Scan barcode
kaitiecakes's review
1.0
There is way to many characters in this book to keep track of what is going on. It also doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the rest of the series besides the fact that they say the beam a lot.
I couldn’t even finish the book, it was boring and not interesting at all.
I couldn’t even finish the book, it was boring and not interesting at all.
maireoverthere's review
3.0
I'm mixed on this. It reads like a JD Robb novel, but better, but also nothing too innovative. I will probably read the rest eventually, or not. It did pass the time on the train very nicely.
taylor_hohulin's review
5.0
Okay, I'm hooked.
Half the fun of The Beam is getting to look into this futuristic world and its culture. The plot is interesting, but not arresting (yet), and the characters are all vivid enough that they don't seem to blend together.
Also, this is part of a longer work. Apparently, it's throwing people off that this isn't a "complete novel." Think of it as an extended sample reading from the full novel, which I fully intend to purchase.
Half the fun of The Beam is getting to look into this futuristic world and its culture. The plot is interesting, but not arresting (yet), and the characters are all vivid enough that they don't seem to blend together.
Also, this is part of a longer work. Apparently, it's throwing people off that this isn't a "complete novel." Think of it as an extended sample reading from the full novel, which I fully intend to purchase.
katharinaxx's review
3.0
I've read a few independent publishers' books this year, and this is a better one.
The language was pleasantly literary – though at times I saw a tendency of throwing out big words and wanting to be slightly British. The plot twists were smart; I especially enjoyed how the last (13th) chapter started and unraveled. Because of these, I have faith in the two authors for attracting a large readership.
The struggling balance between Directorate and Enterprise unfortunately fell flat for me. It's too apparent a paraphrase of communism versus capitalism and little deeper. While there were some good arguments about technology throughout the book, the tension between Beam dwellers and the Organas was hardly original either. There are too many people writing about these topics already after all.
Have I mentioned I hated the beginning? Natasha performed for an ecstatic audience, proud that even though her body appearance was enhanced, her impeccable voice was all natural. As a singer, I can tell you there is scarcely such a thing as an ecstatic audience in classical concerts. People fall asleep in tuxes. In addition, the concepts of a popular concert and a critically-acclaimed one are often unrelated. Besides, altered body parts do affect your vocal cords and lung capacity. There are Basses who became Baritones after chin reduction surgeries.
Natasha's example concludes my overall feel about this book: Without spending time on solid research and without a broader viewpoint or insight, the Beam (well, at least the first episode of the Beam series) is just one of those that shines glimpses of fanciness.
The language was pleasantly literary – though at times I saw a tendency of throwing out big words and wanting to be slightly British. The plot twists were smart; I especially enjoyed how the last (13th) chapter started and unraveled. Because of these, I have faith in the two authors for attracting a large readership.
The struggling balance between Directorate and Enterprise unfortunately fell flat for me. It's too apparent a paraphrase of communism versus capitalism and little deeper. While there were some good arguments about technology throughout the book, the tension between Beam dwellers and the Organas was hardly original either. There are too many people writing about these topics already after all.
Have I mentioned I hated the beginning? Natasha performed for an ecstatic audience, proud that even though her body appearance was enhanced, her impeccable voice was all natural. As a singer, I can tell you there is scarcely such a thing as an ecstatic audience in classical concerts. People fall asleep in tuxes. In addition, the concepts of a popular concert and a critically-acclaimed one are often unrelated. Besides, altered body parts do affect your vocal cords and lung capacity. There are Basses who became Baritones after chin reduction surgeries.
Natasha's example concludes my overall feel about this book: Without spending time on solid research and without a broader viewpoint or insight, the Beam (well, at least the first episode of the Beam series) is just one of those that shines glimpses of fanciness.
lilyn_g's review
4.0
There is some excellent writing in this book. The authors obviously have a strong grasp on something that a lot of authors I’ve read recently have trouble with. That is, giving the right amount of description and avoiding massive unnecessary info dumps as I was subjected to in Ready Player One (I outright snickered when I hit a point where one of the characters is talking about a client’s ridiculously obsessive interest in the 1980s.)
The characters are interesting, and though not exactly fully-fleshed out, given enough depth that none feel like cardboard cut-outs. Though, to be honest, with some that’s a “just barely”. Mainly the songstress and her slightly The Goblin-esque husband. Kai, I think, is my favorite (probably because I’m always attracted to strong, self-confident women in literature.) Occasionally, early on, I got confused as to who was doing what, as there were several characters to keep track of, but as I read more and got to know them, I didn’t have that problem again. So I’d advise readers to stick it out if they feel like there’s too much happening. It does get easier.
One of the things that I really like about The Beam is how well the relationships are written. Nothing is floating-on-clouds perfect. People do bad things. People do good things. Sometimes bad people do good things, and good people do bad things. Just like it should be.
There are definitely more than a few pop-culture nods, but they are done in such a way that you just smile a bit when you see them, and then move on.
There’s nothing that I can truly criticize (beyond TBDCH (The Big Dang Cliff Hanger) at the end that’s meant to make us want to read the next season) and I admire the authors’ obvious talent.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The characters are interesting, and though not exactly fully-fleshed out, given enough depth that none feel like cardboard cut-outs. Though, to be honest, with some that’s a “just barely”. Mainly the songstress and her slightly The Goblin-esque husband. Kai, I think, is my favorite (probably because I’m always attracted to strong, self-confident women in literature.) Occasionally, early on, I got confused as to who was doing what, as there were several characters to keep track of, but as I read more and got to know them, I didn’t have that problem again. So I’d advise readers to stick it out if they feel like there’s too much happening. It does get easier.
One of the things that I really like about The Beam is how well the relationships are written. Nothing is floating-on-clouds perfect. People do bad things. People do good things. Sometimes bad people do good things, and good people do bad things. Just like it should be.
There are definitely more than a few pop-culture nods, but they are done in such a way that you just smile a bit when you see them, and then move on.
There’s nothing that I can truly criticize (beyond TBDCH (The Big Dang Cliff Hanger) at the end that’s meant to make us want to read the next season) and I admire the authors’ obvious talent.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
More...