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Family Law #1
Family Law
People love easily. Look at most of your relatives or coworkers. How lovable are they? Really? Yet most have mates and children. The vast majority are still invited to family gatherings and their relatives will speak to them.
Many have pets to which they are devoted. Some even call them their fur-babies. Is your dog or cat or parakeet property or family? Not in law but in your heart? Can a pet really love you back? Or is it a different affection? Are you not kind to those who feed and shelter you? But what if your dog could talk back? Would your cat speak to you kindly?
How much more complicated might it be if we meet really intelligent species not human? How would we treat these 'people' in feathers or fur? Perhaps a more difficult question How would they treat us? Are we that lovable?
When society and the law decide these sort of questions must be answered it is usually because someone disapproves of your choices. Today it may be a cat named in a will or a contest for custody of a dog. People are usually happy living the way they want until conflict is forced upon them.
What if the furry fellow in question has his own law? And is quite articulate in explaining his choices. Can a Human adopt such an alien? Can such an intelligent alien adopt a human? Should they?
Of course if the furry alien in question is smart enough to fly spaceships, and happens to be similar in size and disposition to a mature Grizzly bear, wisdom calls for a certain delicacy in telling him no...
The "April" series of books works from an earlier time toward merging with the "Family Law" series.
Many have pets to which they are devoted. Some even call them their fur-babies. Is your dog or cat or parakeet property or family? Not in law but in your heart? Can a pet really love you back? Or is it a different affection? Are you not kind to those who feed and shelter you? But what if your dog could talk back? Would your cat speak to you kindly?
How much more complicated might it be if we meet really intelligent species not human? How would we treat these 'people' in feathers or fur? Perhaps a more difficult question How would they treat us? Are we that lovable?
When society and the law decide these sort of questions must be answered it is usually because someone disapproves of your choices. Today it may be a cat named in a will or a contest for custody of a dog. People are usually happy living the way they want until conflict is forced upon them.
What if the furry fellow in question has his own law? And is quite articulate in explaining his choices. Can a Human adopt such an alien? Can such an intelligent alien adopt a human? Should they?
Of course if the furry alien in question is smart enough to fly spaceships, and happens to be similar in size and disposition to a mature Grizzly bear, wisdom calls for a certain delicacy in telling him no...
The "April" series of books works from an earlier time toward merging with the "Family Law" series.
446 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2011
About the author
Mackey Chandler
31 books208 followersMackey (Mac') Chandler is retired to Rochester Michigan from a working life that spanned a large number of occupations. Mold maker, aerospace machinist, plumber, mechanic and dozen more as well as owning several businesses. This life experience and travel show in the depth and variety of his writing.
A life long time reader of Science Fiction, the authors at Baen's Bar and their evening chat room motivated him to try his own hand at writing. His first effort was a short story titled "Common Ground" which sold to the short-lived Jim Baen's Universe.
His personal favorite book is "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Other favorite authors include Michael Z. Williamson and C.J.Cherryh.
A life long time reader of Science Fiction, the authors at Baen's Bar and their evening chat room motivated him to try his own hand at writing. His first effort was a short story titled "Common Ground" which sold to the short-lived Jim Baen's Universe.
His personal favorite book is "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Other favorite authors include Michael Z. Williamson and C.J.Cherryh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 2, 2019
I can't quite put my finger on why I loved this book so much, but I greatly enjoyed it and truly had trouble putting it down at several points. In many ways this reminded me of the classic "Star Trek" approach to addressing societal issues; make one or several sides an 'alien' perspective and it becomes okay to talk about really difficult or sensitive problems.
Anyone who has followed my reviews of late knows that I have been reading a great deal of "Libertarian Fiction" recently. My source was a lengthy list off the net cross-checked against reviews here and on Amazon. Some were very good but none were great. I almost passed this over after reading the blurb about loving pets and little girls... but the idea of societies clashing over their reluctance or devotion to the rule of law intrigued me.
This weaves a very complex and exciting tale woven through a conflict of understanding between several different volunteerist societies and entrenched statists. I think what I enjoyed so much about this, was the rich but 'human' characters and that the different volunteerist groups (Derf, Loonie, Fargone, Bountiful) were not perfect utopias of Libertarian ideals. Each had its own qualities and problems but was still better then the statist monoliths of Earth. There is military action to keep the plot moving along and a quaint coming of age story for Lee who was raised in a very sheltered fashion.
It is not perfect and there are a couple glaring errors; is it 'Providence' or 'Provenance', 'the Lunar Republic' or 'the Lunar Empire', and a few repeated words. I also was not entirely comfortable with Lee's age. I have met some amazing twelve year olds, but the depth and sophistication of Lee at twelve pushes (but doesn't completely break) the bounds of believability. This feels a little like a quilt my grandma would make by taking dozens of different pieces and scraps and turning it into a thing of love and beauty.
>>>Update<<< Feb 2015
Chandler did a lot of work cleaning up the text and this book was nominated for the CLFA awards, so I thought I would read it again. It is still a fun and exiting read but better. It also still needs a professional edit, but it is much improved. What gets me, is I still had trouble putting it down in spots, even though this time I knew what was going to happen. There aren't many authors who can do that for me.
Anyone who has followed my reviews of late knows that I have been reading a great deal of "Libertarian Fiction" recently. My source was a lengthy list off the net cross-checked against reviews here and on Amazon. Some were very good but none were great. I almost passed this over after reading the blurb about loving pets and little girls... but the idea of societies clashing over their reluctance or devotion to the rule of law intrigued me.
