I'm always looking for a great space opera, even though the genre doesn't always work for me. Sometimes it's the plot, sometimes it's the attention toI'm always looking for a great space opera, even though the genre doesn't always work for me. Sometimes it's the plot, sometimes it's the attention to detail, sometimes it's just that the ideas aren't compelling. The Circuit is a space opera that draws from a lot of different ideas, and when it works, it's really solid, but sometimes there's less likable parts to wade through to get to the meat.
The story is more of an espionage piece in outer space, with a basically-unchallenged governing group and those who want that to change. There's mercenaries, there are government representatives, there's seemingly sentient transport units, and all of them have their own basic machinations.
The issue with broader "space operas," or anything with varying points of view, is that some storylines end up being more enjoyable than others. While the start and finish of this book were both very compelling, most of the middle I had a lot of trouble engaging with, whether it be due to my own personal feelings on the story or whether it being just that some characters felt better formed than others. Bruno excels at making ADIM, the transport android, a very enjoyable character, while the more rogueish types ended up feeling like background characters when they were the main thrust of the story. It really took me out of things a bit and made it a little more difficult to fully immerse.
Overall, though? It's not a bad book by any means. In a world where you have great space operas from Peter Hamilton, and newer pieces from John C. Wright and John Love, the genre has some mountainous competition. At the end of the day, I wanted the book to be as great as its start and finish was, and I didn't get there. Future books in this universe may succeed in that regard, and I'll definitely check them out, but this one might frustrate you from time to time.
Merged review:
I'm always looking for a great space opera, even though the genre doesn't always work for me. Sometimes it's the plot, sometimes it's the attention to detail, sometimes it's just that the ideas aren't compelling. The Circuit is a space opera that draws from a lot of different ideas, and when it works, it's really solid, but sometimes there's less likable parts to wade through to get to the meat.
The story is more of an espionage piece in outer space, with a basically-unchallenged governing group and those who want that to change. There's mercenaries, there are government representatives, there's seemingly sentient transport units, and all of them have their own basic machinations.
The issue with broader "space operas," or anything with varying points of view, is that some storylines end up being more enjoyable than others. While the start and finish of this book were both very compelling, most of the middle I had a lot of trouble engaging with, whether it be due to my own personal feelings on the story or whether it being just that some characters felt better formed than others. Bruno excels at making ADIM, the transport android, a very enjoyable character, while the more rogueish types ended up feeling like background characters when they were the main thrust of the story. It really took me out of things a bit and made it a little more difficult to fully immerse.
Overall, though? It's not a bad book by any means. In a world where you have great space operas from Peter Hamilton, and newer pieces from John C. Wright and John Love, the genre has some mountainous competition. At the end of the day, I wanted the book to be as great as its start and finish was, and I didn't get there. Future books in this universe may succeed in that regard, and I'll definitely check them out, but this one might frustrate you from time to time....more
What do you call a goofy period piece that doesn't bother with anything advertised in the plot until nearly the end? For me, it's My BCloser to a 2.5.
What do you call a goofy period piece that doesn't bother with anything advertised in the plot until nearly the end? For me, it's My Best Friend's Exorcism, a book that let's you think you're getting a funny tale about an exorcism and ends up never quite pulling the trigger on any real aspect of the tale.
The story is about two girls in the 1980s. Best friends in everything until one of the girls starts acting different and it's decided that she's actually possessed by a demon, and she'll be the one to get it fixed.
What annoys me so much about this book is just the lost potential. There's such a great option to do an 80s-tastic Exorcist sendup, but nothing really comes about and the "is she or isn't she possessed" back-and-forth becomes kind of tiring as time goes on. The end almost certainly and completely rescues the book, as it gets truly insane, but the issue is ultimately getting to that point. It's just not engaging enough, which is especially unfortunate given Quirk's track record as a publisher.
Overall, skip this one unless this is a specific interest of yours. I hope we get a better book like it at some point in the future.
Merged review:
Closer to a 2.5.
What do you call a goofy period piece that doesn't bother with anything advertised in the plot until nearly the end? For me, it's My Best Friend's Exorcism, a book that let's you think you're getting a funny tale about an exorcism and ends up never quite pulling the trigger on any real aspect of the tale.
The story is about two girls in the 1980s. Best friends in everything until one of the girls starts acting different and it's decided that she's actually possessed by a demon, and she'll be the one to get it fixed.
What annoys me so much about this book is just the lost potential. There's such a great option to do an 80s-tastic Exorcist sendup, but nothing really comes about and the "is she or isn't she possessed" back-and-forth becomes kind of tiring as time goes on. The end almost certainly and completely rescues the book, as it gets truly insane, but the issue is ultimately getting to that point. It's just not engaging enough, which is especially unfortunate given Quirk's track record as a publisher.
Overall, skip this one unless this is a specific interest of yours. I hope we get a better book like it at some point in the future....more
This book tries to be a Stephen King book and it doesn't always work. Plenty of great moments, though.This book tries to be a Stephen King book and it doesn't always work. Plenty of great moments, though....more
While I've enjoyed this series up to now, I can't say this did much for me. A lot of the charm of the concept for these books is lost in a paint-by-nuWhile I've enjoyed this series up to now, I can't say this did much for me. A lot of the charm of the concept for these books is lost in a paint-by-numbers sci-fi thriller/mystery movie, which is fine for what it is but isn't why anyone is picking these books up.
Hoping the next one is a little more grounded....more
Loading...
