Completed LitRPG story--and it's been wrapped up well.
The humor from the first book is explained away, reasonably, by the very common situational chanCompleted LitRPG story--and it's been wrapped up well.
The humor from the first book is explained away, reasonably, by the very common situational change we all went through in the last few years, Covid, etc, but the core theme of friendship and team still shone brightly.
Also, it is pretty hard to keep up humor when most of humanity has been wiped out, with or without a grand possible reset.
So, it's only fitting there's bloodshed and harder action at the very last, and this one delivers.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
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I want to say that I wanted this to be a truly break-out space opera that just keeps going with sharp characters and sharper plot, but in the end, it I want to say that I wanted this to be a truly break-out space opera that just keeps going with sharp characters and sharper plot, but in the end, it was simply a solid story with serviceable characters.
It kept me going well enough, but I was psyched up by others more than should have been warranted.
I've read brilliant space operas and a lot of mediocre or above average types. This one is theoretically character-focused, but certain characters that should have blown me away with intelligence-oddities, such as the spaceship, simply seemed a bit--dull.
I suppose, at least for certain readers who want a post-Chambers read with slightly more meat, this will satisfy you. But I, for one, REALLY prefer cleverer premises, sharper dialogue, and stakes like jet fuel (even if the stakes are close to the chest and limited).
The alternative would be to stick to a cookie-cutter plot, of course, and this doesn't go there. This is a double-edged sword, of course. But in the end? Perhaps I simply never fell in love with any of the characters. Alas.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
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Decent conclusion to the 7 book series. Many of the core SFnal concerns that had been building up (fates of main characters, rejuvenation drugs impactDecent conclusion to the 7 book series. Many of the core SFnal concerns that had been building up (fates of main characters, rejuvenation drugs impact on society, politics) were pretty much resolved.
All in all, I just thought this was a pretty decent SF series on the spectrum of light adventure erring on simplicity, competence, and a few reasonable space battles to spice up a character-driven thread.
I won't call it brilliant, but I will call it fairly entertaining. In other words: Not Bad.
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Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Characters are fleshing out and there's a more diverse plot than before. But really? It's pretty average and not unpleasant. It's certainly not what iCharacters are fleshing out and there's a more diverse plot than before. But really? It's pretty average and not unpleasant. It's certainly not what it began as, and my original fascination for the series has had to undergo a massive transformation.
Still, it's decent. Space opera, social conditions, the question of immortality, control, etc.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Sometimes you just have to have a book that hates on fundamentalist assholes. Sometimes it's even better when you have space opera involved.
Of course,Sometimes you just have to have a book that hates on fundamentalist assholes. Sometimes it's even better when you have space opera involved.
Of course, for all the massive cliches involved, it's always dicey but RATHER clear. My only compliant is that there wasn't a lot of death and destruction. But there WAS a reckoning. I'm just sad that all that had to happen to Bunny. I never disliked her.
Decent installment. Light read even for the subject material.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
The "Serrano" bit is a bit stretched in this book. Sure, it's a glance-off from the third book's events and it has a pretty heavy hint that this poor The "Serrano" bit is a bit stretched in this book. Sure, it's a glance-off from the third book's events and it has a pretty heavy hint that this poor fish-out-of-water hero will MARRY into the Serrano family (thanks to her gumption and heroism), but I can't help but see this as rather a fundamentally DIFFERENT novel from the others.
I didn't hate it, however. If I hadn't expected a continuation of the core Serrano from the first three, I probably wouldn't have had a single gripe.
Either way, these are all fluffy space opera competence-porns designed to make you feel good. In that respect, it works just fine. Space military can-do attitude!
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
A couple of really funny scenes to punctuate the ongoing death and destruction of Earth. I was slightly more into this one than the last, but not quitA couple of really funny scenes to punctuate the ongoing death and destruction of Earth. I was slightly more into this one than the last, but not quite as into it as the first.
Either way, I love seeing the horsemen of the apocalypse get taken down. A gun on the moon? That was pretty wild. But nothing beats in-laws and dinner parties.
This is a solid LitRPG with a great ensemble.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Still a solid, even old-school Mil-SF adventure, with less pew-pew and more competence porn and relationship-building. Of course, the heist-like strucStill a solid, even old-school Mil-SF adventure, with less pew-pew and more competence porn and relationship-building. Of course, the heist-like structure and even the courtroom drama gives it a certain gravitas.
