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bartfennema's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Such loveable characters! I love the kindness that permeates through the pages. In that sense, very relaxing and comforting. I keep returning to this series.
snowcrash's review
4.0
As I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, _Linesman_, I was looking forward to the continuation of the story. For me, the authors deliver more of what made the first book a wonderful read.
Ean and Radko are the center, but so does Captain Kari Wang. Her path to self redemption is what much of the story hangs off of & it worked for me. A lot of space opera political intrigue develops, but it doesn't overpower the characters or their interactions.
The best parts are around the exploration of the lines and the alien ships. The ships have sentience, but not in the silicon AI of other sci-fi universes. Ean's abilities border on magical, but if you buy into the idea of line sensitivity, then it all makes sense. His abilities and the resentment of traditional linesmen is the classic conflict of old vs. new way of thinking.
I stayed up late a couple nights to read through this book. It isn't intense thriller type page turning. It is more like a comfortable world that simply flows. Well done characters doing their best for their side. I even understood why the assassin did what he did. ie respect of decisions, even if I didn't like them.
Time to grab the third book.
Ean and Radko are the center, but so does Captain Kari Wang. Her path to self redemption is what much of the story hangs off of & it worked for me. A lot of space opera political intrigue develops, but it doesn't overpower the characters or their interactions.
The best parts are around the exploration of the lines and the alien ships. The ships have sentience, but not in the silicon AI of other sci-fi universes. Ean's abilities border on magical, but if you buy into the idea of line sensitivity, then it all makes sense. His abilities and the resentment of traditional linesmen is the classic conflict of old vs. new way of thinking.
I stayed up late a couple nights to read through this book. It isn't intense thriller type page turning. It is more like a comfortable world that simply flows. Well done characters doing their best for their side. I even understood why the assassin did what he did. ie respect of decisions, even if I didn't like them.
Time to grab the third book.
sarah42783's review
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
Who knew lines could be so cool and exciting and awesome and stuff?!
Err...That's not really the type of line I had in mind, but I guess this looks kind of fun, too. Perhaps. Maybe. A little. In a non-Sci-Fi, non-space opera, non-devious plotting galore, 100% retirement home-approved way. But hey, there seems to be music involved in that line up there ⤴, so that means there might be singing as well, right? And if there's singing, then it means the lines I'm actually referring to are gleefully happy. No idea what I'm talking about? That's okay, you shouldn’t. I mean, you really should, but since you have no common sense and therefore have not yet read this series (don’t ask me what common sense has to do with this, I have no idea), you don’t. Yes, logic is me, I know.
Anyway, I’d tell you about what the lines in this series refer to but I’mpresently lazy as fish, so I won’t [insert light-bulb moment here] Wait. Yes, I will! I’ll just copy the stuff I wrote about lines in my review for the first book in this series! Ha! So cunning of me indeed *pats herself on the exoskeleton* Soooo, our resident lines are a sort of Sentient Alien Technology Thingie (SATT™) that make spaceships work and also enable space travel. Every spacecraft has a set of lines and a team of, um, you know, linesmen to service them. Now, up to the end of book 1, the puny humans in this world didn't really know how or why lines worked. Because all humans are puny and all puny beings are clueless, ergo all humans are clueless. But 1/Times they are a changin’ and stuff and 2/Ean Lambert is in da house.
