Scan barcode
snowcrash's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting sci-fi book. Interesting in that it goes beyond typical tropes and puts forth the question, do ships have souls? Is there an energy band we can't measure, but humans can sense and manipulate? This is the core of the book.
The characters are a bit bland, though. There is a lot of discussion about the lines, what each does and how radical Ean is with his singing. Ean is full of self-doubt. Rossi is an annoying bully. Radko rocks. But the lines and the ships have more life than the people within them. Most of the characters are singularly focused one thing.
I found the idea of the lines and ship souls to be magical. Appealing. Also the point that radical shifts usually come from someone not "properly trained" in the arts. Ean is like Steve Wozniak, told it was impossible to build personal computers, during the time of mainframes. Ean is continually told by the line trainers what he is doing is impossible.
I will pick up the next two, as I am curious about the lines. The first book is a bit rough around the edges. It is the first by the two sisters & I hope they get better with experience.
The characters are a bit bland, though. There is a lot of discussion about the lines, what each does and how radical Ean is with his singing. Ean is full of self-doubt. Rossi is an annoying bully. Radko rocks. But the lines and the ships have more life than the people within them. Most of the characters are singularly focused one thing.
I found the idea of the lines and ship souls to be magical. Appealing. Also the point that radical shifts usually come from someone not "properly trained" in the arts. Ean is like Steve Wozniak, told it was impossible to build personal computers, during the time of mainframes. Ean is continually told by the line trainers what he is doing is impossible.
I will pick up the next two, as I am curious about the lines. The first book is a bit rough around the edges. It is the first by the two sisters & I hope they get better with experience.
sarah42783's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.75 stars. And a half.
Yet another wondrous MacHalo Buddy Read! Well, I'm, um, you know, assuming it was wondrous and stuff. Back when it happened and stuff. Because I'm, um, you know, a little late for it and stuff. Not much though. Just, um, you know, a couple of years and stuff. Pretty insignificant when you're nefariously immortal like me, really.
But anyway. This Linesman business. Let's get the negative stuff over with right away, shall we? The book is sloooooooow paced. Well it is at first. It's kind of a wonder I didn't DNF, actually. Okay, so I did temporarily DNF it the first time I gave it a try (you know, back in the days when you were all toddlers, in 2016). But I am strong and resilient and reasonable now, meaning I no longer give up on books because I'm slightly bored. No I don't. Certainly not. Okay, where were we? Oh yes, the pace of the book is as hypersonic as a burned out, sleep-deprived barnacle. BUT. There is something about the story that makes it worth slightly nodding off for the first half of the book. What "something," you ask? Wait and see, Young Padawan, wait and see. The big, fascinating reveal shall come in due time.
Okay, let's not get too over excited here, my Tiny Decapods. The big, fascinating reveal in question isn't that earth shattering either. But hey, I appreciate the enthusiasm and stuff.
Another thing that's kinda sorta off putting at first is the main character. It's not that he is repulsively unlikable and stuff, it's just that he kinda sorta comes across as a little whimpish at first. Ugh and stuff. Also, he is kinda sorta hard to warm up to. Nothing as terrible as the much dreaded Unemotional and Flat as a Herd of Ironing Boards (UaFaaHoIB™) type of character, thank fish, but still a bit, you know, well, not easy to warm up to and stuff. Besides, he turns out to be quite the quaint, endearing little guy because reasons to be undisclosed later you're welcome, so all is good and yay.
That's it! No more negative stuff to talk about! Both pretty impressive and fairly painless, huh? Please allow me to pat my little self on the exoskeleton for a minute to celebrate this momentous event. Thank thee kindly.
Like the interlude? Good. I'm glad.
