Scan barcode
A review by mactammonty
Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
One of the things I look for in my reads is a diversity of characters. There are still an overwhelming amount of books in this genre specifically that are dominated by male characters. This series does that well.
There are several female characters in both leadership roles, non gender characters in leadership and support roles and non human characters that are well written. The AI acts like an AI not a person. The POV changes between several characters, including the AI, make the distinct personalities come through. (There is also no romantic angst)
The main question of this book is how should large wars be avoided. Who should make those decisions? The "greater good" and self atonement also pop up as themes. I liked the nuanced opinions.
What I did not like was some of the repetitiveness. The characters restate plot points later in the book. I am not sure if this novel was first released in parts and this was not edited out of the finished book. This rehashing of those points are not needed. The world has already been built, that piece has been explained, no need to redo it again later.
There are several female characters in both leadership roles, non gender characters in leadership and support roles and non human characters that are well written. The AI acts like an AI not a person. The POV changes between several characters, including the AI, make the distinct personalities come through. (There is also no romantic angst)
The main question of this book is how should large wars be avoided. Who should make those decisions? The "greater good" and self atonement also pop up as themes. I liked the nuanced opinions.
What I did not like was some of the repetitiveness. The characters restate plot points later in the book. I am not sure if this novel was first released in parts and this was not edited out of the finished book. This rehashing of those points are not needed. The world has already been built, that piece has been explained, no need to redo it again later.