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emilykk 's review for:
Better World
by Autumn Kalquist
I'll be doing a short review, because this was a short book and because I feel a bit lazy today ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Bad
Most people start with the good, but I figure I should leave off on a positive note for juuust this once.
Like most YA sci-fi, this novella is jam-packed with clichés, so much so that I started a list right off the bat in order to vent my frustrations somewhere.
Also, I have a lot of questions about their procedure for landing on uncharted planets. Such as: Why not send an unmanned ship down first, to avoid loss of life? Why don't the spacesuits contain some sort of flame retardant? Why do their transport ships have basically NO SHIELDING WHATSOEVER? If space agencies could bring people back safely through the atmosphere by the late sixties, without the use of modern computers, what are these people's excuse?
The Good
The book really picks up at chapter six (65% done) and I'd give that portion of it three stars, easily. The landing and ensuing situation Maeve finds herself in was genuinely entertaining and I flew through the final pages with minimal cliché detection. If the following books focused on the colonization of Soren, I'd definitely keep reading...unfortunately, they do not and I'm afraid I'd only find more clichés, so it looks like I'll be giving this series a pass for now.
The Bad
Most people start with the good, but I figure I should leave off on a positive note for juuust this once.
Like most YA sci-fi, this novella is jam-packed with clichés, so much so that I started a list right off the bat in order to vent my frustrations somewhere.
BIG OL' LIST OF CLICHÉS
*Man appears and gives protag something to live for
*Broken-down ship in space
*All names are made up or weirdly-spelled versions of current names (Dritan, Bea, Kevan, Gilly, Cassia, etc)
*Strict, caste-like hierarchies on said ship
*The guards are dumb, unnecessarily rude, and get smashed on space hooch whenever possible (most of the time)
*Unnecessary, truncated words for average things (caretaker for kindergarten, recyc for recycle, etc)
*Leering authority figure leers at protag
*BFFs have been friends since kindergarten (not calling it caretaker) and leering authority figure bullied protag back then, causing BFF to step in and stop said bullying, thus creating a lasting friendship between BFF and protag
*Colors of outfits designate prestige/occupation
*Group of outcasts present
*Some silly substitution for a deity, used for swearing
*Word used for shit that isn't shit
*Obligatory random kid tossed in for protag to love and want to protect
*SPACE WEAPONS (a...taser-baton???) and FUTURISTIC SCHEDULE II DRUGS (because you can't just say it's an opiate)
Also, I have a lot of questions about their procedure for landing on uncharted planets. Such as: Why not send an unmanned ship down first, to avoid loss of life? Why don't the spacesuits contain some sort of flame retardant? Why do their transport ships have basically NO SHIELDING WHATSOEVER? If space agencies could bring people back safely through the atmosphere by the late sixties, without the use of modern computers, what are these people's excuse?
The Good
The book really picks up at chapter six (65% done) and I'd give that portion of it three stars, easily. The landing and ensuing situation Maeve finds herself in was genuinely entertaining and I flew through the final pages with minimal cliché detection. If the following books focused on the colonization of Soren, I'd definitely keep reading...unfortunately, they do not and I'm afraid I'd only find more clichés, so it looks like I'll be giving this series a pass for now.