The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
pjonsson's review
4.0
This is the second book in the Backyard Starship series and I have to say that our main protagonist, Van Tudor, and his merry band of adventurers as well as the story itself grows on me.
In the first book I was a bit miffed that the author started off by more or less crippling this âbackyard starshipâ of his and I feared that he was going to play the underdog that everyone beat up on for the foreseeable future.
Luckily we moved on from that rather quickly. Not that Van Tudor is flying around in some uberpowerful battleship or anything but thanks to the rather original story idea as to how the peacekeepers function he has been able to upgrade his ship so he can indeed kick some ass now.
The books is more or less a chain of adventures with a red thread following through them. Some of the concepts and story ideas in the book are somewhat silly and certainly not very realistic. The idea to steal brains of sentient speciesâ brains to run mundane equipment. Is pretty ridiculous. Especially in an age where AI is rather commonplace. But it does keep the story going so I can live with it.
Van Tudorâs battle AI is hilarious and the bantering between Van, Perry and Torina is quite enjoyable. The story wanders between science fiction and fantasy fiction but it is quite fun to read.
Van Tudor & Co ventures back to Van Tudorâs home for a few chapters in this book. I really hope that the author writes in some nice jaw dropping surprise moments for some of Tudorâs friends back on Earth and that a bit more connection is made to Earth. Preferably with some ass-kicking retired marine or something. Certainly not any of our dumbass politicians of course.
There are some treacherous scheming going on inside the peacekeepers, a kind of story Iâm not too keen on, but itâs not too bad and I really hope Van Tudor gets to do some more ass kicking with respect to this despicable and generally useless relative of his. I have to say that I am rather looking forward to the next book in the series.
In the first book I was a bit miffed that the author started off by more or less crippling this âbackyard starshipâ of his and I feared that he was going to play the underdog that everyone beat up on for the foreseeable future.
Luckily we moved on from that rather quickly. Not that Van Tudor is flying around in some uberpowerful battleship or anything but thanks to the rather original story idea as to how the peacekeepers function he has been able to upgrade his ship so he can indeed kick some ass now.
The books is more or less a chain of adventures with a red thread following through them. Some of the concepts and story ideas in the book are somewhat silly and certainly not very realistic. The idea to steal brains of sentient speciesâ brains to run mundane equipment. Is pretty ridiculous. Especially in an age where AI is rather commonplace. But it does keep the story going so I can live with it.
Van Tudorâs battle AI is hilarious and the bantering between Van, Perry and Torina is quite enjoyable. The story wanders between science fiction and fantasy fiction but it is quite fun to read.
Van Tudor & Co ventures back to Van Tudorâs home for a few chapters in this book. I really hope that the author writes in some nice jaw dropping surprise moments for some of Tudorâs friends back on Earth and that a bit more connection is made to Earth. Preferably with some ass-kicking retired marine or something. Certainly not any of our dumbass politicians of course.
There are some treacherous scheming going on inside the peacekeepers, a kind of story Iâm not too keen on, but itâs not too bad and I really hope Van Tudor gets to do some more ass kicking with respect to this despicable and generally useless relative of his. I have to say that I am rather looking forward to the next book in the series.
neotears's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
laroo's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
danlewisfw's review
3.0
Pretty decent follow up. If you like pulp sci-fi then this series is right up your alley. Its been fun so far and while not Heinlein level of quality it is well worth a read if you want a relaxed fun book.
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