Lauren
I can’t say I’ve ever had an interest in Moby Dick not putting the tale in space, but I have really enjoyed Alexis Hall’s work in the past, so I was anticipating this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat.
I will say the writing itself was fine and there were a few moments that I found humorous (not funny per se, but funny adjacent). I also mostly read this via audiobook, and the narrator did a good a job at making it clear who was speaking. I also generally enjoy stories where the narrator keeps things from the audience in the way this did (not as plot conscience, but this book is written like a memoir, and the narrators tells you they’re keeping information from you).
However, that’s where my enjoyment ended. The book was so casually sex focused that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else (note: this is not erotica and does not read as it. For example, the unnamed narrator will casually mention they’re having some sort of sex while something else is happening). In fact, I’m shocked anyone has time to do anything else with how often it seems like they are all thinking about sex. Other words are used to imply that content (railed was used twice, but I think there were others), but the words sex and sexy appear in the book 53 times. The fact that the MC was having sex with multiple people (consensually and with everyone’s knowledge - a plus) does NOTHING for the story.
There were the bones of a message in this book. It seemed like there was an attempt to have some commentary on the perception of lost histories and history discovers solely through artifacts and science (a really interesting concept that got lost in the story - I wanted MORE), as well as maybe how going out and having experiences first hand is valuable and necessary.
Lastly, I think it’s a little unfair to compare this to Gideon the Ninth. I can see where the comparison comes from, but hike Gideon uses an unreliable character who is chaotic and sometimes discusses her “dirty magazines,” that book is layered and the characters are well constructed. This book had potential, but the MC really needed to be reigned in and the book’s messaging needed to be focused better in my opinion.
I can’t say I’ve ever had an interest in Moby Dick not putting the tale in space, but I have really enjoyed Alexis Hall’s work in the past, so I was anticipating this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat.
I will say the writing itself was fine and there were a few moments that I found humorous (not funny per se, but funny adjacent). I also mostly read this via audiobook, and the narrator did a good a job at making it clear who was speaking. I also generally enjoy stories where the narrator keeps things from the audience in the way this did (not as plot conscience, but this book is written like a memoir, and the narrators tells you they’re keeping information from you).
However, that’s where my enjoyment ended. The book was so casually sex focused that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else (note: this is not erotica and does not read as it. For example, the unnamed narrator will casually mention they’re having some sort of sex while something else is happening). In fact, I’m shocked anyone has time to do anything else with how often it seems like they are all thinking about sex. Other words are used to imply that content (railed was used twice, but I think there were others), but the words sex and sexy appear in the book 53 times. The fact that the MC was having sex with multiple people (consensually and with everyone’s knowledge - a plus) does NOTHING for the story.
There were the bones of a message in this book. It seemed like there was an attempt to have some commentary on the perception of lost histories and history discovers solely through artifacts and science (a really interesting concept that got lost in the story - I wanted MORE), as well as maybe how going out and having experiences first hand is valuable and necessary.
Lastly, I think it’s a little unfair to compare this to Gideon the Ninth. I can see where the comparison comes from, but hike Gideon uses an unreliable character who is chaotic and sometimes discusses her “dirty magazines,” that book is layered and the characters are well constructed. This book had potential, but the MC really needed to be reigned in and the book’s messaging needed to be focused better in my opinion.