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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
This was really fun, and just what I needed to get me back into reading SFF. The plot was fast past, and intriguing and I really enjoyed the characters. The world was super cool as well, I liked how the authors described gene mods and the aspects of this world - even if they didn't really get into specifics, which I don't need. I like to suspend my disbelief a little with these kinds of space adventures. I will definitely be reading more in this series :)
DNF at about 75% of the way through.
Usually if I've gotten over half way through a book I try to finish it, but I just just couldn't with this one. There are some really interesting and exciting ideas in this book that get quickly drowned out by WAY too much detail about body modding, far too many baseball-bat-to-the-head clues that characters have secrets, and characters that a defined by nothing more than their jobs and the fact that they have a secret.
The story itself is very slow to get off the ground, but once it does there is some excitement. Again though, that excitement often interrupted with more information about body modding or "hey, this character has a secret! Notice it!".
There's a lot of potential for a fun story here, but this book feels very unpolished and unfocused.
Usually if I've gotten over half way through a book I try to finish it, but I just just couldn't with this one. There are some really interesting and exciting ideas in this book that get quickly drowned out by WAY too much detail about body modding, far too many baseball-bat-to-the-head clues that characters have secrets, and characters that a defined by nothing more than their jobs and the fact that they have a secret.
The story itself is very slow to get off the ground, but once it does there is some excitement. Again though, that excitement often interrupted with more information about body modding or "hey, this character has a secret! Notice it!".
There's a lot of potential for a fun story here, but this book feels very unpolished and unfocused.
A classic pulp space opera, a fun read but don't look to closely under the hood, there are many plot holes that are lightly papered over. Why did the ship's captain forget to cancel the account of an ex-crewmember who then stole the ship's savings? Wait, another villain just popped up! The technology is also inconsistent, why are space ships so easy to board? Why are there no self-destruct buttons when it's common for pirates to board ships and kill the entire crew? Whoa, there's another blaster wielding baddy jumping out of the page at you, a method that Raymond Chandler endorses in his book on writing as solution for plot problems.
A fun action read that the publisher coyly forgets to mention is the start of a new series.
A fun action read that the publisher coyly forgets to mention is the start of a new series.
A space opera about a ragtag band of big damn heroes, brought together by fate, personal goals, past mistakes and a general wish to be one step ahead of those who follow them. Also, there might be some treasure-hunting adventure into unknown regions of space involved.
What's not to love?
This is character-driven space opera at its best and if you enjoy those stories, I highly recommend you read this book. Or listen to the audiobook, because that is great as well.
The two POV characters quickly grew on me, as did the others. I liked how everyone had something to hide, how everyone mistrusted everyone and how the trust and friendships between all of the characters developed, it felt very natural and not forced. Thoughts and motivations of each character were believable, which is something I appreciate. The story is fast-paced and there was a lot of really good action, it never reverted to the classic (read: overused) space-opera/sci-fi action tropes you find in every other story.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and especially the pseudoscience of body modification, it's perfect space opera science. Fans of hard sci-fi will probably have a few things to complain about, so be warned.
The writing is great, the authors nail character voice and development as well as subtle interactions and great action scenes. They let you experience this world in all its details, which I appreciate a lot, without simply telling about it. This is why I have to compare this book to 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet': I loved the worldbuilding in the latter, but couldn't finish it because it was all tell, don't show. 'Stars Uncharted' shows you its world, and it's equally fascinating.
Also, how beautiful is this cover?
This is the best book I read in 2019.
Unmistakenly of my favourite genre and at the same time presents ideas and worldbuilding I haven't read before.
I took one half star off for:
- I did not need thedeveloping romance between Josune and Roystan, to me, them being friends felt much more natural and a fast, deep friendship would have served their motivations in the story in the same way. This way, it seems like an editor told the authors there was too little romance in the story. But since it's not the focus of their relationship and it develops slowly, it's not that distracting. And, who knows, maybe it is building up to something more which we will read about in a later book.
-I hope the companies and their employees will be painted in a more grey light in the future. In this book, they are pure evil. That's okay, because we got to know our main characters in this book. In future books I hope to see more morally diverse characters working for the companies.
What's not to love?
This is character-driven space opera at its best and if you enjoy those stories, I highly recommend you read this book. Or listen to the audiobook, because that is great as well.
The two POV characters quickly grew on me, as did the others. I liked how everyone had something to hide, how everyone mistrusted everyone and how the trust and friendships between all of the characters developed, it felt very natural and not forced. Thoughts and motivations of each character were believable, which is something I appreciate. The story is fast-paced and there was a lot of really good action, it never reverted to the classic (read: overused) space-opera/sci-fi action tropes you find in every other story.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and especially the pseudoscience of body modification, it's perfect space opera science. Fans of hard sci-fi will probably have a few things to complain about, so be warned.