Err…That’s not really the house I had in mind, but whatever. Besides, much like the line that wasn’t the line I had in mind up there ⤴, this house (that isn’t the one I was referring to, remember?) involves ♫ singing ♫. And you know how it is with the lines I was actually referring to up there ⤴, don’t you? That’s right, as long as someone is singing their little head off in their near vicinity, they are gleefully happy. Anyway, Ean Lambert—aka our Originally Hard to Warm Up to But Now Super Endearing Main Character (OHtWUtBNSEMC™)—has now gone up in theworld galaxy and is in charge of training other linesmen (who might or might not be slightly sceptical about his, um, musical approach to line servicing). Yeah yeah, I know, it sounds boring as fish when I put it like that, but I promise it isn’t. I mean, I have the patience and attention span of a malnourished, anaemic barnacle and I thought it was all pretty exciting and stuff, so there’s perhaps maybe a slight chance than you will, too. Except if you are one of Those of the Despicable Book Taste (TotDBT™). If such is the case, I am afraid there is naught I can do for you and stuff. But I digress. What I was so eloquently trying to say is: this line business is indeed super cool and intriguing and original and fun and stuff. Also, Ean Lambert is almost nearly harem-worthy, in a kinda sorta deliciously awkward, wonderfully socially inept yet delectably charming way.
Add to that ⤴ (yes, I do love that arrow thingie, so astute of you to notice and stuff) awesome space stuffduh , a fantastic cast of diverse characters, political machinations galore, murder and espionage and kidnapping oh my, suspense, humor, and a great audio narration by Brian Hutchinson, and you well, um, you know, a 4.5-star book. More or less.
➽ And the moral of this You Don’t Have to Wave Your Silly Lightsaber around Like a Maniac to Impress the Enemy, Singing Your Head Off Will Suffice and Stuff Crappy Non Review (YDHtWYSLaLaMtItESYHOWSaSCNR™) is: not that I’m enjoying this series or anything, but I’m already halfway through book three as we speak. I think that should tell you something. Yes it should.
P.S. Ean dear, I think I just found another, um, line for you and the, um, lines to enjoy. Not sure your slightly aggravating voice coach, Messire Rigel, would approve of your singing along to this one, but I say he can go to Stinking Fish Hell (SFH™). So you just go right ahead and ♫ jump in the line ♫ pet, my murderous children will, um, take care of Rigel and stuff.
• Book 1: Linesman ★★★★
• Book 3: Confluence ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Not a single pew pew pew to be had in this series. But original line stuff and entertaining line stuff and exciting line stuff? Oh yes, there's definitely plenty of that to be had. YUM.
I said no pew pew pew, dammit! Take your Spoiler and go home, Luke, your drunk!
➽ Full Young and Clueless I Used to Be and Hate Silly Space Opera Stuff Slightly I Was Inclined To But Wise andAncient All Knowing Now I Am Ergo Love it Much Now I Do Crappy Non Review (YaCIUtBaHSSOSSIWITBWaAAKNIAELiMNIDCNR™) to come.
Who knew lines could be so cool and exciting and awesome and stuff?!
Err...That's not really the type of line I had in mind, but I guess this looks kind of fun, too. Perhaps. Maybe. A little. In a non-Sci-Fi, non-space opera, non-devious plotting galore, 100% retirement home-approved way. But hey, there seems to be music involved in that line up there ⤴, so that means there might be singing as well, right? And if there's singing, then it means the lines I'm actually referring to are gleefully happy. No idea what I'm talking about? That's okay, you shouldn’t. I mean, you really should, but since you have no common sense and therefore have not yet read this series (don’t ask me what common sense has to do with this, I have no idea), you don’t. Yes, logic is me, I know.
Anyway, I’d tell you about what the lines in this series refer to but I’m
Err…That’s not really the house I had in mind, but whatever. Besides, much like the line that wasn’t the line I had in mind up there ⤴, this house (that isn’t the one I was referring to, remember?) involves ♫ singing ♫. And you know how it is with the lines I was actually referring to up there ⤴, don’t you? That’s right, as long as someone is singing their little head off in their near vicinity, they are gleefully happy. Anyway, Ean Lambert—aka our Originally Hard to Warm Up to But Now Super Endearing Main Character (OHtWUtBNSEMC™)—has now gone up in the
Add to that ⤴ (yes, I do love that arrow thingie, so astute of you to notice and stuff) awesome space stuff
➽ And the moral of this You Don’t Have to Wave Your Silly Lightsaber around Like a Maniac to Impress the Enemy, Singing Your Head Off Will Suffice and Stuff Crappy Non Review (YDHtWYSLaLaMtItESYHOWSaSCNR™) is: not that I’m enjoying this series or anything, but I’m already halfway through book three as we speak. I think that should tell you something. Yes it should.
