loungeking's review
Almost unreadable, past-tense third person and hard to describe
snappydog's review
4.0
One of my favourite sci-fi things is when aliens aren't just humans with different limbs or whatever, so I like very much that Spectacular Silver Earthling's aliens are totally biologically different, with different ways of communicating and even thinking that make sense based on their environment.
I wondered for a while what this book was about. Like, I was having a fun enough time following Hubcap (whom I initially pictured from the name as being sort of Claptrap-y but who evolved as I read into basically a shiny cowboy) and co. in their quest to make a good TV show, but I wasn't sure what I really made of the whole thing until probably about two thirds of the way through. It just sort of starts to click, or at least it did for me, with the threads of the show and its corporate overseers and the native aliens and the frenzy all joining up together to weave themes about how we ignore what's really important in pursuit of profit. And, I think, about how we don't really understand our own emotions an awful lot of the time.
The 'space frenzy' that whips humans into elevated emotional states has people twitchy, ready to jump in with a sedative, at any display of what might be even slightly deviant emotion. I don't know whether this is deliberate but it kind of reminded me of how people who express themselves and their feelings differently are too often shut down forcefully and quickly, with no attempt made to understand them. There is a passing line about how the spread of the frenzy could cause everyone to become afraid of showing feelings at all, but I think that could've been explored further - still, it turns out that the cause is in fact kind of benign (or at least serves a purpose) in its native context, with any problems being caused only by the wanton melding of environments and inhabitants that don't belong together. So the whole thing joins up quite neatly, in the end, with everyone getting increasingly nervous of Big Feelings (and thus increasingly prone to getting overwhelmed by said Big Feelings) until the environmental issues can be resolved.
I wondered for a while what this book was about. Like, I was having a fun enough time following Hubcap (whom I initially pictured from the name as being sort of Claptrap-y but who evolved as I read into basically a shiny cowboy) and co. in their quest to make a good TV show, but I wasn't sure what I really made of the whole thing until probably about two thirds of the way through. It just sort of starts to click, or at least it did for me, with the threads of the show and its corporate overseers and the native aliens and the frenzy all joining up together to weave themes about how we ignore what's really important in pursuit of profit. And, I think, about how we don't really understand our own emotions an awful lot of the time.
The 'space frenzy' that whips humans into elevated emotional states has people twitchy, ready to jump in with a sedative, at any display of what might be even slightly deviant emotion. I don't know whether this is deliberate but it kind of reminded me of how people who express themselves and their feelings differently are too often shut down forcefully and quickly, with no attempt made to understand them. There is a passing line about how the spread of the frenzy could cause everyone to become afraid of showing feelings at all, but I think that could've been explored further - still, it turns out that the cause is in fact kind of benign (or at least serves a purpose) in its native context, with any problems being caused only by the wanton melding of environments and inhabitants that don't belong together. So the whole thing joins up quite neatly, in the end, with everyone getting increasingly nervous of Big Feelings (and thus increasingly prone to getting overwhelmed by said Big Feelings) until the environmental issues can be resolved.
eliseswritings's review
5.0
Just finished my advanced reader copy. This was a new way to explore another planet -through the eyes of a film crew found of banter and digs at each other, as they seek footage exotic enough to keep their show on the galaxy's airwaves. The crew are good natured, and I enjoyed their company, and the conceited but very entertaining, endless digs that robot lead Hubcap makes at his 'meatbag' companions, which, along with the story, built to what I found to being a satisfying finale.
Frenzy, a space illness of mysterious origins was an interesting and realistic concept as a 'villain'. And naturally, an interesting original new alien species makes an appearance too. This was an immersive adventure, and an up-beat distraction from the sickbed in which I read it. An enjoyable and entertaining read.
Frenzy, a space illness of mysterious origins was an interesting and realistic concept as a 'villain'. And naturally, an interesting original new alien species makes an appearance too. This was an immersive adventure, and an up-beat distraction from the sickbed in which I read it. An enjoyable and entertaining read.
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