Scan barcode
maarkean's review
1.0
This is one I wanted to like more than I did. I didn't end up finishing. The writing was okay. The story was cool, though the plot was a bit meandering. The premise was cool and it started out quite strong, but once the main character gets the space ship and goes out to space, its unclear where the story is trying to go.
sfrench67's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook
3.5 Stars
A very enjoyable and interesting introduction to the Backyard Spaaceship series. A lot of character development, which is to expected as it's the first book. The writing is good and the plot develops nicely.
Narration was good, there were a few times where some of the voices sounded the same so it hard to differentiate.
Will get to the rest of the series, but not a high priority
3.5 Stars
A very enjoyable and interesting introduction to the Backyard Spaaceship series. A lot of character development, which is to expected as it's the first book. The writing is good and the plot develops nicely.
Narration was good, there were a few times where some of the voices sounded the same so it hard to differentiate.
Will get to the rest of the series, but not a high priority
kireteiru's review against another edition
Decent prose, but I just wasn't interested in the story.
theaudioauditor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dawn_marie's review
1.0
DNF – I gave up reading after 150 or so pages. In theory, Backyard Starship by J.N. Chaney should have been something that I enjoyed; in actuality it was extremely disappointing.
The story’s premise was intriguing: a young man (Van Tudor) inherits his grandfather’s farm, learning of the starship hidden in the barn and his grandfather’s membership in a galactic police force/bounty hunter, and that part of his inheritance is to take up his grandfather’s mantle as a member of the galactic police force with the help of a sentient starship (Nelly) and a snarky battle AI bird (Perry). As promising as the story’s premise is, it could not overcome the ponderance of flat, boring, juvenile, and sometimes stupid characters and complete lack of world-building. The story felt less like a novel and more like a video game where the “hero” (Van) goes on a quest, powers up, goes on another quest, powers up, goes on another quest . . . . . and you get the idea.
A wonderful idea for a novel that failed in execution.
The story’s premise was intriguing: a young man (Van Tudor) inherits his grandfather’s farm, learning of the starship hidden in the barn and his grandfather’s membership in a galactic police force/bounty hunter, and that part of his inheritance is to take up his grandfather’s mantle as a member of the galactic police force with the help of a sentient starship (Nelly) and a snarky battle AI bird (Perry). As promising as the story’s premise is, it could not overcome the ponderance of flat, boring, juvenile, and sometimes stupid characters and complete lack of world-building. The story felt less like a novel and more like a video game where the “hero” (Van) goes on a quest, powers up, goes on another quest, powers up, goes on another quest . . . . . and you get the idea.
A wonderful idea for a novel that failed in execution.
tenthrow's review
fast-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
1.5
ammonoids's review
3.25
This guy took way too long to remember he still had taxes to pay on Earth, which is the most relatable thing about him.