Review: A Pretty Fast Stand
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2014
What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (no spoilers)1. What type of book is it: action, drama, etc? This is a generally fast paced action book with some melodrama.2. What is the story about, in general? The story is about the remnants of the Confederate Human Fleet, their adventures in a hostile galaxy and the difficulties they overcome.3. What/Who is the target audience? Male audience and sci-fi space opera aficionados.4. Is there character development? There are attempts at character evolution that are universally cut short or left incomplete. That's pretty much it for character evolution. The characters aren't one dimensional. Some have serious flaws while others have odd eccentricities, yet they don't change in any real way. There IS an exception to this, but the change isn't exactly believable.5. Are the characters likable? Hmm. Yes and no. The characters aren't exactly the most evolved personalities in literature. Besides Lee, I couldn't particularly connect with the other book personalities. Their appearances are too fleeting, even flaky. They don't have consistent page time. I DO like the fact that it's the Alice who's the fighter pilot and in the thick of things. It's a nice turn about to have the female romantic interest be on the hot seat.6. Does the story keep its pacing? The story mostly keeps its pacing. Combat is never that far off. There are minor attempts at emotional development between couples, but the attempts lack impact because the scenes lack a lot of romance. Even the kisses seem mechanical and rote. There is a big moment of predictable melodrama that will get to some people. In my personal opinion, that big moment was so overdone that it jumped the line into crassness. It lacked the barest hint of literary elegance. This installment has multiple spelling errors (whole vs hole) that, though minor, irritate.Having said all that, this installment is never dull. Not for a second. I found myself enjoying the read even while rolling my eyes at moments.7. Do you have to suspend disbelief? If one fighter can damage dreadnaughts significantly, why the heck make dreadnaughts in the first place? Plus, has anyone ever heard of Point-Defense Systems? These ships have them. They shoot fighters out of the sky like swatting flies. Queue disbelief on any fighter getting the better of a dreadnaught.Lee is allowed to do something so unmitigated stupid, irresponsible and downright against his written nature, that I rolled my eyes in disbelief. Is not if he could do it or not, is that the situational realities of any sane Naval Command would not allow it to happen. Moreover, it would be the solemn and undisputed duty of said Naval Command to apply the maximum appropriate penalties after the fact.8. Is the book worth the asking price? It is a $3 dollar ebook. That's less than half the price of a good sandwich and shouldn't strain anyone's pockets.In conclusion: This is a fast paced action driven space opera that fails to utilize base character merits and flaws to build a better mesh between the action and character evolution. Is not that the characters lack depth, is that those depths aren't used in a significant manner within this book installment. There is an exception that is overdone and lacks a lot of elegance. The exception is an obvious heavy handed plot direction by the author that is combined with a following action that strained my credulity to the breaking point. The book is a little predictable, but manages to flow fell regardless. The fast paced combat scenes follow a generally logical path with believable reasons for the battles. There is a discrepancy between the realistic effective strengths of a fighter versus 2 to 3 kilometer long warships. I have to admit that, discrepancy or not, it was enjoyable to see fighters deeply involved in the action. The dialogue is mostly well done and feels realistic. The price of the book is minimal. I recommend this book for the target audience.3.3 Stars