Well, a lot of this (like the first 2/3) felt more like a sort of extended wind up. Then we get an abbreviated escape/chase/climax that really does liWell, a lot of this (like the first 2/3) felt more like a sort of extended wind up. Then we get an abbreviated escape/chase/climax that really does little more than set up the next book when (I assume) the actual action and (view spoiler)[ interaction with alien races one of whom at least may be arriving to treat all of Earth's inhabitance worse than the Europeans treated the native Americans (hide spoiler)] begins.
So, not too bad I guess but I found it slightly underwhelming. ...more
I put this on a lot of shelves. I mean here we get humans involved in a larger universe and (again) about all we have to offer is our proclivity for vI put this on a lot of shelves. I mean here we get humans involved in a larger universe and (again) about all we have to offer is our proclivity for violence. Well...our proclivity for violence and the fact that we're really, really good at it.
Look, brain-candy. We get a hero who fights like mad and inspires fanatical loyalty in those who fight with him. I really enjoyed it (and that's what it's for). My only regret here is that other books in the series are about other characters, at least so far.
I read this some time ago, when it came out. I simply failed to review it...oops.
Anyway, another good read. I suppose you've seen others note that theI read this some time ago, when it came out. I simply failed to review it...oops.
Anyway, another good read. I suppose you've seen others note that there are some similarities between this an The Martian. It's true. We have a lone survivor who has to use his own "pluck" and knowledge of science to accomplish his mission.
Now, his mission. Well he has to save the Earth, or at least the population of Earth. It is planned to be (view spoiler)[ a suicide mission (hide spoiler)]. And as it turned out (view spoiler)[ he hadn't actually volunteered (hide spoiler)]. Of course further diverging us from the plot of the Martian our "hero" meets a member of an alien species who has basically the same mission as Ryland.
All in all it's a good read and I can recommend it. I would have ended it differently but hey, that's me.
You will have noted I assume that I placed this book on, well on several of my shelves.
I have always loved history. I suppose this goes back to elemeYou will have noted I assume that I placed this book on, well on several of my shelves.
I have always loved history. I suppose this goes back to elementary school when I discovered that history largely consisted of exploration, wars and so on. yes I know the present generation has uncovered and revealed that history is ACTUALLY largely made up of evil, atrocities, enslavement of native peoples (or killing of native peoples) and is largely something to be rewritten or at least ignored.
That of course is why we see so many of the mistakes of past peoples being repeated. Instead of learning from history people either try to rewrite it to make it fit their preconceived ideas...or they have buried their heads in the sand and pretended it doesn't exist. History does not repeat itself...people repeat history.
Now, diatribe aside I was a bit surprised how much I liked this book. having had several unpleasant wakeup calls of late (not least of which was loosing a couple of pints of blood to an internal bleed) I've been spending more time reading, and getting to books that, "I've been meaning to get to". This has included and still includes several long epic fantasies. SO this book was on I picked up to be a sort of light palate cleanser before the next 8oo page tome.
Call me "gobsmaked" I like it, a lot. It's a fun exciting read and for those of us who are "history buffs" it fires the imagination (or at least did mine).
Is it all good? Mostly. There were a couple of false notes "for me" (by the way please don't read the spoiler if you don't want to know a secret of the book before the book reveals it) (view spoiler)[ the inclusion of mythical demi-goddesses was a bit uncalled for I think, but others may like that part of the plot. (hide spoiler)]
Another thing for those of you who have read many of my reviews, is there a romance? Yes there is but it doesn't overwhelm the book. It's just another part of the story..in other words the book isn't a romance but there is a bit of a love story in the book.
The book is well told, full of dry humor and I plan to pick up the next. A good story and I can recommend it. Enjoy...I think we might call this (as I have other books) "brain candy"....more
Pretty good read and so much like the way things are going it's another that, even though it's a bit young it can be a little scary.
People are watchinPretty good read and so much like the way things are going it's another that, even though it's a bit young it can be a little scary.
People are watching reality TV even though the population is less than opulent...Running Man (?). Our hero get's cheated and in trouble but that ends up on the inside of the biggest reality event possible. Wow
Oh well, go on back to your Ereader, or Phone, or pad or whatever... ...more
I love it. It is almost a 5 star read, I'm just trying to be stingy with those but this one is close. If you like military sci/fi action this is your I love it. It is almost a 5 star read, I'm just trying to be stingy with those but this one is close. If you like military sci/fi action this is your place.
I read this a while back, and am just now getting around to reviewing it but really....great read. I've been and am planning to get the next. It's just a matter of that old saying, so many books so little time.
