alissacoopermiles's review against another edition
4.0
There's a quiet intensity to Powell's storytelling. Maybe it's the AI voice of the ship Trouble Dog or the somewhat resigned airs from the ship's captain Sal Konstanz that provide a steady thread even through space combat. That's not to say the story isn't exciting; it absolutely is.
EMBERS OF WAR is the beginning of a trilogy and it does what any first in a series should do: it gets us ready. It's the bubbling just before coming to the surface. The story is told with multiple points of view, but it wasn't choppy or hard to follow. Each character's voice is different and the wants and needs are specific to him or her or it.
Sadly, I was surprised at how many women take center-stage--not disappointed, just surprised. That shouldn't be such a shock by now. Ultimately, it was a happy surprise and I found the female roles compelling. There was never a question as to their abilities, nor did any of them have to provide a justification for her station.
Mostly, I was intrigued by the character, Trouble Dog. She's a complicated ship. She's made choices, has a past, and is being judged by those who knew her from her time before. It's hard to not think of her as human, but that's part of the mystery and uniqueness of Powell's construct. Without giving too much away, I was holding my breath for the last few chapters wondering how the story would progress.
EMBERS OF WAR is the beginning of a trilogy and it does what any first in a series should do: it gets us ready. It's the bubbling just before coming to the surface. The story is told with multiple points of view, but it wasn't choppy or hard to follow. Each character's voice is different and the wants and needs are specific to him or her or it.
Sadly, I was surprised at how many women take center-stage--not disappointed, just surprised. That shouldn't be such a shock by now. Ultimately, it was a happy surprise and I found the female roles compelling. There was never a question as to their abilities, nor did any of them have to provide a justification for her station.
Mostly, I was intrigued by the character, Trouble Dog. She's a complicated ship. She's made choices, has a past, and is being judged by those who knew her from her time before. It's hard to not think of her as human, but that's part of the mystery and uniqueness of Powell's construct. Without giving too much away, I was holding my breath for the last few chapters wondering how the story would progress.
grid's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty fun. Lots of blood. It was hard to buy the captain / ship’s altruism when they were so violent on that one planet. Overall it was fast paced and exciting.
sooflo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cjdavey's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elizabethvail13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
roytoo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
chiefhaole's review against another edition
American authoritarian apologist writes a sci-fi to defend the bombing of Japanese civilians, and to defend police-state style governance.
Trash. Do not read.
Trash. Do not read.
taberiusrex's review against another edition
2.0
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book as the result of a contest on Tor.com.
I really wanted to love this book. On its surface, it seemed incredibly promising, but none of its potential really pans out. The setting was probably the most distracting. Part of the reason I love sf is because it always seems like every story is just one part of a greater world we don't get to see but understand is there. For this book, the world felt flat and limited to the places the story had to go, and nowhere else mattered.
The author tries hard in a few places to build out the universe, but it just comes across as names without texture. Other factions and worlds and events are mentioned, but there are no feelings attached to them. Each character feels adrift on the river of plot, just going where the current takes them.
And the characters never clicked for me. They never felt real until the very end. We're supposed to mourn with one of the viewpoint characters, but we don't get to feel the sharp grief of loss; instead, every so often we're stoically reminded of the absence of someone they once cared for. I understand that the reader does most of the emotional work in feeling what the characters feel, but the author still needs to guide us even if we're the ones walking the path.
By the end you care enough about the characters through their experiences in the book, and the central mystery if pretty compelling. But it takes too long for both things to get where they need to be, and I finished this book by force of will alone.
I really wanted to love this book. On its surface, it seemed incredibly promising, but none of its potential really pans out. The setting was probably the most distracting. Part of the reason I love sf is because it always seems like every story is just one part of a greater world we don't get to see but understand is there. For this book, the world felt flat and limited to the places the story had to go, and nowhere else mattered.
The author tries hard in a few places to build out the universe, but it just comes across as names without texture. Other factions and worlds and events are mentioned, but there are no feelings attached to them. Each character feels adrift on the river of plot, just going where the current takes them.
And the characters never clicked for me. They never felt real until the very end. We're supposed to mourn with one of the viewpoint characters, but we don't get to feel the sharp grief of loss; instead, every so often we're stoically reminded of the absence of someone they once cared for. I understand that the reader does most of the emotional work in feeling what the characters feel, but the author still needs to guide us even if we're the ones walking the path.
By the end you care enough about the characters through their experiences in the book, and the central mystery if pretty compelling. But it takes too long for both things to get where they need to be, and I finished this book by force of will alone.
tpoisot's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wildhorses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0