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dawn_marie's review against another edition
3.0
[b:Kantovan Vault|32199241|Kantovan Vault (The Spiral Wars #3)|Joel Shepherd|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474816167l/32199241._SY75_.jpg|52842545], the third offering in [a:Joel Shepherd|215710|Joel Shepherd|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1309637582p2/215710.jpg]'s Spiral War series was a mixed bag for me . . . it was mostly enjoyable with some flaws, while annoying, did not detract from my overall enjoyment.
This book had a less cohesive feel than previous offerings, possibly because this is the first offering where our main protagonists are separated, each on their own mission. Because of that separation this felt less like a novel and more like three separate storylines woven (some times clumsily) together - with none of them being fully realized (though to be fair, a fair few hints where dropped that leads the reader to believed that a particular storyline will be explored in greater detail in future books (at least I hope so)).
The world is rich, with each alien race having its own unique customs, culture, language, and prejudices. I did enjoy the interaction between Dale and Tooganam and their begrudging respect for each other was well realized (I enjoyed that plotline the most); the storylines following Captain Debogande and Major Thakur - not so much. It felt like those two plotlines were meant to show us how "clever" Styx truly is and how quickly the Phoenix crew has come to rely on it (her?).
As an aside, when will humans learn that working with a sentient AI never ends well . . . for the humans. See: Skynet, HAL, I Robot, Ultron, Robopocalypse, Ava, Westworld, etc.
Mr. Shepherd's writing style is pleasant and easy going, but my goodness, the long, long long detailed exposition dumps of everything from a spacecraft's design to a molecular lock really disrupts the flow of the story. Even with those interruptions, the pacing was good, following the typical pattern of building the stakes and then ending with a battle sequence or three - just to set up the plot for the next volume in the series.
I mostly enjoyed the story - my biggest complaint being the disjointed plot. I understand the intent was to showcase the enormity of the task as well as Styx's complete integration into all things Phoenix, the execution was lacking.
Lisbeth appeared to be an afterthought . . . almost as if the author decided he wanted Phoenix to pull off a heist and needed a reason for the crew to do so . . . and behold, Lisbeth is kidnapped to force Erik's hand. It was such a plot convenience that I completely forgot about her until she showed up at the end . . . and set the stakes for the next book.
Also . . . I really hope that the author does not go down the romance path with Captain Debogande and Major Thakur; I dislike the fact that so many authors feel the need to romantically pair their male/female leads . . . why can't they write a story where the male/female leads have a strong, loving plantic friendship?
This book had a less cohesive feel than previous offerings, possibly because this is the first offering where our main protagonists are separated, each on their own mission. Because of that separation this felt less like a novel and more like three separate storylines woven (some times clumsily) together - with none of them being fully realized (though to be fair, a fair few hints where dropped that leads the reader to believed that a particular storyline will be explored in greater detail in future books (at least I hope so)).
The world is rich, with each alien race having its own unique customs, culture, language, and prejudices. I did enjoy the interaction between Dale and Tooganam and their begrudging respect for each other was well realized (I enjoyed that plotline the most); the storylines following Captain Debogande and Major Thakur - not so much. It felt like those two plotlines were meant to show us how "clever" Styx truly is and how quickly the Phoenix crew has come to rely on it (her?).
As an aside, when will humans learn that working with a sentient AI never ends well . . . for the humans. See: Skynet, HAL, I Robot, Ultron, Robopocalypse, Ava, Westworld, etc.
Mr. Shepherd's writing style is pleasant and easy going, but my goodness, the long, long long detailed exposition dumps of everything from a spacecraft's design to a molecular lock really disrupts the flow of the story. Even with those interruptions, the pacing was good, following the typical pattern of building the stakes and then ending with a battle sequence or three - just to set up the plot for the next volume in the series.
I mostly enjoyed the story - my biggest complaint being the disjointed plot. I understand the intent was to showcase the enormity of the task as well as Styx's complete integration into all things Phoenix, the execution was lacking.
Spoiler
Lisbeth's kidnapping seemed a (rather terrible) plot convenience to force Phoenix crew into doing Artisan's bidding; and the fact that his wishes just happened to align with Styx's desires was a bit to coinsidential for my taste. I would have preferred that there be some arguments/discussions before the crew blindly acquiesced to Artisan's demands.Lisbeth appeared to be an afterthought . . . almost as if the author decided he wanted Phoenix to pull off a heist and needed a reason for the crew to do so . . . and behold, Lisbeth is kidnapped to force Erik's hand. It was such a plot convenience that I completely forgot about her until she showed up at the end . . . and set the stakes for the next book.
Also . . . I really hope that the author does not go down the romance path with Captain Debogande and Major Thakur; I dislike the fact that so many authors feel the need to romantically pair their male/female leads . . . why can't they write a story where the male/female leads have a strong, loving plantic friendship?
mikelisi's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-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? No
3.75
davecapp's review against another edition
5.0
This series reminds me a bit of Game of Thrones (the TV series). Many of us watched the first season and loved it, but we were pretty sure the second season could not match it. Wrong! It got better. The third season would definitely be less. Wrong again!
The Spiral Wars saga is very similar, it just keeps getting better. I’ve just finished book 3 and my head is spinning with a level of Galactic building, versus world building, that’s going on. Lots of Aliens, battles, great weapons, innovative technology, political, intrigue, and a hell of a cast of characters. This would make a hell of a TV series, but I doubt anyone could afford to make it.
So, I just look forward to reading the rest of the series.
The Spiral Wars saga is very similar, it just keeps getting better. I’ve just finished book 3 and my head is spinning with a level of Galactic building, versus world building, that’s going on. Lots of Aliens, battles, great weapons, innovative technology, political, intrigue, and a hell of a cast of characters. This would make a hell of a TV series, but I doubt anyone could afford to make it.
So, I just look forward to reading the rest of the series.
yvarg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
toddbert's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
impending_feta's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lizziegracereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kyleh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
ashlawson09's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
yinala's review against another edition
4.0
I like how much this author goes into detail and expands the history of the universe and characters. It's the perfect amount without going overboard and becoming boring. I also love the comradery and the characters, especially Trace and the drysine queen is fascinating. I am really enjoying this series so far!
The voice actor for the audiobook is really good btw!
The voice actor for the audiobook is really good btw!