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peterkeep's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty fun book! It's fast-paced and has some really exciting action scenes that I thought were pretty well strung together. I was a bit confused for the first 100 pages or so, because it wasn't very much like what I expected. I think somewhere along the way through other people's recommendations, I got it stuck in my head that this was going to be a funny book. Sure, there's some humor in it, but I was expecting something more along the lines of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or maybe Get Smart. It definitely wasn't either of those things, which isn't bad, but was a bit disorienting.
Anyways, once I got over my own misconceptions, I enjoyed it! It's not a perfect book by any means, but it has a good foundation of ideas. There's a nice history or broad picture of everything told mostly in epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter and Roen Tan and Tao make a fine duo to read about. There were some great serious moments in the book that touched on some really big ideas as well...things like war, human nature, etc.
I know it kind of sounds pretentious to say, but it's a charming story, and I think it'll be interesting to see how Wesley Chu evolved as a writer through this series and into his newer books.
Anyways, once I got over my own misconceptions, I enjoyed it! It's not a perfect book by any means, but it has a good foundation of ideas. There's a nice history or broad picture of everything told mostly in epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter and Roen Tan and Tao make a fine duo to read about. There were some great serious moments in the book that touched on some really big ideas as well...things like war, human nature, etc.
I know it kind of sounds pretentious to say, but it's a charming story, and I think it'll be interesting to see how Wesley Chu evolved as a writer through this series and into his newer books.
songwind's review
4.0
This is a very solid, entertaining book.
The elements of the premise are familiar. A secret war between non-human factions, with human allies. Ancient astronauts. Symbiotic/parasitic aliens. But the way that Chu puts them together is unusual enough to keep everything feeling fresh.
Roen, Tao's new host, will be very familiar to a lot of people. Overweight, stuck in a dead end job, pining for something more but unable to say what. The difficulties he has with accepting his new reality, and in turning himself into the sort of partner his new alien friend needs, seem realistic. The time frames are reasonable, and Roen doesn't end up as the Chosen One, excellent at everything.
The ending of the book is well executed, exciting, and bittersweet.
I definitely recommend this one.
The elements of the premise are familiar. A secret war between non-human factions, with human allies. Ancient astronauts. Symbiotic/parasitic aliens. But the way that Chu puts them together is unusual enough to keep everything feeling fresh.
Roen, Tao's new host, will be very familiar to a lot of people. Overweight, stuck in a dead end job, pining for something more but unable to say what. The difficulties he has with accepting his new reality, and in turning himself into the sort of partner his new alien friend needs, seem realistic. The time frames are reasonable, and Roen doesn't end up as the Chosen One, excellent at everything.
The ending of the book is well executed, exciting, and bittersweet.
I definitely recommend this one.
authoraugust's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to find too much to say about this book. I liked the concept, and I dug a couple of the characters, but it was tough to get and stay emotionally connected to them because they weren't ultimately full of depth. That said, it was an action book, and it did action well.
Fits the Pingel Sisters Reading Challenge 2019 category of "First Book in a Trilogy"
Fits the Pingel Sisters Reading Challenge 2019 category of "First Book in a Trilogy"
alvalvano's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.0
emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely entertaining and well-characterized. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will definitely read the rest of the series. The main character follows a very clear arc from zero to hero, in a classic wish fulfillment scenario. Except our underdog actually suffers the emotional consequences of going from office drone to secret agent, which I appreciated. I also enjoyed the fact that the aliens symbiotes each had their own personalities distinct from the personalities of their hosts. As a woman I appreciated the effort the author made to include a female presence in the book. There are a total of three female characters with names and dialogue, two of whom are pretty bad ass and not all of them were falling over themselves to attract the main male character's attention. That said, I would have liked to see a little more of an emotional build between Roen and Jill.
rewarner's review against another edition
3.0
A very original idea written in a cliché way. Largely boring.
jmoses's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great book. The overall idea isn't new () but the execution is excellent. I really enjoyed the contrast between Roen and Tao, and the mindset that comes alone with such a long history.
Spoiler
alien race divided and fighting for earthlexeai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tani's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I would really like this book, after all the favorable reviews I had read. But while it wasn't terrible, it wasn't really for me either. I think a lot of my problem was with Roen. He was just so thoughtless. Things that are obvious, like that when you command a group of soldiers, you probably will feel some responsibility for their deaths, were things that he only thought about at the last moment. It made him really hard to connect with, for me.
I did think it was an easy to read book, but I have to admit, I kind of lost patience for it when a character expressed some incredibly sexist views, which no one seemed to really object to. After that, really struggled with the rest of the book.
I liked the ending more than I thought I would, though, and I suppose I will consider reading the second book eventually. It just might take me a while to get there.
I did think it was an easy to read book, but I have to admit, I kind of lost patience for it when a character expressed some incredibly sexist views, which no one seemed to really object to. After that, really struggled with the rest of the book.
I liked the ending more than I thought I would, though, and I suppose I will consider reading the second book eventually. It just might take me a while to get there.