This book has tropes that should appeal to me--telepathy, aliens, space--but it lacks tension. Too slow. No conflict. Waaaay too cozy. I got very boreThis book has tropes that should appeal to me--telepathy, aliens, space--but it lacks tension. Too slow. No conflict. Waaaay too cozy. I got very bored with it and did not finish at 22%. ...more
Cybernetics, starfighters, and elite bioengineered humans. There's a great setup here with a lot of food for thought. Cybernetics, starfighters, and elite bioengineered humans. There's a great setup here with a lot of food for thought. ...more
It's best to think of this one as a space Western. Also, there are setting similarities to Hugh Howey's Wool.
Not a lot of out of the box originality.It's best to think of this one as a space Western. Also, there are setting similarities to Hugh Howey's Wool.
Not a lot of out of the box originality. It's a bit too murder hobo for me, but there's a good twist at the end. I care just enough to read the next one. ...more
This book lost me. It became typical YA, with half-baked ideas and too many layers of implausibility. The evil spacefaring corporation apparently cannThis book lost me. It became typical YA, with half-baked ideas and too many layers of implausibility. The evil spacefaring corporation apparently cannot calculate orbits and have never analyzed the alien moons in their orbit? Really? The humanoid aliens are in a desperate civilization ending plight, and they're not even trying to learn how to build their own spaceships or how to form a partnership with humans? Really? And so on.
The first book worked because it didn't cover anything remotely scientific. It was basically Hunger Games or Ender's Game and very YA.
The aliens are very human, too. There's a failure of imagination here. I did like the double empress goddess reign, though. A society ruled by women is always nice to see.
I got to the end and stopped there. Not reading Book 3. ...more
This book is YA, so the main character focuses a lot on immediate concerns (winning competitions) rather than questions an adult reader might have, suThis book is YA, so the main character focuses a lot on immediate concerns (winning competitions) rather than questions an adult reader might have, such as why tf is this corporation keeping actual aliens a secret from worldwide media and why tf did they only choose 10 kids to be miners instead of, say, 10,000 kids, and so forth. Like, if they're many light years from the law of Earth governments, who will hold them to their promises of paying millions of dollars to the lucky winners? Lots of unanswered questions.
But there is nuance and sensitivity with the interpersonal relationships and power dynamics. I am engaged enough to read the next book. It has an Ender's Game vibe. I hope the ending of this trilogy is more satisfying than the TV show Lost.
It's first person present tense. Normally a turn off for me, but this is one of the rare examples where it works well....more
This is top notch fiction. I don't usually like military sci-fi, but this has me reconsidering the whole subgenre (along with Craig Alanson's ExpeditiThis is top notch fiction. I don't usually like military sci-fi, but this has me reconsidering the whole subgenre (along with Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Forces series, which is also great).
It's an Animal Farm for our time. Brilliant and subtle swipes at modern-day hatred and sociotechnological contentions, yet it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's also fast-paced, fun, and smart.
Good thing there is an HFY fancast so I can continue to follow along!
ETA: Since I got to the end of the fancast, I have stopped reading this series. It continues on Royal Road, but I will wait until it is published in audio....more
The happy ending was satisfying. What a fun series! The audiobook narrator does a stellar job, too.
One unanswered question that I wanted to see an anThe happy ending was satisfying. What a fun series! The audiobook narrator does a stellar job, too.
One unanswered question that I wanted to see an answer to: (view spoiler)[Who the heck was Wells's mage parents? (hide spoiler)] If you know, please tell me. ...more
A utopian future after a dystopian present. I think I speak on behalf of most humans when I say we want to terraform alien worlds, explore the galaxy,A utopian future after a dystopian present. I think I speak on behalf of most humans when I say we want to terraform alien worlds, explore the galaxy, and discover new technologies to make life more fun and immortality possible! A refreshing read. ...more
This book caught my eye because it's a disabled kid in an alien space battle situation, which is close to my heart, superficially similar to my Torth This book caught my eye because it's a disabled kid in an alien space battle situation, which is close to my heart, superficially similar to my Torth series.
Even though I love sci-fi and space adventure and power progression, I tend to bounce off military sci-fi. To me, in a lot of milscfi, the enemies are too easy to overcome, and the heroic characters tend to be too rah-rah cohesive, without much friction. That was the case here.
The wins are easy for Charlie. The enemy alien council members say that humankind is too violent, apparently oblivious to their own bickering and tendency to annihilate planets full of innocent people. I get that the irony is intentional, but for me, it undermines the stakes of the story, and I feel less invested.
