3 STARS
The measure of man is by his actions.
Malcolm Graves is a collector. Think bounty hunter and problem solver. Been at it for decades, working for the Pervenio Corporation. Some things go down less than ideally and next thing he knows he's got a shadow. Veteran mentoring his rookie partner setup, I'll admit is a trope I love. Zhaff is the eager, emotionally unconnected understudy, textbook perfect, and naive.
They're working the case, a terrorist plot spanning Earth to Titan. Chasing into the hinterlands and the underworld areas, they court danger. If the environment doesn't get them, their opponents may. The conflict between Ringers and mud stompers is a replay of colonial power grabs, but here corporations hold the reins. Corporations fund passage off Earth for cheap and captive labor. There's also a great deal of expansionist rhetoric playing in the post meteor impact human psyche.
Three hundred years after a meteor strike Earthlings have colonized various places include the moon Titan and Mars. Ringer, is an outsider derogatory term for Titanborn persons. Environmental conditions have affected their development. The issues of subjugation and oppression regarding Titanborn rights are center stage as they're denied or undercut for their own good.
The world building and technology were good. Developed, believable, and solid background for the action. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of flashbacks, and used multiple times is a clumsy device for relaying backstory. Honestly, the information given while critical was unsuccessful and slowed the story down. The pace wasn't that fast that I wanted a breather. It felt like an interruption every time. The character development that needed to happen with them was unsuccessful.
Frankly, the ending sucked. It was very dramatic, borderline emo, and convenient. Overly so, and while I understand the decision I didn't buy into it because I was unconvinced by the characters. The characterizations that worked and were developed, which I had bought into ended up ignored, and I was disappointed. Man, I love that cover though. Even better in the context of the story.
Overall, fun partner chase story that implodes at the end.
Malcolm Graves is a collector. Think bounty hunter and problem solver. Been at it for decades, working for the Pervenio Corporation. Some things go down less than ideally and next thing he knows he's got a shadow. Veteran mentoring his rookie partner setup, I'll admit is a trope I love. Zhaff is the eager, emotionally unconnected understudy, textbook perfect, and naive.
They're working the case, a terrorist plot spanning Earth to Titan. Chasing into the hinterlands and the underworld areas, they court danger. If the environment doesn't get them, their opponents may. The conflict between Ringers and mud stompers is a replay of colonial power grabs, but here corporations hold the reins. Corporations fund passage off Earth for cheap and captive labor. There's also a great deal of expansionist rhetoric playing in the post meteor impact human psyche.
Three hundred years after a meteor strike Earthlings have colonized various places include the moon Titan and Mars. Ringer, is an outsider derogatory term for Titanborn persons. Environmental conditions have affected their development. The issues of subjugation and oppression regarding Titanborn rights are center stage as they're denied or undercut for their own good.
The world building and technology were good. Developed, believable, and solid background for the action. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of flashbacks, and used multiple times is a clumsy device for relaying backstory. Honestly, the information given while critical was unsuccessful and slowed the story down. The pace wasn't that fast that I wanted a breather. It felt like an interruption every time. The character development that needed to happen with them was unsuccessful.
Frankly, the ending sucked. It was very dramatic, borderline emo, and convenient. Overly so, and while I understand the decision I didn't buy into it because I was unconvinced by the characters. The characterizations that worked and were developed, which I had bought into ended up ignored, and I was disappointed. Man, I love that cover though. Even better in the context of the story.
Overall, fun partner chase story that implodes at the end.
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