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thexgrayxlady's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This series has asked the question, "what if treasure planet was kind of boring?" I don't think it takes enough advantage of the sci-fi portion of the setting, which is disappointing because sci-fi sailing ships in space has a lot of potential. Instead, you could replace the names of the different planets with places on earth and it would change nothing. While the characters are serviceable, most of the minor ones blend together in a mush that made me have to go back and reread portions to remember who they were talking to. I could have done without the very quickly resolved love triangle subplot. Or the romance subplot altogether. Like, it's just too bland for me to even properly dislike it.
leahmaybelle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Obsessed. I may have found my new favourite author. If a third book comes out I will DEVOUR it!
jacquibear's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
tome15's review
3.0
Coles, Bennett R. Dark Star Rising. Blackwood and Coles No. 2. Harper Voyager, 2020.
Horatio Hornblower is the gift that keeps giving to authors of straight-up military space opera. In Dark Star Rising, most of the action moves from the combat bridge to the ballroom and the kind of court intrigue that has always been an element of naval warfare novels. Some readers may wish for more talk of armor and weapon throw-weight, but the backstage drama is certainly necessary for Coles to build a credible world. It is nicely complicated with several factions of baddies, but the quality of the prose is flat and does not add to the drama. The most engaging characters are the several women warriors in Blackwood’s life and the two theropods who join his crew. I do wish they weren’t relegated to roles of comic sidekicks. Dark Star is slightly better than Winds of Marque, but nothing here will throw Honor Harrington off her perch as the queen of military science fiction.
Horatio Hornblower is the gift that keeps giving to authors of straight-up military space opera. In Dark Star Rising, most of the action moves from the combat bridge to the ballroom and the kind of court intrigue that has always been an element of naval warfare novels. Some readers may wish for more talk of armor and weapon throw-weight, but the backstage drama is certainly necessary for Coles to build a credible world. It is nicely complicated with several factions of baddies, but the quality of the prose is flat and does not add to the drama. The most engaging characters are the several women warriors in Blackwood’s life and the two theropods who join his crew. I do wish they weren’t relegated to roles of comic sidekicks. Dark Star is slightly better than Winds of Marque, but nothing here will throw Honor Harrington off her perch as the queen of military science fiction.
ralexist's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
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