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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one didn't click at all with me. I normally like my complicated fantasy/sci-fi political maneuverings and family dramas, but I didn't really care about any of the characters. There's no real main character, instead you follow members of the Corta family as they pit their business, money, and prestige against other families who are gunning for what Corta has. The point of view bounces around so much between the 5 or 6 family members that you really don't spend a lot of time with any one of them, which I think takes away a lot of the story's impact. Compounding my disconnect with the story were the continued usage of unfamiliar terms, which I ended up having to write down to keep track of what they meant using context clues.
I think my favorite point of view ended up being the matriarch's retelling of how the Cortas got to where they are, while my least favorite by a long margin was Lucasinho. The author has a really good writing style and I can see why others like this series so much, but it didn't do anything for me and I likely will not be continuing with the series.
I think my favorite point of view ended up being the matriarch's retelling of how the Cortas got to where they are, while my least favorite by a long margin was Lucasinho. The author has a really good writing style and I can see why others like this series so much, but it didn't do anything for me and I likely will not be continuing with the series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a well-written book, it's just not my cup of tea. I found the ever-switching POVs to be confusing and difficult to follow, with not much designation within the text that I should be anticipating a switch - sometimes reading whole paragraphs before realizing it's someone else and not being sure what was going on. I enjoyed the concept immensely, which is why I muddled through it, but that should tell you how I felt about the narrative structure...
I ended up really liking this, even though the POV changes were kind of annoying at first. The plot ended up flowing really well and the characters were quite interesting. The concept of colonizing the moon was really cool and I liked how McDonald built up the world and made it as hard as it was. The concept of contract law was also really cool.
The plot moved a little slow, but was quite intriguing. The tech side of the world was quite fascinating as well. I enjoyed the descriptions given of the world built on the moon.
The characters were ruthless. It was interesting to see how characters had left Earth for the moon and then chose to stay and build their lives and families up from there. I liked Carlihnos and Marina, as well as Ariel's points of view. Lucasihno was a little annoying and a spoiled brat at points, but develops and grows towards the end of the novel.
Overall, great story arc and characters and I am intrigued to keep reading.
The plot moved a little slow, but was quite intriguing. The tech side of the world was quite fascinating as well. I enjoyed the descriptions given of the world built on the moon.
The characters were ruthless. It was interesting to see how characters had left Earth for the moon and then chose to stay and build their lives and families up from there. I liked Carlihnos and Marina, as well as Ariel's points of view. Lucasihno was a little annoying and a spoiled brat at points, but develops and grows towards the end of the novel.
Overall, great story arc and characters and I am intrigued to keep reading.
Too much like Game of Thrones, unlikable characters doing dirt to each other. I couldn't finish it.
QUICK PITCH: A dynasty-spanning mafia war on the Moon. Also, there is a lot of sex, drugs, and media coverage.
VERDICT: I found the beginning slow going. By the time I'd been reading long enough to sort out all the Portuguese names, I was completely hooked. The drama within and between the "governing" families of the Moon is intense--backs are stabbed, courtroom fights are literal fights, and no gun goes un-fired at the end of the novel. The comparisons to Game of Thrones are apt, although the people on the Moon probably smell better.
Usually I don't do this, but a particular favorite line:
VERDICT: I found the beginning slow going. By the time I'd been reading long enough to sort out all the Portuguese names, I was completely hooked. The drama within and between the "governing" families of the Moon is intense--backs are stabbed, courtroom fights are literal fights, and no gun goes un-fired at the end of the novel. The comparisons to Game of Thrones are apt, although the people on the Moon probably smell better.
Usually I don't do this, but a particular favorite line:
Nothing tells you that you are not on Earth anymore like exhaling at one price and inhaling at another.
I know that not everyone feels the same, but I think that most of the characters didn't have enough depth. Which is disappointing to me. Okay, you get to know some of the character traits, like Rafa is really emotional about his wives leaving him, Lucashino is a player and of course Adriana's backstory. But that wasn't enough for me. I would have liked to read about what they though of the things they experienced. Unfortunately, I didn't experience this book that way.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My feelings towards this book changed a lot while reading, but in the end, it came down to this: It started out and ended very strong and disappointed in the middle, especially in one regard. And in not just one way, it didn't quite deliver what it had promised.
What I liked:
- I love me some different POV characters.
- Corporations, dynasties and their conflicts ... IN SPACE.
- It's not US-centric, which is basically a guarantee I'll read it.
- The technology is interesting and believable.
- Knife fights ... IN SPACE.
- Great worldbuilding.
So, this book should have been right up my alley. Sadly, it wasn't.
- The beginning and the ending were very good. In fact, the ending is the best thing about this book, but it does not quite make up for all the rest.
What didn't work?
- I feel like I never really got to know the POV characters, except for one (Adriana Corta, and she doesn't have much impact on the current events ). I think it was because their chapters were too short and there was too much switching between characters, so they never developed beyond their respective stereotypes and I couldn't empathize with them. Thus, I didn't really care about what happened to them. I only started caring about Lucasinho right before the book ended.
- There was a lot of unnecessary content that didn't contribute anything to the story (Wagner!) I do think it might become important in one of the next books, but I don't like this whole 'You have to read all the books to really appreciate them' thing. Get my attention with your first book!
- The writing is bloated, with repetitions. Too many repetitions, always repetitions.
- I did not like the narrator of the audiobook. He speaks too slowly and flatly, even in emotional scenes. Didn't work for me at all, even after I sped it up.
What disappointed me
The author tried to write strong, female characters (I think), but wrote 'strong, female characters'(TM) instead. Every one of them is either a mother or a sex object or both. Even Ariel, who is a POV character, and is presented as an independent woman with a great career who knows what she wants, is treated this way. I can't think of one decision she made for herself throughout the book. Every decision is made for her by someone else, usually a man.