The writing is great, the authors nail character voice and development as well as subtle interactions and great action scenes. They let you experience this world in all its details, which I appreciate a lot, without simply telling about it. This is why I have to compare this book to 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet': I loved the worldbuilding in the latter, but couldn't finish it because it was all tell, don't show. 'Stars Uncharted' shows you its world, and it's equally fascinating.
Also, how beautiful is this cover?
This is the best book I read in 2019.
Unmistakenly of my favourite genre and at the same time presents ideas and worldbuilding I haven't read before.
I took one half star off for:
- I did not need the
-
You all might remember how I raved about the Linesman series of books two years ago (OMG, HAS IT REALLY BEEN THAT LONG ALREADY?). That series from sister act S.K. Dunstall literally reinvigorated my flagging love of space opera, no word of a lie. Go read my reviews for more on that.
Stars Uncharted is a new offering in a new universe, and it too is brilliant in so many ways. Far more ensemble in its casting, Dunstall in this case follows two main protagonists: Nika Rik Terri is a skilled body modder (one of the best of the best) who suddenly has to go on the run from some bad dudes; Josune Arriola is living under an assumed identity after the exploration ship she has lived on for years is destroyed. Their stories intersect quickly and forcefully as they and their newfound allies try to escape from a corporation that needs to silence them, quickly, for the information they couldn’t help but find.
Lots of really cool worldbuilding happening here. As with their previous series, Dunstall has a knack for giving us just enough exposition to help without bogging us down. This is a galaxy run by corporations rather than governments. Nullspace (like hyperspace, I guess) is the main way of jumping around systems, but it’s a touchy technology that requires calibration. Modding one’s body is commonplace enough, if one can afford it, but it too has elements of art in addition to science. And resources remain king: the main plot McGuffin is about finding the location of “Goberling’s lode”, a source of transuranic elements.
Dunstall knows how to open a book with a bang. They waste little time setting anything up. In the case of both viewpoint characters, things go wrong pretty quickly, and from that point out, they have little opportunity to rest or regroup. This works well for almost the entire book. Plans and allegiances shift frequently. I admire that Dunstall isn’t afraid to set something up only for it to go awry, turn pear-shaped, and turn out entirely differently. Less confident or less experienced authors will often create a much more linear plot. Instead, Dunstall is happy to make us think the characters will zig one way, until a new wrinkle gets introduced and they zag instead.
I say this works well for “almost” the entire book because—here’s where you have to lean close while I whisper my dirty fan-boy secret opinion—I’m not a huge fan of this ending. Specifically, at some point around chapter 30 or so, the pacing just went bananas. Too many things began happening at once, too many characters cycling around, people being captured and then being released and then … yeah. Just a lot to keep track of, at least for me, and the book overall felt like it had lost some of the focus it had in the earlier parts of the story. Moreover, I had long ago figured out the twist around Roystan’s identity, and I was just kind of impatient for Nika to figure it out and then reveal it to the others.
Similarly, other elements of Stars Uncharted felt somewhat repetitive or could have been tweaked, in my opinion. The dramatic irony of Snow not knowing Nika’s true identity (it is so obvious, dude), while he keeps mentioning her name, gets old fast. Same with the constant warnings that Josune or Roystan or whoever needs to get into a modding tank ASAP, only for this to get drawn out far longer than it probably should be. At some point, I just found myself wishing for the end … and that’s never something I like in a novel.
Keep in mind, too, that I started this book with high expectations and overall it met them from page one. I curled up on my couch under a blanket on a Saturday night and read the entire first half of Stars Uncharted then and there in one sitting, because I was excited and, more importantly, it was good. It was like a drug, which is my favourite experience when reading a book.
Also, don’t think that just because the ending let me down somewhat, I didn’t enjoy the book overall. I loved most of the characters and their relationships. In particular, I think Nika was my favourite. I liked how she had to set aside a lot of her comforts and her habits in order to make do with this new, imperfect life she was living on the run. Perhaps some of my frustration with the pacing at the end is that, for the reasons of plot and conflict, we never had enough time for these characters to breathe and expand as much as I would like. I think I wanted a bit more “calm before the storm” than Dunstall ever manages to provide … it reminds me of Serenity, which, while an incredible science-fiction movie when viewed as a standalone, is a disappointing Firefly story, if that makes any sense (but that’s a whole other essay).
