Marcos

Jack McDevitt novels definitely follow a certain formula, but I love the formula. Within the first 4-5 pages they set up some mystery that I want to know how it is resolved. This book was no exception. Sure, some things happen in every Alex Benedict book (attempts on his life seem common) but the scenarios/mysteries are always engaging, the characters (now) familiar and fun (I have read all the other Alex Benedict books and prefer them to the Hutch series), and the solution/explanation at the end almost always satisfying.

This was a fun read on the train/plan that I finished in pretty much one sitting. A great, fun, read.

I have subsequently started another Culture novel, the Hydrogen Sonata. Is it interesting and more complex with more ideas and more complex characetrs? Sure. Does it grab my attention at the get-go the way a McDevitt usually does? Nope...

What a lovely and heartfelt, book. While I enjoyed her first book, this one pulled me into the lives of the characters and their arcs more than “Long Way to Small Angry Planet.” Possibly because she focused on fewer characters than in the first book.

Close and Common Orbit is really a story of people discovering who they are, the importance of friendship and bonds, and the need we all have for companionship and to feel at home. I can't recommend it enough- we don't usually think of sci-fi as touching or moving, but this was both.

I think this is like 3.5 stars. I read it over 2 days, and it was a page turner. I went in knowing pretty much nothing about the story. It certainly was a fast read, gripping, with a sympathetic narrator... but any one familiar with science fiction probably guessed where the story was going in the first few chapters. Mild spoilers first, then heavier ones, but in case you want to go in completely cold, I'll flag them...

This isn't much of spoiler, but gives away the genre:
So, the book concerns parallel universes/ alternate timelines / encountering yourself from another reality where you made different choices. In that sense it's derivative from countless sci-fi stories, Star Trek episodes, stories, the TV show "Sliders" etc. Despite that, I wanted to keep reading, and much like those other works, it does make one wonder about one's own choices, and the choices of those around us, and what might have been, what could have been, etc.

Ok, now for real spoilers so don't read these unless you finished the book:

The end doesn't quite logically hold up... if there were 20+ Jasons, there'd be infinite Jasons. I guess more would come through eventually, and they'd never stop. Jason2 should also have had multiple doplegangers trying to steal Jason's life. Obviously, I guess that's necessary for the story to make sense but ... just to nitpick. Also, radiation poisoning and/or disease form some of the other worlds all the Jasons visited? Seems like it'd be an issue...But, they all have an equal claim, the narrator isn't the "true" Jason, just the luckiest one. Anyway, my nitpicks aside, certainly a thought-provoking page-turner, if a variation on a standard sci-fi trope.

If this review had a title, it would be “too much tea.” There is way too much in this final book about drinking tea, and hurt feelings, and which officer is upset about how someone was mean to them, or what have you. Things finally pick up about a 1/3 of the way through and we get some slightly interesting stuff, about the nature of AIs in general and more on the bigger story of the Emperor of the Radch, etc.

Still, after book #2 was such a small story compared to #1, this one feels only slightly bigger. There's a big galactic story happening, and Leckie is choosing to focus only on a tiny part of it. It's somewhat interesting, but this is a disappointment compared to #1.

In contrast, the Expanse novels keep getting more interesting as they continue (and expand, if you will, in scope.)

So, this was fine but really overall neither this nor Ancillary Sword was as good as Ancillary Justice.

At first I was worried that this was a step back, as we're focused on solar system politics again, as opposed to #4 which had a different sci-fi flavor entirely. At the start, the crew is somewhat separated and dealing with their own various matters.

But holy cow, did things pick up about halfway through. I just hope they can keep up the one-book-a-year pace!

Mmm, ok - I couldn't finish this book. It was like a large-scale The Martian (i.e. how do we solve this big problem with science), but without any of the humor or a character that I found compelling. (What I loved about The Martian was the zany first person irreverent narrator)

I was bored, skimming ahead hoping it would get more interesting... and I just gave up. Starting to think I need to give up on reading Stephenson (I loved Crytponomicon but can't get through any of his other works.)

This was such a nice surprise. I think I heard about it via the Incomparable discussion of Nebula or Hugo nominees. It's like all the court-intrigue of Game of Thrones, but with a compelling protagonist of an unexpected King, of of a shunned race, just trying to do his best. (and no graphic violence)

I'd say more but I don't want to spoil it.

Probably my top sci-fi recommendation of the last 5 years. What if in the future humans could augment themselves, not just with fancy drugs, but with a new programmable nano-drug that let us run software inside our own minds? This book explores the consequences, good and bad and in-between, of this near future. A government opposed to all human augmentation, a nano-drug “Nexus 5” that can be used to help those with disabilities and can make people do things against their will. Oh, and there's an entire plotline about an Artificial Intelligence.

The first book is excellent and will leave you ready to pick up the two excellent sequels.