andimontgomery's review
2.0
I am astonished to say that I wasn’t a fan of Mammay’s latest installment. I’ve loved all of his previous books, and was anxiously awaiting GENERATION SHIP. However, it’s full of tedious political machinations, slow pacing, and even some woke ideology (e.g., through the inclusion of a non-binary character). If I would hazard a guess, I’d say he’s trying to broaden his audience with these changes. But these changes, unfortunately, makes him no longer a must-buy author for me.
The pacing and plot were big issues for me throughout the story. I actually skipped a huge chunk in the middle because I just couldn’t take it anymore. The main characters were one-dimensional and mostly unlikable. The science director, Sheila Jackson, was particularly shrill and emotional.
When they finally reached the planet in the last 25%, I was a bit let down with the subsequent events. And I disliked the ending immensely. Blah.
madele's review against another edition
4.5
Had fun! It kinda fell off once they landed but I overall enjoyed it
kaine_'s review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
andrew_f's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
For me the first half or so of the book was the most compelling, like 4 or 4.5 stars, but as the book started to reach the conclusion it started to lose me and the character decisions made less sense. I found the ending to be pretty abrupt and unsatisfying.
A colony ship from Earth is about to reach its destination in a few months. However, all the probes sent to find more information about the planet have malfunctioned. Sheila Jackson, the lead scientist on space exploration, can't understand why the probes are being lost but is able to get some pivotal information about the atmosphere. Because the probes are malfunctioning the governor asks here to keep the information secret from the 18000 inhabitants on the ship.
The secret about the atmosphere leaks and one of the members on this ship refuses to die after turning 75 because they're about to colonize a new planet anyway with resources that can support a larger population. This goes against the charter of the ship that has strict rules about how many people can live on the ship.
This event cascades into a much larger conflict about how things will change now that the supposed completion of the mission is in reach. The other characters are the ship's governor, a security officer, a hacker, and a farmer. Each have serve a pivotal role in all the events leading up to the story's climax.
I thought the beginning was excellent. The book hooks you from the beginning with the malfunctioning probes. Is there something wrong with the planet even though all signs are promising for life? The events of the story follow logically. Each decision causes another character to react that may lead to a different outcome than originally intended. I thought the book mastered cause and effect very nicely.
Because the book had a lot of time and ground to cover, we usually get a scene where decisions are made, but almost never see the action of that decision play out. Time will skip ahead with the decision implemented and we find out the results in a new scene. I thought this was a smart and effective choice that kept the plot from blogging down.
It could be my current mood, but I started losing interest in the second half of the book. The decisions by the characters started making less and less sense and the characters became less likeable. I liked all the stuff that had to deal with the planet and kind of wish there was more of that. And the ending felt a little too abrupt and a little too easy. This huge conflict was created and it seemed solved rather easily and I don't feel like any of the characters got a good ending.
I tend to weight a story's ending more than it's beginning and my rating represents that. I think it's a solidly written book that will appeal to many readers. If you like heavily political sci-fi with a bit of space exploration and alien planets, I would recommend this.
A colony ship from Earth is about to reach its destination in a few months. However, all the probes sent to find more information about the planet have malfunctioned. Sheila Jackson, the lead scientist on space exploration, can't understand why the probes are being lost but is able to get some pivotal information about the atmosphere. Because the probes are malfunctioning the governor asks here to keep the information secret from the 18000 inhabitants on the ship.
The secret about the atmosphere leaks and one of the members on this ship refuses to die after turning 75 because they're about to colonize a new planet anyway with resources that can support a larger population. This goes against the charter of the ship that has strict rules about how many people can live on the ship.
This event cascades into a much larger conflict about how things will change now that the supposed completion of the mission is in reach. The other characters are the ship's governor, a security officer, a hacker, and a farmer. Each have serve a pivotal role in all the events leading up to the story's climax.
I thought the beginning was excellent. The book hooks you from the beginning with the malfunctioning probes. Is there something wrong with the planet even though all signs are promising for life? The events of the story follow logically. Each decision causes another character to react that may lead to a different outcome than originally intended. I thought the book mastered cause and effect very nicely.
Because the book had a lot of time and ground to cover, we usually get a scene where decisions are made, but almost never see the action of that decision play out. Time will skip ahead with the decision implemented and we find out the results in a new scene. I thought this was a smart and effective choice that kept the plot from blogging down.
It could be my current mood, but I started losing interest in the second half of the book. The decisions by the characters started making less and less sense and the characters became less likeable. I liked all the stuff that had to deal with the planet and kind of wish there was more of that. And the ending felt a little too abrupt and a little too easy. This huge conflict was created and it seemed solved rather easily and I don't feel like any of the characters got a good ending.
I tend to weight a story's ending more than it's beginning and my rating represents that. I think it's a solidly written book that will appeal to many readers. If you like heavily political sci-fi with a bit of space exploration and alien planets, I would recommend this.
theadorek9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sreddous's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an astonishingly immersive sci-fi story. The writing style is both easy to get into flow with and to imagine while also not being overly tech-y. It's clear that the author has experience working with Big Machines, which is cool!
