire never really died just went into hiding amongst secret societies. On day the opportunity arises to abandon Earth for a new home: the planet Palantine and Rome jumps at it severing ties with Earth and starting the first Galactic Civil war. The Myriad opens just as the Palantine has surrendered to the League of Earth Nations due to the emergence of a new and merciless enemy known only as the Hive. Inhuman carnivores the Hive are attracted to the FTL communication employed by both sides. The Merrimack has been assigned the task of eliminating a finding the Hive home-world and are joined in this endeavor by a Roman Patterner Augustus; an experiment in posthuman engineering. It is on this mission that The Merrimack stumbles across the titular Myraid, a cluster of stars that houses an isolated civilization and other potentially more useful secrets.
Name any number of sci-fi influences and The Myriad can be seen borrowing from just about all of them. There are shades of Battlestar Gallactica (the Commander of the Marine pilots reminded me of Colonel Tigh), a dash of Aliens, a pinch of Starship Troopers, and heck even a light dusting of Star Trek. Meluch pulls all these disparate influences into a convincing and refreshing whole that manages to stand well on its own. This isn’t really a novel about fine details and intricate science but one about high adventure and bold deeds; more adventure sci-fi than hard sci-fi. Meluch has done her best to make the Merrimack feel more like an traditional sailing vessel with nice touches like the swords issued crew members (effective against boarders, human or otherwise), to the fact that the futuristic guns aboard the vessel are hand loaded by crews, and there is something delightfully old school (if not historically accurate) about the use of animals and insects on board as low-tech sensor systems.
The characters are all very much the gung-ho over-the-top types. Captain John Farragut is a cavalier, no-holds barred swashbuckler type; as adept with strategy and tactics as he is with his sword. The Marine commander, Colonel Steele is an overly aggressive take action type who lusts after one of his soldiers, the ship’s “morale officer” Kerry Blue (yes, that’s a euphemism). While the Roman Patterner, Colonel Augustus, is as precisely as arrogant and holier-than-thou as one would expect. It goes on and on; everyone painted in bold strokes. While it doesn’t touch too closely on the finer details of human emotion and relationships these broad strokes do provide for an easy connection to the characters and the perfect framework for high energy action.
The novel ends with a bang. A real gut-shot of an ending. Really, the less said about it the better. It didn’t really mar by enthusiasm for the novel by any means but absolutely did not see that twist coming. The Myriad, with its easy characterization, fascinating world, and entertaining action makes for a quick read. It definitely left my ready to jump immediately into the second book The Wolf Star. While not a perfect novel by any means, there is a certain adolescent quality to the relationships (particularly the romantic leanings of several crew members, an area that other military sci-fi series sometimes struggle with as well) depicted in the novel, but as gung-ho military sci-fi The Myriad works quite wonderfully. If you’re looking for an entertaining read that will have you on the edge of your seat, and ready for more once you’ve hit the last page, you need look no further than The Myriad.
January 19, 2016
I was hoping that this would be the book that would reunite me with SF; we're having a rather rocky relationship at the moment, and we've almost reached the stage where we return each other's gifts and can't be invited to the same party for six months.
Was this the big reconcilation of my dreams? I don't know. I read it, I enjoyed it, I only occasionally wanted to hit the author with something heavy. But this book is far from perfect.
First, the flaws.
This book feels vaguely first novelish, even though I know it's anything but. The exposition is at painful levels of telling rather than showing, although fortunately things get better in a hurry when the real action starts.
And the characters - look. If you're going to have United States Marines, and you're going to call them that, I'm going to expect them to act like U.S. Marines. Marines don't spend a lot of time crying while on duty (and, yes, it bothered me that only the female Marines cried), and they sure as shit don't break into laughter while they're in full dress as honor guard during a meeting with a foreign (alien) head of state. For some reason, I had a harder time suspending my disbelief over that than over, you know, the Roman Empire having been underground for two thousand years.
