Alex Shvartsman

A genre-bending adventure

Revisado: 05-20-24

A fun adventure story where the setting is not quite what it seems (to say much more would lead to unfortunate spoilers.) This book will appeal to fans of portal fantasy and LitRPG even though the book dodges the common tropes of those genres for something more original and interesting.

I generally tend to avoid books narrated by the author but in this case Richard Sparks performs admirably and it felt like listening to a professional narration.

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Killday was only the beginning

Revisado: 02-07-24

The author had a tough act to follow given the explosive conclusion of the first book, but he managed to draft a new and interesting narrative that follows the rebuilding of society as well as many new dangers that face the humans and the AIs they ally with. An enjoyable and fascinating entry in the Killday series.

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An excellent series

Revisado: 02-07-24

A topical exploration of the relationship between humanity and AI. The author explores the issues of trust and self-interest while entertaining the reader with an engaging and fast-moving plot. It's hard SF that doesn't sacrifice engaging characters or interesting story for the sake of realistic science.

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An erudite adventure

Revisado: 11-01-23

This is a wonderful series that mixes pop culture and historical references with light-hearted and over-the-top adventure. Highly recommended!

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Fun and unapologetically pulpy.

Revisado: 10-31-22

This is an enjoyable, fast-moving and very modern take on the sandals-and-sorcery genre mixed with real history.

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An excellent but surprisingly dark near-future SF

Revisado: 08-23-18

This near-future science fiction thriller liberally mixes a number of well-trodden threats in the genre; from nuclear and biological terrorism, to unchecked artificial intelligences pursuing their agendas, to weaponizing nanotechnology. And yet, Ledbetter takes on a role of an experienced DJ, remixing these familiar things in fascinating new ways, adding in a cast of fascinating characters and experimenting with interesting technologies that manage to feel both wondrous and entirely plausible within our lifetime.

Writers who are bullish on near-future technologies in ways Ledbetter appears to be earlier in the book tend to be optimists who can't help but allow their plucky technocrat protagonists to save the day in the end. Without giving away any of the plot I must say that Ledbetter does not shy away from darker sub-plots and that even the most charismatic of his characters are no more safe from the twists and turns of the plot than the Starks in George R. R. Martin novels.

This is a strong debut novel from an already-accomplished short fiction writer, and I look forward to reading or listening to whatever book he comes up with next.

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Trilogy picks up steam

Revisado: 01-31-18

It's pretty common for the second book of the trilogy to be a little weaker, with some filler and side quests to get the characters (and the readers) to book three. Not so in this case. While Shadow Sun Seven does see the protagonists go on a side quest, of sorts, the book never really loses focus on the main story line and the side quest advances it nicely. The author also introduces a great new hero, and en entertaining new villain. And the ending makes me quite excited to pick up book 3.

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A solid sword-and-laser adventure.

Revisado: 01-17-18

This is a well-written and superbly narrated first book in a high-concept space opera/sword-and-laser trilogy.

The recipe for Ellsworth's universe is a little bit Star Wars, a dash of Warhammer 40K, and a healthy portion of Simon R. Green's Deathstalker books. Although the tropes Ellsworth plays with in his inaugural novel are rather familiar to the fans of the genre, he spins an entertaining yarn that never outstays its welcome.

Will definitely listen to the sequel.

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Fun, over-the-top adventure romp

Revisado: 10-24-17

Usually I'm not big on D&D-like adventures, but this book totally won me over, even though its plot literally involves descending into dungeon-like ruins to fight an actual dragon.

This novel is well-written, well-narrated, and full of larger-than-life characters that would feel at home in one of Simon R. Green books. In fact, it's really a superhero novel masquerading as a fantasy adventure. There's much to laud here: a snarky, engaging voice, satisfying character arcs, and thoughtful world-building, but what really stands out is the sense of fun that emanates from every chapter.

Maxey is a master storyteller and I'm already reading the sequel (which I bought as an ebook as it wasn't available in audio as of the time this review is being written.)

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