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graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Out of the seven novels in this series that I've read, this was my favourite. It truly felt like I was watching an episode of Firefly...which would be AMAZING.
Every character was their counterpart in the TV series. The writtien voices were spot on.
The story was ALSO a typical (amazing) tale of how the crew of the Serenity was going to deal with being duped into bringing the counterband weaponry to the planet, it being used and many dying...then fixing the problem. Oh, so satisfying.
I could go down the line...for each character had their part to play in this story, which I greatly appreciated.
I'm a HUGE fan of the reluctant hero type, and Malcolm Reynolds is just the best.
Inara was her Companion self...being aloof, but still being at the center of the fix. Loved it.
River was as unique as she always is, but she too was instramental in putting things right.
Her brother Simon, though at times (most of the times) feels like an outsider, but in this adventure...he was very much needed by the crew and the people of the planet.
Zoë was, as always, amazing as a soldier, second in command, and as a wife to Walsh. I love their dynamic. Speaking of Walsh...he soars (pun intended) in this episode. Love all his interactions.
I'm not a big fan of Jayne. He serves a purpose...and he's very good at being disgusting and awful, but also an amazing shot and deep down...there is SOME good, buried oh so deep...that even he doesn't know it (most of the time).
Book again is part of the story, but by a back alley. He's really not supposed to know as much as he does...and having so many talents (that are buried...until they're needed).
and last, but NOT least:
Kaylee seems to be the most naive person (about relationships), but when it comes down to working on the ship...she's the expert in all things.
I truly love these characters...and am looking forward to the next book. Thank you.
Every character was their counterpart in the TV series. The writtien voices were spot on.
The story was ALSO a typical (amazing) tale of how the crew of the Serenity was going to deal with being duped into bringing the counterband weaponry to the planet, it being used and many dying...then fixing the problem. Oh, so satisfying.
I could go down the line...for each character had their part to play in this story, which I greatly appreciated.
I'm a HUGE fan of the reluctant hero type, and Malcolm Reynolds is just the best.
Inara was her Companion self...being aloof, but still being at the center of the fix. Loved it.
River was as unique as she always is, but she too was instramental in putting things right.
Her brother Simon, though at times (most of the times) feels like an outsider, but in this adventure...he was very much needed by the crew and the people of the planet.
Zoë was, as always, amazing as a soldier, second in command, and as a wife to Walsh. I love their dynamic. Speaking of Walsh...he soars (pun intended) in this episode. Love all his interactions.
I'm not a big fan of Jayne. He serves a purpose...and he's very good at being disgusting and awful, but also an amazing shot and deep down...there is SOME good, buried oh so deep...that even he doesn't know it (most of the time).
Book again is part of the story, but by a back alley. He's really not supposed to know as much as he does...and having so many talents (that are buried...until they're needed).
and last, but NOT least:
Kaylee seems to be the most naive person (about relationships), but when it comes down to working on the ship...she's the expert in all things.
I truly love these characters...and am looking forward to the next book. Thank you.
johnkinnison's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
sambora's review
2.0
This was a rather average Firefly novel in my opinion.
At it's core this is well written book and the characterisation is good, but the plot here is just too ruttin' similar to other books in this series, too similar to episodes of the show.
What Makes Us Mighty had what felt like an overly "safe" plot that didn't do much to expand, or put a twist on, what we all know and love of this series.
Firefly has such a strong combination of Space Opera and Western baked into it's DNA, and I feel as thought if you aren't going to lean heavily on either of those settings (and their associated themes), then you need to do something real weird with it. There have been books in this series that have done that, but this one really didn't.
What Makes Us Mighty felt as though elements of "typical Firefly plotting" were pulled from a hat and thrown together to form a very generic story - in brief; Inara has a client, the entire crew land hoping to have some R&R, Shepherd Book spends most of the book off-screen in an Abbey, the crew were tricked into smuggling something they didn't agree with, Jayne is a cold brute and worries about what he did back on Ariel, a localized civil war breaks out between two factions of the planet thus Zoe and Mal have flashbacks to the war, Kaylee and Wash stay with the ship, Simon does some doctoring and River is... well just River.
