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niittula's review against another edition
5.0
Kanske inte riktigt lika bra som #1, men riktigt bra ändå. Välskriven och tydlig engelska som gör att man kan fokusera ännu mer på handlingen. T o m en 200-sidor lång rymdstrid blir lättförstådd :-)
Nu gäller det att försöka få ta på bok #3
Nu gäller det att försöka få ta på bok #3
rik_sixx's review against another edition
3.0
Although this is another good yarn from Evan Currie, the pacing nearly led to me giving up. As other users have said, a large portion of the book is given over to a ship-to-ship battle in space, while another sizeable chunk is given to a ground-based battle. Where the first book felt like pure space opera, book #2 in the series drifts into sci-fi military fiction.
What I really wanted from the 2nd entry in this series was more from the characters. Other than Weston and perhaps Stephanos, the other characters felt interchangable. From name alone, I didn't know which character is which, or what their role was at any given time.
There are also some strange quirks which were quite jarring at times. For example, over-use of certain words within close proximity; it seemed like once Currie discovered "irascible" he needed to get his money's worth from the new thesaurus. I think at one point i actually saw the phrase "in fact, it was a matter of fact that [a thing happened], in fact".
Despite these gripes, the story and setting are great and after taking a few breaks from the book I then raced through the final chapters. It's a great holiday (or lockdown) book that doesn't take much brain power, and I'm genuinely interested in reading the rest of the series!
What I really wanted from the 2nd entry in this series was more from the characters. Other than Weston and perhaps Stephanos, the other characters felt interchangable. From name alone, I didn't know which character is which, or what their role was at any given time.
There are also some strange quirks which were quite jarring at times. For example, over-use of certain words within close proximity; it seemed like once Currie discovered "irascible" he needed to get his money's worth from the new thesaurus. I think at one point i actually saw the phrase "in fact, it was a matter of fact that [a thing happened], in fact".
Despite these gripes, the story and setting are great and after taking a few breaks from the book I then raced through the final chapters. It's a great holiday (or lockdown) book that doesn't take much brain power, and I'm genuinely interested in reading the rest of the series!
jmoses's review against another edition
4.0
The plot, as they say, thickens. The quality of writing was a lot more even, and a lot less freshman, so that was very nice. Interesting plausible-sounding tech, and very consistent "science" as well. Characters and overall plot/world still great. I'm super interested in the mysterious fourth-party.
faileskye's review against another edition
4.0
This book was better than the first one, and honestly, the first one was surprisingly enjoyable.
A large reason for the increase in quality is the fact that all the pesky introduction stuff is out of the way. So after an initial reintroduction and necessary "back on Earth" jibberjabber, we are thrown back 'into the black' of space. Pretty quickly the action starts in this book, and it doesn't let off until probably ten minutes from the end, maybe only five.
Not joking about that pacing either, after about 10% in, it just becomes military action with some sci fi curveballs that I don't usually see thrown in. As such, this book is a prime example of what I call a road trip novel. You can just turn it on and listen or read on and on without getting tired of it, but also not have to pay too close attention to it.
More story-wise, most of our favorites from the previous book are back, but they take more of a backseat this time around. Instead we get some new characters with character. I don't know how Currie does it, but he transitions between multiple perspectives and from old to new characters with out it being even a little deal, let alone a big deal.
I still can't believe how much I enjoyed this book and the first one, but I do recommend it to anyone wanting science fiction military action with some unique twists.
A large reason for the increase in quality is the fact that all the pesky introduction stuff is out of the way. So after an initial reintroduction and necessary "back on Earth" jibberjabber, we are thrown back 'into the black' of space. Pretty quickly the action starts in this book, and it doesn't let off until probably ten minutes from the end, maybe only five.
Not joking about that pacing either, after about 10% in, it just becomes military action with some sci fi curveballs that I don't usually see thrown in. As such, this book is a prime example of what I call a road trip novel. You can just turn it on and listen or read on and on without getting tired of it, but also not have to pay too close attention to it.
More story-wise, most of our favorites from the previous book are back, but they take more of a backseat this time around. Instead we get some new characters with character. I don't know how Currie does it, but he transitions between multiple perspectives and from old to new characters with out it being even a little deal, let alone a big deal.
