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writings_of_a_reader's review
3.0
2.5 stars.
This book started out pretty enjoyable. I liked the main character and the A.I. ship Dahak was interesting. I was looking forward to some space adventure, but it eventually went a little off track from what I thought it was going to be, and turned into more of a spy-type book with political espionage. My husband said it turned into a Tom Clancy-like book. Also, right off the bat there are some pretty heavy deaths, with a whole family being found murdered. There wasn't too much detail about it though, which helped.
I think I would have enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more if there had not been so many points of view. While listening to the audio, it was hard to keep everyone straight, and there was no warning that the book was moving onto another character's point of view. No pause, no change in tone of voice, no nothing. I eventually gave up trying to keep up with who was who. There's also a bit of a romance, or the beginnings of one, thrown in there that was very predictable and lackluster.
Minor spoilers in the spoiler tag below.
A couple of people have already gone on to read the second book in the trilogy and said it was more like what we were expecting the first book to be like and suggested we read the next book. While I thought the book was ok, I didn't really love it enough to keep reading, even if book two might be better.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader and on Facebook.
This book started out pretty enjoyable. I liked the main character and the A.I. ship Dahak was interesting. I was looking forward to some space adventure, but it eventually went a little off track from what I thought it was going to be, and turned into more of a spy-type book with political espionage. My husband said it turned into a Tom Clancy-like book. Also, right off the bat there are some pretty heavy deaths, with a whole family being found murdered. There wasn't too much detail about it though, which helped.
I think I would have enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more if there had not been so many points of view. While listening to the audio, it was hard to keep everyone straight, and there was no warning that the book was moving onto another character's point of view. No pause, no change in tone of voice, no nothing. I eventually gave up trying to keep up with who was who. There's also a bit of a romance, or the beginnings of one, thrown in there that was very predictable and lackluster.
Minor spoilers in the spoiler tag below.
Spoiler
As we discussed this book during our book club meeting, we realized that different elements of this book reminded us of different movies. In the first part of the book the main character gets changed into something of a cyborg, and it reminded me a lot of wolverine. Then there is Dahak, and Dahak got compared to the deathstar from Star Wars. In fact one of our book club members compared several things in the book to Star Wars. Another, said she got some Star Trek vibes from the book, and I thought of Stargate while I was reading it. The Stargate elements were the ancient people who inhabited the bodies of humans, just in a different way from Stargate.A couple of people have already gone on to read the second book in the trilogy and said it was more like what we were expecting the first book to be like and suggested we read the next book. While I thought the book was ok, I didn't really love it enough to keep reading, even if book two might be better.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader and on Facebook.
hagbard_celine's review
2.0
This book sets the lower bound for how dumb a book can be for me to read to the end.
officerdean's review
5.0
This book was a real surprise! I picked it up an old bookstore while vacationing on the Oregon Coast. I couldn't put it down. The story was much deeper than I expected, and very thorough. The were small holes I thought of while reading, but nothing to take away enjoyment. It's also great when you have questions and they are immediately answered by the author. The characters were great and i can't wait to read book 2!
kodermike's review
4.0
I started reading this during the recent onset of rainy weather here in Virginia, starting with the hurricane last month. There's is something in my brain, a trigger, that associates cool, rainy weather with the trifecta of Saturday evenings, comic books, and pulpy science fiction/fantasy. It doesn't get much pulpier than Weber's Mutineer's Moon, book 1 of the Dahak trilogy. (I'm actually reading the omnibus edition, but thought it would be more fair to list the books individually as I finished them.)
Its a little startling to realize that this book is just shy of twenty years old - the politics and climate of international affairs in the book, while a bit simplistic in some ways, still manage to resonate as being right on cue for modern day to near future Earth. You know, except for the fact that the moon is really a giant, orbiting alien space craft set to look like a moon when the proto-human population on the ship faced a mutiny. Except for that, of course.
I called it pulpy, and I'll stand by that - don't pick this book (or series) up if you are looking for deep discussions on human nature, highly correct science and scientific conjecture, or really deep, introspective science fiction. This is big explosions and quick action scenes that don't necessarily always make sense in retrospect, but that work nicely in the context of the fast paced story that Weber has written.
If you've read the kind of books I review high, especially in the science fiction category, and agree with me, then this is probably a good fit. Its eye candy for the brain, in all the brain rotting sweetness our mother's used to warn us about. And keep an eye on the moon, because there might be something up there keeping an eye on us, too.
Its a little startling to realize that this book is just shy of twenty years old - the politics and climate of international affairs in the book, while a bit simplistic in some ways, still manage to resonate as being right on cue for modern day to near future Earth. You know, except for the fact that the moon is really a giant, orbiting alien space craft set to look like a moon when the proto-human population on the ship faced a mutiny. Except for that, of course.
