maitrey_d's review against another edition
3.0
The catchphrase: "Who doesn't like the monkey?" appears again and again in Ack-Ack Macaque. After finishing the book, I can wholeheartedly agree, I love the monkey! Sadly, there's not much else to love in the book.
I'd happily dub Ack-Ack as a YA novel: there's page flipping action, a mysterious prince with a troubled past, there's all kinds of flashy steam-punky tech, an exciting alt-history world that's not fully explored; except for the goddamn monkey. My word, does he swear like a sailor.
Who doesn't like a cigar-chewing, revolver-toting, spitfire-piloting, extremely foul-mouthed primate eh? There's something primal about a talking monkey, something we look to almost as a release. When Ack-Ack lets loose a screech and tears into his enemies, one can't help but root for him.
It was a short read, and apart from the monkey, the characters weren't all that well fleshed-out. The plot moves at a fast clip, and really one hopes that in the up-coming novels, the holes are all covered up.
I'd happily dub Ack-Ack as a YA novel: there's page flipping action, a mysterious prince with a troubled past, there's all kinds of flashy steam-punky tech, an exciting alt-history world that's not fully explored; except for the goddamn monkey. My word, does he swear like a sailor.
Who doesn't like a cigar-chewing, revolver-toting, spitfire-piloting, extremely foul-mouthed primate eh? There's something primal about a talking monkey, something we look to almost as a release. When Ack-Ack lets loose a screech and tears into his enemies, one can't help but root for him.
It was a short read, and apart from the monkey, the characters weren't all that well fleshed-out. The plot moves at a fast clip, and really one hopes that in the up-coming novels, the holes are all covered up.
boshg's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
torstein's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
4.0
What a great title for the book, and the brief synopsis of the book kinda forced me into getting this as part of an Audible deal.
This is a fun book, doesn't take its self seriously, and has some good moments. The macaque in question is great, but its not all about him. In fact, he plays a fairly small part considering. The story revolves around the idea of downloading the human soul and uploading it into another. Nothing new there, and the science is not fully explored, but it does give us a basis for a story.
The setting is also strange. It is set in the future, but they have massive airships of the past, that are self contained sovereignty.
This is the first book in the series, and the second was also on Audible offer, so i grabbed that as well. Will be getting round to that when i need a light hearted read.
This is a fun book, doesn't take its self seriously, and has some good moments. The macaque in question is great, but its not all about him. In fact, he plays a fairly small part considering. The story revolves around the idea of downloading the human soul and uploading it into another. Nothing new there, and the science is not fully explored, but it does give us a basis for a story.
The setting is also strange. It is set in the future, but they have massive airships of the past, that are self contained sovereignty.
This is the first book in the series, and the second was also on Audible offer, so i grabbed that as well. Will be getting round to that when i need a light hearted read.
otherwyrld's review against another edition
4.0
For something that sounds so fundamentally silly at first glance, this is a surprising dark book. It deals with themes such as animal experimentation, the nature of reality and basic human freedoms for example. However, it does so in such a clever and fun way that you don't even start to think about the themes that the book is exploring until after you have finished it.
The title character is a monkey version of Nick Fury, a World War II ace fighter pilot. His world starts to fall apart though when he begins to realise that all is not quite what it seems to be. Meanwhile, in a future Europe where Britain and France became a united country in the 1950s, the heir to the combined throne finds his life is in danger and has to go on the run, assisted by a former journalist who survived the same helicopter crash as he did when on active service, her godfather who happens to run a century old skyliner (a modern zeppelin), a super hacker and a certain monkey with a penchant for booze, cigarettes and mayhem.
Needless to say, all the disparate parts come together and there is a thrilling climax aboard a luxury yacht which literally brings the house down.
Having read the original short story that came before this book (which appears at the end) I can see why the author couldn't let this character go. There are a couple of sequels to look forward to as well.
Just a hell of a lot of fun to read.
The title character is a monkey version of Nick Fury, a World War II ace fighter pilot. His world starts to fall apart though when he begins to realise that all is not quite what it seems to be. Meanwhile, in a future Europe where Britain and France became a united country in the 1950s, the heir to the combined throne finds his life is in danger and has to go on the run, assisted by a former journalist who survived the same helicopter crash as he did when on active service, her godfather who happens to run a century old skyliner (a modern zeppelin), a super hacker and a certain monkey with a penchant for booze, cigarettes and mayhem.
Needless to say, all the disparate parts come together and there is a thrilling climax aboard a luxury yacht which literally brings the house down.
Having read the original short story that came before this book (which appears at the end) I can see why the author couldn't let this character go. There are a couple of sequels to look forward to as well.
Just a hell of a lot of fun to read.
trackofwords's review against another edition
4.0
While science fiction as a genre can occasionally take itself too seriously, with Ack-Ack Macaque Gareth L. Powell has shown that he understands how important it is for books to sometimes just be fun. Set in an alternative future where Britain and France are about to celebrate the centenary of their political and economic union, it follows a journalist hunting her ex-husband’s killer, while hosting a backup of said ex-husband inside her brain, and the British Crown Prince trying to extricate himself from a life of tedious duties in favour of the quiet life as a student. All the while the titular Ack-Ack Macaque, a violent, foul-mouthed monkey, is beginning to question the world around him as he battles German planes from the cockpit of his Spitfire.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/ack-ack-macaque-gareth-l-powell/
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/ack-ack-macaque-gareth-l-powell/
llim's review against another edition
3.0
Lol
Very forgettable, but I suppose it was fun.
Not sure why the book is named after the monkey... he was barely important. Honestly, he could have been cut out of the story and it wouldn't have changed much...
Very forgettable, but I suppose it was fun.
Not sure why the book is named after the monkey... he was barely important. Honestly, he could have been cut out of the story and it wouldn't have changed much...