It really is rather uninspired. I would love to see more creative ways to use these amazing characters. Memorable adventures that take the members of the cast out of their comfort zone. Or for the story to take us to a world unlike all the others we've seen.
I love Firefly and I am so grateful we are still getting new material, it's just that this didn't feel new.
This all sounds like I hated the book - I didn't. It's ok. As I said before, the writing is good, the pacing was smooth and the character voice, as usual with this series, was really strong... I just really want to see more from these stories and this one felt completely forgettable to me plot-wise, which is a real shame.
2 stars.
Thank you for reading my review!
At it's core this is well written book and the characterisation is good, but the plot here is just too ruttin' similar to other books in this series, too similar to episodes of the show.
What Makes Us Mighty had what felt like an overly "safe" plot that didn't do much to expand, or put a twist on, what we all know and love of this series.
Firefly has such a strong combination of Space Opera and Western baked into it's DNA, and I feel as thought if you aren't going to lean heavily on either of those settings (and their associated themes), then you need to do something real weird with it. There have been books in this series that have done that, but this one really didn't.
What Makes Us Mighty felt as though elements of "typical Firefly plotting" were pulled from a hat and thrown together to form a very generic story - in brief; Inara has a client, the entire crew land hoping to have some R&R, Shepherd Book spends most of the book off-screen in an Abbey, the crew were tricked into smuggling something they didn't agree with, Jayne is a cold brute and worries about what he did back on Ariel, a localized civil war breaks out between two factions of the planet thus Zoe and Mal have flashbacks to the war, Kaylee and Wash stay with the ship, Simon does some doctoring and River is... well just River.
It really is rather uninspired. I would love to see more creative ways to use these amazing characters. Memorable adventures that take the members of the cast out of their comfort zone. Or for the story to take us to a world unlike all the others we've seen.
I love Firefly and I am so grateful we are still getting new material, it's just that this didn't feel new.
This all sounds like I hated the book - I didn't. It's ok. As I said before, the writing is good, the pacing was smooth and the character voice, as usual with this series, was really strong... I just really want to see more from these stories and this one felt completely forgettable to me plot-wise, which is a real shame.
2 stars.
Thank you for reading my review!
wyrmbergmalcolm's review
5.0
Another great addition to the Firefly series. Follows the standard plot of a job being not what it looked to be and the crew of Serenity having to choose a side. A story of revolution and oppression, it was refreshing to see the heroes being more of a catalyst for change rather than being the usual outsider saviour trope. There are some harrowing scenes in this one and some of it is now somewhat relevant to current events (datestamp 21.11.23).
As with the rest of the series so far, all the characters feel like they are being portrayed by their corresponding actors despite this being the 4th or 5th author to add to it.
As with the rest of the series so far, all the characters feel like they are being portrayed by their corresponding actors despite this being the 4th or 5th author to add to it.
finchreads's review
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
creatrix's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
madisonreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
titusfortner's review
4.0
Solid entry in this series. Not the most exciting premise or story and a little derivative, but the author understood the characters and handled each of them well. This definitely felt like it could have been a random episode of the TV show.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. This takes place before episode thirteen “Heart of Gold”. I believe this is the first in the series with a direct tie to the show like that but we are seven books in now so I could be wrong.
I digress. This series seems to get better and better with each release. This one was awesome. I liked the adventure in this and I’m always down for a good Zoë and Mal team up and that happens here when they go to investigate an attack. It was a fun ride.
The writing was good, it’s paced well and I think England did a great job with the characters and no one felt OOC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I digress. This series seems to get better and better with each release. This one was awesome. I liked the adventure in this and I’m always down for a good Zoë and Mal team up and that happens here when they go to investigate an attack. It was a fun ride.
The writing was good, it’s paced well and I think England did a great job with the characters and no one felt OOC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
campbelltaral's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0