And, dear god, this contains possibly the worst romance subplot the world has ever seen: if Meluch never writes any more Kerry Blue/TR Steele, I will rejoice and rejoice and rejoice. I had to skip some pages of that, because it was like the worst romance novel ever written. Right down to it making it okay that he's an asshole to her, because he loooooooves her.
Which brings me to the biggest flaw this book had for me: the misogyny. It's obvious that Meluch loves Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, but did she have to pick up their trick of having every alien race have nonsentient females? I am so damn tired of that. And I am tired of women who have lots of sex being dumb sluts - Meluch's words, not mine. I could have done without any of that.
However, on a happier note: gay character! Some characters with other than lily-white skin! (Although not, of course, in command. I think the universe would explode if that happened.) That puts this book way at the forefront of all military SF novels in terms of diversity.
But the bottom line is: I enjoyed this. I read it quickly. I want to read more. I liked some of the characters. I liked the action. I loved Augustus and his relationship with Farragut. The twist honestly surprised and impressed me.
So this book wasn't perfect, and it wasn't my great reconciliation with SF. So what? It was fun. Frankly, in SF these days - and especially in military SF - I will totally take that.
Was this the big reconcilation of my dreams? I don't know. I read it, I enjoyed it, I only occasionally wanted to hit the author with something heavy. But this book is far from perfect.
First, the flaws.
This book feels vaguely first novelish, even though I know it's anything but. The exposition is at painful levels of telling rather than showing, although fortunately things get better in a hurry when the real action starts.
And the characters - look. If you're going to have United States Marines, and you're going to call them that, I'm going to expect them to act like U.S. Marines. Marines don't spend a lot of time crying while on duty (and, yes, it bothered me that only the female Marines cried), and they sure as shit don't break into laughter while they're in full dress as honor guard during a meeting with a foreign (alien) head of state. For some reason, I had a harder time suspending my disbelief over that than over, you know, the Roman Empire having been underground for two thousand years.
And, dear god, this contains possibly the worst romance subplot the world has ever seen: if Meluch never writes any more Kerry Blue/TR Steele, I will rejoice and rejoice and rejoice. I had to skip some pages of that, because it was like the worst romance novel ever written. Right down to it making it okay that he's an asshole to her, because he loooooooves her.
Which brings me to the biggest flaw this book had for me: the misogyny. It's obvious that Meluch loves Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, but did she have to pick up their trick of having every alien race have nonsentient females? I am so damn tired of that. And I am tired of women who have lots of sex being dumb sluts - Meluch's words, not mine. I could have done without any of that.
However, on a happier note: gay character! Some characters with other than lily-white skin! (Although not, of course, in command. I think the universe would explode if that happened.) That puts this book way at the forefront of all military SF novels in terms of diversity.
But the bottom line is: I enjoyed this. I read it quickly. I want to read more. I liked some of the characters. I liked the action. I loved Augustus and his relationship with Farragut. The twist honestly surprised and impressed me.
So this book wasn't perfect, and it wasn't my great reconciliation with SF. So what? It was fun. Frankly, in SF these days - and especially in military SF - I will totally take that.
May 29, 2015
This is excellent space opera, and I am of the opinion that there isn't nearly enough space opera in the world. It is a rambling battle among the stars where the US and Rome are the two major human powers (it turns out that Rome went underground and was a vast secret society, which is just cool) fighting against the alien threat of the Hive. The action scenes are well done and Meluch manages to have good reasons to have sword fights on a spaceship.
That said, I can't unequivocally recommend The Myriad, mostly because of the depiction of Kerry Blue. She is the only woman who gets a large amount of screen time, and she is stereotyped as trailer trash and a slut. In the book, Kerry She is a one dimensional character and a frustrating female character, especially in a futuristic society when there is no real reason for her to be portrayed this way.
Oh, and I didn't care for the end. (YMMV, as Joel also read The Myriad and didn't have a problem with the ending.) The author doesn't seem to really understand time travel and physics, which I don't really mind, except that
I liked the book enough to pick up the next one, and I'm sad that the portrayal of Kerry Blue keeps me from whole-heartedly recommending the book.