P.S. Ean dear, I think I just found another, um, line for you and the, um, lines to enjoy. Not sure your slightly aggravating voice coach, Messire Rigel, would approve of your singing along to this one, but I say he can go to Stinking Fish Hell (SFH™). So you just go right ahead and ♫ jump in the line ♫ pet, my murderous children will, um, take care of Rigel and stuff.
• Book 1: Linesman ★★★★
• Book 3: Confluence ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Not a single pew pew pew to be had in this series. But original line stuff and entertaining line stuff and exciting line stuff? Oh yes, there's definitely plenty of that to be had. YUM.
I said no pew pew pew, dammit! Take your Spoiler and go home, Luke, your drunk!
➽ Full Young and Clueless I Used to Be and Hate Silly Space Opera Stuff Slightly I Was Inclined To But Wise and
sophiebillekens's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tachyondecay's review
3.0
Oh my god give me all these books I want this entire series on my shelf right now. Alliance builds on the exciting promise made by S.K. Dunstall in Linesman to bring us a new space opera series that is bold both in its vision of interstellar politics and its cool SF technology. After a long time avoiding space opera (except to catch up on the good stuff I’ve missed) because of the overgrown weeds of nanotech posthumanism, I’m so happy to be enthusiastic about a brand new entry into this subgenre. While this particular instalment of the series didn’t excite me quite as much as Linesman, returning to Ean’s world and his quest to change humanity’s relationship to the alien lines is still a thrilling experience. As usual, no spoilers for this book, but spoilers for the previous one abound.
Picking up a few months after the ending of Linesman, Alliance shows us a human galaxy in a state of warmed-over cold war. Gate Union and the New Alliance are technically at war but basically not outright fighting, with each hoping that the other will blink. Smart money seems to be on Gate Union, since it controls the assignment of jumps—but the New Alliance’s privileged access to a fleet of alien ships throws a big unknown into this assessment. And so Dunstall immediately establishes the stakes: you know, nothing short of massive interstellar conflict and death and injury on a staggering scale. No pressure, Ean.
Whereas, in the first book, Ean is largely a marginalized figure who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight, Alliance sees him adapting to his more prominent role. He is in charge of training linesmen (and people passed over for line training) in his much-maligned method of singing to the lines. As this takes traction among the Alliance contingent, a faction within Gate Union plots to kidnap Ean and steal his secrets. But they fundamentally misunderstand both his role within the Alliance and the key to his skills, meaning that their kidnapping attempts fail comically. Meanwhile, any number of smaller schemes between factions or groups of individuals within the New Alliance threaten to impinge on Ean and his team’s attempts to master the alien ships they suddenly have access to. This last includes the political decision over who to appoint captain of the alien flagship, the Eleven. Who better than a traumatized captain only recently recovered from losing her ship in a sneak attack?
Looking back on that last paragraph, I marvel now at Dunstall’s ability to fit so much into such a confined volume! When reading the book, it didn’t really feel like a lot was happening. Yet there is so much; there are so many minor players and pawns involved, people I didn’t even mention—it is really a testament to the skill of sisters Sherylyn and Karen that they manage to keep it all together as a cohesive narrative. We’re not quite talking A Song of Ice and Fire level complexity here—Dunstall sensibly keeps the narration following Ean and Selma Kari Wang, for the most part, with a few interjections from third parties. Nevertheless, Alliance has a decent plot density that really contributes to what people often talk about when they toss around terms like worldbuilding. Without going into too much exposition about this universe, Dunstall manages to describe its functioning simply through the progression of the plot itself. Love it.
