10/26/2019 Star Reader Starbound
Carmen Dula and her husband spent six years travelling to the distant home of the powerful race known as 'The Others,' in the hopes of forging a truce. But by the time Carmen returns to Earth, fifty years have passed-and the Earthlings have built a flotilla of warships to defend Earth against The Others.But The Others have more power than anyone could imagine-and they wi Carmen Dula and her husband spent six years travelling to the distant home of the powerful race known as 'The Others,' in the hopes of forging a truce. But by the time Carmen returns to Earth, fifty years have passed-and the Earthlings have built a flotilla of warships to defend Earth against The Others.But The Others have more power than anyone could imagine-and they will brook no insolence from the upstart human race.
Starbound left me conflicted, I have had to have a few days to think it over before writing a review. After the human race’s near extinction from an exploding martian the earth authorities decide to send an expedition after the mysterious Other’s starship that left the solar system heading for what might be the Others home world.Carmen Dula and her husband have spent six years travelling to a distant solar system that is home to the enigmatic, powerful race known as “The Others,” in the hopes o Starbound left me conflicted, I have had to have a few days to think it over before writing a review. Joe Haldeman is one of my favorite authors, but this book is a literal (and literary) train wreck. First, every chapter is written from the first person POV of one of the characters, and it switches every (short) chapter.
Half the time I had no idea which character was actually doing the 1st person narration, because Haldeman doesn't provide an ample clue via dialogue or narration. After half the book is done I started to get a feel for who was narrating, but it wasn't always obvious.
Dec 29, 2013 - If you don't feel like going through the trouble of finding the villages and you've desperate for the furniture you can use C4's 'Starreader ' to add.
Really, RE Joe Haldeman is one of my favorite authors, but this book is a literal (and literary) train wreck. First, every chapter is written from the first person POV of one of the characters, and it switches every (short) chapter. Half the time I had no idea which character was actually doing the 1st person narration, because Haldeman doesn't provide an ample clue via dialogue or narration. After half the book is done I started to get a feel for who was narrating, but it wasn't always obvious. Really, REALLY frustrating because I often felt lost.Secondly, the first half of the book is abysmal, involving the characters on a journey to meet the 'Others.' They spend the entire trip screwing one another, while secretly lamenting that each other's spouses are also screwing other people.
It's takes a very reprehensible (and unlikable) person to do these things, then display feelings that they do.but continue to do it. It made me want to see the ship plow into a random star on the way to Wolf 25 and burned to ash so I'd never have to read about them again. The entire 'free love' garbage just fell utterly disjointed, completely unnecessary, and out of place to the storytelling because it had absolutely ZERO bearing on what was happening other than to introduce some drama during the many years long journey.
It read like a really shitty soap opera (yes, that statement is redundant).Thirdly, the story is driven mostly by dialogue. An overly heavy technique I'm not fond of, that makes a story feel like it's just a group of people sitting around a table talking the entire book.
John Scalzi is becoming guilty of this, and I no longer read his books anymore because of it.Thankfully the second part of Starbound picks up with some actual story involving meeting Other-prime and Spy. Marsbound was a decent read, and the first part of Starbound is easily 1 star, while the second half is 3 stars (overall 2).I hope this trilogy is somewhat salvaged with Earthbound.not holding out much hope. Unfortunately, Joe Haldeman glory days of The Forever War are far behind him, and he's seen much better days as a writer and storyteller. What a bitterly disappointing turd when held up to what 'The Forever War' was. It feels like Haldeman set out trying to write a young adult novel with relatively simplistic characters- but somewhere he decided to add copious amounts of sex to keep everyone else from falling asleep.
Rather than adding flavor, it only makes things come off more than a little weird. None of these characters have any interesting or driving force of personality. The changes between POV every chapter (at least give me What a bitterly disappointing turd when held up to what 'The Forever War' was. It feels like Haldeman set out trying to write a young adult novel with relatively simplistic characters- but somewhere he decided to add copious amounts of sex to keep everyone else from falling asleep. Rather than adding flavor, it only makes things come off more than a little weird.
