Jason
This was focused less on the dispatcher aspect of series and more on the mystery element. That's not to say that the former was chucked out the window, it just didn't form the central element of the plot like in the first book. I'm fine with this because the plot was good enough to carry its own weight.
This is an odd book because it's obvious that the plot was secondary to the prose. If you like really nice writing, then you'll enjoy this book. If you like a good mystery, then you won't. The plot is flimsy, the mystery predictable. The Woman Who Married a Bear could very easily have been a literary novel about an alcoholic in Alaska and his interactions with other people, including his born-again ex-wife. Why John Straley decided to make it a (nominally) mystery novel is the real mystery.
3.5 stars.
3.25 stars.
I first came across this series after seeing ads for it on a webcomic back in the mid-00s. Unfortunately, I could never recall the name, so it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I finally stumbled across it while looking up space opera books on Amazon. Needless to say, I decided to finally read it.
It was good. The writing isn't great, but seeing as how this was self-published and one of the author's earliest ones, I'm not going to criticize it. I still plan on reading the next book in the series.
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Recovery Agent manages to balance itself between being a action thriller and a lighthearted romp without veering too far in either direction. One of the few books I've come across that has made me actually laugh out loud.
Having said that, it didn't stick the landing and the ending left much to be desired. But hey, the journey is just as important as the destination, so I'm not going to let the ending nullify my enjoyment of the rest of the book.
Two stars and that's only because I'm feeling generous. What a stinker. The plot had potential, but unfortunately, the writing did not help at all. Holy crap, it was bad.
Just some nitpicks:
1. There's one character in the book who is always referred to as either Commander Will Matthews or Will Matthews, but never just Will or Matthews. I have no idea why. None of the other characters are given similar treatment. It actually gets ridiculous because there are several points in the book where his full name is given in the same paragraph. In one instant, it was in adjoining sentences.
2. After taking over the cathedral, the hostage-takers claim that they've planted explosives that they'll detonate if the police try and storm the cathedral.They didn't, but the cops didn't know because they didn't bother asking any of the thousands of hostages the bad guys released early on if they had seen them wiring up explosives.
3. Overall, the cops all act like absolute morons and it's obvious no research was actually done into how they would handle the situation.
4. Michael Bennett just exists for most of the book and does little during the main plot until the very last part. Otherwise, he just cycles between the crime scene, going home to his kids, and visiting his dying wife in hospice. His contributions to the hostage situation is largely relegated to talking to the leader of the hostage-takers on the phone in brief calls.
5. When the go to arrested the hostage-takers at the end, they do so while they're at work (in a prison) instead of showing up at their homes and arresting them quickly and quietly.
6. The reveal of the mastermind was disappointing because it felt like it was just pulled out of someone's butt.
Having said all that, I do plan on reading the other books in the series because I want to see if there's any improvement in the writing or not.
When I pulled it off the shelf at my local library, I did not expect this book to be as wild of a ride as it turned out to be. Holy smokes, this woman survived a plane crash on top of the mountain, didn't freeze to death, then climbed down the dang mountain to safety. Near the end of the book, she says that in total, she walked like twenty miles.
And she did it while wearing a skit, leather boots with heels, a WWI era flying cap, and as she notes several times, no underwear.
Lauren Elder makes Rambo look like a wuss.
Absolutely loved it. I had read the short story a couple of years ago, but I had to read this when I saw it at the library. An amazing adaption with stunningly beautiful artwork. As for the story itself, it's one of my favorites and just shows that Neil Gaiman is one of the best storytellers out there.
