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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I like Timothy Zane. He writes good SF. This book is well written. However, it’s like an exposition of a video game. I’m not a gamer, so this subject and treatment does not interest me. Another count against this book, is that I read this book first and it’s the second book of the series, with apparently a lot of the backstory in #1. Nicole’s from Philly, but not a lot about Philly in this book. Got this one at the library as an express book (ie, new and no renewals allowed). I dutifully plowed thru the book. It’s now safely back at the library. I’ll read more Zhan, just not this series.
The first half was a lot of set-up for the second (and probably the next book). As such it dragged in places. However, the second half got back up to speed moving the plot forward with building tension and rising stakes for the protagonist (the stakes for humanity were already high).
May have to revisit this review after the final book. It could easily go up, not likely it would drop.
May have to revisit this review after the final book. It could easily go up, not likely it would drop.
The story continues. The ongoing struggle for control of the ship Fyrantha rages. Alien characters evolve in new and unforeseen ways. And the street kid from Philadelphia rises to the occasion in her unexpected role as Protector. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I gave this series a shot, thinking the second book would be better than the first. I was dead wrong. I will not be completing this series. After having read his Thrawn series, Zahn fell woefully short of the expectations I have for him.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Pretty good. Perhaps it starts slow, or perhaps I didn't remember enough from the first book to take off running. Regardless, it's worth a read to people who live Zahn.
This was a solid follow up to book one of the series. I originally picked a couple of these up on sale as I recognized the author. They have been good books to read as a break from epic fantasy or science fiction reads though.
Book two picked up right where the first left off. I was honestly feeling some deja vu at first. It was really beginning to feel like a simple reskin in the first quarter of this book. I'll explain that a bit more in detail later in a spoiler area of my review. But after that things definitely took a turn and this book became a different story continuing on from the first.
I feel the pacing of the story was on par with the first. We have some good mix of action along with simple dialog and story telling. We meet some new character and learn quite a bit more about those already introduced in the previous book. This isn't one of those non-stop action type of reads but there is more than enough to keep a reader interested.
The world build was done well again. Granted we are still on the same ship we were on in the first book, but we begin to explore a lot more of it. Again I don't want to give to much away in this section of the review but the ship is large enough to have several different feelings or vibes depending on the part the characters are in during the story.
I feel the character development is probably the strongest of the three main areas I usually discuss. As I mentioned earlier we continue to learn more about the previously introduced characters. We get to know them and their pasts more as well as seeing them grow during this story. We also have quite a few new characters introduced which continues to make things interesting in a story like this as well.
All in all I've been enjoying this series for the reasons I gave above. These are just fun, easy, short novels to read through. I still have one more on the shelf to round this trilogy out. I should be able to get to this in the next month or two.
********* WARNING Possible Spoilers below *********
I just wanted to mention a couple of the points I really enjoyed about this book. Early on in this one we begin to get hints that Khakista isn't as big and dumb has he has being coming across as. We meet some more Ghorfs and as the book progresses we find out there are so much more to Khakista and his fellow Ghorfs! I love the fact that this community/race has found a way to grow and exist in this environment right under the noses of the Shipmasters and perhaps even the ship itself.
We get several messages from this book as my takeaways. The first being that some people just can't change their ways. This obviously has to do with the reintroduction to Bungie in book two. But who knows maybe he'll finally turn things around in the final book! We also get to know different views of slavery. As the Ponngs are willing to offer themselves to Nicole as her slaves for a chance to survive. We also get a good feeling of how Nicole feels about this. As she certainly wants to help them but also help the others races involved including all human life back on Earth. Finally after the final battle we finally admit the risks of simply being involved in these arena fights even if we aren't trying to kill or hurt anyone. It might be just as dangerous or even more so if the Shipmasters think of humans not just as fighters but as leaders who can convince others to fight!
Speaking of the ending of book two I was really shocked how willing or cooperative the Shipmaster was being with Nicole and her demands. Though just a few pages later we find out that might not be entirely true and now we feel the Caretaker has been compromised and Nicole and the rest of the crew appear to be even more on their own. Hopefully she and they have learned enough this point so continue to learn how things can be done without the Caretaker's help!
Book two picked up right where the first left off. I was honestly feeling some deja vu at first. It was really beginning to feel like a simple reskin in the first quarter of this book. I'll explain that a bit more in detail later in a spoiler area of my review. But after that things definitely took a turn and this book became a different story continuing on from the first.
I feel the pacing of the story was on par with the first. We have some good mix of action along with simple dialog and story telling. We meet some new character and learn quite a bit more about those already introduced in the previous book. This isn't one of those non-stop action type of reads but there is more than enough to keep a reader interested.