I still can't believe how much I enjoyed this book and the first one, but I do recommend it to anyone wanting science fiction military action with some unique twists.
vkshiro's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't like this one as much as the first one. As with the first, much of the book was devoted to the battle. But that can get tiring. Plus, I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on in the ground battle. Part of it was from the constant switching back and forth. Part from not understanding the military lingo. Part from the characters seeming very similar to each other. And part from me just being bored with it and kind of skimming.
Also the pro military rhetoric is getting to be a bit much.
I really hope the next book is better. Needs less fighting, less philosophizing on the military, more story. I want to know more about the Priminae and Drasin (and the possible 4th species). I want to read more about the culture on Ranquil without it being blown off as "bureaucratic red-tape". The NAC ambassador seems interesting as well as the elder of Ranquil.
This part is just picky but I saw at least two "then"s that should have been "than" and a few other typos.
Also the pro military rhetoric is getting to be a bit much.
I really hope the next book is better. Needs less fighting, less philosophizing on the military, more story. I want to know more about the Priminae and Drasin (and the possible 4th species). I want to read more about the culture on Ranquil without it being blown off as "bureaucratic red-tape". The NAC ambassador seems interesting as well as the elder of Ranquil.
This part is just picky but I saw at least two "then"s that should have been "than" and a few other typos.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, I enjoyed this, it's fast paced and action packed. I didn't really remember the first book that well so I was a bit confused about who everyone was but it didn't take that before everyone was introduced, there is a huge cast of character thought soI never really felt that comfortable with who everyone was, none of the characters seemed that unique. It's a very plot driven story (more so than the last one) rather than character driven and perhaps a bit more focus on the characters would have helped make them distinct. I enjoyed it but I think I liked the first book more, that one had he action but also a bit of personal interest. (perhaps re-reading hte first book would have made it more enjoyable)
I like how the author has clearly thought about how combat would be affected by the huge speeds and distances that would be involved in space battles. The combat scenes all felt really well thought out and were easy to visualise and understand. The strengths and weaknesses of the different combatants were well balanced and interesting.
The Drascin were both a more interesting and more frustrating enemy this time around. We found out enough about them to understand a bit more, but also enough to notice how many blanks there are there. The characters are all just a bit in the dark.
I like how the author has clearly thought about how combat would be affected by the huge speeds and distances that would be involved in space battles. The combat scenes all felt really well thought out and were easy to visualise and understand. The strengths and weaknesses of the different combatants were well balanced and interesting.
The Drascin were both a more interesting and more frustrating enemy this time around. We found out enough about them to understand a bit more, but also enough to notice how many blanks there are there. The characters are all just a bit in the dark.
futuregazer's review against another edition
1.0
Just bad.
Objective complaints: Awful editing that left a lot of confusing plot jumps hanging off of each other, simple and boring sentence/paragraph structure with oft-repeated words, lack of characterization or moving the plot forward, no payoff for any of the small interesting setups in the first book as of yet, and the entire book was basically once again concerned with a single battle's description.
Subjective complaints: Boring, lack of interesting characters, treats science fiction as if it's all ray guns and green blob aliens, author makes multiple jokes about "how weird/impossible/typical events of the book would be if it were read in a science fiction book" with the characters conspicuously mugging at the reader (honestly, all this does is all attention to how bad/dull these exact tropes are when used IN THIS SCIENCE FICTION BOOK), author continues to be heavy handed about their military philosophy to the point of preaching rather than exploring at all, no time is given to anything potentially interesting about the alien civilization (the only real screentime it is given is for various alien characters to consistently misunderstand translations of common Earth idioms), all the hints of unusual technology continue to go unexplained, and all the alien technology is "magic" science fiction (ie, not only wrong explanations or unlikely explanations, but no explanations followed by hand-waving. Very anime).
It's a bad book. Not going any further with this series. I was interested to see where the author was going with a few ideas in the first one, but the answer turns out to be "nowhere fast".
Objective complaints: Awful editing that left a lot of confusing plot jumps hanging off of each other, simple and boring sentence/paragraph structure with oft-repeated words, lack of characterization or moving the plot forward, no payoff for any of the small interesting setups in the first book as of yet, and the entire book was basically once again concerned with a single battle's description.
