sambora's review
4.0
I am (and probably always will be) a little biased toward anything Firefly.
I have so much love for these characters and the 'Verse they belong to, that no matter the quality of the story, I am predisposed to enjoy it at least a little. Luckily with this series of Firefly novels, whomever the author, the quality is always high and there is always some element that hooks me and keeps me enjoying my time with it.
*Spoiler-Free*
In Generations, the crew of Serenity find themselves a space chart, and coordinates to a potential treasure trove of old "Earth-That-Was" loot - only what they find, probably predictably, isn't what they are expecting.
I'll admit, it's not the most imaginative premise, but it's engaging enough and it gives the characters a chance to really be themselves. Much like with Lovegrove's work with them in these books, the characters are by far the strongest element. As with most of the episodes of the show, not all characters are present here, both Shepherd Book and Inara sit this one out.
But everyone else is present and my gosh do they come alive. Kaylee and Jayne are paired up during a large portion of the book, including the climax, and having those two interact more together is fantastic. They are definitely a pair of characters that weren't given enough of a relationship on-screen before the show was scrapped.
River plays arguably the biggest role in this book. Without wanting to spoil anything, we get more information as to her history and experience at the Institute and with the creepy fellas with "blue hands", we come to understand her psychology a bit better and are given some frame of reference regarding her powers and how she uses them.
Take from that what you will.
But yes, the story has plenty of action, great pacing and a host of the trademark wholesome moments we all know and love from this series. Generations leans much harder into the Sci-Fi side of Firefly's DNA, setting it apart from the Western inspired/styled stories we see more frequently from Serenity and her crew.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Life Signs!
-
Thank you for reading my review.
There is still plenty of Firefly out there for me to consume, both prose and graphic. I'm not done with the 'Verse yet, not by a long shot!
I have so much love for these characters and the 'Verse they belong to, that no matter the quality of the story, I am predisposed to enjoy it at least a little. Luckily with this series of Firefly novels, whomever the author, the quality is always high and there is always some element that hooks me and keeps me enjoying my time with it.
*Spoiler-Free*
In Generations, the crew of Serenity find themselves a space chart, and coordinates to a potential treasure trove of old "Earth-That-Was" loot - only what they find, probably predictably, isn't what they are expecting.
I'll admit, it's not the most imaginative premise, but it's engaging enough and it gives the characters a chance to really be themselves. Much like with Lovegrove's work with them in these books, the characters are by far the strongest element. As with most of the episodes of the show, not all characters are present here, both Shepherd Book and Inara sit this one out.
But everyone else is present and my gosh do they come alive. Kaylee and Jayne are paired up during a large portion of the book, including the climax, and having those two interact more together is fantastic. They are definitely a pair of characters that weren't given enough of a relationship on-screen before the show was scrapped.
River plays arguably the biggest role in this book. Without wanting to spoil anything, we get more information as to her history and experience at the Institute and with the creepy fellas with "blue hands", we come to understand her psychology a bit better and are given some frame of reference regarding her powers and how she uses them.
Take from that what you will.
But yes, the story has plenty of action, great pacing and a host of the trademark wholesome moments we all know and love from this series. Generations leans much harder into the Sci-Fi side of Firefly's DNA, setting it apart from the Western inspired/styled stories we see more frequently from Serenity and her crew.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Life Signs!
-
Thank you for reading my review.
There is still plenty of Firefly out there for me to consume, both prose and graphic. I'm not done with the 'Verse yet, not by a long shot!
madisonreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
titusfortner's review
3.0
Supplemental books in a well known universe set before explicitly cannon events are extremely challenging to write. You can't exactly show significant character growth, because that would affect what we saw later in the movie. Plus it's difficult to tell a Big Important story because that wouldn't make sense for where our favorite misfits end up. Tim Lebbon did a good job threading the needle for the first challenge by pairing Jayne and Kaylee and exploring that partnership, which is a combination we don't get to see elsewhere. When it came to telling a Big Important story, though, things get a little weirder. Canon seems to indicate that the Hands of Blue were two specific individuals, not two among many which this story would imply. Further, it's difficult to process the ramifications of the entity being hidden on the edge of the 'Verse in the context of the rest of what we know about the series.
And, yes, not having Inara or Book present made the story feel less enjoyable overall.
On the bright side, James Anderson Foster did the audio version for this, and he does such a great job with the character voices.
I think in general I prefer James Lovegrove's writing style, but this book was still better than The Ghost Machine.
