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readnext's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I’m not sure why I bothered powering through this book, perhaps to just get it over with. In truth, I’m still learning how to put a book down when I’m not enjoying it.
Classic sci-fi/ space operas! There can be a real charm to them, but this book doesn’t have any. It’s a tale about four humans (2men, 2 women) on a mission to bring order to the universe. At some point, they get paired off together, because of course, men and women can’t work with each other for long without sex happening. Confusion as to where the story was going never really subsided, and all of the characters irritated me. Even the nice ones! This book includes: spaceships, gender relations (dripping with misogyny), a failed attempt to create strong female characters, psychic abilities that never felt properly explained, flying tigers with man-faces (which, at least explained the cover of the book), genocide, etc. In a nutshell, lots of wandering around the universe coupled with never ending misogyny.
I wish this hadn’t been my first introduction to “Doc”, as I’ve heard great things about his Lensman series. After this doozy, I’ll be avoiding his books for a while. If I can leave you with one thought, just… don’t. Save yourself the pain I went through, and don’t bother reading this one.
Classic sci-fi/ space operas! There can be a real charm to them, but this book doesn’t have any. It’s a tale about four humans (2men, 2 women) on a mission to bring order to the universe. At some point, they get paired off together, because of course, men and women can’t work with each other for long without sex happening. Confusion as to where the story was going never really subsided, and all of the characters irritated me. Even the nice ones! This book includes: spaceships, gender relations (dripping with misogyny), a failed attempt to create strong female characters, psychic abilities that never felt properly explained, flying tigers with man-faces (which, at least explained the cover of the book), genocide, etc. In a nutshell, lots of wandering around the universe coupled with never ending misogyny.
I wish this hadn’t been my first introduction to “Doc”, as I’ve heard great things about his Lensman series. After this doozy, I’ll be avoiding his books for a while. If I can leave you with one thought, just… don’t. Save yourself the pain I went through, and don’t bother reading this one.
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