Simon MacDonald
2.5 / 5 Not Lee Child's best effort. A very contrived and weak story, somewhat drawn out - should have been a novella.
4/5 Probably. This was a long read and at times very hard work. I struggled between periods of boredom and excitement trying to get to grips with the multiple layers, of often, very dense prose. I'm still not sure if the portrayed reality of the story is what I think.
A second read? Maybe, but not yet.
Conflicted views on this book. The majority was great; other parts, not so much. Equal feelings of enjoyment and irritation. So 3.5.
An older and slightly wearier Jack Reacher up to his usual stuff. So. About the size of his fists. At one point described as the size of a chicken and another the size of a small turkey, and the right fist is bigger than his left. Is the the left a chicken and the right a turkey?
One of the better books I've read this year. Shades of Mervyn Peake and Ben Aaronovich.
Well, that was a load of bollocks. I've read some of the previous books in the series, and they were reasonably ok.
Apart from the thin plot, the narrative is full of situations from which the hero miraculously escapes. “With a mighty bound he was free... “, and has gorgeous woman all over the world falling for the hero's tousled, roguish, good looks.
As I said - bollocks!
Good fun stuff! However, definitely from the school of writing where ‘with one tremendous leap the hero sprang free'
Probably a 3.5. I might have rated it higher, but this is the 12th Bosch in a row that I've just read. I'll give it a Harry a rest for a bit, as I'm getting a bit jaded ☺
Overall, it was great fun. The complexities of time travelling make a wonderfully labyrinthine plot, and this, along with the great cast of characters, is what makes the book so entertaining. The satirical pokes at government bureaucracy are, at times, somewhat tedious, and whilst largely funny, just interfere with the main storyline.
I feel a sequel coming up.
An enjoyable trilogy, with great ideas. Some of the political machinations were a little tedious and overly detailed.
Interesting ideas, but the plot contains some fairly unrealistic, and convenient, juxtapositions of characters and their relationships.
Overall the writing is a rather flat, and the characters are rather shallow. I'm guessing this is a translation?
However, I actually enjoyed the tale.
Worse than the first book. I only read it to see if it improved on the first.
Is this meant to be a young teen book?
An interesting plot scenario, but the corny characterisation and dialogue is abysmal.
Various Alien races who all learn to speak English in seconds or the hero learns their language just as fast. Almost miraculous gifts of alien super technology so the hero can save the day... Reminds me of 1950s pulp SF.
I got 50% through and couldn't take anymore.
That was good fun. If mercenary groups were rock bands and went on tour killing monsters. Follow the adventures of Clay “Slowhand” Cooper and his fellow members of the Saga as they eat, drink and fight their way across the land fighting evil. Takes the piss out of many classic rock bands and artists.
A bleak, nihilistic, and dark satire on the space opera genre. The drug and violence fuelled excesses of William Burroughs, meet and corrupt, shades of Banks and Reynolds. The plot is weak, the characters shallow, and the (anti-)hero totally miserable and unlikeable. All of this buried in impenetrable, florid prose.
An SF classic? May have been when it was written in 1974, but now it's just wearisome.
Don't read this, unless you are particularly masochistic . Score 1.5
I've now read six of this series. If you like overly detailed descriptions of weapons, ammunition, firefights, a bit of torture, and general mayhem, then this is for you. Me - not so much. Only read them all as I had a box set.
A quirky mix of SF and Fantasy set in a future South Africa. Humans, robots, and demi-gods, in a strange plot, all competing for power by various means.
I'm afraid it did not do it for me; I had to struggle to finish it.
Ho Hum... Just about gets a 3. Pretty predictable space opera stuff with a some swearing and sex thrown in to make a bit up to date. Not a lot happening apart from major scene setting for the next couple of books. The characters are pretty much lite-beer without much body or flavour.
Might give part two a read when/if it appears to see if it improves.
I really enjoyed this book. A fast paced hard SF crime thriller. Bring on his next book!
This is obviously the second part of a larger work in progress. Perhaps the third part will complete the story?