This weaves a very complex and exciting tale woven through a conflict of understanding between several different volunteerist societies and entrenched statists. I think what I enjoyed so much about this, was the rich but 'human' characters and that the different volunteerist groups (Derf, Loonie, Fargone, Bountiful) were not perfect utopias of Libertarian ideals. Each had its own qualities and problems but was still better then the statist monoliths of Earth. There is military action to keep the plot moving along and a quaint coming of age story for Lee who was raised in a very sheltered fashion.
It is not perfect and there are a couple glaring errors; is it 'Providence' or 'Provenance', 'the Lunar Republic' or 'the Lunar Empire', and a few repeated words. I also was not entirely comfortable with Lee's age. I have met some amazing twelve year olds, but the depth and sophistication of Lee at twelve pushes (but doesn't completely break) the bounds of believability. This feels a little like a quilt my grandma would make by taking dozens of different pieces and scraps and turning it into a thing of love and beauty.
>>>Update<<< Feb 2015
Chandler did a lot of work cleaning up the text and this book was nominated for the CLFA awards, so I thought I would read it again. It is still a fun and exiting read but better. It also still needs a professional edit, but it is much improved. What gets me, is I still had trouble putting it down in spots, even though this time I knew what was going to happen. There aren't many authors who can do that for me.
June 19, 2014
Wow! I have been reading his stuff since April, which was raw, rough, but had a terrific story and cast of characters. Gradually, as the books came out, I saw improvements in his writing, until now. I'd stack Family Law up against any space opera you could name.
Family Law begins with a tragedy that leaves a young girl in the care of the only other adult she has even known. Only he isn't her species. Gordon, the huge Derf, who looks more like a grizzly bear than anything human, is now left in charge of the preternaturally smart Lee, a girl who has never lived in a human culture. She's ship born and bred. But by her parent's request, Gordon adopts Lee as his own daughter.
Then the real fun begins… in space and on Earth, Gordon and Lee must work together to keep their family whole, and they have the resources to do it, from the habitable world they can claim, which took the lives of her parents. Loonie society on the Moon's surface (and below) accepts them, but once on Earth's surface, it's a different story, and a family court makes a hasty decision that precipitates war between the USNA and the Derf.
Family Law begins with a tragedy that leaves a young girl in the care of the only other adult she has even known. Only he isn't her species. Gordon, the huge Derf, who looks more like a grizzly bear than anything human, is now left in charge of the preternaturally smart Lee, a girl who has never lived in a human culture. She's ship born and bred. But by her parent's request, Gordon adopts Lee as his own daughter.
Then the real fun begins… in space and on Earth, Gordon and Lee must work together to keep their family whole, and they have the resources to do it, from the habitable world they can claim, which took the lives of her parents. Loonie society on the Moon's surface (and below) accepts them, but once on Earth's surface, it's a different story, and a family court makes a hasty decision that precipitates war between the USNA and the Derf.
June 2, 2022
This is a delightful story about an intrepid teen who starts a war and saves the galaxy, all before she turns 14. It was a lot of fun, with a good supporting cast. Not a lot of technical aspects to load it down, this was character and philosophy driven.
Please note that there are a lot of derivative aspects to this story, from the Disney beginning to the Heinlein preachiness, with some John Ringo military cleverness and youthful spunkiness that reminded me of Elizabeth Moon. If you've never read those authors, then you probably won't notice.
I'll be reading the next one.
PS: There are many minor typos, mainly involving unmatched quotation marks.
Please note that there are a lot of derivative aspects to this story, from the Disney beginning to the Heinlein preachiness, with some John Ringo military cleverness and youthful spunkiness that reminded me of Elizabeth Moon. If you've never read those authors, then you probably won't notice.
I'll be reading the next one.
PS: There are many minor typos, mainly involving unmatched quotation marks.
May 25, 2022
Loved it! Very hard to put down. Main character is a 12yo human girl, and almost as important is her adopted father who is most definitely not human. Lots of officious idiots, racial bigots, and space opera type battles.
Two quibbles: "with who" grates on my nerves. Either use whom or the more common practice of the preposition at the end of the sentence. Second quibble was the amount of hard liquor consumed by the 12yo on multiple occasions.
Two quibbles: "with who" grates on my nerves. Either use whom or the more common practice of the preposition at the end of the sentence. Second quibble was the amount of hard liquor consumed by the 12yo on multiple occasions.
August 31, 2017
Truly a great book.
This book should be required reading for all young adults. This book teaches valuable and true life lessons that usually take a lifetime to learn. If I didn't know Better I would think this was written by Robert Heinlein.
This book should be required reading for all young adults. This book teaches valuable and true life lessons that usually take a lifetime to learn. If I didn't know Better I would think this was written by Robert Heinlein.
November 15, 2019
A fun, not terribly violent sci fi read, with interesting characters. Prior reviews basically cover just about everything that could be said about the book. However, the poorly edited text definitely makes for a lot of stumbles while reading. Whatever happened to all the proofreaders and editors that made old fashioned print books so clean and easy to read (really hate to stop reading in order to figure out what the heck the author is trying to say). Looking forward to reading the second book (‘cause with Kindle Unlimited they are free ;).
p.s. totally agree with review by Teresa relative to the alcohol that was consumed by a preteen. That type of behavior should never be condoned, even if the author is trying to be tongue-in-cheek about it.
p.s. totally agree with review by Teresa relative to the alcohol that was consumed by a preteen. That type of behavior should never be condoned, even if the author is trying to be tongue-in-cheek about it.
July 18, 2018
This was clever, different and unusual.
The first quarter had something in common with a Nathan Lowell-y story, but it quickly grew into a tale with much more action.
The first quarter had something in common with a Nathan Lowell-y story, but it quickly grew into a tale with much more action.