Like, there are really cool ideas in there, and interesting female characters, but they rarely ever get the chance to be more than a mother or a body.
Additionally, this author is weirdly fascinated by women having sex and likes to describe it in excruciating detail. Almost every woman (who is not clearly 'just' a mother) talks or thinks about having sex (sometimes in the least probable situation, like whenMarina nearly died and thinks about having sex with Carlinhos while still recovering ) or is described having sex. And the description doesn't even try to be from her perspective, but is written for the onlooker, the voyeur.
I actually went back and confirmed when this book was written, because it reads like something from the 70s or 80s, and I do not have this kind of patience with male authors writing female characters in this day and age anymore. It usually makes me angry, but here, it just disappoints, because I really wanted to love this book, it had such a great premise.
Let me give you some examples: (Spoiler tags ahead)
The Ariel scene. I get why it's in the book,it establishes her as an autoerotic person . But then why do we need all this detail about what exactly she does? And why does the author feel the need to add a mirror, so he can describe what she looks like and does from the outside, if it is about her own feelings - inside? In the end, the scene reads like a cam-girl scene and not remotely like something about a person who's only aroused by themselves.
Also,she orgasm'd for the first time when she put on a really tight space suit? Seriously? It's 2020 (or 2015, in the case of this book). If you don't know how women work, ask them!
Rafa, a main character, goes down on his wife, but only the woman's (a side character's) body and (re-)actions are described in excruciating detail. The only thing said about Rafa is how amazing he is at it.
Also:'He didn't even pressure her for a blow job afterwards.' - How bloody nice of him! Yeah, maybe that's just his character, but it was established how much they love each other, so ... which one is it?
In contrast to that, Lucasinho having sex is a big part of his character, and he is never described in this kind of detail. (Which I am thankful for, he is a teenager after all!) Every single one of the male characters gets a '...and they fell into bed. Several hours later...' kind of scene and it seems to be sufficient for establishing their characters. Not once does the author describe a man's body while he is having sex in any detail.
...................................
I feel like the author wanted to write this huge, epic 'A Song of Ice and Fire in Space', something I would have loved. But sadly, it isn't quite that.
I was torn between two and three stars, but I actually had to force myself to finish this book because of the bloated writing, so two stars it is.
I don't know if I am going to read the next book in the series.
What I liked:
- I love me some different POV characters.
- Corporations, dynasties and their conflicts ... IN SPACE.
- It's not US-centric, which is basically a guarantee I'll read it.
- The technology is interesting and believable.
- Knife fights ... IN SPACE.
- Great worldbuilding.
So, this book should have been right up my alley. Sadly, it wasn't.
- The beginning and the ending were very good. In fact, the ending is the best thing about this book, but it does not quite make up for all the rest.
What didn't work?
- I feel like I never really got to know the POV characters, except for one (
- There was a lot of unnecessary content that didn't contribute anything to the story (Wagner!) I do think it might become important in one of the next books, but I don't like this whole 'You have to read all the books to really appreciate them' thing. Get my attention with your first book!
- The writing is bloated, with repetitions. Too many repetitions, always repetitions.
- I did not like the narrator of the audiobook. He speaks too slowly and flatly, even in emotional scenes. Didn't work for me at all, even after I sped it up.
What disappointed me
The author tried to write strong, female characters (I think), but wrote 'strong, female characters'(TM) instead. Every one of them is either a mother or a sex object or both. Even Ariel, who is a POV character, and is presented as an independent woman with a great career who knows what she wants, is treated this way. I can't think of one decision she made for herself throughout the book. Every decision is made for her by someone else, usually a man.
Like, there are really cool ideas in there, and interesting female characters, but they rarely ever get the chance to be more than a mother or a body.
Additionally, this author is weirdly fascinated by women having sex and likes to describe it in excruciating detail. Almost every woman (who is not clearly 'just' a mother) talks or thinks about having sex (sometimes in the least probable situation, like when
I actually went back and confirmed when this book was written, because it reads like something from the 70s or 80s, and I do not have this kind of patience with male authors writing female characters in this day and age anymore. It usually makes me angry, but here, it just disappoints, because I really wanted to love this book, it had such a great premise.
Let me give you some examples: (Spoiler tags ahead)
The Ariel scene. I get why it's in the book,
Also,
Rafa, a main character, goes down on his wife, but only the woman's (a side character's) body and (re-)actions are described in excruciating detail. The only thing said about Rafa is how amazing he is at it.
Also:
In contrast to that, Lucasinho having sex is a big part of his character, and he is never described in this kind of detail. (Which I am thankful for, he is a teenager after all!) Every single one of the male characters gets a '...and they fell into bed. Several hours later...' kind of scene and it seems to be sufficient for establishing their characters. Not once does the author describe a man's body while he is having sex in any detail.
...................................
I feel like the author wanted to write this huge, epic 'A Song of Ice and Fire in Space', something I would have loved. But sadly, it isn't quite that.
I was torn between two and three stars, but I actually had to force myself to finish this book because of the bloated writing, so two stars it is.
I don't know if I am going to read the next book in the series.
Si quieres ciencia ficción de la dura este libro es una pasada. La sociedad lunar, su organización, sus formas de vida forman una ambientación increíble. Y tartas, todas las tartas.
I have not read any of Ian McDonald's works before, although he's certainly been writing for quite a while. It was a name I was vaguely aware of, but hadn't heard anything at all specific about. I'm always up to try new authors, though, and when Tor.com distributed free copies of Luna: New Moon for their book club, I snatched it up. What I found was solid science fiction. It doesn't feel like it's revolutionary (one intriguing plot thread aside), but it was character-based in a way I enjoy, and had a strong sense of the world, communicated well to readers.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook