Posted by jukkahoo
Did you enjoy Becky Chambers's Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and it's sequoia A Closed and Common Orbit? There's a third part of the Wayfarers-series coming next Summer called Record of a Spaceborn Few. I have enjoyed the first two and expect to be entertained by the third innstallment as well. I think these are well-written light space opera with nice characterisations and a very fine story flow.
Which brings me to my latest read, The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt. It took me far too long to read this book, but there were a number of things that minimised my reading time. I have read Pratt a bit before, but nothing in the vein of far-flung space adventure. I had sort of categorised him as a purveyor of rpg-novels and "low-profile, high-concept" weird fiction (and YA-stuff with a pseudonym), whose fiction is readable and solid entertainment, but not necessarily someone I would be looking forward to putting out his next novel.
Which is where The Wrong Stars comes along and changes all that. And, no, Tim Pratt is still not in the same league as China Miéville, or the late and lamented David Gemmell, or K. J. Parker, as an author whose next book I will buy as soon as it is available, but his Axiom-series will be one such.
This was very enjoyable novel. Self-contained, but clearly one that will have sequels (The Dreaming Stars will be the next one), cast of characters that are truly a variable bunch, effortlessly flowing story that almost reads itself, and with a sense of humour that seems natural. Most of all, it was a fun read. Barring the kitchen sink, this book has a lot going on: mysterious aliens and artefacts, pirates, space travel, romance, issues, you name it.
Sure, it's not going to win a Nobel for Pratt, probably not even a Hugo-nomination, but it is a solid adventure. There's delightfully little in the way of padding, though I wouldn't have minded if some of the pages on the first 300 would've been cut, and added to the last 50. It all ends with a bit of a rush, foreshadowing the sequels. Here I'm reminded of a number of books by master Gemmell, who had this problem with his earlier works. And John Maddox Roberts's Space Angel, which is clearly made of the same material as this one.
I was well entertained, higly recommended to most of you, especially if you enjoyed Chambers.
In other news: offially the first day of my xmas holiday! w00T!
The Wrong Stars sounds like it would be something right up my alley. Thank you for writing about it! I’ll put it on my list.
Posted by: Ben | December 18, 2017 at 20:25