None of these characters have any interesting or driving force of personality. The changes between POV every chapter (at least give me a heading so I know whose head I'm in now?) are disorienting at the least. Unforgivably confusing at worst. Because there are no distinct personalities everyone's perceptions bleed together into an indistinguishable mash of 'oh-I-remember-someone-thought-that.' The alien personalities seem to exist purely for the sake of comic relief. No realism or fleshing out at all.
Everyone on this diplomatic mission is uninspiring. Rather than sending along some of earths best and brightest (whose thoughts might actually be interesting) we instead get a farcical cast of contaminated rejects who don't even have a game plan once they reach the all powerful 'others.' This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it,This was the perfect example of how not to write in 1st POV.and multiple characters in 1st POV to boot.I was so excited to follow up with this series after reading Marsbounds, which I thought rocked. However, it was clear within the first couple chapters that I'd struggle to even finish. The characters were only 2 dimensional and focused mostly on themselves and the sex lives of the others.There was no clear antagonist.
I mean, I understand that the Others really are the over arching bad guy This was the perfect example of how not to write in 1st POV.and multiple characters in 1st POV to boot.I was so excited to follow up with this series after reading Marsbounds, which I thought rocked. However, it was clear within the first couple chapters that I'd struggle to even finish. The characters were only 2 dimensional and focused mostly on themselves and the sex lives of the others.There was no clear antagonist. I mean, I understand that the Others really are the over arching bad guys, but they don't even get there until the last couple chapters. I needed some more subplot development to sustain the long journey! Plus, once they arrived, the story never even explored that dynamic to its fullest extent.The Others were a problem for me in general. It's hard to develop an 'evil them' and unfortunately Halderman wasn't able to pull this off well in Starsbound.
We didn't get a full understanding of why they'd evolved in the direction they did. What it ended up as was a overly sensitive, paranoid Intersteller Mob pushing their power for no other reason than because.well, because.The SF tech was spot on as usual for Halderman. This is just one of those examples that really enforces the need for an actual story behind the tech.
Starbound is a sequel to the Marsbound novel by Haldeman. I found both to be very enjoyable stories, strictly hard-sf, so no funny business. When beginning Marsbound, my first impression was that the story was written very simplistically and with no guile.
However, after reading both and reflecting on the overall story, I decided that it is deceptive: the story (I use the singular since the two novels are really one story) covers a lot of ground, the characterizations develop fully if slowly, an Starbound is a sequel to the Marsbound novel by Haldeman. I found both to be very enjoyable stories, strictly hard-sf, so no funny business. When beginning Marsbound, my first impression was that the story was written very simplistically and with no guile. However, after reading both and reflecting on the overall story, I decided that it is deceptive: the story (I use the singular since the two novels are really one story) covers a lot of ground, the characterizations develop fully if slowly, and Haldeman is able to get his ideas across in a seemingly simple manner, yet everything is fully fleshed out. Well, the important parts of the story are, anyway.
For once, I felt the story could have added much more detail and still been interesting. I don't want to say he rushed through the story, but if he had spent more time with the depth of the side-stories, it could have been excellent. I liked it more, the more I thought about it. One thing I love about Haldeman is how he throws a ton of ideas at the reader in a relatively short book.
He's very much a hard sci-fi writer in that way, although he also delves into the psychology of how humans would react to an alien species. This is also one of the things I don't like about Haldeman, because any one of the ideas he approaches here (monogamy in human relationships, mental illness, mass murder, faith in God, not to mention first contact with an alien species incomprehensible t One thing I love about Haldeman is how he throws a ton of ideas at the reader in a relatively short book. He's very much a hard sci-fi writer in that way, although he also delves into the psychology of how humans would react to an alien species. This is also one of the things I don't like about Haldeman, because any one of the ideas he approaches here (monogamy in human relationships, mental illness, mass murder, faith in God, not to mention first contact with an alien species incomprehensible to humans) could be its own book in another writer's hands. That's not to say a better writer; just a different one.I particularly liked Namir in this book - his experience as a Mossad agent during a biological attack against Israel that killed 4 million people gives him the most depth of all the characters.
