This is just barely 3 stars for me. It's big in scope but small in imagination. The ethical dilemma at the heart of the book (the genocide of a particularly advanced species) is a good starting point, and the protagonist, the Carnivore class ship Trouble Dog, is appropriately conflicted. But how it's brought off is not particularly inspiring. Most of the metaphors are 20th century British, and slide in without comment, though on one occasion we do see Ona Sudak (another main character, implementer of the genocide, then poet, then back to implement another one) explain her familiarity with those metaphors as a fascination with history. FTL ships are built and last for generations--and all of them have inscrutable Druff (an alien species) engineers.
So as space opera it sort of works, except when it aspires to something higher. If you're looking for some time-killing candy, the book is fine--it never drags and the POV changes keep it kind of fresh. But if you like to stretch a little, look for something else.
No comments:
Post a Comment