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riverwise's review against another edition
2.0
A pacy and intriguing first half sets up a good mystery against the backdrop of interstellar war. Unfortunately the second part squanders all this promise in a mess of cliché and terrible plotting, where vital elements are hastily introduced by infodump just a page or two before they need to appear. This was potentially a good SF adventure, but it could have done with another draft and a good editor first.
colossal's review
4.0
You know how Alien was a horror and Aliens was an SF action flick? Adam Christopher may be taking a leaf out of that book here. This one was also much longer than the first one, but didn't have all the tropey repetitive stuff that the first one had either. Generally speaking I enjoyed this one much more than the first.
In this one we have some of the political aftermath of the first book, so internal military politics with the Fleet Command Council that soon degenerates into coup and assassination attempts. Fairly quickly the main characters center around the investigation of the assassination with the main investigator and a suspect taking most of the POV. This all unearths a plot which goes to corruption within and around the Fleet, more information about the psi-marines that featured prominently and without much explanation in the first book and eventually Spiders, AIs and spaceship battles.
Overall, much more my cup of tea than the first one, but people who enjoyed the first one may find less to enjoy here. There are still some creepy horror bits, but nothing like the first one.
One further note on pacing: the first half of the book is slow. That changes drastically at about 60% where it turns into a page-turner.
In this one we have some of the political aftermath of the first book, so internal military politics with the Fleet Command Council that soon degenerates into coup and assassination attempts. Fairly quickly the main characters center around the investigation of the assassination with the main investigator and a suspect taking most of the POV. This all unearths a plot which goes to corruption within and around the Fleet, more information about the psi-marines that featured prominently and without much explanation in the first book and eventually Spiders, AIs and spaceship battles.
Overall, much more my cup of tea than the first one, but people who enjoyed the first one may find less to enjoy here. There are still some creepy horror bits, but nothing like the first one.
One further note on pacing: the first half of the book is slow. That changes drastically at about 60% where it turns into a page-turner.
drewsof's review
4.0
I really had fun with this and am glad I stuck around with this trilogy. It would seem that Mr. Christopher's natural state is deftly plotted adventure where he can really just lean into classic inspirations. There's nothing wrong with that; in fact, it should be considered laudable. We need a little more fun, frothy adventure these days and our literature should be shouldering its share of the burden. If you like sci-fi and you like adventure and you want to just have a fun, if not too serious, time... The Spider Wars are a good place to look.
More at RB: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2015/06/01/the-machine-awakes-spider-wars-2/
More at RB: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2015/06/01/the-machine-awakes-spider-wars-2/
meags1's review against another edition
3.0
So many books that would be my total shit if they didn't have a trope I AVOID USUALLY AT ALL COSTS.
riverwise's review
2.0
A pacy and intriguing first half sets up a good mystery against the backdrop of interstellar war. Unfortunately the second part squanders all this promise in a mess of cliché and terrible plotting, where vital elements are hastily introduced by infodump just a page or two before they need to appear. This was potentially a good SF adventure, but it could have done with another draft and a good editor first.
georgemorrrison's review against another edition
1.0
I’m sorry, but I cannot recommend this book. After reading (and enjoying!) Christopher’s novel The Burning Dark, I launched into The Machine Awakes with anticipation. Unfortunately, this book is not written to the same standards as his other novels.
The plot is fairly conventional sci-fi, focusing on an episode during humanity’s protracted war against a machine intelligence. I liked the intrigue around the assassination of key figures, which was the best part of the book, but that was compromised by flaws in the writing.
For example, in chapter 40 he includes a section labeled “Plausible Deniability” that is out of sequence with the rest of the novel and also unnecessary. Everything in that section is covered in an earlier chapter. A good editor would have caught this; it is usually the result of an author moving a piece of text forward in a novel to establish a framework for an early scene, then forgetting to delete the duplicate text from the latter part of the book.
Another problem that I had with the book was the constant use of Deus Ex Machina. Every time Christopher’s characters get in a jam, some miraculous event occurs to rescue them. The suspension of disbelief lies at the foundation of science fiction, but for that to work, an author must stick to the “rules” that they established when creating their world. This problem cropped up numerous times, even in small and unnecessary places in the text. For example, one of the “spiders” controlled by the machine intelligence is presented as the size of a shuttle craft. Later in the battle, it is magically so large that when it collapses in defeat the impact from its falling only a few meters is enough to punch a hole in the floor of a hanger deck designed to handle space ships. The hole is so large that everything in the hanger, including two shuttles, getssucked into it. But not the heroes, of course.
The space battles were profoundly unrealistic. A moon-sized spider-shaped machine attacking space ships with its legs? In space? While the space ships are firing rockets at it? Why not shoot the rockets from a safe distance, like ten thousand miles away? And for that matter, why would a civilization with gravity control bother using rockets at all? Just drop a black hole into the spider machine and walk away while the singularity eats it.
The last complaints that I have with this story deal with the characters. The heroine Cait is completely unrealistic; she’s supposed to be a trained marine of high intelligence, but when she recognizes a trap, she just decides to walk into it anyway. Even an untrained person would first look around to see if there was a way to avoid the trap, and soldiers are trained to do just that. The other characters are flat, so that there is no difference between any of them, and not one of them shows any form of development, change, or growth as a result of their ordeals.