He carries that experience with him and provides much of the psychological depth in the story. I hope to see more of him in the next one. This is the middle book in the Marsbound/Starbound/Earthbound trilogy. I've read most of Haldeman's work, and I like his writing.
This was a quick, smooth read, despite the admittedly confusing first-person POV changes. (It was obvious when the 'Martian' was speaking, but Carmen and Namir sounded too much alike, and often it would take me a few paragraphs to figure out which one was speaking.) I liked the characters, and the story of their confinement for years in a spacecraft was interesting, e This is the middle book in the Marsbound/Starbound/Earthbound trilogy. I've read most of Haldeman's work, and I like his writing. This was a quick, smooth read, despite the admittedly confusing first-person POV changes. (It was obvious when the 'Martian' was speaking, but Carmen and Namir sounded too much alike, and often it would take me a few paragraphs to figure out which one was speaking.) I liked the characters, and the story of their confinement for years in a spacecraft was interesting, even with the focus on bed-hopping that everyone was oh-so-cool about.However, the plot didn't do much for me.
I dislike stories with omnipotent, omniscient, essentially godlike aliens, and unfortunately the author is fond of them. This book also suffers from the unsatisfying ending that is typical of the middle part of a trilogy. I was a little disappointed, but I'm sure I'll read the next book, just because it's Haldeman. I enjoy Haldeman's writing style, and this one doesn't disappoint. His handling of much of the minutia of living and traveling in space is generally well-written, and like his other books there's a little hedonism thrown in here and there to keep you on your toes. There's plenty of hard sci-fi in here (pun intended).Anyway, Haldeman does a good job telling an interesting story with realistic characters without the book being too wordy. There are many hard-sci-fi elements in the book, but the au I enjoy Haldeman's writing style, and this one doesn't disappoint.
His handling of much of the minutia of living and traveling in space is generally well-written, and like his other books there's a little hedonism thrown in here and there to keep you on your toes. There's plenty of hard sci-fi in here (pun intended).Anyway, Haldeman does a good job telling an interesting story with realistic characters without the book being too wordy.
There are many hard-sci-fi elements in the book, but the author doesn't bombard you with it. Starbound is 2nd in a trilogy, but it would function very well on its own, I think, as Marsbound does. I await the real punchline in his next book, Earthbound. I usually think people are too hard on Haldeman these days, but this one just wasn't up to snuff.
I liked getting back with the characters from 'Marsbound' (which I liked quite a bit) and seeing what happened as a result of the events in that book.However, the shifting narrators here was annoying. AND it did not have to be. Yes, I could discern who was talking after reading for few sentences (or in some cases paragraphs) but why did I need to? That took my focus from the story & unlike a r I usually think people are too hard on Haldeman these days, but this one just wasn't up to snuff. I liked getting back with the characters from 'Marsbound' (which I liked quite a bit) and seeing what happened as a result of the events in that book.However, the shifting narrators here was annoying.
AND it did not have to be. Yes, I could discern who was talking after reading for few sentences (or in some cases paragraphs) but why did I need to? That took my focus from the story & unlike a really good read.I always knew I was just reading words on a page.
Just having the character's name near the chapter title would have made this a more enjoyable read.Still, I liked it. A continuation of the Marsbound story which I found interesting but Halderman seem to over indulge with sexual exploits in both books.
This is not needed or wanted in a SF book, just get on with the story. The 'others' (could he have tried a better name?) are a powerful race of non DNA beings that live at extreme cold temperatures and are seemingly in control of much of the galaxy. How beings like this could ever have made a fire much less be millions of years ahead in technology is beyond me. A continuation of the Marsbound story which I found interesting but Halderman seem to over indulge with sexual exploits in both books. This is not needed or wanted in a SF book, just get on with the story.