In the end, Stars Uncharted doesn’t do it for me the way Linesman and its sequels did. There isn’t that same mystery that the alien ship in the Linesman series offers us. The resolution isn’t as good for me. But this is all kind of like saying that the chocolate ice cream isn’t as satisfying as the locally-made chocolate caramel gelato I have in my freezer. It’s still chocolate ice cream, after all.
Stars Uncharted is a new offering in a new universe, and it too is brilliant in so many ways. Far more ensemble in its casting, Dunstall in this case follows two main protagonists: Nika Rik Terri is a skilled body modder (one of the best of the best) who suddenly has to go on the run from some bad dudes; Josune Arriola is living under an assumed identity after the exploration ship she has lived on for years is destroyed. Their stories intersect quickly and forcefully as they and their newfound allies try to escape from a corporation that needs to silence them, quickly, for the information they couldn’t help but find.
Lots of really cool worldbuilding happening here. As with their previous series, Dunstall has a knack for giving us just enough exposition to help without bogging us down. This is a galaxy run by corporations rather than governments. Nullspace (like hyperspace, I guess) is the main way of jumping around systems, but it’s a touchy technology that requires calibration. Modding one’s body is commonplace enough, if one can afford it, but it too has elements of art in addition to science. And resources remain king: the main plot McGuffin is about finding the location of “Goberling’s lode”, a source of transuranic elements.
Dunstall knows how to open a book with a bang. They waste little time setting anything up. In the case of both viewpoint characters, things go wrong pretty quickly, and from that point out, they have little opportunity to rest or regroup. This works well for almost the entire book. Plans and allegiances shift frequently. I admire that Dunstall isn’t afraid to set something up only for it to go awry, turn pear-shaped, and turn out entirely differently. Less confident or less experienced authors will often create a much more linear plot. Instead, Dunstall is happy to make us think the characters will zig one way, until a new wrinkle gets introduced and they zag instead.
I say this works well for “almost” the entire book because—here’s where you have to lean close while I whisper my dirty fan-boy secret opinion—I’m not a huge fan of this ending. Specifically, at some point around chapter 30 or so, the pacing just went bananas. Too many things began happening at once, too many characters cycling around, people being captured and then being released and then … yeah. Just a lot to keep track of, at least for me, and the book overall felt like it had lost some of the focus it had in the earlier parts of the story. Moreover, I had long ago figured out the twist around Roystan’s identity, and I was just kind of impatient for Nika to figure it out and then reveal it to the others.
Similarly, other elements of Stars Uncharted felt somewhat repetitive or could have been tweaked, in my opinion. The dramatic irony of Snow not knowing Nika’s true identity (it is so obvious, dude), while he keeps mentioning her name, gets old fast. Same with the constant warnings that Josune or Roystan or whoever needs to get into a modding tank ASAP, only for this to get drawn out far longer than it probably should be. At some point, I just found myself wishing for the end … and that’s never something I like in a novel.
Keep in mind, too, that I started this book with high expectations and overall it met them from page one. I curled up on my couch under a blanket on a Saturday night and read the entire first half of Stars Uncharted then and there in one sitting, because I was excited and, more importantly, it was good. It was like a drug, which is my favourite experience when reading a book.
Also, don’t think that just because the ending let me down somewhat, I didn’t enjoy the book overall. I loved most of the characters and their relationships. In particular, I think Nika was my favourite. I liked how she had to set aside a lot of her comforts and her habits in order to make do with this new, imperfect life she was living on the run. Perhaps some of my frustration with the pacing at the end is that, for the reasons of plot and conflict, we never had enough time for these characters to breathe and expand as much as I would like. I think I wanted a bit more “calm before the storm” than Dunstall ever manages to provide … it reminds me of Serenity, which, while an incredible science-fiction movie when viewed as a standalone, is a disappointing Firefly story, if that makes any sense (but that’s a whole other essay).
In the end, Stars Uncharted doesn’t do it for me the way Linesman and its sequels did. There isn’t that same mystery that the alien ship in the Linesman series offers us. The resolution isn’t as good for me. But this is all kind of like saying that the chocolate ice cream isn’t as satisfying as the locally-made chocolate caramel gelato I have in my freezer. It’s still chocolate ice cream, after all.
