altruest's review
4.0
A very good start to the series, with a lot of potential for the other books. Finished in a few hours so not much to say, but I do reccomend. The "diversity in fiction" message was a little on the nose, but it didn't take away from the story too much.
sirius_feanor's review against another edition
3.0
A very cool concept, but I struggled to get into the story. Will try the second book in the series to see how it goes.
leticiatoraci's review
4.0
This Novella was so much fun that I bought [b:Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection|32325621|Genrenauts The Complete Season One Collection (Genrenauts, #1-6)|Michael R. Underwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475333355l/32325621._SX50_.jpg|52959116] to continue reading this series.
stefwithanf's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
elysareadsitall's review
5.0
This book was just plain fun. I love the idea of alternate dimensions where each world is based on a book genre where everything that happens must fall within the tropes of that genre. If they don't, things get wonky on Earth Prime, which is where the Genrenauts come in. 1. That name is great. 2. Where do I sign up for that job? The book is filled with action, but it's also really funny. There's banter and puns. It's a fast, fun read, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
The idea behind this novella is an intriguing one. In it, the world is orbited by other worlds, in another dimension, that are populated by stories, broken down by genre. When the genres on those worlds get off-kilter, it feeds back into the real world, causing real-life problems. Enter the genrenauts, whose job it is to go to those planets and set things back on course to keep things right in our world.
I thought this story was OK, but the premise reminds me too much of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, and it isn't anywhere near as clever, intriguing, or good as that series. Since the worlds are defined by genre, then tropes from that genre are commonly found, making the story feel a little too cliched and stereotypical to make much of an impact. It's OK to make a parody, and it's OK to use those tropes to make a statement about them through that parody, but that isn't how this story felt. It seems like Underwood wants to make this a serious story, and the use of the stereotypes in turn makes the story feel lazy.
To Underwood's credit, there is something larger than just the one story taking place in The Shootout Solution. He hints at something larger, more significant, happening behind the scenes, enough so that this novella feels more like exposition, even as it's a self-contained story. Underwood notes that this is the first in a series of five novellas about the genrenauts, and while this one didn't impress me as much as I'd hoped, I'm into it enough to see what happens next. I get the feeling that they will improve as the series continues and Underwood gets more into the stories of the genrenauts and less into their adventures.
I would recommend this story to fans of Jasper Fforde, with the caveat that it won't be as good as any of the Thursday Next books. It's similar enough, and different enough, that it should be entertaining. For 99 cents on Kindle, it's hard to go wrong with it.
I thought this story was OK, but the premise reminds me too much of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, and it isn't anywhere near as clever, intriguing, or good as that series. Since the worlds are defined by genre, then tropes from that genre are commonly found, making the story feel a little too cliched and stereotypical to make much of an impact. It's OK to make a parody, and it's OK to use those tropes to make a statement about them through that parody, but that isn't how this story felt. It seems like Underwood wants to make this a serious story, and the use of the stereotypes in turn makes the story feel lazy.
To Underwood's credit, there is something larger than just the one story taking place in The Shootout Solution. He hints at something larger, more significant, happening behind the scenes, enough so that this novella feels more like exposition, even as it's a self-contained story. Underwood notes that this is the first in a series of five novellas about the genrenauts, and while this one didn't impress me as much as I'd hoped, I'm into it enough to see what happens next. I get the feeling that they will improve as the series continues and Underwood gets more into the stories of the genrenauts and less into their adventures.
I would recommend this story to fans of Jasper Fforde, with the caveat that it won't be as good as any of the Thursday Next books. It's similar enough, and different enough, that it should be entertaining. For 99 cents on Kindle, it's hard to go wrong with it.
addisoncs's review
4.0
Wonderful start!
This is a pretty great start to the Genrenauts series, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest. Whether you're a genre nerd, devourer of novels, or a film buff, this one will keep you entertained.
This is a pretty great start to the Genrenauts series, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest. Whether you're a genre nerd, devourer of novels, or a film buff, this one will keep you entertained.
detailsandtales's review
4.0
Overall, this was a fun read that kept me interested to find out what happened next. Though there were a few awkward sentences and one or two spots where the copy editor missed an extra word, the story more than made up for that. It was engaging and entertaining. It didn't feel very deep, but it's sometimes nice to read a story that's just fun. The story also gets bonus points for featuring an impressively diverse cast. There are multiple characters of color, including an Asian protagonist and her black supervisor. The Genrenauts team also includes a Trans character and a character who is in a wheelchair. Overall, I had enjoyed reading this, and I could definitely see myself picking up the sequel when I'm in the mood for a quick, light read.