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bibliophilicjester's review
4.0
4.5?! I absolutely loved this book, and I'm so glad I picked the trilogy to read for the space opera September solo challenge, bc I want to continue very soon! Excellent excuse. Lol.
EDIT: I realized I should use murderbot for the entire series solo challenge?! I reread/re-listen to the audiobooks constantly, and it seems silly not to use them. Like I'm up to reread number 31 I think. Just in 2021 lol. But I still want to continue this series asap! So this book I guess is for space opera written by a woman! Slash two women, bc sk dunstall is the pen name of two sisters ☺️
I read their other series first and decided to go back to this one...which doesn't always work, quality-wise. But this was great!! I enjoyed Ean most, but I think Rossi is the worst on purpose, you know? Every time he called someone sweetheart I cringed, but at least it wasn't a gender specific thing haha. He's just an ass to everyone. Fergus is a treasure and I hope to see a lot more of him.
Really, everything with the lines is fascinating to me. I love how Ean's approach is so different and unconventional. Other linesmen (especially other tens) are mostly awful to him, but he sort of expects it by now and takes it all in stride, so it never got to the point for me where it was too much bullying. Bc that def triggers me often.
There's so much going on with politics, betrayals, coups, sabotage, leverage, etc., and again, I love it. I haven't retained many of the names of worlds, but they sound familiar when they come up. I also really appreciate how none of the names were similar, which is such a little thing in general, but a big thing to those of us with shit memories
EDIT: I realized I should use murderbot for the entire series solo challenge?! I reread/re-listen to the audiobooks constantly, and it seems silly not to use them. Like I'm up to reread number 31 I think. Just in 2021 lol. But I still want to continue this series asap! So this book I guess is for space opera written by a woman! Slash two women, bc sk dunstall is the pen name of two sisters ☺️
I read their other series first and decided to go back to this one...which doesn't always work, quality-wise. But this was great!! I enjoyed Ean most, but I think Rossi is the worst on purpose, you know? Every time he called someone sweetheart I cringed, but at least it wasn't a gender specific thing haha. He's just an ass to everyone. Fergus is a treasure and I hope to see a lot more of him.
Really, everything with the lines is fascinating to me. I love how Ean's approach is so different and unconventional. Other linesmen (especially other tens) are mostly awful to him, but he sort of expects it by now and takes it all in stride, so it never got to the point for me where it was too much bullying. Bc that def triggers me often.
There's so much going on with politics, betrayals, coups, sabotage, leverage, etc., and again, I love it. I haven't retained many of the names of worlds, but they sound familiar when they come up. I also really appreciate how none of the names were similar, which is such a little thing in general, but a big thing to those of us with shit memories
meera01's review against another edition
4.0
After finishing [b:Network Effect|52381770|Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)|Martha Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568667704l/52381770._SX50_SY75_.jpg|63614271], I wanted my next read to be sci-fi. I had trouble finding the right one and had even started and given up on a couple before this one. This was good and fast paced from the get go. I found the concept of lines controlling ships to be unique and interesting. I also liked the MC and what he could do. The book was action packed and it was hard to put down.
I did have some reservations though. The world building could have been more detailed and also on the concept of lines. As for the lines, the explanation for not having better details on them was that the people themselves didn't know much about them. My second and bigger annoyance was the MC, Ean. He was a likable character but he was also an insecure mess with little to no survival skills. He started like that and ended like that. I cannot enumerate how often he needed to be helped or rescued. It didn't make sense since he was from the slums. How did grow up in the slums without acquiring any defensive or survival skills? My hope is that his character does grow beyond his ability with the lines in the next two books because I was getting frustrated with him in this. It was still a good book and I am excited for the next book but I hope he improves.
I did have some reservations though. The world building could have been more detailed and also on the concept of lines. As for the lines, the explanation for not having better details on them was that the people themselves didn't know much about them. My second and bigger annoyance was the MC, Ean. He was a likable character but he was also an insecure mess with little to no survival skills. He started like that and ended like that. I cannot enumerate how often he needed to be helped or rescued. It didn't make sense since he was from the slums. How did grow up in the slums without acquiring any defensive or survival skills? My hope is that his character does grow beyond his ability with the lines in the next two books because I was getting frustrated with him in this. It was still a good book and I am excited for the next book but I hope he improves.
ksbooknook's review
5.0
For someone who doesn't particularly enjoy Sci-Fi, I really enjoyed the world building in this book. The characters pulled me into the story and I was curious how it would continue to develop into the remainder of the trilogy. Although, I will admit it was hard to get into at first.
colossal's review
4.0
Space opera with FTL travel enabled by humans with the special ability to sense and manipulate "Lines", manifestations of some sort of psychic energy that's currently beyond science.
