Ben

And so it goes... blah blah blah

Revisado: 02-12-25

I've enjoyed the story.
The characters are relatable, the world-building well-thought-out, and the pacing appropriate.
But its getting tired.

There is nothing wrong with the 17th installment of ExForce.
Its clear Alanson has a plan for this story, beyond where the series was allegedly supposed to end on book 16. I'm here for that plot. I want to know.
But...
Its the same book. Its like watching 80s-90s scifi serials. Same set, same cast, same story, different bad guy of the week. The stakes get "higher than ever before," and Alanson does a good job of referencing previous adventures of the merry band of pirates, but there is almost no character development at this point. Joe has more responsibility, to his family and his race, but he's still "the Barney Guy." The rotten kitties are still rotten, the beetles are still sketchy, and the beer can is still an a-hole. You can't expect much to change in a decade for a galaxy-wide war that's spanned millennia, but it makes for dry story telling.
Supporting characters have more development, but only to fill the voids left by previous supporting characters. Joe still has his same support systems, but by different names.

I'm at the point where I'd much rather just read a sparknotes version and save the credit. This book series has great potential for a long-form TV series, but its being written like Alanson knows 2/3 of it will be cut for time. I'd be just as happy reading the other 1/3 without all the Skipway, boo-boo cake, and toaster blah blah blah.

So if you'd like another explanation of how military hierarchy affects inter-agency crew members aboard a starship, how simple monkey-brains out-perform an ancient AI in creativity, or why new fancy kitchen appliances are no replacement for a good old-fashioned toaster... you'll still enjoy this book. I'm personally waiting for something new.

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Going somewhere new

Revisado: 11-11-20

After many books of another sci-fi series (one containing a certain "beer can") left me frustrated with the same formulaic progression, I was a bit worried when the Bobiverse returned for another installment. However, my concerns were unwarranted. I was overjoyed to find new ideas, new problems, and a whole new direction for the series.

Taylor actually pokes some fun at the formula of other sci-fi novels, calling out Expeditionary Force almost by name. This, along with inclusions of other recent pop-culture keeps the series from feeling out-of-date but he also doesn't rush to deal with or explain away the pandemic, or wallow in its themes. Its a hard line to walk, but Taylor achieves the balance masterfully. I deducted one star from the story only because some realizations felt like they took too long to achieve. Certain plot twists were less foreshadowed than completely highlighted, but we still had to wait for Bob and the gang to figure it out themselves.

I can't wait to see where the story goes from here. The stage is set, but the path forward doesn't appear obvious. Its not a cliff-hanger, but it has me itching for the next installment.

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Audio Drama that's not really necessary

Revisado: 09-23-19

Another "filler" novel. We have another totally isolated incident with the whole world in jeopardy, but I doubt there would be any difference in the next EF novel if this drama never existed. There is some character development for our "intrepid heroes" and a few interpersonal revelations, but nothing that can't be explained in a paragraph in the next prologue.

Alanson has built such a wonderful universe for us to explore and these ".5" books feel like a bad spinoff series. I get enthralled with the more than just the near-impossible monkey-brained ideas and problem solving. Its about the galactic politics of the different species and clans. Its about the unknown history of Skippy. The human relationships give the story a concrete foundation in the familiar, but a book JUST about the humans feels forced and limited.

Performances were pretty good for an "audio drama", but there are definitely some critiques to be made. Its great to have some female cast playing the female crew members because I think RC Bray has trouble differentiating a dozen different female voices on his own. Zachary Quinto does a good job of bringing life to a new character and really selling his two-faced nature. That said, any "group chatter" is impossibly forced. These are individual actors recording solo in a booth trying to sound like they are laughing, singing, grunting, and yelling together as a group. It just doesn't work. "Hooting and hollering" is painful to listen to not from volume, but from how fake it is. Finally, the voices of the Kristang are just terrible. Yes, they would sound "less human", but this is too much. I found myself wanting to skip through entire chapters of Kristang dialogue because they are so raspy, hissy, and downright guttural.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Abrasive political stance meets absurd premise

Revisado: 08-13-19

Could've been worse. Got it for free. Would never pay for it.

