Scan barcode
peter__b's review against another edition
1.0
Given the title, cover and blurb, I thought it was a safe bet this was a sci-fi book. However, given that the vast majority of the events could just as easily take place in any modern day action novel, the sci-fi tag is a bit misleading. The story supposedly takes place a couple of centuries in the future, where wormholes have already been figured out and used to colonize multiple solar systems. So the fact that almost every other technology seems to have remained virtually unchanged is a bit of a head-scratcher and I'd argue, bad sci-fi writing.
As for the characters, they're as generic as you're likely to come across and I'm already struggling to remember any distinguishing details for any of them. The protagonist was especially forgettable since his character arc was incredibly cliche while being a metaphorical puppet to every other character, despite the author's lame attempt to give him some agency towards the end. The secondary characters were somewhat more interesting, but with such a low bar, that wasn't very hard. The antagonist was at least fleshed out a bit and had believable motivations for what he did, but unfortunately, he ended up being predictable and underwhelming, much like the story itself.
The writing was very much on the amateurish side with this feeling every bit the debut novel it was. The pacing was on the slow side while the world building was basic and disappointing. The dialogue was cringy and took up way too much of the book at the expense of decent action sequences and meaningful character development. The attempts at humour fell flat for me and the quippy nature of the dialogue got old very quickly. The plot was formulaic and the twists felt underserved with the climax feeling especially forced, mostly because it started being a sci-fi book again after it had already cemented itself as a simple, contemporary caper.
Despite all those issues, I didn't actually hate this book and I'd even be hard pressed to say that I disliked it. Sure, it was boring and deserves the single star it's getting, but this would be a 1.5 if I could give half stars. It was perfectly in between ok and dislike. The main reason I couldn't justify the 2 stars though was the cop-out on the sci-fi aspects for the meat of the story. I just can't imagine recommending this to anyone, especially not sci-fi enthusiasts. The narration of the audiobook was also quite mediocre which made it a great sleep aid, but only passable as an audiobook.
As for the characters, they're as generic as you're likely to come across and I'm already struggling to remember any distinguishing details for any of them. The protagonist was especially forgettable since his character arc was incredibly cliche while being a metaphorical puppet to every other character, despite the author's lame attempt to give him some agency towards the end. The secondary characters were somewhat more interesting, but with such a low bar, that wasn't very hard. The antagonist was at least fleshed out a bit and had believable motivations for what he did, but unfortunately, he ended up being predictable and underwhelming, much like the story itself.
The writing was very much on the amateurish side with this feeling every bit the debut novel it was. The pacing was on the slow side while the world building was basic and disappointing. The dialogue was cringy and took up way too much of the book at the expense of decent action sequences and meaningful character development. The attempts at humour fell flat for me and the quippy nature of the dialogue got old very quickly. The plot was formulaic and the twists felt underserved with the climax feeling especially forced, mostly because it started being a sci-fi book again after it had already cemented itself as a simple, contemporary caper.
Despite all those issues, I didn't actually hate this book and I'd even be hard pressed to say that I disliked it. Sure, it was boring and deserves the single star it's getting, but this would be a 1.5 if I could give half stars. It was perfectly in between ok and dislike. The main reason I couldn't justify the 2 stars though was the cop-out on the sci-fi aspects for the meat of the story. I just can't imagine recommending this to anyone, especially not sci-fi enthusiasts. The narration of the audiobook was also quite mediocre which made it a great sleep aid, but only passable as an audiobook.
lizshayne's review against another edition
3.0
I suppose after you listen to someone on a podcast enough times, you can’t help but like their stuff. Moren’s book is right in my wheelhouse: space opera and sarcastic characters. What more can one want?
doelleri's review against another edition
2.0
I was not a fan of the author's tendency toward simile-rich descriptions, especially the many that seemed anachronistic.
snowcrash's review against another edition
2.0
I had put this book on my list, as it seemed to combine spies and space opera. Plus it was a new author, to me, so something to try out. A friend of mine had read it and gave me the book. I wanted to like it, but could never really get into it.
