The Machine Awakes, by Adam Christopher

[mrissa]

Review copy provided by Tor Books.

This is the second book in a series, and I have not read the first. The rule for reviews is that I start reading, and if I don’t quit until the book is done, I review it; while there are some things that probably would do a bit better with the context of the first book, nothing was too glaring. I don’t see any reason not to start here, if you have a copy convenient.

This is an entirely readable military SF thriller. There’s nothing innovative in the SF concept, and the characterization is not deep enough to provide its own novelty, but on the other hand, an unobjectionable military SF thriller with readable prose is just what I have heard a great many people yearning for (albeit usually in more glowing terms). There are Psi-Marines, if that tells you what genre-space we’re in. I could wish that it was doing something more with the characters, but the action zipped along, and I didn’t regret the time I spent reading it. And it may be just what you’re looking for.

Please consider using our link to buy The Machine Awakes from Amazon.

Originally published at Novel Gazing Redux

Comments

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

This is the best written "meh" review I've ever seen.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Seconded.

Admittedly, sometimes I need unchallenging reading, so...heh. ^_^

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

See, that's what I meant here! "Here is a thing of the following type! If you want a thing of the following type, this was one!" And you do! So okay then!

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

This makes me want to think of how else to handle stuff like this:

"Well, it certainly is a book, all right. I could technically read all of the words and the type was legible. It's a few inches thick."

Or my favorite way of reviewing certain restaurants: "It was edible."

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

See, but some restaurants are edible and reasonably cheap and near your house. And you don't want to go to them all the time, but sometimes they're exactly what you need.

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

Heh. I wouldn't describe a restaurant like that as edible, I'd go with "all right, I guess."

I usually reserve "edible" for say, eating Chinese food in Montana. "Edible" is literally the best one can hope for in that situation, as opposed to "oh dear god, this bears no resemblance to Chinese food, or possibly even actual food, and I've just spit up all the meat." So...pretty literal :P

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, that's just what I like.

What's the first one called, do you know? Because if it's the first one, it might have psi-marine training sequences. Also, it may do an awesome thing that makes the second book invisibly better, like Wold Star.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

The first one is The Burning Dark, and Christopher is an experienced enough novelist that I would be very much surprised if it was any worse than The Machine Awakes. There's a Tor.com novelette in the same world (http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/02/cold-war-adam-christopher).