September 24, 2017
Grammar/writing style
I couldn't get past the author's grammar and writing style. Run on sentences and a very strange word flow forced me to have to re-read something or get lost at least once every other paragraph. I only made it a few pages through the book.
I couldn't get past the author's grammar and writing style. Run on sentences and a very strange word flow forced me to have to re-read something or get lost at least once every other paragraph. I only made it a few pages through the book.
September 2, 2017
Great stort, badly edited
I loved this story, but the editing was simply horrid. I found the errors (so many errors) to be distracting. I had to take two stars off for that.
I loved this story, but the editing was simply horrid. I found the errors (so many errors) to be distracting. I had to take two stars off for that.
October 5, 2018
This series sort of works "backward" into the author's excellent April series, and as a lot of readers will immediately note, there are a lot of similarities between the protagonists of both. In fact, they merge about the third book into this series, which opens a lot of possibilities.
Chandler writes exceptionally well for young adult audiences and provides positive and interesting role models in the same general ways that David Weber is noted for in the Honor Harrington series of books.
There are some rough spots in both series that show he needs to pay a bit more attention to detail in his editing, but that's OK, too, because it gives me (at least) the feeling that the writer is writing more because he wants to and enjoys what he is doing, rather than pushing out perfect money-makers. If that doesn't make sense to you, well, it does to me, so I'll let it stand like that.
I've read everything he has published so far, and have enjoyed all his books immensely. Higher praise I cannot give.
Chandler writes exceptionally well for young adult audiences and provides positive and interesting role models in the same general ways that David Weber is noted for in the Honor Harrington series of books.
There are some rough spots in both series that show he needs to pay a bit more attention to detail in his editing, but that's OK, too, because it gives me (at least) the feeling that the writer is writing more because he wants to and enjoys what he is doing, rather than pushing out perfect money-makers. If that doesn't make sense to you, well, it does to me, so I'll let it stand like that.
I've read everything he has published so far, and have enjoyed all his books immensely. Higher praise I cannot give.
February 1, 2016
The Derf are grand - but......
The sentient beings in this book are called Derf and they are grand. Their history, culture, and xenobiology are well mapped out. All the actions they take superbly advance the story, but ....
Two things are irritating - the main human character, and the writing.
The main heroine, Lee, is emotionally inconsistent. While she is a heroine to root for in the first parts of the book, she does not retain her emotional appeal in the latter part of the book. She seems almost distant from the Derf parent who fought so hard for her. Certainly not enough meaningful time is spent with the two.
But the most frustrating part is the writing. I found myself editing paragraphs WHILE I was reading them! Ouch!!!
If you aren't particularly picky about writing, and can put up with character inconsistencies, I think you will enjoy this book.
The sentient beings in this book are called Derf and they are grand. Their history, culture, and xenobiology are well mapped out. All the actions they take superbly advance the story, but ....
Two things are irritating - the main human character, and the writing.
The main heroine, Lee, is emotionally inconsistent. While she is a heroine to root for in the first parts of the book, she does not retain her emotional appeal in the latter part of the book. She seems almost distant from the Derf parent who fought so hard for her. Certainly not enough meaningful time is spent with the two.
But the most frustrating part is the writing. I found myself editing paragraphs WHILE I was reading them! Ouch!!!
If you aren't particularly picky about writing, and can put up with character inconsistencies, I think you will enjoy this book.
February 19, 2023
Great book. Starts a little slow, but reminiscent of David Weber's writing style in Honorverse. My biggest complaint is the errors in grammar and punctuation, as well as the mistakes in names and spellings of names for characters. There are a few mix-ups. Also, there is an obsession with the name Olson/Olsen/Molson. Too many characters with this name variation made it annoying.
With a good copy edit, this could be a five star book.
For my clean readers: lots of language and violence. There is no f-bomb. Kidnapping is involved, war, and some semi-graphic descriptions of the violence. Political bigotry and racism is a huge tone in the book as well. No romance, but raunchy tapes, prostitution, and other things along the line are referenced, but do not go into detail.
With a good copy edit, this could be a five star book.
For my clean readers: lots of language and violence. There is no f-bomb. Kidnapping is involved, war, and some semi-graphic descriptions of the violence. Political bigotry and racism is a huge tone in the book as well. No romance, but raunchy tapes, prostitution, and other things along the line are referenced, but do not go into detail.
September 3, 2017
An interesting lesson in politics
This author makes subtle and not so subtle points about bigotry, politics and power hunger while telling a ripping good yarn. One comes to love the characters and respect the 'alien' political structure. There is enough hard science in physics and anthropology for verisimilitude and enough soft science like psychology and sociology to create a truly believable world.
This author makes subtle and not so subtle points about bigotry, politics and power hunger while telling a ripping good yarn. One comes to love the characters and respect the 'alien' political structure. There is enough hard science in physics and anthropology for verisimilitude and enough soft science like psychology and sociology to create a truly believable world.
January 1, 2024
This was great. Smart, well written, often humorous and highly enjoyable reading. This is the sort of book that makes me love sci-fi.
July 19, 2024
Family Law is an objectively bad book that is none the less an entertaining read.
Gordon and Lee are pleasant characters, and it's enjoyable to read about them and their adventures. They are, however, both unbelievable in different ways. Gordon is a Derf, a bear-sized alien who talks and thinks exactly like a human being. Lee is a 12 year old girl who talks and thinks like she's 30.
The first half of the book doesn't have much in the way of adventures. We learn that their exploration of a new, Earth-like world guarantees that they will both be multi-billionaires, maybe trillionaires, and everyone falls over themselves to make life easy for these soon-to-be ultrawealthy people. It's a bit of a walk in the park.