That said, I can't unequivocally recommend The Myriad, mostly because of the depiction of Kerry Blue. She is the only woman who gets a large amount of screen time, and she is stereotyped as trailer trash and a slut. In the book, Kerry She is a one dimensional character and a frustrating female character, especially in a futuristic society when there is no real reason for her to be portrayed this way.
Oh, and I didn't care for the end. (YMMV, as Joel also read The Myriad and didn't have a problem with the ending.) The author doesn't seem to really understand time travel and physics, which I don't really mind, except that
I liked the book enough to pick up the next one, and I'm sad that the portrayal of Kerry Blue keeps me from whole-heartedly recommending the book.
September 30, 2018
If you have any concept of how a professional military operates...don't buy this book. If you made it out of 6th grade general science class with a grade above D minus...don't buy this book.
If you're going to write military science fiction, you ought to have some sort of clue about how the military works. You should also probably have some sort of clue about science or physics. As it was, the author's complete lack of any grasp of military matters or science/physics makes the fiction in this book almost unbearable to read.
The military in this book are complete caricatures. They are all insubordinate and undisciplined jerks. It's mind-boggling that anyone would be so clueless to think that such behavior would have any positive effects whatsoever, much less create a high performing ship...as the author obviously does. Not to even mention the author's concept that the marines that serve on the ship are all high school drop-out morons...to include their Lt. Col. commanding officer...yet they pilot super-duper space fighters as well as perform other sundry duties. Right. Of course, one of the sundry duties in which they are all engaged is sex with one another. And let's not forget the love interest the Captain of the ship has for one of his subordinate female officers and the love/sex between the marine commander and one of his female flight sergeants...like those are positive role model behaviors that enhance morale of units. Just clueless.
But the idiocy of the science/physics is even worse. Now we all know that science fiction isn't "real". But a good science fiction book should have enough connection to reality that you can suspend disbelief and enjoy the book. This author can't do that. There are scientific "concepts" in this book that even a 6th grader would choke on. Let's see. FTL travel that is never explained. Some kind of "resonance" transmission for communication that is never explained. A magical force field that surrounds the ship that is never explained. A force field so powerful that the the crew believes the ship can fly into a black hole and survive. Aliens that can somehow wriggle their way through said all powerful force field. Manually loaded cannons...to defend the ship. Swords to fight boarders. Transporters to beam crew down to planets. And on and on. None of it "explained". It all just "is". The science is like the worst of the worst cheezy star trek episodes.
If you're going to write military science fiction, you ought to have some sort of clue about how the military works. You should also probably have some sort of clue about science or physics. As it was, the author's complete lack of any grasp of military matters or science/physics makes the fiction in this book almost unbearable to read.
The military in this book are complete caricatures. They are all insubordinate and undisciplined jerks. It's mind-boggling that anyone would be so clueless to think that such behavior would have any positive effects whatsoever, much less create a high performing ship...as the author obviously does. Not to even mention the author's concept that the marines that serve on the ship are all high school drop-out morons...to include their Lt. Col. commanding officer...yet they pilot super-duper space fighters as well as perform other sundry duties. Right. Of course, one of the sundry duties in which they are all engaged is sex with one another. And let's not forget the love interest the Captain of the ship has for one of his subordinate female officers and the love/sex between the marine commander and one of his female flight sergeants...like those are positive role model behaviors that enhance morale of units. Just clueless.
But the idiocy of the science/physics is even worse. Now we all know that science fiction isn't "real". But a good science fiction book should have enough connection to reality that you can suspend disbelief and enjoy the book. This author can't do that. There are scientific "concepts" in this book that even a 6th grader would choke on. Let's see. FTL travel that is never explained. Some kind of "resonance" transmission for communication that is never explained. A magical force field that surrounds the ship that is never explained. A force field so powerful that the the crew believes the ship can fly into a black hole and survive. Aliens that can somehow wriggle their way through said all powerful force field. Manually loaded cannons...to defend the ship. Swords to fight boarders. Transporters to beam crew down to planets. And on and on. None of it "explained". It all just "is". The science is like the worst of the worst cheezy star trek episodes.
