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robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
Have I mentioned the only thing I hate more than a book that ends on a cliffhanger (always a cheap gambit to keep a reader interested in a series when the author can't rely on the quality of the book to do so), is a cliffhanger at the end of long book? Considering this is an omnibus collecting a bunch of sequential novellas originally published separately, I can only imagine how frustrating the original reading experience was. The sad part is, up 'til then, it was a decent read. I won't say a great one, because the trouble with an interesting premise like journeying between story worlds to patch tales going wrong is that you're dropped into stories in progress and don't hang around long enough to witness character development/full arcs or get invested in said characters. The genrenauts themselves have story beats, but it feels a little thin on the ground considering how much it was spread out between stories. Just, generally unsatisfying. Debating whether it's worth looking up the last book (all 57 pages of it) or at least the only one published outside this omnibus, which apparently hasn't had an entry in a couple years, with a 5 year break in between. It's not looking good for a satisfying ending.
There is a bit of that fanfic cozy glow, where you know the characters and just pop them briefly into a different setting, but the trouble is we don't know the characters as well as we'd like, and the storytelling relies on tropes so heavily it's hard not to feel formulaic, whereas fanfic in my experience often turns tropes on their head.
Diversity win-ish. Characters are Black (man), Chinese-American (woman), Jewish (woman) , in a wheelchair (woman), Middle Eastern, transgender woman, action hero man with ADHD, all written by a white guy, who does acknowledge where the story archetypes are based on racist stereotypes.
I honestly wish there was more time spent discussing the meta aspects of interacting with story worlds reliant on formulas, but I recognize pushing the action forward, especially in a novella, makes that difficult.
Considering that one character is identified as a stand-up comic and the other as a comedienne, humour was a little thin on the ground.
Collection really could have benefitted from another editorial pass, to correct formatting, missing words, punctuation, etc.
I think given the credit attributed to a Kickstarter campaign, this was a project brought in on a shoestring budget, and unfortunately it shows.
There were rich backstories hinted at and the shadowy High Council and increasing dimensional disturbances definitely need a spotlight and a magnifying glass thrown on it, which just makes me that much more bummed that it doesn't appear the author will be giving such material the denouement it deserves. 🙎🏼♂️ I will be happy to be proven wrong, I just hope it's not going to take another five years.
There is a bit of that fanfic cozy glow, where you know the characters and just pop them briefly into a different setting, but the trouble is we don't know the characters as well as we'd like, and the storytelling relies on tropes so heavily it's hard not to feel formulaic, whereas fanfic in my experience often turns tropes on their head.
Diversity win-ish. Characters are Black (man), Chinese-American (woman), Jewish (woman) , in a wheelchair (woman), Middle Eastern, transgender woman, action hero man with ADHD, all written by a white guy, who does acknowledge where the story archetypes are based on racist stereotypes.
I honestly wish there was more time spent discussing the meta aspects of interacting with story worlds reliant on formulas, but I recognize pushing the action forward, especially in a novella, makes that difficult.
Considering that one character is identified as a stand-up comic and the other as a comedienne, humour was a little thin on the ground.
Collection really could have benefitted from another editorial pass, to correct formatting, missing words, punctuation, etc.
I think given the credit attributed to a Kickstarter campaign, this was a project brought in on a shoestring budget, and unfortunately it shows.
There were rich backstories hinted at and the shadowy High Council and increasing dimensional disturbances definitely need a spotlight and a magnifying glass thrown on it, which just makes me that much more bummed that it doesn't appear the author will be giving such material the denouement it deserves. 🙎🏼♂️ I will be happy to be proven wrong, I just hope it's not going to take another five years.
toblerowl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.75
addisoncs's review against another edition
5.0
I read the first three of these novellas as individual ebooks, and loved them enough to pick up the complete season. Michael R. Underwood is a nerd. A huge nerd. It's wonderful. He has the kind of eye for genre and trope that can only come from a deep love of the format. That love comes through as he riffs on the conventions of books and movies in a way that goes to the core of what a story really is, all while telling a story that is fun and engaging in itself.
Read this. You'll be glad you did.
