Scan barcode
jmoses's review against another edition
3.0
I continue to be interested in this book. The overall story is moving along nicely, and it's very interesting. The individual details of Gray's life and etc is kind of repetitive and not very special. It's alright, but it feels like filler. If I read about how "Fox One" indicates a smart missile launch and it harkens back to the good old days of an air breathing navy, I'm going to "Fox One" this book right out the window.
righteousridel's review against another edition
3.0
Star Carrier continues to be entertaining and delivers quality world building. I love the aliens - they are all very different from human life and the author seems to take great pains to make sure we consider and expand our minds. The military spaceship combat is superb, with plenty of light speed limitations tossed in with softer science fiction elements.
That said… I’m still not bought into any of the characters for some reason. There is a lot of loss but they feel like just names in the history books. Not feeling emotional when characters die should indicate a weak author.
Still it’s an easy read and entertaining. An easy three stars.
That said… I’m still not bought into any of the characters for some reason. There is a lot of loss but they feel like just names in the history books. Not feeling emotional when characters die should indicate a weak author.
Still it’s an easy read and entertaining. An easy three stars.
Spoiler
I am a bit put off by the strange insistence on exploring monogamy vs polygamy. It doesn’t add much to the story and given the few short centuries from today, seems absurd that everyone would treat monogamy with such disdain.books17's review
4.0
I chewed through this super-fast, something about these books is very readable.
More of the same from Earth Strike; great detail and strategies in exciting battles, with passable characterisation to fill the gaps. A great quick read.
More of the same from Earth Strike; great detail and strategies in exciting battles, with passable characterisation to fill the gaps. A great quick read.
graff_fuller's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was slightly better than the previous entry in this series. It may be because I know the world a little better and some of the characters within the world...but I also feel the book was better paced and a more enjoyable story.
Recently I've been thinking about space elevators, espcially since watching Foundation and the events that happen with theiirs. So, they have a space elevator from the Earth upwards - with LOTS of modules.
I believe in the previous story, they talked about space elevators on the moon...which I've never even though was possible.
These books are split between a personal story or stories with characters that we've gotten to know, then world building mechanics (lots of facts, but made it work).
Building the legend of The America (home), but home was actually "out there".
Then, another personal story...with Captain Randolph.
Introduced to their next adventure? It was a really good one. He (the author) continues the formula of personal stories and world building. It isn't hidden, but fairly obvious to the reader. Oh, a personal account with the characters he created. Oh, now he's going to info dump for a while, so that the personal story he tells next makes more sense...onward.
It sound predictable, which it is, but then again, I am still becoming more inveseted into this world and the characters and the aliens they come in contact with.
May wait a bit for the final book. We shall see.
Recently I've been thinking about space elevators, espcially since watching Foundation and the events that happen with theiirs. So, they have a space elevator from the Earth upwards - with LOTS of modules.
I believe in the previous story, they talked about space elevators on the moon...which I've never even though was possible.
These books are split between a personal story or stories with characters that we've gotten to know, then world building mechanics (lots of facts, but made it work).
Building the legend of The America (home), but home was actually "out there".
Then, another personal story...with Captain Randolph.
Introduced to their next adventure? It was a really good one. He (the author) continues the formula of personal stories and world building. It isn't hidden, but fairly obvious to the reader. Oh, a personal account with the characters he created. Oh, now he's going to info dump for a while, so that the personal story he tells next makes more sense...onward.
It sound predictable, which it is, but then again, I am still becoming more inveseted into this world and the characters and the aliens they come in contact with.
May wait a bit for the final book. We shall see.
tuftymctavish's review against another edition
4.0
Fair enjoyed the pace and scenarios encountered in this book. The author tends to repeat himself, even within the book and over and above refreshers for folks who haven't just finished book one - re-describing how his technology works for instance. But fortunately there isn't an over-reliance on disposable dialog, repetitive padding or obvious politics (I'm thinking of the Lost Fleet series here). The characters (on both sides!) are interesting and different. The space battles and action scenes were where it was at for me, and there are plenty of scenarios to keep the reader engaged, which I liked a lot.
Overall I wanted to rate this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 3 sounds perfectly average but I enjoyed it more than that. However I also wouldn't necessarily rush to recommend it to all SF readers. For those wanting a bit of military-SF with a focus on space battles and technology, the series is worth a punt. I was pleased enough with this to dive straight into book 3.
Overall I wanted to rate this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 3 sounds perfectly average but I enjoyed it more than that. However I also wouldn't necessarily rush to recommend it to all SF readers. For those wanting a bit of military-SF with a focus on space battles and technology, the series is worth a punt. I was pleased enough with this to dive straight into book 3.
rafial's review against another edition
4.0
Slightly better than Book 1 in the series, although still fairly tepid writing, with a strange compunction to constantly repeat the same explanations regarding various bits of future tech and jargon that you've already three for four times previously. The main virtue, that of some really interesting nonhuman aliens (both physically and psychologically) continues, with several new species being added to the rosters. The human characters continue to be pretty cardboard though. I was also bemused by the notion of a North America three centuries hence that seems solely populated by people with northern European surnames. Also, everybody of significant command rank is male, except for one female flag officer who is introduced just long enough in book one so that she can die tragically to motivate one of our viewpoint characters. *sigh*
kennesaw59's review against another edition
1.0
I read the first book in this series and really thought Ian Douglas had set up an interesting universe full of aliens, advanced technology and desperate situations. Unfortunately the second book was a huge disappointment. I don't know if Douglas just banged the story out in three days to fulfill a contract or if he had someone else ghost write the book. Either way it is a huge mess.