The 'others' (could he have tried a better name?) are a powerful race of non DNA beings that live at extreme cold temperatures and are seemingly in control of much of the galaxy. How beings like this could ever have made a fire much less be millions of years ahead in technology is beyond me. With all their tech and power they don't really care if a 'normal' room temperature race of beings lives or dies (and they have killed some). I guess this is alien logic. Worth reading but you have to start with Marsbound then decide. This book has two major themes. Judaism and sex.
The author portrays what I would call 'secular Jews'. (FYI, I am an Orthodox Jew.) The previous book in the series, Marsbound, had sexual encounters in it, but that was not the central theme. In this new book, sex has become a major source of conflict. Frankly, I think the author overdoes it.The story: A group of humans and 'Martians' are selected to journey to the Wolf Star System to talk to 'The Others,' a superior alien race that recently OK. This book has two major themes. Judaism and sex.
The author portrays what I would call 'secular Jews'. (FYI, I am an Orthodox Jew.) The previous book in the series, Marsbound, had sexual encounters in it, but that was not the central theme.
In this new book, sex has become a major source of conflict. Frankly, I think the author overdoes it.The story: A group of humans and 'Martians' are selected to journey to the Wolf Star System to talk to 'The Others,' a superior alien race that recently tried to destroy Earth. The trip will take several years even at near-light-speed, but due to the effects of space-time relativity, the envoy members will age only a few years while decades will pass on Earth. The point of the trip is to convince the aliens to stop trying to kill off the humans. (Apparently, the Martians are OK, but they are going along anyway.)Any problems with the story?
The characters are improbable, but on the other hand, this is the future, so who knows? The focus seems to be on number of Jewish nihilists (people who don't believe in G-d nor any moral code other than whatever they want makes it moral).
While I agree that nihilists are amoral, and in the past have caused all sorts of conflict, it seems improbable that a government-funded expedition would allow such volatile personalities to be thrown together on a decades-long trip in a small spaceship. In any case, one woman nihilist seems to be hell-bent on sleeping with every man assigned to the expedition. The other women seemed resigned to idea. Which would have made sense in a book written in the 1970s or 1980s, but not now.Any modesty issues?
Although the sex act itself is not described in any detail, the characters talk endlessly about sex, who they will do it with next, and which table in the mess room they will use. In such a confined space and on such a long journey one must expect sex to happen, but these are married couples, and they are talking about adultery before they have even left Earth orbit. Further, the F-word is used. Not that it makes any difference at this point.I sound a little down on the book, but other than my complaints above, it is actually a good story. The author lost me at the ending, though.
It was too tepid and a little confusing. I kept asking myself, 'What was the point again?' This is my second reading of the book. I read it so long ago, I could barely remember what it was about. I have finished the third and final book in the series, Earthbound.
I will review it separately. Brace yourselves. Starbound is the second book in Haldeman’s Marsbound series.
As with Marsbound, the tech in this book is believable and the aliens are truly strange. They are powerful, seemingly amoral (at least from a human perspective), possibly sadistic, and almost certainly paranoid.In this book, seven humans and two ‘Martians’ are sent to bring them a message of peace (please don’t kill us), and it is the mystery of what the delegation from our solar system will find out about the aliens - what they are, Starbound is the second book in Haldeman’s Marsbound series. As with Marsbound, the tech in this book is believable and the aliens are truly strange. They are powerful, seemingly amoral (at least from a human perspective), possibly sadistic, and almost certainly paranoid.In this book, seven humans and two ‘Martians’ are sent to bring them a message of peace (please don’t kill us), and it is the mystery of what the delegation from our solar system will find out about the aliens - what they are, what they want, and what they will do - that kept me reading.But that was about it. The characters are not especially likeable. The humans struck me as immature, unimaginative, sex obsessed, and not especially bright - in short, distressingly average. If humanity ever does send ambassadors to speak with aliens, I hope they can do better that these guys.
