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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I noticed something recently: the better I think a book is, the less I have to say about it. In this case, I think the book is so good that I almost don't have to write anything at all. Look, I'm even stalling crazy by writing nonsense about not writing a review. A part of me just wanted to write "It's really good, you guys." and leave it at that. Because I struggle to put into words exactly what I like about it.
First of all, it's only fair that I point out that when I say "It's really good", what I really mean is "It's really good at nailing pretty much every single trope or genre that I like". When I was tagging this book for the review, it almost read like it was specifically written to please me. It had essentially everything in it that I really like except, maybe, aliens. But that would've just been silly!
What drew me to this book initially was the setup itself; an old warship transported to an alternate universe. Although there's significantly more to it than that, that was all I really knew about the book when I first bought it. And when I first started reading it, I wasn't overly impressed. It starts in the real world in a slightly different version of World War II and goes into details that I don't necessarily find very fascinating. I was prepared to learn more about early 20th century battleships but not quite to the obsessive details that [a:Taylor Anderson|1077166|Taylor Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1290029263p2/1077166.jpg] goes into. I found it more confusing than useful and even after reading the whole book, I still couldn't tell you much about how a battleship like the USS Walker looks or operates. Whenever it went into technical jargon, my eyes glazed over and I read but never fully internalized.
And it didn't help that the book introduced character after character and I'm not even remotely ashamed to admit that there's a handful, even after spending nearly 400 pages with them, that I cannot keep straight.
Even so, and this speak to Anderson's skill as a writer, I found myself strangely engaged even before the destined trip to an alternate dimension. The buildup was immense but I probably would've enjoyed continued reading if they just stayed where they were, fighting a losing battle. But if I enjoyed that, my love for the book at least doubled when they crossed over and almost immediately had to fend off a giant sea monster that found the sailors in the water easy picking. I had not at all expected that and it pleased me to no end.
I picked this book up, expecting it to be more of a sci-fi book but it is, essentially, a fantasy book. The book goes into very little of the science behind how they're transported into another dimension, it just sort of happens, and never goes into any great detail why the new world is the way it is. It only states that it is different because of reasons and that's it. And you know what? That works for me! The cause is nowhere near as interesting as the effects in this case and that's what the book wisely focuses on.
With the introduction of the Lemurians, the books shifts gear and starts introducing us to their culture and way of life, the differences between them and the humans and how they're going to move forward. Not everything is well explained, the way they got over the language barrier was, in my opinion, clever and neat but some are going to find fault in it. Others are going to find that this book is a lot of setup and not much payoff. The ending, in particular, is a one, big "dun-dun-duuuuun"-moment of setup for the next fourteen books (or thereabouts).
Some are also going to find the Grik to be way too obviously evil and not an interesting foe at all and I can't blame them. Personally, though, I found them to be refreshingly easy to hate and I hope Anderson doesn't plan on trying to deepen them beyond what they already are. Not every book needs to be morally gray.
Oh, and, perhaps this is just personal opinion, but for me the biggest gripe was that the book thinks sailors marooned in another dimension without female companionship wouldn't go for the Lemurians, fur or no fur, after a few weeks dry-spell. The book essentially goes out of the way to point out just how similar we are physically and spends quite a few words describing the men as drunken louts who caught STI's like shit attracts flies. So... ya, tell me another fairy tale.
Joking aside, I do have other gripes with this story and how it's written but I don't think this is the review for them. Until I've read another book or two in the series to see how things turns out, I've decided to err on the side of caution. This book wasn't at all what I expected, in a very good way, and I hope it keeps surprising me.
First of all, it's only fair that I point out that when I say "It's really good", what I really mean is "It's really good at nailing pretty much every single trope or genre that I like". When I was tagging this book for the review, it almost read like it was specifically written to please me. It had essentially everything in it that I really like except, maybe, aliens. But that would've just been silly!
What drew me to this book initially was the setup itself; an old warship transported to an alternate universe. Although there's significantly more to it than that, that was all I really knew about the book when I first bought it. And when I first started reading it, I wasn't overly impressed. It starts in the real world in a slightly different version of World War II and goes into details that I don't necessarily find very fascinating. I was prepared to learn more about early 20th century battleships but not quite to the obsessive details that [a:Taylor Anderson|1077166|Taylor Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1290029263p2/1077166.jpg] goes into. I found it more confusing than useful and even after reading the whole book, I still couldn't tell you much about how a battleship like the USS Walker looks or operates. Whenever it went into technical jargon, my eyes glazed over and I read but never fully internalized.
And it didn't help that the book introduced character after character and I'm not even remotely ashamed to admit that there's a handful, even after spending nearly 400 pages with them, that I cannot keep straight.
Even so, and this speak to Anderson's skill as a writer, I found myself strangely engaged even before the destined trip to an alternate dimension. The buildup was immense but I probably would've enjoyed continued reading if they just stayed where they were, fighting a losing battle. But if I enjoyed that, my love for the book at least doubled when they crossed over and almost immediately had to fend off a giant sea monster that found the sailors in the water easy picking. I had not at all expected that and it pleased me to no end.