Okay, nerve-racking suspense time is up, time for the big, fascinating reveal. (I'm getting really soft in my old age, I should have dragged this on for hours, maybe also made you beg for it and stuff. Sigh. I've become disgustingly kind, if you ask me.) Please hold on to your pincers, you might never recover from this one. Ready? Get this: the story is refreshingly original. I kid you not. I know this is a lot to take in, but please don't faint. Okay, so I don't read much SF, but I'm pretty sure this line thing is a pretty novel idea. I'd tell you what it's all about, but I'm feeling lazy as fish, so please go and read someone else's review to know more about it. You're welcome. Oh bloody fish, I seem to be in a most lenient mood today, so I'll be super friendly and kind and stuff and tell you this: the "lines" are a sort of Sentient Alien Technology Thingie (SATT™) that make space travel possible. Every spacecraft has a set of lines and stuff. The puny humans in this world don't really know how or why they work, but hey, work they do so who gives a shrimp as to the how or why, really?
And that's where Ean, our Difficult to Warm Up To Yet Quaint and Eadearing Main Character (DtWUTYQaEMC™) comes in. He is a high-ranking Linesman. His job is to, you know, service the lines and stuff. Meaning he fixes the lines and keeps them "in tune" mentally. That would be all fine and dandy and super cool and stuff, only Ean is kinda sorta the autistic genius kind and pretty much everyone thinks he is a freak. He sings to the lines to fix them, you see. And that is just not done in his, um, line of work (I'm hilarious, I know) and stuff. Also, he takes showers, LOTS of showers. Which, you have to admit, is REALLY weird. I mean, taking a shower once a year is strange enough, but taking as many as this guy does here? That can't be a sign of good mental health, if you ask me.
See? Even Toasty the Cat finds Ean's shower obsession repulsive. That's saying something right there.
Anyway, I have to say Ean is a pretty cool character despite his disgusting sanitation habits. He is delightfully quirky and pretty sharp and not nearly as fruitcakey as some people will have you think and he is pretty complex too and I like him so there.
Add to that a Most Glorious Cast of Ass-Kicking Take No Bullshit Secondary Female Characters (MGCoAKTnBSFC™), an exquisite bunch of duplicitous bastards and assholes (both of the male and female variety, thank you very much), tons of deliciously cunning political machinations, and you get your shrimpy little self a bloody shrimping enjoyable read and stuff.
» And the moral of this I Might Have Waited Two Bloody Fishing Years to Not DNF this Book but Wait that Long to Read Book Two I Shall Not Because I am Now Ancient and Wise and Tenacious and Stuff Crappy Non Review (IMHWTBFYtNDNFtBbWtLtRBTISNBIaNAaWaTaSCNR™) is: this book. It is not entirely crappy. HA.
· Book 2: Alliance ★★★★★
· Book 3: Confluence ★★★★★
[ Pre-review nonsense]
Linesman Crash Course (LCC™): lines = singing = insanity = then again maybe not = heart attacks = more lines = pew pew pew =
Don't ask.
➽ Full Hey I'm Only Two Years Late for this BR Go Me and Stuff Crappy Non Review (HIOTYLftBRGMaSCNR™) to come.
Yet another wondrous MacHalo Buddy Read! Well, I'm, um, you know, assuming it was wondrous and stuff. Back when it happened and stuff. Because I'm, um, you know, a little late for it and stuff. Not much though. Just, um, you know, a couple of years and stuff. Pretty insignificant when you're nefariously immortal like me, really.
But anyway. This Linesman business. Let's get the negative stuff over with right away, shall we? The book is sloooooooow paced. Well it is at first. It's kind of a wonder I didn't DNF, actually. Okay, so I did temporarily DNF it the first time I gave it a try (you know, back in the days when you were all toddlers, in 2016). But I am strong and resilient and reasonable now, meaning I no longer give up on books because I'm slightly bored. No I don't. Certainly not. Okay, where were we? Oh yes, the pace of the book is as hypersonic as a burned out, sleep-deprived barnacle. BUT. There is something about the story that makes it worth slightly nodding off for the first half of the book. What "something," you ask? Wait and see, Young Padawan, wait and see. The big, fascinating reveal shall come in due time.
Okay, let's not get too over excited here, my Tiny Decapods. The big, fascinating reveal in question isn't that earth shattering either. But hey, I appreciate the enthusiasm and stuff.