The plot is fairly conventional sci-fi, focusing on an episode during humanity’s protracted war against a machine intelligence. I liked the intrigue around the assassination of key figures, which was the best part of the book, but that was compromised by flaws in the writing.
For example, in chapter 40 he includes a section labeled “Plausible Deniability” that is out of sequence with the rest of the novel and also unnecessary. Everything in that section is covered in an earlier chapter. A good editor would have caught this; it is usually the result of an author moving a piece of text forward in a novel to establish a framework for an early scene, then forgetting to delete the duplicate text from the latter part of the book.
Another problem that I had with the book was the constant use of Deus Ex Machina. Every time Christopher’s characters get in a jam, some miraculous event occurs to rescue them. The suspension of disbelief lies at the foundation of science fiction, but for that to work, an author must stick to the “rules” that they established when creating their world. This problem cropped up numerous times, even in small and unnecessary places in the text. For example, one of the “spiders” controlled by the machine intelligence is presented as the size of a shuttle craft. Later in the battle, it is magically so large that when it collapses in defeat the impact from its falling only a few meters is enough to punch a hole in the floor of a hanger deck designed to handle space ships. The hole is so large that everything in the hanger, including two shuttles, getssucked into it. But not the heroes, of course.
The space battles were profoundly unrealistic. A moon-sized spider-shaped machine attacking space ships with its legs? In space? While the space ships are firing rockets at it? Why not shoot the rockets from a safe distance, like ten thousand miles away? And for that matter, why would a civilization with gravity control bother using rockets at all? Just drop a black hole into the spider machine and walk away while the singularity eats it.
The last complaints that I have with this story deal with the characters. The heroine Cait is completely unrealistic; she’s supposed to be a trained marine of high intelligence, but when she recognizes a trap, she just decides to walk into it anyway. Even an untrained person would first look around to see if there was a way to avoid the trap, and soldiers are trained to do just that. The other characters are flat, so that there is no difference between any of them, and not one of them shows any form of development, change, or growth as a result of their ordeals.
expendablemudge's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: In the decades since the human race first made contact with the Spiders—a machine race capable of tearing planets apart—the two groups have fought over interstellar territory. But the war has not been going well for humankind, and with the failure of the Fleet Admiral’s secret plan in the Shadow system, the commander is overthrown by a group of hardliners determined to get the war back on track.
When the deposed Fleet Admiral is assassinated, Special Agent Von Kodiak suspects the new guard is eliminating the old. But when the Admiral’s replacement is likewise murdered, all bets are off as Kodiak discovers the prime suspect is one of the Fleet’s own, a psi-marine and decorated hero—a hero killed in action, months ago, at the same time his twin sister vanished from the Fleet Academy, where she was training to join her brother on the front.
As Kodiak investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy that stretches from the slums of Salt City to the floating gas mines of Jupiter. There, deep in the roiling clouds of the planet, the Jovian Mining Corporation is hiding something, a secret that will tear the Fleet apart and that the Morning Star, a group of militarized pilgrims searching for their lost god, is determined to uncover.
But there is something else hiding in Jovian system. Something insidious and intelligent, machine-like and hungry.
The Spiders are near.
My Review: This is book two. I have only one question: WHERE THE HELL IS BOOK THREE?!
Exciting intrigue, insane religious nutballs trying to bring Lucifer "back," twisty and unexpected politico-personal betrayals...IN SPACE! ON JUPITER!! Add in some vile, evil corporate chicanery, some love and some heartbreak...well, what are you waiting for? Go forth and buy from your favorite bookery.
Leave the lights on.
The Publisher Says: In the decades since the human race first made contact with the Spiders—a machine race capable of tearing planets apart—the two groups have fought over interstellar territory. But the war has not been going well for humankind, and with the failure of the Fleet Admiral’s secret plan in the Shadow system, the commander is overthrown by a group of hardliners determined to get the war back on track.
When the deposed Fleet Admiral is assassinated, Special Agent Von Kodiak suspects the new guard is eliminating the old. But when the Admiral’s replacement is likewise murdered, all bets are off as Kodiak discovers the prime suspect is one of the Fleet’s own, a psi-marine and decorated hero—a hero killed in action, months ago, at the same time his twin sister vanished from the Fleet Academy, where she was training to join her brother on the front.
As Kodiak investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy that stretches from the slums of Salt City to the floating gas mines of Jupiter. There, deep in the roiling clouds of the planet, the Jovian Mining Corporation is hiding something, a secret that will tear the Fleet apart and that the Morning Star, a group of militarized pilgrims searching for their lost god, is determined to uncover.
But there is something else hiding in Jovian system. Something insidious and intelligent, machine-like and hungry.
The Spiders are near.
My Review: This is book two. I have only one question: WHERE THE HELL IS BOOK THREE?!
Exciting intrigue, insane religious nutballs trying to bring Lucifer "back," twisty and unexpected politico-personal betrayals...IN SPACE! ON JUPITER!! Add in some vile, evil corporate chicanery, some love and some heartbreak...well, what are you waiting for? Go forth and buy from your favorite bookery.
Leave the lights on.
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