We do get a little look at Derf society, and it's interesting because it's different. Not "these are aliens" different, more "this is a slightly different human society" different.
The second half takes an unexpected left turn and covers a rather unrealistic war. It's almost Ewoks-vs-Stormtroopers ridiculous in how things go easily for the author's preferred side, despite the obvious overwhelming advantages of the technologically advanced side.
There are several villains, and they're all cut from the same cloth. They're all stupid and arrogant and refuse to listen to anyone reasonable around them.
The author is really fond of "good guys" giving long-winded, scolding speeches to the arrogant idiots. Even when it's a profoundly stupid and counter-productive thing to do, like a supposedly highly skilled lawyer scolding a judge.
Fairly often, the author resolves a conflict by having the supposed "good guys" outright murder whoever is in the wrong. There are never any consequences to this, even when it's pretty obvious than in a realistic world, they'd get sent to prison for the murders. The murders aren't secret, they are just inexplicably accepted as justified.
This frontier justice approach to solving problems ties in with a thread of Libertarian thought in the book. There's a genre of Libertarian SF books where everyone is armed, as the "good guys" are here, and shooting people is a good way to solve problems. Unlike some explicitly political novels, this thankfully stays largely in the background.
Sometimes it surfaces briefly with utter nonsense, like the declaration that Federal insurance of banks is a bad thing. The fairy tale here is that in the society that pointedly does not have anything like the FDIC, bank failures almost never happen, and when they did, the depositors only lost about 15% of their money.
The author is deliberately ignoring what *actually* happened to banks on a regular basis prior to the establishment of Federal banking insurance. How historically, bank failures and bank runs were a common thing, and most depositors lost everything in a bank failure.
The author thinks that banking insurance enables bank failures. The author is pretty clearly referring to the banking crisis of 2008, and the lack of consequences for some of the banks involved. It's a simplistic, and utterly wrong take on the issue, assigning blame to the wrong causes, and ignoring what happens in the more usual cases of bank insolvency.
There's a long conversation to be had about the root causes of the 2008 crisis, how those responsible weren't held accountable, what we should have done, and how we could prevent it in the future, but that's beyond the scope of this review. Let me just say "it wasn't the FDIC, you doofus."
So, with all these flaws, why not give Family Law a 1 star or 2 star review? Because despite its many flaws, it's a fun read. Reading those moralistic rants, for example, can be fun when you're vicariously experiencing the jerks get their comeuppance. The "good guys" win against long odds, and that's fun too.
I can't see myself reading the rest of the books in the series, though.
Gordon and Lee are pleasant characters, and it's enjoyable to read about them and their adventures. They are, however, both unbelievable in different ways. Gordon is a Derf, a bear-sized alien who talks and thinks exactly like a human being. Lee is a 12 year old girl who talks and thinks like she's 30.
The first half of the book doesn't have much in the way of adventures. We learn that their exploration of a new, Earth-like world guarantees that they will both be multi-billionaires, maybe trillionaires, and everyone falls over themselves to make life easy for these soon-to-be ultrawealthy people. It's a bit of a walk in the park.
We do get a little look at Derf society, and it's interesting because it's different. Not "these are aliens" different, more "this is a slightly different human society" different.
The second half takes an unexpected left turn and covers a rather unrealistic war. It's almost Ewoks-vs-Stormtroopers ridiculous in how things go easily for the author's preferred side, despite the obvious overwhelming advantages of the technologically advanced side.
There are several villains, and they're all cut from the same cloth. They're all stupid and arrogant and refuse to listen to anyone reasonable around them.
The author is really fond of "good guys" giving long-winded, scolding speeches to the arrogant idiots. Even when it's a profoundly stupid and counter-productive thing to do, like a supposedly highly skilled lawyer scolding a judge.
Fairly often, the author resolves a conflict by having the supposed "good guys" outright murder whoever is in the wrong. There are never any consequences to this, even when it's pretty obvious than in a realistic world, they'd get sent to prison for the murders. The murders aren't secret, they are just inexplicably accepted as justified.
This frontier justice approach to solving problems ties in with a thread of Libertarian thought in the book. There's a genre of Libertarian SF books where everyone is armed, as the "good guys" are here, and shooting people is a good way to solve problems. Unlike some explicitly political novels, this thankfully stays largely in the background.
Sometimes it surfaces briefly with utter nonsense, like the declaration that Federal insurance of banks is a bad thing. The fairy tale here is that in the society that pointedly does not have anything like the FDIC, bank failures almost never happen, and when they did, the depositors only lost about 15% of their money.
The author is deliberately ignoring what *actually* happened to banks on a regular basis prior to the establishment of Federal banking insurance. How historically, bank failures and bank runs were a common thing, and most depositors lost everything in a bank failure.
The author thinks that banking insurance enables bank failures. The author is pretty clearly referring to the banking crisis of 2008, and the lack of consequences for some of the banks involved. It's a simplistic, and utterly wrong take on the issue, assigning blame to the wrong causes, and ignoring what happens in the more usual cases of bank insolvency.
There's a long conversation to be had about the root causes of the 2008 crisis, how those responsible weren't held accountable, what we should have done, and how we could prevent it in the future, but that's beyond the scope of this review. Let me just say "it wasn't the FDIC, you doofus."
So, with all these flaws, why not give Family Law a 1 star or 2 star review? Because despite its many flaws, it's a fun read. Reading those moralistic rants, for example, can be fun when you're vicariously experiencing the jerks get their comeuppance. The "good guys" win against long odds, and that's fun too.
I can't see myself reading the rest of the books in the series, though.