Read this. You'll be glad you did.
shell_s's review against another edition
5.0
The only thing I don't love about this utterly original series is having to wait for Season Two, instead of being able to binge it right away.
This series asks "What if you could travel into a story and become part of its solution?" (Who hasn't fantasized about that?) But then it asks "What if once the story has its 'hooks' in you, you might get drawn in too deep to leave?"
This series rewards you with pay-offs for every science fiction/epic fantasy/western/romantic comedy/detective procedural you ever read or watched, by exploring tropes and what disasters might befall the story's inhabitants if they broke down. And stakes are raised in the real world because what happens in fictional stories creates shockwaves in our 'adjacent' world. As a worldbuilding device I found this simple (in its clarity) yet brilliant.
And top priority for me is always the characters. I was immediately drawn in by quippy and resilient Leah Tang, whose reading savvy turns out to be great not only for discouraging drunk fratboys at her open mic stand-up show, but also for her new dream job as a Genrenaut alongside a team of elite agents.
Snarky Asian-American nerd Leah asks a very good question at the beginning of the book, which I will paraphrase as "Why can't someone like me be the hero, why do orphan farm boys like Luke Skywalker get all the fun?!" (This idea is also excellently explored in the farcical Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne by the way.)
As I got to know them I enjoyed the other Genrenauts (her mentors and teammates) and their struggles as well. There are nuanced backgrounds and backstories that I don't want to spoil here with details. And perhaps most of all I loved the teammates' interactions--there are such honest moments to be found here that the relationships deeply resonated with me.
And, though their appearances are briefer and generally one-offs, I likewise appreciated the "NPCs" in the book world. Many are very archetypal but that's how they are intended to be, and more often than not they still surprised me with their quirks or depth.
Though episodic by genre, Season One does have its own dramatic through-arcs, and sets up plenty of intrigue and obstacles and enemies for Season Two.
I'd say I can't wait, but what I really mean is it will be worth any wait to me. The author has other fun and creative series to read/review in the meantime, like Geekomancy and (maybe a series?) Shield and Crocus. As I've said before...
WHEN YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!
This series asks "What if you could travel into a story and become part of its solution?" (Who hasn't fantasized about that?) But then it asks "What if once the story has its 'hooks' in you, you might get drawn in too deep to leave?"
This series rewards you with pay-offs for every science fiction/epic fantasy/western/romantic comedy/detective procedural you ever read or watched, by exploring tropes and what disasters might befall the story's inhabitants if they broke down. And stakes are raised in the real world because what happens in fictional stories creates shockwaves in our 'adjacent' world. As a worldbuilding device I found this simple (in its clarity) yet brilliant.
And top priority for me is always the characters. I was immediately drawn in by quippy and resilient Leah Tang, whose reading savvy turns out to be great not only for discouraging drunk fratboys at her open mic stand-up show, but also for her new dream job as a Genrenaut alongside a team of elite agents.
Snarky Asian-American nerd Leah asks a very good question at the beginning of the book, which I will paraphrase as "Why can't someone like me be the hero, why do orphan farm boys like Luke Skywalker get all the fun?!" (This idea is also excellently explored in the farcical Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne by the way.)
As I got to know them I enjoyed the other Genrenauts (her mentors and teammates) and their struggles as well. There are nuanced backgrounds and backstories that I don't want to spoil here with details. And perhaps most of all I loved the teammates' interactions--there are such honest moments to be found here that the relationships deeply resonated with me.
And, though their appearances are briefer and generally one-offs, I likewise appreciated the "NPCs" in the book world. Many are very archetypal but that's how they are intended to be, and more often than not they still surprised me with their quirks or depth.
Though episodic by genre, Season One does have its own dramatic through-arcs, and sets up plenty of intrigue and obstacles and enemies for Season Two.
I'd say I can't wait, but what I really mean is it will be worth any wait to me. The author has other fun and creative series to read/review in the meantime, like Geekomancy and (maybe a series?) Shield and Crocus. As I've said before...
WHEN YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!
andersenmom's review
5.0
This was just... absolutely delightful. I hope there is a season two, because it ended on a cliff hanger.
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