3.75ish Stars
Sister writing duo S. K. Dunstall have given us a space opera, Stars Uncharted, that's a rollicking fun read. Its two female protagonists are lying their way through the galaxy. Nika Rik Terri is a gifted body modder who is on the run from her ex-boyfriend, his boss, and a thug working for that same boss. She's giving up everything to get away from them. She just has to get some injuries discreetly fixed first. She picks Bertram Snow's studio to do the work. Unfortunately, Snow has his own problems and they both end up in hot water, on the run. Snow is a much younger body modder who idolizes Nika's work, as he tells her often on their attempt to escape, all without knowing she's really Niki Rik Terri. Josune Arriola is an explorer working as a spy for her true vessel's, the Hassim's, captain, Taki Feyodor, who is to coordinate a surprise meeting with Hammond Roystan, the captain of the vessel on which Josune's working, while hiding her true identity. Things go badly for Josune early on when it turns out that everyone on the Hassim was murdered by info-seeking pirates who work for one of the twenty-plus conglomerates mysteriously called "the Company." Various other crew members on Royston's ship, the Road to the Goberlings, include Pol, Qiang, Guardian, Carlos and the rather endearing Jacques. It looks like Josune will have to hang around Royston and his crew while they salvage a ship that by all rights could have been hers.
Nika and Josune are the driving forces of this story and, for the first quarter of the book, their storylines run parallel to one another, in alternating chapters, until they cross and both end up as crew on Royston's ship Road to the Goberlings. Both women are fairly likable, decent people in spite of the fact that they have spun serious lies in order to be where they are. It turns out, they are not alone in that regard. Their new shipmates all have secrets of their own.
There's plenty of action throughout and the book is a fun read! One of the things I liked most about Stars Uncharted was that we have two strong, capable, and mature female lead characters, with very different and interesting histories. The male lead characters, Royston and Snow are a bit less developed but still fine characters, forming a loyal core. On the other hand, some of the secondary characters feel like they are little more than names for most of the story. (Qiang, for instance.) The villains of the story, Alejandro and Wickmore, are also pretty thinly rendered and feel flat as characters. The world-building felt as if it could have been far richer to me. I felt like some of their ports of call were little more than a name. In spite of these issues, it was still an enjoyable read.
Read it on the blog: http://marziesreads.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-stars-uncharted.html
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from First to Read, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Sister writing duo S. K. Dunstall have given us a space opera, Stars Uncharted, that's a rollicking fun read. Its two female protagonists are lying their way through the galaxy. Nika Rik Terri is a gifted body modder who is on the run from her ex-boyfriend, his boss, and a thug working for that same boss. She's giving up everything to get away from them. She just has to get some injuries discreetly fixed first. She picks Bertram Snow's studio to do the work. Unfortunately, Snow has his own problems and they both end up in hot water, on the run. Snow is a much younger body modder who idolizes Nika's work, as he tells her often on their attempt to escape, all without knowing she's really Niki Rik Terri. Josune Arriola is an explorer working as a spy for her true vessel's, the Hassim's, captain, Taki Feyodor, who is to coordinate a surprise meeting with Hammond Roystan, the captain of the vessel on which Josune's working, while hiding her true identity. Things go badly for Josune early on when it turns out that everyone on the Hassim was murdered by info-seeking pirates who work for one of the twenty-plus conglomerates mysteriously called "the Company." Various other crew members on Royston's ship, the Road to the Goberlings, include Pol, Qiang, Guardian, Carlos and the rather endearing Jacques. It looks like Josune will have to hang around Royston and his crew while they salvage a ship that by all rights could have been hers.
Nika and Josune are the driving forces of this story and, for the first quarter of the book, their storylines run parallel to one another, in alternating chapters, until they cross and both end up as crew on Royston's ship Road to the Goberlings. Both women are fairly likable, decent people in spite of the fact that they have spun serious lies in order to be where they are. It turns out, they are not alone in that regard. Their new shipmates all have secrets of their own.
There's plenty of action throughout and the book is a fun read! One of the things I liked most about Stars Uncharted was that we have two strong, capable, and mature female lead characters, with very different and interesting histories. The male lead characters, Royston and Snow are a bit less developed but still fine characters, forming a loyal core. On the other hand, some of the secondary characters feel like they are little more than names for most of the story. (Qiang, for instance.) The villains of the story, Alejandro and Wickmore, are also pretty thinly rendered and feel flat as characters. The world-building felt as if it could have been far richer to me. I felt like some of their ports of call were little more than a name. In spite of these issues, it was still an enjoyable read.
Read it on the blog: http://marziesreads.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-stars-uncharted.html
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from First to Read, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Stars Uncharted wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was expecting an exploration-oriented space opera, but this is more of a prequel for a story like that. There was a bunch of setup of the characters' personalities and how The Road's crew came together. I was hoping for a bit more world building, but the ship and Nika's studio were pretty much the only settings that got any attention. All of that being said, I thought the characters' development and their relationships were phenomenal, so that made me really enjoy this book!