They are far from the best and the brightest.As with Marsbound, this novel is told in first person, but in this case, not the same first person. It switches the point of view character between chapters. Many are written as personal journal entries. This is done well enough so it is not terribly confusing. After a few sentences, you can tell which “I” character is speaking, but it is still a bit annoying.The multiple points of view did not bother me. In fact, I tend to prefer novels written from multiple POV because they can provide a deeper understanding of motivations, perspectives, and story plot, but I personally find that this works best as third person, limited omniscient.
First person multiple POV is clumsy to read because the person meant by “I” keeps changing. Still, this might have worked here if the characters had more personality.Without giving away any details about the ending, I can mention one other thing I found dissatisfying about this novel. The aliens are so powerful that nothing the humans do has any hope of affecting them. The humans are pretty much reduced to ants pleading with a gardener not to spray any more insecticide.
It’s not a fun read. This is the sequel to Marsbound. In this one, our protagonist Carmen heads off on a relativistic sublight trip to a nearby star to meet with the aliens who were behind the machinations of Marsbound.I was a little disappointed by this one, not so much for the story itself but for some of the mechanics of how it was told. The basic story is that of the journey, i.e. The preparations, the long trip itself, and what happens once we get to the destination.
Those aspects were fairly interesting and h This is the sequel to Marsbound. In this one, our protagonist Carmen heads off on a relativistic sublight trip to a nearby star to meet with the aliens who were behind the machinations of Marsbound.I was a little disappointed by this one, not so much for the story itself but for some of the mechanics of how it was told.
The basic story is that of the journey, i.e. The preparations, the long trip itself, and what happens once we get to the destination. Those aspects were fairly interesting and held my interest, so on the basic point of telling a good story, I’ll give it good marks.However, while Marsbound was told from the single point of view of Carmen, “the girl from Mars”, Starbound is told from three separate first-person points of view: two human and one Martian.
I can see some justification for the choice, but it ended up confusing me frequently. I could get two or three pages into a chapter and not be sure who the current “I” was. It would have been nice if each chapter could have led off with some identification, even if it was something explicit like the character’s name in the chapter heading.The second mechanical thing that soured the book for me was something of a cheat.
Telling the story of a thirteen-year round-trip voyage is hard to do without boring the reader to tears. Yet Haldeman pulled it off for the first three-and-a-half years or so. I don’t know, maybe he ran out of steam. Maybe he just didn’t want to have to do another nine years of it, so he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and made it go away somewhat magically. He went to some length explaining why we wouldn’t understand the real explanation, but it still felt like a cheat.So, while I enjoyed the tale, I was disappointed by some of the execution.
I’ll probably finish off the trilogy, but I’m no longer quite so excited about it as I was after Marsbound. In the sequel to Marsbound, Carmen and Paul, along with a few other human and Martian crew members, are tasked with an interstellar exploratory mission to the presumed home planet of the Others.
Despite the 'free energy' discovered in the previous book, the trip will take years, skimming the speed of light. But do the Others appreciate the intrusion?
And what do they really want?Most of the book is about the trip itself, and the psychological challenges of living for years in a confined space wh In the sequel to Marsbound, Carmen and Paul, along with a few other human and Martian crew members, are tasked with an interstellar exploratory mission to the presumed home planet of the Others. Despite the 'free energy' discovered in the previous book, the trip will take years, skimming the speed of light.
But do the Others appreciate the intrusion? And what do they really want?Most of the book is about the trip itself, and the psychological challenges of living for years in a confined space while hurtling towards what the crew thinks is probably doom. The last part sees humanity confronted once again with the judgment of the mysterious Others. These aliens seem to see humanity as somewhere between clumsy child and dangerous but manageable pest.
