Review by Calliope Tanner -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Sa...
-
K Lou
- Posts: 5
- Joined: 24 Feb 2020, 06:20
- Currently Reading: The Shade of Highfall
- Bookshelf Size: 15
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-k-lou.html
- Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
Review by Calliope Tanner -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Sa...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]
Solaris Seethes, the first book in the Solaris Saga by Janet McNulty and illustrated by Robert Henry, follows the journey of Rynah. After narrowly escaping the near-destruction of her home planet, Lanyr, she vows vengeance against Klanor, the man who caused it. She boards her grandfather's sentient ship, Solaris, who encourages Rynah to listen to the ancient tales of her people and gather up the six legendary data crystals in order to stop Klanor's nefarious plans. In order to do this, Solaris recruits four people across Earth's timeline: the philosopher Solon, the warrior Alfric, the suburban teenager Brie, and the inventor Tom. In their quest, they visit a jungle planet, a water planet, a desert planet, and more, and have to face down not only Klanor and his minions, but pirates as well. The book is jam-packed with action and adventure while still making room for some heartfelt character moments.
I really enjoyed the energy behind the writing. McNulty is clearly excited to tell this story, and that passion comes across very clearly to the reader. The characters are also very distinct, with believable and heart-warming interactions. I like that Alfric isn't brainless muscle, but a true leader and a warrior who thinks on his feet; Brie may seem like an ordinary, timid teenager, but she has a deeply caring heart... and is an ace shot with a pistol. The action is fast-paced and impactful, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the heroes.
The heart of a lot of the problems in this book is that the author isn't writing a novel; they're describing a movie that's playing in their head. With a few exceptions, McNulty doesn't take the time to establish settings and instead tosses in a single parenthetical phrase to describe one or two minor, unnecessary details. Solaris's ship, for example, where the main characters spend most of their time, is given very minimal detail; presumably, the inside looks like every generic spaceship you've seen in movies. The only reason I know it looks like an old-fashioned rocket ship on the outside is because of the illustrations provided in the book.
Pacing is another issue. Necessary backstory and introductions are bulldozed through as quickly as possible, throwing the information at the reader with all the finesse of a truck plowing a hole into the side of a building. The pacing improves as the book progresses, but as soon as the reader has the time to really digest the universe of the Solaris Saga, the lack of creativity becomes glaringly obvious. The crew encounters so many alien worlds and species, but it's always a "water" planet or a "desert" planet; the creatures look like sharks or bears or tigers with minor changes. Aside from Solaris, the spaceships are given no real description, so I have no idea what they look like. Towards the end, Rynah pulls out a Lipton-style teabag and it completely boggles my mind - not that aliens drink tea, but that they just so happen to use the exact same method common to middle-class America. It's just a minor detail, but it's one of many instances where McNulty defaults to the most basic option.
Despite the problems I had with this book, I enjoyed reading it quite a bit. While setting and creativity play a huge part in enriching the world where a book takes place, characters are the heart of the story, and the characters in Solaris Seethes are spot-on. Given that, I'd rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I get the impression that a good chunk of the problems in this book are the result of inexperience on the writer's part, and I'm optimistic that they'll get better in future books.
I'm sure younger readers (middle and high school) will enjoy this book; my biggest problem with the "generic-ness" is a result of viewing a lot of similar material, so I'm sure someone looking at this with fresh eyes won't be bothered by that. It's also definitely more on the "fantasy" side of science fiction - in other words, more "Star Wars" than "Star Trek" - and fans of the former are a lot more likely to enjoy Solaris Seethes. If you care at all about the "science" part of "science fiction," the lack of care for the laws of physics (fire in space! Arg!) will likely drive you up a wall.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Solaris Seethes, the first book in the Solaris Saga by Janet McNulty and illustrated by Robert Henry, follows the journey of Rynah. After narrowly escaping the near-destruction of her home planet, Lanyr, she vows vengeance against Klanor, the man who caused it. She boards her grandfather's sentient ship, Solaris, who encourages Rynah to listen to the ancient tales of her people and gather up the six legendary data crystals in order to stop Klanor's nefarious plans. In order to do this, Solaris recruits four people across Earth's timeline: the philosopher Solon, the warrior Alfric, the suburban teenager Brie, and the inventor Tom. In their quest, they visit a jungle planet, a water planet, a desert planet, and more, and have to face down not only Klanor and his minions, but pirates as well. The book is jam-packed with action and adventure while still making room for some heartfelt character moments.
I really enjoyed the energy behind the writing. McNulty is clearly excited to tell this story, and that passion comes across very clearly to the reader. The characters are also very distinct, with believable and heart-warming interactions. I like that Alfric isn't brainless muscle, but a true leader and a warrior who thinks on his feet; Brie may seem like an ordinary, timid teenager, but she has a deeply caring heart... and is an ace shot with a pistol. The action is fast-paced and impactful, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the heroes.
The heart of a lot of the problems in this book is that the author isn't writing a novel; they're describing a movie that's playing in their head. With a few exceptions, McNulty doesn't take the time to establish settings and instead tosses in a single parenthetical phrase to describe one or two minor, unnecessary details. Solaris's ship, for example, where the main characters spend most of their time, is given very minimal detail; presumably, the inside looks like every generic spaceship you've seen in movies. The only reason I know it looks like an old-fashioned rocket ship on the outside is because of the illustrations provided in the book.
Pacing is another issue. Necessary backstory and introductions are bulldozed through as quickly as possible, throwing the information at the reader with all the finesse of a truck plowing a hole into the side of a building. The pacing improves as the book progresses, but as soon as the reader has the time to really digest the universe of the Solaris Saga, the lack of creativity becomes glaringly obvious. The crew encounters so many alien worlds and species, but it's always a "water" planet or a "desert" planet; the creatures look like sharks or bears or tigers with minor changes. Aside from Solaris, the spaceships are given no real description, so I have no idea what they look like. Towards the end, Rynah pulls out a Lipton-style teabag and it completely boggles my mind - not that aliens drink tea, but that they just so happen to use the exact same method common to middle-class America. It's just a minor detail, but it's one of many instances where McNulty defaults to the most basic option.
Despite the problems I had with this book, I enjoyed reading it quite a bit. While setting and creativity play a huge part in enriching the world where a book takes place, characters are the heart of the story, and the characters in Solaris Seethes are spot-on. Given that, I'd rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I get the impression that a good chunk of the problems in this book are the result of inexperience on the writer's part, and I'm optimistic that they'll get better in future books.
I'm sure younger readers (middle and high school) will enjoy this book; my biggest problem with the "generic-ness" is a result of viewing a lot of similar material, so I'm sure someone looking at this with fresh eyes won't be bothered by that. It's also definitely more on the "fantasy" side of science fiction - in other words, more "Star Wars" than "Star Trek" - and fans of the former are a lot more likely to enjoy Solaris Seethes. If you care at all about the "science" part of "science fiction," the lack of care for the laws of physics (fire in space! Arg!) will likely drive you up a wall.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
