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homicidal_potato's review against another edition
4.0
This felt like a 10 episode series of a Firefly-like crew.
tome15's review against another edition
3.0
Tomlinson, Patrick S. Starship Repo. The Breach No. 2. Tor, 2019.
Now let us praise average books. That is to say, I am tempted to rate this comic space opera higher than it deserves because it got so many negative reviews it did not deserve. But I will restrain myself. Starship Repos could be the poster child for three-star novels. Many of the negative reviews seem to have been given by readers who did not know what to expect. But really, if you pick up a book called Starship Repo, should you expect complex plotting and deep character analysis? At one point, our heroine, a refugee thief and con artist trying to survive in a multispecies habitat, tells an alien who doesn’t get it to keep track of his bath towel. It would be fair to say that Repo is not as much fun as Hitchhiker’s Guide, But then, few novels are. It does have an engaging heroine who seems to adjust well to repossessing starships for a gang of bug-eyed monsters. Some jokes are duds, but some give me a chuckle. I even enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek acknowledgements where the author says that his editors and typesetters are responsible for all the faults in the novel which would otherwise have won a Nobel prize. Some of Tomlinson’s harshest critics seem to think he was really gunning for the Nobel.
Now let us praise average books. That is to say, I am tempted to rate this comic space opera higher than it deserves because it got so many negative reviews it did not deserve. But I will restrain myself. Starship Repos could be the poster child for three-star novels. Many of the negative reviews seem to have been given by readers who did not know what to expect. But really, if you pick up a book called Starship Repo, should you expect complex plotting and deep character analysis? At one point, our heroine, a refugee thief and con artist trying to survive in a multispecies habitat, tells an alien who doesn’t get it to keep track of his bath towel. It would be fair to say that Repo is not as much fun as Hitchhiker’s Guide, But then, few novels are. It does have an engaging heroine who seems to adjust well to repossessing starships for a gang of bug-eyed monsters. Some jokes are duds, but some give me a chuckle. I even enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek acknowledgements where the author says that his editors and typesetters are responsible for all the faults in the novel which would otherwise have won a Nobel prize. Some of Tomlinson’s harshest critics seem to think he was really gunning for the Nobel.
ladydaffney's review against another edition
5.0
I tried to keep myself from binge-reading this book in one day, so it took me a bit longer. I also don't tend to write reviews, but I make exceptions based on the books and writers.
I am not normally a reader of science fiction, I am more of an avid reader of fantasy and urban fantasy. After reading the Children of a Dead Earth trilogy by this author/comedian, I got sucked into his writing of science fiction. Pretty sure if I hadn't of read the other trilogy, I might not have enjoyed or appreciated The Expanse as much as I did.
This book is well-written. I enjoy the humor as well as the research that the author put in to make everything work. Personally, I would love a Grenic plushie (with the "tattoo"). I do want to state that I did not see any grammatical errors and it is a very enjoyable book. Please. Write. More.
I am not normally a reader of science fiction, I am more of an avid reader of fantasy and urban fantasy. After reading the Children of a Dead Earth trilogy by this author/comedian, I got sucked into his writing of science fiction. Pretty sure if I hadn't of read the other trilogy, I might not have enjoyed or appreciated The Expanse as much as I did.
This book is well-written. I enjoy the humor as well as the research that the author put in to make everything work. Personally, I would love a Grenic plushie (with the "tattoo"). I do want to state that I did not see any grammatical errors and it is a very enjoyable book. Please. Write. More.
aberdonian67's review against another edition
It was fun but by halfway through I had no real reason to keep reading - no clear direction, not into the characters enough, no question on what would happen. If I didn’t have so much else to read I’d probably finish it for the sake of it.
onlyongracexm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
The astonishingly too-low-for-a-new-book rating was the reason I decided I needed to read this book as soon as possible to see what was up. (Apparently, it’s a bunch of trolls who brought the average down.) My rating alone can’t single-handedly save the average rating, but the least I can do is give my 100% honest, troll-free review.
This was an enjoyable book... for about three-quarters of the way. The episodic nature of the narrative didn’t bother me at first, but I kinda grew tired of it by the end. Without an overarching plot, there wasn’t much character development, an emotional journey that’s reached by the end. The comedic references to real-life pop culture also wasn’t bothersome at first either.... untilFonald Plump (I don’t remember if that’s the correct spelling, but it rhymes with Donald Trump). The obvious caricature of Trump and the story of our heroic characters’ righteous deed felt more fun in theory, but not in practice. For me, it just felt heavy-handed and kind of childish.
So, in conclusion, maybe the timing of this book was a bit too way off. Plus, these review trolls aren’t helping either. But, it’s not badly-written and I applaud the efforts in comedy. If you’re looking for some short sci-fi fun, this might be the book for you.
This was an enjoyable book... for about three-quarters of the way. The episodic nature of the narrative didn’t bother me at first, but I kinda grew tired of it by the end. Without an overarching plot, there wasn’t much character development, an emotional journey that’s reached by the end. The comedic references to real-life pop culture also wasn’t bothersome at first either.... until
So, in conclusion, maybe the timing of this book was a bit too way off. Plus, these review trolls aren’t helping either. But, it’s not badly-written and I applaud the efforts in comedy. If you’re looking for some short sci-fi fun, this might be the book for you.
alexiacambaling's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books!
Starship Repo is the story of a girl, who due to an unfortunate data entry error, is given the name Firstname Lastname. In an unfamiliar location. First thrives by doing a variety of odd jobs (or let’s just say cons) and she succeeds until she gets the attention of a repossession team whose job is to recover spaceships.
The book is told in a mostly episodic form revolving around all sorts of shenanigans the crew gets into and for the most part, it remains light-hearted and comedic in tone. However, there are moments wherein the differences between the crew can lead to some tension. By tension, I mean that there are hostile alien races and a first contact gone wrong scenario which happened off-screen and years prior to this book. I believe the details are in a book prior to this one which I haven’t read.
Still, I really enjoyed how the crew interacts with one another and how they grow to care for one another throughout the course of their adventures. It’s genuinely heartwarming seeing their characters evolve throughout the book and become like a real crew of people who aren’t just work colleagues, but also friends.
I also liked First as a character. Throughout the story, she goes on a lot of adventures- some with the crew, some on her own. One of the highlights of this is when she crashes into a concert by an Earth band who covers centuries-old song, which just happens to be late 20th century music. Scenes like this helps give a sense of time and progression in the world-building, while also helping build First’s character as a reckless but cunning teenaged girl.
As for the negatives, the world-building can be sometimes confusing. A lot of terms and names were thrown about, which leads to a lot of head-scratching. I will admit some of it can get hilarious, but for the most part, I wish we could have learned more about this world. There are also some pop culture references thrown about, both about human culture and alien culture. Personally, I’d love to learn about the alien culture more and I felt like it was kind of lacking there.
Besides that, the side characters also weren’t as fleshed out as I hoped they would be. The story really does primarily revolve around First and as such, she’s the most developed and well-rounded character.
Overall, I can recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and if you’re in the mood for some light-hearted, fast-paced sci-fi with no high stakes, then this book is for you.
This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer
Starship Repo is the story of a girl, who due to an unfortunate data entry error, is given the name Firstname Lastname. In an unfamiliar location. First thrives by doing a variety of odd jobs (or let’s just say cons) and she succeeds until she gets the attention of a repossession team whose job is to recover spaceships.
The book is told in a mostly episodic form revolving around all sorts of shenanigans the crew gets into and for the most part, it remains light-hearted and comedic in tone. However, there are moments wherein the differences between the crew can lead to some tension. By tension, I mean that there are hostile alien races and a first contact gone wrong scenario which happened off-screen and years prior to this book. I believe the details are in a book prior to this one which I haven’t read.
Still, I really enjoyed how the crew interacts with one another and how they grow to care for one another throughout the course of their adventures. It’s genuinely heartwarming seeing their characters evolve throughout the book and become like a real crew of people who aren’t just work colleagues, but also friends.
I also liked First as a character. Throughout the story, she goes on a lot of adventures- some with the crew, some on her own. One of the highlights of this is when she crashes into a concert by an Earth band who covers centuries-old song, which just happens to be late 20th century music. Scenes like this helps give a sense of time and progression in the world-building, while also helping build First’s character as a reckless but cunning teenaged girl.
As for the negatives, the world-building can be sometimes confusing. A lot of terms and names were thrown about, which leads to a lot of head-scratching. I will admit some of it can get hilarious, but for the most part, I wish we could have learned more about this world. There are also some pop culture references thrown about, both about human culture and alien culture. Personally, I’d love to learn about the alien culture more and I felt like it was kind of lacking there.
Besides that, the side characters also weren’t as fleshed out as I hoped they would be. The story really does primarily revolve around First and as such, she’s the most developed and well-rounded character.
Overall, I can recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and if you’re in the mood for some light-hearted, fast-paced sci-fi with no high stakes, then this book is for you.
This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer
gandalfdg's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jennrin's review against another edition
4.0
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy for an honest review!
Starship Repo is a fast-paced, episodic adventure following the lone human in a ragtag crew of various aliens. If you enjoyed Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series, PICK THIS ONE UP. All of the (mis)adventures are so much fun and you can't help but fall in love with our team of characters. Also there's a hentai tentacle monster who lives in the sewers and they love music and want to share it with the main character okay.
My heart was so happy the entire time I read this book.
The alien species are all so different and plentiful and just downright alien that at first I struggled with them, but towards the middle I felt much more confident with recognizing and remembering which alien species had what physical characteristics. And - bonus! - they aren't just humanoid figures with weird faces (my alien pet-peeve).
I love our human MC, Firstname Lastname, and the entirety of her alien crewmembers and the friends she makes along the way. The banter throughout is very humorous and kept racial tensions between two characters light-hearted.
But honestly let's be real here. The best part about reading this book was that the author is very deft at knowing where to jumpcut the adventures to get to the fun parts and I was certainly never bored.
I will definitely recommend this book to adults, young adults, and older teen patrons of my library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this gem of a sci-fi tale!
Starship Repo is a fast-paced, episodic adventure following the lone human in a ragtag crew of various aliens. If you enjoyed Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series, PICK THIS ONE UP. All of the (mis)adventures are so much fun and you can't help but fall in love with our team of characters. Also there's a hentai tentacle monster who lives in the sewers and they love music and want to share it with the main character okay.
My heart was so happy the entire time I read this book.
The alien species are all so different and plentiful and just downright alien that at first I struggled with them, but towards the middle I felt much more confident with recognizing and remembering which alien species had what physical characteristics. And - bonus! - they aren't just humanoid figures with weird faces (my alien pet-peeve).
I love our human MC, Firstname Lastname, and the entirety of her alien crewmembers and the friends she makes along the way. The banter throughout is very humorous and kept racial tensions between two characters light-hearted.
But honestly let's be real here. The best part about reading this book was that the author is very deft at knowing where to jumpcut the adventures to get to the fun parts and I was certainly never bored.
I will definitely recommend this book to adults, young adults, and older teen patrons of my library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this gem of a sci-fi tale!
rrice2017's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0