jphil2

It was fine. Nice palette cleanser and I’m glad it was abridged.

I was hesitant mostly just from seeing all the glowing reviews. I’ve been tricked by marketing machines in social media before. However, I enjoyed this book much more than I originally thought I would.

I had a false start at the end of 2025. It happens and I get in a funk where I don’t like anything I start reading. In those cases, I gravitate towards non-fiction as a sort of palette cleanser. I decided to start fresh in the new year and breezed through it. It’s not especially deep, but the characters are likable. Also, I can understand how they have produced so many sequels. With this type of output, I usually run out of interest before the end, but I will definitely read the next in the series.

I really enjoy the half star scoring on Hardcover.app. This book is better than the average read, but I wouldn't put it in the great category. However, this series definitely has the ability to enter great territory. I may update my score after reading book 2.

The tactical maneuvers and military fiction is very good. It seems the author has knowledge of naval tactics. Additionally, I enjoyed the interpersonal arguments that Jack Geary and the other captains had throughout the book. Time will tell if my relationship to the characters grow deeper and make me feel more attached than I do after the first read. The relationship between the myth and reality seemed a little light, but I remain optimistic for the future.

Just wasn't really my thing. I rode the Jaws ride as a child and then again as an adult with kids. It was very enjoyable, if a little campy. If you have true nostalgia over that ride, then this book was made for you. I don't think the stories from the making of the ride were that interesting. The subject seems like a section of a book rather than the whole thing.

So I went into this sequel without reading about it. I always read about the sequels because they are often a tangent that I don't care for. As was the case in this instance. The first half of the book was pretty dreadful. The relationships showed the age of the book, but felt more like the 60's than the 80's. I don't care about the characters that are described non-stop for the first half of the book. They do nothing to earn my interest.

The second half of the book was much better. It felt like a sequel to Rendezvous with Rama. By the end, I care a little for the characters, but not much. The book should be about Rama and the cosmonauts should just be the reader surrogate.