Subjective complaints: Boring, lack of interesting characters, treats science fiction as if it's all ray guns and green blob aliens, author makes multiple jokes about "how weird/impossible/typical events of the book would be if it were read in a science fiction book" with the characters conspicuously mugging at the reader (honestly, all this does is all attention to how bad/dull these exact tropes are when used IN THIS SCIENCE FICTION BOOK), author continues to be heavy handed about their military philosophy to the point of preaching rather than exploring at all, no time is given to anything potentially interesting about the alien civilization (the only real screentime it is given is for various alien characters to consistently misunderstand translations of common Earth idioms), all the hints of unusual technology continue to go unexplained, and all the alien technology is "magic" science fiction (ie, not only wrong explanations or unlikely explanations, but no explanations followed by hand-waving. Very anime).
It's a bad book. Not going any further with this series. I was interested to see where the author was going with a few ideas in the first one, but the answer turns out to be "nowhere fast".
pieneman's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
pjonsson's review against another edition
4.0
This is another good book from Evan C. Currie. This author is definitely one of my favourite authors. What I especially like with the books by Evan C. Currie is that space flight, manoeuvring and battles are depicted in a quite realistic way (for being science fiction of course).
There’s plenty of action in the book, both in space and on the ground. I wouldn’t have minded less on the ground and more in space but that’s just my personal preference. We get to know a bit more about both our new allies and our enemies. The latter who turns out to be more and more frightening the more we learn.
One thing that disturbs me is that I find it somewhat unbelievable that a race that can build something like the Dyson construct in the book wouldn’t simply crush their opponents rather quickly. Yes I know there’s some form of explanation in the book but I find it a not-so-convincing.
I’m also a wee bit disappointed that the Odyssey One didn’t benefit more from the technology of their new allies. Already when I read the first book in the series I was hoping for the Odyssey One to get some of that power from the aliens to feed their clearly superior weapons. That would do for some nice “clobber time”. But then given what they have just discovered about the bad guys that might come in the next book to even out the odds a bit.
This book ends, if not really in a cliff hanger, so without any form of conclusion so it’s fairly clear that the intention is for at least one more in the series which I’m looking quite forward to.
There’s plenty of action in the book, both in space and on the ground. I wouldn’t have minded less on the ground and more in space but that’s just my personal preference. We get to know a bit more about both our new allies and our enemies. The latter who turns out to be more and more frightening the more we learn.
One thing that disturbs me is that I find it somewhat unbelievable that a race that can build something like the Dyson construct in the book wouldn’t simply crush their opponents rather quickly. Yes I know there’s some form of explanation in the book but I find it a not-so-convincing.
I’m also a wee bit disappointed that the Odyssey One didn’t benefit more from the technology of their new allies. Already when I read the first book in the series I was hoping for the Odyssey One to get some of that power from the aliens to feed their clearly superior weapons. That would do for some nice “clobber time”. But then given what they have just discovered about the bad guys that might come in the next book to even out the odds a bit.
This book ends, if not really in a cliff hanger, so without any form of conclusion so it’s fairly clear that the intention is for at least one more in the series which I’m looking quite forward to.
mferrante83's review against another edition
3.0
I actually had to listen to this audiobook twice since I couldn’t remember if I had listened to it or not. Turns out I had but the refresher was necessary since I had seemingly forgotten quite a bit since I last checked in with Currie’s Oddysey series. While enjoyed the first novel there is a sort of generic feel to this series that is difficult to same. This is a bit of a shame since Currie sets forth some fascinating mysteries in The Heart of Matter. In the first novel Currie introduces a ship taking its maiden voyaging using an untested, instantaneous FTL drive. Of course, on this maiden voyage the Odyssey encounters a seemingly human alien species that is facing a terribly world-destroying enemy. The Heart of Matter picks up where the previous novel ended as Captain Weston and his new allies are back on Earth recovering from their ordeal against the Drasin. Fleet brass isn’t necessarily pleased that Captain Westin has embroiled Earth in yet another conflict but is at least understanding the necessity to intervene in what would have amounted to genocide. The novel sees the Odyssey retasked on a diplomatic mission to establish a more formal relationship between Earth and the Priminae people; a task that involves getting the Priminae ground forced trained and ready to face the Drasin.
