Made in DNA
The first novel is stellar, which works as a standalone and is best read that way. The second and third are connected, but the plot loses a little something. Though the concepts and worldbuilding are interesting (if not dated), it felt as if Jones took something rooted in the very real world and cerebral (in the first novel), and then turned it into pulpy style mystery. Reader mileage may vary.
After the discovery of a large starship in the orbit of Mars decades ago, NASA is finally sending a team to explore it. What awaits the them is the beginning of a classic space opera adventure with aliens, nanotech, humanity's origins and much more.
Ms Wells' worldcraft skills are nothing short of excellent. She weaves both world and characters together in a gripping storyline. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
I haven't had so much fun with a novella in a long time – big robots, FIGHTING robots, junk planet, transhuman characters, and surprisingly enough, the romance was just at the right level. Excellent worldbuilding and character development made for a relatively quick read. I would love more work in this universe. First time Django Wexler purchase and I am NOT disappointed.
I had no idea what to expect when I purchased this book, but I have read BR's work before and never been disappointed. What I got was an utterly engrossing novel of unimaginable cosmic horror. This is not a novel for the squeamish, it deals with everything from abortions to body horror (skin sloughing off, bodies covered in excrement-like substances, etc.). But it not shock horror, nor is it done to titillate. Ms. Rocksteady has carefully crafted a thought-provoking novel.
If you've seen the Love, Death + Robots video anthology on Netflix, then you are in for no surprises here. What you are in for is the great stories from which the show was born. Those episodes which were written specifically for the show have been left in script form. While this is a bit expected, it would have been nice to see them in prose form (but no points off).
The cardinal sin this short story anthology made was in terms of editing. Mismatching fonts and sizes make for a difficult read at points. Cohesion Press needs to go back and revamp this ebook by nuking both those and settling on one Amazon prefers. Until then, 3 stars.
Interesting concepts, well-written, enjoyed the battle scenes and the world-building. HOWEVER, author is not familiar enough with Japanese culture/language enough that character decisions and the reasons behind them were very steeped in Orientalism. This is a sticky point that MOST READERS WILL NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE worried about being familiar with. But over 30 years of Japanese language/culture (I have a degree, live and work in Japan as a translator/interpreter), so it sticks with me. I don't blame the author for not knowing, as I think he must have done a great deal of research, but it DOES affect my reading. There were some scenes that made me roll my eyes. So excellent effort, I think this is a book MOST scifi/samurai fiction reader WILL LOVE. It just wasn't for me.
From Goodreads: “Nunchuck City reads like a classic beat-em-up arcade game, '80s ninja flick, and classic Simpsons episode rolled into one.”
Without a doubt, Nunchuck City is an action-packed, ripping novella of love, death, ninja, and drive-thru fondue. Nick, the protagonist, is a trained-in-Japan (former) ninja trying to make a go of owning his own drive-thru fondue restaurant in Turbo City when the mayor is kidnapped. Not Nick's problem? Well, unfortunately, unless the mayor signs his license, Nick can't open his restaurant. Teaming up with his former lady love, Nick sets out to kick some ninja booty.
This novella is wall-to-wall action, comedy, and bad puns at set to an 80s game console gaming beat – though admittedly, many of the jokes come in the form of bad Japanese language puns. You may not understand Japanese now, but you're about to get a crash-through-the-window course as Nick and his crew of would-be fondue-loving ninja keep the local mortuaries in business!
The first novel in the Culture series, Consider Phlebas' protagonist is an enemy of the Culture, an Idiran spy. His mission is to retrieve a Culture mind (a sentient machine) that evaded Idiran capture. The real beauty of this novel (beyond the exquisitely layered language, worldbuilding and plot) is that it sets up the reader to view the Culture as a questionable force in the universe, while all the other novels in the series have Culture protagonists! From the get-go to the very end, I found myself disliking the Culture, and yet fascinated by Banks' world. I'll definitely be purchasing the other novels in the series. Cannot recommend enough.
