Review: (3 book review) A little dull Trader's Scourge
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 24, 2013
This review encompass Trader's Scourge 1, 2, and 3.WHAT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO KNOW BEFORE I BOUGHT THIS BOOK TRILOGY1. Is it a combat action trilogy? NO. There are combat operations that sparsely dot the trilogy, but do not last long or are not very detailed. This is a 1st Contact and Alien politics trilogy. Military Force is mostly used as a backdrop scenario and tension building device.2. Does the trilogy keep its pacing? This is quite subjective to the reader. In my very personal opinion, no. I had to skim a lot. The trilogy mires and wades, and also diverges, from its story path into non-essential details that take up too much page time. The reader doesn't need to know every single opinion on what is going to happen ESPECIALLY if said opinions have little or vague 'story impact'.3. Is it an intelligent trilogy? YES. The scope of the universe and the myriad of details and species is quite astounding. The complexity and nuances of so many races and interests takes a lot of effort to write. It is impressive. It was a little difficult to understand, at first.4. Are there interesting characters? Are they likable? Some characters are likable. Some are not. There is very little character development, if any. The characters have particular static roles. A good man will always be a good man. A bad man will always be a bad man. A worry wart will always be a worry wart. A progressive thinker will always be a progressive thinker. A manipulative character will always be a manipulative character. Some of the roles are interesting. The characters aren't intelligent in their roles. The complexity of the roles, in an on themselves, are intelligent. Not sure if that's good or bad. I leave that for you to judge.5. Is the dialogue interesting? This is very personal to the reader. What will test a reader's patience is that most dialogue, regardless of who is participating, has a repetitive element. The element is: 'First name,(comma) content of dialogue after first name'. This repetition becomes a little irritating. Moreover, the conversations between loving couples sound a little stiff and distant; even while exchanging kisses.6. I was told there are spelling mistakes? I read the new versions with a lot of those mistakes corrected. There are still a few glaring errors. In four instances, off the top of my head, I encountered spelling and sentence structure mistakes that kicked me out of the story flow. Some of the mistakes caused me to doubt my understanding of what was written. So, yes there are mistakes still around, but a lot less than before. Kudos for the effort.7.  Is the Trader's Scourge trilogy worth the price tag?  YES. Each novella costs $99 cents. A sandwich costs twice as much as the entire trilogy. This author has a lot of potential. Even while cringing at some points I could still see how high the man can go. He has the basics down. I don't feel that my money was wasted. I have read worst books from prominent famous authors at twice the cost.8. Which is the best book? Which is the worst? Hmm. With the understanding that this is a very subjective question: Worst is the 2nd book. The 1st and 3rd books are a toss up of which one is better. Not sure if this opinion helps you buy/not buy the trilogy, but there it is.In conclusion: A story with very little, if any, character development. It has certain prominent pacing issues. What entertains is the rich and complex universe that can involve the reader with its scale and magnificence.3 tentative stars