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theonionboy's review
3.0
Like many of this author's books, the silly character names are a distraction from a well-written story. Also, like many of his books, it sits on the fence between science fiction and comedy, never quite becoming either one.
*** SPOILER ALERT *** The next part reveals things that are better to discover yourself when you read this.
This introduced the intriguing concept of sentience being a scale of degrees instead of a binary 'yes' or 'no'. Also, the concept of a group sentience. The idea worked until the flies spell out words in English, then he completely broke my suspension of disbelief. It would have worked better if they would have developed some non-English way of communicating, but that would take more time than you could fit into a short story.
*** END SPOILER ALERT ***
Starship Grifters was an outstanding fun read. So it makes the reader want more. But this prequel short story just doesn't quite satisfy that. There isn't room for a follow up story to Starship Grifters because of the ending. As good as it is, the best thing to do may just be to leave it as it is.
*** SPOILER ALERT *** The next part reveals things that are better to discover yourself when you read this.
This introduced the intriguing concept of sentience being a scale of degrees instead of a binary 'yes' or 'no'. Also, the concept of a group sentience. The idea worked until the flies spell out words in English, then he completely broke my suspension of disbelief. It would have worked better if they would have developed some non-English way of communicating, but that would take more time than you could fit into a short story.
*** END SPOILER ALERT ***
Starship Grifters was an outstanding fun read. So it makes the reader want more. But this prequel short story just doesn't quite satisfy that. There isn't room for a follow up story to Starship Grifters because of the ending. As good as it is, the best thing to do may just be to leave it as it is.
bookishactor's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Yanthus Prime Job is a Pepper Melange novella, and part of Robert Kroese’s Starship Grifters series. I did not know this book connected to any of Korese’s other books, and am now eager to check them out. I had previously read the author’s books The Big Sheep and The Last Iota, which I loved, and had high expectations for this story. For the most part, it delivered. I think readers of John Scalzi, particularly fans of Fuzzy Nation (his adaptation of H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy), will find a lot to love in this heist story. Pepper Melange is a loveable protagonist. The book definitely has a pulpy feel, sometimes in both good and not so good ways, and if I’m going to be totally honest I didn’t feel like there was anything terribly original here. With that said it was an enjoyable and short romp that’s a fun listen for genre fans. The audiobook narration is serviceable. J.D. Ledford did a great job with the protagonist and some of the supporting roles, but made bold choices with others that sounded annoying in this listener’s opinion.
danlewisfw's review
3.0
Not as good as Starship Grifters. The character was even better in that book. This was ok but just ok.
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