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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
First off - if you don't count Orson Scott Card, this is only my second SciFi novel, so I don't have a lot of comparison.
I bought this, because I decided to read the Nebula Award nominees.
I got into the story quite fast, and it was a good and fun read.
It was not exactly what I was expecting - especially in the beginning it felt more like a spy/action novel with cold storage units, than SciFi.
It's only in the second half. that we get to see a bit of a spaceship, and meet more then the one single "Alien" from the first half.
I liked both parts, and especially that the POV characters all got greek code names, and the chapters therefore are headed "Odysseus" or "Circe" and so on.
But I also had some problems with the book.
The main character Caine is - simply said - perfect. Too perfect. He get's minimal training, but he manages to stay on top of every situation throughout the book, and of course all women love him.
I missed a bit more "spacey" stuff ;) I love Star Trek, Doctor Who and such TV series, so I missed my "warp drives" "quantum fluctuations" and such.
The Aliens were a bit stereotype for me.
All in all I would have wanted to give 3,5 half stars, but since that's not possible I'll round it up to 4 stars.
I bought this, because I decided to read the Nebula Award nominees.
I got into the story quite fast, and it was a good and fun read.
It was not exactly what I was expecting - especially in the beginning it felt more like a spy/action novel with cold storage units, than SciFi.
It's only in the second half. that we get to see a bit of a spaceship, and meet more then the one single "Alien" from the first half.
I liked both parts, and especially that the POV characters all got greek code names, and the chapters therefore are headed "Odysseus" or "Circe" and so on.
But I also had some problems with the book.
The main character Caine is - simply said - perfect. Too perfect. He get's minimal training, but he manages to stay on top of every situation throughout the book, and of course all women love him.
I missed a bit more "spacey" stuff ;) I love Star Trek, Doctor Who and such TV series, so I missed my "warp drives" "quantum fluctuations" and such.
The Aliens were a bit stereotype for me.
All in all I would have wanted to give 3,5 half stars, but since that's not possible I'll round it up to 4 stars.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a reread, & I liked it better the second time around. Still didn’t care for the first part of the book, but after the aliens showed up , it got more interesting, & I decided to get the next one.
If there were a “mood” box for “cynical”, I would have checked it.
If there were a “mood” box for “cynical”, I would have checked it.
Fire with Fire by Charles E. Gannon is a classic space-opera featuring the fearless and whip-smart Caine Riordan as he navigates an intergalactic conspiracy revolving around Earth and the human race. I had great fun following Caine as he "Sherlock Holmes'd" his way through the story because I was constantly striving to keep-up with his deductive powers and logical reasoning. This is not to say that Fire with Fire is a mystery, but it is filled with a lot of intrigue that the reader can at least try to puzzle together. Gannon has a strong grasp of technology, so I enjoyed reading about the Wasserman Drive, which was rooted in the possibilities of physics, and cryopods. In addition, Gannon understands politics well-enough to add interesting political sub-plots/tension to the story that added to the urgency of Caine's missions and kept me turning the page. Overall, this is a tightly-plotted and fun novel, and I can easily see why it was nominated for the Nebula Award!
A very compelling story, excellently constructed universe with good characters and races with good backstories, and a strong universe to build many more stories in.
Great fun! Sometimes the child in me needs these kind of science-fiction adventures, even if they are spend in the company of one dimensional characters and anthropomorphic aliens.
I'm not usually one for military thrillers, but combined with hard sci fi, this one worked for me. Although sometimes the philosophizing caused me to glaze over a bit, Gannon's story had enough twists and turns to keep drawing me back in. If I had one complaint, it would be that the first bit of the story (re: DP3) felt completely disconnected from where the story ended up. Lots of unanswered questions, but that's what makes it a trilogy, yes?
High stakes inter sapient diplomacy
While there was too much similarity to human diplomacy and not enough consideration to the aliens surely being alien, the story itself is a good mix of space opera and hard sci-fi. I recommend it for anyone who loves classic style sci-fi tales.
While there was too much similarity to human diplomacy and not enough consideration to the aliens surely being alien, the story itself is a good mix of space opera and hard sci-fi. I recommend it for anyone who loves classic style sci-fi tales.
Certainly an involved SF. Seems the main character when a bit far sometimes (like he was James Bond). I may check out the next book in the series - undecided.
Space opera as nostalgia for the early days: Poorly plotted and cardboard characters. It makes E. E. "Doc" Smith look like he wrote robust character portraits. Both the humans and the aliens are out of stock character and Gannon's attempts to shade a couple of the humans as complex (Nolan and Richard) fails miserable, and they remain very bad, very controlling, a-holes.
Then there's the plethora of idiot plot holes and lunacy. I'll just pick three:
- Riordan evacuated from planet by military, has critical info, and rather than fly him back to earth on military ship they stick him on a passenger ship just so the author can kill a bunch of people
- Opal in military cryogenically frozen for 60 years, thawed, and her time served isn't up
- Trevor, a supposed SEAL, doesn't know if he took 3 shot or 4
If I'm ever at a loss for something to read, I might just try this knowing it's moronic space opera, but I hope I don't get to that point of desperation.
Then there's the plethora of idiot plot holes and lunacy. I'll just pick three:
- Riordan evacuated from planet by military, has critical info, and rather than fly him back to earth on military ship they stick him on a passenger ship just so the author can kill a bunch of people
- Opal in military cryogenically frozen for 60 years, thawed, and her time served isn't up
- Trevor, a supposed SEAL, doesn't know if he took 3 shot or 4
If I'm ever at a loss for something to read, I might just try this knowing it's moronic space opera, but I hope I don't get to that point of desperation.