2.9 AVERAGE


Great story. Each book in the series competes its own story and draws the reader into the next book without a cliffhanger. I’ve now finished the first two books and am about to start the third. The stories have been well thought out and have a certain rhythm and flow to them that [usually] has me wanting to turn the next page and experience what’s next.

But …

The author on occasions TELLS the reader what the story should SHOW.

A second thing that yanked me out of the story to set aside the book until the fantastic story line enticed me back is the author’s use of weak verbs. “Saw” and “had” are two that come to mind.

This great story could be a great book had the author used a more critical editing process.

This five star series storyline drops to three stars because of the two star editing. This is not stopping me from the third book. At this point I know the author’s weaknesses and will continue to turn the next page with anticipation.

If there is to be a fourth book, and I hope there is, I’m willing to wait a little longer if it means that the editing process strengthens the author’s work.
challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Civilization by Stephen Drake was interesting, but felt very reminiscent of the first book in terms of plot progression. I did like that we had a new influx of people, and I’m glad the author didn’t get bogged down in introducing them all, since that would have been far too much to remember. There were a lot of characters as it was, and until I was able to keep them separated, it was confusing trying to figure out what was with which group. I was also sad that Beron mad much less of an appearance in this book than he did the last. I really enjoyed Murdock conversations with the planet natives, and because we had so many places to check in with, Beron seemed to get pushed more into the background. I did still really enjoy this book, and I think if you’re a fan of world building, these books would probably be a great edition to your tbr. I just wish we got to see some more action. Everything feels a little flat, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I guess it’s a good thing there is a third book! I’m hoping to find some answers with the third novel, and I’m excited to see where the story goes next.

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