patrisias's review against another edition
4.0
Another installment of the plucky band of futuristic humans facing down the destruction if the earth, the solar system, and the universe. I've read these books for the sheer entertainment value they add to my commute, but they are also quite well done in character development and a thought provoking underlying message.
jaybatson's review
4.0
Pushes physics to breaking, but still fun; but easy up with the battles, please
The things that are fun about this book are the far-reaching ideas about what a human is from a physical & functional perspective. And in the process the author really pushes on assumptions about how we define "human". Though we're a long way from having the tech in these books, we are not far from asking that question - are you still human when your physical & mental components have significant technological supplementation?
And bold, new ideas about how tech & humanity come fast & furious.
It is also a fun book because just when you thought all was lost for the good guys, a character finds a way out of the predicament.
For me, though, this fifth book in the series falls down one star from the first four precisely for that reason. Not far into this book, an ongoing physical battle begins. Much fighting & obliteration ensues. And once this starts, the book becomes page after page of death, and escapes from near-death, with the savior-of-the-moment suddenly having an insight that allows escape ... for just a moment until the next about-to-die crisis.
Sadly, this got tiring, and old. The author has fallen victim to the same trap that catches too many authors that find themselves with a popular series: that fight scenes are an easy structural crutch to use instead of the more interesting character / plot development that he had in the first books.
Still, 4 out of 5. I'll definitely read the next installment, and hope it doesn't lurch from battle to battle as much.
The things that are fun about this book are the far-reaching ideas about what a human is from a physical & functional perspective. And in the process the author really pushes on assumptions about how we define "human". Though we're a long way from having the tech in these books, we are not far from asking that question - are you still human when your physical & mental components have significant technological supplementation?
And bold, new ideas about how tech & humanity come fast & furious.
It is also a fun book because just when you thought all was lost for the good guys, a character finds a way out of the predicament.
For me, though, this fifth book in the series falls down one star from the first four precisely for that reason. Not far into this book, an ongoing physical battle begins. Much fighting & obliteration ensues. And once this starts, the book becomes page after page of death, and escapes from near-death, with the savior-of-the-moment suddenly having an insight that allows escape ... for just a moment until the next about-to-die crisis.
Sadly, this got tiring, and old. The author has fallen victim to the same trap that catches too many authors that find themselves with a popular series: that fight scenes are an easy structural crutch to use instead of the more interesting character / plot development that he had in the first books.
Still, 4 out of 5. I'll definitely read the next installment, and hope it doesn't lurch from battle to battle as much.
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