Kristi

Sorry I went for the re-read

Reviewed: 02-28-25

I've gone on a quest of sorts to re-read some of the books that I cherished in my younger adulthood. This book was far from the biggest regret I've had in this quest, but it still failed to live up to the space it's been occupying in my physical library. In the entire galaxy encompassed by this story, there are a grand total of 2 female entities-- one a ball-busting Neanderthal woman who makes a 2-line appearance for the express purpose of humiliating the male leads, and the other a gorgeous airhead who just wants to shop. I know-- it's comedy, playing to comedic tropes-- but my older self is no longer amused by that kind of joke, and rather pities my younger self for not having had the opportunity to realize that there could be better.

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Really not sure how to feel about this one

Reviewed: 08-07-24

I'm really not sure how to feel about this one. There is, on one hand some great sci-fi-- an alien world that has taken an unexpected evolutionary path. But all that is kind of just window dressing for a book-length crisis of faith that did not resonate with me in the slightest. Maybe it would mean more to more religious people. But... *spoiler alert*:

There is also a brutal rape involved. While the trauma and recovery from that are worthy subjects, part of me was kind of bothered by that being the primary cause of the crisis of faith. Had this priest never come across any of the countless women who have been brutally raped, to decide that it was his particular rape that was a valid reason for God not being worthy of worship? Is rape only a soul-shattering disaster when it happens to priests?

Anyway, it was a strange combination of story ekements. Good sci-fi is always about more than just interestings aliens, but this particular combo did not suit me.

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Torturous

Reviewed: 10-19-23

This started out alright-- interesting premise, in an interesting world. I thought for a while we were heading down Beauty and the Beast, which seemed only mildly tiresome, but then it devolved into endless agonizing "I want this person but can't have them"-- and I want this person but shouldn't have them, and I want this person but am too much of a martyr to have them, and I want this person but can't be bothered to listen to anything they say to have them, and I want this person but am too stupid to see past tomorrow have them, and... well, you get my point. Maybe all that really resonates with teenage angst, but I am far, FAR from my teen years, and found it excrutiating.

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A nice read, as long as you're not an action junky

Reviewed: 10-19-23

I enjoyed this book, but it's definitely not an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I saw one reveiwer bewail "farming in space"-- which is overharsh but not exactly wrong. I also saw it compared to Firefly and when the ship first started collecting characters I started fuming that it was a poorly masked direct imitation, but then it did veer off in its own direction. Not Firefly-- but a pleasant meander.

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Another fun story - terrible editing

Reviewed: 10-13-23

Story was everything you expect out of a Hank series book - except the editing. Horrible job. Doesn’t really detract a lot, but it’s jarring to hear phrases repeated after brief pauses. This was not spliced together well. Audible fix this.

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spoiled

Reviewed: 08-03-23

I loved the book but the sample they chose to give so you could see if you like the narrator is from the end of the book and a huge spoiler to the story! I can't believe they did that. It really needs to be changed.

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Not overly appealing to my older self

Reviewed: 06-19-23

My younger self might have loved this. It is medieval fantasy that feels very, very medieval, in a strong Scottish flavor spiced up with some magic, told primarily through female characters. My older self, however, is less impressed. There isn't anything particularly fresh, surprising, or complex. It is also structured very strangely-- it starts with a brief introduction to a whole bunch of different characters, then shifts to a big long story about completely different characters. That story is moderately compelling, though highly predictable. But then it ends, and the book goes back to all those initial characters I'd pretty much forgotten, and goes off on a new story that doesn't end. It presumably continues in a sequel, but I'm not going to bother to find out.

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1 person found this helpful

Tiresome

Reviewed: 03-25-23

I don't understand all the rave reveiws. Maybe his normal sci-fi fans haven't read enough fantasy to know any better? Regardless, I found this extrememely tiresome. It goes on and on and on about the characters, telling you about them instead of showing you. And once you've been told about them there's nothing more to interest you, because they don't ever deviate from their assigned characteristics, or have any internal struggles or personal growth. The only exception to this is the main character's attitude towards gods and service to them-- and it is glaringly obvious from the very beginning how that will turn out. It was a relief to finally come to the end of it.

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Kind of dull

Reviewed: 02-02-23

I really liked the portrayal of the autistic characters, and the insight into autistic thought processes, but all that portrayal and insight goes on and on and on and on, with pretty much nothing actually happening. And then the end, when it finally did come, kind of jumped to all of a sudden everything is done, which was rather unsatisfying, particularly after such a long investment.

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Dragged

Reviewed: 10-24-22

I appreciated the insight into Arab culture, and the non-Western perspective, but I still had a hard time getting through it. The story dragged, with far too much religious harping.

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