We learn a little bit more about the functions of the lines. Most of the developments, however, centre on Ean’s relationship to the other linesmen and how his training will affect their profession. I like the juxtaposition of Ean’s disruptive program with his cartel dealings with the Rickenback, Paretus, and Rigel. One really gets the sense that we’re in the middle of this intense paradigm shift in how humanity uses the lines. Outright mind-blowing revelation scenes are few and far between, but there are just so many moments of varying subtlety to indicate how the lines are more complex than linesmen have traditionally believed. From Ean’s observations of the captains of the Eleven’s fleet to the would-be kidnappers underestimating Ean’s abilities, it is clear that in this incipient war, technology might not be the determining factor so much as the ability to adapt to these new circumstances.
Some of my favourite characters, like Abram and Michelle, are more sidelined in this book. That makes me a little sad. This is the type of series, though, where the author will eternally have the dilemma of wanting to give a little fan service by giving us the same-old, same-old that we crave and actually challenging us by opening up new vistas. Abram’s promotion and subsequent replacement by Vega creates some necessary new conflict in Ean and Michelle’s life. I just wish we got more of these characters than we did! Still, I’m optimistic they will play larger roles next time around. Conversely, I could have done with even less of Stellan. His incompetence verged on dull at times. I admire how Dunstall uses his failure to emphasize the fundamentally flawed approach that Markan is taking to dealing with Ean and the Alliance. Nevertheless, he himself verges on a kind of buffoonish caricature of a villain, in my opinion. Hopefully as the war heats up we’ll see more sides to him.
Alliance introduces a new, significant protagonist in Selma Kari Wang. She complements Ean very well in so many respects. I also love how Ean is initially very excited by the way Eleven seems ready to bond with her, but when she inadvertently threatens the safety of the ship/fleet, he suddenly gets super protective. The fluidity and fragility of their fledgling relationship feels very real and organic. Similarly, Selma initially views Ean as a Lancastrian puppet and a know-it-all Level 10 linesman; she has no idea of what has happened in recent months because of her injuries. So she has to get up to speed, and both of them will gradually have to develop a working respect (one would hope).
If there is one thing I want to get across here, it’s the marvellous and myriad ways Dunstall creates and takes advantage of the opportunities for conflict within Alliance. In addition to the over-arching galactic conflict, there are so many little conflicts among minor characters, between people who are supposed to be allies, etc. Whether it’s the frenemy bromance brewing between Ean and Jordan Rossi or the grating tension between Ean and Vega, there are so many little sparks that could potentially become fires. Note that it’s the potential that matters: if everything developed into a full-blown subplot this book really would be longer than Game of Thrones … rather, Dunstall artfully picks and chooses which conflicts to emphasize and which to let simmer on the backburner, much like in real life. (And so we come to the dirty secret of space opera: it’s more about opera than it is about space; human conflicts, human stories, are the bread and butter. The “space” is just an excuse for everyone to wear form-fitting catsuits.)
Alliance did not wow me quite as much as Linesman did, that much is true. That’s partly just because Linesman was that good, though; don’t think of Alliance as worse, but simply as building off that platform. It furthers the story arc of the series and has kept me excited—so much so, in fact, that I pre-ordered Confluence, out in November, because I want that book as soon as I can get it, and, since there’s no point in owning just the third book in a series, I’ve bought these first two books as well.
I don’t know if this is a trilogy or an ongoing series—I eternally hold out hope for the latter, but even if it’s the former, I’ve high hopes for Confluence. Alliance left me with several questions, most of which I won’t get into so as to avoid spoilers, but here are the biggies: when will we meet aliens, and why hasn’t humanity run into them before?
I am looking forward to finding out!
