susanatherly's review against another edition
4.0
That was a fun read. Great pacing and characters. Surprised in a few places. It's the first of a series.
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good map at the beginning of a book! This map was necessary for me to understand the setting: a consortium of solar systems with allied sentient species, of which Earth is the most recent addition. There's a lot of front loading of information, in order to understand the politics and realities of a number of different species. Neek is our main character, the only one of her species to be living outside of her planet right now. She's an exile, an embarrassment to her homeworld, and she's been slumming it with Terran smugglers. There's a lot of action, a lot of space fights, especially considering the New World Order is supposedly Peace. I wasn't satisfied with the lack of explanation at the end, but I'm hoping that this all is just building to more satisfying resolutions in books 2 and 3.
emhamill's review against another edition
4.0
I read it in one night - it kept my interest and truly hit that space-opera loving side of me!
Neek is a cool character, the only one of her species to be currently exiled from her planet, so EVERYBODY in the universe knows that she screwed up, much to her chagrin. Her crime: questioning the quasi-scientific religion followed by everyone on Neek (the name of her planet, and and also every adult being on the planet so no one gets uppity and thinks they're better than anyone else). Neek is a pilot in her very blood, was stripped of her flight commission and rank for daring to voice an unpopular opinion. She now works on a battered old transport piloted by a human captain and their teenaged Terran Explorer Scout, who's getting more of an education than he bargained for. I loved the relationships between these three and how they evolved.
When they receive a dubious "gift" of a stasis pod from some aliens in thanks for intervening in a space battle, Neek's lack of belief is dealt a huge blow, because who is inside sure as hell looks like one of the gods her planet worships.
There's a lot of galactic politics that I will need to revisit before I read the next book, which I plan to! It may have been my blurry thought process, but I found myself skipping over a lot of these sections to get back to Neek and the good stuff.
It's a load of fun.
Neek is a cool character, the only one of her species to be currently exiled from her planet, so EVERYBODY in the universe knows that she screwed up, much to her chagrin. Her crime: questioning the quasi-scientific religion followed by everyone on Neek (the name of her planet, and and also every adult being on the planet so no one gets uppity and thinks they're better than anyone else). Neek is a pilot in her very blood, was stripped of her flight commission and rank for daring to voice an unpopular opinion. She now works on a battered old transport piloted by a human captain and their teenaged Terran Explorer Scout, who's getting more of an education than he bargained for. I loved the relationships between these three and how they evolved.
When they receive a dubious "gift" of a stasis pod from some aliens in thanks for intervening in a space battle, Neek's lack of belief is dealt a huge blow, because who is inside sure as hell looks like one of the gods her planet worships.
There's a lot of galactic politics that I will need to revisit before I read the next book, which I plan to! It may have been my blurry thought process, but I found myself skipping over a lot of these sections to get back to Neek and the good stuff.
It's a load of fun.
leahkarge's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not bad, it just didn’t work for me. Read the full review on my blog.
bory's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
It's a refreshing change of pace when a science fiction story focuses on aliens. Humans, aka "Terrans", are around, and even one of the supporting cast is from Earth, but the main characters are all POVs are alien.
The world is... weird, and, I would argue, a little illogical. It makes no sense, to me at least, that multiple, advanced, sentient species just collectively agreed to put their security and defense in the hands of a single race, and de-weaponize and demilitarize their planets. It might be my limited perspective, but the idea that aliens would show up, say "hey, we'll protect you", and humans just agreeing and giving up their guns seems... implausible.
I would have loved more in-depth explanations regarding the technology.
I liked the characters. Both Neek and Emn are well-written and relatable. The side cast is serviceable.
The antagonists are... deplorable. On multiple occasions I found myself wishing one of them would end up dead, and, to my delight, my wishes were granted more than they were not.
I will be continuing with the series. There are enough questions left unanswered that I want to see what happens next.
It's a refreshing change of pace when a science fiction story focuses on aliens. Humans, aka "Terrans", are around, and even one of the supporting cast is from Earth, but the main characters are all POVs are alien.
