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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Much like the first, I liked the science fiction but not so much the romance(s). I enjoy many of the characters, but the romances feel fake, caricatured, and annoyingly instantaneous.
[bc:Damia|23126755|Damia (The Tower and the Hive, #2)|Anne McCaffrey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409436976l/23126755._SY75_.jpg|1779679]
Ok I just read DAMIA - book 2 in the Tower and Hive series by Anne McCaffrey. This is a re-read for me. I first read this series way back in the 1990s and really enjoyed it. The only reason I did not read Book 1 (Rowan) is because it is not currently available as an e-book at the Kobo Bookstore.
The Rowan is the Callisto Prime. She has the talent of Telekinesis and Teleportation. As such she has been trained to "Sling" goods around the federation of Nine Planets to help the economy. Each of the Nine planets has their own talented Prime, and Rowan is the 2nd strongest Prime of all. The strongest Prime is the Earth Prime, and he directs or "manages" and trains all the other primes.
Being a Prime can be a very lonely job, and the person you want to mate with has to have a sufficiently high level of talent in order to "blend" or bond with the Prime's talent.
The Rowan has met 2 such men. One called Afra Lyon and the other called Jeff Raven. Rowan eventually marries Jeff Raven and they have 4 children, one of whom is a feisty daughter named Damia.
While Afra was originally in love with the Rowan, he does eventually end up falling in love with young Damia instead. And yes there is a 24 year gap between them. But since Damia is almost as strong as her mother in the Talent department, she also requires a high level talented mate and really, the only one left is Afra!!
This was a great story. All about Damia as a child growing up, learning how to use her talent, and then the number of times she is impetuous and gets herself into trouble.
It is not until Damia faces an alien enemy that she understands just how much Afra really means to her and they are finally able to get together as a bonded couple.
Ok I just read DAMIA - book 2 in the Tower and Hive series by Anne McCaffrey. This is a re-read for me. I first read this series way back in the 1990s and really enjoyed it. The only reason I did not read Book 1 (Rowan) is because it is not currently available as an e-book at the Kobo Bookstore.
The Rowan is the Callisto Prime. She has the talent of Telekinesis and Teleportation. As such she has been trained to "Sling" goods around the federation of Nine Planets to help the economy. Each of the Nine planets has their own talented Prime, and Rowan is the 2nd strongest Prime of all. The strongest Prime is the Earth Prime, and he directs or "manages" and trains all the other primes.
Being a Prime can be a very lonely job, and the person you want to mate with has to have a sufficiently high level of talent in order to "blend" or bond with the Prime's talent.
The Rowan has met 2 such men. One called Afra Lyon and the other called Jeff Raven. Rowan eventually marries Jeff Raven and they have 4 children, one of whom is a feisty daughter named Damia.
While Afra was originally in love with the Rowan, he does eventually end up falling in love with young Damia instead. And yes there is a 24 year gap between them. But since Damia is almost as strong as her mother in the Talent department, she also requires a high level talented mate and really, the only one left is Afra!!
This was a great story. All about Damia as a child growing up, learning how to use her talent, and then the number of times she is impetuous and gets herself into trouble.
It is not until Damia faces an alien enemy that she understands just how much Afra really means to her and they are finally able to get together as a bonded couple.
Would have liked it more if not for the pairing, older man/young woman, ick.
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
I feel like this book just goes nowhere. I have never read such a boring, pointless sci fi/fantasy series before. I feel like I grew up hearing about Anne McCaffrey and how she was such a classic fantasy writer, and maybe if I had read some of these books as a teen I would have enjoyed them more, but as it is, they're really just kind of boring. The characters are stiff and flat and pretty bratty and whiny, and nothing of any real interest ever seems to happen. I mean, really, what is the point of establishing a whole world around people whose "talent" is mostly focused on moving cargo around in space? I mean, really? This is what the important talent is all about? A glorified telepathic combination of Greyhound and UPS? Not to mention that a good chunk of this book is heavily focused on a group of bratty, nasty, spoiled children whose behavior makes little sense. Damia is what, three, when they send her to Deneb? And at the age of three, she's allowed to wander about riding a pony by herself? And she's allowed a year or so later to take her barely toddling baby brother out for pony rides unsupervised, as a preschooler? WTF? How does this book even make sense?
I admit - I got about two thirds of the way through and gave up. From reading some of the reviews and spoilers, I'm glad I did - I don't think my eyesockets would survive the intense eyerolling of the direction this book apparently ends up going as Damia ages.