The fact that humanity is hopelessly outclassed, and can only use its action to prove intent, gives an interesting perspective, as does the fact that the human emissaries feel that those who sent them out really don't understand the problem. The ending is a massive cliffhanger, leading directly to the third and final book.Haldeman does not disappoint, with his trademark unexpected but internally consistent logical plot twists. His characters, this time described from three different first person viewpoints, are flawed and realistic, down to little marital niggles that most would rather keep hidden even from themselves. I think this is more of a 2.5 star novel. I really found the constantly changing POV disjointed. I somewhat liked the idea of presenting this as an insight into long-term space travel and the interactions between the crew members.
But character does not appear to be Haldeman's strong suit. His presentation of their world is nicely uncomplicated and fairly easy to imagine but there is something slightly off about the characters that I find common in male science fiction authors. I may be presumin I think this is more of a 2.5 star novel. I really found the constantly changing POV disjointed.
I somewhat liked the idea of presenting this as an insight into long-term space travel and the interactions between the crew members. But character does not appear to be Haldeman's strong suit. His presentation of their world is nicely uncomplicated and fairly easy to imagine but there is something slightly off about the characters that I find common in male science fiction authors.
I may be presuming, but it seems they project their desires of how humans should behave unto their characters and the consequence is a lack of complexity and overly rational behaviors.The fundamentals of attraction seem a bit simplified as are their sexual interactions. There is a presumption of a level of sexual and emotional maturity among the characters that I think is highly optimistic.The other issue is 'the others'. I always find it problematic when authors attempt to create intelligences that surpass human capacity because whatever they do that seems illogical is quickly explained away as incomprehensible by lesser beings. I don't buy it. The motivation for their behavior is weak and their reaction illogically extreme. Destruction is easy, and it is their primary tool.
Creation and modification is complex, and admittedly costly, but would be far more impressive in an antagonist. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,I loved Marsbound and expected this to be similar. The world/character development was good as always.
There was way too much emphasis on sex - this is a sci-fi book, not a romance novel. There was some in Marsbound, but it didn't seem excessive there. And telling the story from a different character's point of view in each chapter could have been good - if there was a label at the beginning of each chapter. I read the book twice and still couldn't figure out who was writing each chapter.On seco I loved Marsbound and expected this to be similar. The world/character development was good as always.
There was way too much emphasis on sex - this is a sci-fi book, not a romance novel. There was some in Marsbound, but it didn't seem excessive there.
And telling the story from a different character's point of view in each chapter could have been good - if there was a label at the beginning of each chapter. I read the book twice and still couldn't figure out who was writing each chapter.On second read, the foreshadowing was nice. Page 12 speculates what if the other universe shows up with a bill for free energy which turns out to be important for the ending. Page 92 expresses Snowbird's deep desire to swim in the ocean. And page 122 discusses what if the Others can go faster than the speed of light (which they can't but is quite close.)There is good closure up until the second to last page when the question of free energy being gone and us now being the donor universe is brought up.
This is clearly a lead in to a potential book three but I didn't like the cliffhanger. This sequel failed to deliver. I loved Marsbound, but this book was a bit of a disappointment. The plot seemed forced, almost as if Haldeman had a two-book deal with his publisher, and had to squeeze out Starbound from the reserve of genius that wasn't used up in the creation of The Forever War and Camouflage. The story follows Carmen Dula (Marsgirl) and a team of soldiers, scientists and Martians as they embark on a mission to the Other's homeworld. This really should have been a 3-star read, i This sequel failed to deliver.
