Series Review – Rich Maloy

Series: Revenger by Alastair Reynolds

Rich — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 04:04:01 +0000

If you’re a fan of other Alastair Reynolds books and series such as the Revelation Space series, then you can appreciate his ability to create compelling characters, vast universes, and yet highly specific and detailed individual worlds. The Revenger series is all of those things, and yet completely and utterly different than any other book of his I’ve read.

Set in a ruined solar system far in the future, humanity continually rises up from the rubble of previous ruined civilizations, spreads out within the system, and relies on the technology of past ages, most of which they can’t replicate or build upon. While individuals struggle to keep themselves alive in the chaos of space, there’s a deeper conspiracy underlying the story, one that is just starting to get revealed at the end of book two.

As more books come out, I’ll continue to add them here. In the meantime, this is my new favorite series to recommend.

Series Reviews

Genre: Sci-Fi, Steampunk
Series: Revenger | Subjects: Series Review

Series Review: Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee

Rich — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 03:59:06 +0000

When I set out to catalog my library, I couldn’t wait to write this series’ review. This series is unlike anything you’ve ever read. It’s 100% sci-fi but the technology almost seems magical in its military applications, yet is described mathematically. The effect is a rich world, deeply imagined, and well executed.

The story arc is intensely character-driven, and developed from the beginning with the end in mind—in other words, it all ties in neatly throughout the book. But yet, it’s not laid out directly on a straight path from past to present to future. The plot twists and turns, the timelines shift, and the perspective changes. The series is deeply engaging.

Be warned, it’s not entry-level sci-fi. For that, I recommend 2001 Space Odyssey, Ender’s Game, or Ready Player One. This series is for the sci-fi nerd looking for something that pushes the boundaries, breaks the norm, and yet is still interesting and engrossing.

Series Reviews:

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Machineries of Empire | Subjects: Rich's Reco's, Series Review

Series Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Rich — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 06:12:48 +0000

I’ve heard that when an author gets stuck, they should just make life harder for their protagonist. Pierce Brown has taken that to heart with Red Rising. Life just gets harder and harder, worse and worse for his main character. And when he’s on top, he gets his hamstrings slashed, knees broken, and teeth kicked in. And I can’t wait to read the series again.

Aldous Huxley started this idea of a regimented class-based society with each class having their own distinct colors. Pierce Brown took that idea to new heights, and new depths. In the Red Rising series, the lowest of the low classes rises up to break the ~~wheel~~ system and put something better in place.

The books are nail-biting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat intense. At every turn, things get harder and worse for the protagonist. It’s difficult to be exuberant about this without giving away too much, I’ll say this, when shit goes wrong—and it will nearly every step of the way—you’ll be drawn in to the story even more. And when things go right, you’ll be suspicious, waiting for the proverbial “other shoe” to drop—and it will, only it will be not what you’re expecting, and will be far worse.

In other words, read the series but be prepared for a crazy, wild ride.

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Red Rising | Subjects: Series Review

Series: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Rich — Sun, 31 May 2015 05:00:28 +0000

The first review I wrote for this series was after finishing The Last Colony, and thinking the series was done. I didn’t think much of it, partly due to the short book length, and party due to not really appreciating John Scalzi’s writing style as much as I do now. I digress. I enjoy this series. I love how the aliens are all so very, very alien. And I like that each book follows different characters—making the true main characters the Colonial Defense Force and Earth (and aliens as a whole).

I can’t honestly give this my strongest recommendation as I love the longer, deeper, space-opera style books. However, the writing is solid, there’s a lot of humor throughout—laugh out loud humor—and it takes place in a vast universe. It is a very good series. And I haven’t even finished it, yet.

Series Reviews

Old Man’s War Publisher’s Summary

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First, he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce – and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So, we fight, to defend Earth and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.
Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity’s resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You’ll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you’ll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.
John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea of what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine. And what he will become is far stranger.

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Old Man's War | Subjects: Series Review

Series: Star Force by B.V. Larson

Rich — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 04:54:15 +0000

Formulaic plots, flimsy characters with zero growth, and dozen books in the series are all great reasons to pass on this entirely. There are interesting parts of the series and perhaps under a different author I would have enjoyed this as a space opera worth a couple of re-reads. But, it’s not. And I won’t waste another word on it.

Series Reviews

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Star Force | Subjects: Series Review

Series: The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell

Rich — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:23:14 +0000

I recommend this series for the exquisitely detailed space battles and the way the main character navigates the military-turned-bureaucracy of the fleet. I can’t rightfully give it my strongest recommendation because, ultimately, it’s just candy. That is, the books are quick, easy reads but they don’t push you to think. It’s tasty but without substance. It also could have been four or five books. Despite having read the series twice, I can barely differentiate each book except the first and last.

You might wonder why I gave the series four stars when I rated two books four stars and four books three stars… this is because on the whole, I enjoyed the series and am comfortable recommending it, though with the qualifications stated above.

Series Reviews:

Genre: Military Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi
Series: The Lost Fleet | Subjects: Series Review

Series: Codex Alera by Jim Butcher

Rich — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:46:58 +0000

I cannot recommend this series. The plot lines of books two through six are so similar that I burnt out on it and even after the final book came out, I debated whether or not to buy it for six months. There are things about the series that are good—the magic system is very interesting and unique. The world is large enough to provide new settings in each book. And the main characters are well-written. The the author’s credit, he really makes his main character struggle and earn it in every book. But the rest was too repetitive for me to rightfully recommend.

Series Reviews

Publisher’s Summary

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies – elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal – 15-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos – when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies – Tavi’s simple courage will turn the tides of war.

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Codex Alera | Subjects: Series Review

Series: Daemon by Daniel Suarez

Rich — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 05:42:51 +0000

If you play video games, you must read this series. Only two books long, but absolutely required reading for my fellow gaming geeks out there. It’s a highly plausible future with great characters, social commentary, and excellent integration of existing technology that drives the whole story forward. It’s fast-paced, an easy read, but isn’t hollow.

Series Reviews

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Daemon | Subjects: Rich's Reco's, Series Review

Series: Takeshi Kovacs by Richard K. Morgan

Rich — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:33:31 +0000

I can’t say enough good things about this series. Each book is distinct and different, yet the threads between them are strong enough to weave a greater narrative. Takeshi is the ultimate anti-hero who answers only to himself—even if his employers think otherwise. Every book is filled with far-future tech embedded in societies that makes sense in the context. That is, there is both cool Sci-Fi tech and believable impacts on humankind from it.

It’s hard to pick a favorite of this series. After I re-read each one, I decided that one was my favorite. Until I picked up the next one again.

Series Reviews

Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Takeshi Kovacs Trilogy | Subjects: Rich's Reco's, Series Review

Series: Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

Rich — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:57:29 +0000

What starts out as a grouping of short stories in the first book evolves into one of the greatest space operas of contemporary Sci-Fi. Books two and three are the strongest, and book one is probably the weakest. Even having said that, the entire series is amazing, mind-bending, and essential for Sci-Fi fans.

Series Reviews

Publisher’s Summary

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it.
In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope – and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Series: Hyperion Cantos | Subjects: Rich's Reco's, Series Review