Well, a lot of this (like the first 2/3) felt more like a sort of extended wind up. Then we get an abbreviated escape/chase/climax that really does liWell, a lot of this (like the first 2/3) felt more like a sort of extended wind up. Then we get an abbreviated escape/chase/climax that really does little more than set up the next book when (I assume) the actual action and (view spoiler)[ interaction with alien races one of whom at least may be arriving to treat all of Earth's inhabitance worse than the Europeans treated the native Americans (hide spoiler)] begins.
So, not too bad I guess but I found it slightly underwhelming. ...more
I like this series...but to be honest it is in many ways a bit silly.
Really, I take a break between books because of the head shake and idiot laughterI like this series...but to be honest it is in many ways a bit silly.
Really, I take a break between books because of the head shake and idiot laughter factor.
Still, it's a good idea, it's an interesting set of stories, I like it.
Anyway, their good military science fiction with lots of action and battles...and of course James McGill, the idiot who always comes out of the manure smelling like the proverbial rose.
I don't get it...but the writer of this series sometimes makes me scratch my head. I guess if they keep selling (to people like me) you keep doing whaI don't get it...but the writer of this series sometimes makes me scratch my head. I guess if they keep selling (to people like me) you keep doing what works.
Why does he keep bringing back Claver? The guy should have been "permed" long ago but again he keeps showing back up. Then there is McGill's proclivity to risk millions of lives or maybe the entire galaxy because he want to "make time" with a new female.
Yet in spite of screwing the entire human race occasionally (always by accident) he keeps ending up...well, not "permed".
Oh well.
I do find some of the philosophical questions it brings up interesting. For instance, if you die and are then reborn out of an alien "rebirth machine"...are you the same person or are you a new person who happens to have the same memories and experiences as the person who died? Do you believe in people are living souls? Then is it the same soul?
I put this on a lot of shelves. I mean here we get humans involved in a larger universe and (again) about all we have to offer is our proclivity for vI put this on a lot of shelves. I mean here we get humans involved in a larger universe and (again) about all we have to offer is our proclivity for violence. Well...our proclivity for violence and the fact that we're really, really good at it.
Look, brain-candy. We get a hero who fights like mad and inspires fanatical loyalty in those who fight with him. I really enjoyed it (and that's what it's for). My only regret here is that other books in the series are about other characters, at least so far.
When I first saw this one I thought it might be mildly interesting so I put it on my "never ending" to be read list. Then a GR friend who's taste in bWhen I first saw this one I thought it might be mildly interesting so I put it on my "never ending" to be read list. Then a GR friend who's taste in books has proven usually reliable gave it a 5 star review and then recommended it (thank you Elain).
I can recommend this one to any one who likes sci-fi, action or simply good story telling. From the open it drew me in and held my interest.
This is a pretty original idea and is told in a coherent absorbing way.
Look, this is still an excellent read. I only went 4 stars here, only because the book didn't engage me quite as quickly or thoroughly as the first voLook, this is still an excellent read. I only went 4 stars here, only because the book didn't engage me quite as quickly or thoroughly as the first volume in the series. That could of course be because this is more the continuation of the story that we'd already been introduced to... Not sure.
Anyway Murderbot here is in the run. He doesn't dare let anyone know he's a "rogue construct". So, duh, duh, duh, he pretends to be an enhanced human...but still gets in a mess that gives us a good, enjoyable novel.
This is more a series of lectures than it is a novel or story. I believe it was C.S.Lewis who wrote, When you want to convince someone of sometSigh...
This is more a series of lectures than it is a novel or story. I believe it was C.S.Lewis who wrote, When you want to convince someone of something don't try to convince them but tell them a story where it's assumed to be true.
Becky Chambers seems to want to convince us of many things so here they are all wrapped up in the savory sweet and scrumptious form of a slow moving and somewhat annoying novel. (view spoiler)[ at one point the pacifist captain of the wormhole making space ship tells his friend that the members of his pacifist group realized that they had to band together to survive. Oooookay. The only place pacifists (and here we're talking complete pacifists who refuse to defend themselves or their loved ones) can actually survive is a place where their rights are defended by those who aren't pacifist. A place where "People Sleep Peacefully in Their Beds at Night Only Because Rough Men Stand Ready to Do Violence on Their Behalf." Oh well as I said, sigh. (hide spoiler)]
As Frank Capra said, "If you want to send me a message write me a letter".
Or at least make the book so good I'll enjoy it.
Up to you...doubt I'll read any more by Ms. Chambers....more
I read this some time ago, when it came out. I simply failed to review it...oops.
