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lleullawgyffes's review
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
meh book + grossly orientalist portrayal of Yoshi = 2 stars
snazel's review
5.0
THIS was terrifying and I learned about fail closed vs. fail open doors, and which ones you want when you are very far underwater. Also developed a low opinion of Andorians, which— we've all been there, amirite?
octavia_cade's review
adventurous
fast-paced
2.0
Two and a half stars, rounding up to three. This is a fast-paced, entertaining read, and the second of the Starfleet Academy series that focuses on Geordi. It doesn't do quite as well as the first at rounding out the secondary characters, but it's still likeable... if you can forget about the problems with the plot. There are two of them, they are major, and honestly part of me thinks I should give the book two stars for failing that badly there, but as I said, I enjoyed it well enough.
The first problem is Geordi's assessment of the volcano, a plot point that relies on idiot adults. (Yes, Geordi is himself an adult, a cadet at the Academy, but this is a children's book and the idiot adults trope is jumped on hard.) Sent on a field trip to a volcano, Geordi's assessment of the collected data is that the volcano is about to erupt. No, no, say all the experts, people who have been studying volcanoes for their entire careers. Geordi, who has only very basic geology, is able to interpret geological data better than they do, and it frankly defies belief. Secondly, when everything turns to custard, Starfleet Academy does not beam its cadets out of harm's way. They save themselves, and are left to shuttle home even when several of those cadets are fairly seriously injured. I actually thought there'd be a twist ending when it was revealed to be a virtual simulation to assess how cadets react to unexpected disaster, starting from where they all had the helmets put on. But no, it really is that nonsensical. Oh, screw it. Two stars it is, together these things are just too annoying to overlook.
The first problem is Geordi's assessment of the volcano, a plot point that relies on idiot adults. (Yes, Geordi is himself an adult, a cadet at the Academy, but this is a children's book and the idiot adults trope is jumped on hard.) Sent on a field trip to a volcano, Geordi's assessment of the collected data is that the volcano is about to erupt. No, no, say all the experts, people who have been studying volcanoes for their entire careers. Geordi, who has only very basic geology, is able to interpret geological data better than they do, and it frankly defies belief. Secondly, when everything turns to custard, Starfleet Academy does not beam its cadets out of harm's way. They save themselves, and are left to shuttle home even when several of those cadets are fairly seriously injured. I actually thought there'd be a twist ending when it was revealed to be a virtual simulation to assess how cadets react to unexpected disaster, starting from where they all had the helmets put on. But no, it really is that nonsensical. Oh, screw it. Two stars it is, together these things are just too annoying to overlook.
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