contem0604's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
steelcitygator's review against another edition
3.0
Plenty of cheesy dialogue and a not unsurpising story ark, though I think some of the world building is pretty good. Also skirts almost up to discussing interesting concepts like consciousness being put into a new body etc. But in the end just a fun, easy read perfect for what I was looking for following some heavy nonfiction reading. Probably won't ever pick up the second book but will say the author, while having somewhat of a cliffhanger, left the ending closed enough you certainly don't feel compelled to pick up the next book because the story is unfinished and I certainly respect that.
ricottae's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, the characters had depth and were really likable, and for all that I have zero military experience, I still felt like the whole thing was very accessible and easy to follow. This was my first book by Posey but I look forward to reading more by him!
justaguy's review against another edition
3.0
Fun to read
The whole idea was enjoyable. Yet, somehow the book’s climax was anti-climax itself. At that point, I felt like the book was a light reading book. Maybe because I don’t know exactly what the author has planned it out for us as the audience? This definitely isn’t stand alone book but continuous series that composed a big picture!
The whole idea was enjoyable. Yet, somehow the book’s climax was anti-climax itself. At that point, I felt like the book was a light reading book. Maybe because I don’t know exactly what the author has planned it out for us as the audience? This definitely isn’t stand alone book but continuous series that composed a big picture!
tony_t's review
4.0
Pure hard scifi action adventure. A little Jason Bourne, a little Tom Clancy and a dollop of Alien. I didn’t learn anything new but the story is a page-turner.
dragontomes2000's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Yikes, I am going to keep this review short because to be honest O don't like writing reviews for books I didn't enjoy. They just start becoming long and winded rants.
So this was a major step down for me. Jay Posey's Legend of the Duskwalker trilogy was so so good and Outriders was lacking any sort of urgency and personality. The highlight for me was the world building because Jay Posey definitely knows how to craft a world. I mean yes this takes place in our Solar System but it is a distant future and all the different political machinations makes it fascinating. But it really gets you to think about "what if," and that is very profound. As for the story and characters, I just didn't feel anything for any of those aspects. The plot was kind of lackluster and besides maybe 2 chapters that were kind of intense it didn't help this story from sinking. The characters also didn't help which is kind of important to a story.
Outriders was a big hit and miss for me. I am kind of bummed because I enjoyed Posey's first series and I know he can deliver. I normally wouldn't continue on with a series if I am not enjoying it but I am a glutton for punishment. So I am going to see what book two has to offer and it is the last in this series.
So this was a major step down for me. Jay Posey's Legend of the Duskwalker trilogy was so so good and Outriders was lacking any sort of urgency and personality. The highlight for me was the world building because Jay Posey definitely knows how to craft a world. I mean yes this takes place in our Solar System but it is a distant future and all the different political machinations makes it fascinating. But it really gets you to think about "what if," and that is very profound. As for the story and characters, I just didn't feel anything for any of those aspects. The plot was kind of lackluster and besides maybe 2 chapters that were kind of intense it didn't help this story from sinking. The characters also didn't help which is kind of important to a story.
Outriders was a big hit and miss for me. I am kind of bummed because I enjoyed Posey's first series and I know he can deliver. I normally wouldn't continue on with a series if I am not enjoying it but I am a glutton for punishment. So I am going to see what book two has to offer and it is the last in this series.
agsdv's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tyrean's review
4.0
I liked this military sci-fi book, but it didn't draw me in and hold me tight the way that Posey's Duskwalker series did. I enjoyed the incredibly developed world-building and the action-packed suspense, but I'm hoping for more complexity out of the main character in the next book.
colossal's review
4.0
All the small squad military action of [b:The Red: First Light|24453551|The Red First Light (The Red Trilogy)|Linda Nagata|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1436924487s/24453551.jpg|24561453] crossed with the solar system political tension of [b:Leviathan Wakes|8855321|Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1)|James S.A. Corey|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1411013134s/8855321.jpg|13730452].
Captain Lincoln Suh is the newest team member and leader of the 519th Applied Intelligence Group, the Outriders, a "special" special ops group with almost no oversight, special equipment and "deathproofing". He doesn't even get time to visit his room before he gets sucked into par for the course for the Outriders: a special ops mission to find and stop the people trying to push the United American Federation and Mars to interplanetary war.
This is action-packed military competence-porn. Jay Posey has written for video games based around Tom Clancy works and he's very much writing what he knows but with a cool SF setting. The military structural issues are great, as is the interplanetary brinkmanship, but the rest of the setting is pretty much indistinguishable from early-21st century military behavior with a tech upgrade. That's still better than the majority of MilSF though, a lot of which seems to be Master & Commander in Space.
It's probably a good idea that the book doesn't go into the tech too much as I suspect the author hasn't thought much about them other than to assume Star Trek-like magic. (Where the hell does anti-gravity come from? What's powering these ships and armor? What other effects have these technologies had on society?)
It's fun and worth a read, particularly if you like the idea of Tom Clancy writing power armor stories.
Captain Lincoln Suh is the newest team member and leader of the 519th Applied Intelligence Group, the Outriders, a "special" special ops group with almost no oversight, special equipment and "deathproofing". He doesn't even get time to visit his room before he gets sucked into par for the course for the Outriders: a special ops mission to find and stop the people trying to push the United American Federation and Mars to interplanetary war.
This is action-packed military competence-porn. Jay Posey has written for video games based around Tom Clancy works and he's very much writing what he knows but with a cool SF setting. The military structural issues are great, as is the interplanetary brinkmanship, but the rest of the setting is pretty much indistinguishable from early-21st century military behavior with a tech upgrade. That's still better than the majority of MilSF though, a lot of which seems to be Master & Commander in Space.
It's probably a good idea that the book doesn't go into the tech too much as I suspect the author hasn't thought much about them other than to assume Star Trek-like magic. (Where the hell does anti-gravity come from? What's powering these ships and armor? What other effects have these technologies had on society?)
It's fun and worth a read, particularly if you like the idea of Tom Clancy writing power armor stories.