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abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
3.0
This is very middle of the road for me - it is entertaining enough for me to finish and to read at a good pace - the learning curve is low so the reader does not get tripped up on too many out of place names or places, however, I also feel that the names were - cheesy - Owen is easy to remember, but Deathstalker - Noun-Verber it is - John Random? - Hazel Dark? sorry, I mean, D'Ark - remember, when you use an apostrophe, replace it with a *cough* -
The story is very straight ahead, and each chapter follows a single character and a third person point of view - the downside on this is that more pages are devoted to the enemy than the supposed hero, who really, he is a hero because the author makes it so, not because he does anything heroic
Simon R Green has a writing style that I enjoy, and I fly through his pages, and the characters are not horrible they are just - there - I wait patiently for more substance, but this is a high sugar and caffeine rush with no substance, and I am left hungry when the pages close -
I did finish, so that places this as a three star minimum, but I cannot give it anything higher, because as the first book in a series, it is the only one I will read - and I will likely trade it in for something else the next trip to the used book store.
The story is very straight ahead, and each chapter follows a single character and a third person point of view - the downside on this is that more pages are devoted to the enemy than the supposed hero, who really, he is a hero because the author makes it so, not because he does anything heroic
Simon R Green has a writing style that I enjoy, and I fly through his pages, and the characters are not horrible they are just - there - I wait patiently for more substance, but this is a high sugar and caffeine rush with no substance, and I am left hungry when the pages close -
I did finish, so that places this as a three star minimum, but I cannot give it anything higher, because as the first book in a series, it is the only one I will read - and I will likely trade it in for something else the next trip to the used book store.
leyaruth42's review against another edition
4.0
This book (and series I believe) truly is a parody of the Space Opera genre. There are aspects of every major sci-fi, fantasy, and space opera series I've read. There's the "young nobleman whose life is upended and he goes off on a journey and becomes a rebel against the empire" story from countless other books, but most especially from Dune. Dune's warring, intriguing families make an appearance in this book as "Clans", even down to the outright vendetta between two high ranking families (Atreides and Harkonnen = Wolf and Campbell).
The outright brutality in this story rivals that of Game of Thrones. This book takes brutality to a higher form that GOT, being outright disgusting. GOT gets a thrill with killing major beloved characters. This book just likes killing people in general, especially in very disgusting ways. The "brains exploding" parts seem to be straight out of pulp fiction from the 1910-1920s.
The "group of rebels" on a journey felt a lot like Hyperion, especially the flashbacks to their back stories. The "evil Empress" seems similar to Palpatine, although she's just basically a gross human being bent on total domination, she doesn't have any special powers like Palpatine. The Matrix makes an appearance as, you guessed it, "The Matrix", a computer-generated environment where all the internet type stuff happens. There's even the loading room from the movie (the white space).
So yes, this book is FAR from original. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. Having read previous reviews where people called this a parody of space opera helped me see this book in a new light. Having read A TON of sci-fi, I see all of the aspects this author is parodying. The outright humor in this book is refreshing. I definitely laughed out loud at several parts.
I'm going to continue with the story since I am thoroughly enjoying this author's take on the genre.
The outright brutality in this story rivals that of Game of Thrones. This book takes brutality to a higher form that GOT, being outright disgusting. GOT gets a thrill with killing major beloved characters. This book just likes killing people in general, especially in very disgusting ways. The "brains exploding" parts seem to be straight out of pulp fiction from the 1910-1920s.
The "group of rebels" on a journey felt a lot like Hyperion, especially the flashbacks to their back stories. The "evil Empress" seems similar to Palpatine, although she's just basically a gross human being bent on total domination, she doesn't have any special powers like Palpatine. The Matrix makes an appearance as, you guessed it, "The Matrix", a computer-generated environment where all the internet type stuff happens. There's even the loading room from the movie (the white space).
So yes, this book is FAR from original. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. Having read previous reviews where people called this a parody of space opera helped me see this book in a new light. Having read A TON of sci-fi, I see all of the aspects this author is parodying. The outright humor in this book is refreshing. I definitely laughed out loud at several parts.
I'm going to continue with the story since I am thoroughly enjoying this author's take on the genre.
anna_hepworth's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a romp. A dark, high death toll, criminals on the run in a hugh galaxy spanning empire, romp, but still a romp. Very reminiscent of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books in the tech and the scrapes, but much darker. And with horrendously complex politics that was fortunately only lightly sketched.
hbaier94's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ajchristman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sharonskinner's review
3.0
This author was recommended to me. I would have rated this higher, but while I like the characters and world-building immensely, the writing is a bit dense for my taste. I simply prefer less interior monologue and explanation than what this author provides.
jcovey's review against another edition
3.0
I'll get the bad out of the way first: the writing is not good.
No doubt I would have abandoned it during it's slow start if not for it being recommended by a friend. However, I'm very glad I stuck with it. Where this book shines brilliantly is in never running out of bizarre new twists, ideas and characters to throw at you. Not unlike a good, old comic book series or a nice jrpg, the joy comes from seeing this bizarre party of opposites come together through the power of true friendship and face a universe of never ending weirdness.
I don't know when I'll read the second one, but I hope to someday just to see where this wild ride goes next.
No doubt I would have abandoned it during it's slow start if not for it being recommended by a friend. However, I'm very glad I stuck with it. Where this book shines brilliantly is in never running out of bizarre new twists, ideas and characters to throw at you. Not unlike a good, old comic book series or a nice jrpg, the joy comes from seeing this bizarre party of opposites come together through the power of true friendship and face a universe of never ending weirdness.
I don't know when I'll read the second one, but I hope to someday just to see where this wild ride goes next.
dai_shan's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
morninglightmountain's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Very diverse interesting character cast. I found myself more interested in side characters than the main character (which was a good thing since a lot of time was spent on side character development). Loved this book and I do plan to read the entire series now
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this. It was just to grim and dark and I'm not sure any of the characters were likeable.