Sam of Gar

True to the show and engaging.

Revisado: 01-05-25

A much stronger addition to the Strange New Worlds story. As where the first book to accentuate this excellent Star Trek show seemed like it could take place completely separate from the overall timeline, this book takes place distinctly after a specific episode of the show (Ad Astra per Aspera) and relies slightly upon the reader’s existing knowledge of those Season 2 events. Well written and engaging, this tale focuses primarily on Captain Pike and Una Chin-Riley (No.1), switching between their academy days together and the current mission. Appropriate for genuine Star Trek, there’s not a lot of action, but more focus on philosophical, political, and dramatic themes. It’s very good character-building, and, if you enjoy the tv series, this well-constructed and well-told story will interest you.

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A wonderful journey.

Revisado: 12-24-24

Mandel’s writing always leaves me happy and wistful at the same time. Their unique voice always satisfies, even when it sometimes seems the story itself was not important. This is my second book I have have read from this author, and it seems to me that “it’s about the journey, not the destination,” is their reoccurring approach to their art, and Mandel is very skilled at that. I will read more from them.

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Excellent addition to Firefly.

Revisado: 02-08-24

This might be the most loyal-to-the-show Firefly book yet. I felt like I was taking in a lost episode.

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Fun listen.

Revisado: 01-15-24

The performances here are really great, and this is an overall fun listen. Unfortunately, I had very recently finished reading the Lobster Johnson novel, The Satan Factory, and this story is uncannily similar. So, what would have been an otherwise enjoyable story just seemed a little repetitive. I recognize that there’s only so much you can do with the time and place of this Hellboy-related vigilante, but this one just seems too much like the Lobster tales that have come before it.

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Extremely entertaining and satisfying.

Revisado: 04-13-23

I'm so glad to be back in this world. I've been a fan of How to Succeed in Evil since the earliest podcasts (oh, how I wish I still had copies of those...), and it's nice to return to Edwin Windsor, Topper, and the inept supers of this version of reality. McLean has honed his storytelling abilities to even greater heights, and no one can read his characters as well as he can.
This story takes things back far enough to see the origin of Evil Efficiency's violent lawyer, and we get to enjoy several new incompetent villains, a clumsy hero, and one awesome butler.
While I always enjoy McLean's readings, I wish he's edit out the few falterings, as they take me out of the moment. Otherwise, this audiobook is one of my new favorites!

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A good family story set in the 20th century.

Revisado: 11-27-22

While there are not enough aliens in this book set in the greater Aliens franchise universe, I thought it was well-written and the narration fine. What distracted me the most from enjoying this audiobook is that it rarely feels like a sci-fi story set in the future. For more than 3/4 of the book, they hang out in boring settings on Earth, having dinners in normal houses, talking about horses, riding in an occasional elevator, and listening to a LOT of 20th century music. By the time the characters finally went into space and messed with xenomorphs on a strange planet, I was fairly over the whole story.
It’s a decent drama about a Hispanic family struggling to keep the individuals together and succeeding in a world that discriminated against them. In the end, it turns out that there’s also some deadly aliens around.
I go out of my way to read any and every book from this franchise, and I’m pretty accepting of just about everything, but this one was hard for me to get though. I was glad I stuck with it, for the final few chapters when the story finally delivered some sci-fi adventure, but it was a bit of a slog until then.

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A passable addition to the series.

Revisado: 09-01-22

I am more of an Aliens fan than a Predator one, and this book is more about the latter. So, I have some bias, but even with that being said, there’s just not a whole lot to recommend this book for. The writing is well done, and the story is coherent, but it just doesn’t add anything new to the world of AvP. There’s a new kind of planetary setting, and there’s a new kind of xenomorph introduced, but I didn’t really care about either. I know it’s hard to create really novel material in a franchise where so much already exists. So, with said, I guess this is okay. However, most of the book felt like Predator fighting descriptions. I didn’t care for the lengthy discussions the Predators had with each other, or hearing the Aliens’ thoughts. Those just seem too far away from what those creatures are. The human chapters were more interesting, but a little repetitive and one-note. Overall, as an Aliens fan, I could have done without this one.

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A fantastic treat.

Revisado: 11-21-18

While I shouldn’t be surprised, coming from the very-talented John Scalzi, it was a great relief to encounter such a well-done and engaging sci-fi tale. It did occur to me that a lot was being borrowed or recycled from Herbert’s Dune, but it somehow seems more like a modern update than derivative. The story stays interesting and characters had me cheering out loud. I’m glad there’s sequels, as I definitely want more.

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A great trek!

Revisado: 05-20-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Star Trek: Probe (Adapted) to be better than the print version?

The story was surprisingly good, added to the story from the fourth movie, and Doohan's reading was great!

Who was your favorite character and why?

It makes me want to go back and watch the movie it was based on again.

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Taking a great world/story and revitalizing it.

Revisado: 11-06-15

Where does Warspite rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love Ralph Lister's narration, and the Nuttall's ability to weave an interesting story is impressive. I had my doubts when I picked up the first book (Ark Royal), quite at random, but this fictional world has me hooked, and I'm just blown away that the Warspite storyline so fascinatingly picks up and starts a new life for the series. The Ark Royal sequels were also great, and very perfectly tied up all the lose ends. I could have been happy with just those, but there's more!This series keeps me coming back and it is now one of my favorites in my collection.

What other book might you compare Warspite to and why?

There is a real element of Star Trek in this series as well as Battle Star Galactica. While those series' canonicity is based on a different medium, the worlds around the settings and plot are similar enough that any fan of those franchises will love this series too. It's not epic or deep like Frank Herbert's Dune, but incredibly well-written. The pace is just about perfect, the characters fleshed out enough that you care and remain consistent, and you end up with just the exact amount of good sci-fi that you need.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really liked the alien planet invasion. There was a good amount of tension built up leading to it, and the whole alien race-reveal really took me by surprise. Also, I appreciate the Russians-as-bad-guys element in connection (I believe) with current political event.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book, and its continuation of an enjoyable series, really satisfied my need for good sci-fi. I'll definitely keep purchasing Nuttall's work.

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