Unabashed Space Opera
Although I didn't expect much and was dubious when I picked up this audiobook, I found myself quite engaged with all the characters and enjoyed the pure space pulp. And boy does this qualify as such- with SEVEN massive books in the series. Grab the wheel, dude!
*runs off to purchase the next book*
Yes, it's SAGA OF THE SEVEN SUNS series by Kevin J Anderson
Hidden Empire is book one.
There was one thing that bugged me- the "Big Reveal" about the enemy was so obvious any 6 year old would have figured it out, but escaped all the greatest minds in the story. However, I was interested in the people and what they were doing, so I tried to ignore that.
The reader on Audiobooks is really good. I found his voice so perfect it disappeared in the telling of the story instead of intruding into it.
I'm also reading Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey and also enjoying that a great deal. I picked it up on a whim from a thrift store, really expecting to toss it out if it got too hinky. S&M isn't particularly my thing, but I had heard some good reviews from friends over the years and was curious. I expected a cross between the worst Laurell K Hamilton and the really weird S&M story that was accidentally included in "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind. What I found was an engaging fantasy story set in an interesting alternate Earth that also happens to be about a woman who is blessed/cursed to get pleasure from pain and happens to be her job. Her assignations are not the point of the story however, and are handled quite appropriately and described only as advances the plot. The character also has some private moments that were none of the reader's business, which I found amusing.
The story is told in an autobiographical format, and it annoys me that the character will frequently make asides like "I was later to learn.." or "It became clear to me later..." Blerg! Just tell the story in the order it happened. Geesh!
The first part of the book was interesting enough to keep me reading, but not particularly gripping. It wasn't until about 1/3 of the way through that the adventure started and I was hooked.
*runs off to purchase the next book*
Yes, it's SAGA OF THE SEVEN SUNS series by Kevin J Anderson
Hidden Empire is book one.
There was one thing that bugged me- the "Big Reveal" about the enemy was so obvious any 6 year old would have figured it out, but escaped all the greatest minds in the story. However, I was interested in the people and what they were doing, so I tried to ignore that.
The reader on Audiobooks is really good. I found his voice so perfect it disappeared in the telling of the story instead of intruding into it.
I'm also reading Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey and also enjoying that a great deal. I picked it up on a whim from a thrift store, really expecting to toss it out if it got too hinky. S&M isn't particularly my thing, but I had heard some good reviews from friends over the years and was curious. I expected a cross between the worst Laurell K Hamilton and the really weird S&M story that was accidentally included in "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind. What I found was an engaging fantasy story set in an interesting alternate Earth that also happens to be about a woman who is blessed/cursed to get pleasure from pain and happens to be her job. Her assignations are not the point of the story however, and are handled quite appropriately and described only as advances the plot. The character also has some private moments that were none of the reader's business, which I found amusing.
The story is told in an autobiographical format, and it annoys me that the character will frequently make asides like "I was later to learn.." or "It became clear to me later..." Blerg! Just tell the story in the order it happened. Geesh!
The first part of the book was interesting enough to keep me reading, but not particularly gripping. It wasn't until about 1/3 of the way through that the adventure started and I was hooked.