February 22, 2010
This book confused me at first. The entire novel follows a series of great characters in a pretty good adventure, and then, at the very end of the book . . . they do something with a blackhole that changes the universal timeline and all of the characters' lives get messed up. Some very satisfactory character plot lines get erased. This was VERY confusing and frustrating.
But fear not! Meluch uses this as a device to further your understanding of these characters in later books, as well as pursuing some interesting philosophical sidelines.
Have faith! Follow the Merrimack! You will not be disappointed.
But fear not! Meluch uses this as a device to further your understanding of these characters in later books, as well as pursuing some interesting philosophical sidelines.
Have faith! Follow the Merrimack! You will not be disappointed.
June 9, 2019
A pretty good FTL sci-fi novel that was recommended by a friend. Probably didn’t rate 5 stars except for the unique and fun for the reader way the author slipped through the time travel paradox. Can’t say more without giving it away.
June 9, 2019
I read this series at least a decade ago, probably longer, and went back for a quick re-read when I rediscovered the first book on a visit home.
For being a series pretty light on substance, I have surprisingly a lot of thoughts on it, but I will try to confine this review largely to the first book, "The Myriad."
The Myriad takes place several hundred years in the future, where humanity has gone to space, and there are two "Galactic" superpowers: The United States of America, and a resurgent Roman Empire, which had been lying dormant in Western Society, until it was able to break away from the United States once it was able to secure some colonies on its own. There is also a League of Earth Nations, which is supposed to be the evolution of the U.N., but it is a second rate power; and despised and ridiculed by both the U.S. and the new Rome. In this setting, a new and devastating alien threat is introduced, called the "Hive," which devours entire worlds.
The Captain of the flagship of the U.S. forces, John Farragut of the U.S.S. Merrimack, must steer his own men and women through both fighting this new menace and intrigue and battles with the New Roman Empire.
The Myriad isn't a great book . . . I'm not even sure it's a good one. Meluch has certain strengths, which I will discuss below, but not included among them are strong plot narrative, pacing, or transitions. The Myriad goes from chapter to chapter like a literary wide receiver who is constantly at risk of fumbling the football. Sometimes this happens even from scene to scene.
On top of these objective issues, there are the much more insidious subjective problems with the book and series, which I think I recognized back in the mid-late aughts, but which are absolutely glaring in 2019.
I won't beat around the bush: the series is basically soft-core America porn, but an America that if it existed, only did so for white straight people in the 1950s. Every hackneyed stereotype of America is on full display, and, often are on a display so unbelievable that it makes enjoying the book a chore. It is as if America in the 2500s, one of two global galactic superpowers, is actually an idealized version of Richmond, Virginia, circa a combination of 1850 and 1950.
Which leads to the other significant issues in the book, which in 2005 might have been called a "lack of political correctness," but in 2019 borders on blatant anti-feminism, casual racism and homophobia.
Most of the women in the series exist only to define the male characters, and almost all of them are hyper-sexualized. The male characters' main motivation is usually protecting the women, EVEN THOSE OF COMMAND RANK, in a very patriarchal, gross fashion. There are very, very few characters who are not white and straight, and those that aren't usually are portrayed as rough stereotypes. Problems like these abound. They were noticeable in the 2000s, at the end of the 2010s, they are caustic eyesores.
I could talk a lot more about these problems with the book, but this review is meant to be holistic, and I think it's worth discussing the strengths.
Honestly, I couldn't put this book down, either the first time or this most recent time. R.M. Meluch is good at action, there can be no doubt about that, but she is fantastic at making memorable characters, characters that, even when they are completely impossible archetypes, like Captain John Farragut, seem real and engaging. Her characters, for the most part, are likable, interesting, and act like actual people.