If you like action or if you like action science fiction or military science fiction then I can recommend this one. Enloy. ...more
In an attempt to exterminate all life on Earth what is apparently a probe sent out by a powerful AI moves to adjust humans to become very powerful. AfIn an attempt to exterminate all life on Earth what is apparently a probe sent out by a powerful AI moves to adjust humans to become very powerful. After all, what will happen if you give a bunch of humans "super powers????
Why we'll probably wipe ourselves out.
Anyway, who is or are the AI(s) who want to wipe out life? What will they do if this doesn't work? Will superheroes and super-villains form competing labor unions???
Well, a pretty good read. I'm going 4 stars on it. There are a few false notes but all-in-all not bad at..."all". (get it all-in-all and then all??? hWell, a pretty good read. I'm going 4 stars on it. There are a few false notes but all-in-all not bad at..."all". (get it all-in-all and then all??? huh, huh, get it???? Okay I'll shut up.)
The story here is of another totally horrible prison where the guards are gone and the inmates run the asylum. Tribes of homicidal killers (most of whom are insane) these are the worst of the worst sent here for the rest of their lives. Once here you don't leave...ever.
The story here revolves around the Dred Queen and her newest champion. Lot's of blood, lots of carnage, politics, betrayal, etc., etc.,etc.
I was drawn into the book and followed the story but the one thing that bugged me was that our deadly, cold, Dred Queen manages to...wait that would be a spoiler so (view spoiler)[ manages to fall in love with her new champion. It takes a little so the book is sprinkled with rather maudlin love and sex scenes. I found it annoying enough that I skipped most of these as they added little to the actual plot. To each their own. It could be argued that they add a bit to the characters but for me in the book's situation I thought they rang false.
Not a bad Book. It never drew me in as I hoped it would. I've read other books based on this same 'type" of idea (view spoiler)[(a road or route throuNot a bad Book. It never drew me in as I hoped it would. I've read other books based on this same 'type" of idea (view spoiler)[(a road or route through time, or space or both) (hide spoiler)]. And while this one tells a serviceable story (sort of workman like writing I thought) it didn't appeal to me as much as some others I've read.
It is good enough however that I'd say try it for yourself it could be just that it doesn't appeal yo me anf others will like it more....more
This is a good book, but it didn't stay with me. When I'd first finished it I was planning to grab the next one, but it faded quickly.
The world is notThis is a good book, but it didn't stay with me. When I'd first finished it I was planning to grab the next one, but it faded quickly.
The world is not just cooling, it's freezing and soon we'll all be...well, kaput. Humanity will be gone, a thing of the past, no longer viable, dead, cold meat, frozen cold cuts. Then (of course) the said humans discover that for some reason while the sun's output hasn't diminished for some reason the heat reaching the Earth is "substandard", wayyyyy toooo substandard to be accounted for, until (again of course) we spot "something up there that, "ain't natural" it's manufactured.
Humm, not good. Maybe someone wants us to...die???? (You know like the aliens in Independence Day).
Not the greatest but I decided to move my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I can recommend it....more
I bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I must admit that there was a point where I had the , "GET ON WITH IT" reaction I have wheI bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I must admit that there was a point where I had the , "GET ON WITH IT" reaction I have when a writer seems (to me) to be dragging a story out. I recognize however that many of you won't feel that way. Again (as I've said about other books) the parts that began to frustrate me will undoubtedly be the parts other readers like (and remember [you'll get why that's a book reference if you read it]) the most.
Here we have another take on the existence of time and time travel. The book seems to be based on a theory that I have run across recently concerning the very nature of time itself.
Don't worry I won't try and explain a quantum theory I don't have the math to fully grasp. Like many "laypersons" I get the gist from an elementary explanation and then probably know just enough to be dangerous.
So anyway one of our 2 main protagonists is and has been all her life obsessed with building a memory chair which will be able to record memories very vividly and then allow them to be replaced in a persons mind. The idea comes from her dedication to help her mother who is an Alzheimer's victim. The book picks up just as her grant money is running out and she is waiting for answers on her proposals to get new grants...
Then a mysterious offer that will grant her unlimited funds drops into her lap from...well from a mysterious benefactor. She makes the mistake (we would probably all make) of "failing to look this particular gift horse in the mouth and counting its teeth.
We then move to our other protagonist a New York City police officer who's life has been blighted since the night his high school age daughter was killed in a hit and run. We meet him as he's trying to talk a woman down from a ledge where she is planning to kill herself over False Memory Syndrome. See she is unmarried and living alone but woke up a few days ago with complete (though somehow gray and dead) memories of another life. A life where she was happily married and had a child...a child who doesn't exist except in her memory.
