Willful Child

Executive Summary: This book was OK. I was hoping it would be funnier. The plot could have been better too. I think he should probably just stick to writing Malazan books.

Audiobook: MacLeod Andrews seemed like a decent narrator, though 1 week removed from finishing, I don't recall much about him. He spoke clearly and was easy to hear. I think he did a few voices, but I might be mistaken. Audio is a good option if that's your preference.

Full Review
I should probably start by saying I'm not a big fan of the Original Star Trek series. I've seen all the movies, but very few episodes. I've watched all of the other series though. It's quite possible I missed a bunch of jokes as a result. There were definitely a few Next Generation jokes in there I got, especially one about everyone's favorite Ensign.

I really enjoyed most of the Malazan Fallen series, and I'm a big Star Trek fan, so I had pretty high hopes for this. Despite being “Grimdark” there are some really funny parts in Malazan, especially among the Marines. I think that sort of humor is harder to write, but maybe not. Humor is always hard in general. What one person finds hilarious the next person might find dumb.

With any humor or satire book, you are largely made and broken by the quality of the laughs. This book had some pretty hilarious parts, but often I was fairly uninterested in the characters and the plot.

The actual writing itself is fine, but story is so ridiculous at times that I just didn't care. The main character is intentionally an asshole. I kind of got tired of that by the end. For what the book is, it was fine, and I don't regret reading it. It was a quick listen.

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed by this one, but I can easily see big fans of the Original Star Trek series enjoying this a lot more than I did. It's really going to come down to how funny you find the jokes I think.