Scan barcode
A review by snowkab
A Soldier's Duty by Jean Johnson
4.0
I went back and forth between 3-stars or 4-stars for this book, but I ended up choosing 4 because I know I'm usually a harsh critic, and I did enjoy reading it.
Somethings that I enjoyed: the looks into the timestreams, her letters to future people, the religious order (but not the info-dumps about the religious order), and the complexity of the story.
That said, there were some issues with this book. Namely: there was no danger. She can see the future and the paths it takes. At no point was I like "Is she going to make it? Will the plan still work?" She always makes it. Even though there are areas where the future is "misty" and she can't see, it still works out perfectly. Even when.
For the first third of the book, I skipped over a somewhat major character's lines every time they spoke. Accents in books can be fun if they're used sparingly and with caution. If I have to decipher the dialogue, I'm skipping it and I'm frustrated. Spyder spoke like this, "Ey, ’zat mean somma th’ Salik are down ’ere lurkin’ inna bushes?” and "’N th’ more th’ ranks trust you, th’ better they’ll be when it comes time t’ poon’n’slag.” and “Choo ain’ albino. Choo got a tan, ’n neffrythin’. Born wi’ it, ey?” Too much work. I don't care.
There was also a lot of info-dumping in here. A lot. I expected the info-dumping at the beginning and rolled my eyes when she answered questions in a test to tell you about the world, but it was fine. That happens. It was just irritating that the info-dumps continued and they were often placed in dialogue like: "But I’ll want to take off for an Academy when my current duty posting is up. Actually, I’ll be required to, by military law. All field-promoted officers still have to go through Academy training at some point.” Cool. Your commanding officer definitely knows that it's required by law. You don't need to tell him.
Another example of this in a spoiler because it's long: Tell me about an 18-year old who knows the statistics of natural disasters on their planet and talks like this.
My last complaint is that she has two moms whose names are Amelia and Aurelia. WHY ARE THEIR NAMES SO SIMILAR? Petty, I know, but still.
Somethings that I enjoyed: the looks into the timestreams, her letters to future people, the religious order (but not the info-dumps about the religious order), and the complexity of the story.
That said, there were some issues with this book. Namely: there was no danger. She can see the future and the paths it takes. At no point was I like "Is she going to make it? Will the plan still work?" She always makes it. Even though there are areas where the future is "misty" and she can't see, it still works out perfectly. Even when
Spoiler
she is "betrayed," the betrayal lasts for a grand total of like 2 minutes before she fixes it and they're back on scheduleFor the first third of the book, I skipped over a somewhat major character's lines every time they spoke. Accents in books can be fun if they're used sparingly and with caution. If I have to decipher the dialogue, I'm skipping it and I'm frustrated. Spyder spoke like this, "Ey, ’zat mean somma th’ Salik are down ’ere lurkin’ inna bushes?” and "’N th’ more th’ ranks trust you, th’ better they’ll be when it comes time t’ poon’n’slag.” and “Choo ain’ albino. Choo got a tan, ’n neffrythin’. Born wi’ it, ey?” Too much work. I don't care.
There was also a lot of info-dumping in here. A lot. I expected the info-dumping at the beginning and rolled my eyes when she answered questions in a test to tell you about the world, but it was fine. That happens. It was just irritating that the info-dumps continued and they were often placed in dialogue like: "But I’ll want to take off for an Academy when my current duty posting is up. Actually, I’ll be required to, by military law. All field-promoted officers still have to go through Academy training at some point.” Cool. Your commanding officer definitely knows that it's required by law. You don't need to tell him.
Another example of this in a spoiler because it's long:
Spoiler
"“Seven out of ten times, Sergeant, that ‘malfunction’ manifests as static lightning striking whoever or whatever is holding the stunner gun. Two out of ten times, it will strike the target, and the remaining one in ten times, lightning will strike either both parties, or somewhere in between. The lethality of these malfunctions has caused the weapon to be permanently banned from use on the surface of this recruit’s homeworld. Additionally, testing in the early days of colonization showed that the natural prevalence of the static field can even trigger an indoor lightning attack, so stunner weaponry isn’t used inside buildings. It isn’t allowed to be used beneath the surface of the planet, either, because that same electrosphere goes straight down to the planet’s core”My last complaint is that she has two moms whose names are Amelia and Aurelia. WHY ARE THEIR NAMES SO SIMILAR? Petty, I know, but still.