This False Memory Syndrome is becoming more and more common and people are scared.
From there we will launch into a deep, sometimes convoluted story of time and the implications of memory and what happens if memory...even history can't be trusted.
If you have read much science fiction or science fantasy you've more than likely come across time travel stories and a lot of "what ifs". This is a good story dealing with humans, their desires, their emotions and the consequences of these things.
So it will appeal differently to different people but I think many different types of reader may like this one. I can recommend it, highly....more
Pretty good little book. We get a picture of a future here that is pretty dismal for a lot of us humans. The Constution seems to have been allowed to Pretty good little book. We get a picture of a future here that is pretty dismal for a lot of us humans. The Constution seems to have been allowed to run off the road badly by a crooked government that's obviously in the pocket of some powerful crime families...
Any more and I'll be in spoiler territory here. Suffice it to say that our story revolves around a young woman who dreams of going to Mars but is among a group of people who's rights have basically been stolen away and who would ordinarily have no chance of going to Mars...even in the event of a Game Show called You're Going To Mars..
But with some ingenuity and a little help from her friends...who knows?
Okay, first please notice that I did settle on a 4 star rating for the book. I note this as I will say a few mildly negative things here. No big deal,Okay, first please notice that I did settle on a 4 star rating for the book. I note this as I will say a few mildly negative things here. No big deal, in the end while I can't say the book is a high 4 I thought I had to rate it that high.
So what do we have here? We have a very readable (if somewhat young) space adventure. Again we're in a spot where humanity seems to be (at least possibly) on the brink of extinction with an implacable enemy pushing "us" toward the edge of the precipice. However a hero(ine ) has appeared (of course no one but "we the readers" know she's the needed heroine).
And who is our heroine???? Why sh'e (another) mouthy teenager. BUT be that as it may she will finally grow on you (and I'm sure many will [of course] like her up front).
The story is a pretty good one. While we do travel some familiar ground there's enough new handling and personality that it's not a problem The plot will not be new to most of you who've read a good deal of (science) fiction and the characters will also probably seem a bit familiar. Still the quirky robot ship and the group of friends in the story will (most likely) draw the bulk of readers into the narrative.
So what bugged me about the book. Well I bought it from Audible on the strength of the synopsis and a few reviews. The synopsis said the book was action driven and the reader's "brassy" reading of the main character kept the story moving at a fast pace.
Well...the reader didn't (in my opinion of course) read our heroine as "brassy" and the action was far from..."nonstop". It took me a bit to forgive that, LOL. Still as I said in the end I enjoyed the book and look forward to trying the next in the saga. So, see what you think. If you like Space Opera, sci/fi. or science fantasy I think you may like it.
Let me go slowly here...I wish I could find a way to rate this book by various categories within the book. In other words I give the idea/plot 5 starsLet me go slowly here...I wish I could find a way to rate this book by various categories within the book. In other words I give the idea/plot 5 stars and the actual storytelling a 2. At best much of the time.
Let me also say this, I'm interested enough in the "story" that I plan to move on to the next book. You will see I went with a 3 star rating (or maybe you've seen already, ha...). This is about as close as I can come to reflecting my thoughts and feelings on this book in a single rating.
We have a plot set among the documents stored in the U.S. Archives. Now we get subjective as that alone drew me in and piqued my interest. The plot/story itself is one of conspiracy, history, espionage and murder. Sadly there is another facet to the book.
I think someone may need to explain to Mr. Meltzer that it's possible to write about an annoying and frustrating person without making the actual storytelling frustrating. There were times when I almost set the book aside out of frustration with Beecher.
The idea is (I'm sure) to place a normal or every-person into the center of the situation...a situation where death is hoovering over his shoulder and a love from his youth has shown up in his present (just after he was dumped by his fiancée) and at least seems to need his help.
But Beecher...Beecher is...well, he's a nudge. And he's a whiny nudge at that. He's also pretty slow for a big part of the book. We get a repetitive, frustrating narrative. We get a book that puts me in mind of how Bilbo Baggins says he feels, “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”. That's this book. We simply have too much book for the story it's telling.
Okay rant over as I said I (overall) like the book, recommend the book and plan to follow the story into the following volume. Just be aware that if you're anything like me you may (at least occasionally) want to slap Beecher "up side his head" and shake him.
I really wanted to like this book. I find that (so far) mostly I'm not a fan of Mr. Morgan. The same goes here.