Fun stuff and exactly what I was in the mood for.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
You know, if I wasn't already acutely aware that this was a Steinbeck novel, I would have been reading it, going, "Golly, this reads just like a SteinYou know, if I wasn't already acutely aware that this was a Steinbeck novel, I would have been reading it, going, "Golly, this reads just like a Steinbeck novel."
And not to belabor the obvious, it's not because it IS one, but its because it FEELS mythical, rife with allegory, as clear with characters as a shock of lightning.
I'd also like to mention that this could very well be a full-on fantasy novel, an early 1930's down-to-earth mythical-realism quite apart from either Conan or Lovecraftian lit, and more like Billy Budd.
Indeed, and I haven't done any research to see if this is true, I have a BIG feeling that this was a VERY controversial novel in its day.
Christianity was reactionary and mistrusted, while the very source and wellspring of paganism was glorified in this text. Indeed, the whole legend of the king who is one with the land is VERY alive and well in its pages.
Solid, if unoriginal LitRPG. It's comfort food and I always tend to know (and want) exactly what I get: a feeling of control and progressive power as Solid, if unoriginal LitRPG. It's comfort food and I always tend to know (and want) exactly what I get: a feeling of control and progressive power as a whole world goes to crap.
In this case, the hook is leveling as a monster trainer and the friends (monsters) you make along the way. Cool. And the fights are neat, too.
My only real complaint? The French bits. The clichés abound. It's not too serious, and it's also a bit funny, but it is what it is.
That being said, the writing's fun and that's all I really wanted, anyway.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
A life of erasure, of rendering, of being rendered, of becoming glue--or the memory of wanting the glue that holds a life together.
This near future dyA life of erasure, of rendering, of being rendered, of becoming glue--or the memory of wanting the glue that holds a life together.
This near future dystopia was written beautifully, excruciatingly. It was deeply disturbing even during all the funny, warm bits. But it was hard not for just that, but for the fact that we're all being slowly erased. One. Moment. At. A. Time.
If it doesn't disturb you, then nothing will.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
So, I picked this out of a Netgalley lineup solely on a great cover. I'm not ashamed to admit it--especially after loving the SF much more than I thouSo, I picked this out of a Netgalley lineup solely on a great cover. I'm not ashamed to admit it--especially after loving the SF much more than I thought I might.
Here's the skinny: It's a mystery with a good deal of back and forth between time periods for Verdot and often slipping into the mindset of a sentient ship. The mystery is a murder that Verdot committed and the full reasons for it, plus his escape throughout the Solar System, with TR, the ship, being an unwitting, indeed, very nice sentient ship as an accomplice. The ship isn't dumb, but it has as fantastic a back story as Verdot.
Great characters. But at least to me, I think I loved the deep, very fleshed-out worldbuilding even more. Every community/space station along the circuit is vibrant and feels lived in, fascinating. So much so that I could swear I was on the journey, that this would have made a brilliant, beautiful video game. That lived-in feeling, the full history and complicated life of Skinners, sentient ships of multiple generations, a war, ethical revenge, and even just the fact that everyone limits themselves out of disgust and barely repressed suicidal ideation is exactly the kind of deep, emotional lived-in-ness I love. TR is moving on, checking on all its friends in the circuit who barely survived suicide in the war. It's heart-felt and very positive--and I fell for it all.
Great SF. I will be keeping a strong eye on this author. Highly recommended.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Honestly enough, even though the first book had more delicious easter eggs and conspiracy theories turned fact for humor's sake, this one had a more iHonestly enough, even though the first book had more delicious easter eggs and conspiracy theories turned fact for humor's sake, this one had a more interesting core story.
I swear, though, that WE are surrounded by a ton of the followers of the Smiling God, too. Oh god of many teeth.
I'm not sure I really cared for the dichotomy of science vs religion and trying to find a meeting place between the two characters, but they were cute in their way and I'm not complaining overmuch about ANYONE trying to have a meeting of their minds.
This was pretty fun... and DEFINITELY weird in a good way.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
"Emily of Emerald Starship" by Ng Yi-Sheng -- (5*) -- Ah, this one hit hard. The scope is beautiful, the family and the love, tragic. Near perfect eve"Emily of Emerald Starship" by Ng Yi-Sheng -- (5*) -- Ah, this one hit hard. The scope is beautiful, the family and the love, tragic. Near perfect everything.
"If an Algorithm Can Cast a Shadow" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (4*) -- Super dark story about a digital shadow brought back by his mom, and the effects it had on her and the rest of the family. I mean, sure, grief is one thing, but this reads more like a psychological horror story designed to induce depression in the reader, too. Yikes.
