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guybrushtmp's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was giving Battlestar Galactica/Mass Effect vibes in the best way possible until the final chapter where it switched to Mass Effect 3 ending in the worst way possible. Definitely was a 4.5 stars until that ending.
The end feels like you are watching a season of a show that ends on a cliffhanger to find out it has been cancelled. Everyone says it is a standalone but I don't know if a follow-up could recover it.
What a sad way to end my year.
The end feels like you are watching a season of a show that ends on a cliffhanger to find out it has been cancelled. Everyone says it is a standalone but I don't know if a follow-up could recover it.
What a sad way to end my year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism
shadowspinner's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Torture, War, and Alcoholism
nekoshka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Gun violence, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Ableism and War
erynlasbelin's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
On a pathfinding mission with the 803rd, Specialist Adriene Valero dies. Again.
She rezones into her new husk - a synthetically-grown copy of her original body - for the 96th time, feeling even further separated from her own humanity. But not from her addictions, or from the physical and mental trauma she's endured. To Adriene, rezoning isn't a blessing, but a curse - something she will do anything to never experience again.
Without explanation, she finds herself suddenly reassigned to forward reconnaissance in a special forces unit. Her new squad is shocked by her number of rezones; in the 505th, "zeroing out" is rare. It's in this comparatively safe environment that Adriene is finally able to adjust to her new body and begin to form genuine connections with the people around her.
At the same time, she's chosen for a secret, specialist assignment under the command of a mysterious Major who worries that humanity is about to meet its sudden end. This role warrants an upgrade for her Rubicon, the 505th's standard virtual intelligence implant...an upgrade that allows her Rubicon to become a fully sentient being inside her brain. Together, they're tasked with increasingly dangerous missions that expose the commander's ruthless dedication to his cause.
Like Dewes's earlier novels, The Last Watch and The Exiled Fleet, Rubicon is fantastically character-focused military sci-fi. Adriene is flawed but brave, anxious but giving her all. It's so rewarding to witness her developing relationships with her squad members, with the awkward but friendly chief systems engineer, with her Rubicon, and with herself. Readers who, like me, loved Rake and Cav (and all the supporting characters) will also love Adriene, Daroga, et al.
But for that very reason, this book left me feeling haunted. The raw trauma the characters endure is brightened by moments of healing, of friendship, and of empathy; brightened, but not overshadowed. This book is as much about grief as it is about loyalty. There is pain, disillusionment, and bitter regret. And the ending will stick with you.
She rezones into her new husk - a synthetically-grown copy of her original body - for the 96th time, feeling even further separated from her own humanity. But not from her addictions, or from the physical and mental trauma she's endured. To Adriene, rezoning isn't a blessing, but a curse - something she will do anything to never experience again.
Without explanation, she finds herself suddenly reassigned to forward reconnaissance in a special forces unit. Her new squad is shocked by her number of rezones; in the 505th, "zeroing out" is rare. It's in this comparatively safe environment that Adriene is finally able to adjust to her new body and begin to form genuine connections with the people around her.
At the same time, she's chosen for a secret, specialist assignment under the command of a mysterious Major who worries that humanity is about to meet its sudden end. This role warrants an upgrade for her Rubicon, the 505th's standard virtual intelligence implant...an upgrade that allows her Rubicon to become a fully sentient being inside her brain. Together, they're tasked with increasingly dangerous missions that expose the commander's ruthless dedication to his cause.
Like Dewes's earlier novels, The Last Watch and The Exiled Fleet, Rubicon is fantastically character-focused military sci-fi. Adriene is flawed but brave, anxious but giving her all. It's so rewarding to witness her developing relationships with her squad members, with the awkward but friendly chief systems engineer, with her Rubicon, and with herself. Readers who, like me, loved Rake and Cav (and all the supporting characters) will also love Adriene, Daroga, et al.
But for that very reason, this book left me feeling haunted. The raw trauma the characters endure is brightened by moments of healing, of friendship, and of empathy; brightened, but not overshadowed. This book is as much about grief as it is about loyalty. There is pain, disillusionment, and bitter regret. And the ending will stick with you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, War, Gun violence, Murder, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gore, Medical content, Alcohol, Genocide, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content
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