Sunday, March 26, 2023

requiem for anthi, Jay D Blakeney

requiem for anthi
by Jay D Blakeney aka Deborah Chester etc
(Anthi#2)

science fiction

copyright 1990
read in March 2023

rated 7/10: ####

The aliens are definitely alien, with enough human characteristics to be sympathetic characters.
The evil aliens are, well, nasty. The humans are... not very nice at all. It's a good mix of galactic characters.

at the start, the hero is cold, driven, unpleasant. Then he exhibits a core of niceness. finally, the book is a pleasure to read.

This is book two. I would have liked to start reading with some knowledge of the planet backstory and various characters. however... only one point is annoying:

when the hero is saved by the timely arrival of the cavalry... was this foreshadowed in book one? As far as I can tell... it is pure Deus ex machina. Not that it really matters :-)

this is not a book of clever but subtle plotting. it is heroic adventures in an interesting alien universe.

27sep23: I read it again. With a better idea of what was happening, it made more sense (which seems obvious, now I think of it :-)
I spent less time wondering what was happening, who was who -- and more time just enjoying the adventure. And appreciating -- understanding -- the backstory. An enjoyable romp in a well-imagined universe, with a solid (for book 2) plot. And still very little warning for the deus ex machina ending.


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--
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

The word "boobs" is so scary until you get to the second "b". (Alfred E. Neumann

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