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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SF horror is a genre blending that we need much more of, so Nightflyers became a must-read when I noticed it at my local library. It didn't live up to all it promises but it's a good effort marred by some big problems.
Immediately obvious is that there are far too many characters introduced at once and given little description or characterization to tell them apart. This expedition to contact intelligent alien life is too large to remember who everyone is and only a few of them leave any impression, mainly heroine Melantha Jhirl, eccentric team leader Karl D’Branin and mysterious Nightflyer captain Royd Eris. The rest mostly exist to be gruesomely murdered in slasher film tradition, although considering the spacecraft setting most of the kills aren't as creative as they could have been.
Another issue is the search for the alien volcryn is constantly brought up by D'Branin but this aspect has very little pay off; by the time the volcryn appear it's like George R. R. Martin decided they needed to put in some kind of appearance and slapped them on.
The dialogue feels off too; the way most of the cast speaks is stilted, like Martin was trying for cod Mediaeval fantasy. It gets downright cringey in places, like Melantha promising sex with Royd. The full names of the characters are repeated constantly and their names are often so odd it adds to the confusion.
What is good are some interesting ideas and evocative, sometimes quite gruesome, imagery. Martin knows how to describe grisly carnage well. The three characters I mentioned above are fairly interesting and the mystery of the Nightflyer is enticing but something of a let-down by the end.
There is some good inclusion here, Melantha is Black, bisexual and described as quite muscular, a combination of traits rarely seen in a protagonist in SF genres. Royd is disabled by most standards due to growing up in zero-G environments, but for the most part he has no problem doing what he has to with the right aids and even points out the advantages he has in space when other characters worry about him making repairs to the Nightflyer's exterior.
Nightflyers feels like a partially successful experiment by Martin, one more writers need to attempt. Science fiction and the gothic go much better together than it might seem at first glance. If only more authors were willing to try.
Immediately obvious is that there are far too many characters introduced at once and given little description or characterization to tell them apart. This expedition to contact intelligent alien life is too large to remember who everyone is and only a few of them leave any impression, mainly heroine Melantha Jhirl, eccentric team leader Karl D’Branin and mysterious Nightflyer captain Royd Eris. The rest mostly exist to be gruesomely murdered in slasher film tradition, although considering the spacecraft setting most of the kills aren't as creative as they could have been.
Another issue is the search for the alien volcryn is constantly brought up by D'Branin but this aspect has very little pay off; by the time the volcryn appear it's like George R. R. Martin decided they needed to put in some kind of appearance and slapped them on.
The dialogue feels off too; the way most of the cast speaks is stilted, like Martin was trying for cod Mediaeval fantasy. It gets downright cringey in places, like Melantha promising sex with Royd. The full names of the characters are repeated constantly and their names are often so odd it adds to the confusion.
What is good are some interesting ideas and evocative, sometimes quite gruesome, imagery. Martin knows how to describe grisly carnage well. The three characters I mentioned above are fairly interesting and the mystery of the Nightflyer is enticing but something of a let-down by the end.
There is some good inclusion here, Melantha is Black, bisexual and described as quite muscular, a combination of traits rarely seen in a protagonist in SF genres. Royd is disabled by most standards due to growing up in zero-G environments, but for the most part he has no problem doing what he has to with the right aids and even points out the advantages he has in space when other characters worry about him making repairs to the Nightflyer's exterior.
Nightflyers feels like a partially successful experiment by Martin, one more writers need to attempt. Science fiction and the gothic go much better together than it might seem at first glance. If only more authors were willing to try.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This would have made a great novel - I want a background story for both Mel and Mother!
När jag fick ett mejl om den här boken från förlaget så blev jag eld och lågor. En gammal bok av George R R Martin! Jag har inte läst Kampen om järntronen (men sett TV-serien), men på 90-talet läste jag en av hans böcker, Harmagedon rag, som jag tyckte väldigt mycket om. Nightflyers är dessutom en science fiction (blandad med skräck) så jag var inte nödbedd alls. Jag var bara tvungen att läsa den. Läs mer på min blogg
I was very curious to see what a horror story by George R.R. Martin would look like, given I only know him from Game of Thrones and other fantasy works. Nightflyers is, at times, really effective and, at other times, really flat. The characters in particular often feel like cliches. There are some really effective horror moments, though.
So, all in all, a mixed bag. Definitely worth a read for his fans, though.
So, all in all, a mixed bag. Definitely worth a read for his fans, though.
Very interesting short read (finished in one evening). It's not a favorite but it was good!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes