Swashbuckling! Say it ten times over, and you get the idea of this book. I don't think I've ever read anything so melodramatic, so high-handed, so lacking in science, nor so devoid of believable characterization.
Ignore all the silliness, and it is a half-decent read.
Our hero bounces all around Mars, defeating enemies with the sword, and finally getting the girl he loves.
An ancient "adventure style" story. There is no driving force behind the plot - it is merely a series of events and mini-objectives. It's probably the best it can be within this framework, but woefully short of being a good story.
A pretty good read - I would have given it an extra half star, if possible.
Though incredibly racist and sexist for this day and age, it isn't done in a cheap sort of way.
Beware, after the prelude, you could skip about 6 chapters and not miss a thing. From there, lots of skimming is needed in places to keep it interesting. But, with those things in mind, well worth the time spent on it.
A sleeping beauty from Earth's distant past is awakened in the present timeframe. She plans to take over the world - for it's own good - and finds an ally in a present-day human.
Can she be stopped? Should she be stopped? These questions remain until the end, and they are handled well enough even though I would have like to have seen a different turn of events.
Right up until almost the end, this is quite an interesting story. Then, like so many other books on this site, NOTHING HAPPENS at the end. Quite disappointing.
Despite some hokey dialog and a few cheesy plot devices, this is an enjoyable and interesting read. Our hero, the slightly bumbling, yet lucky/talented FBI agent is trying to stop a gang of teleports from ravaging New York city.
A mostly light-hearted tale with an ending that is just a little too convenient - yet keeps in line with the don't-take-me-too-serious tone associated with the rest of the story.
This is quite a long story, and much of it is overwritten with unnecessary verbiage. That is not to say that it's boring - just that the author is more concerned with flowery language than concise storytelling.
As for storytelling, the author does know how to spin a yarn and maintain reader interest. The epic adventure has many threads, and it takes a little time to tie them together and see what's going on. It would seem the hero is a young boy, but there are other major characters in government and church that command the stage, so in some ways it's hard to say exactly what the story is about without launching into lengthy description. I will attempt to summarize...
In the far future, after five galactic empires have arisen and fallen, the sixth empire is tightly controlled by a humanistic "church" that is dedicated to purifying man - primarily in the physical sense, but psychologically and technologically as well. Though authoritarian, characters don't view the church as evil, most follow its edicts, and a few serve it wholeheartedly.
Henryk, the nominal hero, does not conform biologically to the church's guidelines. The story is basically about what happens to him, with a galactic rebellion thrown in for fun, and many other undercurrent stories woven into the overall tale.
The story has three primary downfalls:
1) I'm neither Catholic nor an expert on them, but I got the feeling throughout the story that the author specifically wanted to marginalize the Catholic church, and religion in general. I find that distasteful.
2) Though there are no explicit sex scenes, the author makes plenty of references to perverted sexual relationships, showing that everyone in the empire is OK with such arrangements. I found that disgusting, and almost kicked the story to the curb because of it.
3) The author drops you off a cliff at the end. A very disappointing "unfinished" ending.
Overall, a most interesting combination of entertainment and disappointment.
Recent comments: User reviews
Ignore all the silliness, and it is a half-decent read.
Our hero bounces all around Mars, defeating enemies with the sword, and finally getting the girl he loves.
Though incredibly racist and sexist for this day and age, it isn't done in a cheap sort of way.
Beware, after the prelude, you could skip about 6 chapters and not miss a thing. From there, lots of skimming is needed in places to keep it interesting. But, with those things in mind, well worth the time spent on it.
A sleeping beauty from Earth's distant past is awakened in the present timeframe. She plans to take over the world - for it's own good - and finds an ally in a present-day human.
Can she be stopped? Should she be stopped? These questions remain until the end, and they are handled well enough even though I would have like to have seen a different turn of events.
A mostly light-hearted tale with an ending that is just a little too convenient - yet keeps in line with the don't-take-me-too-serious tone associated with the rest of the story.
As for storytelling, the author does know how to spin a yarn and maintain reader interest. The epic adventure has many threads, and it takes a little time to tie them together and see what's going on. It would seem the hero is a young boy, but there are other major characters in government and church that command the stage, so in some ways it's hard to say exactly what the story is about without launching into lengthy description. I will attempt to summarize...
In the far future, after five galactic empires have arisen and fallen, the sixth empire is tightly controlled by a humanistic "church" that is dedicated to purifying man - primarily in the physical sense, but psychologically and technologically as well. Though authoritarian, characters don't view the church as evil, most follow its edicts, and a few serve it wholeheartedly.
Henryk, the nominal hero, does not conform biologically to the church's guidelines. The story is basically about what happens to him, with a galactic rebellion thrown in for fun, and many other undercurrent stories woven into the overall tale.
The story has three primary downfalls:
1) I'm neither Catholic nor an expert on them, but I got the feeling throughout the story that the author specifically wanted to marginalize the Catholic church, and religion in general. I find that distasteful.
2) Though there are no explicit sex scenes, the author makes plenty of references to perverted sexual relationships, showing that everyone in the empire is OK with such arrangements. I found that disgusting, and almost kicked the story to the curb because of it.
3) The author drops you off a cliff at the end. A very disappointing "unfinished" ending.
Overall, a most interesting combination of entertainment and disappointment.
Aliens bent on destroying the human Federation are foiled by their own devices. Ho-hum.