Anyway, another good read. I suppose you've seen others note that theI read this some time ago, when it came out. I simply failed to review it...oops.
Anyway, another good read. I suppose you've seen others note that there are some similarities between this an The Martian. It's true. We have a lone survivor who has to use his own "pluck" and knowledge of science to accomplish his mission.
Now, his mission. Well he has to save the Earth, or at least the population of Earth. It is planned to be (view spoiler)[ a suicide mission (hide spoiler)]. And as it turned out (view spoiler)[ he hadn't actually volunteered (hide spoiler)]. Of course further diverging us from the plot of the Martian our "hero" meets a member of an alien species who has basically the same mission as Ryland.
All in all it's a good read and I can recommend it. I would have ended it differently but hey, that's me.
You will have noted I assume that I placed this book on, well on several of my shelves.
I have always loved history. I suppose this goes back to elemeYou will have noted I assume that I placed this book on, well on several of my shelves.
I have always loved history. I suppose this goes back to elementary school when I discovered that history largely consisted of exploration, wars and so on. yes I know the present generation has uncovered and revealed that history is ACTUALLY largely made up of evil, atrocities, enslavement of native peoples (or killing of native peoples) and is largely something to be rewritten or at least ignored.
That of course is why we see so many of the mistakes of past peoples being repeated. Instead of learning from history people either try to rewrite it to make it fit their preconceived ideas...or they have buried their heads in the sand and pretended it doesn't exist. History does not repeat itself...people repeat history.
Now, diatribe aside I was a bit surprised how much I liked this book. having had several unpleasant wakeup calls of late (not least of which was loosing a couple of pints of blood to an internal bleed) I've been spending more time reading, and getting to books that, "I've been meaning to get to". This has included and still includes several long epic fantasies. SO this book was on I picked up to be a sort of light palate cleanser before the next 8oo page tome.
Call me "gobsmaked" I like it, a lot. It's a fun exciting read and for those of us who are "history buffs" it fires the imagination (or at least did mine).
Is it all good? Mostly. There were a couple of false notes "for me" (by the way please don't read the spoiler if you don't want to know a secret of the book before the book reveals it) (view spoiler)[ the inclusion of mythical demi-goddesses was a bit uncalled for I think, but others may like that part of the plot. (hide spoiler)]
Another thing for those of you who have read many of my reviews, is there a romance? Yes there is but it doesn't overwhelm the book. It's just another part of the story..in other words the book isn't a romance but there is a bit of a love story in the book.
The book is well told, full of dry humor and I plan to pick up the next. A good story and I can recommend it. Enjoy...I think we might call this (as I have other books) "brain candy"....more
Not what I expected when I bought the book, but pretty good. I'd say sort of shades of The Puppet Masters with a tiny bit of Invasion of the Body SnatNot what I expected when I bought the book, but pretty good. I'd say sort of shades of The Puppet Masters with a tiny bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and maybe just a bit of Alien...but on Earth of course, well this Earth...or well, maybe not. It could be one sort of like this one but then who can tell I mean with infinite Earths and universes and Quantum immortality getting involved... Well, you maybe, sort of, almost, kind of get the idea....
Well, we've got another good military sci/fi book...and this may tell you something about me as the book's plot, opening and so on follow a line that'Well, we've got another good military sci/fi book...and this may tell you something about me as the book's plot, opening and so on follow a line that's in other books I've liked. Here we have (another) young person (young man in this case) who grew up poor, hardscrabble, hand to mouth, and constantly close to getting killed in the future. This is (another) future where most all the people of Earth live in giant cities. The very poor live in the "underground" never seeing the sun or sky...
Cam Alvarez is not only poor and living in the underground, sleeping where he can, eating what he can get, living by his wits...and a certain amount of crime. He manages just after he becomes a "legal adult" to fall afoul of the law in a way that can get him "frozen" in involuntary hibernation, from which he may never be awakened even after his sentenced time as sometimes the politicians like to please the populace and that can mean not waking up the convicts... or he can testify against his "accomplice" (ex-girlfriend. He haddn't been aware she was his ex until she left him holding the illegal bag so to speak). Cam chose not to do that so, he could look forward to becoming a popsicle.
Or he could enlist in the Marines and fight the war with the aliens who were closing in on Earth and killing an alarming number of humans, colonists and military.
Oh heck as a famous sergeant is believed to have said, "do you want to live forever?" ...more
I got this free from Audible (they offer several Audible Originals free each month to members and I "think" that's how I got this one). It is a novellI got this free from Audible (they offer several Audible Originals free each month to members and I "think" that's how I got this one). It is a novella set in the Galaxy's Edge Series and it did here what it was meant to do. It got me interested in the series.
