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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
2nd Book in Asimov's Empire series, and probably the last I'll read. I see why Asimov called this his "least favorite novel". I only wish I knew that beforehand.
Wow!! Wow!! I picked up this book in an used book store just because it had Asimov's name on it. I am glad I did. I believe it is stand alone and not part of a series as the name in Goodreads may indicate.
This is the first Asimov one I've read this year that just... kinda sucked. The story's all over the place, the characters feel about as dimensional as a piece of cheese, and it's just so meandering along the way. Not to mention, the twist at the end of this was so incredibly hokey—I was happy to find out that Asimov himself regretted putting it in at the request of his editor at the time. I think I just got accustomed to the fast-paced, fun, and multifaceted aspects of the Robot novels. I'll keep going with the Empire books after this because I want to make it through all the Foundation books too by the end of the year, but fingers crossed the other two in this trilogy are a little more enjoyable.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It was pretty good all the way through, and then that last line! Damn!
My first Asimov without robots, and this felt a little empty as a result. I knew it wasn't a robots book, but it was a strange change of pace. It was reminiscent of Dune with the political manoeuvrings (but not as complex) and a little like the Asimov of robots with the one big damn hero vibe... but I felt these humans lacked the humanity of R. Daneel and R. Giskard & I missed them.
As with most of the Asimov I've now read, the ideas are great, the 'whodunnit' is fun, and the worlds are interesting. However the man can't write romance to save his life and it's so bad it knocks a star off the rating.
Will continue with the series but praying for no more love.
Will continue with the series but praying for no more love.
I don't give this a 5 since I can't really consider it science fiction. A good mystery, yes, but with only a little bit of science fiction sprinkled around.
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Being my second read through of this book I must say I found it as thrilling and grasping as the first time. A very fun and relaxing read, an interesting plot with some twists (even though some of them are a bit ridiculous and unrealistic).
The main character, Biron Farril - the Heir Rancher of Widemos, goes from a naive adolescent in the beginning to a mature individual towards the end. Even though the character's evolution seems rather unnatural it is necessary for the story itself. His love story with the Rhodian Director's daughter, Artemisia, is also something that evolved over night for no obvious reasons.
I am very much looking forward to reading the other two books in the series and seeing how the United States Constitution can really bring freedom to the known worlds.
The main character, Biron Farril - the Heir Rancher of Widemos, goes from a naive adolescent in the beginning to a mature individual towards the end. Even though the character's evolution seems rather unnatural it is necessary for the story itself. His love story with the Rhodian Director's daughter, Artemisia, is also something that evolved over night for no obvious reasons.
I am very much looking forward to reading the other two books in the series and seeing how the United States Constitution can really bring freedom to the known worlds.