I picked this book up, expecting it to be more of a sci-fi book but it is, essentially, a fantasy book. The book goes into very little of the science behind how they're transported into another dimension, it just sort of happens, and never goes into any great detail why the new world is the way it is. It only states that it is different because of reasons and that's it. And you know what? That works for me! The cause is nowhere near as interesting as the effects in this case and that's what the book wisely focuses on.
With the introduction of the Lemurians, the books shifts gear and starts introducing us to their culture and way of life, the differences between them and the humans and how they're going to move forward. Not everything is well explained, the way they got over the language barrier was, in my opinion, clever and neat but some are going to find fault in it. Others are going to find that this book is a lot of setup and not much payoff. The ending, in particular, is a one, big "dun-dun-duuuuun"-moment of setup for the next fourteen books (or thereabouts).
Some are also going to find the Grik to be way too obviously evil and not an interesting foe at all and I can't blame them. Personally, though, I found them to be refreshingly easy to hate and I hope Anderson doesn't plan on trying to deepen them beyond what they already are. Not every book needs to be morally gray.
Oh, and, perhaps this is just personal opinion, but for me the biggest gripe was that the book thinks sailors marooned in another dimension without female companionship wouldn't go for the Lemurians, fur or no fur, after a few weeks dry-spell. The book essentially goes out of the way to point out just how similar we are physically and spends quite a few words describing the men as drunken louts who caught STI's like shit attracts flies. So... ya, tell me another fairy tale.
Joking aside, I do have other gripes with this story and how it's written but I don't think this is the review for them. Until I've read another book or two in the series to see how things turns out, I've decided to err on the side of caution. This book wasn't at all what I expected, in a very good way, and I hope it keeps surprising me.
Alternate history slash military Sci-Fi meets furries. In Destroyermen Taylor Anderson bravely takes on controversial issues like sexism, racism and fascism. As I was born in the 80's this book made me really think about my prejudices against women and minorities. Unfortunately as a jaded surfer of imageboards and a Furrie myself the zoophilic action has just left me cold. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of description of naked furry breasts, but I'm on book 5 and only interspecies action has been a light licking.
Overall this series is well written with good dialogue, has great plot with lots of action, and the books world just pulls you in. I really enjoyed this book and also this series so far.
Overall this series is well written with good dialogue, has great plot with lots of action, and the books world just pulls you in. I really enjoyed this book and also this series so far.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Just finished it - about to download #2. Thanks, Library!
I thought it would peter out and be a 3-star after the intriguing action start.... and it just got more intriguing and adventurous! Cliffhanger to book 2, but all right.
I thought it would peter out and be a 3-star after the intriguing action start.... and it just got more intriguing and adventurous! Cliffhanger to book 2, but all right.
This is just a super fun read all around. Exciting WWII style naval combat in a fantastic world of dinosaurs and lemur-like seafaring people. I've read a dozen of these over the past month, and they keep getting better. This is a solid and exciting introduction, and the scope of the story expands with each book.
I found this book y chance and am glad I picked it up. It is well written, if at times gets a bit bogged by technical terms but they are few and far between and actually help the story along in the long run. The characters were complex and had growth through the story, they were engaging and many relateable. The scenery was described well without going overboard on every little detail. The world building was very good and believable and the beginning even has some historical parts to it. It wasn't a cliff hanger ending but it was a close thing and I do want to read the next book.
Meh. While I like alternate universes, and I like post-apocalyptic stories there was something cheesy about the writing, not dime store cheesy rather this was elementary or Junior high School quality writing. Not something that I'm thrilled to read again, but I do have the second book in the series, so I'll probably check it out.
I started the Destroyermen series upon a recommendation from my brother. This opening to the series is somewhat interesting, although it felt a little formulaic and there were a few too many sci-fi cliches for my taste. There were enough things that just felt annoyingly familiar: random extra civilians on a military ship, that just happen to be the exact specialties that will be needed when they reach the alternate world, dinosaurs in the alternate world, evil lizards as the enemy, etc. The alternate world ships were fairly inventive, and I'm interested enough to keep reading, but I'm not pulled in like I was expecting to be. We'll see how I feel after a couple more books: maybe it picks up.
What a creative concept! A ship, essentially on a suicide mission, suddenly transported to....well, I don't know really. When...not sure about that either.
There is a different dominant species, but the land masses (and their geological makeup/history) are the same. This unique race of beings does not have a military. They have warriors, but they are just for protection. What will they do when they are confronted?
As I listened to this on audio, I will include my assessment of the narration. It had a fine pace, and the voice was clear and with distinction. However....there was no break between scenes or chapters. Suddenly it would switch from Captain Ready to one of the Lumurians. Very disconcerting.
There is a different dominant species, but the land masses (and their geological makeup/history) are the same. This unique race of beings does not have a military. They have warriors, but they are just for protection. What will they do when they are confronted?
As I listened to this on audio, I will include my assessment of the narration. It had a fine pace, and the voice was clear and with distinction. However....there was no break between scenes or chapters. Suddenly it would switch from Captain Ready to one of the Lumurians. Very disconcerting.