The world build was done well again. Granted we are still on the same ship we were on in the first book, but we begin to explore a lot more of it. Again I don't want to give to much away in this section of the review but the ship is large enough to have several different feelings or vibes depending on the part the characters are in during the story.
I feel the character development is probably the strongest of the three main areas I usually discuss. As I mentioned earlier we continue to learn more about the previously introduced characters. We get to know them and their pasts more as well as seeing them grow during this story. We also have quite a few new characters introduced which continues to make things interesting in a story like this as well.
All in all I've been enjoying this series for the reasons I gave above. These are just fun, easy, short novels to read through. I still have one more on the shelf to round this trilogy out. I should be able to get to this in the next month or two.
********* WARNING Possible Spoilers below *********
I just wanted to mention a couple of the points I really enjoyed about this book. Early on in this one we begin to get hints that Khakista isn't as big and dumb has he has being coming across as. We meet some more Ghorfs and as the book progresses we find out there are so much more to Khakista and his fellow Ghorfs! I love the fact that this community/race has found a way to grow and exist in this environment right under the noses of the Shipmasters and perhaps even the ship itself.
We get several messages from this book as my takeaways. The first being that some people just can't change their ways. This obviously has to do with the reintroduction to Bungie in book two. But who knows maybe he'll finally turn things around in the final book! We also get to know different views of slavery. As the Ponngs are willing to offer themselves to Nicole as her slaves for a chance to survive. We also get a good feeling of how Nicole feels about this. As she certainly wants to help them but also help the others races involved including all human life back on Earth. Finally after the final battle we finally admit the risks of simply being involved in these arena fights even if we aren't trying to kill or hurt anyone. It might be just as dangerous or even more so if the Shipmasters think of humans not just as fighters but as leaders who can convince others to fight!
Speaking of the ending of book two I was really shocked how willing or cooperative the Shipmaster was being with Nicole and her demands. Though just a few pages later we find out that might not be entirely true and now we feel the Caretaker has been compromised and Nicole and the rest of the crew appear to be even more on their own. Hopefully she and they have learned enough this point so continue to learn how things can be done without the Caretaker's help!
Knight: A Chronicle of Sybil's War is the second novel in Timothy Zahn's series, Sybil's War. It's an epic space opera perfect for fans of the genre.
Once upon a time, Nicole Hammond and her partner Bungie were focused entirely on trying to survive on the streets of Philadelphia. Now, that seems like so long ago. Against all odds, they have been abducted by mysterious aliens – and unfortunately for them, they do not imagine this experience.
Her time among the aliens changed her, and now she is a being known as a Sybil – a human with the ability to communicate with aliens. She must find a way out of this war, for everyone's sakes, even if nobody is thrilled with the situation.
Before I delve into my review, I need to be completely honest here. I did it again. AGAIN. I picked up yet another novel without realizing it was a sequel beforehand. I don't know why I seem to have gone through a string of this lately. I need to up my Goodreads search skills.
Anyway, despite not having read the first novel, I didn't have any trouble following along with Knight. Many early events sound pretty similar to other series (games and novels) that I've seen in the past, so that helped a lot.
I enjoyed reading about Zahn's alien races and how they function as individuals and society. If I'm honest, those were the highlights of this novel to me. That doesn't mean the rest was bad, just that these moments and revelations stole the show as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Once upon a time, Nicole Hammond and her partner Bungie were focused entirely on trying to survive on the streets of Philadelphia. Now, that seems like so long ago. Against all odds, they have been abducted by mysterious aliens – and unfortunately for them, they do not imagine this experience.
Her time among the aliens changed her, and now she is a being known as a Sybil – a human with the ability to communicate with aliens. She must find a way out of this war, for everyone's sakes, even if nobody is thrilled with the situation.
Before I delve into my review, I need to be completely honest here. I did it again. AGAIN. I picked up yet another novel without realizing it was a sequel beforehand. I don't know why I seem to have gone through a string of this lately. I need to up my Goodreads search skills.
Anyway, despite not having read the first novel, I didn't have any trouble following along with Knight. Many early events sound pretty similar to other series (games and novels) that I've seen in the past, so that helped a lot.
I enjoyed reading about Zahn's alien races and how they function as individuals and society. If I'm honest, those were the highlights of this novel to me. That doesn't mean the rest was bad, just that these moments and revelations stole the show as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
A decent continuation of this series with its interesting variant on giant generation ships. With the young Nicole Hammond as protagonist, the book may be a good YA read as well. A fun read.