October 2, 2023
Enjoyable reading because of the intelligent ideas woven into the story and the overall calm delivery.
BUT - the book blurb describing this book, and introducing the series is lame. The only reason I bought this book was the ratings (4.7? out of 5) to see what was so good.
The writing is good and the author has had a variety of life experiences to pull from and that shows. It's science fiction likely to appeal to people who like the Star Trek feel, and Heinlein's and Scalzi's approach to science fiction.
The disturbing part of the writing is the pedo-mentality undercurrent of a 12? 13? year old girl who has the mind of an adult and drinks hard liquor. I keep thinking this is some strange affectation that this girl character, who was born on a starship and has no social skills, mistook as normal and is going to be corrected at some point. But so far (I am in book 2) that correction by the many adults, who either observed her drinking hard liquor or actually served the hard liquor, hasn't happened. If this was supposed to be some running joke, it continues to fall flat.
I want to overlook this inappropriate writing by the author to continue the story . . . just because so much new science fiction has become invaded by romance writers desperate to make sales, without a clue to technology or science, and I'm tired of wasting my time and money reading trash. Family Law is real science fiction. At least there's no romance or sex. (So far, and hopefully not to come - although the cover art of the latest book is disappointingly a sexy depiction of the main character as an adult woman - sigh)
The focus on science, technology, society, and the interaction and friendships between species is the reason I read and enjoyed this book. The overall writing is interesting although imperfect. I will finish book 2 and consider book 3.
The narration has improved as the books go on. The narrator reads clearly and distinctly but doesn't have the voice range and talent to do distinct character voices that some narrators do. But the reading expresses emotion at the right times and doesn't interfere with the story.
BUT - the book blurb describing this book, and introducing the series is lame. The only reason I bought this book was the ratings (4.7? out of 5) to see what was so good.
The writing is good and the author has had a variety of life experiences to pull from and that shows. It's science fiction likely to appeal to people who like the Star Trek feel, and Heinlein's and Scalzi's approach to science fiction.
The disturbing part of the writing is the pedo-mentality undercurrent of a 12? 13? year old girl who has the mind of an adult and drinks hard liquor. I keep thinking this is some strange affectation that this girl character, who was born on a starship and has no social skills, mistook as normal and is going to be corrected at some point. But so far (I am in book 2) that correction by the many adults, who either observed her drinking hard liquor or actually served the hard liquor, hasn't happened. If this was supposed to be some running joke, it continues to fall flat.
I want to overlook this inappropriate writing by the author to continue the story . . . just because so much new science fiction has become invaded by romance writers desperate to make sales, without a clue to technology or science, and I'm tired of wasting my time and money reading trash. Family Law is real science fiction. At least there's no romance or sex. (So far, and hopefully not to come - although the cover art of the latest book is disappointingly a sexy depiction of the main character as an adult woman - sigh)
The focus on science, technology, society, and the interaction and friendships between species is the reason I read and enjoyed this book. The overall writing is interesting although imperfect. I will finish book 2 and consider book 3.
The narration has improved as the books go on. The narrator reads clearly and distinctly but doesn't have the voice range and talent to do distinct character voices that some narrators do. But the reading expresses emotion at the right times and doesn't interfere with the story.
May 13, 2023
3.5
The first third or so of the book was pretty slow and emotionally divorced, but picked up a lot after that. The muted emotions continued throughout the book but as you got more invested in the characters it felt less like you were viewing everything through a foggy window and some parts of the story were very poignant and felt surprisingly meaningful.
Another weird thing I noticed was that a good chunk of the character deaths were described in a not quite offhand but somewhat poetic and detatched manner such that it took a couple read throughs to actually understand someone had died. Sometimes I wasn’t sure until it was more clearly mentioned later in the book.
The vagueness extended to space battles, often not telling the reader whose side each ship was on. Which was annoying in the heat of battle scenes as you couldn’t tell how well different strategies were working because you had no idea who was who and who was winning. It did make certain scenes feel more chaotic and uncertain which easily could have been the point as a fair number of the most confusing scenes were cleared up by other characters later in the book either though battle analyses, news headings, or conversations.
It was a weird way to write the book and took a bit to get used to the style but was ultimately very enjoyable.
I particularly loved the humor, how cultural differences were explained to the young protagonist and the reader, and how things were described in general. Conversations between characters always felt organic and interesting, and again, the humor of the characters, their conversations, and the situations they found themselves in was on point.
The first third or so of the book was pretty slow and emotionally divorced, but picked up a lot after that. The muted emotions continued throughout the book but as you got more invested in the characters it felt less like you were viewing everything through a foggy window and some parts of the story were very poignant and felt surprisingly meaningful.
Another weird thing I noticed was that a good chunk of the character deaths were described in a not quite offhand but somewhat poetic and detatched manner such that it took a couple read throughs to actually understand someone had died. Sometimes I wasn’t sure until it was more clearly mentioned later in the book.
The vagueness extended to space battles, often not telling the reader whose side each ship was on. Which was annoying in the heat of battle scenes as you couldn’t tell how well different strategies were working because you had no idea who was who and who was winning. It did make certain scenes feel more chaotic and uncertain which easily could have been the point as a fair number of the most confusing scenes were cleared up by other characters later in the book either though battle analyses, news headings, or conversations.
It was a weird way to write the book and took a bit to get used to the style but was ultimately very enjoyable.
I particularly loved the humor, how cultural differences were explained to the young protagonist and the reader, and how things were described in general. Conversations between characters always felt organic and interesting, and again, the humor of the characters, their conversations, and the situations they found themselves in was on point.