Another thing that's kinda sorta off putting at first is the main character. It's not that he is repulsively unlikable and stuff, it's just that he kinda sorta comes across as a little whimpish at first. Ugh and stuff. Also, he is kinda sorta hard to warm up to. Nothing as terrible as the much dreaded Unemotional and Flat as a Herd of Ironing Boards (UaFaaHoIB™) type of character, thank fish, but still a bit, you know, well, not easy to warm up to and stuff. Besides, he turns out to be quite the quaint, endearing little guy because reasons to be undisclosed later you're welcome, so all is good and yay.
That's it! No more negative stuff to talk about! Both pretty impressive and fairly painless, huh? Please allow me to pat my little self on the exoskeleton for a minute to celebrate this momentous event. Thank thee kindly.
Like the interlude? Good. I'm glad.
Okay, nerve-racking suspense time is up, time for the big, fascinating reveal. (I'm getting really soft in my old age, I should have dragged this on for hours, maybe also made you beg for it and stuff. Sigh. I've become disgustingly kind, if you ask me.) Please hold on to your pincers, you might never recover from this one. Ready? Get this: the story is refreshingly original. I kid you not. I know this is a lot to take in, but please don't faint. Okay, so I don't read much SF, but I'm pretty sure this line thing is a pretty novel idea. I'd tell you what it's all about, but I'm feeling lazy as fish, so please go and read someone else's review to know more about it. You're welcome. Oh bloody fish, I seem to be in a most lenient mood today, so I'll be super friendly and kind and stuff and tell you this: the "lines" are a sort of Sentient Alien Technology Thingie (SATT™) that make space travel possible. Every spacecraft has a set of lines and stuff. The puny humans in this world don't really know how or why they work, but hey, work they do so who gives a shrimp as to the how or why, really?
And that's where Ean, our Difficult to Warm Up To Yet Quaint and Eadearing Main Character (DtWUTYQaEMC™) comes in. He is a high-ranking Linesman. His job is to, you know, service the lines and stuff. Meaning he fixes the lines and keeps them "in tune" mentally. That would be all fine and dandy and super cool and stuff, only Ean is kinda sorta the autistic genius kind and pretty much everyone thinks he is a freak. He sings to the lines to fix them, you see. And that is just not done in his, um, line of work (I'm hilarious, I know) and stuff. Also, he takes showers, LOTS of showers. Which, you have to admit, is REALLY weird. I mean, taking a shower once a year is strange enough, but taking as many as this guy does here? That can't be a sign of good mental health, if you ask me.
See? Even Toasty the Cat finds Ean's shower obsession repulsive. That's saying something right there.
Anyway, I have to say Ean is a pretty cool character despite his disgusting sanitation habits. He is delightfully quirky and pretty sharp and not nearly as fruitcakey as some people will have you think and he is pretty complex too and I like him so there.
Add to that a Most Glorious Cast of Ass-Kicking Take No Bullshit Secondary Female Characters (MGCoAKTnBSFC™), an exquisite bunch of duplicitous bastards and assholes (both of the male and female variety, thank you very much), tons of deliciously cunning political machinations, and you get your shrimpy little self a bloody shrimping enjoyable read and stuff.
» And the moral of this I Might Have Waited Two Bloody Fishing Years to Not DNF this Book but Wait that Long to Read Book Two I Shall Not Because I am Now Ancient and Wise and Tenacious and Stuff Crappy Non Review (IMHWTBFYtNDNFtBbWtLtRBTISNBIaNAaWaTaSCNR™) is: this book. It is not entirely crappy. HA.
· Book 2: Alliance ★★★★★
· Book 3: Confluence ★★★★★
[ Pre-review nonsense]
Linesman Crash Course (LCC™): lines = singing = insanity = then again maybe not = heart attacks = more lines = pew pew pew =
Don't ask.