It's a shame because I keep looking for a new (at least, new to me) fantasy series to dig into, and I just keep being disappointed. I'm really just running out of things to read... but this will clearly not be the right choice for me.
I admit - I got about two thirds of the way through and gave up. From reading some of the reviews and spoilers, I'm glad I did - I don't think my eyesockets would survive the intense eyerolling of the direction this book apparently ends up going as Damia ages.
It's a shame because I keep looking for a new (at least, new to me) fantasy series to dig into, and I just keep being disappointed. I'm really just running out of things to read... but this will clearly not be the right choice for me.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Most of this book is not only concurrent with [b:The Rowan|61938|The Rowan|Anne McCaffrey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316408956s/61938.jpg|1892324], but is telling the same story from the point of view of Afra, who is one of the key subsidiary characters. It's rather nice getting his whole story.
McCaffrey gives us idealised characters and fairy tale romances. For many of today's readers that's a negative, and I wouldn't like it myself in any other book I might read, but McCaffrey does the psychic power component so well that I just smile (condescendingly, I admit) at the amazing-super-hero-girl-who-saves-the-world and the love-that-waits-forever and enjoy the book for its entirety,
McCaffrey gives us idealised characters and fairy tale romances. For many of today's readers that's a negative, and I wouldn't like it myself in any other book I might read, but McCaffrey does the psychic power component so well that I just smile (condescendingly, I admit) at the amazing-super-hero-girl-who-saves-the-world and the love-that-waits-forever and enjoy the book for its entirety,
This book isn't about Damia, it's all of the events from The Rowan retold through Afra's pov. Boring as heck and the writing is frequently sophomoric. DNF.
From when she was very young Damia had a lot of power. So much that it became almost essential that she leave home to live with her grandmother and discover how to control her powers. She comes into contact with aliens and discovers treachery, but there's also love.
I do have some problems with father figures or almost father figures becoming romantic figures, it's an almost deal-breaker, particularly when he uses a post-hypnotic suggestion, implanted when she was very young to send her to sleep when she's an adult "for her own good".
Not my favourite of hers, not a bad story overall, but more joined short stories than an actual full novel
I do have some problems with father figures or almost father figures becoming romantic figures, it's an almost deal-breaker, particularly when he uses a post-hypnotic suggestion, implanted when she was very young to send her to sleep when she's an adult "for her own good".
Not my favourite of hers, not a bad story overall, but more joined short stories than an actual full novel
For some reason the blurb on goodreads does not match the one on the book. For reference I am copying the blurb from Amazon which matches the new paperback printing:
“Damia is the daughter of Prime Talents The Rowan and Jeff Raven. Her own telepathic and telekinetic abilities manifested at an early age, unimaginable powers even greater than her parents’, challenging to wield much less control. As willful as her mother ever was, Damia defies her family’s attempts to tame and train her—only to bond with Afra Lyon, a Talent who serves The Rowan, and who becomes the object of her affection.
When she comes of age, Damia learns that a Prime of her capabilities and temperament has no time for love. Assigned to serve the farthest human colonized world from Earth, Damia leads a lonely existence until she telepathically connects with an alien presence in another galaxy—a potential threat not only to Damia, but to the love Afra wants to share with her…”
So continuing my self-flagellation (see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2574316936?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1), I picked this up due to another awful cover design - it made the book seems more like paranormal self-published book than a book by one of the most beloved sci-fi authors out there. I still miss the classic cover with Damia slouching front and centre; it had this impudent panache that is missing in this new one. (I will say that the paperback was printed in 1993 so perhaps that explains the cover. Anyone know the cover trends from that time?)
Anne McCaffrey remains a favourite author for me; her books are simple and tell a generally cracking story. The world building is not as complex in each book but overall, when the series are put together, the worlds and scenarios she has created are seminal. As I have aged, some of the issues with Ms. McCaffrey’s are more obvious but I do generally enjoy them - nostalgia perhaps?
With that caveat aside, this book was very confusing for me. I raced through it as it is a very readable book which is more domestic than grand space opera. This book is basically family-life in space which is important to keep in mind. Despite the last minute action and the sci-fi setting this is more domestic saga than anything. Some of the domestic, child-rearing sections are quite fun actually. It reminds me a bit of the Jetsons actually which could be a good thing depending on your tastes.