My reviews of the Linesman series:
← Linesman | Confluence →
Picking up a few months after the ending of Linesman, Alliance shows us a human galaxy in a state of warmed-over cold war. Gate Union and the New Alliance are technically at war but basically not outright fighting, with each hoping that the other will blink. Smart money seems to be on Gate Union, since it controls the assignment of jumps—but the New Alliance’s privileged access to a fleet of alien ships throws a big unknown into this assessment. And so Dunstall immediately establishes the stakes: you know, nothing short of massive interstellar conflict and death and injury on a staggering scale. No pressure, Ean.
Whereas, in the first book, Ean is largely a marginalized figure who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight, Alliance sees him adapting to his more prominent role. He is in charge of training linesmen (and people passed over for line training) in his much-maligned method of singing to the lines. As this takes traction among the Alliance contingent, a faction within Gate Union plots to kidnap Ean and steal his secrets. But they fundamentally misunderstand both his role within the Alliance and the key to his skills, meaning that their kidnapping attempts fail comically. Meanwhile, any number of smaller schemes between factions or groups of individuals within the New Alliance threaten to impinge on Ean and his team’s attempts to master the alien ships they suddenly have access to. This last includes the political decision over who to appoint captain of the alien flagship, the Eleven. Who better than a traumatized captain only recently recovered from losing her ship in a sneak attack?
Looking back on that last paragraph, I marvel now at Dunstall’s ability to fit so much into such a confined volume! When reading the book, it didn’t really feel like a lot was happening. Yet there is so much; there are so many minor players and pawns involved, people I didn’t even mention—it is really a testament to the skill of sisters Sherylyn and Karen that they manage to keep it all together as a cohesive narrative. We’re not quite talking A Song of Ice and Fire level complexity here—Dunstall sensibly keeps the narration following Ean and Selma Kari Wang, for the most part, with a few interjections from third parties. Nevertheless, Alliance has a decent plot density that really contributes to what people often talk about when they toss around terms like worldbuilding. Without going into too much exposition about this universe, Dunstall manages to describe its functioning simply through the progression of the plot itself. Love it.
We learn a little bit more about the functions of the lines. Most of the developments, however, centre on Ean’s relationship to the other linesmen and how his training will affect their profession. I like the juxtaposition of Ean’s disruptive program with his cartel dealings with the Rickenback, Paretus, and Rigel. One really gets the sense that we’re in the middle of this intense paradigm shift in how humanity uses the lines. Outright mind-blowing revelation scenes are few and far between, but there are just so many moments of varying subtlety to indicate how the lines are more complex than linesmen have traditionally believed. From Ean’s observations of the captains of the Eleven’s fleet to the would-be kidnappers underestimating Ean’s abilities, it is clear that in this incipient war, technology might not be the determining factor so much as the ability to adapt to these new circumstances.
Some of my favourite characters, like Abram and Michelle, are more sidelined in this book. That makes me a little sad. This is the type of series, though, where the author will eternally have the dilemma of wanting to give a little fan service by giving us the same-old, same-old that we crave and actually challenging us by opening up new vistas. Abram’s promotion and subsequent replacement by Vega creates some necessary new conflict in Ean and Michelle’s life. I just wish we got more of these characters than we did! Still, I’m optimistic they will play larger roles next time around. Conversely, I could have done with even less of Stellan. His incompetence verged on dull at times. I admire how Dunstall uses his failure to emphasize the fundamentally flawed approach that Markan is taking to dealing with Ean and the Alliance. Nevertheless, he himself verges on a kind of buffoonish caricature of a villain, in my opinion. Hopefully as the war heats up we’ll see more sides to him.
Alliance introduces a new, significant protagonist in Selma Kari Wang. She complements Ean very well in so many respects. I also love how Ean is initially very excited by the way Eleven seems ready to bond with her, but when she inadvertently threatens the safety of the ship/fleet, he suddenly gets super protective. The fluidity and fragility of their fledgling relationship feels very real and organic. Similarly, Selma initially views Ean as a Lancastrian puppet and a know-it-all Level 10 linesman; she has no idea of what has happened in recent months because of her injuries. So she has to get up to speed, and both of them will gradually have to develop a working respect (one would hope).
