Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Having read all of the books in author Dana Stabenow's 2 Alaska series PLUS her Coast Guard standalones, I decided to take the plunge and check out her science fiction trilogy.
Different. On many levels.
The book (in my case, the audio book version) falls into a convention common to science fiction and fantasy books the simple acceptance of some aspect(s) of the characters' reality that is not shared by the reader. Sometimes the explanation follows shortly, others it comes eventually, and occasionally, it either is never covered or else done so with such subtlety that the reader at least this one misses it altogether.
Plot-wise, author Stabenow takes a risk. She does not use the typical "bell curve" in which action picks up as the book goes on until it reaches a high point, and rapidly descends into a conclusion. Rather, the book felt more like a daily newspaper, with events continuing on a day-to-day pace. Some days may contain more excitement and/or action than others, but it is not obvious at the time it is occurring (or in this case, the reader is reading). Even when one subplot reaches an obvious apex, the reader cannot get complacent as another subplot may be heating up.
The characters in Ms. Stabenow's book are developed in such a way that the reader cannot help but be concerned about their issues and cheer over their successes likeable characters has long been the author's strong point. As such, even if the plot of the book failed to keep interest and sometimes that felt to be the case the reader wanted to keep going to find out what happened to, well, their new literary friends!
In summary, not everyone's cup of tea. Not necessarily satisfying to fans of Stabenow's Alaska work. However, worth a try. Some may be surprised that they actually DO like it and want more!
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded down to 3 stars where 1/2 stars are not allowed.
Different. On many levels.
The book (in my case, the audio book version) falls into a convention common to science fiction and fantasy books the simple acceptance of some aspect(s) of the characters' reality that is not shared by the reader. Sometimes the explanation follows shortly, others it comes eventually, and occasionally, it either is never covered or else done so with such subtlety that the reader at least this one misses it altogether.
Plot-wise, author Stabenow takes a risk. She does not use the typical "bell curve" in which action picks up as the book goes on until it reaches a high point, and rapidly descends into a conclusion. Rather, the book felt more like a daily newspaper, with events continuing on a day-to-day pace. Some days may contain more excitement and/or action than others, but it is not obvious at the time it is occurring (or in this case, the reader is reading). Even when one subplot reaches an obvious apex, the reader cannot get complacent as another subplot may be heating up.
The characters in Ms. Stabenow's book are developed in such a way that the reader cannot help but be concerned about their issues and cheer over their successes likeable characters has long been the author's strong point. As such, even if the plot of the book failed to keep interest and sometimes that felt to be the case the reader wanted to keep going to find out what happened to, well, their new literary friends!
In summary, not everyone's cup of tea. Not necessarily satisfying to fans of Stabenow's Alaska work. However, worth a try. Some may be surprised that they actually DO like it and want more!
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded down to 3 stars where 1/2 stars are not allowed.
