Take a photo of a barcode or cover
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Outland by Dennis E. Taylor
⭐ 4/5 ⭐
Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter.
An interesting concept conveyed in a fun but mildly disjointed way. A bunch of American college students discover how to build portals to parallel dimensions which becomes unexpectedly handy when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts.
- I loved to concept of the portals and how the story as a whole was built around science and not just physics but geology, zoology and engineering too.
- The characters were fun if occasionally a little one dimensional. I didn't feel overly attached to the main protagonists and none of them were very fleshed out.
- The story felt a little stuttered. The narrative would be following a particular chain of events and then would switch abruptly to something else. Whilst the story overall made sense, this was jarring and took me out of the story sometimes. I heard this was an updated version of Taylor's first novel and you can tell it's an early piece of work for an author.
- As with the Bobiverse, Ray Porter does an excellent job of narration, bringing to life the bravado, sarcasm and personalities of the characters well.
Despite a couple of issues, Outland was a fun and interesting sci-fi novel with its core idea having potential beyond this story. Perfect for portal sci-fi fans and those who enjoy a concept progressing the plot rather than the characters.
⭐ 4/5 ⭐
Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter.
An interesting concept conveyed in a fun but mildly disjointed way. A bunch of American college students discover how to build portals to parallel dimensions which becomes unexpectedly handy when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts.
- I loved to concept of the portals and how the story as a whole was built around science and not just physics but geology, zoology and engineering too.
- The characters were fun if occasionally a little one dimensional. I didn't feel overly attached to the main protagonists and none of them were very fleshed out.
- The story felt a little stuttered. The narrative would be following a particular chain of events and then would switch abruptly to something else. Whilst the story overall made sense, this was jarring and took me out of the story sometimes. I heard this was an updated version of Taylor's first novel and you can tell it's an early piece of work for an author.
- As with the Bobiverse, Ray Porter does an excellent job of narration, bringing to life the bravado, sarcasm and personalities of the characters well.
Despite a couple of issues, Outland was a fun and interesting sci-fi novel with its core idea having potential beyond this story. Perfect for portal sci-fi fans and those who enjoy a concept progressing the plot rather than the characters.