I called it pulpy, and I'll stand by that - don't pick this book (or series) up if you are looking for deep discussions on human nature, highly correct science and scientific conjecture, or really deep, introspective science fiction. This is big explosions and quick action scenes that don't necessarily always make sense in retrospect, but that work nicely in the context of the fast paced story that Weber has written.
If you've read the kind of books I review high, especially in the science fiction category, and agree with me, then this is probably a good fit. Its eye candy for the brain, in all the brain rotting sweetness our mother's used to warn us about. And keep an eye on the moon, because there might be something up there keeping an eye on us, too.
theatlantean's review
2.0
This started off a solid 4* and when I discovered the premise behind it, the potential rose to nigh on 5*
However once the halfway mark is reached and Colin has joined some other people (to remain spoiler-free), it devolves into huge sections of exposition delivered by various characters, spattered with tiny parts of action and a smattering of character development. Even when you are anticipating action, there is just speech after speech - WE DON'T CARE!
Stop telling us what it's all about, and show it. I get the feeling this book was way too ambitious for the length the author perceived it to be, and it's just a lot quicker to tell rather than show. I was excited in the first fifty pages, and it was all downhill from there. I wish this book was as good as it had the promise to be.
However once the halfway mark is reached and Colin has joined some other people (to remain spoiler-free), it devolves into huge sections of exposition delivered by various characters, spattered with tiny parts of action and a smattering of character development. Even when you are anticipating action, there is just speech after speech - WE DON'T CARE!
Stop telling us what it's all about, and show it. I get the feeling this book was way too ambitious for the length the author perceived it to be, and it's just a lot quicker to tell rather than show. I was excited in the first fifty pages, and it was all downhill from there. I wish this book was as good as it had the promise to be.
aqiul's review
4.0
This book ticks all the boxes for military SF:
1. Deathstar-type abandoned battleship? CHECK!
2. An AI with a great personality and lots of intelligent conversations? CHECK!
3. Aliens fighting a secret battle on Earth for millennia? CHECK!
4. Promise of annihilation if things go wrong? CHECK!
I think that pretty much covers everything. Dahak is awesome and in its quest to follow alpha protocol over these millennia it seems to have become self-aware. Paired with Dahak you have Colin McIntyre, someone who was at the right place at the right time and has everything you need from a hero. With a few adjustments and upgrades, our Colin now becomes the only one who can bring an end to a mutiny that has gone on for so long.
The book was a fantastic read. The characters are extremely interesting and enough background is given to create an air of mystery surrounding the Imperium. Fast paced and well-detailed, the book was an instant hit with me. I have already started book 2 before writing this review!
4/5!
1. Deathstar-type abandoned battleship? CHECK!
2. An AI with a great personality and lots of intelligent conversations? CHECK!
3. Aliens fighting a secret battle on Earth for millennia? CHECK!
4. Promise of annihilation if things go wrong? CHECK!
I think that pretty much covers everything. Dahak is awesome and in its quest to follow alpha protocol over these millennia it seems to have become self-aware. Paired with Dahak you have Colin McIntyre, someone who was at the right place at the right time and has everything you need from a hero. With a few adjustments and upgrades, our Colin now becomes the only one who can bring an end to a mutiny that has gone on for so long.
The book was a fantastic read. The characters are extremely interesting and enough background is given to create an air of mystery surrounding the Imperium. Fast paced and well-detailed, the book was an instant hit with me. I have already started book 2 before writing this review!
4/5!
naturalistnatalie's review
3.0
An enjoyable, if highly predictable story. For example, when we meet one of the younger Imperials, she took an immediate dislike to Colin. So, I knew she was destined to be Colin’s love interest, with her distrust slowly replaced by grudging admiration for his abilities as a leader. There’s some exciting big battles between the forces of good and evil with the good guys winning with only light casualties by the end.
I did find the setup for the main action interesting. The Imperials were responsible for all the stories of gods in human history, plus the source of the big wars. There is a larger thread for the series that drives the action forward – an alien race known to wipe out any civilization it finds is moving into our galaxy and Earth is on the front line of annihilation. They will need the help of the Fourth Imperium if humanity is to survive.
I did find the setup for the main action interesting. The Imperials were responsible for all the stories of gods in human history, plus the source of the big wars. There is a larger thread for the series that drives the action forward – an alien race known to wipe out any civilization it finds is moving into our galaxy and Earth is on the front line of annihilation. They will need the help of the Fourth Imperium if humanity is to survive.
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