➽ Full Hey I'm Only Two Years Late for this BR Go Me and Stuff Crappy Non Review (HIOTYLftBRGMaSCNR™) to come.
betsychadwell's review against another edition
3.0
[12 May 2018]
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's gripping, with nearly nonstop action. But that's part of the problem. Action is good if it makes sense. But the author here rarely stops long enough to explain why characters are doing what they're doing. I know a lot of readers get bored if an author spends too much time on back story and politics, but there must be some of it or the action doesn't really make sense. Sure, Ean's immediate motivations are pretty clear but what about the entities, the Alliance and the Gate Union. I want more history. I also want more character development, especially for some of the secondary characters. Abram and Michelle for example. Their relationship was somewhat opaque. I don't know whether I'll read any more in this series or not.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's gripping, with nearly nonstop action. But that's part of the problem. Action is good if it makes sense. But the author here rarely stops long enough to explain why characters are doing what they're doing. I know a lot of readers get bored if an author spends too much time on back story and politics, but there must be some of it or the action doesn't really make sense. Sure, Ean's immediate motivations are pretty clear but what about the entities, the Alliance and the Gate Union. I want more history. I also want more character development, especially for some of the secondary characters. Abram and Michelle for example. Their relationship was somewhat opaque. I don't know whether I'll read any more in this series or not.
conalo's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining and fun read in the sci-fi/space opera genre that kept me interested all the way through. I really enjoyed the new spin on space ship travel as posited in this novel... very cool!!! Good characters and plenty of action throughout. Can't wait to continue with further novels in this universe.
4.5 Stars for a really fun read!!! Recommended for all fans this genre.
4.5 Stars for a really fun read!!! Recommended for all fans this genre.
jameseckman's review against another edition
3.0
A fun space opera with some good characters. It does possess the no democracies in space trope, but the lead peasant character still addresses the princess by her first name without being corrected. Also the bafflegab drive seems a bit mystical to me, but it's used in a fairly consistent fashion and not deus ex machina style. It's part of a series and while the endings not a cliffhanger, it sort just slumps to an ending. A good first novel.
brownbetty's review against another edition
3.0
You might like this book if you like Anne McCaffrey or Mercedes Lackey. The protaganist is insecure, and hated by everyone. Why? Because he's too skilled at the magical skill of line-sensing, and so everyone hates him and also thinks he's unskilled. Except the lines, who love him and think he's special.
I'm honestly suprised I powered through this, but if you like woobies, this might be for you.
I'm honestly suprised I powered through this, but if you like woobies, this might be for you.
sophiebillekens's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a beatiful idea! Loved the main character Ean and loved the lines. There’s so much affection there. ❤️ Looking forward to parts 2 and 3!
tachyondecay's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, it’s so nice when a book blows you away with how awesome it is. I was hoping I’d like Linesman, but I didn’t anticipate loving it so much. But sister act Sherylyn and Karen Dunstall have managed to create an original, exciting new entry in the space opera subgenre. If you like space opera, SF with a psychic twist, or whiny people getting their comeuppance, you should read this book. So let’s not waste any more time and get into explaining why!
Ean Lambert is a certified ten—which is not to say he’s good looking. Rather, he’s the highest level of linesman. Think of linesmen as Jedis who use their Force powers to fix ships instead of having impractical lightsaber battles. Lines, numbered from one to ten, are energy constructs that humanity uses to facilitate their spaceship operations, including, crucially, faster-than-light travel. No one is really sure what lines are; as with many innovations, we just sort of stumbled onto the secret of making them. Most linesmen “push and pull” lines psychically—again, no one is really sure how that works. Ean is an outsider, both in terms of his social background and how his initially self-taught linesmen skills mean he must sing to the lines. To other tens, he is a dangerous imposter of a linesman.
Anyway, to make a long story short: Ean gets caught up in interstellar brinkmanship far beyond his pay grade. At first he’s not happy, but he quickly comes to enjoy his new situation to an extent, because at the very least it’s proving challenging—and someone is actually appreciating him. After years of being shit on for not fitting in, a few people are paying attention to what he can actually do. So everything is looking up for Ean—you know, if you ignore the people trying to kidnap him, kill him, seize control of a strange alien ship before he does … the usual.