There is a pretty standard Science FictI really wanted to like this book. I find that (so far) mostly I'm not a fan of Mr. Morgan. The same goes here.
There is a pretty standard Science Fiction Trope (there's that word, the word "trope" is so over used it's becoming a "trope" or possibly trite...Oh well). Anyway there's a sci/fi trope where the giant corporations have taken over and they are the government. I assume this started with those who were afraid of unrestricted capitalism.
Well this one is the king/queen and all other royalty of this type plot.
Now the problem is not that he used the plot device, I've probably read hundreds of books from that idea. The problem is the storytelling itself. The plot, the characters all the book takes a back seat to the author's picturing of his political insight and belief in this danger. I mean he beats it to death.
You've heard of beating a dead horse??? He beats it long, long after it's dead.
Have you read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series? It begins as a pretty good fantasy series and ends being a long diatribe of Terry Goodkind's political beliefs. That said, some people love it so I know some will love this also. So try it yourself if you think this may not bother you.
By the way belief wise Mr. Morgan is sort of the anti-Terry Goodkind. They come from opposite sides of the political spectrum but in both cases drove me away. If I want political commentary I'll read political commentary. Someone said, "If you have a Message send me a letter". If a writer wants to put a message in a novel it should really, really not bury the story.
Just me of course, some will I'm sure disagree, but this one just seemed so heavy handed message wise. Can't recommend it myself, sorry....more
Well...okay we dropped a star on the volume of this series. I still plan to follow it, I can still recommend it but let me go a little into why it hitWell...okay we dropped a star on the volume of this series. I still plan to follow it, I can still recommend it but let me go a little into why it hits the dreaded mediocre 3 star doldrums.
First of all (and if you have read many of my reviews concerning Mr. Koontz you may have seen some of this before), Mr.Koontz has the ability to write a good, even an exceptional novel. He can (at his best) write a novel that balances characterization and plot to the point that neither overshadows the other. Some of his characters (especially some of his villain) are some of the most memorable I've ever run across. His plots can be (that is can be) some of the most engrossing you'll find in light fiction. This series began the same way. A good conspiracy plot that is frightening without being too far over the top or out of the realm of possibility. Maybe it's a little strained at times but mostly...not.
Then we get to this volume and what we find here are also (sadly) some things we see commonly in some of (that is some of) Mr. Koontz('s) other novels. This book is so full of excess verbiage as to drive me (at least) up the wall. He goes on and on (and on and on and on) especially with the adjectives. His description(s) reminded me of something my dad once said about Zane Grey's westerns. Dad said he could spend 2 pages describing a bush. (by the way I read a lot of Zane Grey when I was young [they were among the few books I had access to on our farm] and while it didn't drive me away, it is sort of true). Here Mr. Koontz's writing put me "in mind" as we say of 19th century writers. I think maybe the description might be called, "flowery"...and really overblown. Maybe the editor was off that day, or drowsy or something. Maybe he just happened to like long description. As always this is a subjective problem and some readers may love the long lists of adjectives and similes ("the caves were like the intestines of the whale that swallowed Jonah only this would be a giant cretaceous creature petrified..." etc., etc., etc.). I however was not...thrilled. I think the book could have been about a third shorter and maybe a third better.
Just me of course.
Also...and this too is very subjective...this volume delves into a type of story telling I, well I almost detest it. It's a type of story I completely avoid.
Look, I've been in the military, I grew up on a farm, I've lost loved ones, I've lost beloved pets (before their time) I don't need to feel artificial angst, pain, etc. in my free time reading. If this type of story, the emotional manipulation of a story is something you look for then of course this will not apply to you. However I knew this was coming. It was inevitable. It was written into the basis of the plot.
Jane Hawk has a very young son who has been and course will (would be) used against her a la the Gestapo, the KGB, the whoever... I knew it was coming and the last third of this book (without spoilers) concerns the pursuit etc. of said son.
Just wanted you to know going in.
The book is told from (usually) 3 points of view (though those sort of change at times) and you get to bob around keeping track of everyone's movements. This isn't too bad, while there are times that we get long runs of one point of view and at other time these transitions come in series of short "spurts". Again, not too bad there it's something most of us have seen before so...okay.
All in all not as good (in my humble opinion of course) as the story before this but still readable. The next book has just been published so I'm in the queue. The plot is till a good one and I want to see how it gets tied up...hoping of course that it does get tied up.
Okay, excellent read I enjoyed it greatly and I'm looking forward to the next.
Mr. Koontz has a record of good books, poor books, really good books, anOkay, excellent read I enjoyed it greatly and I'm looking forward to the next.
