catya's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
el_entrenador_loco's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scribal's review
4.0
I'm pleased to discover Moran however belatedly. I just read Emerald Eyes, The Long Run and the Last Dancer in that order. The Long Run is the tightest and most satisfying of the three. Comments have been made about it as a heist story and and a long chase--yes that's the form of the book but that's not why it's good. There are lots of tightly written genre novels with similar forms and often I don't like them enough to finish or forget them after I do.
The Long Run is good because Moran can write plot, character and idea all at once! There's satisfaction to be had in following the shape of his plot. Trent is an interesting (if slightly inhuman) protagonist that's easy to invest in. And Moran does a very interesting thing with ideas--he keeps the reader unsettled about where he and the characters stand on a lot of issues. The world he creates seems very black and white sometimes, but it always shifts to grey.
This is more evident if more of the Continuing Time series is read. Emerald Eyes and especially Last Dancer are less balanced--Moran doesn't always handle the character shifts well--I didn't invest in other characters as much as Trent and unless the series is going to be continued for a long time (and I hope it is), there was way too much detailed back story that was ultimately left hanging.
The Long Run is good because Moran can write plot, character and idea all at once! There's satisfaction to be had in following the shape of his plot. Trent is an interesting (if slightly inhuman) protagonist that's easy to invest in. And Moran does a very interesting thing with ideas--he keeps the reader unsettled about where he and the characters stand on a lot of issues. The world he creates seems very black and white sometimes, but it always shifts to grey.
This is more evident if more of the Continuing Time series is read. Emerald Eyes and especially Last Dancer are less balanced--Moran doesn't always handle the character shifts well--I didn't invest in other characters as much as Trent and unless the series is going to be continued for a long time (and I hope it is), there was way too much detailed back story that was ultimately left hanging.
bozimus's review
3.0
My rating is based upon having read this book for the first time (on or about) the year 1989. I remember eagerly turning pages as Trent escaped one hair-raising action sequence before entering another. This book was for me like crack is to a crack addict. I am tempted, oh so tempted, to read it again.
UPDATE:
Having just completed a re-read, I find that my previously high regard for this book has diminished over the last 20 odd years. I no longer consider this book to be one of my "all time favorites". The "Long run is still a good book, IMO, but no longer a "GREAT" book. The book is unchanged since my first reading, so the reason for my re-evaluation is a change in the reader...yours truly. I am a different person than I was in 1989. A lot of books have been read since 1989. The "Long Run" has suffered in comparison. IMO, in the year of 2013, the "Long Run" deserves 3 stars.
SPOILER ALERT******
For certain types of adventure literature to be enjoyable (for me), the contests between protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) need to provide a certain amount of tension. The bad guy needs to come close to killing/defeating the good guy. There needs to be a real question concerning the outcome. If your protagonist is freakishly smart and the antagonists are bureaucratic simpletons, there will not be any doubt as to the outcome. No doubt, no tension.
Trent the Uncatchable is this story's protagonist and resident super genius. The PKF (Peace Keeping Force) are the story's simpleton antagonists. Time and time again, Trent effortlessly eludes or evades or outthinks these petty bureaucrats who are collectively the baddest of the bad in our Solar System.
Yawn…after a while, I stopped buying the BS that Trent was in any danger of getting caught or killed. Once that happened, I lost interest and finishing the book began to feel like a chore. It is a shame really, because I had such fond memories..
END SPOILER*******
How in the world did I ever consider this book to be among my “all time favorites”? Maybe I am too jaded to enjoy a story of this type any longer?
UPDATE:
Having just completed a re-read, I find that my previously high regard for this book has diminished over the last 20 odd years. I no longer consider this book to be one of my "all time favorites". The "Long run is still a good book, IMO, but no longer a "GREAT" book. The book is unchanged since my first reading, so the reason for my re-evaluation is a change in the reader...yours truly. I am a different person than I was in 1989. A lot of books have been read since 1989. The "Long Run" has suffered in comparison. IMO, in the year of 2013, the "Long Run" deserves 3 stars.
SPOILER ALERT******
For certain types of adventure literature to be enjoyable (for me), the contests between protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) need to provide a certain amount of tension. The bad guy needs to come close to killing/defeating the good guy. There needs to be a real question concerning the outcome. If your protagonist is freakishly smart and the antagonists are bureaucratic simpletons, there will not be any doubt as to the outcome. No doubt, no tension.
Trent the Uncatchable is this story's protagonist and resident super genius. The PKF (Peace Keeping Force) are the story's simpleton antagonists. Time and time again, Trent effortlessly eludes or evades or outthinks these petty bureaucrats who are collectively the baddest of the bad in our Solar System.
Yawn…after a while, I stopped buying the BS that Trent was in any danger of getting caught or killed. Once that happened, I lost interest and finishing the book began to feel like a chore. It is a shame really, because I had such fond memories..
END SPOILER*******
How in the world did I ever consider this book to be among my “all time favorites”? Maybe I am too jaded to enjoy a story of this type any longer?
cheekimonkey's review
4.0
This was such a fun read! A lot different from Emerald Eyes, this story focuses on the adventures of Trent the Uncatchable as he tries to escapes the peaceforcers that still hunt the Castanaveras genies. I cannot express how badly I want these novels to be on audiobook.
joannawnyc's review
4.0
Probably the most fun volume of the continuing time series so far, mainly because it leaves the aliens out of things, mostly, and focuses on Trent the Uncatchable, who's always a lot of fun. Keys Moran is clearly more comfortable with this aspect of his mythos.
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