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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid entry in the series.
You could read this standalone, bit it will be better if you go back to Elysium Fire (2018) or even all the way back to 2007's The Prefect.
It's a police procedural in space. And a good one.
I really like how this is entirely set around Yellowstone and the Glitter Band. I am tired of giant sagas where ships leap between galaxies or even solar systems in a few minutes and time dilation is never a problem.
There's plenty of action, a complex plot, some heroism, some uncertainty. And maybe a tad of melodrama so the bad guys have some leverage over our hero. Dreyfus breaks rules, but not in a Dirty Harry way, and they expect him to. He's a good man, but practical. He dives right in, but carefully.
There's a continuance of mentoring here, too, which is good in a series that spans some years; it gives the sense that the Panoply itself is a character.
Lots of tech, the usual smartsuits and implausibly capable helperbots (in this case the whiphounds, who seem to understand commands a human would struggle with). Hyperpigs are taken as a given, which is an example of why it would be good to have read at least some of AR's earlier work.
I'm almost ready to forgive AR for Absolution Gap. My review is here in Goodreads.
You could read this standalone, bit it will be better if you go back to Elysium Fire (2018) or even all the way back to 2007's The Prefect.
It's a police procedural in space. And a good one.
I really like how this is entirely set around Yellowstone and the Glitter Band. I am tired of giant sagas where ships leap between galaxies or even solar systems in a few minutes and time dilation is never a problem.
There's plenty of action, a complex plot, some heroism, some uncertainty. And maybe a tad of melodrama so the bad guys have some leverage over our hero. Dreyfus breaks rules, but not in a Dirty Harry way, and they expect him to. He's a good man, but practical. He dives right in, but carefully.
There's a continuance of mentoring here, too, which is good in a series that spans some years; it gives the sense that the Panoply itself is a character.
Lots of tech, the usual smartsuits and implausibly capable helperbots (in this case the whiphounds, who seem to understand commands a human would struggle with). Hyperpigs are taken as a given, which is an example of why it would be good to have read at least some of AR's earlier work.
I'm almost ready to forgive AR for Absolution Gap. My review is here in Goodreads.
spacecowboyprogrammer's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ktaroo939's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this series. An interesting space opera with an old school type detective character at its center. Really more of a 4.5 star series than just a 4 but goodreads doesn’t let me do half stars lol.
brian9teen's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
axeborn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
kateofmind's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
lorelei_reads's review
adventurous
medium-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? Yes
4.0
ros_yikes's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0