We're introduced to Ean Lambert, one of the few Linesmen that can access level ten, the highest level of Lines and the Line that enables FTL. Ean is unique in that he sings to the Lines and they interact with him in ways that no other Linesman can achieve. Ean starts out with one of the Linesman cartels, but has his contract purchased by a Princess of the Alliance, one of the the three main human political powers. The Alliance are about to go to war with the Gate Union egged on by the third political power, Redmond. Princess Michelle has a last-ditch plan to avert a war and requires a level ten Linesman to pull it off.
The world-building here is pretty good and the Lines and alien influences are fascinating. The politics are ever-present and believable as well, giving the novel that sweeping scope that you expect in the best space operas. Ean himself is likeable, but his inferiority complex can be a bit hard to take for the first two thirds of the book. He was raised in a slum and is lower class than the majority of other Linesman as well as being trained a lot older. The other Linesmen look down on him for this as well as his strange singing process.
This is an excellent first part of a series, with a reasonable and satisfying conclusion for a first book, but clearly with much more to come including the mysteries of the aliens and the mysterious artifacts that they have left behind.
We're introduced to Ean Lambert, one of the few Linesmen that can access level ten, the highest level of Lines and the Line that enables FTL. Ean is unique in that he sings to the Lines and they interact with him in ways that no other Linesman can achieve. Ean starts out with one of the Linesman cartels, but has his contract purchased by a Princess of the Alliance, one of the the three main human political powers. The Alliance are about to go to war with the Gate Union egged on by the third political power, Redmond. Princess Michelle has a last-ditch plan to avert a war and requires a level ten Linesman to pull it off.
The world-building here is pretty good and the Lines and alien influences are fascinating. The politics are ever-present and believable as well, giving the novel that sweeping scope that you expect in the best space operas. Ean himself is likeable, but his inferiority complex can be a bit hard to take for the first two thirds of the book. He was raised in a slum and is lower class than the majority of other Linesman as well as being trained a lot older. The other Linesmen look down on him for this as well as his strange singing process.
This is an excellent first part of a series, with a reasonable and satisfying conclusion for a first book, but clearly with much more to come including the mysteries of the aliens and the mysterious artifacts that they have left behind.
tome15's review
3.0
Dunstall, S. K. Linesman. Linesman No. 1. Ace, 2015.
S. K. Dunstall has so far published four space operas. This first one shows promise but still has some very rough edges. One must give him credit for adding a new wrinkle or two to the idea of the sentient spaceship. The series harkens back to Anne McCaffery’s classic The Ship Who Sang (1969), but although Dunstall’s ships do not sing, they require engineers to sing to interface with them somewhat telepathically. They are alien ships that operate on an unexplained technology called “lines,” each of which seem responsible for some aspect of ship operation. Our hero is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks with an exceptionally profound sensitivity to the lines. He is taken in by a princess who needs a linesman for her yacht. We are clearly in the realm of science fantasy rather than science fiction here. There are several holes in the world building. How is it that several interstellar states can be based solely on alien technology they do not understand? Why singing? What happened to the aliens?
S. K. Dunstall has so far published four space operas. This first one shows promise but still has some very rough edges. One must give him credit for adding a new wrinkle or two to the idea of the sentient spaceship. The series harkens back to Anne McCaffery’s classic The Ship Who Sang (1969), but although Dunstall’s ships do not sing, they require engineers to sing to interface with them somewhat telepathically. They are alien ships that operate on an unexplained technology called “lines,” each of which seem responsible for some aspect of ship operation. Our hero is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks with an exceptionally profound sensitivity to the lines. He is taken in by a princess who needs a linesman for her yacht. We are clearly in the realm of science fantasy rather than science fiction here. There are several holes in the world building. How is it that several interstellar states can be based solely on alien technology they do not understand? Why singing? What happened to the aliens?
prgchrqltma's review
3.0
Hmmm. Well, it was pretty diverting on a long car ride with other people, and I'd probably listen to another in similar circumstances. However, the characters all seemed essentially alone and without relationships - romantic, familial, maybe a little collegial. Everyone seemed to be only their job with no interests. The narrator tended to overenunciate.
sumedhaj's review against another edition
Halfway through, still unclear on how the basic premise works, most characters are actively annoying, and plot is... not very interesting so far.
magisterzot's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
julia_w's review
4.0
Pretty good, better than I thought it would be. The plot was fine, but I was mostly in it for the interesting description of the lines and how they worked/related to people. I could've done with less self doubt from Ean, or at least developing some confidence slowly over the book. There was a glimmer of confidence at the end, but way past the point when it was obvious he was a better linesman than the others (not a worse one), he was still thinking that people would just as soon kill him. It got pretty ridiculous.
The whole time, I just couldn't stop thinking that it could make a great movie with a neat soundtrack, but honestly, the soundtrack would probably be the best part, as I'm not too sure the plot would translate well.
The whole time, I just couldn't stop thinking that it could make a great movie with a neat soundtrack, but honestly, the soundtrack would probably be the best part, as I'm not too sure the plot would translate well.
idealpigment92's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25