Reviews

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

murphyslaw123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

J. S. Dewes has done it again. And by “it” I mean crafting a compelling, character-driven, plot-twisty, and addictive sci fi adventure. Rubicon grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the very last page…and oh my gosh…the ending…THE ENDING!!! No spoilers here, but if you’re a fan of bittersweet endings with the dash of hope, then this one is for you, fellow readers.

The novel follows the main character Adri, who is gruff on the outside and gruff on the inside. And not without reason–having resurrected 96 times in humanity’s war against the Mechans (really really smart toasters robot-machines…I pictured something similar to the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica, see Exhibit A below), it’s no surprise that life begins to feel a bit meaningless when life…no longer has “death” as its counterpart.

Which brings us to one of the main themes explored in the novel: What happens when life becomes cheap? Especially in the context of war…in order to save humanity? What happens if humanity destroys what it means to be human in the act of trying to save itself (from a dying solar system)? Anywho, those are just some of the really fun questions this novel explores without being all shove-these-philosophical-ponderings-in-your-face about it.

Badass character, emotionally calloused character who slowly re-discovers what it means to be human is perhaps the most succinct character arc summary for Valero. (Also, I’m 100% here for #team Adri x Daroga…Adroga? Dadri?)

BUT CAN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE TECH??? THE RUBICON??? The little computer chip implanted in Adri’s brain that does so much more. So I might have a soft spot for sarcastic AI/VI/robots/non-human-technological-entities-with-a-personality. Sue me. Rubicon (the VI) combined with the very cool mech-armors given to the characters made for such engaging and fun pieces of technology that added another an unique angle to the world building. Most impressively, perhaps, is the degree to which Dewes was able to make the technology feel oh-so-immersive. Exploring the advanced features of the newly issued technology along with Adri was an absolute delight. Between the strange alien planets and the immersive technology descriptions, it felt like I was in a video game for many of the chapters, which is to say, it was freaking cool and fun.

If you’re looking for your next action-packed, character-driven military sci fi, make sure to check out Rubicon!

Tropes & Tags: alien planet, intelligent machines, artificial intelligence, spaceship setting, aliens, transferrable consciousness, morally gray characters, tight knit squad, slow and sweet romance, secret military bases, secret missions, mad scientist/engineer, what if we were wrong all along, not quite a HEA ending

deleore's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

bosstweed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book had a really interesting premise with the rezoning and mech mystery but I found it lacking in some aspects such as dialogue and the story unfortunately. There were avenues which seemed to be more promising yet missed as well as plot points that simply felt out of place or even forced. The dialogue was slightly clunky but overall it was a fun listen. 

lyellboi's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

makiba's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

It felt very rushed. 

There are great ideas here, and foundation of a decent Sci-Fi universe but none of them are flushed out enough, meaning it is hard to make any real connection to world, characters and the narrative.

It almost feels like this could have been two books:

1. The Dying World & Search for new home 
2. Last 1/2 or 1/3 of this book

This would have also made more sense considering the ending of Rubicon now feels somewhat forced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol

jquellin's review against another edition

adventurous tense 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? No

4.25

The ending was rude.

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

"Rubicon" appears to be the first volume in a military science-fiction series (no other books in the series yet published). I had greatly enjoyed Dewes's earlier two books, which may have set my expectations too high for this book. The key concept is powerful: soldiers are resurrected into fresh bodies time after time to keep fighting the war. Yet despite such a strong idea, I only mildly enjoyed the book. Note: many other readers have loved this, so take my reaction with a tablespoon of salt.

While I found the main character, Adriene, likable, I wasn't strongly engaged by the other human characters, nor caught up by the situation, dire though it often was. About thirty pages from the end of the book, I had no difficulty setting it down for over a day, which is not my usual reading pattern. On the plus side, I found both the non-human characters quite effective. And the concept remains strong.

Three out of five resurrected stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

catpewk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

rnburt92's review

adventurous dark 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

5.0

emms_across_formats's review against another edition

4.0

The ending will piss you off. Make no bones about it.

However, I appreciate an effed up ending. It makes my villainess heart happy.