The world is... weird, and, I would argue, a little illogical. It makes no sense, to me at least, that multiple, advanced, sentient species just collectively agreed to put their security and defense in the hands of a single race, and de-weaponize and demilitarize their planets. It might be my limited perspective, but the idea that aliens would show up, say "hey, we'll protect you", and humans just agreeing and giving up their guns seems... implausible.
I would have loved more in-depth explanations regarding the technology.
I liked the characters. Both Neek and Emn are well-written and relatable. The side cast is serviceable.
The antagonists are... deplorable. On multiple occasions I found myself wishing one of them would end up dead, and, to my delight, my wishes were granted more than they were not.
I will be continuing with the series. There are enough questions left unanswered that I want to see what happens next.
araleith's review against another edition
2.0
Spent way too much of this book confused, and not in a fun way.
owlfire's review against another edition
5.0
This book was awesome. Really looking forward to learning more about the Eld and the Ardulan culture.
anexuberantraccoon's review against another edition
5.0
This is another “holy shit” book. And by “holy shit” book, I mean “holy God guys, read this immediately.”
Plot
Ardulum is beautifully paced, charming as hell, and delivers mounting excitement throughout.
The first scene is strange, delivering the narrative in a way that’s a bit unconventional, but easy to follow. I balked when I first began, but as I read on I became deeply entrenched in the moment. The reader’s next scene is with Neek, and she immediately makes you feel at home. The Firefly vibes are strong with this one, and the quippy charm and attitude was a sight for sore eyes.
Things unfold naturally; action and space battles flash through your mind’s eye, and personal struggles keep you grounded alongside the crew. I was always clamoring for more— more details, more info, more. This could be why I finished the book in less than two days.
Setting
The universe surrounding Neek is highly alien. Despite that, the world and intricacies are always palatable. My eyes never glazed over from info dumps or confusion. Instead, their lives and worlds bloomed to full color on the page in front of me. They felt like places that worked and moved even when I wasn’t watching them, realistic both in their structure and presentation.
Characters
Gosh darn it, I fell in love with the whole crew. I loved them and their interpersonal dynamics, which made every conversation a joy to read.
J. S. Fields does something wonderful in their writing, and it is something that calls to me specifically: Everything is gray. You think this character is chaotic evil? You think they’re the indisputable “bad guys”? Guess again.
The readers are given multiple povs that span the universe and its races, and every single glimpse left me more conflicted than the last. The characters I wanted to hate weren’t inherently awful! The guys you build up in your mind as good and untouchable might have dark ulterior motives! There is nothing more wonderful than this. It is human, and in this case it is also alien. Right and wrong shift depending on where you stand, and societal constructs color one’s upbringing. There is definitely commentary here— not heavy handed or brash, but nuanced. The reader has to reexamine their initial views and adjust as the book plows forward, and something as simple as this made the narrative all the more exhilarating. You are on a journey with the characters, sometimes with a touch of dramatic irony, and sometimes just as ignorant.
Ardulum was so good that I actually had to ban myself from downloading the second one, because I knew I’d read it the moment it hit my Kindle. I have things to do. It will be my reward. J. S. writes beautifully and stoically, if that makes sense to anyone but me. They deliver scientific information without forcing a laymen like me to scratch my head. The only parts I struggled with were during some battles, in which the manipulation of cellulose was being illustrated. It’s probably from a lack of understanding of the compound, but I didn’t feel I could envision it properly. Luckily this doesn’t detract much— the action is narrated internally as well as externally, so the effect of that manipulation is made obvious (and cool. It was super cool).
Please just buy the book. It's excellent.
More reviews at LAAshton.com
Plot
Ardulum is beautifully paced, charming as hell, and delivers mounting excitement throughout.
The first scene is strange, delivering the narrative in a way that’s a bit unconventional, but easy to follow. I balked when I first began, but as I read on I became deeply entrenched in the moment. The reader’s next scene is with Neek, and she immediately makes you feel at home. The Firefly vibes are strong with this one, and the quippy charm and attitude was a sight for sore eyes.
