Review: Good read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2013
I agree with other commenters about flaws in the book, but despite their sometimes distractions I found it a very good read.The "world" Nutall builds hangs together well. The ethos of the marines is appealing, as are some of the characters. As the author matures in his story telling, I hope he will present a greater diversity in virtues and defects. Only a few of the characters stand out, and there is no real conflicts among the good guys.The Crackers are presented in a more believable mix, and it is refreshing to see an opponent whose motives are presented fairly. Indeed the heroes sympathize with their goals but then again, until the last the fail to see the point in diplomacy to them. Given that some of the nice pithy comments "excerpts" from marine books show a strong awareness of the benefits of understanding people and politics (actually, that is redundant), that failure strikes me as having been seen as a plot necessity to extend the conflict. The plot would have been even better if Stalker had made overtures leading to tense conflicts between factions in the Crackers. Instead, that comes late in the story and seems to be confined to conflicts between only two characters.The "bandits" are portrayed as cartoon bad guys. Considering that most of them had probably committed trivial (or no) crimes on earth and were put into an intolerable situation on Avalon, it is likely that most of them would have been decent human beings.Likewise, the elite would have had internal divisions. Many would have recognized that something had to be done to satisfy the very reasonable demands of the Crackers and that the bandits would be reduced if indents had a pathway to a good life.  In addition, there would have been jealousy and fear towards the dominant family and a strong sense that their goals provided nothing to the lower ranks of the elite.In good science fiction, science and technology take a backseat to personalities and sociology. I hope Nutall will move closer to what real political conflicts are like.Then again, I really enjoyed this book and will start reading the sequel this afternoon.