I loved Marsbound, but this book was a bit of a disappointment. The plot seemed forced, almost as if Haldeman had a two-book deal with his publisher, and had to squeeze out Starbound from the reserve of genius that wasn't used up in the creation of The Forever War and Camouflage. The story follows Carmen Dula (Marsgirl) and a team of soldiers, scientists and Martians as they embark on a mission to the Other's homeworld. This really should have been a 3-star read, if not for the incredibly confusing and disorienting changes in the point of view. Each chapter alternated between three different POV's - those of Carmen, Namir (a former Israeli general and current spy) and Fly-in-Amber, the Martian. It was an interesting approach, but it just did not work well, and greatly diminished my enjoyment of this book.It should also be noted that this book is not standalone and will make very little sense for a reader who is not familiar with Marsbound.
Haldeman inserts enough backstory to piss off those who read Marsbound, but not enough to make this book accessible to those who hadn't. I will probably not finish this book.The POV changes are disorienting and annoying. The book jumps from character to character, all of which are written in first person, and it makes you guess who is speaking. To speak as one character for while, saying 'I' and 'she', then to immediately jump to another POV using 'I' and 'she' it takes a while for me to recalibrate my thinking when all I'm wondering the whole time is 'ok, whose head am I in now?' I just finished Hobb's, which wa I will probably not finish this book.The POV changes are disorienting and annoying. The book jumps from character to character, all of which are written in first person, and it makes you guess who is speaking.
To speak as one character for while, saying 'I' and 'she', then to immediately jump to another POV using 'I' and 'she' it takes a while for me to recalibrate my thinking when all I'm wondering the whole time is 'ok, whose head am I in now?' I just finished Hobb's, which was written in third person using many different POVs (let's see: Althea, Ronica, Kefferia, Wintrow, Reyn, Malta, Brashen, Kennit, Etta, Kyle, Vivacia, Paragon, the serpants). But being written in the third person, it was much easier to follow when the author skipped around and shifted. This is a sequel to Haldeman's 2008 Marsbound, and there is a third book Earthbound as well.Like Marsbound, this read as if the target reader was teenaged, but the sexual antics make me think that it is more like a retreaded young adult novel for readers who are now actually older. In my opinion, the whole who's-going-to-sleep-with-who thing was dragged out too long and interfered with the plot. However, the action picks up a lot towards the end.It resembles hard-sf in that there is a lot of phy This is a sequel to Haldeman's 2008 Marsbound, and there is a third book Earthbound as well.Like Marsbound, this read as if the target reader was teenaged, but the sexual antics make me think that it is more like a retreaded young adult novel for readers who are now actually older.
In my opinion, the whole who's-going-to-sleep-with-who thing was dragged out too long and interfered with the plot. However, the action picks up a lot towards the end.It resembles hard-sf in that there is a lot of physics realism in the near future Earth. But everything about the Others and the mysterious free energy source is just magic. Clearly the emphasis here is on the adventure of the story, rather than the technology, so I call it Space Opera.I am definitely intending to read Earthbound soon. This book was fairly entertaining, but frustrating at the same time. Sure, if you put a handful of people in a spaceship and send them towards a star lightyears away, there's going to be the issue of sex.
Obviously, it's going to have to work itself out. It feels like Haldeman spends half the novel obsessing about how each character reacts to each other, who is sleeping with who, etc. It was actually pretty irritating to spend so much of the novel focused on that, and there was ne Eh.
This book was fairly entertaining, but frustrating at the same time. Sure, if you put a handful of people in a spaceship and send them towards a star lightyears away, there's going to be the issue of sex. Obviously, it's going to have to work itself out. It feels like Haldeman spends half the novel obsessing about how each character reacts to each other, who is sleeping with who, etc. It was actually pretty irritating to spend so much of the novel focused on that, and there was never even any good stuff there. The sci-fi aspects were fairly interesting, but I felt the book sorta fell flat, in general. Haldeman's certainly done better work in his career.
The end was pretty unsatisfying as well. Brother ofHaldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works 'Graves,' 'Tricentennial' and 'The Hemingway Hoax.' Starbound is scheduled for a January release.
SFWA pres Brother ofHaldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975.
Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works 'Graves,' 'Tricentennial' and 'The Hemingway Hoax.' Starbound is scheduled for a January release.
SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman 'an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend.' Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.
Ordinary moments that will one day reshape the galaxy.A Seer in a spaceport fleamarket and a StarReader in his ivory tower - both with messages for Yesenia Mayes. The first days on Stardust Prime for a very special assistant and a very important class of tadpoles. The birth of two daughters - and the terrible sacrifices of the mothers who love them.This is a volume of Ordinary moments that will one day reshape the galaxy.A Seer in a spaceport fleamarket and a StarReader in his ivory tower - both with messages for Yesenia Mayes. The first days on Stardust Prime for a very special assistant and a very important class of tadpoles. The birth of two daughters - and the terrible sacrifices of the mothers who love them.This is a volume of six short stories, companion tales that fit in my KarmaCorp world. They can be read before the existing books or after them - they are meant to fill in some of the small, interesting nooks and crannies in a world that has many of them.(Existing readers will recognize one story from the Starbound anthology.
All the rest are new!). Start the karmacorp adventure here!Yes I know the author has labelled this as book 3 but I found myself more invested in the world and stories after reading this collection.So many of the characters, main and secondary, appear here.
All of these characters felt more solid by the end. Books 1 and 2 were even better after reading this then re-reading them.Or be conventional and start with Kish's story. Just jump into the series, there's now a beginning middle and end so no waiting for that last Start the karmacorp adventure here!Yes I know the author has labelled this as book 3 but I found myself more invested in the world and stories after reading this collection.So many of the characters, main and secondary, appear here. All of these characters felt more solid by the end. Books 1 and 2 were even better after reading this then re-reading them.Or be conventional and start with Kish's story. Just jump into the series, there's now a beginning middle and end so no waiting for that last story or two to be written.This series is NOT a romance with 2 people in love, although that's one of subplots.
Instead it's coming of age series of tales, encompassing family, friends, choices made and their results.Definitely recommend this book and series.Read through Kindle Unlimited though it's definitely on my buy list. This book was just what I needed to tie me irrevocably to Audrey’s Fixer series. I enjoyed the first two novels in the series but not to the degree that I absolutely adored the A Modern Witch and WitchLight series by her alter ego, Debora Geary. The new world and concepts threw me and left me not-quite-connected to the characters in each book, though they were compelling enough to at least hold my interest and leave me happy (as Audrey/Debora’s novels always do). These stories, though, give subs This book was just what I needed to tie me irrevocably to Audrey’s Fixer series. I enjoyed the first two novels in the series but not to the degree that I absolutely adored the A Modern Witch and WitchLight series by her alter ego, Debora Geary.
The new world and concepts threw me and left me not-quite-connected to the characters in each book, though they were compelling enough to at least hold my interest and leave me happy (as Audrey/Debora’s novels always do). These stories, though, give substance to the world of KarmaCorp and provide the backstories necessary to tie the reader to the lesser characters in the novels and to provide a better understanding of their universe.
Now that I’ve met Yesenia and Bean at the beginnings of their careers and seen the formation of the Four, I feel as deeply tied to the books as I did to the Witches. I’m absolutely hungry for the next Fixer novel and eagerly await its publication! Short Stories!I usually don't like short stories because I read fast. These are an exception. I will read anything Audrey Faye writes! I like her writing style and I'm crazy about her characters.
All of them have flaws and depth. Each beautiful in their own way. In KarmaCorp, each person has a special talent, and they are guided to use it to improve difficulties on one of many worlds. These stories are intriguing glimpses into several of the individuals who work there.Every book she writes makes Short Stories!I usually don't like short stories because I read fast.
These are an exception. I will read anything Audrey Faye writes! I like her writing style and I'm crazy about her characters. All of them have flaws and depth. Each beautiful in their own way.
In KarmaCorp, each person has a special talent, and they are guided to use it to improve difficulties on one of many worlds. These stories are intriguing glimpses into several of the individuals who work there.Every book she writes makes me happy, happy, happy!
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