Things unfold naturally; action and space battles flash through your mind’s eye, and personal struggles keep you grounded alongside the crew. I was always clamoring for more— more details, more info, more. This could be why I finished the book in less than two days.
Setting
The universe surrounding Neek is highly alien. Despite that, the world and intricacies are always palatable. My eyes never glazed over from info dumps or confusion. Instead, their lives and worlds bloomed to full color on the page in front of me. They felt like places that worked and moved even when I wasn’t watching them, realistic both in their structure and presentation.
Characters
Gosh darn it, I fell in love with the whole crew. I loved them and their interpersonal dynamics, which made every conversation a joy to read.
J. S. Fields does something wonderful in their writing, and it is something that calls to me specifically: Everything is gray. You think this character is chaotic evil? You think they’re the indisputable “bad guys”? Guess again.
The readers are given multiple povs that span the universe and its races, and every single glimpse left me more conflicted than the last. The characters I wanted to hate weren’t inherently awful! The guys you build up in your mind as good and untouchable might have dark ulterior motives! There is nothing more wonderful than this. It is human, and in this case it is also alien. Right and wrong shift depending on where you stand, and societal constructs color one’s upbringing. There is definitely commentary here— not heavy handed or brash, but nuanced. The reader has to reexamine their initial views and adjust as the book plows forward, and something as simple as this made the narrative all the more exhilarating. You are on a journey with the characters, sometimes with a touch of dramatic irony, and sometimes just as ignorant.
Ardulum was so good that I actually had to ban myself from downloading the second one, because I knew I’d read it the moment it hit my Kindle. I have things to do. It will be my reward. J. S. writes beautifully and stoically, if that makes sense to anyone but me. They deliver scientific information without forcing a laymen like me to scratch my head. The only parts I struggled with were during some battles, in which the manipulation of cellulose was being illustrated. It’s probably from a lack of understanding of the compound, but I didn’t feel I could envision it properly. Luckily this doesn’t detract much— the action is narrated internally as well as externally, so the effect of that manipulation is made obvious (and cool. It was super cool).
Please just buy the book. It's excellent.
More reviews at LAAshton.com
judeinthestars's review against another edition
5.0
[Edit September 25th]
I read this book a few months ago and absolutely loved it, from the world-building to the multi-layered characters and the complex storylines. I’m happy to say the audiobook is even better. I’m very impressed with the narrator’s ability to give life to so many different characters and so many species. I started listening to book 2 ([b:Ardulum: Second Don|36224426|Ardulum Second Don|J.S. Fields|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505170098l/36224426._SY75_.jpg|57862448]) immediately after I finished this one.
[Edit: In hindsight, now that I've read the whole trilogy and the anthology [book:Tales from Ardulum|44657299], giving these books 4* wasn't fair so I went up to 5*. I'm happy now.]
I hadn’t heard of this series until recently and I’m very grateful I got to read the first book knowing three more await. I really enjoyed the world building, and there was just enough science for me to be fascinated but not feel lost. I’m looking forward to seeing what the characters I’ve come to appreciate go through next…
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I read this book a few months ago and absolutely loved it, from the world-building to the multi-layered characters and the complex storylines. I’m happy to say the audiobook is even better. I’m very impressed with the narrator’s ability to give life to so many different characters and so many species. I started listening to book 2 ([b:Ardulum: Second Don|36224426|Ardulum Second Don|J.S. Fields|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505170098l/36224426._SY75_.jpg|57862448]) immediately after I finished this one.
[Edit: In hindsight, now that I've read the whole trilogy and the anthology [book:Tales from Ardulum|44657299], giving these books 4* wasn't fair so I went up to 5*. I'm happy now.]
I hadn’t heard of this series until recently and I’m very grateful I got to read the first book knowing three more await. I really enjoyed the world building, and there was just enough science for me to be fascinated but not feel lost. I’m looking forward to seeing what the characters I’ve come to appreciate go through next…
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
xamonster's review
5.0
It took me a tiny bit longer to get into the story, and then it became quite unputdownable. 😍