The situation here is the story of a female Republic Marine who is the daughter of a Legioner. it's the story of a fire base in the middle of what would be called "Indian Country". (Yes I know politically incorrect but it's still used). Referring back to some of the history of the series we are now involved in a rebellion against Union.
The book is a good one, very interesting it's also nonstop action from the time the first shot is fired. We lose neither plot, characterization nor action as it roles on. I decided to go 5 stars and buy the first tow novels in the series (a package deal) from Audible.
I love it. It is almost a 5 star read, I'm just trying to be stingy with those but this one is close. If you like military sci/fi action this is your I love it. It is almost a 5 star read, I'm just trying to be stingy with those but this one is close. If you like military sci/fi action this is your place.
I read this a while back, and am just now getting around to reviewing it but really....great read. I've been and am planning to get the next. It's just a matter of that old saying, so many books so little time.
If you like action or if you like action science fiction or military science fiction then I can recommend this one. Enloy. ...more
In an attempt to exterminate all life on Earth what is apparently a probe sent out by a powerful AI moves to adjust humans to become very powerful. AfIn an attempt to exterminate all life on Earth what is apparently a probe sent out by a powerful AI moves to adjust humans to become very powerful. After all, what will happen if you give a bunch of humans "super powers????
Why we'll probably wipe ourselves out.
Anyway, who is or are the AI(s) who want to wipe out life? What will they do if this doesn't work? Will superheroes and super-villains form competing labor unions???
Well, a pretty good read. I'm going 4 stars on it. There are a few false notes but all-in-all not bad at..."all". (get it all-in-all and then all??? hWell, a pretty good read. I'm going 4 stars on it. There are a few false notes but all-in-all not bad at..."all". (get it all-in-all and then all??? huh, huh, get it???? Okay I'll shut up.)
The story here is of another totally horrible prison where the guards are gone and the inmates run the asylum. Tribes of homicidal killers (most of whom are insane) these are the worst of the worst sent here for the rest of their lives. Once here you don't leave...ever.
The story here revolves around the Dred Queen and her newest champion. Lot's of blood, lots of carnage, politics, betrayal, etc., etc.,etc.
I was drawn into the book and followed the story but the one thing that bugged me was that our deadly, cold, Dred Queen manages to...wait that would be a spoiler so (view spoiler)[ manages to fall in love with her new champion. It takes a little so the book is sprinkled with rather maudlin love and sex scenes. I found it annoying enough that I skipped most of these as they added little to the actual plot. To each their own. It could be argued that they add a bit to the characters but for me in the book's situation I thought they rang false.
I bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I must admit that there was a point where I had the , "GET ON WITH IT" reaction I have wheI bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I must admit that there was a point where I had the , "GET ON WITH IT" reaction I have when a writer seems (to me) to be dragging a story out. I recognize however that many of you won't feel that way. Again (as I've said about other books) the parts that began to frustrate me will undoubtedly be the parts other readers like (and remember [you'll get why that's a book reference if you read it]) the most.
Here we have another take on the existence of time and time travel. The book seems to be based on a theory that I have run across recently concerning the very nature of time itself.
Don't worry I won't try and explain a quantum theory I don't have the math to fully grasp. Like many "laypersons" I get the gist from an elementary explanation and then probably know just enough to be dangerous.
So anyway one of our 2 main protagonists is and has been all her life obsessed with building a memory chair which will be able to record memories very vividly and then allow them to be replaced in a persons mind. The idea comes from her dedication to help her mother who is an Alzheimer's victim. The book picks up just as her grant money is running out and she is waiting for answers on her proposals to get new grants...
Then a mysterious offer that will grant her unlimited funds drops into her lap from...well from a mysterious benefactor. She makes the mistake (we would probably all make) of "failing to look this particular gift horse in the mouth and counting its teeth.
We then move to our other protagonist a New York City police officer who's life has been blighted since the night his high school age daughter was killed in a hit and run. We meet him as he's trying to talk a woman down from a ledge where she is planning to kill herself over False Memory Syndrome. See she is unmarried and living alone but woke up a few days ago with complete (though somehow gray and dead) memories of another life. A life where she was happily married and had a child...a child who doesn't exist except in her memory.
This False Memory Syndrome is becoming more and more common and people are scared.
From there we will launch into a deep, sometimes convoluted story of time and the implications of memory and what happens if memory...even history can't be trusted.
If you have read much science fiction or science fantasy you've more than likely come across time travel stories and a lot of "what ifs". This is a good story dealing with humans, their desires, their emotions and the consequences of these things.
