pjonsson's review
4.0
This is definitely the best book yet in the Kris Longknife series. This is actually one of the first series of books that I started reading when I took up reading again after having purchased my first tablet. It is not the best series that I have read. As a matter of fact a few of the books have gotten below average ratings from me. It has been able to keep my interest though and this book is actually really good.
The book is a bit slow to get going with quite a few pages spent on Kris and Jack’s relationship with a lot of talking between them. Not my cup of tea. Fast forward.
Once that part is over with the book starts to pick up pace. The preparations for the coming attacks, essentially moving a world from a pre-industrial state to building advanced mines, factories weapons etc, is quite nice reading although I have to say that the use of this smart metal is a bit over the top magical. Have a problem? Throw some smart metal at it. Problem solved. And what is the deal with always writing smart metal with initcaps and a trademark symbol? We get it, smart metal is patented by Nuu industries but you do not have to make it difficult for the reader to read because of that. We are not stupid. Okay, end of nitpicking.
Unlike some of the books in the series there are a fair amount of space battles going on including a rather big one at the end. I guess this is something that greatly contributed to my appreciation of this book. Another thing that contributed to my enjoyment is that most of the characters are quite likable. Well there is one real exception but she is rather quickly handled.
Kris is also actually in charge in this book. This time not because she is the only one that knows what to do but actually officially in charge. The book blurb is jumping the gun a bit it though. She is not an Admiral at the beginning of the book. She does get there but it takes a few chapters before that happens.
Naturally the book ended with a fairly huge loose end but that as well was reasonably well done. We were not left hanging in the middle of the story but we reach a reasonable conclusion of this book but are given a hint of what is to come.
A very enjoyable book and as I said, the best one in the series yet as far as I am concerned.
The book is a bit slow to get going with quite a few pages spent on Kris and Jack’s relationship with a lot of talking between them. Not my cup of tea. Fast forward.
Once that part is over with the book starts to pick up pace. The preparations for the coming attacks, essentially moving a world from a pre-industrial state to building advanced mines, factories weapons etc, is quite nice reading although I have to say that the use of this smart metal is a bit over the top magical. Have a problem? Throw some smart metal at it. Problem solved. And what is the deal with always writing smart metal with initcaps and a trademark symbol? We get it, smart metal is patented by Nuu industries but you do not have to make it difficult for the reader to read because of that. We are not stupid. Okay, end of nitpicking.
Unlike some of the books in the series there are a fair amount of space battles going on including a rather big one at the end. I guess this is something that greatly contributed to my appreciation of this book. Another thing that contributed to my enjoyment is that most of the characters are quite likable. Well there is one real exception but she is rather quickly handled.
Kris is also actually in charge in this book. This time not because she is the only one that knows what to do but actually officially in charge. The book blurb is jumping the gun a bit it though. She is not an Admiral at the beginning of the book. She does get there but it takes a few chapters before that happens.
Naturally the book ended with a fairly huge loose end but that as well was reasonably well done. We were not left hanging in the middle of the story but we reach a reasonable conclusion of this book but are given a hint of what is to come.
A very enjoyable book and as I said, the best one in the series yet as far as I am concerned.
birchflower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
'twas nice to find our heroine able to enjoy a moment of relaxation and even happiness. Not to say everything's hunky-dory, just a brief respite before the universe heats up in a big way - again.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Book 11 in a military sf series I read mostly for the Endeavour Award. In this one Kris gets to have a little off-time as well as planning for battle and battle itself of course. The bits about the bird people and the problems of being an abandoned colony were actually pretty interesting. I would have preferred to see a little more people bits and maybe a little bit more war bits and less planning. But this was a good pleasant read - call it 3.5 of 5.
lushr's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this built tension the whole way, kept the scenery and objective changing quickly and our heroine is moving up the ranks giving us a rare insight into how a hero moves from the front lines to running the show from behind. This really shows the evolution of a well tested leader learning lessons the hardest way. It's fun to read about a legend in the making as if you were there!
dhalia's review against another edition
2.0
So I realized part way into book that I'm no longer interested. Also, the story has them stalled out on a planet while the two main characters get it on, and it's not doing it for me. Anyway, 10 books was more than enough.
sbisson's review against another edition
4.0
Recent Reads: Kris Longknife Defender. After the cliffhanger ending of Furious, Kris plans the long term defense of the bird people of Alwa. This time she has help, and she's going to need it, as the planet destroyers are coming back. Still, there's time for weddings.
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