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roadtripreader 's review for:
The B-Team
by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know what I want for christmas/easter/my birthday/every gift giving holiday out in the known universe - I want a BrainPal. If turning a hue of green is a side effect, have at it. Just think how many books I could read and inner thoughts I could transmit ... wait scratch that last part out.
Speaking of books - this one is the quintessential ragtag team that steps up to the plate as last minute replacements and takes the team a couple steps close to the finale (I keep thinking loveable Keanu Reeves in "The Replacements"...well of course that was endearing.). I very quickly wanted the Clarke to succeed in their last minute mission. And yes, everyone on board b-teamed their way into my heart. What can I say, I'm still a sucker for the underdog story.
Scalzi has this knack for dialogue, shall we say the art of creating cohesive conversation that feels not just natural but you're never tempted to skip over swathes of chattering to get to the action because it more often happens while in conversation. Case in point, the unexpected Polk Pod, space, shrapnel and explosion. All of this in the middle of a simple conversation weighing the odds of survival and calculating how much air to use up and laughing would take up to much air and ...boom, everything explodes. That executed with finesse.
Honestly, there are so many gems to be dug up in conversation. Take the conversation between CDF's Field Tech Wilson, Hart Schmidt and Ambassador Abumwe, the tail end of which is just gold:
“He’d better be,” Abumwe said. “Because, Lieutenant Wilson, the
warning I gave to my staff goes double for you. If you fail, this mission
fails, even if my half goes well. Which means I will have failed because
of you. I may be low on the diplomatic totem pole, but I am sufficiently
high enough on it that when I push you, you will die from the fall.” She
looked over to Schmidt. “And he’ll kill you when he lands.”
{...more facts being spit like a sick beat on a Migos track by Abumwe here and Wilson reciprocating }
“I’ll do my best,” Wilson said.
“Your best got you stationed on the Clarke,” Abumwe said. “Do
better than that.”
I love the consistency of John Scalzi's writing and it's ability to yank you from your couch in a room in a house/apartment in a city, in a country, on a continent on earth and shove you headfirst into the world of the Colonial Union and the Conclave and all else in the Old Man's War Universe and you feel like you belong there and that you've always been a member for one of the frigate ships.
Speaking of books - this one is the quintessential ragtag team that steps up to the plate as last minute replacements and takes the team a couple steps close to the finale (I keep thinking loveable Keanu Reeves in "The Replacements"...well of course that was endearing.). I very quickly wanted the Clarke to succeed in their last minute mission. And yes, everyone on board b-teamed their way into my heart. What can I say, I'm still a sucker for the underdog story.
Scalzi has this knack for dialogue, shall we say the art of creating cohesive conversation that feels not just natural but you're never tempted to skip over swathes of chattering to get to the action because it more often happens while in conversation. Case in point, the unexpected Polk Pod, space, shrapnel and explosion. All of this in the middle of a simple conversation weighing the odds of survival and calculating how much air to use up and laughing would take up to much air and ...boom, everything explodes. That executed with finesse.
Honestly, there are so many gems to be dug up in conversation. Take the conversation between CDF's Field Tech Wilson, Hart Schmidt and Ambassador Abumwe, the tail end of which is just gold:
“He’d better be,” Abumwe said. “Because, Lieutenant Wilson, the
warning I gave to my staff goes double for you. If you fail, this mission
fails, even if my half goes well. Which means I will have failed because
of you. I may be low on the diplomatic totem pole, but I am sufficiently
high enough on it that when I push you, you will die from the fall.” She
looked over to Schmidt. “And he’ll kill you when he lands.”
{...more facts being spit like a sick beat on a Migos track by Abumwe here and Wilson reciprocating }
“I’ll do my best,” Wilson said.
“Your best got you stationed on the Clarke,” Abumwe said. “Do
better than that.”
I love the consistency of John Scalzi's writing and it's ability to yank you from your couch in a room in a house/apartment in a city, in a country, on a continent on earth and shove you headfirst into the world of the Colonial Union and the Conclave and all else in the Old Man's War Universe and you feel like you belong there and that you've always been a member for one of the frigate ships.