This book is long, but it didn't really "feel its length" in a laggy way because it felt instead like all of the little details and political things that would absolutely go into running a space colony had space to be explored, and I definitely want that.
The motivations of all of the characters makes sense even when they're being sneaky or manipulative or selfish. I find myself agonizing over seeing everyones' sides even if I myself want to agree with one side or the other, which is awesome and is definitely a sign of a super-engaging story and world.
The planet exploration stuff was super cool and difficult to predict. I really enjoyed both the "what will this alien planet bring us??" parts AND the "politics on the ship" parts.
Really really cool stuff. I'm definitely going to lend my copy to other friends who are huge sci-fi fans -- I think this book is accessible both to people who like softer sci-fi that focuses a lot on human interactions and such AND to people who like the technology, hacking, planet-exploration aspects too.
This book is long, but it didn't really "feel its length" in a laggy way because it felt instead like all of the little details and political things that would absolutely go into running a space colony had space to be explored, and I definitely want that.
The motivations of all of the characters makes sense even when they're being sneaky or manipulative or selfish. I find myself agonizing over seeing everyones' sides even if I myself want to agree with one side or the other, which is awesome and is definitely a sign of a super-engaging story and world.
The planet exploration stuff was super cool and difficult to predict. I really enjoyed both the "what will this alien planet bring us??" parts AND the "politics on the ship" parts.
Really really cool stuff. I'm definitely going to lend my copy to other friends who are huge sci-fi fans -- I think this book is accessible both to people who like softer sci-fi that focuses a lot on human interactions and such AND to people who like the technology, hacking, planet-exploration aspects too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
cypress13's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A solid 5/5. This was a great book of social politics and human nature. If you like political intrigue and interesting cultural development in a vacuum, this is for you! The spread of characters was large, well-voiced, and attractively immersive. I particularly enjoyed how this was a very solidly scifi book but the women involved felt like actual people, not just “the wife” or “the strong independent female”. The people felt realistic when they were good and when they were bad, like actual people with flaws and not written caricatures, and I think that’s one of the tremendous strengths of this book.
In regards to the writing, I would call this a medium-slow paced book with high stakes. It is absolutely worth the ride. Imagine a pot of water boiling on a stove. Everything builds on itself until the whole thing boils over, and then there is no turning back. It hit all my buttons and I’ll definitely be watching Mammay for more!
realmsofmymind's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
After over 250 years, the colony ship Voyager is approaching its final destination. Four months out from arrival, the first data comes back from the satellite probes sent in advance, confirming that yes, the planet appears to be habitable as predicted…but also contact has been lost with all probes sent to the surface. When the governor of Voyager decides to suppress this troubling news, it sparks a chain reaction of events that lead many to question if it’s time for a change in how the ship is run. As factions begin to form, the science team is left scrambling trying to find answers. After over two centuries of travel, is it possible they may not be able to land at all?
GENERATION SHIP is a fascinating premise that unfortunately isn’t grounded by compelling characters. I am a sucker for space race/space travel stories, as they usually involve a team of people coming together to solve a problem. I love the proceduralness of it all. So I felt right at home as GENERATION SHIP began, with the science team realizing there’s a problem with the data they’re getting and they don’t know why. The author takes a snapshot approach to storytelling, with each chapter jumping ahead days or sometimes weeks in the chronology. In some regards this makes sense; it would realistically take some time for new data from the planet to arrive, etc. and the author wanted to jump to when new things were happening. And I did like those scenes of evolving understanding of what lies ahead, as the scientists try to piece together what they can about their potential new home.
But the result is what feels like a surface level approach to the problems. The chapters are fairly short, which makes a six hundred page book move rather quickly, but it also means we don’t get a lot of time to sit with developments as they unfold. We see a character react to a problem, the next chapter we’re a few days later with a different character who is telling us all the fallout from the previous character’s decision, and as a result of that fallout THEY make a decision that causes more complications. It’s a very linear chain of events, which makes the focus feel a bit narrow given that this ship contains thousands of people.
To be fair, the author is trying to cover a lot of ground, and the conflicts he raises are interesting. For instance, the ship has survived for centuries by instituting an “end of life” policy. When a person reaches the age of 75, they voluntarily submit to medical euthanasia; this ensures a stable population as new infants are born at a controlled rate. But while everyone adhered to the policy in deep space, they begin to balk at it when news about the new planet begins to leak. Why should people continue to die when their new home is so close? These are the kinds of issues the author dives into over the course of the book, including the interplay of science vs. politics vs. public opinion.
But where I struggled with the book was the fact that I wasn’t really rooting for any of the characters. And it wasn’t until I started writing this review that I really put my finger on what was bothering me. As I mentioned before, I liked the premise of this book because I like stories of people coming together to solve a problem. Unfortunately, in this book, pretty much everyone makes the problems worse in some way. No one is a particularly effective leader or problem solver. The governor mismanages communication and responses to public reaction, the head of security constantly escalates problems, and the lead scientist is great with data, but not with getting people to listen to her.
