Reviews

Outland by Dennis E. Taylor

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stepriot's review against another edition

3.0

I've been on a kaiju end of the world kick. This is not one of those. If you want an easy going apocalypse without all the feelings of grief and survivor's guilt, this is one of those.

klparmley's review against another edition

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4.0

I wish they didn't just ignore what was going on with their families Earthside. I wish they would let other people help them instead of thinking they have to do it all themselves. If the next one is ever written, I will happily read it.

nanimao's review

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

will_93's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

smoss's review

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

caphaloralb's review against another edition

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4.0

Taylor can't really write interesting characters, they're all pretty much stand ins for his middle aged white self, with similar humour, world view and a weird obsession over coffee? Or maybe it's just the same sit-com coffee joke repeated a million times.

Nonetheless I enjoy his books, the plot is exciting and the sci-fi is fun, combined with a stellar narrator in the audiobooks, they're a great diversion.

Outland is somewhat weaker than the Bobiverse, just to get that out of the way - a lot of the science exposition reads like a documentary about volcanoes.

The antagonists are fairly cartoonish and as paper thin as the rest of the characters, which makes the conflict feel flat as well.

Still liked it, but for anyone considering picking this up, be aware of those caveats. Also make sure you get the 2019 rewrite.