Otherwise, it's a straightforward story, well written and with characters who are easy to root for. If you like milscifi, I think you'll like this one!...more
Political polarization, social engineering, and shenanigans on the Tines world. This book is very much a sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. There's advenPolitical polarization, social engineering, and shenanigans on the Tines world. This book is very much a sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. There's adventure and a continuation of the ideas explored in the first book, with only a hint of galactic scale. But I could see the series continuing from here. ...more
I'm tempted to remove a star because something about the prose and pacing bothers me. This is dense writing and some big moments are glossed over, whiI'm tempted to remove a star because something about the prose and pacing bothers me. This is dense writing and some big moments are glossed over, while some descriptive passages are not particularly illuminating.
But FIVE STARS because the actual STORY IS AWESOME.
This book has it all. Characters to root for, an original premise that is still fresh even after 20+ years, imaginative technology, high stakes, supervillains, aliens, innovation, sense of wonder, and everything I love about a great epic story. Why hasn't this been adapted for film? This storytelling at its best. It's above and beyond.
I love this one even more than A Fire Upon the Deep, which is also quite enjoyable. ...more
I can't rate this because I'm not even remotely the target audience. I just had to see what all the fuss was about.
And... yup. It's a bunch of steamyI can't rate this because I'm not even remotely the target audience. I just had to see what all the fuss was about.
And... yup. It's a bunch of steamy sex scenes held together by a simplistic framework of a story.
I will never understand the appeal of Romance or Erotica. If the heroine has been pooping in a communal bucket and hasn't showered or bathed in weeks, would she really feel comfy having a man eat her out? Would she smell appealing to the hot alien guy? Oh, and do Romance readers truly believe that amazing sex is the only foundation necessary for a lasting marriage? How many times can Romance readers eat up prose about throbbing members before it all sounds kind of the same?
I love giant manly men. I love aliens. I love sci-fi. Heck, I write these elements into my own books, but I need more than those few sparse ingredients to make for a compelling story.
I don't get the appeal.
Welp, that was my foray into Sci-Fi Romance (or is it Sci-Fi Erotica?)....more
Hard for me to rate this one. It has moments of insight, and it comes together nicely in the end. The characters illuminate societies of extreme contrHard for me to rate this one. It has moments of insight, and it comes together nicely in the end. The characters illuminate societies of extreme contrast, which is a great window into the author's take on anarchic collectivism (Anarres) vs. hierarchical materialism with backwards-looking sexism and aristocracy dominating the culture (Urras).
The whole point of the book is to show the problems with these extremes, although the author favors collectivist values. In this way, she is a philosopher-fiction-writer like Ayn Rand, only pro-collectivism and pro-socialism instead of being pro-individualism and pro-capitalism. It's the same, but different.
I think that anyone who thinks self-honestly and critically about these values and philosophies will feel dissatisfied with this book--because it's not self-honest enough or critical enough. It steelmans one side while strawmanning the other side.
By depicting the people of Urras as supercilious caricatures who never question their own extreme sexism or extreme wealth disparity, the Urrastians are automatically cast in a villainous light. And to me, their rigid aristocracy makes them implausible as an advanced spacefaring people who can compete on an interstellar level. Urrastians have reduced at least 80% of their adult population (poor people and women) to useless enslaved drudges. That social arrangement would not lead to innovations in technology. Just the opposite. It would make them rich but indolent, and they would easily fall prey to a more mobile and progressive society from a foreign world. So it's very easy for Shevek (and the author, Le Guin) to be critical of a culture which seems to be a straight-up imitation of the worst aspects of American Railroad Barons plus British colonialism at the height of its decadence.
Meanwhile, the people of Anarres all live in extreme poverty and their government tears families apart, but it's all super-duper okay because for 250+ years, nobody has ever tried to rebel or take advantage of their fellows. There's no black market economy. No hoarding of goods during starvation years. No entrenched bureaucracy where people are power-tripping in a major way. Nope, the millions of people all agree to share and share alike, no problem. Oh, and most Anarrens are cool with subsidizing musicians and playwrights and biologists and physicists. I am side-eying that society as being implausible in a number of ways. It doesn't factor human nature into its equations.
So there you have it. A cool exploration of socioeconomic philosophy wrapped in a cracked shell full of holes.
I think this book was groundbreaking for its time. I want something that fits our time. (If you found yourself agreeing with this review... please try my Torth series!)...more
Interesting character interplay. That's a vital ingredient for a great series.
Two problems for me. 1)Great, imaginative world-building. I love that.
Interesting character interplay. That's a vital ingredient for a great series.
Two problems for me. 1) Dated dialogue. 2) Not enough time spent with the more interesting characters. I'm fine with multi-POV, but this is multi-multi-multi-POV. It leaped around too much, especially with the climactic battles at the end.
The overall impression is that this book had awesome big ideas and really fun elements, but they were hastily thrown together, without enough breathing room.
I see why this is a memorable author. I wish I could have met her. My own series has a few of these character elements and world-building overtones....more
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