http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/ A reader review blog { of genre fiction } Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:39:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-53623 Review: Grimspace, Ann Aguirre « Racy Romance Reviews Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:27:48 +0000 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-53623 [...] Avid Book Reader, A [...] […] Avid Book Reader, A […]

]]> http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-35640 Marianne McA Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:27:22 +0000 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-35640 I liked it, and will buy the next in the series, but I had some quibbles. (Spoilers.) Some of them are incredibly minor - for instance, I've always hated the way characters in Star Trek reference only Earth: 'As the Earth playwright says...' - and that kind of thing happened enough in Grimspace that I noticed it. When I read the first half of the book, Jax's captors annoyed me - I couldn't see why they hated her, or felt it was her fault that she didn't know the hazards of their world - but to some extent that was explained later in the book. But I never quite got a handle on what the plot looked like from their pov. After I put the book down - and I read until after midnight, and agree it's worth reading - I couldn't work out why they'd conscripted Jax. After all, they had a jumper, and they don't know at that point about the L-gene. So why risk everything on an attempt to free a different jumper, who they believe is massively at fault (though I don't know why they think she's at fault - because the book is clear that landing is the pilot's job.) Why would they trust her to comply? Why would they think she'd make a good teacher? Why not just use the jumper they have? And who is bank-rolling the enterprise? Relocating villages of aliens to a planet with a completely different ecosystem - that's not going to be easy, or cheap - and that's before you start the genetic engineering. You'd need lots of money, lots of people you could trust, lots of land. But because you only see from Jax's pov, you never get a sense of what March and his cohorts are - are they delusional, hopelessly idealistic, or are they acting on behalf of other interests? I did particularly like that Jax didn't just go along with their let's-save-the-universe vision; that, given a free choice, she'd have stayed in Gehenna. Intelligent and clear-thinking, which heroines so often aren't. I liked it, and will buy the next in the series, but I had some quibbles.
(Spoilers.)
Some of them are incredibly minor — for instance, I’ve always hated the way characters in Star Trek reference only Earth: ‘As the Earth playwright says…’ — and that kind of thing happened enough in Grimspace that I noticed it.
When I read the first half of the book, Jax’s captors annoyed me — I couldn’t see why they hated her, or felt it was her fault that she didn’t know the hazards of their world — but to some extent that was explained later in the book. But I never quite got a handle on what the plot looked like from their pov.
After I put the book down — and I read until after midnight, and agree it’s worth reading — I couldn’t work out why they’d conscripted Jax. After all, they had a jumper, and they don’t know at that point about the L-gene. So why risk everything on an attempt to free a different jumper, who they believe is massively at fault (though I don’t know why they think she’s at fault — because the book is clear that landing is the pilot’s job.) Why would they trust her to comply? Why would they think she’d make a good teacher? Why not just use the jumper they have?
And who is bank-rolling the enterprise? Relocating villages of aliens to a planet with a completely different ecosystem — that’s not going to be easy, or cheap — and that’s before you start the genetic engineering. You’d need lots of money, lots of people you could trust, lots of land.
But because you only see from Jax’s pov, you never get a sense of what March and his cohorts are — are they delusional, hopelessly idealistic, or are they acting on behalf of other interests?
I did particularly like that Jax didn’t just go along with their let’s-save-the-universe vision; that, given a free choice, she’d have stayed in Gehenna. Intelligent and clear-thinking, which heroines so often aren’t.

]]> http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-35511 Janine Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:35:27 +0000 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-35511 I have to move this up the TBR... I have to move this up the TBR…

]]> http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-34680 Avid Reader Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:11:48 +0000 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-34680 Honestly, I couldn't even finish watching Serenity [g] but yeah, I loved this book. Thanks for the early promo on it. Can't wait to read Wanderlust - wonder who Jax and March will conquer next? Where will their next adventure lead them together? Honestly, I couldn’t even finish watching Serenity [g] but yeah, I loved this book. Thanks for the early promo on it. Can’t wait to read Wanderlust — wonder who Jax and March will conquer next? Where will their next adventure lead them together?

]]> http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-34532 Jane Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:41:41 +0000 http://avidbookreader.com/2008/03/06/review-grimspace-by-ann-aguirre/#comment-34532 I am so glad that you liked it. I know that you are better versed in the SFF world that I am and I worried it might be too derivative for you. I've never seen Firefly or Serenity so these concepts that Aguirre puts in her book are completely new to me. I am so glad that you liked it. I know that you are better versed in the SFF world that I am and I worried it might be too derivative for you. I’ve never seen Firefly or Serenity so these concepts that Aguirre puts in her book are completely new to me.

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