Scan barcode
A review by pjonsson
Boundary by Ryk E. Spoor, Eric Flint
5.0
This is one of these series that I started because I really liked other books by the same author or in this case one of the authors, Ryk E. Spoor. Specifically his Grand Central Arena series.
So far I have read the three first books, Boundary, Threshold and Portal and started on the fourth one Castaway Planet. This review is about the first three books which forms the first main story arc of the series. The fourth book is taking place further in the future and appears to be starting a new story arc.
Obviously the books are decent enough since I’ve read three books in the same series and started on the fourth. However “decent” is a huge understatement. These books are really great reading, full stop.
It is not action loaded military science fiction thrillers, although they have their share of suspense, thrills and action but rather a more slower paced mystery and adventure story. A story starting with one person making a discovery that has huge implications and impact for the course of humanity.
The books are very well written. Something I would expect from this author. The story is both plausible and a great adventure story. It takes its time to develop but is never dull and moments of new discoveries, thrills and surprises are sprinkled throughout the story with enough frequency to make you want to continue to read just a bit more.
The main protagonist as well as the characters she later surrounds herself with really likable. Honorable, competent, heroic and everything else you would want in a merry band of good guys. Their interactions are really good whether they are in the process of solving the great mysteries of the universe or just bantering for some comic relief.
There are of course less good guys and really bad guys as well and this is perhaps where my main gripe with the series comes in. The really bad guys are, drumroll, politicians. Unfortunately I am not surprised. Given how utterly useless and detrimental to society most of todays politicians are they are an easy choice as bad guys. Anyway, there’s a fair amount of this useless, annoying and frustrating politics going on. As usual every great thing and great opportunity can be, and usually are, screwed up by that regression of the human race, the Homo Politicus Fuckupicus.
What saves the books 5 star ratings (actually the second book would really only get 4 stars from me since there’s simply too much political asshattery) is that the rest is really great reading and also that the political oxygen wasters are either outmaneuvered or, in the case of the third book, gets their asses handed to them.
I’m quite looking forward to where the authors go with the fourth book in the series. It is set further in the future but in the same universe created by the first three books. However, being at around the half way mark it seems to be a somewhat different story.
So far I have read the three first books, Boundary, Threshold and Portal and started on the fourth one Castaway Planet. This review is about the first three books which forms the first main story arc of the series. The fourth book is taking place further in the future and appears to be starting a new story arc.
Obviously the books are decent enough since I’ve read three books in the same series and started on the fourth. However “decent” is a huge understatement. These books are really great reading, full stop.
It is not action loaded military science fiction thrillers, although they have their share of suspense, thrills and action but rather a more slower paced mystery and adventure story. A story starting with one person making a discovery that has huge implications and impact for the course of humanity.
The books are very well written. Something I would expect from this author. The story is both plausible and a great adventure story. It takes its time to develop but is never dull and moments of new discoveries, thrills and surprises are sprinkled throughout the story with enough frequency to make you want to continue to read just a bit more.
The main protagonist as well as the characters she later surrounds herself with really likable. Honorable, competent, heroic and everything else you would want in a merry band of good guys. Their interactions are really good whether they are in the process of solving the great mysteries of the universe or just bantering for some comic relief.
There are of course less good guys and really bad guys as well and this is perhaps where my main gripe with the series comes in. The really bad guys are, drumroll, politicians. Unfortunately I am not surprised. Given how utterly useless and detrimental to society most of todays politicians are they are an easy choice as bad guys. Anyway, there’s a fair amount of this useless, annoying and frustrating politics going on. As usual every great thing and great opportunity can be, and usually are, screwed up by that regression of the human race, the Homo Politicus Fuckupicus.
What saves the books 5 star ratings (actually the second book would really only get 4 stars from me since there’s simply too much political asshattery) is that the rest is really great reading and also that the political oxygen wasters are either outmaneuvered or, in the case of the third book, gets their asses handed to them.
I’m quite looking forward to where the authors go with the fourth book in the series. It is set further in the future but in the same universe created by the first three books. However, being at around the half way mark it seems to be a somewhat different story.