I really enjoyed Adam Baldwin's performance and he fit the subject matter beautifully. I am very impressed by creators, actors, and influencers who maintain libertarian and hardline conservative stances in an industry (science fiction) based on progression and open-mindedness. It takes guts to stand up for what you believe, and I can respect that even if I disagree with the values they preach. However, Larry Correia's story, characters, and writing leave much to be desired.

I wanted to give this a shot. I read some of the reviews ahead of time and knew I was dropping into a world of toxic masculinity and tea party diatribes, but didn't realize just how abrasive it would be. I can't speak to his other work, but Larry Correia seemed to write this as a means to take a literary #2 all over the majority of the science fiction fanbase.

Picture a world in which being a liberal, woman, progressive, or anything other than super-macho businessman makes you less than human. This is not an opinion, but a fact of life through the "multiverse" and only "backwards" dimensions haven't caught up to the curve. Its a world in which Chuck Norris is judge, jury, and executioner while political pundits from the left are alcoholic clowns who misplace nuclear codes and call center employees won't be missed if they die in a bombing. If this is a glimpse into the mind of the author, or his version of reality, than I weep for the Right. On the other hand, if this is an absurdity meant to poke fun at liberal ideals and millennial lifestyles, then I think it missed the mark. Satire can be fun, but this kicked the horse all the way to the glue factory.

I am not one to argue that politics have no place in science fiction, quite the contrary. SciFi can be a great place to learn about different perspectives and values without putting real-world events and stances at stake. Tom Stranger, on the other hand, is a poorly veiled attempt to piss off the running majority (of science fiction fans). I would sing a different tune if there was any substance behind the story, but instead the whole plot reads like a Family Guy non-sequitur or 4chan rant. The cameos, lack of pacing, and blatant disregard for character development (because macho-man Tom Stranger is perfect just the way he is) makes it borderline unreadable in my opinion.

Maybe you will enjoy it, maybe you have a thicker skin than me, but I do encourage you to listen to the preview and consider carefully before funding, and therefore reaffirming, the author's views.

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Thoroughly enjoyable, though tedious at times

Revisado: 08-12-19

I love Hank's various podcasts and YouTube channels, so I was thoroughly surprised he wrote a science fiction novel. It sounded a bit outside his wheelhouse but I wanted to give him a shot and show some support in some way greater than being a single view and 'like' on a SciShow episode.

I was equally surprised that Hank did not narrate the book himself. After several chapters it was clear why: female protagonist, heavily demonstrative language, and Hank just does better speaking his thoughts than narrating. Kristen Sieh did a wonderful job in Hank's stead, bringing a relatable charisma to April that didn't feel childish. In some ways Kristen actually felt older and wiser than our first-person protagonist, but the book is written in past tense as a retrospective so that would also align with the plot. Her mature oration feel most out of place at the beginning of the book but improves as the plot progresses.

The plot itself is a wonderful exposé on internet stardom. Wait, wasn't this a SciFi novel??? It is, but it's mostly about the hazards of fame and the millennial generation. Hank is uniquely qualified to extrapolate from personal experience how a first-contact scenario would play out in a digitally connected world and how the "average-Jane" bystander at the center of it all would have her world turned upside down.

I really enjoyed this listen and wanted so badly to give it 5/5 stars, but I cannot get past the plot elements that just repeat and pound the same idea into our skills: social media fame is toxic and sucks you into a false sense of self. It happens over and over, often in the same medium and our protagonist falls for it again and again. I know we are all human and often have to learn lessons multiple times, but April almost seems determined to ignore any kind of learning opportunity Hank gives her.

