Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Reasonable, but felt like it was trying to be a Hitch Hikers Guide - and didn't quite manage it - the ridiculous names and the little "side-bars" about races or people that had no real bearing on the story reminded me of Douglas Adams ...... but not in a good way I'm afraid! I'll read the rest of the series at some point - but only because I got over excited and bought them all before reading a page!
Really wanted to like it but there was so much padding I couldn't get further than chapter 3. Main character is not likeable at all.
Reads like someone aspiring to write like Douglas Adams and misses the mark.
Reads like someone aspiring to write like Douglas Adams and misses the mark.
This was a bit too much channeling Douglas Adams for me. I thought I would give the book two stars only, but somehow the author manages to pull the story together in the last third of the book. The writing is decent, no complaints there, it was more that I always got the feeling that Jenn Thorson was trying too hard to be fun and original, so it felt forced too often. I wanted to like it better, but I didn't.
One of my favorite books, and trilogy. Thornson did an excellent job of world building, from the Greater Communicating Universe (GCU), to DiversiDine, to the UniNet, well realized planets and inhabitants, the Intergalactic Underworld, Vos Laegos, Translachew (a gum that translates language), info-pills. I go could on and on about the rich, in-depth world and universe building.
The characters have personality, and are each funny in their own way.
I just love this trilogy. I really hope to see spin-offs in the future.
The characters have personality, and are each funny in their own way.
I just love this trilogy. I really hope to see spin-offs in the future.
I am beginning to realize that not every sci-fi comedy book deserves to be referred to as "like Douglas Adams". Even though this is in the same style as Hitchhiker's Guide, it was not that great. For me, one of the big problems was that it got bogged down in all the silly names for the characters and places. That detracted from the story more than it helped.
The basic story is that an earthling, unaware of the existence of other life in the universe, is taken into space and tasked with saving Earth. Hijinks ensue. The story was good, but the book just didn't excite me that much. It took me a month to finish because I was not eager to pick it back up when I had the chance.
The basic story is that an earthling, unaware of the existence of other life in the universe, is taken into space and tasked with saving Earth. Hijinks ensue. The story was good, but the book just didn't excite me that much. It took me a month to finish because I was not eager to pick it back up when I had the chance.
Entertaining in spots, but overall, kind of dragged out for me. May return to give #2 a try, but not right now.
At first I thought this was going to be a clone of The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy but, while there are similarities (along with a wee smattering of Battlefield Earth), it stands up pretty well on its own.
As a "man with no shoes gets kidnapped by aliens and has to save the world" story, it's pretty funny from start to finish and I could easily imagine it serialized on TV - it'd go down very well I think.
If you like sci-fi and have a sense of humour, it's well worth reading.
As a "man with no shoes gets kidnapped by aliens and has to save the world" story, it's pretty funny from start to finish and I could easily imagine it serialized on TV - it'd go down very well I think.
If you like sci-fi and have a sense of humour, it's well worth reading.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thundering pronouns!
If you liked The Hitchhikers Guide, and enjoyed Mercury Falls, you will enjoy this Tryfling book. In the spirit of those two, this author creates a galaxy rich with ironically-named beings, planets, and devices. They are all rolled together and flung across the galaxy in a tongue in cheek, humor filled, rollicking race to save the planet. With a clever love interest, good guys & bad guys, and a coterie of helpers along the way, the story's star uses basic wits to become the reluctant hero - with us having great fun along the way.
This book is a great change from the standard sci-fi fare i'm just about bored with, and cannot wait to read the next two books in the series.
If you liked The Hitchhikers Guide, and enjoyed Mercury Falls, you will enjoy this Tryfling book. In the spirit of those two, this author creates a galaxy rich with ironically-named beings, planets, and devices. They are all rolled together and flung across the galaxy in a tongue in cheek, humor filled, rollicking race to save the planet. With a clever love interest, good guys & bad guys, and a coterie of helpers along the way, the story's star uses basic wits to become the reluctant hero - with us having great fun along the way.
This book is a great change from the standard sci-fi fare i'm just about bored with, and cannot wait to read the next two books in the series.
I really enjoyed this book. I was giggling through most of the story, and I really liked the characters. The world, or rather, the GCU is vibrant and rich and diverse, and I absolutely loved all the tech--Translachew, infopills, the backwards Klinko tech, the Simmis, ICVs, etc. The different "alien" races were fun and very nicely done too. Everything in the world came to life in this book, and I think the author did a fantastic job there.
The only problem that I had--I can't say it's something I didn't like or was just bad, because that's not true--is that in the first half of the book, some of the chapters are a lot like commercials, highlighting certain characters and the products or brands that they stand for. These were fun to read, but I felt like they detracted from the story, slowing the pacing down quite a bit. Something really cool would happen, and then there would be this "commercial break", and it started to get annoying. But, like I said, they were fun to read. I just don't think that they were really all that necessary. It might have been something fun to add at the end, like an appendices, or something like that.
All in all, a good, fun read. I'll likely pick up more books by Jenn in the future. :)
The only problem that I had--I can't say it's something I didn't like or was just bad, because that's not true--is that in the first half of the book, some of the chapters are a lot like commercials, highlighting certain characters and the products or brands that they stand for. These were fun to read, but I felt like they detracted from the story, slowing the pacing down quite a bit. Something really cool would happen, and then there would be this "commercial break", and it started to get annoying. But, like I said, they were fun to read. I just don't think that they were really all that necessary. It might have been something fun to add at the end, like an appendices, or something like that.
All in all, a good, fun read. I'll likely pick up more books by Jenn in the future. :)