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tessisreading2's review
2.0
This is very much Firefly-inspired fiction - there is no one-to-one correspondence with the characters, but a ragtag band of untrustworthy misfits operate on the fringes of the galaxy and rob trains in western-style ambushes. I mention this because, well, I didn't connect with Firefly, and I didn't connect with this, but I think that if you're a Firefly fan you might do better.
A few things irked me: firstly we don't get a gender or physical description for either Max or Riley for the first few chapters. I assumed it was being done on purpose but later in the book we're just told that Riley's a dude and Max is a lady (and we get vague physical descriptions) so if it was being done on purpose I don't know what that purpose was. It made it hard for me to visualize what was going on, and the first part of the book especially is very cinematic.
The next part was originally multiple long rants that nobody wants to bother to read, but basically: the book, like Firefly, bluntly, accepts the patriarchy and the patriarchal mindset in ways that I found (a) lazy writing and (b) unpleasant to read. The hero is ridiculously possessive in ways that the author knows are gross, the narrative supports the idea that there is only one kind of rape (violent, done by bad people), reproduction is used for cheap plot drama, and there's a definitive and thorough wrap-up to a very messy and complicated situation so we can roll credits.
In more detail (okay, I guess I'm going to rant about it anyway):
The overarching mystery plot is interesting albeit reliant on a loooot of coincidence to make it "personal." It then goes completely bananapants (not in a bad way but definitely in a somewhat overwhelmingly fast way) with a lot of double-crossing and secret identities and whatnot. But the nature of the mystery and the thoroughness of the happy endings also didn't work for me, because it's just such a gigantic... thing, and the idea that this all could have happened over so many years and then just be resolved so quickly, concretely and definitively by good people (which is what we're told) feels wildly unrealistic.
Overall, I felt like the action elements were well-done and the actual mystery plot was, over all, interesting. The gender dynamics were really what killed this for me, which is too bad.
A few things irked me: firstly we don't get a gender or physical description for either Max or Riley for the first few chapters. I assumed it was being done on purpose but later in the book we're just told that Riley's a dude and Max is a lady (and we get vague physical descriptions) so if it was being done on purpose I don't know what that purpose was. It made it hard for me to visualize what was going on, and the first part of the book especially is very cinematic.
The next part was originally multiple long rants that nobody wants to bother to read, but basically: the book, like Firefly, bluntly, accepts the patriarchy and the patriarchal mindset in ways that I found (a) lazy writing and (b) unpleasant to read. The hero is ridiculously possessive in ways that the author knows are gross, the narrative supports the idea that there is only one kind of rape (violent, done by bad people), reproduction is used for cheap plot drama, and there's a definitive and thorough wrap-up to a very messy and complicated situation so we can roll credits.
In more detail (okay, I guess I'm going to rant about it anyway):
Spoiler
Our hero is from a planet which practices vague rudimentary eugenics and women aren't supposed to have premarital sex. In his early twenties, he had "consensual sex" with a girl he was courting, by which I mean he went to her room and initiated a sexual encounter, then told her father he'd had sex with her, to which she responded that it was rape. This has destroyed the poor baby's psyche and sexual confidence - among other things, we're told he's been tormented by the idea that she might actually have experienced it as rape (we're supposed to take this as a sign that he's a good guy, really, but bluntly "guy reassesses sexual encounter and ends up uncertain if it was consensual" doesn't say that to me) - and we are told, repeatedly, by the narrative, the heroine, and later events, that this woman was just a slutty lying unfaithful slut trying to get out of consequences. The heroine assures the hero that if the woman knew what rape was really like she would never have accused him of it (because I guess there's no such thing as a woman in a patriarchal culture who doesn't feel safe saying "no" during a sexual encounter?) and later we're told that she didn't even file charges, which obviously means she was lying. Later, the heroine gets pregnant (despite her handwavy science fiction birth control device); this is just a vehicle for drama, since she gets an abortion. The hero promptly throws a temper tantrum (IT WAS MY BABY TOO!) and physically attacks another man who had slept with the heroine earlier, only to calm down once he learns that the man couldn't actually have caused the pregnancy. Later, the Only Way To Get Very Important Information is for the heroine and another ex-prostitute to go and have sex with some bad guys for it, one of whom is known for his sadistic sexual tastes. He tortures the heroine, she kills him, and the hero then fusses over her, because the heroine's major issue is self-esteem which the hero needs to bolster. She then tries to initiate sex so she can "remember how it's supposed to be." I hate this line when it's in a bodice ripper from the 90s and I hate it here.The overarching mystery plot is interesting albeit reliant on a loooot of coincidence to make it "personal." It then goes completely bananapants (not in a bad way but definitely in a somewhat overwhelmingly fast way) with a lot of double-crossing and secret identities and whatnot. But the nature of the mystery and the thoroughness of the happy endings also didn't work for me, because it's just such a gigantic... thing, and the idea that this all could have happened over so many years and then just be resolved so quickly, concretely and definitively by good people (which is what we're told) feels wildly unrealistic.
Overall, I felt like the action elements were well-done and the actual mystery plot was, over all, interesting. The gender dynamics were really what killed this for me, which is too bad.
nickyp's review
3.0
Smooth read, meaty characters and interactions, but massive deus ex machina of a plot. POV characters (and some of their friends) show too much callous violence and disrespect for others for me. Don’t want to spend any more time in their heads, so not moving on to book 2.
bajidc's review
3.0
This is not for fans of “Firefly.” “Firefly” is for fans of “Firefly.” Nonsensical with some bits of “shiny” but mostly filled with convoluted segments stitched together with racy scenes and dumb choices.
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