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A refreshing exposé on process and patience

Revisado: 08-05-19

Lots of autobiographies start by saying the same thing: "I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going". Then they go off to tell the story of a very finite sequence of events that make the end result almost inevitable. Adam, instead, remains honest to his initial claim that he didn't know where he was going. Instead he knew what he wanted to do and set about just DOING. This is not a guide on how to become a TV star or how to work for ILM, this is a retelling of many lucky events that lead to celebrity for someone who just wanted to make.

Sure there is progression to his life and a visible trajectory when viewed in retrospect, but whose life wouldn't? Adam narrates a beautiful tale of making in it's most primal forms. From building cockpits from refrigerator boxes to iterating complex movie props, he makes a sincere argument that the only difference is experience. It's inspiring to listen to ways to learn every day, remove the ego from making, and do your best to accept failure (for lack of a better word) when it comes. Sometimes we fail in delivering what others ask, sometimes we fail ourselves, but we are the only ones who can push forward to be the future us who find the innovation hiding in a sea of mistakes and iteration.

Beyond his own life, Adam gives us lessons on how to be kinder and gentler to ourselves. Things he wished he'd known when he was younger. For these tips and tricks, I intend to purchase the physical book as a reference guide and idea slate.

Every Tool's a Hammer should be required reading for any shop class or maker club.

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Wonderful retelling of alternate familiar history

Revisado: 05-29-19

Wild Cards is not a cohesive story but a conglomeration of narratives that echo true historical events, but with a SciFi twist. What if an alien virus altered a fraction of the human race and the entirety of the human experience? What if that virus landed right after the second World War, with global superpowers vying for dominance and societies in shambles? How would events unfold in the coming decades? McCarthyism? Vietnam? The Iron Curtain? The Civil Rights Movement?

Not all the stories take on a grand, global scale. After finishing a tale of political espionage involving Presidents, superheroes, and world-altering consequences, we are rewarded with stories focusing on individuals, neighborhoods, and families. Some stories end in a high note, while others become so violent and gruesome that the reader/listener may opt to skip it (major trigger warnings for some). I made it through all, and the history they painted was not dissimilar from our own, surprisingly realistic, and a wonderful tale that pulls us into a revisionist fantasy while embracing the human condition.

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Disappointment (spoilers marked)

Revisado: 02-19-19

I was ecstatic when this popped up on my Audible recommendations. I had no idea Clines had been planning on a continuation of the story arch introduced in 14 and revisited in The Fold. It seemed like a little winter miracle. However, having finished it, I kind of wish I had just stuck to the first two books.

Clines draws a lot of his story and ideas from popular, classic horror. The allusions to HP Lovecraft and HG Wells are poorly veiled, but re-imagined in a 21st century understanding that younger and more scientifically-literate readers can really enjoy. He had a good thing going with intriguing plots and story arches that play out much like an Escape Room as you unwind the clues (seriously, if you haven't read 14, go do it now. I'll wait). Plot twists didn't feel obvious, but unavoidable. Great for suspense without going over your head or just getting TOO far-fetched. Characters were somewhat shallow, but the way they come together to build one cohesive team feels like a summer blockbuster with a star studded cast. Everyone has their part to play and no character is superfluous. There will always be the archetypal tropes that geeks the world over will recognize from D&D or any basic role-playing game, and that's fine. The only mystery is how will their specific skillset will come to bear when stuff starts hitting the fan.

Dead Moon dropped every aspect of Cline's previous work that I liked and turned the bad parts up to 11. It lacks any of his previous subtlety, sense of wonder and mystery, replacing it all with non-stop B-movie action horror. One saving grace: Ray Porter. He still hits the bullseye dead center in his narration, character differentiation, and pacing. I would even listen to Twilight if it were narrated by Porter. Sadly even he can't make a gem out of a turd, just make it more bearable...

Minor spoilers below...

Plot:
Instead of drawing from classic horror and fiction, this felt like a blatant rip off of big-money sci-fi. There were a lot of parallels with the Alien series, must notably Prometheus (arguably the worst installment in a line of really good movies...so not the worst material, but not a great start), but then the character plot seemed straight out of Artemis (novel by Andy Weir) and the rest was overcooked "this is a zombie outbreak but nobody believes zombies exist" progression. There is no build up, no real mystery, just survival. The only fresh concept was using the moon as a graveyard. Remember how Clines tries to appeal to the scientifically literate? The whole concept of a moon as a graveyard makes ZERO sense.

Characters:
Its poor character writing to resolve conflict by killing characters. That's all this is. If the characters grew before death, it would be fine. However, Clines maintains his track record of shallow characters that need to work together as a whole to be tolerable, but just starts killing them off as fast as he can write them.
The biggest nail in the "character-coffin" is the protagonist. This is my first time reading a female protagonist from Clines and he falls into the typical trope that most male writers get stuck in when writing a strong female lead. "She's tough, but vulnerable. Strong, but sexy. Let's describe her slender body in detail in the first chapter. Every guy wants her, but she's unavailable. She's running from something but only opens up to the one man who is more damaged than she is". Give me a BREAK!

Series (MAJOR Spoilers):
In the end, there is no clear connection to the rest of the series. We get that the space whale is probably part of one of the Lovecraftian flying creatures from the parallel universe/dimension in 14 and The Fold, but where is the tie-in? We don't get a visit from past protagonists or a call to arms against the greater threat, just a looming hint something "more" coming. By jumping 250 years in the future, Clines backed himself into a storyboarding corner. The time gap implies that nothing ever happens with our heroes from previous installments. There is no greater battle known to history, no great awakening of the world to threats beyond our understanding between the early 2000s and 2243. Foremost, there is no chance Cali and Jake will ever meet Nate, Veek, or Mike. Unless we throw time travel in this dangerous vortex of tropes, how is this a cohesive series?

Conclusion (No spoilers):
I was thoroughly disappointed. I think Clines is capable of so much more than mindless action-horror. I sincerely hope this installment in the "Threshold Series" is just a necessary bridge to connect previous books with whatever Clines has planned for the rest of this story-line. I would be overjoyed if I lack the vision to see the potential for the series moving forward, and for my criticism to be totally unfounded. I will eagerly, but cautiously, await the next chapter.

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A bit dated, but definitely worth a read

Revisado: 01-03-19

This is one of those cerebral sci-fi books that will likely work better as a physical book than audiobook. That is not to say that Laurel Lefkoe's narration leaves anything to be desired, quite the contrary, but Carl Sagan's language and prose sounds like it would flow off a page and into the mind better in your own voice.

This book is an achievement in fusion. Combining theories of science and faith, from a scientific perspective, it builds a foundation on which both concepts can be build in tandem. This book is a perfect guide for the progressive intellectuals of today to empathize with religious concepts without trying to replace scientific method with dogma. In a world of controversy and partisan beliefs, it tries to find a middle ground, based on wonder and awe, for both the skeptics and the believers of modern society.

Taking on such a bewildering task leads to a less-than-exciting plot, some pretty dry moments in character building, and many unanswered questions upon its completion. Even so, this is one of my favorite science fiction reads in recent memory.

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Another great installment, but maybe losing moment

Revisado: 10-31-18

I've been bingeing Ex-Force for the better part of a year, and love the story, characters, and development. If you're looking at this review, you are likely in the same boat, so I won't go in to review the journey thus far.

Book 6 directly follows the cliffhanger left to us in Book 5 and brings together two distinct stories that I feared would become disparate and break the great continuity Alanson has built. All the characters are pretty well established, and we get some solid development for some of our heroes.

The only reason for deducting a star is that I don't see a lot of plot development. This was a character piece, developing relationships and introducing a few new characters, but the actual plot seems secondary and less dire than previous books. I want to see Alanson progress the greater story in regard to Skippy and the mysteries of the galaxy. It is still full of action, intrigue, and humor as always, just not at the pace I've come to expect. It reads more like book 3.5 (Trouble in Paradise).

Hopefully this book was setting the foundation for more thought-provoking scifi to come, and I wait with great anticipation for what Alanson cooks up next.

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