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sleepey's reviews
64 reviews
Human Omega: Trapped in the Alien Jungle by Eileen Glass
4.5
The story picks up directly after "Discovered on the Slave Planet" - I'd recommend reading that first if you can (though there is a bit of catch-up exposition at the start so you wouldn't be totally lost)
Our main trio spends the first half of the book surviving in the jungle while trying to get to know each other a little better. The language barrier is promoted to main villain status here. There's some lovely worldbuilding as they travel further & come across remnants of civilisation that had to be abandoned when the bugs invaded.
I'll spoiler tag the 2nd half but still not going into specifics:
They end up meeting more of Siel's people & being taken to stay at a military outpost. I was kind of dreading this shift from the very intimate, isolated survival adventures to more broad relationship drama & interpersonal conflict, but of course the author handles it really well. The barracks are small & remote so they're not quite "home" yet, giving everyone a chance to ease into the new status quo.
According to the author's note at the back, she was considering ending the series here, & I'm very glad that didn't happen because I love spending time with these characters. Plus the way it ends would have been absolutely infuriating without a follow-up!!
Our main trio spends the first half of the book surviving in the jungle while trying to get to know each other a little better. The language barrier is promoted to main villain status here. There's some lovely worldbuilding as they travel further & come across remnants of civilisation that had to be abandoned when the bugs invaded.
I'll spoiler tag the 2nd half but still not going into specifics:
According to the author's note at the back, she was considering ending the series here, & I'm very glad that didn't happen because I love spending time with these characters. Plus the way it ends would have been absolutely infuriating without a follow-up!!
The Cassini Mission by Rob Colton
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Bit of a step down from "The Degan Incident" in many ways, but I did enjoy the more Trek-y space adventure plot.
The character writing is frustrating at times. The main relationship felt a bit forced & cartoonish, & I was waiting the whole book for some kind of "alien pheromones" explanation for their behaviour that never came. Everyone's constantly digging at the protagonist for his previous discharge from the military & he just meekly accepts it (Aron: "Here's a full copy of the scientists' illegal research data, & here's the actual specimen they were experimenting on. Also the guy we arrested just admitted the whole thing, he's not even hiding it." / Captain: "You think I'm just going to believe some ex-con with a hunch??????" - Bro, get a fkn grip ). There's also kind of an outrageous incident in the showers early on that goes completely unaddressed (see content warnings).
But yeah the broad strokes of the story hold together, the mission itself is pretty thrilling, & I wouldn't mind seeing Aron & Kane again in the 3rd book.
The character writing is frustrating at times. The main relationship felt a bit forced & cartoonish, & I was waiting the whole book for some kind of "alien pheromones" explanation for their behaviour that never came. Everyone's constantly digging at the protagonist for his previous discharge from the military & he just meekly accepts it (
But yeah the broad strokes of the story hold together, the mission itself is pretty thrilling, & I wouldn't mind seeing Aron & Kane again in the 3rd book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
The Degan Incident by Rob Colton
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This book is in a weird spot where it 100% worked for me personally, but I don't know if I could honestly recommend it to other people 😅
It's got kind of an "unrestrained" quality, just swinging wildly from one extreme to another like an excitable dog. From saccharine romance to sticky, sweaty sex scenes, to devastating loss & genuinely unsettling abuse, to triumphant rescue & catharsis. It's a rollercoaster, it goes for the highest highs & lowest lows of any given scenario. And the impressive part is that it does this without feeling edgy & pointless; everything that happens to characters has weight (if not sensitivity), they get strengthened & damaged & changed throughout.
Also kudos for writing a conspiracy plot that makes sense & isn't so sprawling that it becomes impossible for the heroes to realistically defeat.
It's got kind of an "unrestrained" quality, just swinging wildly from one extreme to another like an excitable dog. From saccharine romance to sticky, sweaty sex scenes, to devastating loss & genuinely unsettling abuse, to triumphant rescue & catharsis. It's a rollercoaster, it goes for the highest highs & lowest lows of any given scenario. And the impressive part is that it does this without feeling edgy & pointless; everything that happens to characters has weight (if not sensitivity), they get strengthened & damaged & changed throughout.
Also kudos for writing a conspiracy plot that makes sense & isn't so sprawling that it becomes impossible for the heroes to realistically defeat.
