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A review by michaelroleary
Gundog by Gary Whitta
4.0
Gundog features a world where humanity is enslaved by an alien techno-species but with some The Last Starfighter-style fate, a massive dual-piloted mecha, and a bit of luck, a fire can be lit to fight back.
Gary Whitta begins a new, original sci-fi franchise with Gundog, and let me stress the "begins" and "franchise" in that sentence. He captures the structure of classic Cameron action films on the page and while things that come with that formatting could turn off bookish traditionalists it all works well when you read through that lens, (which shouldn't be surprising with Whitta's other works in film and comics.)
Certain aspects of descriptions can feel a little vague if you're looking for a hyper-realized picture of, say, how the antagonist species looks. Personally, this kind of writing doesn't bother me much as I like when books afford me just enough detail that I can complete an image myself. Would the finite and completed imagery be nice to have? Sure, but I think this format allows the reader to be part of the creation that way so I'm fine with it.
Conversely, the way moments are described should certainly clear the bench-mark for most folks. The world is mostly gritty and the action is exhilarating which allows for some quiet moments to shine, particularly later in the story. I do think some cynics will find these moments clichéd but the flip side of the cliché coin is otherwise described as universally relatable, again Cameron-esque that way.
Gundog is a really solid start to something bigger, the book itself nods toward the future, and I'd be happy to see more of this world. I'd recommend for a casual read, especially if you appreciate '80s and '90s action cinema.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Gary Whitta begins a new, original sci-fi franchise with Gundog, and let me stress the "begins" and "franchise" in that sentence. He captures the structure of classic Cameron action films on the page and while things that come with that formatting could turn off bookish traditionalists it all works well when you read through that lens, (which shouldn't be surprising with Whitta's other works in film and comics.)
Certain aspects of descriptions can feel a little vague if you're looking for a hyper-realized picture of, say, how the antagonist species looks. Personally, this kind of writing doesn't bother me much as I like when books afford me just enough detail that I can complete an image myself. Would the finite and completed imagery be nice to have? Sure, but I think this format allows the reader to be part of the creation that way so I'm fine with it.
Conversely, the way moments are described should certainly clear the bench-mark for most folks. The world is mostly gritty and the action is exhilarating which allows for some quiet moments to shine, particularly later in the story. I do think some cynics will find these moments clichéd but the flip side of the cliché coin is otherwise described as universally relatable, again Cameron-esque that way.
Gundog is a really solid start to something bigger, the book itself nods toward the future, and I'd be happy to see more of this world. I'd recommend for a casual read, especially if you appreciate '80s and '90s action cinema.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.