So it will appeal differently to different people but I think many different types of reader may like this one. I can recommend it, highly....more
I like good military science fiction... that is I'm usually looking for an action read. If it gets into deep thought and political ideology I'm going I like good military science fiction... that is I'm usually looking for an action read. If it gets into deep thought and political ideology I'm going to be a lot more critical as that becomes an entirely different type book. So I suppose what I like (most of the time) is just good Space Opera.
That's what we have here with a twist. You're going to get a little depth. You'll find yourself (at least I think you will) sort of wondering who the "good guys" really are.
This is one of those futures where everything seems to be run by large mega-corporations... (but are they?)/
Anyway follow the story of our young(ish) hero as he leaves the hopelessness of savage ruined slums taking the one way out common people may have, the military. In this universe we don't travel at FTL but only at near-light speed, so the characters are dealing with time dilation. While they travel for decades aging not at all (in cryosleep) the people they knew on Earth age and die.
So liked this one, have started the next (Masoul). Recommended, enjoy....more
I'm sorry about not getting back to this as soon s I said I would. Sadly I pretty much slowly lost most interest in the book I has an interesting (if I'm sorry about not getting back to this as soon s I said I would. Sadly I pretty much slowly lost most interest in the book I has an interesting (if not new) premise. The problem was that while the experiences of our disowned prince are fairly absorbing, the story telling starts out slow and then decelerated.... a lot.
We get to hear so much about his troubles, and suffer allll his angst.
Okay, first please notice that I did settle on a 4 star rating for the book. I note this as I will say a few mildly negative things here. No big deal,Okay, first please notice that I did settle on a 4 star rating for the book. I note this as I will say a few mildly negative things here. No big deal, in the end while I can't say the book is a high 4 I thought I had to rate it that high.
So what do we have here? We have a very readable (if somewhat young) space adventure. Again we're in a spot where humanity seems to be (at least possibly) on the brink of extinction with an implacable enemy pushing "us" toward the edge of the precipice. However a hero(ine ) has appeared (of course no one but "we the readers" know she's the needed heroine).
And who is our heroine???? Why sh'e (another) mouthy teenager. BUT be that as it may she will finally grow on you (and I'm sure many will [of course] like her up front).
The story is a pretty good one. While we do travel some familiar ground there's enough new handling and personality that it's not a problem The plot will not be new to most of you who've read a good deal of (science) fiction and the characters will also probably seem a bit familiar. Still the quirky robot ship and the group of friends in the story will (most likely) draw the bulk of readers into the narrative.
So what bugged me about the book. Well I bought it from Audible on the strength of the synopsis and a few reviews. The synopsis said the book was action driven and the reader's "brassy" reading of the main character kept the story moving at a fast pace.
Well...the reader didn't (in my opinion of course) read our heroine as "brassy" and the action was far from..."nonstop". It took me a bit to forgive that, LOL. Still as I said in the end I enjoyed the book and look forward to trying the next in the saga. So, see what you think. If you like Space Opera, sci/fi. or science fantasy I think you may like it.
***I'm a couple of chapters into this and I'm "||" this close to pitching it aside. the protagonist is supposed to be a major in counter insurgency a***I'm a couple of chapters into this and I'm "||" this close to pitching it aside. the protagonist is supposed to be a major in counter insurgency and military intelligence but sometimes she reads like a teenybopper. She vacillates from super-person to idiot. I'm giving it a little more room/time to see if it turns a new leaf (maybe explains the inexplicable actions of our heroine). ***
Okay, sorry to all you who hate it when I give a book I didn't finish a 1 star rating...but it just seems to me that if I don't care for a book enough to finish it...it must be a 1 star read, for me.
I tried to like it.
I started to get very disenchanted with the book during an action sequence where our protagonist was trying to stop some nefarious types from blowing up a ship. She proceeds along shooting the bad guys she meets and then...she comes upon the two bad guys with a nuke. One is a man programming the nuke and a woman. She rushes in and says the equivalent of, "hold it!".
Now why didn't she at least take down the guy programming the nuke? We've already learned that her AI can deploy nanobots that can pretty much do anything (and they do indeed stop the nuke). Instead she sets up a confrontation where she (and of course her AI) almost die and the nuke will be set off. It simply made no sense. Also the dialog gets very juvenile here in at least a couple of places.
I went on to her arrival at the colony ship and her taking over and I just couldn't get involved in the book. I'm actually sorry about that as I haven't found a good military sci/fi I can get lost in for a while.
So 1 star in a subjective rating while I know many of you will probably like this I just didn't get involved enough to put my time into it.
Mike (the Paladin)
>
Books:
science-fiction
(311)
Loading...