I loved Dunstall's characters. I loved how unique and united the crew of The Road is. Each person is so different from the others in their backstories, personalities, and nationalities (if nationalities still exist when the galaxy is colonized). I loved the strong female leads, and how every crew member is confident that they're the best person for that job. A guy like Alejandro made an excellent villain, and he was written really well, which seems like a traitorous thing to say considering he's a domestic abuser. There were several times I imagined stabbing him in the neck. The only character I didn't really like was Benedict. Too two-dimensional. Josune and Roystan's relationship could have used more development too. Their ending felt forced and rushed, especially when Josune was willing to give up her entire life's work to settle down. Don't get me wrong, their ending was satisfying, I wish it was written differently.
There were a few plot points I thought needed a bit more explanation. Why was Benedict and the Eagle Hawk Company so hell-bent on getting Nika's Exchanger? I'm assuming it's because they want to conduct their Company's business in someone else's body to avoid being charged with crimes, but isn't that what a modding machine is for? To change your appearance? Why use an untested, potentially dangerous machine developed by an enemy of the Company? Seems careless. Also, what is with Banjo's complete reversal at the end of the book? Nika said that can sometimes happen with a mod, but it feels too convenient.
I hope that Dunstall will go more into gene modding if they write a sequel. I found the concept intriguing. Repairing a body seems pretty standard, but I loved the idea of modding to get striking eyes or skin patterns, especially when precious metals/elements are used in conjunction with the body's natural elements. I'd also like to know more about the transurides, and what they're used for.
I don't know if the authors are planning on a sequel, but I really hope there will be. Can't wait to read it!
I loved Dunstall's characters. I loved how unique and united the crew of The Road is. Each person is so different from the others in their backstories, personalities, and nationalities (if nationalities still exist when the galaxy is colonized). I loved the strong female leads, and how every crew member is confident that they're the best person for that job. A guy like Alejandro made an excellent villain, and he was written really well, which seems like a traitorous thing to say considering he's a domestic abuser. There were several times I imagined stabbing him in the neck. The only character I didn't really like was Benedict. Too two-dimensional. Josune and Roystan's relationship could have used more development too. Their ending felt forced and rushed, especially when Josune was willing to give up her entire life's work to settle down. Don't get me wrong, their ending was satisfying, I wish it was written differently.
There were a few plot points I thought needed a bit more explanation. Why was Benedict and the Eagle Hawk Company so hell-bent on getting Nika's Exchanger? I'm assuming it's because they want to conduct their Company's business in someone else's body to avoid being charged with crimes, but isn't that what a modding machine is for? To change your appearance? Why use an untested, potentially dangerous machine developed by an enemy of the Company? Seems careless. Also, what is with Banjo's complete reversal at the end of the book? Nika said that can sometimes happen with a mod, but it feels too convenient.
I hope that Dunstall will go more into gene modding if they write a sequel. I found the concept intriguing. Repairing a body seems pretty standard, but I loved the idea of modding to get striking eyes or skin patterns, especially when precious metals/elements are used in conjunction with the body's natural elements. I'd also like to know more about the transurides, and what they're used for.
I don't know if the authors are planning on a sequel, but I really hope there will be. Can't wait to read it!
This review is also posted on my blog Mad Scibrarian.
For a book whose premise promises the hunt of a lost planet, I don't think there was very much exploration involved. Instead there is a lot of focus on the world-building and technology. This works for a Sci-Fi, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The most heavily-focused area of the story is body-modding, or the ability to modify human bodies and appearances. I definitely learned more than what I wanted to about it.
There wasn't anything in this book that made me feel anything-- I didn't care for the characters. I kind of lost what the plot was along the way, but it was mainly due to my lack of interest. I don't think I would've finished this book if it wasn't for the fact that I was reading it for review (and I try pretty hard to finish those).
You might like this book if you enjoy sci-fi with a lot of detail on one particular technology.
I received a free eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
For a book whose premise promises the hunt of a lost planet, I don't think there was very much exploration involved. Instead there is a lot of focus on the world-building and technology. This works for a Sci-Fi, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The most heavily-focused area of the story is body-modding, or the ability to modify human bodies and appearances. I definitely learned more than what I wanted to about it.
There wasn't anything in this book that made me feel anything-- I didn't care for the characters. I kind of lost what the plot was along the way, but it was mainly due to my lack of interest. I don't think I would've finished this book if it wasn't for the fact that I was reading it for review (and I try pretty hard to finish those).
You might like this book if you enjoy sci-fi with a lot of detail on one particular technology.
I received a free eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.