The stakes Linesman are high. Dunstall thrusts us into a human society on the brink of war. The universe reminds me a little of Bujold’s Vorkosigan books, with a few consolidated powers loosely controlling a vast array of planets, united by a fragile FTL MacGuffin (wormholes in Vorkosigan, carefully-scheduled “gating” in this book to avoid mishaps). Linesman is also like the Vorkosigan books in that it’s not precisely military SF, but it's military SF adjacent. The relationship between Abram and Michelle, for instance, reminds me a little of the relationship between some Barrayaran military generals and people like Cordelia or Miles. They are both very strategic people with slightly different specialties and occasionally different priorities (Abram wants to protect Michelle, even if she’s not in the mood to be protected).
Dunstall neatly balances Ean’s acumen. He’s not a completely blank slate, but he has largely eschewed politics until now. He has a history with Lancia (Michelle’s faction), having grown up in poverty there and escaped it only because of his skill with the lines. So it’s ironic that he ends up working for them, not just because Michelle buys his contract but because he starts to like them. This sense of humour and playfulness pervades the book and helps to take the edge off what is otherwise a very tense situation.
In addition to following Ean, some chapters follow Jordan Rossi, a more conventional ten. I like this perspective, both on galactic politics and on linesmen’s place in the power structure. Between Jordan and Ean we get a good sense of how linesmen work with the lines—but it’s clear that there is so much more out there that Dunstall have yet to reveal. I love how they gradually dole out that knowledge: at the start of the book, the uses of lines seven and eight are unknown. Ean discovers what line eight does, and he also makes a few other discoveries I won’t spoil here. But the book ends with Ean interrogating line seven about what it does—a mild cliffhanger, perhaps, but a cliffhanger nonetheless. I was well annoyed when I read that last page!
And I so very much want to read Alliance! I have already checked; my library has two copies—one is on hold, so I’m not the only person in Thunder Bay who is enjoying this series. There’s just something so smooth and enjoyable about Dunstall’s writing. Dunstall manages the scope necessary for space opera without forgetting about having great characters. Much like in the paradigm case of Dune, learning about the wider galactic society is an important part of Linesman, but it is secondary to the main plots.
Finally, this story has a wealth of secondary characters who make it so much better. In general, Dunstall gives us a bunch of interesting women in all sorts of roles. Michelle, although royalty, is not your typical princess, and on the opposite side of the political board we get Admiral Orsaya. Rebekah Grimes shares Michelle’s penchant for scheming, while Admiral Katida puts the moves on Ean shamelessly. The best for last, though: Radko, assigned to Ean as a kind of orderly/babysitter while he is aboard, proves essential in so many respects. Not only does she offer physical protection and training, but she is a wellspring of psychological reassurance and support in a way that surprises both of them. I love that Linesman has so many great female characters. Moreover, there were some good, casual comments about fashion and how it has changed since our present day—we’ve got some tight-fitting tops and tights that are all the rage among men as well as women. (Little bit of fat-shaming on Ean’s part, though.) It’s all very subtle but it’s also important to acknowledge.
Of course just as women have always fought, women have always written science fiction. But if any poor, deluded sod was under the impression that women don’t write good military science fiction, Linesman is just another counterexample. This is an awesome new entry into the field; it has excited me about space opera in ways I was not expecting. If you want to feel that, then you got to get a piece of this action.
My reviews of the Linesman series:
Alliance →
Ean Lambert is a certified ten—which is not to say he’s good looking. Rather, he’s the highest level of linesman. Think of linesmen as Jedis who use their Force powers to fix ships instead of having impractical lightsaber battles. Lines, numbered from one to ten, are energy constructs that humanity uses to facilitate their spaceship operations, including, crucially, faster-than-light travel. No one is really sure what lines are; as with many innovations, we just sort of stumbled onto the secret of making them. Most linesmen “push and pull” lines psychically—again, no one is really sure how that works. Ean is an outsider, both in terms of his social background and how his initially self-taught linesmen skills mean he must sing to the lines. To other tens, he is a dangerous imposter of a linesman.
