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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
El inicio de una trilogía(?) de "space opera"militar bastante digna. La narración tiene interés y atrapa al lector manteniendo el interés a pesar de que algunos giros argumentales se ven venir a la legua. Es un poco maniqueo en el empleo de razas que forman la Praxis de manera que los alienígenas son malos o extras.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Overall I'd say it was a solid 6.5-7/10 . Pretty solid throughout, though the flashbacks are a drag at times, and the last quarter or so is definitely the highpoint of the book. Lot of set up and not a ton of payoff on its own, though as far as being the first of a trilogy goes, I've seen other similar length books do a better job of balancing set up for an entire trilogy with having the book be entertaining and well paced on its own ([b:Heir to the Empire|40604754|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529605994l/40604754._SY75_.jpg|1133995] comes to mind), but I'm really looking forward to reading Sundering now.
The most obvious comparisons I have for this book are [b:Destiny's Way|320370|Destiny's Way (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #14)|Walter Jon Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331430021l/320370._SY75_.jpg|311123] or maybe the Expanse, though the latter is a particularly poor comparison (both because [b:Leviathan Wakes|8855321|Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)|James S.A. Corey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321._SY75_.jpg|13730452] is a far better book and because Leviathan Wakes was very obviously written to be a book that could potentially stand alone if need be, to the point where that series has some bumps later on specifically because of missed opportunities for set up. Compared to Destiny's Way, this book alone was less entertaining, though I can see the trilogy ending up far more satisfying later on as a result of this set up.
The Praxis isn't quite typical military sci-fi. It has a lot of the hallmarks of the genre, and in many respects feels familiar, but the main inspiration is obviously taken from the structure of the real world navies of the age of sail, rather than the 20th century militaries that many other mil sci-fi books lift from. Though this only really applies to the structure of ranks, promotions, incentives and systems that compose the navy. The actual feel and description of the space flight and combat (at least in this first book) is like a simpler, almost prototypical version of what's seen in [b:Leviathan Wakes|8855321|Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)|James S.A. Corey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321._SY75_.jpg|13730452]. This extends to a lot of other strengths of the book's world building; its decent, doesn't detract from the story or the pace, and you get a good sense of it. But it also could and has been done elsewhere, and I've seen other series that ultimately do a better job of creating a more in depth sense of the setting in a first book.
The core cast in the book are enjoyable enough, though most of the rest of the cast surrounding them feel too simplistic and/or incompetent (though incompetence makes sense in the context of the setting). I'll refrain from commenting on Sula and Martinez too much for now, as most of what I have to say about them is more easily discussed in the context of the second or third book. It is worth noting here that arguably the biggest weakness of the book is that half of Sula's POV time is devoted to flashbacks that fill in her tragic backstory. There's nothing particularly wrong or bad about the flashbacks or the way they're written, but they ultimately contribute to nothing besides filling in her backstory and really drag down the pace of the book as a result.
Overall, The Praxis is a solid piece of military sci-fi, and is worth reading if you're in the mood for that. At the same time, its not really worth reading unless you're open/planning to read the rest of the trilogy at a later time.
Spoiler
or half a point above whatever I give Abaddon's Gate if I ever get around to scoring the entirety of the ExpanseThe most obvious comparisons I have for this book are [b:Destiny's Way|320370|Destiny's Way (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #14)|Walter Jon Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331430021l/320370._SY75_.jpg|311123] or maybe the Expanse, though the latter is a particularly poor comparison (both because [b:Leviathan Wakes|8855321|Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)|James S.A. Corey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321._SY75_.jpg|13730452] is a far better book and because Leviathan Wakes was very obviously written to be a book that could potentially stand alone if need be, to the point where that series has some bumps later on specifically because of missed opportunities for set up. Compared to Destiny's Way, this book alone was less entertaining, though I can see the trilogy ending up far more satisfying later on as a result of this set up.
The Praxis isn't quite typical military sci-fi. It has a lot of the hallmarks of the genre, and in many respects feels familiar, but the main inspiration is obviously taken from the structure of the real world navies of the age of sail, rather than the 20th century militaries that many other mil sci-fi books lift from. Though this only really applies to the structure of ranks, promotions, incentives and systems that compose the navy. The actual feel and description of the space flight and combat (at least in this first book) is like a simpler, almost prototypical version of what's seen in [b:Leviathan Wakes|8855321|Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)|James S.A. Corey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321._SY75_.jpg|13730452]
Spoiler
which isn't surprising given that Dan Abraham cited this book in an AMA and that he's mentioned by Walter Jon Williams in the acknowledgements for this bookThe core cast in the book are enjoyable enough, though most of the rest of the cast surrounding them feel too simplistic and/or incompetent (though incompetence makes sense in the context of the setting). I'll refrain from commenting on Sula and Martinez too much for now, as most of what I have to say about them is more easily discussed in the context of the second or third book. It is worth noting here that arguably the biggest weakness of the book is that half of Sula's POV time is devoted to flashbacks that fill in her tragic backstory. There's nothing particularly wrong or bad about the flashbacks or the way they're written, but they ultimately contribute to nothing besides filling in her backstory and really drag down the pace of the book as a result.
Overall, The Praxis is a solid piece of military sci-fi, and is worth reading if you're in the mood for that. At the same time, its not really worth reading unless you're open/planning to read the rest of the trilogy at a later time.
I would have given this book 4 stars but it didn't start getting good for me till chapter 7.
Too much time was spend on the early character development while neglecting the main plot.
This is my second attempt and I'm glad I finally finished it as it finished really strong. Probably will read the sequel.
Update: the next 2 books in this series make slogging through this book worth the effort.
Too much time was spend on the early character development while neglecting the main plot.
This is my second attempt and I'm glad I finally finished it as it finished really strong. Probably will read the sequel.
Update: the next 2 books in this series make slogging through this book worth the effort.
Really good classic space battle SF. It ends on a cliffhanger and I haven't found a copy of the second book yet. Williams is consistently good.
It takes a bit to get going... that whole character development thing but after a bit you start to get into... now I'm eager to move to the next book.
The first third, setting up the world, sucked me right in.
There were some Jack Vancian touches in culture and character that promised great things to come. The space fights were good (and different in that the first battle is by people who’ve actually never been in war); the ending was telescoped curiously, and there was a long and tedious subplot that he telegraphed right at the start, so the long playout until the unsurprising climax seemed fairly unpleasant and pointless at least for me.
There were some Jack Vancian touches in culture and character that promised great things to come. The space fights were good (and different in that the first battle is by people who’ve actually never been in war); the ending was telescoped curiously, and there was a long and tedious subplot that he telegraphed right at the start, so the long playout until the unsurprising climax seemed fairly unpleasant and pointless at least for me.
Good, fun, solid book. Has more character work than I was expecting. Sula's backstory is great. The current stuff takes a while to get going, with the world and flashbacks taking precedence for the majority of time. Though, it does have it's moments of craziness later, but they do feel a little rushed in the last third. I am interested in continuing, and will be reading the next book when I can, but I'm not like dying to get to it.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No