On top of this, for being a relatively light Sci-Fi military series, Meluch comes up with a few interesting ideas and plot devices, that while not expertly woven into the series by any means, are novel even when looking at them in 2019. These are not enough to elevate the series in to, what I would argue is the more intellectual company of military sci-fi like "The Forever War," "Old Man's War," or "Red Rising," but they offer enough flavor to propel the series along.
So, what kind of review do you give a book that is poorly written, full of embarrassing and problematic themes, but is also a fantastic read? I'll go with my heart over my mind here and give it 4/5 stars. It's not like I'm not going to re-read the sequels.
I'll end with this, I saw somewhere in another review that Meluch doesn't really enjoy being an author, she just really likes writing. That makes sense when you read this book, and if it is true, causes me to be far more forgiving of its faults. The Myriad reads like someone's beloved fan fiction, written by an author who is not particularly interested in changing it to appeal to a mass-market audience, or working at all to improve the writing.
But, as fan fiction goes, it's a blast.
TL;DR
If you enjoy military sci-fi, strong characterization, a bit of lavish "American" fantasy, and are willing to look past problematic themes that were out of place even a decade ago, give the Myriad a try.
For being a series pretty light on substance, I have surprisingly a lot of thoughts on it, but I will try to confine this review largely to the first book, "The Myriad."
The Myriad takes place several hundred years in the future, where humanity has gone to space, and there are two "Galactic" superpowers: The United States of America, and a resurgent Roman Empire, which had been lying dormant in Western Society, until it was able to break away from the United States once it was able to secure some colonies on its own. There is also a League of Earth Nations, which is supposed to be the evolution of the U.N., but it is a second rate power; and despised and ridiculed by both the U.S. and the new Rome. In this setting, a new and devastating alien threat is introduced, called the "Hive," which devours entire worlds.
The Captain of the flagship of the U.S. forces, John Farragut of the U.S.S. Merrimack, must steer his own men and women through both fighting this new menace and intrigue and battles with the New Roman Empire.
The Myriad isn't a great book . . . I'm not even sure it's a good one. Meluch has certain strengths, which I will discuss below, but not included among them are strong plot narrative, pacing, or transitions. The Myriad goes from chapter to chapter like a literary wide receiver who is constantly at risk of fumbling the football. Sometimes this happens even from scene to scene.
On top of these objective issues, there are the much more insidious subjective problems with the book and series, which I think I recognized back in the mid-late aughts, but which are absolutely glaring in 2019.
I won't beat around the bush: the series is basically soft-core America porn, but an America that if it existed, only did so for white straight people in the 1950s. Every hackneyed stereotype of America is on full display, and, often are on a display so unbelievable that it makes enjoying the book a chore. It is as if America in the 2500s, one of two global galactic superpowers, is actually an idealized version of Richmond, Virginia, circa a combination of 1850 and 1950.
Which leads to the other significant issues in the book, which in 2005 might have been called a "lack of political correctness," but in 2019 borders on blatant anti-feminism, casual racism and homophobia.
Most of the women in the series exist only to define the male characters, and almost all of them are hyper-sexualized. The male characters' main motivation is usually protecting the women, EVEN THOSE OF COMMAND RANK, in a very patriarchal, gross fashion. There are very, very few characters who are not white and straight, and those that aren't usually are portrayed as rough stereotypes. Problems like these abound. They were noticeable in the 2000s, at the end of the 2010s, they are caustic eyesores.
I could talk a lot more about these problems with the book, but this review is meant to be holistic, and I think it's worth discussing the strengths.
Honestly, I couldn't put this book down, either the first time or this most recent time. R.M. Meluch is good at action, there can be no doubt about that, but she is fantastic at making memorable characters, characters that, even when they are completely impossible archetypes, like Captain John Farragut, seem real and engaging. Her characters, for the most part, are likable, interesting, and act like actual people.