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
4.0
Enjoyed this more than the previous book in the series, probably because I remembered less of it from when I read them all ages ago, so I could better appreciate the jokes. As the foreword notes, this is more plot-focused than Adams usually writes, which is fine by me as the plot is quite good (despite all the cricket).
"I am at a rough estimate thirty billion times more intelligent than you. Let me give you an example. Think of a number, any number."
"Er, five," said the mattress.
"Wrong," said Marvin. "You see?"
Human Omega: Discovered on the Slave Planet by Eileen Glass
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
GIve me a book about a guy being doted on by a couple of big snuggly porcupine creatures & I'll enjoy it. That's a fact. But there's some compelling scifi here as well, dealing with survival & communication on a war-torn alien world.
The human, Carter, is obviously at the biggest disadvantage, being physically weaker than everyone around him & unable to speak the local language. But his alien companions have cultural barriers between them too, they've each got their own perspectives & flaws, so it's not like they're just dragging him around, waiting for him to catch up. It really feels like 3 people working things out, getting through it together. And when Carter finally gets an opportunity to shine it's such a genuine "hell yeah!" moment.
Sweet, funny, tender, and exciting. Great stuff.
The human, Carter, is obviously at the biggest disadvantage, being physically weaker than everyone around him & unable to speak the local language. But his alien companions have cultural barriers between them too, they've each got their own perspectives & flaws, so it's not like they're just dragging him around, waiting for him to catch up. It really feels like 3 people working things out, getting through it together. And when Carter finally gets an opportunity to shine it's such a genuine "hell yeah!" moment.
Sweet, funny, tender, and exciting. Great stuff.
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
4.5
I'm glad I read through the glossary etc at the back of the book first because a lot of the story would have been totally incomprehensible otherwise. I feel like the translator could have gone a few steps further to communicate certain words & concepts in plain English without too much impact, but maybe that's just me being basic. It's my first one of these.
The story is a lot of fun, if a bit slow in places, & weirdly structured due to it originally being serialised. The main characters are all super endearing, & the way the plot is set up with the protagonist kind of knowing what's going to happen (but also kind of not) is really interesting. I ordered the 2nd book as soon as I finished, I have to know what happens!
The story is a lot of fun, if a bit slow in places, & weirdly structured due to it originally being serialised. The main characters are all super endearing, & the way the plot is set up with the protagonist kind of knowing what's going to happen (but also kind of not) is really interesting. I ordered the 2nd book as soon as I finished, I have to know what happens!
Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Kind of flops at the end but the journey is so fun it doesn't even matter
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
5.0
Really enjoyed this, each story is superb in its own way. Big recommend.
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
4.0
The main novella-length story is excellent, easily worth the read on its own. The short stories are more of a mixed bag, though i wouldn't say any of them are actively bad.
The author has a habit of barely introducing a character before going on a deep dive through their family tree & relationships, & I found that quite a struggle to absorb at times. The overall tone is rather bleak, many of the characters just seem numb & worn down by everything. It's good, but it's a lot.
My copy has a recommendation from the Daily Mail on the front, which is very funny to me.
The author has a habit of barely introducing a character before going on a deep dive through their family tree & relationships, & I found that quite a struggle to absorb at times. The overall tone is rather bleak, many of the characters just seem numb & worn down by everything. It's good, but it's a lot.
My copy has a recommendation from the Daily Mail on the front, which is very funny to me.
Pulling the Wings Off Angels by K.J. Parker
4.5
Short & engaging enough that I got through it in one sitting.
Reading the first couple of pages I thought this was going to be insufferably quirky, but once it gets going it's genuinely quite witty & thought-provoking.
The "Good Place" comparison on the back cover is apt, the characters do a lot of arguing/negotiating with higher beings about their messed-up rules & systems. (Meanwhile the "Deadpool x Witcher" comparison on the front cover is about a different book so idk why that's even there)
Reading the first couple of pages I thought this was going to be insufferably quirky, but once it gets going it's genuinely quite witty & thought-provoking.
The "Good Place" comparison on the back cover is apt, the characters do a lot of arguing/negotiating with higher beings about their messed-up rules & systems. (Meanwhile the "Deadpool x Witcher" comparison on the front cover is about a different book so idk why that's even there)