May 21, 2018
When I saw the description for this book, I thought it would be something similar to Gordon R. Dixon's Right to Arm Bears. Well, I wasn't entirely wrong, but then again, that wasn't exactly an accurate assessment either. I really liked this book, not the least because it was funny, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable. It even had a Joe Buckley killing in itt, who wouldn't love that? Space stories have always been my greatest love, and this book was no exception. Love the aliens, love the human motives slapped onto the aliens that turned out not to be there, and those that were as well. Love the fact that a little girl turned out to be not so easy to push around, mostly because she was willing to learn and adapt to new situations as they arose. Love the smack down of the political machinations, but most of all, just loved a well put together story, and would highly recommend it to everyone and anyone, there's something here for everyone, from secret under handed dealings to outright declarations that were definitely meant as were said declarations, and those who ignored them learned the hard way that when these particular aliens say something, they aren't kidding. Too bad more humans aren't like that. But then again, that kind of behavior generally gets trouble to follow you around, which isn't always a good thing. Excellent stuff here folks, if you like scifi, you'll love this book, don't pass up the chance to learn all about planetary exploration, starship living, alien relations, and most of all, family law.
July 31, 2020
Professional Author
Family Law is not written in fifth-grade English, which is a good thing but does get complex. Also, there are quite a few characters and it sometimes becomes difficult to follow who is who. With a little effort, and sometimes rereading for me anyway, it becomes clear. But there are some extremely interesting and complex social issues that are examined. What happens, for example, when even one person decides, "he's not my president, " and refuses to acknowledge an international treaty? It could easily result in world war and thousands of deaths. If laws and treaties are ignored or unenforced, who is responsible for the consequences? Everyone who enabled it! Along with, of course, all those soldiers, civilians and others who just suffer the consequences. Also explored are issues such as racial prejudice, wealth/poverty, leadership responsibilities, and a host of other issues that pertain to today's social revolution. All these are woven together in a single Fantasy-Opera of love, loyalty, duty, and honor. That's quite a lot of stuff all in one novel, but Chandler is a professional author who more than deserves that moniker.
Family Law is not written in fifth-grade English, which is a good thing but does get complex. Also, there are quite a few characters and it sometimes becomes difficult to follow who is who. With a little effort, and sometimes rereading for me anyway, it becomes clear. But there are some extremely interesting and complex social issues that are examined. What happens, for example, when even one person decides, "he's not my president, " and refuses to acknowledge an international treaty? It could easily result in world war and thousands of deaths. If laws and treaties are ignored or unenforced, who is responsible for the consequences? Everyone who enabled it! Along with, of course, all those soldiers, civilians and others who just suffer the consequences. Also explored are issues such as racial prejudice, wealth/poverty, leadership responsibilities, and a host of other issues that pertain to today's social revolution. All these are woven together in a single Fantasy-Opera of love, loyalty, duty, and honor. That's quite a lot of stuff all in one novel, but Chandler is a professional author who more than deserves that moniker.
November 1, 2021
Chandler, Mackey. Family Law. Family Law No. 1. Kindle, 2011.
Dreadful young adult space opera is in no short supply, but reasonably well-plotted young adult space opera with characters that don’t make an older reader like me gag is hard to find. I am happy to report that Mackey Chandler’s Family Law was one that I could read with pleasure. Lee, a child of about 12 or 13 (time dilation effects make it hard to say which), has grown up on a starship looking for undiscovered planets with exploitable resources. When her parents are killed by predators on a marketable planet, named Providence because it would sell better than Purgatory, she is adopted by the only surviving member of the crew, the Derf Gordon, the six-legged, four-armed, furry ship’s captain. She is adaptable and, after some initial awkwardness on both sides, gets along reasonably well with his mountain clan. But things go badly amiss when they become tangled with a Family Court on Earth. The conflict could start an Interstellar war. Gordon and Lee are likeable characters who are not cardboard cutouts, and the story develops its themes adroitly. It is a series I hope holds up. 3.5 stars.
Dreadful young adult space opera is in no short supply, but reasonably well-plotted young adult space opera with characters that don’t make an older reader like me gag is hard to find. I am happy to report that Mackey Chandler’s Family Law was one that I could read with pleasure. Lee, a child of about 12 or 13 (time dilation effects make it hard to say which), has grown up on a starship looking for undiscovered planets with exploitable resources. When her parents are killed by predators on a marketable planet, named Providence because it would sell better than Purgatory, she is adopted by the only surviving member of the crew, the Derf Gordon, the six-legged, four-armed, furry ship’s captain. She is adaptable and, after some initial awkwardness on both sides, gets along reasonably well with his mountain clan. But things go badly amiss when they become tangled with a Family Court on Earth. The conflict could start an Interstellar war. Gordon and Lee are likeable characters who are not cardboard cutouts, and the story develops its themes adroitly. It is a series I hope holds up. 3.5 stars.
October 7, 2017
I read this author’s April books but initially ignored this series of books because of the introductory ‘blurb’, which is totally uninspiring.
The first half of the book was excellent, it was interesting and was very easy to read. The second half of the book started to get ‘messy’. The story jumps around too much, at times every new paragraph is a different location. I suspect the author thinks this makes the story more exciting, but there is no flow to the story and it is more difficult to read.
The contrast between the two halves of the books is interesting. The first half has a coherent storyline that concentrates on the development of the main characters.
The second half is written for people with a very short attention span, it’s made up of hundreds of little incidents and dozens of characters thrown together, a bit like a cheap TV soap opera.
At one point I would have given this book five stars, but by the end I was being generous to give it three.
The first half of the book was excellent, it was interesting and was very easy to read. The second half of the book started to get ‘messy’. The story jumps around too much, at times every new paragraph is a different location. I suspect the author thinks this makes the story more exciting, but there is no flow to the story and it is more difficult to read.