And, yes, not having Inara or Book present made the story feel less enjoyable overall.
On the bright side, James Anderson Foster did the audio version for this, and he does such a great job with the character voices.
I think in general I prefer James Lovegrove's writing style, but this book was still better than The Ghost Machine.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. Easily the best book in the series so far. I thought this was probably the closest to the feeling of an episode of the show of the bunch. The stakes were high. I loved the plot of this one. It was intense and action packed but still had its humor.
I loved that the crew were together and shared equal amounts of time. Usually, the books follows primarily like one or two of the characters whereas this one we followed the whole crew which was fun. Also, I have to give credit where it’s due; I think the author did a pretty good job with River’s character here. I’ve said it before that she is a tough character to get right and in the other books she doesn’t feel as true to herself but here I thought she was pretty spot on. Kudos to the author.
I’m very interested in book 5 (this book was published after book 4, which I’ve already read) since it follows my girl Inara and the plot sounds like it has a lot of potential to be something really awesome.
I loved that the crew were together and shared equal amounts of time. Usually, the books follows primarily like one or two of the characters whereas this one we followed the whole crew which was fun. Also, I have to give credit where it’s due; I think the author did a pretty good job with River’s character here. I’ve said it before that she is a tough character to get right and in the other books she doesn’t feel as true to herself but here I thought she was pretty spot on. Kudos to the author.
I’m very interested in book 5 (this book was published after book 4, which I’ve already read) since it follows my girl Inara and the plot sounds like it has a lot of potential to be something really awesome.
stephen_on_a_jet_plane's review
3.0
Heyyy it’s alright!
I think novels are the way forward for the firefly franchise - they offer a scope and a vision that can’t can’t be paid for on a television budget so this novel feels like a sized up version of the show. Also the characters are charming and fun and it’s a real joy getting to look inside their perspectives. They feel like friends.
Tim Lebbon really plays around with perspective and interior monologue to give variety and to add weight to his plot. The plots just pretty average and feels like a mid-season episode so three stars from me!
I think novels are the way forward for the firefly franchise - they offer a scope and a vision that can’t can’t be paid for on a television budget so this novel feels like a sized up version of the show. Also the characters are charming and fun and it’s a real joy getting to look inside their perspectives. They feel like friends.
Tim Lebbon really plays around with perspective and interior monologue to give variety and to add weight to his plot. The plots just pretty average and feels like a mid-season episode so three stars from me!
zoes_human's review
adventurous
4.0
Lots of action and a little deeper look into the history of Earth That Was. Not a perfect book by a long shot, but wonderful for those of us with a Firefly-shaped hole in our hearts.
palmkd's review against another edition
4.0
If you're a fan of the show, then this is a fun additional episode for sure.
I've decided to stick with audio for this series as I'm really enjoying listening to it. It feels like a radio drama of one of my favorite shows.
This installment is written by a different author than the others so far, Tim Lebbon.
The story felt a bit deja vu most of the way, this very much felt like another Firefly adventure, similar to past ones with a few differences. I think I enjoyed it a little bit less than the previous one but I still quite liked it. I read this one 4th, there seems to be a bit of a different numbering in some places putting this as book 3 or 4.
That being said, I don't think you really need to have read the previous books to enjoy each one as long as you are familiar with the show. Especially with the audio the character voices feel really spot on but as another reviewer mentioned Kaylee and Zoe refer to Mal as Mal, not by their usual names for him (Captain and Sir).
As with previous reviews, as a major Firefly fan this book is easily a 4 star rating for me, and I imagine that is a rather influenced by nostalgia.
I've decided to stick with audio for this series as I'm really enjoying listening to it. It feels like a radio drama of one of my favorite shows.
This installment is written by a different author than the others so far, Tim Lebbon.
The story felt a bit deja vu most of the way, this very much felt like another Firefly adventure, similar to past ones with a few differences. I think I enjoyed it a little bit less than the previous one but I still quite liked it. I read this one 4th, there seems to be a bit of a different numbering in some places putting this as book 3 or 4.
That being said, I don't think you really need to have read the previous books to enjoy each one as long as you are familiar with the show. Especially with the audio the character voices feel really spot on but as another reviewer mentioned Kaylee and Zoe refer to Mal as Mal, not by their usual names for him (Captain and Sir).
As with previous reviews, as a major Firefly fan this book is easily a 4 star rating for me, and I imagine that is a rather influenced by nostalgia.
gemimasheila's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
joshuas_space's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
thebookmagpie1989's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
4.0