The result is one disaster after another because people can’t get out of their own way, either because of seeking personal glory, lack of leadership, or just general ineptitude. And that’s fine if that’s the story the author wanted to tell! It just wasn’t the kind of story that resonates with me personally, even if perhaps it’s a more realistic one.
GENERATION SHIP is a fast-moving tale about a ship forced to grapple with the fact that the future it envisioned may not be the one it gets. All of its characters are struggling to adapt as the factors that used to govern their day to day life drastically change in a short amount of time. I didn’t necessarily mind the politics, even if they were the enemy of rational thought. It was more that I needed a character to rally around, someone who was capable of pulling this ship together. Instead, the collective cast stumbles its way to an ending. There are interesting bones to this story to be sure, but as a person who puts a lot of weight on character, I just didn’t have enough to keep me invested.
I was given a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
GENERATION SHIP is a fascinating premise that unfortunately isn’t grounded by compelling characters. I am a sucker for space race/space travel stories, as they usually involve a team of people coming together to solve a problem. I love the proceduralness of it all. So I felt right at home as GENERATION SHIP began, with the science team realizing there’s a problem with the data they’re getting and they don’t know why. The author takes a snapshot approach to storytelling, with each chapter jumping ahead days or sometimes weeks in the chronology. In some regards this makes sense; it would realistically take some time for new data from the planet to arrive, etc. and the author wanted to jump to when new things were happening. And I did like those scenes of evolving understanding of what lies ahead, as the scientists try to piece together what they can about their potential new home.
But the result is what feels like a surface level approach to the problems. The chapters are fairly short, which makes a six hundred page book move rather quickly, but it also means we don’t get a lot of time to sit with developments as they unfold. We see a character react to a problem, the next chapter we’re a few days later with a different character who is telling us all the fallout from the previous character’s decision, and as a result of that fallout THEY make a decision that causes more complications. It’s a very linear chain of events, which makes the focus feel a bit narrow given that this ship contains thousands of people.
To be fair, the author is trying to cover a lot of ground, and the conflicts he raises are interesting. For instance, the ship has survived for centuries by instituting an “end of life” policy. When a person reaches the age of 75, they voluntarily submit to medical euthanasia; this ensures a stable population as new infants are born at a controlled rate. But while everyone adhered to the policy in deep space, they begin to balk at it when news about the new planet begins to leak. Why should people continue to die when their new home is so close? These are the kinds of issues the author dives into over the course of the book, including the interplay of science vs. politics vs. public opinion.
But where I struggled with the book was the fact that I wasn’t really rooting for any of the characters. And it wasn’t until I started writing this review that I really put my finger on what was bothering me. As I mentioned before, I liked the premise of this book because I like stories of people coming together to solve a problem. Unfortunately, in this book, pretty much everyone makes the problems worse in some way. No one is a particularly effective leader or problem solver. The governor mismanages communication and responses to public reaction, the head of security constantly escalates problems, and the lead scientist is great with data, but not with getting people to listen to her.
The result is one disaster after another because people can’t get out of their own way, either because of seeking personal glory, lack of leadership, or just general ineptitude. And that’s fine if that’s the story the author wanted to tell! It just wasn’t the kind of story that resonates with me personally, even if perhaps it’s a more realistic one.
GENERATION SHIP is a fast-moving tale about a ship forced to grapple with the fact that the future it envisioned may not be the one it gets. All of its characters are struggling to adapt as the factors that used to govern their day to day life drastically change in a short amount of time. I didn’t necessarily mind the politics, even if they were the enemy of rational thought. It was more that I needed a character to rally around, someone who was capable of pulling this ship together. Instead, the collective cast stumbles its way to an ending. There are interesting bones to this story to be sure, but as a person who puts a lot of weight on character, I just didn’t have enough to keep me invested.
I was given a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
55_sallymander's review
5.0
5 stars, Life aboard a Generational Ship
GENERATION SHIP
by Michael Mammay
I liked the fact that while the people living on this generational starship had some problems, there wasn't that absolute evil that a lot of books contain.
Several factions are trying to run the ship from their own angles. The security team, the underworld king, the governor, and others. If they could work together, it would make for a positive place to live.
Generational Ships or Seed Ships are a favorite genre for me. Highly recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of #GenerationShip from #HarperVoyager I was under no obligation to post a review.
#GenerationShip #ScienceFiction #SpaceSF #FavoriteBooks #StandAlone #MichaelMammay
GENERATION SHIP
by Michael Mammay
I liked the fact that while the people living on this generational starship had some problems, there wasn't that absolute evil that a lot of books contain.
Several factions are trying to run the ship from their own angles. The security team, the underworld king, the governor, and others. If they could work together, it would make for a positive place to live.
Generational Ships or Seed Ships are a favorite genre for me. Highly recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of #GenerationShip from #HarperVoyager I was under no obligation to post a review.
#GenerationShip #ScienceFiction #SpaceSF #FavoriteBooks #StandAlone #MichaelMammay
googles's review
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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