If there is one thing I want to get across here, it’s the marvellous and myriad ways Dunstall creates and takes advantage of the opportunities for conflict within Alliance. In addition to the over-arching galactic conflict, there are so many little conflicts among minor characters, between people who are supposed to be allies, etc. Whether it’s the frenemy bromance brewing between Ean and Jordan Rossi or the grating tension between Ean and Vega, there are so many little sparks that could potentially become fires. Note that it’s the potential that matters: if everything developed into a full-blown subplot this book really would be longer than Game of Thrones … rather, Dunstall artfully picks and chooses which conflicts to emphasize and which to let simmer on the backburner, much like in real life. (And so we come to the dirty secret of space opera: it’s more about opera than it is about space; human conflicts, human stories, are the bread and butter. The “space” is just an excuse for everyone to wear form-fitting catsuits.)
Alliance did not wow me quite as much as Linesman did, that much is true. That’s partly just because Linesman was that good, though; don’t think of Alliance as worse, but simply as building off that platform. It furthers the story arc of the series and has kept me excited—so much so, in fact, that I pre-ordered Confluence, out in November, because I want that book as soon as I can get it, and, since there’s no point in owning just the third book in a series, I’ve bought these first two books as well.
I don’t know if this is a trilogy or an ongoing series—I eternally hold out hope for the latter, but even if it’s the former, I’ve high hopes for Confluence. Alliance left me with several questions, most of which I won’t get into so as to avoid spoilers, but here are the biggies: when will we meet aliens, and why hasn’t humanity run into them before?
I am looking forward to finding out!
My reviews of the Linesman series:
← Linesman | Confluence →
lordofthemoon's review
4.0
Ean Lambert is trying hard to unravel the mysteries of the lines, now that he's discovered that they're actually sentient, and the New Alliance is trying hard to to keep their alliance together and find and train crew for the fleet of new alien ships that Lambert uncovered at the end of [b: Linesman|23604332|Linesman (Linesman, #1)|S.K. Dunstall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417986744s/23604332.jpg|43205965]. Into this comes Captain Selma Kari Wang, broken and grieving, who is thrust, unwilling, into the limelight and given command of one of the new ships.
Although Linesman was pretty political, this book feels like it turns that up to eleven (no pun intended). Ean has to work through layers of politics and politicians trying to keep the fragile New Alliance happy while also trying to help determine a threat that wants to destroy everything they have built. While politicking can be fun, I felt a bit lost at times, trying to keep up with who was allied to whom at the moment and who's double-crossing who. The mysterious enemy was more interesting to me, as was the slow rehabilitation of Captain Kari Wang. She starts of as a broken woman (the link between a captain and their line ship is very strong) as the only survivor after her ship is destroyed but we see the strength in her, and it's nice to see her develop as a character.
The major flaw for me in this book was that the ending was very low-key. I guess that's middle-book syndrome all over, but it felt like there were lots of plot hooks flapping around without a hugely satisfying resolution. Still, that's all the more reason to move straight on to volume three.
Although Linesman was pretty political, this book feels like it turns that up to eleven (no pun intended). Ean has to work through layers of politics and politicians trying to keep the fragile New Alliance happy while also trying to help determine a threat that wants to destroy everything they have built. While politicking can be fun, I felt a bit lost at times, trying to keep up with who was allied to whom at the moment and who's double-crossing who. The mysterious enemy was more interesting to me, as was the slow rehabilitation of Captain Kari Wang. She starts of as a broken woman (the link between a captain and their line ship is very strong) as the only survivor after her ship is destroyed but we see the strength in her, and it's nice to see her develop as a character.
The major flaw for me in this book was that the ending was very low-key. I guess that's middle-book syndrome all over, but it felt like there were lots of plot hooks flapping around without a hugely satisfying resolution. Still, that's all the more reason to move straight on to volume three.
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