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A review by micheala
A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers
4.0
The main reason I picked this book up was it was described as perfect for fans of Becky Chambers - and that is a vibe I'm always hunting for.
I think if what you love about Chambers' is the casually-hopeful view of humanity (after humans have almost destroyed ourselves and have managed to recover), this is a great fit.
Wagers does not have any other sapient species, as well I would say is more plot focused then Chambers is. Most noticeably, while both A Pale Light in the Black and the Wayfarer series are ensemble casts, Chambers does a significantly better job of focusing on the entire cast. Here I would say that Max and Jenks are the main characters, Rosa, Ma and Nik are the side characters and everyone else (including the two other members of the crew) are distant background characters.
I enjoyed most of this, right up until the ending where it started to fall a little flat for me.
I liked watching Max find her place with the crew, how the mystery was unfolding, and how The Games was this threw line. I was disappointed that when we finally got to The Games we didn't get to see the group event. I also think this really suffered from how rushed the ending was. I think we needed another 20-50 pages in the last section to flesh things out and wrap things up. The book literally ends immediately after the climax.
I'm interested to read the next book, but also not in a rush knowing that it takes place at least a year later - based on the ending, I would have loved for the sequel to be set max a few months later.
I think if what you love about Chambers' is the casually-hopeful view of humanity (after humans have almost destroyed ourselves and have managed to recover), this is a great fit.
Wagers does not have any other sapient species, as well I would say is more plot focused then Chambers is. Most noticeably, while both A Pale Light in the Black and the Wayfarer series are ensemble casts, Chambers does a significantly better job of focusing on the entire cast. Here I would say that Max and Jenks are the main characters, Rosa, Ma and Nik are the side characters and everyone else (including the two other members of the crew) are distant background characters.
I enjoyed most of this, right up until the ending where it started to fall a little flat for me.
I liked watching Max find her place with the crew, how the mystery was unfolding, and how The Games was this threw line. I was disappointed that when we finally got to The Games we didn't get to see the group event. I also think this really suffered from how rushed the ending was. I think we needed another 20-50 pages in the last section to flesh things out and wrap things up. The book literally ends immediately after the climax.
I'm interested to read the next book, but also not in a rush knowing that it takes place at least a year later - based on the ending, I would have loved for the sequel to be set max a few months later.