addypap's review
4.0
Great followup, probably enjoyed a bit more than the first, but important to have had listened to the first...
andimontgomery's review
4.0
Do you know the feeling when you start a book and almost immediately become immersed in it? That’s kind of rare for me, but I enjoyed Spaceside from the very beginning. Even though I wouldn’t say that military science fiction would be my genre of choice, Spaceside had a tightly written plot and likable characters that made this an easy read.
Colonel Carl Butler has been discharged from the military following the events on Cappa from Planetside, and is now serving as a security specialist for a major technology company. When he is asked by the CEO to quietly investigate the hacking of a competitor, he ends up involved in a lot more than he expected. The novel turns into more of a detective novel at this point, and the pacing was perfect. There’s also a connection to the events from Planetside that ties the plots nicely.
I really liked Carl. He is an intelligent, no-nonsense kind of guy whose military background helps him to react quickly to changing circumstances. I also liked Maria Ganos, who served under him in the military and was hired at the same technology company (with his assistance). She’s a hacker and computer genius, and her skills come on handy during Carl’s investigation.
As with Planetside, there’s a rush at the end. I’m looking forward to Colonyside later this year!
Colonel Carl Butler has been discharged from the military following the events on Cappa from Planetside, and is now serving as a security specialist for a major technology company. When he is asked by the CEO to quietly investigate the hacking of a competitor, he ends up involved in a lot more than he expected. The novel turns into more of a detective novel at this point, and the pacing was perfect. There’s also a connection to the events from Planetside that ties the plots nicely.
I really liked Carl. He is an intelligent, no-nonsense kind of guy whose military background helps him to react quickly to changing circumstances. I also liked Maria Ganos, who served under him in the military and was hired at the same technology company (with his assistance). She’s a hacker and computer genius, and her skills come on handy during Carl’s investigation.
As with Planetside, there’s a rush at the end. I’m looking forward to Colonyside later this year!
nothing_that_i_can_put_down's review
Characters lack of intelligence in obvious situations lost credibility.
Frequent alcoholic drinking that was not key to the plot or weakly developed character was distracting.
Frequent alcoholic drinking that was not key to the plot or weakly developed character was distracting.
theadorek9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emhamill's review
5.0
Michael Mammay has delivered yet another fantastic sci fi adventure with SPACESIDE.
Carl Butler is back from Cappa, and his life has changed significantly since the fateful decision for which he was set up to take the fall. Now retired, Carl is divorced, drinking heavily, and running as a security advisor in a corporate rat race. An encounter on the mass transit has Butler wondering if his PTSD symptoms are getting worse, or if he really is seeing human-Cappan hybrids on the bus, when his boss calls him in for a top secret assignment to find out how a competitor was hacked. Butler is following a trail when his only lead ends up dead, and the police seem certain the Scourge of Cappa had something to do with it. Butler's life only gets more screwed up from there as the ghosts of what he did on Cappa come back for a reckoning, and he is forced to make one more trip planetside that will probably end with Butler being flushed out an airlock.
Holy moly, was this good. Carl Butler is a defeated guy who really just wants to be ignored and collect his paycheck so he can buy more whiskey, but this mystery piques his curiosity and leads him back to the soldier still lurking inside. The story unfolds at a great pace, and like the last act of Planetside, hits fast and hard in the last third of the book with a climax that leaves you a little stunned.
Really looking forward to the third book! These have been one hell of a lot of fun to read.
Carl Butler is back from Cappa, and his life has changed significantly since the fateful decision for which he was set up to take the fall. Now retired, Carl is divorced, drinking heavily, and running as a security advisor in a corporate rat race. An encounter on the mass transit has Butler wondering if his PTSD symptoms are getting worse, or if he really is seeing human-Cappan hybrids on the bus, when his boss calls him in for a top secret assignment to find out how a competitor was hacked. Butler is following a trail when his only lead ends up dead, and the police seem certain the Scourge of Cappa had something to do with it. Butler's life only gets more screwed up from there as the ghosts of what he did on Cappa come back for a reckoning, and he is forced to make one more trip planetside that will probably end with Butler being flushed out an airlock.
Holy moly, was this good. Carl Butler is a defeated guy who really just wants to be ignored and collect his paycheck so he can buy more whiskey, but this mystery piques his curiosity and leads him back to the soldier still lurking inside. The story unfolds at a great pace, and like the last act of Planetside, hits fast and hard in the last third of the book with a climax that leaves you a little stunned.
Really looking forward to the third book! These have been one hell of a lot of fun to read.
spark's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.25
I think the first book's story held more weight in the overall story that the author is writing about, but this one was more about Col. Butler and him wrestling with HIS demons of what he did in the first story. The bleed over was natural, but I was worried that we'd spend the entire book circling around the drain. Thank goodness it didn't happen that way.
The ideo of seeing Retired Col. Carl Butler being a "pencil pusher" is comedic, at the very least. The office sequences were funny, but he DID have to keep up apperances. Right?
When the inciting incident occurs, he is tasked to do somthing that he felt he wasn't really equiped to do, but like a good soldier, he powered through.
Love his interactions with the media. Who is snowing who?
I love how he treats soldiers. The boots on the ground soldier, that will never get a thank you or a pat on the shoulder for a job well done, BUT Col. Butler is there for them all. He's a soldier's leader. He stands/falls with his men.
He's basically a pariah to one portion of the populace and a hero to the other. When he's in the public, he has to guage on who the public is to him and he to them. Awkward.
The mission that he eventually goes on...was great, though the parameters changed right before he left...which really wasn't fair...and this wasn't even the military that was doing THIS to him...it was corporate (which seemed even worse).
Loved the battle sequences. Happy that certain people who had it coming...got theirs. Yep. Satisfied.
I also loved that we are left in the lurch on his eventual status. We will just have to read it in the final book. I got it on hold, just biding my time.
Boy am I glad that I watched that discussion about Military Science Fiction novels. Watched it for J.S. Dewes, and left finding a new author to read from. Very happy, indeed.
The ideo of seeing Retired Col. Carl Butler being a "pencil pusher" is comedic, at the very least. The office sequences were funny, but he DID have to keep up apperances. Right?
When the inciting incident occurs, he is tasked to do somthing that he felt he wasn't really equiped to do, but like a good soldier, he powered through.
Love his interactions with the media. Who is snowing who?
I love how he treats soldiers. The boots on the ground soldier, that will never get a thank you or a pat on the shoulder for a job well done, BUT Col. Butler is there for them all. He's a soldier's leader. He stands/falls with his men.
He's basically a pariah to one portion of the populace and a hero to the other. When he's in the public, he has to guage on who the public is to him and he to them. Awkward.
The mission that he eventually goes on...was great, though the parameters changed right before he left...which really wasn't fair...and this wasn't even the military that was doing THIS to him...it was corporate (which seemed even worse).
Loved the battle sequences. Happy that certain people who had it coming...got theirs. Yep. Satisfied.
I also loved that we are left in the lurch on his eventual status. We will just have to read it in the final book. I got it on hold, just biding my time.
Boy am I glad that I watched that discussion about Military Science Fiction novels. Watched it for J.S. Dewes, and left finding a new author to read from. Very happy, indeed.
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review against another edition
5.0
Exceptional follow up to Planetside. I can't wait to read the next installment in this series.
eastmanart's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0