The plot is basic and is told without serious twists. Two political entities at war, a special ops team, and a lost pilot that could save the galaxy. A super weapon that will change the tide of the war.
Here, the characters are flat. No one is really interesting. The spy is able to figure out everything. The bad guy is simply angry and driven. Page may be the only interesting person, though he is a super hacker that can crack anything. The environment the author has placed the characters into has no sense that it is in a technic civilization. Maybe the trains. Sure there are spaceships, but very little actually happens in space or on a ship.
If you took away some of the surface tweaks, this could be a story about the IRA and the British occupiers. Right down to the gaelic and names. The spy then becomes an American interloper who needs a local to help get to places his accent won't admit him to. There is even a point in the book as the characters are walking through a part of the city where they comment that the place looks like a theme park version of where the colonists came from. Eh? There is very little speculation on society, as it is essentially 20th Century Ireland with smartphones.
There are plot holes and gaffs in explanation, too that really detracted from the story. If the planet where the wayward pilot was living cut off from the galaxy for five years, how did the Commonwealth know he was alive and to look for him? Right in the beginning, right from the blurb on the back, it didn't make sense. Or when faced with an unfamiliar ship, our team of heros is able to fly it (there is a bunch of handwaving around all Imperial ships are the same...). Or why put the super duper weapon on/near a planet that has a reputation for armed rebellion? At one point, the pilot says they are 25k km from a point in space & traveling at 5k km/hr. The very next line the super spy says they have 5 minutes. That is not how math works. But saying they have 5 hours wouldn't help the plot along.
In the end, the book was simply dull. Characters that have no life, a plot that keeps it on a planet for more than 2/3's of the pages, and numerous goofs that had me retracing pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
The plot is basic and is told without serious twists. Two political entities at war, a special ops team, and a lost pilot that could save the galaxy. A super weapon that will change the tide of the war.
Here, the characters are flat. No one is really interesting. The spy is able to figure out everything. The bad guy is simply angry and driven. Page may be the only interesting person, though he is a super hacker that can crack anything. The environment the author has placed the characters into has no sense that it is in a technic civilization. Maybe the trains. Sure there are spaceships, but very little actually happens in space or on a ship.
If you took away some of the surface tweaks, this could be a story about the IRA and the British occupiers. Right down to the gaelic and names. The spy then becomes an American interloper who needs a local to help get to places his accent won't admit him to. There is even a point in the book as the characters are walking through a part of the city where they comment that the place looks like a theme park version of where the colonists came from. Eh? There is very little speculation on society, as it is essentially 20th Century Ireland with smartphones.
There are plot holes and gaffs in explanation, too that really detracted from the story. If the planet where the wayward pilot was living cut off from the galaxy for five years, how did the Commonwealth know he was alive and to look for him? Right in the beginning, right from the blurb on the back, it didn't make sense. Or when faced with an unfamiliar ship, our team of heros is able to fly it (there is a bunch of handwaving around all Imperial ships are the same...). Or why put the super duper weapon on/near a planet that has a reputation for armed rebellion? At one point, the pilot says they are 25k km from a point in space & traveling at 5k km/hr. The very next line the super spy says they have 5 minutes. That is not how math works. But saying they have 5 hours wouldn't help the plot along.
In the end, the book was simply dull. Characters that have no life, a plot that keeps it on a planet for more than 2/3's of the pages, and numerous goofs that had me retracing pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
brianrenaud's review against another edition
3.0
An adventure/thriller in a science fictional setting. We can tell it's science fictional because it has worm holes, rocket ships, and, uh, an evil emperor. And, of course. improbable space battles. (But, surprisingly enough, otherwise their technology is pretty much the same as early 21st century USA.) A decent read with the usual required suspension of disbelief.
More...