While the novel starts slow things begin to speed up as the Drasin once again enter the picture. As the Priminae abandon a colony world they are pursued into the Ranquil home system where the Odyssey and her crew are forced to intervene. Here the action splits in two as the Odyssey leaves its ground forces behind to pursue fleeing Drasin ships in the hopes of tracking them back to their home system. Meanwhile the drasin initiate a sneak attack on Ranquil leaving the combined forces of the Earth military and the relatively untrained Priminae ground forces left to defend Ranquil. During the latter two-thirds of the book Currie keeps the action hot and fast using the more deliberate cat and mouse game of the Odyssey’s stealthy foray into enemy territory to break up the more fast paced action of the Drasin invasion. Things ratched up to a climax in the books latter chapters and there are times as the action heats up that the switching back and forther between the Odyssey and Ranquil becomes difficult to follow.
Currie introduces some new wrinkles in The Heart of Matter, some of which I won’t spoil, but includes the mysterious entity known as Central. It isn’t quite clear if Central is an AI or something else entirely. Currie also has yet to address the jump sickness that results from the use of the Odyssey’s FTL drive. Currie does offer some further explanation of the drasin and the Odyssey’s journey provide important insight and another major mystery involving the world devouring aliens. By and large however The Heart of Matter felt like more of the same. While the action was intense and mysteries are certainly attention grabbing there feels to me a distinct lack of character that leaves the novel falling a little flat. None of the characters really stand out from one another and seem too often defined by what they do. In the end I’m left with very little insight into who the characters of The Heart of Matter are outside their role in the military. Narration from Benjamin Darcie is still excellent and the folks at Brilliance and Audible Frontiers have produced a well-polished product. Given my lack of attachment to the characters going forward in this series is going to be difficult and is entirely contingent on the fact that I hate leaving mysteries unsolved. While there are only two book left in the Odyssey One series I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to read them. If you’re a diehard fan of military science fiction Odyssey One is certainly a series worth looking at. However, for readers new the genre I’d definitely look elsewhere for an introduction to military science fiction and space opera.
While the novel starts slow things begin to speed up as the Drasin once again enter the picture. As the Priminae abandon a colony world they are pursued into the Ranquil home system where the Odyssey and her crew are forced to intervene. Here the action splits in two as the Odyssey leaves its ground forces behind to pursue fleeing Drasin ships in the hopes of tracking them back to their home system. Meanwhile the drasin initiate a sneak attack on Ranquil leaving the combined forces of the Earth military and the relatively untrained Priminae ground forces left to defend Ranquil. During the latter two-thirds of the book Currie keeps the action hot and fast using the more deliberate cat and mouse game of the Odyssey’s stealthy foray into enemy territory to break up the more fast paced action of the Drasin invasion. Things ratched up to a climax in the books latter chapters and there are times as the action heats up that the switching back and forther between the Odyssey and Ranquil becomes difficult to follow.
Currie introduces some new wrinkles in The Heart of Matter, some of which I won’t spoil, but includes the mysterious entity known as Central. It isn’t quite clear if Central is an AI or something else entirely. Currie also has yet to address the jump sickness that results from the use of the Odyssey’s FTL drive. Currie does offer some further explanation of the drasin and the Odyssey’s journey provide important insight and another major mystery involving the world devouring aliens. By and large however The Heart of Matter felt like more of the same. While the action was intense and mysteries are certainly attention grabbing there feels to me a distinct lack of character that leaves the novel falling a little flat. None of the characters really stand out from one another and seem too often defined by what they do. In the end I’m left with very little insight into who the characters of The Heart of Matter are outside their role in the military. Narration from Benjamin Darcie is still excellent and the folks at Brilliance and Audible Frontiers have produced a well-polished product. Given my lack of attachment to the characters going forward in this series is going to be difficult and is entirely contingent on the fact that I hate leaving mysteries unsolved. While there are only two book left in the Odyssey One series I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to read them. If you’re a diehard fan of military science fiction Odyssey One is certainly a series worth looking at. However, for readers new the genre I’d definitely look elsewhere for an introduction to military science fiction and space opera.