On top of this, for being a relatively light Sci-Fi military series, Meluch comes up with a few interesting ideas and plot devices, that while not expertly woven into the series by any means, are novel even when looking at them in 2019. These are not enough to elevate the series in to, what I would argue is the more intellectual company of military sci-fi like "The Forever War," "Old Man's War," or "Red Rising," but they offer enough flavor to propel the series along.
So, what kind of review do you give a book that is poorly written, full of embarrassing and problematic themes, but is also a fantastic read? I'll go with my heart over my mind here and give it 4/5 stars. It's not like I'm not going to re-read the sequels.
I'll end with this, I saw somewhere in another review that Meluch doesn't really enjoy being an author, she just really likes writing. That makes sense when you read this book, and if it is true, causes me to be far more forgiving of its faults. The Myriad reads like someone's beloved fan fiction, written by an author who is not particularly interested in changing it to appeal to a mass-market audience, or working at all to improve the writing.
But, as fan fiction goes, it's a blast.
TL;DR
If you enjoy military sci-fi, strong characterization, a bit of lavish "American" fantasy, and are willing to look past problematic themes that were out of place even a decade ago, give the Myriad a try.
October 5, 2018
I went against my better judgment, which was to sleep, hence give you a better review, because I absolutely adored this book and most of what it stood for! It is the first of the Merrimack series, which I may have read before, but I have absolutely no recollection of doing such a thing, particularly since the publication date is at a time when I was studying more scholastic excitement than reading so much sci-fi. (2004.)
So the Romans have taken flight and decided to formulate the Palatine Empire out in outer space. These are the enemies, though, against the people who inhabit the Myriad, a trifecta of planets who are coming together with the Romans against an unstoppable force that threatens them both, much like how IRL the ancient Greeks and Romans came together to fight against the barbarian Syrians. I mean to say that although there's a minor disagreement between the novel's Romans and the people who live on the planets in the Myriad's cluster, it is nothing in comparison with the macro-conflict between all those people I named and the Hive, which is an alien life-form, to quote the back cover "swarming across the galaxy literally devouring everything it encountered along the way." It's all talk, really, and very little gore.
Kerry Blue got toyed with a lot as the only female character. I'm not sure whether that is good or bad.
The conflict I named above mirrors world history, which pleased me immensely, but now I might be falling asleep, so I'll talk about this and other things tomorrow.
So the Romans have taken flight and decided to formulate the Palatine Empire out in outer space. These are the enemies, though, against the people who inhabit the Myriad, a trifecta of planets who are coming together with the Romans against an unstoppable force that threatens them both, much like how IRL the ancient Greeks and Romans came together to fight against the barbarian Syrians. I mean to say that although there's a minor disagreement between the novel's Romans and the people who live on the planets in the Myriad's cluster, it is nothing in comparison with the macro-conflict between all those people I named and the Hive, which is an alien life-form, to quote the back cover "swarming across the galaxy literally devouring everything it encountered along the way." It's all talk, really, and very little gore.
Kerry Blue got toyed with a lot as the only female character. I'm not sure whether that is good or bad.
The conflict I named above mirrors world history, which pleased me immensely, but now I might be falling asleep, so I'll talk about this and other things tomorrow.
March 6, 2021
This was enjoyable and entertaining and fun and all that stuff military sci-fi usually is and it didn't seem anything terribly special. It took me a while to get into it. The setup is interesting and it's got good physics which is always fun. I'm a little ambivalent about some of the characterization but by and large this is an engaging bunch. And THEN THE ENDING happened and I did not see that coming at all and it kind of destroyed me a bit and now I think I might actually have to read the next one which I hadn't really been thinking I'd do while I was reading this. For the record, no, I'm not talking about a cliff hanger here.
February 28, 2020
An author I've previously always passed over, but I borrowed this on a whim when browsing the library shelves. Based on this one, I won't be seeking out any more - pretty unconvincing stuff. It didn't help that it turned into a time paradox, which is about my least favourite SF trope; or that I don't care at all for the political opinions it seems to share; but mostly I found the setting and relationships between the characters hard to believe. And the sexism hard to bear.
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