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mel_d's review against another edition
3.0
It was a good read... for military scifi. Which, at some point, I should admit to myself, is not a genre I particularly enjoy.
angrywombat's review against another edition
3.0
Yep. This was a very well written and paced story, and I totally understand how it was nominated for a bunch of awards and got republished by a publishing house.
I read the whole thing in a day (coffee was needed, but it counts!)
Sadly, I generally dont like straight military action stories (felt like a hollywood action movie, but just in words). But this story kept me going for the whole thing at least. Its like a high-tech tom clancy novel - guns, special gear, corrupt business tycoons etc. Throw in some rogue AI that might be helping (or have some long plan)...
I enjoyed the writing, and the pacing (non-stop!). If you like your military fiction, you will love this. For me it was more of a fun tangent, but the premise didn't grab me sadly.
I read the whole thing in a day (coffee was needed, but it counts!)
Sadly, I generally dont like straight military action stories (felt like a hollywood action movie, but just in words). But this story kept me going for the whole thing at least. Its like a high-tech tom clancy novel - guns, special gear, corrupt business tycoons etc. Throw in some rogue AI that might be helping (or have some long plan)...
I enjoyed the writing, and the pacing (non-stop!). If you like your military fiction, you will love this. For me it was more of a fun tangent, but the premise didn't grab me sadly.
zzzrevel's review against another edition
3.0
I am not a fan of Military SciFi, but for some reason this
one grabbed me enough to try it. The book has three
parts called 'Episodes', and the first part had sufficient
intrigue to make me like the story. The second part
however, mostly dragged although I won't say why
because I don't want to give out any spoilers. The
third part had an interesting mission and so redeemed
that middle.
Good characters, not just the protagonist, but others
such as Jaynie and Ransom. The overall plot was entertaining
complete with a mystery to resolve before coming to
a pause point that still made it obvious that I now have
to read the second book ("The Trials") in the trilogy to
find out what happens next.
Recommended if you like Military SciFi otherwise you
might be turned off by some deaths and gore.
one grabbed me enough to try it. The book has three
parts called 'Episodes', and the first part had sufficient
intrigue to make me like the story. The second part
however, mostly dragged although I won't say why
because I don't want to give out any spoilers. The
third part had an interesting mission and so redeemed
that middle.
Good characters, not just the protagonist, but others
such as Jaynie and Ransom. The overall plot was entertaining
complete with a mystery to resolve before coming to
a pause point that still made it obvious that I now have
to read the second book ("The Trials") in the trilogy to
find out what happens next.
Recommended if you like Military SciFi otherwise you
might be turned off by some deaths and gore.
tony_t's review against another edition
3.0
A right-wing wet dream. The squad disparages mediots (mainstream reporters or media-idiots), spineless military brass, and immoral politicians in justifying their mission. A rogue operation to kidnap the head of a defense contractor and deliver her to an African country run by a warlord for an international tribunal. Volume one of a trilogy, Nagata weaves a fast-paced narrative with numerous plot twists.
dray's review against another edition
5.0
Sensational read. One of the best science fiction-military novels I have read. Can't wait to start the other 2 in her sequence.
imitira's review against another edition
3.0
Solid example of the super-soldiers-righting-wrongs genre.
crispinsday's review against another edition
2.0
There are things I liked a lot - this is a military story which has zero sexism and zero racism, and the technological and ethical aspects felt unsettlingly current - but boy did it become a slog to read, so much so that the only feeling I had when the book ended was relief. Everything is long-winded and over explained, except for the romance, which is peculiarly underwritten, dull, and unconvincing. The action scenes and descriptions of technology, on the other hand, are detailed to a fault. This should have felt cinematic, but instead it read like an instruction manual I wasn't especially interested in reading. Overlong and underwhelming.
archergal's review against another edition
4.0
This is an exciting book. It's set in the near future when wars are ginned up by defense contractors and soldiers are networked together and more or less cyborged. But there's something in the network that's working for its own ends-- or is it?
I wish military sf didn't make me quite so uncomfortable. It's not a fault of the book per se. The increasingly technological nature of the armed forces and the power (and vulnerability) that comes with it just makes me queasy. So much potential for misuse there.
This is the first book I've read by Linda Nagata. Now I understand why she's been so praised. :) Good writing & plotting, kept me engrossed in spite of my qualms about the subject matter.
I wish military sf didn't make me quite so uncomfortable. It's not a fault of the book per se. The increasingly technological nature of the armed forces and the power (and vulnerability) that comes with it just makes me queasy. So much potential for misuse there.
This is the first book I've read by Linda Nagata. Now I understand why she's been so praised. :) Good writing & plotting, kept me engrossed in spite of my qualms about the subject matter.
lindzey's review against another edition
3.0
Perfectly entertaining while being deeply cynical, and I'll probably read the sequels. However, it felt a bit too on-the-nose for our current point in history, without really making me see it *differently*. Maybe I should call it competent military SF?
I call it cynical because:
* The main character is an involuntary (and unaware) reality-TV star,
* due to his contract as a military officer (it was that or prison),
* fighting in yet-another-ground-war that is only a thing because defense contractors gotta have wars, somewhere in the world.
The (slightly) more far-off thing was the voice whispering in his ear, which the characters suspect is an emergent AI. This ... also felt like a trope rather than something new.
I call it cynical because:
* The main character is an involuntary (and unaware) reality-TV star,
* due to his contract as a military officer (it was that or prison),
* fighting in yet-another-ground-war that is only a thing because defense contractors gotta have wars, somewhere in the world.
The (slightly) more far-off thing was the voice whispering in his ear, which the characters suspect is an emergent AI. This ... also felt like a trope rather than something new.