However, structurally, this book has some significant oddities. The first 20% or so is a recap of Book 1 told from Afra (our hero???) perspective. It wasn’t necessarily an issue, if a little long, but devoting so much space to Afra was odd. In a book about Damia why would we spend the first quarter on a recap and through the love-interest’s POV. Why not call this book Afra?
This was the beginning of a series of odd choices. The extended focus on Afra before Damia was even born made the entire dynamic creep. I got the need for a focus on the main male lead (and love interest) but the dynamic he had with Rowan become quite creepy as we know he’ll “bond” with Rowan’s daughter thanks to the blurb. (On a side note, the Rowan regresses to hysterical and high-strung which was “fun” to read - not).
There are so many of these that I could basically go through the entire book and point odd thing out (the twins, the age difference, the focus on baby Damia with Afra as her caregiver!). However, despite that I don't think it matters to the actual reading experience based on the strength of the writing. The plot was not great but the book felt like candy - it gave me a high while I was reading it but I felt a little nauseous after a while.
I am going with 3 stars in the end as I enjoyed reading it so I am sticking to my scale. I am not sure why this wasn’t a worse book because this is an odd duck of a book. Ah well - I am still going to finish the series.
PS. Afra has green skin - what? I know I shouldn’t be euro-centric and assume whiteness but green? That wasn’t explained at all.
“Damia is the daughter of Prime Talents The Rowan and Jeff Raven. Her own telepathic and telekinetic abilities manifested at an early age, unimaginable powers even greater than her parents’, challenging to wield much less control. As willful as her mother ever was, Damia defies her family’s attempts to tame and train her—only to bond with Afra Lyon, a Talent who serves The Rowan, and who becomes the object of her affection.
When she comes of age, Damia learns that a Prime of her capabilities and temperament has no time for love. Assigned to serve the farthest human colonized world from Earth, Damia leads a lonely existence until she telepathically connects with an alien presence in another galaxy—a potential threat not only to Damia, but to the love Afra wants to share with her…”
So continuing my self-flagellation (see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2574316936?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1), I picked this up due to another awful cover design - it made the book seems more like paranormal self-published book than a book by one of the most beloved sci-fi authors out there. I still miss the classic cover with Damia slouching front and centre; it had this impudent panache that is missing in this new one. (I will say that the paperback was printed in 1993 so perhaps that explains the cover. Anyone know the cover trends from that time?)
Anne McCaffrey remains a favourite author for me; her books are simple and tell a generally cracking story. The world building is not as complex in each book but overall, when the series are put together, the worlds and scenarios she has created are seminal. As I have aged, some of the issues with Ms. McCaffrey’s are more obvious but I do generally enjoy them - nostalgia perhaps?
With that caveat aside, this book was very confusing for me. I raced through it as it is a very readable book which is more domestic than grand space opera. This book is basically family-life in space which is important to keep in mind. Despite the last minute action and the sci-fi setting this is more domestic saga than anything. Some of the domestic, child-rearing sections are quite fun actually. It reminds me a bit of the Jetsons actually which could be a good thing depending on your tastes.
However, structurally, this book has some significant oddities. The first 20% or so is a recap of Book 1 told from Afra (our hero???) perspective. It wasn’t necessarily an issue, if a little long, but devoting so much space to Afra was odd. In a book about Damia why would we spend the first quarter on a recap and through the love-interest’s POV. Why not call this book Afra?
This was the beginning of a series of odd choices. The extended focus on Afra before Damia was even born made the entire dynamic creep. I got the need for a focus on the main male lead (and love interest) but the dynamic he had with Rowan become quite creepy as we know he’ll “bond” with Rowan’s daughter thanks to the blurb. (On a side note, the Rowan regresses to hysterical and high-strung which was “fun” to read - not).
There are so many of these that I could basically go through the entire book and point odd thing out (the twins, the age difference, the focus on baby Damia with Afra as her caregiver!). However, despite that I don't think it matters to the actual reading experience based on the strength of the writing. The plot was not great but the book felt like candy - it gave me a high while I was reading it but I felt a little nauseous after a while.
I am going with 3 stars in the end as I enjoyed reading it so I am sticking to my scale. I am not sure why this wasn’t a worse book because this is an odd duck of a book. Ah well - I am still going to finish the series.
PS. Afra has green skin - what? I know I shouldn’t be euro-centric and assume whiteness but green? That wasn’t explained at all.