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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
This was somewhat entertaining, very heavily military sci-fi. The central idea is very intriguing: piggy-backing on another person's mind, and watching what they do, and then what happens when they get incapacitated? The slogging small-unit action part of the military sci-fi got to me after awhile: not really my favorite to read, but it was definitely a new perspective and had some really interesting aspects to it. Overall the book was okay, not exceptional.
Something strange is going on on the colony planet Eighty-Six and reporter Lex Falk is determined to figure out what it is. Falk gets his personality embedded in the brain of soldier Nestor Bloom. Falk observes Bloom's activities until Bloom winds up shot in the head and Falk is forced to take over the body. Can Falk get his dying body and Bloom's comrades to safety and uncover what's going on on Eighty-Six before he dies?
One day, I was checking out the Firstreads giveaways when I saw this book. While I've never read any of Dan Abnett's work, I've heard of him. He's written a ton of Warhammer stuff, had a pretty good on Legion of Superheroes, and whatever that space crossover thing Marvel did a few years ago. So I entered the giveaway and won it.
Remember that summer in the late eighties when body swapping movies were all the rage? Vice-versa, Like Father, Like Son, and that one with George Burns in it? Embedded is like that, only with guns. Aside from the aforementioned body swapping, Embedded is a fairly standard military sf adventure. There are some great firefights and quite a bit of humor, including gems like: "What happened to your face? I got shot in it." Falk seemed like an asshole at the beginning but I got behind him once he bonded with the other soldiers. The tech was pretty good too, from the body swapping Jung tank to the soldiers' gear. I think Abnett did a great job portraying how it would be to be trapped inside an unfamiliar body.
Did I have any gripes? Only that it took forever to get moving. The book's 350 pages long and it took over 100 pages for the body swap to finally happen. If Abnett would have shaved off thirty or so pages from the beginning, this would have been an easy four. As is, three is as high as I can go.
For military sf fans, this should be right up your alley. It's not going to make you forget Old Man's War or Armor but it's still pretty good.
One day, I was checking out the Firstreads giveaways when I saw this book. While I've never read any of Dan Abnett's work, I've heard of him. He's written a ton of Warhammer stuff, had a pretty good on Legion of Superheroes, and whatever that space crossover thing Marvel did a few years ago. So I entered the giveaway and won it.
Remember that summer in the late eighties when body swapping movies were all the rage? Vice-versa, Like Father, Like Son, and that one with George Burns in it? Embedded is like that, only with guns. Aside from the aforementioned body swapping, Embedded is a fairly standard military sf adventure. There are some great firefights and quite a bit of humor, including gems like: "What happened to your face? I got shot in it." Falk seemed like an asshole at the beginning but I got behind him once he bonded with the other soldiers. The tech was pretty good too, from the body swapping Jung tank to the soldiers' gear. I think Abnett did a great job portraying how it would be to be trapped inside an unfamiliar body.
Did I have any gripes? Only that it took forever to get moving. The book's 350 pages long and it took over 100 pages for the body swap to finally happen. If Abnett would have shaved off thirty or so pages from the beginning, this would have been an easy four. As is, three is as high as I can go.
For military sf fans, this should be right up your alley. It's not going to make you forget Old Man's War or Armor but it's still pretty good.
Having never read any Dan Abnett, I was hooked by the blurb for this novel, specifically the idea that Falk's consciousness is embedded into the brain of a soldier ... who then dies in battle leaving Falk conscious, stranded inside the soldier. I'll leave it at that in terms of plot.
Brilliant action scenes, brilliant future-casting in terms of how space-borne civilisations might work and be in the future. Lovely style. If you like military sf, space opera, or near future thrillers, this is a must. Arguably the best book in the Angry Robot stables.
Brilliant action scenes, brilliant future-casting in terms of how space-borne civilisations might work and be in the future. Lovely style. If you like military sf, space opera, or near future thrillers, this is a must. Arguably the best book in the Angry Robot stables.
Solid military SF. Quite a bit grittier and more politically-oriented than Scalzi's wonderful "Old Man's War." Really makes you feel the pain of war, and the complexity of political machinations in a future world. Good read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kinda cool, kinda predictable, but liked it nonetheless.
7.1 out of 10 stars.
Good Sci-fi book! Lots of futuristic action, and an interesting story. It's one of those books you can't put down. It took a bit for Abnett's jargon to sink in (like a lot of sci-fi) but don't let that put you off from an interesting story.
Good Sci-fi book! Lots of futuristic action, and an interesting story. It's one of those books you can't put down. It took a bit for Abnett's jargon to sink in (like a lot of sci-fi) but don't let that put you off from an interesting story.
Thought I'd give it a good 10% to see if I was into it, but then i had to stop at "She was a she too, a long-wheelbase Amazon compared to the portable, compact Tedders." No thank you.
Reminiscent of the great William Gibson, but without the skill that author displays. I love the premise, but the story bogs down and becomes tedious. The protagonist quests for a truth that is never revealed to the reader. Just ok.