The contrast between the two halves of the books is interesting. The first half has a coherent storyline that concentrates on the development of the main characters.
The second half is written for people with a very short attention span, it’s made up of hundreds of little incidents and dozens of characters thrown together, a bit like a cheap TV soap opera.
At one point I would have given this book five stars, but by the end I was being generous to give it three.
January 3, 2020
Not your average space opera
Will humanity grow up as we enter the real space age? What will happen when we meet intelligences completely different? How do you communicate when you have little common ground? This story addresses these and other sociopolitical questions in a lively tale full of life, loss, discovery and growth. Many foibles of the modern world are laid out clearly making you think about how you make your way through the world. I stayed up till 4 am to finish this book because I had to know how things turned out. Mackey Chandler is blessed to see situations with a child’s clarity and shares that with the reader.
Will humanity grow up as we enter the real space age? What will happen when we meet intelligences completely different? How do you communicate when you have little common ground? This story addresses these and other sociopolitical questions in a lively tale full of life, loss, discovery and growth. Many foibles of the modern world are laid out clearly making you think about how you make your way through the world. I stayed up till 4 am to finish this book because I had to know how things turned out. Mackey Chandler is blessed to see situations with a child’s clarity and shares that with the reader.
March 15, 2022
Good Story
I thought there would be some interaction with April and her gang from the other series, but there wasn't - just the same countries and colonies mostly, just about fifty years later. (I'm guessing.)
Still a very good story with the main protagonist a young 12-almost-13 year old girl - not quite the prodigy April was, but very similar.
Always fun to ridicule the absolute stupidity of our political system. And the stupidity of the prejudices running through our society.
I would rate this PG due to some violence and mild language.
I recommend this book.
(Read with Kindle Unlimited subscription)
I thought there would be some interaction with April and her gang from the other series, but there wasn't - just the same countries and colonies mostly, just about fifty years later. (I'm guessing.)
Still a very good story with the main protagonist a young 12-almost-13 year old girl - not quite the prodigy April was, but very similar.
Always fun to ridicule the absolute stupidity of our political system. And the stupidity of the prejudices running through our society.
I would rate this PG due to some violence and mild language.
I recommend this book.
(Read with Kindle Unlimited subscription)
May 5, 2021
Marvelous!
Very good! The characters are real, as are the preconceived ideas of the idiots. The picture of the human government sounds right on. Folks, we in America have a problem. Every one has an opinion of our government and most of them are not good. It is our fault, we let it get out of hand. Part of it, is we don't know who to shoot. Or even if shooting is the answer. I've read that if something can't go on, it won't. What form the breakage takes, I don't know. But it ain't gonna be pretty.
Very good! The characters are real, as are the preconceived ideas of the idiots. The picture of the human government sounds right on. Folks, we in America have a problem. Every one has an opinion of our government and most of them are not good. It is our fault, we let it get out of hand. Part of it, is we don't know who to shoot. Or even if shooting is the answer. I've read that if something can't go on, it won't. What form the breakage takes, I don't know. But it ain't gonna be pretty.
November 17, 2021
When Two Races Meet
This is the first book in a continuing series, however, the book comes to a natural break and works as a standalone story. There are a few hints about future storylines to lure you into reading the next in the series. After reading this series I realised that there is a connected series that was written before this series, starting with April. I would recommend starting with that book and following that series until Book 10, after which, you should read this book.
In the future, there are multiple races that humanity interacts with. Some people are easier with this fact than others. Gordon is a Derf and an equal partner in an exploration expedition, alongside a human husband and wife team. They travel with their 12-year-old daughter, Lee, and Gordon has known her since her birth and has been a big part of her rearing.
The team have struck the biggest score of their lives and found a habitable living world, with plant life and mammals. It can sustain human and other animal life from Earth. This is the biggest claim to have been made in a very long time as finding a living world is unbelievably rare. However, before the final survey can be completed Lee’s parents die in an incident. According to her parent’s wishes, Gordon chooses to raise Lee as his own. Lee cannot imagine going with anyone else as she was born and raised on their exploration vessel. Gordon is her family, despite being 750kg of furry, clawed and fanged alien. To them, this is the most logical thing in the universe, but to others, having a human child being raised by another species is an abomination.
This is a wonderfully captivating book. The universe building is fantastically well realised. The social structures of the different races and even the different societies within each race area are well developed and really drive the story. As well as the different sociological explorations, the geographic and scientific descriptions are vibrant and logical and clearly thought out.
I love Lee’s character. She is very bright, curious and naive about interacting with a larger group of people, no matter their race. She is only used to being around completely trustworthy people, her family. Gordon’s explanations of what people and society are like help round out how we perceive the universe in which this story is set. As well as being naive, Lee knows how to defend herself, speaks three languages and knows how to change filters on a spaceship. She has a strangely diverse and also very specific education. She is logical and forms opinions based on information and facts as well as direct observation. She’s an engaging and interesting protagonist, despite her age.
Gordon is also a wonderful character. He’s essentially a six-limbed grizzly bear who speaks multiple languages and can slaughter his enemies with single strokes of his axe. He sees Lee as his daughter and doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for her. He willingly ensures she learns from everywhere and all her encounters are made educational. He is intelligent and interested in people and their communities. He is kind and funny and sweet and will do anything to protect Lee. He’s also talented at applying his knowledge to diverse skill sets.
The plot of this book races along so quickly, you barely stop to breathe when you turn each page. Diving around the universe between different races and perspectives makes you desperate to know what happens next to each group of people. The story is gripping as well as intellectually stimulating. The subject matter could have been dry, as some military space operas can be, but the characters are so warm and personable you become emotionally involved as well as mentally.