"In the Shells of Broken Things" by A. T. Greenblatt -- (4*) -- A chilling look at the failure of post-ecological collapse domes for human habitation... and the obituaries of their failure.
"The Eighth Pyramid" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (5*) -- Haunting far-future glimpse of humanity, or post-humanity, and how things might always and forever be the same--no matter how strange.
"Faces of the Antipode" by Matthew Marcus -- (3*) -- I was kinda bouncing off of this at first, but I'm glad I stuck through it. The inversion of expectations was pretty good. The final question and its answer, however, remained unsatisfying. Still, cool ideas.
"The Last Lunar New Year" by Derek Künsken -- (4*) -- The story is sedate and hopeful, while the imagination of far-flung humanity is rich. I personally think it would be a GREAT opening to a full novel. I so want to know what happens after!
"The Last to Survive" by Rita Chang-Eppig -- (3*) -- I honestly want to like this more than I did, it being a cross section of SFnal senescence in neo-humanity, but the fictional lives just read like low-brow popular idiocy. Maybe that's the point... but it all just leaves me sad.
"Outlier" by R.L. Meza -- (5*) -- Fantastically gruesome. Don't we all want to know what it's like to be a mad scientist's monster? :)
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Beautiful story. Simple, profound, and emotional. But above all, it's a story of acceptance, home, and family--in the frame of a harrowing trip into sBeautiful story. Simple, profound, and emotional. But above all, it's a story of acceptance, home, and family--in the frame of a harrowing trip into space.
But even though all the NASA stuff is fascinating and hardcore cool, I think I need to make the real story very clear to prospective readers: It's a romance. A beautiful, tragic romance. :)
Bon appetite!
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
While this wasn't a bad read--at all--what made it extremely charming and compelling in the first book was kinda overwritten by large, even huge, stakWhile this wasn't a bad read--at all--what made it extremely charming and compelling in the first book was kinda overwritten by large, even huge, stakes.
I'm not one to hate it when larger stakes take over in tales, but when a book successfully pulls off a more comfortable, cute, even wholesome plot-rock, I feel a huge desire to keep it going. The whole down-to-earth AI helper storyline was truly delightful.
Unfortunately, that feel was subsumed beneath an ever-increasing scale and scope of dread that could have been simply banked at a simple cult-level, with strict focus on friendship and aid--not a world domination shtick.
Alas. It wasn't bad, otherwise, and perhaps devoted YA readers out there would LOVE this twist. It simply didn't work for me.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
This really good dystopia, post-apocalyptic virus-hit landscape came out just a few years after WWII, and stands all the tests of time today.
There's sThis really good dystopia, post-apocalyptic virus-hit landscape came out just a few years after WWII, and stands all the tests of time today.
There's something to be said about certain classics. This one does the Stand, Station Eleven, and all the Fallout games serious justice.
Specifically, it seriously attempts to show people actually trying to hope in the face of the end of modern civilization, and shows us a version that isn't SO grimdark as to WANT to see the utter end of humanity.
That's a fine point I'm trying to make. So many of the modern stuff just ... shows us nothing valuable.
The Earth Abides has a great balance to it. It's despairing, yes, but the balance is still on the side of hope. Something I've been missing in the genre.
This book is well worth remembering. Even if it's almost 80 years old.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
A haunting and *very* disturbing novel that could be right at home in today's dystopian libraries. 1967 when it came out, but reminds me of The Road bA haunting and *very* disturbing novel that could be right at home in today's dystopian libraries. 1967 when it came out, but reminds me of The Road but downright sinister.
Officially, this is supposed to be a SF and was billed as part of the Slipstream SF of the time, in the same category of Christopher Priest, Ballard, and some PKD, and I totally get that impression--but to me it just reads like a mirror darkly of an early Bond novel, but instead of a dashing secret service guy, we've got a serial rapist who can't seem to understand if he's himself or his nemesis.
Which, on the surface of it, sounds both intriguing (nemesis) and ugly as all fuck for the rest. And perhaps it would be, except for the worldbuilding--which is truly nightmarish. The oncoming slow advance of the ice, everywhere, and all the nasty horrors that people might do to each other as it all goes to hell.
So yeah, this book is very memorable, stark, and horribly disturbing all at once. Even the end, where there's a single moment of kindness...
It's a good mindfuck of a novel--but not for the light of heart.
Personal note: If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
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