Mr. Koontz has a record of good books, poor books, really good books, and mediocre books. In other words his books can be a mixed bag. Here we've got a good character who's caught up in an interesting (even absorbing) Great Conspiracy story.
Mr. Koontz also has a couple of books that some of us are still waiting to see followed up, so I hope that doesn't happen here. We have another book already slotted for release and the next named and listed...so we have good cause to hope.
Any negatives here? Well the story can get a little slow at times and yes there are a few plot points that not only have we seen them before, they may be a little predictable. But that's not really bad as these are handled well and the plot never lost my interest.
Does the story hlow ever slow down? maybe in a couple of places but never enough that it really bothered me.
All in all I'd say a good brain-candy read.
Recommended, enjoy...Oh but I'd read the first in the series before this one....more
I've been aware of this book for some time now. I noticed it and kept meaning to get to it.
Having recently watched (binge watched) the new TV series (I've been aware of this book for some time now. I noticed it and kept meaning to get to it.
Having recently watched (binge watched) the new TV series (and having a conversation with a friend here about it) I decided to move it to the top of my reading list.
I've never really been a Steam Punk fan. Now I'm not sure if a purist would call this Steam Punk...but if it's not it's close. I've tried quite a few of the SP genre and they have almost all left me cold. Now this is not a book of alternative past where a steam technology has come to the fore and become dominate. It is a future where an alien technology has changed...well everything.
See people can now have their actual being transferred into a digital form. They are then stored in a stack that can be moved from body to body... Bodies? Yes they can now be grown for use. Rich people (very, very rich people) have clone bodies, young cloned bodies, stored against future need. All you need is to have your stack transferred into the new body (it goes in around the top of the spine and the base of the brain). Of course bodies aren't wasted. If a person is sent to prison it's only his stack that goes to prison. The person get's unsleeved...bodies are called sleeves. Then you have a body (a sleeve) that can be used by someone else. Spare sleeves (bodies) are stored for future use by those who may need them...well not the used bodies of the (very, very, very) rich. But all the other bodies. See if you're not rich (very,very,very,very rich) things aren't so easy nor so idyllic.
The book and the TV series aren't too much different. I mean there are some major differences but the TV series did get the general outline of the story correct.
As for the book I found that as so often seems to happen for me I was immediately drawn in but as the book went on I was more and more rather...blah about it. It seems to me while the book is good (I was sure at first I'd go at least 4 stars) there's just a little too much book for the story it tells.
Of course that could be me. Maybe it was just that my interest waned while for others it won't. Maybe try this one for yourself. I liked it but thought it flagged after a while. I may or may not go on with the trilogy. ...more
Maybe not as bad as the rating would indicate. i went that low as it just left me bored. I mean we've (science fiction, science fantasy readers) have Maybe not as bad as the rating would indicate. i went that low as it just left me bored. I mean we've (science fiction, science fantasy readers) have been here before. It Just took the well traveled and got... well, really boring, to me anyway.
There is a strange mix of medieval and modern tech in the "world" where they land. (For example they come up with a filter that as the planes' existing fuel passes through it...it multiples the volume. So they can fly for weeks on the fuel in their planes. Thus we solve the problem of aviation fuel in a sword and magic culture).
I don't know. I've hit a few disappointing reads lately. maybe I'm just burned out? Still didn't hold my interest. Maybe try it yourself....more
Yep, went with 5 stars on this one and am planning to go download the second in the series in a very few minutes.
I started this with a mild hope I'd lYep, went with 5 stars on this one and am planning to go download the second in the series in a very few minutes.
I started this with a mild hope I'd like it. I'm a big military science fiction fan and this is another the aliens come out of the sky and humanity gets its collective ass err, I mean keister, yeah that's it keister, kicked. Of course I assume you get the title. The aliens arrive on Columbus day hearkening back to the European arrival here in the New World.
It started out about like that, seen the plot before if not the Columbus Day twist. It did have some good humor and the story was well told. Helping that I have the Audible version and R.C. Bray does a great job. However as the story rolled along I found that this one has a bit more depth, an engaging main character (plus a great second protagonist you meet about a third of the way through the book) and kept up or actually improved the humorous banter and narrator commentary.
All in all I came to the conclusion that at least for this volume it broaches the not to be missed status of only the best brain candy... So from a possible 3 or 4 stars this one moves to the 5 out of 5 rating I don't often give.
I can recommend this one. It's not Dostoevsky. it's not Dickens, nor Wells, nor Orwell....but it is a rollicking (and how often can you actually use the word "rollicking"?) good read.
Mike (the Paladin)
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