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timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't work for me. I wasn't keen on#1 and I liked this one less. And get off my lawn!
But let me explain. I may be spoiled by having read a lot of space opera by long-established authors with decades of experience. There's a certain polish to their work that's missing here. It's a polish you don't even notice until you read a book that doesn't have it.
First, I suggest that a multi-directional romance is one thing and an adventure with space warships is another. Mixing them is risky.
Perhaps the author could have established early on that sexual mores have changed in the 1300-some years since now, and it wouldn't be unusual for all the officers to be pairing up. But yet in the same 1300+ years, we still have zillion-dollar warships captained by guys right out of a soap opera, having a pissing contest to see who can be most noble. "No, Elena, I have to do this!"
The same zillion-dollar warships, able to talk to Earth in real time from light-years away, don't have enough defences to resist being rammed by a drone, or later by a small raider ship. There's a weak effort to explain that "they popped out of nowhere" using tech that Central and PSI don't have, tech that is never explained. Another effort says someone hacked into the circuit that controls the weapons; yet I don't recall ever being told who did it. The doctor? The settlers living in a cavern? Nor did we ever hear an explanation of the inordinate number of drones that attacked Exeter.
But what's really wrong with this book is that it should have been about Captain Shiang. There's a whole series to be written about her. Smart, dryly witty, capable, and more. Elena's just a Mary Sue with a bad case of needing not to be without someone to whom she can say, "Ooh, Danny/Dee/Trey/Greg, you're so RUGged!" More Jessica might have been good too.
I know an author doesn't want to bring too many characters on stage, but this verges on Star Trek.
Each ship has a captain, a #2, a doctor, a techie and some redshirts. Whenever anything happens, Kirk and Spock have to go in person.
Then we come to the problem of what's wrong with Canberra. Did anyone here fail to figure it out REALLY early? Of course Elena figures it out, using only a small spanner, the same tool she used earlier to fuse the ship's drive. I call handwaving!
Got really tired of Raman's "It's just a flesh wound" and "it's only pain" and "I want to die anyway". Once is enough for Thomas Covenant.
And I got tired of the constant "I should kill you now!" when we knew it wasn't going to happen. Then after many pages of that I admit I wouldn't have known what to do with that situation, but I didn't care for the solution that was chosen. This ain't the Sopranos.
So we put the book down with "They're splitting us up!" and "Oh, Ruggedman, mere light-years can never separate us" as the cheesy organ music swells and we fade to the ad for the only-available-on-TV belly-fat buster (But wait!)
Might skip #3. There are many better space adventures. It's possible that Bonesteel's next series might be one of them.
But let me explain. I may be spoiled by having read a lot of space opera by long-established authors with decades of experience. There's a certain polish to their work that's missing here. It's a polish you don't even notice until you read a book that doesn't have it.
First, I suggest that a multi-directional romance is one thing and an adventure with space warships is another. Mixing them is risky.
Perhaps the author could have established early on that sexual mores have changed in the 1300-some years since now, and it wouldn't be unusual for all the officers to be pairing up. But yet in the same 1300+ years, we still have zillion-dollar warships captained by guys right out of a soap opera, having a pissing contest to see who can be most noble. "No, Elena, I have to do this!"
The same zillion-dollar warships, able to talk to Earth in real time from light-years away, don't have enough defences to resist being rammed by a drone, or later by a small raider ship. There's a weak effort to explain that "they popped out of nowhere" using tech that Central and PSI don't have, tech that is never explained. Another effort says someone hacked into the circuit that controls the weapons; yet I don't recall ever being told who did it. The doctor? The settlers living in a cavern? Nor did we ever hear an explanation of the inordinate number of drones that attacked Exeter.
But what's really wrong with this book is that it should have been about Captain Shiang. There's a whole series to be written about her. Smart, dryly witty, capable, and more. Elena's just a Mary Sue with a bad case of needing not to be without someone to whom she can say, "Ooh, Danny/Dee/Trey/Greg, you're so RUGged!" More Jessica might have been good too.
I know an author doesn't want to bring too many characters on stage, but this verges on Star Trek.
Each ship has a captain, a #2, a doctor, a techie and some redshirts. Whenever anything happens, Kirk and Spock have to go in person.
Then we come to the problem of what's wrong with Canberra. Did anyone here fail to figure it out REALLY early? Of course Elena figures it out, using only a small spanner, the same tool she used earlier to fuse the ship's drive. I call handwaving!
Got really tired of Raman's "It's just a flesh wound" and "it's only pain" and "I want to die anyway". Once is enough for Thomas Covenant.
