manuphoto's reviews
924 reviews

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

adventurous emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s rare that I come across a series that I find so enthralling and compelling. The Mars trilogy certainly qualifies, and I found Green Mars a perfect sequel to Red Mars. I will be starting Blue Mars right away.

I know many readers find these books slow, boring and bloated but I don’t. I mean, yes the pace is slow but it serves a purpose. People are colonizing and developing Mars. They are actually on another planet, for the first time in human history. So yes, this kind of thing takes time! And Robinson makes us feel that.

He develops his characters in a smart and intelligent way over the books. They are extremely well fleshed out, especially in Green Mars. There were some small issues with character development and pacing in Red Mars, but I find that Green Mars is more consistent. Subtle things, but is my overall impression. Female characters are also getting better treatment (thankfully), Maya in particular. Nadia was very interesting in Red but Maya less so, now they’re both great characters, more complex and deep.

I also love that Mars is treated like a character. The red planet is central to the whole story. It evolves with the characters and the plot. Also, every inch of it is a discovery, something new. So it’s no surprise that Robinson would describe it in detail. But I never found those descriptions boring or tedious. I always found them precise and relevant. Thanks to these, I always had a good idea of the scenery in my head, something lots of authors fail to achieve even in earthly landscapes.

There are some action scenes in the book as well as some sex. These are always useful for either the plot of the characters and they don’t feel out of place. 

All in all, a fantastic read and a great trilogy. Onto Blue Mars!

Deadly Class, Book Four: Kids Will Be Skeletons by Rick Remender

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Certainly weaker than the previous collections, but a fitting end to a great series.

It’s a partially “good” ending, which I don’t mind that much, even though Remender was criticized for it. I think he’s right not to be the nihilistic guy who says “everything is FUBAR anyway”, even when showing how horrible people can be.

And the art is always fantastic, a constant in the series.

All-in-all, it’s my favourite long-run series from Remender so far. I usually don’t links his third acts but in this case I think it worked out ok.

Deadly Class Deluxe Edition, Book 3 by Rick Remender

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

More crazy violence around Marcus and Co. With some teenage Mr issues for good measure.

All in good fun.

This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Quite enjoyed this one! More than I did “Lord of Light”. Although this book is clearly not Zelazny’s deepest work, it is very readable and more compelling than I thought at first.

It’s a post-apocalyptic tale with and interstellar twist. It also features some mutated monsters and people and excellent fight scenes (something rare in sci-fi for some reason). 

I quite enjoyed the pacing and there was indeed some subtext and some tong-in-cheek humour that I appreciated.

Overall, a nice little novel. It won’t stay with me that much but I had a good time reading it and some of Zelazny’s ideas are actually pretty neat.

System Collapse by Martha Wells

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Although still funny, the series is really running on fumes and has been for the last couple books.

Murderbot is an interesting character, but I think Wells is running in circles now. She’s done a great job developing it but I believe she’s reached the end of what can be achieved here.

ART is also a great character, probably my favourite in the series, but even it is less interesting in this novel. 

The story was fine, the action was OK (although not as good as in the first few novellas) and the supporting cast of humans was decent. An easy read but not very rewarding.

So I definitely think Murderbot has run its course. It’s been a fun ride, but it’s losing its purpose. I hope Wells can create something else as gripping and funny as Murderbot was in the 4-5 first books. 

The Line of Splendor: A Novel of Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution by Salina B. Baker

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Extremely well researched book on Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution. I quite enjoyed the format, making it more vivid than most history books.

Reading this, you feel like you are part of the story and you understand the relationships between the various key players of the time better.

Highly recommended.

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An excellent read. The story is original and better spelled out that many similar ones (sci-fi revolving around games).

Gurgeh is an intriguing character and Banks uses his strengths and flaws in a very smart way. The drones and sentient ships are also very well fleshed out.

There is also some dark humour that I enjoyed.

The plot is relatively simple but interesting and the pacing is very good. Overall, an excellent book and a nice introduction to the Culture series for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery

To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip José Farmer

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Certainly an interesting and original story. The premise is pretty clever and well executed.

The pacing is good, although it does get a bit repetitive in the last third. 

A few of the characters have… history attached to their names, which makes the story more interesting but also challenging.

The prose is clear and enjoyable. Overall, although I wasn’t extremely impressed by it, I quite like this novel and will probably read the next book in the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Rape

Contact by Carl Sagan

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this one. I first saw the movie, and I’ve seen it multiple times. It is one of my favourite sci-fi movies. I’ve had the novel on my TBR for years and I’ve finally taken the time to read it. 

 

Carl Sagan was a scientist and a scientific popularizer, a gifted one. In Contact, he wrote a novel that goes deep into humanity, religion, science and society. From Ellie’s brilliance to her misgivings. From the respect she commands to the misogyny she suffers, I think she’s a fantastic character who embodies many layers of our society. 

 

The plot is very similar to the movie’s (which was adapted from the novel) but, of course, goes into greater details with more characters. It’s also interesting to see how many sci-fi tv shows and movies have taken ideas from Contact, ideas that aren’t in the movie (looking at you, For All Mankind). 

 

Is the novel perfect? No. Sagan has Avery clear prose, but the pacing is not always perfect. He makes a remarkable novelist for somebody who isn’t one by trade, but he isn’t a great novelist by any means. That being said, some “true” novelist have way worse writing, especially in sci-fi. Everything’s relative… pun intended.

Lazarus, Vol. 7 by Greg Rucka

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25