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elisamck's review against another edition
2.0
Begin saai - midden mooi - einde saai. Einde review #zucht
sgilbert3114's review against another edition
4.0
Two hundred colonists travel light-years from Earth to the distant star Tau Ceti, hoping to establish a permanent colony on what they have dubbed Avalon. They spend most of a year creating their own little slice of paradise. Unfortunately, their presence has unknowingly upset the local ecology, and their colony is soon targeted by an enemy that seems impossible to defeat.
I read this book with my local book club. I was a little hesitant because I'm not a huge Niven fan, though I do seem to better enjoy the books he writes with Pournelle. I must say, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book- I've already downloaded the short story that comes next and plan to read the rest of the trilogy. The book is action-packed pretty much from the beginning, and the tension and fear the colonists feel is palpable. I enjoyed the parts that showed the grendels' perspective- I thought it added something extra to the story. Even though I've only read book 1, I definitely recommend this series.
I read this book with my local book club. I was a little hesitant because I'm not a huge Niven fan, though I do seem to better enjoy the books he writes with Pournelle. I must say, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book- I've already downloaded the short story that comes next and plan to read the rest of the trilogy. The book is action-packed pretty much from the beginning, and the tension and fear the colonists feel is palpable. I enjoyed the parts that showed the grendels' perspective- I thought it added something extra to the story. Even though I've only read book 1, I definitely recommend this series.
quoththegirl's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected, and found myself devouring it late at night at a frightful pace. I've not had great success with books by two authors in the past (they always seem to be plagued by inconsistent characters and general sloppiness), so I assumed three authors would be even worse. Pleasantly, in this case, not so! The story's premise is basically Beowulf in space, which sounded deliciously pulpy to me. It ended up being a more sophisticated and nuanced book than I anticipated. The characters are all ridiculously flawed people and quite unlikeable, but by the end I found myself surprisingly attached in spite of it. Still not brilliant literature, and the characters' obsession with sex (while understandable in the context of a colony trying to perpetuate itself in the face of low numbers) felt downright juvenile, but I'd give it up to a 3.5-star rating.
pegolon's review against another edition
4.0
Although the characters behave like from a 80ies testosterone filled action movie I really enjoyed the unexpected revelations and twists throughout the book. The women could have been less submissive and more confident, but that was the time then. Fortunately todays SF stories are better balanced in regards of the behavior of the characters, but in the end I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to part two and three.
michaeldrakich's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable guesstimate of colonizing an alien world where life forms already exist including one super predator nick-named a grendel after the famous epic Beowulf. The struggle between the colonists and the grendels is some excellent science fiction horror/action with a detailed ecosystem as to why the grendels are so terrifying. The background setting of how the colony was established and how it operated is well thought out. No FTL, the mission involves the colonists in deep-freeze hibernation and a one-way trip. In other words, survive on the new world or die. There are no other options. Based on the first half of this book, my leaning was for a 5 star review as it is well written, with unique characters. Only mildly disappointing was the highly predictable crisis that leads to the novel's climax. I knew almost from the start what was coming but was willing to wait and see how it played out. What followed is what I consider a soft landing at the end. Still, all in all, this was an enjoyable novel and worth reading.
If you've read this far and don't want a spoiler, stop here.
The concept of the samlon (the local fish) turning into grendels was terribly predictable. How the authors could have better hidden that fact may have been impossible, but the existence of other fish might have helped. As to the ending, the fact the grendels simply stop attacking the humans when the entire novel showed them as having an insatiable hunger was weak. If I had written this novel I would have gone for an ending that the authors had totally set up but didn't use. The grendels are like frogs and the samlons are like tadpoles. After the final battle where the grendel horde is beaten back, a more fitting ending would be no more samlon as the catfish introduced into the ecosystem by the colonists ate all the eggs. It would have worked better than, all of a sudden, the grendels becoming meek.
If you've read this far and don't want a spoiler, stop here.
The concept of the samlon (the local fish) turning into grendels was terribly predictable. How the authors could have better hidden that fact may have been impossible, but the existence of other fish might have helped. As to the ending, the fact the grendels simply stop attacking the humans when the entire novel showed them as having an insatiable hunger was weak. If I had written this novel I would have gone for an ending that the authors had totally set up but didn't use. The grendels are like frogs and the samlons are like tadpoles. After the final battle where the grendel horde is beaten back, a more fitting ending would be no more samlon as the catfish introduced into the ecosystem by the colonists ate all the eggs. It would have worked better than, all of a sudden, the grendels becoming meek.
mrfrank's review against another edition
3.0
This book will be reviewed in an upcoming episode of Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast. After the show has been released, a full written review will be available here. Until then enjoy other great book reviews and fun at http://booksbeerbullshit.podbean.com or find us on Stitcher Smart Radio 'BooksBeerBullshit'
jenblei's review against another edition
5.0
I'm actually going to upgrade my previous 4.5 star review to a 5. I think that I've been re-reading this book every few years since it came out, and it's never not enjoyable. Not particularly deep or ground-breaking, but a very fun way to spend a few hours.
alisonkillilea's review against another edition
1.0
If it weren't for the characters, this may not have been so bad. Firstly, there was the complete lack of character development:
Cadmann was the personification of the brooding male hero (and also the embodiment of fragile masculinity). He can do no wrong in the eyes of absolutely fucking everyone and is somehow smarter than everyone also (bearing in mind he is a soldier, while the majority of others are scientists). Even his handwriting is manly.
Carlos, thanks to the casual racism of the book, is the stereotypical 'Latin lover' from Argentina - he is promiscuous, but lovable, and says shit like "Madre de Dios" in times of action.
Literally all the women are pretty much the same - most are described in terms of their attractiveness, and all of them seem to want to bone Cadmann. The book is years behind in its portrayal of women. Jealous, silly, broody, wide-eyed ladies who the men need to protect.
All the other characters are interchangeable, and all seem to act like teenagers. The character development reminded me of that in Andy Weir's The Martian - SHIT (damn, I hated that book).
Besides characters, there was just bad writing all round - too many adverbs (why does everything have to be done 'deeply'), and "orgy of murder" was used TWICE on one page.
Also, for God's sake, can ye people not just rub your fucking dogs instead of "brushing them away".
Cadmann was the personification of the brooding male hero (and also the embodiment of fragile masculinity). He can do no wrong in the eyes of absolutely fucking everyone and is somehow smarter than everyone also (bearing in mind he is a soldier, while the majority of others are scientists). Even his handwriting is manly.
Carlos, thanks to the casual racism of the book, is the stereotypical 'Latin lover' from Argentina - he is promiscuous, but lovable, and says shit like "Madre de Dios" in times of action.
Literally all the women are pretty much the same - most are described in terms of their attractiveness, and all of them seem to want to bone Cadmann. The book is years behind in its portrayal of women. Jealous, silly, broody, wide-eyed ladies who the men need to protect.
All the other characters are interchangeable, and all seem to act like teenagers. The character development reminded me of that in Andy Weir's The Martian - SHIT (damn, I hated that book).
Besides characters, there was just bad writing all round - too many adverbs (why does everything have to be done 'deeply'), and "orgy of murder" was used TWICE on one page.
Also, for God's sake, can ye people not just rub your fucking dogs instead of "brushing them away".
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