And I got tired of the constant "I should kill you now!" when we knew it wasn't going to happen. Then after many pages of that
Spoiler
we have Jimmy's final scene, which will no doubt be explained as "he choked on a peanut, sir"So we put the book down with "They're splitting us up!" and "Oh, Ruggedman, mere light-years can never separate us" as the cheesy organ music swells and we fade to the ad for the only-available-on-TV belly-fat buster (But wait!)
Might skip #3. There are many better space adventures. It's possible that Bonesteel's next series might be one of them.
synoptic_view's review against another edition
Come for the romantic space opera. Stay for the surprise exploration of climate migration.
kajalhalwa's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one even better than the first.
We get a deepening of the overarching mythos, a speedy plot and some fantastic interactions with very interesting characters.
While I wish there were longer interactions between the female characters I still appreciate the longer scenes spent in the perspectives of the three main women.
We get a deepening of the overarching mythos, a speedy plot and some fantastic interactions with very interesting characters.
While I wish there were longer interactions between the female characters I still appreciate the longer scenes spent in the perspectives of the three main women.
colls's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I believe I liked this even better than the first in the series. This book leans into the political space opera side of things, maintains the action, and expands on interpersonal relationships developed in book one. I like how it's building and crossing genres - that this is less murder mystery/romance and more mystery/political action thriller.
wunder's review against another edition
5.0
I had some reservations about the first book and I hoped that the author would grow into the story.
I never should have doubted. Often, the middle book of a trilogy is just "it gets worse", but this one picks up the momentum, deepens the characters, and broadens the world and tension.
I am so, so glad that I already have the third book.
I never should have doubted. Often, the middle book of a trilogy is just "it gets worse", but this one picks up the momentum, deepens the characters, and broadens the world and tension.
I am so, so glad that I already have the third book.
laci's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe it was just because I already knew the characters, maybe not. Or maybe it was because of PSI's greater involvement. But I liked this one better than the first book.
gyeranbbang's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
It was a bit dragging but Bonesteel always packs a punch at some point that makes me go "wait what". I feel I come for the fun drama and I always stay for the thrilling space opera - and this one continued with all the political conspiracies that begun during the first book in a new way that makes the bad guys seem very insanely inhuman. The book made me go 'holy F' a few times with what some people do to others for """a greater good""" (which I see means something different for everybody, huh?).
And now unto the fangirling because this wouldn't be me without it:
- This needed more preposterous romance/drama stuff. I'm all here for Foster and Shaw. All here for it. And this had but a shadow of what [b:The Cold Between|25817527|The Cold Between (Central Corps, #1)|Elizabeth Bonesteel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444641685l/25817527._SY75_.jpg|45584350] had (and I don't do romance EVER but it's so bad that it's good?)
- The rolling pin did not appear and I missed it.
It was a bit dragging but Bonesteel always packs a punch at some point that makes me go "wait what". I feel I come for the fun drama and I always stay for the thrilling space opera - and this one continued with all the political conspiracies that begun during the first book in a new way that makes the bad guys seem very insanely inhuman. The book made me go 'holy F' a few times with what some people do to others for """a greater good""" (which I see means something different for everybody, huh?).
And now unto the fangirling because this wouldn't be me without it:
- This needed more preposterous romance/drama stuff. I'm all here for Foster and Shaw. All here for it. And this had but a shadow of what [b:The Cold Between|25817527|The Cold Between (Central Corps, #1)|Elizabeth Bonesteel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444641685l/25817527._SY75_.jpg|45584350] had (and I don't do romance EVER but it's so bad that it's good?)
- The rolling pin did not appear and I missed it.
discountcompost's review against another edition
4.0
Bonesteel is one of the best at emotional, story driven, hard sci-fi.
generubin's review against another edition
4.0
A review of this book is really a review of the series of 3 books; The Cold Between, Remnants of Trust, and Breach of Containment. These books would be classified, in my humble opinion, as a military space opera... and a pretty good one at that. A little unrequited love, some sex, but mostly military strategy and the inevitable lack of morality within the military command structure coupled with corporate greed. Overall rating for the series.... 4 stars.
somasis's review against another edition
2.0
Not as good as the first, I had the same problems with this installment as I had with the Cold Between. However, in this book I really felt like the multiple perspectives didn't help. Like, there is a whole POV out of three that could have been cut, maybe even a second. That's a lot of superfluous writing and perspectives away from the main action that I really didn't need. I'm still going to go on and read the first, the characters are interesting and though I appreciate Bonesteel staying away from traditional romances, I want these people to hook up already.