Anyway, to make a long story short: Ean gets caught up in interstellar brinkmanship far beyond his pay grade. At first he’s not happy, but he quickly comes to enjoy his new situation to an extent, because at the very least it’s proving challenging—and someone is actually appreciating him. After years of being shit on for not fitting in, a few people are paying attention to what he can actually do. So everything is looking up for Ean—you know, if you ignore the people trying to kidnap him, kill him, seize control of a strange alien ship before he does … the usual.
The stakes Linesman are high. Dunstall thrusts us into a human society on the brink of war. The universe reminds me a little of Bujold’s Vorkosigan books, with a few consolidated powers loosely controlling a vast array of planets, united by a fragile FTL MacGuffin (wormholes in Vorkosigan, carefully-scheduled “gating” in this book to avoid mishaps). Linesman is also like the Vorkosigan books in that it’s not precisely military SF, but it's military SF adjacent. The relationship between Abram and Michelle, for instance, reminds me a little of the relationship between some Barrayaran military generals and people like Cordelia or Miles. They are both very strategic people with slightly different specialties and occasionally different priorities (Abram wants to protect Michelle, even if she’s not in the mood to be protected).
Dunstall neatly balances Ean’s acumen. He’s not a completely blank slate, but he has largely eschewed politics until now. He has a history with Lancia (Michelle’s faction), having grown up in poverty there and escaped it only because of his skill with the lines. So it’s ironic that he ends up working for them, not just because Michelle buys his contract but because he starts to like them. This sense of humour and playfulness pervades the book and helps to take the edge off what is otherwise a very tense situation.
In addition to following Ean, some chapters follow Jordan Rossi, a more conventional ten. I like this perspective, both on galactic politics and on linesmen’s place in the power structure. Between Jordan and Ean we get a good sense of how linesmen work with the lines—but it’s clear that there is so much more out there that Dunstall have yet to reveal. I love how they gradually dole out that knowledge: at the start of the book, the uses of lines seven and eight are unknown. Ean discovers what line eight does, and he also makes a few other discoveries I won’t spoil here. But the book ends with Ean interrogating line seven about what it does—a mild cliffhanger, perhaps, but a cliffhanger nonetheless. I was well annoyed when I read that last page!
And I so very much want to read Alliance! I have already checked; my library has two copies—one is on hold, so I’m not the only person in Thunder Bay who is enjoying this series. There’s just something so smooth and enjoyable about Dunstall’s writing. Dunstall manages the scope necessary for space opera without forgetting about having great characters. Much like in the paradigm case of Dune, learning about the wider galactic society is an important part of Linesman, but it is secondary to the main plots.
Finally, this story has a wealth of secondary characters who make it so much better. In general, Dunstall gives us a bunch of interesting women in all sorts of roles. Michelle, although royalty, is not your typical princess, and on the opposite side of the political board we get Admiral Orsaya. Rebekah Grimes shares Michelle’s penchant for scheming, while Admiral Katida puts the moves on Ean shamelessly. The best for last, though: Radko, assigned to Ean as a kind of orderly/babysitter while he is aboard, proves essential in so many respects. Not only does she offer physical protection and training, but she is a wellspring of psychological reassurance and support in a way that surprises both of them. I love that Linesman has so many great female characters. Moreover, there were some good, casual comments about fashion and how it has changed since our present day—we’ve got some tight-fitting tops and tights that are all the rage among men as well as women. (Little bit of fat-shaming on Ean’s part, though.) It’s all very subtle but it’s also important to acknowledge.
Of course just as women have always fought, women have always written science fiction. But if any poor, deluded sod was under the impression that women don’t write good military science fiction, Linesman is just another counterexample. This is an awesome new entry into the field; it has excited me about space opera in ways I was not expecting. If you want to feel that, then you got to get a piece of this action.
My reviews of the Linesman series:
Alliance →
hyenas's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure I recommend this book, because I'm not sure what exactly appeals to me about it. Is it the character and politics driven sci-fi? Aliens? Sentient ships? Likable main character? Could be.
I really enjoyed it, I can see that if you start it expecting traditional sci-fi it can be disappointment. So read without expectations and you may enjoy it.
I really enjoyed it, I can see that if you start it expecting traditional sci-fi it can be disappointment. So read without expectations and you may enjoy it.