To me what makes a space opera interesting is when the author chooses a universe very similar to our real universe with one or two changes. Like a hostile alien race that is in conflict with us poor humans. Then determine what advances in technology is needed to make such a story possible and interesting.
In the Star Carrier series the there are three main technological advances.
1)Advanced nano technology in the form of star ship hulls that can change shape, replicators that can create most anything from feed stock, and nano bots that keep humans healthy and alive for a very long time.
2)Artificial intelligence that is faster and smarter than human intelligence.
3)FTL spacecraft capable of travelling many light years in a few days and the ability to create artificial black hole singularities that allow small fighter space craft to accelerate at 50,000 gravities so they can reach light speed in about 10 minutes. This technology also allows humans access to practically unlimited energy drawn from the quantum vacuum.
Now this could make for some very interesting stories if the author spent a few minutes to figure out how these technologies would change the tactics of space warfare. And write stories that reflect that thought. Instead Douglas fights the space battles as if he where using aircraft carriers and fighter jets.
Even worse he changes the capabilities of the technology depending on what the plot needs at the moment. For example in one scene the human shield technology can withstand everything an entire enemy fleet can throw at it for several weeks while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Then a bit later we have a situation where the shields are brushed away by a single ship with the first shot. This sort of hand waving is scattered throughout the book so frequently it completely disrupted my ability to accept any of the technology as real.
As for tactics, if you have a technology that lets you accelerate things to light speed in 10 minutes then all you need to do is send light speed missiles to impact the enemy home worlds and bases. Plus the enemy would do the same to us. No need to send a fleet of ships. Just one ship that can launch a few light speed rocks and you win. Anything approaching at light speed is by definition undetectable and unstoppable. Even worse the humans have the technology necessary to create artificial black holes and it never occurs to anyone that a black hole might make a pretty good weapon. Even when several human ships are destroyed by their own black holes when they take damage.
So the technology is inconsistent, poorly defined and in many cases completely ignored if Douglas thinks the plot needs a bit of suspense.
This leaves the character development of the aliens and humans to make the book interesting. Not in this mess. The aliens had huge potential from the first book. Then in the second book the aliens are all over the place. Sometimes they are given god like powers and then a few pages later they act like brain damaged apes. The humans don't do any better, they are all caricatures at best. Completely one dimensional, predictable and boring.
In summary - if you read the first book cut your losses, put this book down and move on to something else. I recommend the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.
To me what makes a space opera interesting is when the author chooses a universe very similar to our real universe with one or two changes. Like a hostile alien race that is in conflict with us poor humans. Then determine what advances in technology is needed to make such a story possible and interesting.
In the Star Carrier series the there are three main technological advances.
1)Advanced nano technology in the form of star ship hulls that can change shape, replicators that can create most anything from feed stock, and nano bots that keep humans healthy and alive for a very long time.
2)Artificial intelligence that is faster and smarter than human intelligence.
3)FTL spacecraft capable of travelling many light years in a few days and the ability to create artificial black hole singularities that allow small fighter space craft to accelerate at 50,000 gravities so they can reach light speed in about 10 minutes. This technology also allows humans access to practically unlimited energy drawn from the quantum vacuum.
Now this could make for some very interesting stories if the author spent a few minutes to figure out how these technologies would change the tactics of space warfare. And write stories that reflect that thought. Instead Douglas fights the space battles as if he where using aircraft carriers and fighter jets.
Even worse he changes the capabilities of the technology depending on what the plot needs at the moment. For example in one scene the human shield technology can withstand everything an entire enemy fleet can throw at it for several weeks while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Then a bit later we have a situation where the shields are brushed away by a single ship with the first shot. This sort of hand waving is scattered throughout the book so frequently it completely disrupted my ability to accept any of the technology as real.
As for tactics, if you have a technology that lets you accelerate things to light speed in 10 minutes then all you need to do is send light speed missiles to impact the enemy home worlds and bases. Plus the enemy would do the same to us. No need to send a fleet of ships. Just one ship that can launch a few light speed rocks and you win. Anything approaching at light speed is by definition undetectable and unstoppable. Even worse the humans have the technology necessary to create artificial black holes and it never occurs to anyone that a black hole might make a pretty good weapon. Even when several human ships are destroyed by their own black holes when they take damage.
So the technology is inconsistent, poorly defined and in many cases completely ignored if Douglas thinks the plot needs a bit of suspense.
This leaves the character development of the aliens and humans to make the book interesting. Not in this mess. The aliens had huge potential from the first book. Then in the second book the aliens are all over the place. Sometimes they are given god like powers and then a few pages later they act like brain damaged apes. The humans don't do any better, they are all caricatures at best. Completely one dimensional, predictable and boring.
In summary - if you read the first book cut your losses, put this book down and move on to something else. I recommend the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.
conalo's review
4.0
This review will be for the complete first three book arc of this series. This novel reminded me a lot of the Jack Campbell Lost Fleet series as there was lots of space battles with ship to ship action. In this series, humans are fighting multiple alien species and not other human groups and for the most part are behind them technologically but the author makes up for this in the tenaciousness of the human fighting spirit. The author also does a pretty good job in fleshing out the multiple main characters and well as building a nice universe to tell the tale in.
I really enjoyed this who series and look forward to reading more in the followup series. 4 stars for a fun read. Recommended for any fan of space navy military sci-fi.
I really enjoyed this who series and look forward to reading more in the followup series. 4 stars for a fun read. Recommended for any fan of space navy military sci-fi.
More...