SRunner

Very Difficult to Respect Author

Revisado: 02-12-24

For all that the author makes pointed presentation in the very first chapter of this book that she is making things like the “genderization of God” and the tracking of words and imagery through the interpretations of history “Biblically accurate,” and seems to proclaim intent to treat everything historically, she spends an awful lot of time making theological “arguments” and “interpretations” of her own. She makes full disclosure that this study emerged from the time of religious exploration after the death of her brother (completely relatable, for those of us in that unfortunate club), but as a result, this whole text seems to have turned into her argument with God about death, trying to hold God to her own standards of propriety and her own decisions about what could have or should have happened at any given point in the Bible. As a result, the study that this book is supposed to be comes across as immature, some sort of idealist child with an extensive collection of facts insisting on a single way to see them, with mere hand-waving acknowledgment that (the somehow academically less worthy) people arrange them differently.

Off-putting. Disappointing. I had been looking forward to listening to this work because it was described as a far-reaching survey of biblical creatures, both as they appear in the Bible and where they also appear in a few disparate cultures. Instead, I find it difficult to accord the author much respect as she gets in the way of her own research and academic product.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Suspension of Disbelief Falters

Revisado: 02-06-24

The premise of the book was splendidly adventurous, and the author puts apparently extensive research into the life of Cleopatra to excellent use. There are playful nods to the cultures present in each setting, so most of them come across as very real. The characters are very established in their roles, so first impressions remain fairly consistent throughout the novel.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of points where suspension of disbelief breaks. If any of these would annoy you, this may not be your next book to read:
1. No FBI or archaeology procedures were followed. Whether it was the protection of victim family members, the storage and examination of artifacts, victim post-recovery protocols, compartmentalization and cross-department cooperation, academic contacts between members of different countries, confrontation of armed suspects, or the analysis/investigation techniques common to both archaeology and law enforcement, there are things wrong that cannot be explained by the story situation.
2. Timeline was supremely compressed. Neither the heroes nor the villains thought anything of rushing to the scene of a dig or a dive or a documentary analysis, because of course the right message would be found immediately, the right artifact would be the first thing dug up, and there would never be any algae, silt, or coral to clear.
3. Smart, logical people repeatedly allow panic to control them. The main historian unquestioningly believes the villains who kidnapped him when they say they can kill his family, on the basis of one short video clip. The former-FBI main character allows herself to be controlled by the villain threatening to shoot a different character not once, but four or five times; if this had (bizarrely) not already been addressed by her training in the intelligence community, her former partner would have urgently discussed it with her after the first time because it was such a safety hazard for all.
4. The villains are… dumb by means of obsession. One, possibly two are so wrapped up in gender superiority that it renders them nonsensical (a “new world order” from one antique ruler’s “hire mercenaries” fund?), and another is willingly led around by his reproductive organs. This is not to say the gender and sex politics don’t happen in the underworld— they do, just, not like this.

If you can ignore these inconsistencies, or if you can recover your suspension of disbelief really fast, this is still an enjoyable book. The author opens the series in an old-fashioned way, by ensuring that all (and I do mean ALL) plot and sub-plot threads are resolved with satisfaction, then creating a scene that invites new, unspecified adventures. Given the current fad for leaving much hanging in the opening book in a new series, this is such a relief. The author also shares fiction vs. research notes in an afterword, thereby allowing the reader/listener a little deeper into the story. The pacing throughout the book was fast and continuous, so there were never any scenes that felt like they had no purpose. The conflict was very straightforward. The reader/listener can be very comfortable in cheering the heroes and despising the villains.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Decent Space Opera, Thoroughly Unlikeable Characters

Revisado: 01-02-24

FYSA: This book plays to the fantasy of a man being so universally irresistible to women that each one he meets and desires falls in love with him, but he doesn’t have to deal with unwanted attentions; the fantasy of otherwise “strong” women suddenly losing so much self-respect that they decide to wait for and on a moment’s notice make themselves available to a man who is keeping a bevy of women dancing, and despite the women knowing and knowing of each other, the only consequence he has to deal with is a few sad looks; and the illusion that a man can still call himself a “gentleman” when he makes a “conditional commitment” to a woman that amounts to, “I’ll be back for you if I haven’t found a better offer by the time I’m done sewing my wild oats.”

That’s the situation with the prince/lieutenant main character and his can’t-really-be-called-romantic entanglements. It’s pretty clear that he’s supposed to be some sort of amalgam of Charles Windsor and Captain Kirk. If you can ignore him and the superior officer, planetary co-leader, brothel attendants, and other women who end up as his conquests, the adventure portions of the book are pretty good.

There are ship-to-ship battles, strange-enough-to-be-familiar technologies, explorations of ancient ruins that are still active, bizarre blends of technocracy and theocracy, obscured history and hidden figures, dashing-though-idealistic subordinates, enemies-to-friends diplomacy, bad guys who telegraph their identities so it’s safe to dislike them, deus ex machina last-minute technological modifications, and one incident that scratches the “buried treasure” itch. The adventure scenes are lovingly described in rich texture that the audiobook narrator really digs his teeth into, so they can be immersive and keep the listener tense. Several of the persistent side-characters, like the Historian, show amazing levels of patience and indulgence, but can be very charming and are often the better drivers of the plot.

There is one potential “trigger” that some former military members may need to brace for: during one fleet action, nine of the ten ships that go into battle self-immolate to give the tenth ship a chance to destroy the enemy ship, and after the at best Pyrrhic victory is accomplished, a character who should know better recommends going home to celebrate. The author elides any celebration and moves to a memorial ceremony, but that narrative note is discordant and potentially provocative to survivors of desperate battles.

On the whole, this would be an excellent novel without the main character being who he is. As it stands, I do not want to continue listening to the series.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña