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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
This is some zany stuff. It's described on the cover as "Master and Commander meets Dune" and that's exactly what you get. There are lots of characters and plot lines that go all over the place and eventually meet in one dangerous, mad chase. I enjoyed the creative setting and ecology of the planet Spatterjay, as well as the blend between human, aliens, and AIs in conflict and in concert.
It's definitely a testosterone-fueled adventure story but really fun to read. The universe here is complicated and has a lot of places to go.
It's definitely a testosterone-fueled adventure story but really fun to read. The universe here is complicated and has a lot of places to go.
Gotta love a book where you can decapitate a character, keep its severed head in a box for centuries and then have the thing sprout wings and ATTACK like some weird sci-fi Penanggalan. I'm not being sarcastic here. I did love it. And I loved the weirdo leech and drone-filled world that Neal Asher created. My only complaint was that the creatures of this world had their names tossed around a few too many times. Oh look, more prill. Gotta love prill. Would love them even more if there was a local synonym for the nasty little things.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.25/5
Okay, so I kinda liked this book. It was my first real sci-fi novel and I enjoyed it. But it was far from perfect.
Throughout the whole book I felt that it could've been shorter. Plus the enormous amount of characters didn't help one bit. It was hard to get attached to anyone or to even imagine what they looked like.
I will say, though, that I liked Sniper a lot and I hope to see him again. He was quite funny and rather sarcastic, which I appreciate a lot. A lot.
I didn't care much for the main three characters that were mentioned in the synopsis. They were kind of just there.
It is Neal's second work, though, as far as I know, so I might let all the disadvantages be. I just hope the trilogy gets better.
Okay, so I kinda liked this book. It was my first real sci-fi novel and I enjoyed it. But it was far from perfect.
Throughout the whole book I felt that it could've been shorter. Plus the enormous amount of characters didn't help one bit. It was hard to get attached to anyone or to even imagine what they looked like.
I will say, though, that I liked Sniper a lot and I hope to see him again. He was quite funny and rather sarcastic, which I appreciate a lot. A lot.
I didn't care much for the main three characters that were mentioned in the synopsis. They were kind of just there.
It is Neal's second work, though, as far as I know, so I might let all the disadvantages be. I just hope the trilogy gets better.
I found it too much work figuring out who/what everyone was and where I was in the story. Otherwise, I really liked the planet life, dangerous creatures, and Keech.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
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:
No
This book is a little slow to get rolling. About the 1/3 mark it starts to pick up and really gets rolling. I have not read any other polity universe books so I went into this one blind. I came out loving it and wanting more polity. The drones are a hoot and the creatures of this world are savage. The virus that infects everything on this world makes for a very interesting addition to the setting that I really enjoyed. Everything combined to make a dam good creature feature and had me ordering the next two books in the trilogy.
Slow beginning knocks it down to a 4 star read.
Slow beginning knocks it down to a 4 star read.
I really wanted to like this book, but the author failed to grab my interest and make me care for the characters.
The world of was intricately detailed, maybe at the expense of the story and the characters it was there to support.
The first half of the book left you feeling confused and disorientated, you're dropped in without points of reference thrown detail after interesting detail.
Generally I like to get to know the characters and see the fantasy worlds through their eyes, This book had all the right ingredients for a great read and possibly captivating series. I just felt the story didn't fit together smoothly enough and lacked an engaging narrative.
The world of was intricately detailed, maybe at the expense of the story and the characters it was there to support.
The first half of the book left you feeling confused and disorientated, you're dropped in without points of reference thrown detail after interesting detail.
Generally I like to get to know the characters and see the fantasy worlds through their eyes, This book had all the right ingredients for a great read and possibly captivating series. I just felt the story didn't fit together smoothly enough and lacked an engaging narrative.
Re read. Just a good adventure with lots of fun sci Fi ideas thrown in.