Review by mphelp2 -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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mphelp2
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Review by mphelp2 -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Not only creating a new fictional world, but entering the sci-fi genre by creating multiple mysterious planets and new waves of technology, Janet McNulty impressively builds worlds and crafts a story filled with action, adventure, and drama. The book begins by throwing the reader right into the action, and there is not a single dull moment after. For her incredible command of imagery, her magnificent characterization and overall development of the story, I would give Mcnulty’s Solaris Seethes 4 out of 4 stars.
I was blown away by the cast of characters that McNulty created for her story. At first, I was wary that she would try to create some romantic tensions between specific pairings, which I would have absolutely hated. However, she avoids those cliches, and all of her characters form special bonds with one another-- McNulty is even able to create a genuine sense of empathy for the artificial intelligence that is the ship Solaris. I felt for each of the characters and the situations that they came from; furthermore, what a wide range of backgrounds and personalities! I loved how McNulty took characters from not just different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but also from different points in time. I loved reading how they came together despite differences in beliefs and customs to make the ultimate team at the end of one planet's world.
There was very little about this book that I didn't like. The author's writing style is a little repetitive, often saying the same things more than necessary, but this is just a personal distaste I have with writing. For example, she has a paragraph or so describing how one of the characters, Brie, had a father killed while serving in Afghanistan, but then a few pages later the same information is reiterated to explain a name that other kids call her (p 61). I think that re-explaining important information is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a balance between making sure the point is drilled in and simply overdoing it. McNulty also loves using parenthesis when it comes to describing scenery or internal thoughts (and, I know that parenthesis can be useful to add on information that would not otherwise fit a narrative, but it just felt like so much, too often). Finally, even though this is such a minute detail, I was thrown off by the fact that all of these vast, new, different worlds had been created, and yet they had the same food and drinks. It sort of shattered the element of extraterrestrial-ness. I just found myself wondering how an alien could share a recipe for breakfast with people from Earth, especially since the alien's planet had been described as so vastly different from Earth. This was the only part of the world-building that fell a little flat for me. Otherwise, I was captivated by what was created.
Overall, Solaris Seethes is a captivating and also touching story about unlikely-- a little unwilling-- heroes that have no choice but to come together to save all of their worlds. The cliffhanger that it left off on was perfect for the end of a first book that left me in despair for the following parts of the story. I would absolutely recommend this book for readers looking for a new adventure and a new band of characters to root for against different villains, and those who love being put into new worlds and taken along for the ride. McNulty's story is full of twists and turns and anticipation, and I cannot wait to read what she puts out next.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
4 out of 4 stars
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Not only creating a new fictional world, but entering the sci-fi genre by creating multiple mysterious planets and new waves of technology, Janet McNulty impressively builds worlds and crafts a story filled with action, adventure, and drama. The book begins by throwing the reader right into the action, and there is not a single dull moment after. For her incredible command of imagery, her magnificent characterization and overall development of the story, I would give Mcnulty’s Solaris Seethes 4 out of 4 stars.
I was blown away by the cast of characters that McNulty created for her story. At first, I was wary that she would try to create some romantic tensions between specific pairings, which I would have absolutely hated. However, she avoids those cliches, and all of her characters form special bonds with one another-- McNulty is even able to create a genuine sense of empathy for the artificial intelligence that is the ship Solaris. I felt for each of the characters and the situations that they came from; furthermore, what a wide range of backgrounds and personalities! I loved how McNulty took characters from not just different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but also from different points in time. I loved reading how they came together despite differences in beliefs and customs to make the ultimate team at the end of one planet's world.
There was very little about this book that I didn't like. The author's writing style is a little repetitive, often saying the same things more than necessary, but this is just a personal distaste I have with writing. For example, she has a paragraph or so describing how one of the characters, Brie, had a father killed while serving in Afghanistan, but then a few pages later the same information is reiterated to explain a name that other kids call her (p 61). I think that re-explaining important information is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a balance between making sure the point is drilled in and simply overdoing it. McNulty also loves using parenthesis when it comes to describing scenery or internal thoughts (and, I know that parenthesis can be useful to add on information that would not otherwise fit a narrative, but it just felt like so much, too often). Finally, even though this is such a minute detail, I was thrown off by the fact that all of these vast, new, different worlds had been created, and yet they had the same food and drinks. It sort of shattered the element of extraterrestrial-ness. I just found myself wondering how an alien could share a recipe for breakfast with people from Earth, especially since the alien's planet had been described as so vastly different from Earth. This was the only part of the world-building that fell a little flat for me. Otherwise, I was captivated by what was created.
Overall, Solaris Seethes is a captivating and also touching story about unlikely-- a little unwilling-- heroes that have no choice but to come together to save all of their worlds. The cliffhanger that it left off on was perfect for the end of a first book that left me in despair for the following parts of the story. I would absolutely recommend this book for readers looking for a new adventure and a new band of characters to root for against different villains, and those who love being put into new worlds and taken along for the ride. McNulty's story is full of twists and turns and anticipation, and I cannot wait to read what she puts out next.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: And Throw Away The Skins by Scott Archer Jones