This wonderful book is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to see what happens to this group of people next, as they are never boring!
This is the first book in a continuing series, however, the book comes to a natural break and works as a standalone story. There are a few hints about future storylines to lure you into reading the next in the series. After reading this series I realised that there is a connected series that was written before this series, starting with April. I would recommend starting with that book and following that series until Book 10, after which, you should read this book.
In the future, there are multiple races that humanity interacts with. Some people are easier with this fact than others. Gordon is a Derf and an equal partner in an exploration expedition, alongside a human husband and wife team. They travel with their 12-year-old daughter, Lee, and Gordon has known her since her birth and has been a big part of her rearing.
The team have struck the biggest score of their lives and found a habitable living world, with plant life and mammals. It can sustain human and other animal life from Earth. This is the biggest claim to have been made in a very long time as finding a living world is unbelievably rare. However, before the final survey can be completed Lee’s parents die in an incident. According to her parent’s wishes, Gordon chooses to raise Lee as his own. Lee cannot imagine going with anyone else as she was born and raised on their exploration vessel. Gordon is her family, despite being 750kg of furry, clawed and fanged alien. To them, this is the most logical thing in the universe, but to others, having a human child being raised by another species is an abomination.
This is a wonderfully captivating book. The universe building is fantastically well realised. The social structures of the different races and even the different societies within each race area are well developed and really drive the story. As well as the different sociological explorations, the geographic and scientific descriptions are vibrant and logical and clearly thought out.
I love Lee’s character. She is very bright, curious and naive about interacting with a larger group of people, no matter their race. She is only used to being around completely trustworthy people, her family. Gordon’s explanations of what people and society are like help round out how we perceive the universe in which this story is set. As well as being naive, Lee knows how to defend herself, speaks three languages and knows how to change filters on a spaceship. She has a strangely diverse and also very specific education. She is logical and forms opinions based on information and facts as well as direct observation. She’s an engaging and interesting protagonist, despite her age.
Gordon is also a wonderful character. He’s essentially a six-limbed grizzly bear who speaks multiple languages and can slaughter his enemies with single strokes of his axe. He sees Lee as his daughter and doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for her. He willingly ensures she learns from everywhere and all her encounters are made educational. He is intelligent and interested in people and their communities. He is kind and funny and sweet and will do anything to protect Lee. He’s also talented at applying his knowledge to diverse skill sets.
The plot of this book races along so quickly, you barely stop to breathe when you turn each page. Diving around the universe between different races and perspectives makes you desperate to know what happens next to each group of people. The story is gripping as well as intellectually stimulating. The subject matter could have been dry, as some military space operas can be, but the characters are so warm and personable you become emotionally involved as well as mentally.
This wonderful book is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to see what happens to this group of people next, as they are never boring!
October 27, 2022
Quite Possibly better than the April Series.
I like that parts of this series included parts of the April Series. I wish there was a greater overlap. I say this understanding that this is only the first book of this second series.
I almost read this book through completely, with only two
breaks. I am starting the second book now after just finishing this book. I am eager to see what happens next and I am excited to start. Definitely a good read
TY Mr Chandler!
I like that parts of this series included parts of the April Series. I wish there was a greater overlap. I say this understanding that this is only the first book of this second series.
I almost read this book through completely, with only two
breaks. I am starting the second book now after just finishing this book. I am eager to see what happens next and I am excited to start. Definitely a good read
TY Mr Chandler!
July 3, 2024
What a disappointment. The first half of the book is quite enjoyable. The main characters are well developed. The world building is scant but solid. There is an intellectual level with comments about wealth and social structure.
The second part of the book is a mess. Characters are introduced without any explanation, leaving me thinking I missed something. The action is hard to follow. The story jumps from point to point without any continuity.
The second part of the book is a mess. Characters are introduced without any explanation, leaving me thinking I missed something. The action is hard to follow. The story jumps from point to point without any continuity.
July 31, 2019
Five stars seem lacking
I cannot understate how much I enjoy your books. I am re-reading them and enjoying them yet again. The style and story line are compelling and well thought out. Having been a reader for over 60 years allows my to compare your books as equal to the masters of the 70. Keep writing !
I cannot understate how much I enjoy your books. I am re-reading them and enjoying them yet again. The style and story line are compelling and well thought out. Having been a reader for over 60 years allows my to compare your books as equal to the masters of the 70. Keep writing !
January 18, 2021
Lots of fun, well thought out tale with fun twistyness
I really enjoyed this story. Includes a lot of moving parts and wraps them up well at the end, with the series still leaving plot points looking forward. Interesting characters, interstellar battles, interesting alien cultures, treaties of value and worthless, and that's just the start.
I really enjoyed this story. Includes a lot of moving parts and wraps them up well at the end, with the series still leaving plot points looking forward. Interesting characters, interstellar battles, interesting alien cultures, treaties of value and worthless, and that's just the start.
July 3, 2021
A fantastic read
What a unique Book. I feel some elements of an L. Ron Hubbard novel (his works/writings pre Scientology nonsense) There is a whole world feeling here - economics, war, Exploration, morality, the awful results and effects of racism And xenophobia. The best part - it is a great read with an at times sly humor, and I am looking forward to the next!
What a unique Book. I feel some elements of an L. Ron Hubbard novel (his works/writings pre Scientology nonsense) There is a whole world feeling here - economics, war, Exploration, morality, the awful results and effects of racism And xenophobia. The best part - it is a great read with an at times sly humor, and I am looking forward to the next!
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