tessladapanda's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mundinova's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, Felix. You poor soul.
This is an odd book to review since there are two stories, very different in quality. The first, Felix, is the best power-armor sci-fi out there. The second, Jack Sparrow/Crow, is the inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise (I don't care if this is false, it's true in my heart). Felix's monotonous fighting - pages and pages of killing Ants - is a five-star book. Jack's conman heist tale on a strange planet with sexy women wanting sex is a two-star book.
Steakley should have created a novella that focused only on Felix. I think if he had done that it would have had more commercial success, more readers. It was trailblazing for its attempt to capture PTSD before PTSD was an acknowledged effect. The Jack story, while entertaining, didn't improve the Felix story. Felix was strong enough to stand on his own.
This is an odd book to review since there are two stories, very different in quality. The first, Felix, is the best power-armor sci-fi out there. The second, Jack Sparrow/Crow, is the inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise (I don't care if this is false, it's true in my heart). Felix's monotonous fighting - pages and pages of killing Ants - is a five-star book. Jack's conman heist tale on a strange planet with sexy women wanting sex is a two-star book.
Steakley should have created a novella that focused only on Felix. I think if he had done that it would have had more commercial success, more readers. It was trailblazing for its attempt to capture PTSD before PTSD was an acknowledged effect. The Jack story, while entertaining, didn't improve the Felix story. Felix was strong enough to stand on his own.
cdeane61's review against another edition
3.0
The battle scenes are stupendous, as are the glimpses into the state of Felix's mind, but on the whole this book just didn't do it for me.
At the start of the second section and with the introduction of Crow, I actually thought it might have flashes of brilliance, but I got lost in the whole middle story. It began to seem somewhat contrived and predictable.
This book is not bad, I just think there is far better military sci-fi out there.
Also very reminiscent of Starship Troopers in many ways.
At the start of the second section and with the introduction of Crow, I actually thought it might have flashes of brilliance, but I got lost in the whole middle story. It began to seem somewhat contrived and predictable.
This book is not bad, I just think there is far better military sci-fi out there.
Also very reminiscent of Starship Troopers in many ways.
dmilk's review against another edition
got sick of characters being introduced only to die 20 pages later lol
sechi's review against another edition
4.0
Really good. Definitely not your typical military sci-fi story and while their are some weaknesses the pros far outweigh the cons. Bonus points for being so damn unpredictable!
hasseltkoffie's review against another edition
4.0
Was pleasantly surprised by the second part of the book, but I liked the Crow part a lot.
Liked the whole book a lot in fact.
Liked the whole book a lot in fact.
fryguy451's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my!! One of the best science fiction books I've 'read'!
smiorganbaldhead's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot overall. It was uneven, with the middle section focusing on Jack being the weakest part. However, the Felix parts and the ending were great. The Starship Troopers influence is intentionally obvious, and I really liked the nod when Felix is asked if he’s from South America. One quibble is Allie’s death: it seems silly that the fleet wouldn’t notice a huge hive within firing range of the transit point on that mission. I know they’re supposed to be portrayed as incompetent, but that seems like a stretch. The plot point could have worked with a more believable ambush by a stray group of ants. I still really enjoyed the book, however, and recommend it.
allboutdembooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was an awesome read. Super badass. The characters were well rounded despite being somewhat tropish. The action was exciting, The plot was interesting, the world building was cool. Desperately testosterone -y, but what would you expect from a book that was essentially an action movie.