What do you think?
Rate this book
The Near-Earth Mysteries #1
The Last Dance
At the heart of a mystery unfolding in space, the opposing forces make a treacherous journey between Earth and Mars.
In space, mutiny means death—that’s why Inspector General Park Yerim is taking her investigation so seriously. The alleged mutineer is Captain Nicolau Aames, whose command of the massive Earth-Mars vessel Aldrin has come under fire. The vast System Initiative says he disobeyed orders, but his crew swears he’s in the right.
En route to Mars, Park gathers testimony from the Aldrin’s diverse crew, painting a complex picture of Aames’s character: his heroism, his failures, even his personal passions. As the investigation unfolds, Park finds herself in the thrall of powerful interests, each pushing and pulling her in a fiery cosmic dance.
Corruption, conflicting loyalties, and clashing accounts make it nearly impossible to see the truth in fifty million miles of darkness, and Park faces danger from every direction. All eyes are on her: one way or another, her findings will have astronomical implications for the Aldrin and the future of space travel.
In space, mutiny means death—that’s why Inspector General Park Yerim is taking her investigation so seriously. The alleged mutineer is Captain Nicolau Aames, whose command of the massive Earth-Mars vessel Aldrin has come under fire. The vast System Initiative says he disobeyed orders, but his crew swears he’s in the right.
En route to Mars, Park gathers testimony from the Aldrin’s diverse crew, painting a complex picture of Aames’s character: his heroism, his failures, even his personal passions. As the investigation unfolds, Park finds herself in the thrall of powerful interests, each pushing and pulling her in a fiery cosmic dance.
Corruption, conflicting loyalties, and clashing accounts make it nearly impossible to see the truth in fifty million miles of darkness, and Park faces danger from every direction. All eyes are on her: one way or another, her findings will have astronomical implications for the Aldrin and the future of space travel.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
October 5, 2019
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: November 1, 2019
Publisher: 47North
Language: English
ASIN: B07KS83CGJ
456 pages
This novel is hard sci-fi similar to that which I used to read in the 1960's and 70's. Rather than very distant future science, the technical details are based on logical advances in current science, particularly some work by famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Even with the emphasis on hard science, the story line and character development are not neglected. There is a fascinating cast of characters, including one of the most competent yet difficult commanding officers in fiction. The story centers around charges of disobedience of orders and mutiny against Captain Aames by his enemies who seem to be legion and include the admirals and political types who command the System Initiative. Only the inspector general's office and their conscientious investigator and their commanding admiral can possible prevent the destruction of Captain Aames and his crew. But what if they decide the evidence against Aames really is overwhelming? What if they decide for Aames? Either decision seems likely to ignite a firestorm of one kind or another and may lead to violence. Indeed some violence erupts simply from the tensions arising during the investigation.
Mr. Shoemaker has a way with words which makes reading this book enjoyable. His ability to develop both characters and plot keep it interesting. The only real downside is that there may be too much science detail with lengthy descriptions to interest some readers. I believe that such readers can easily skim a lot of this without losing the thread of the story. And it is a story worth reading though, perhaps, overly long for some tastes.
Publication date: November 1, 2019
Publisher: 47North
Language: English
ASIN: B07KS83CGJ
456 pages
This novel is hard sci-fi similar to that which I used to read in the 1960's and 70's. Rather than very distant future science, the technical details are based on logical advances in current science, particularly some work by famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Even with the emphasis on hard science, the story line and character development are not neglected. There is a fascinating cast of characters, including one of the most competent yet difficult commanding officers in fiction. The story centers around charges of disobedience of orders and mutiny against Captain Aames by his enemies who seem to be legion and include the admirals and political types who command the System Initiative. Only the inspector general's office and their conscientious investigator and their commanding admiral can possible prevent the destruction of Captain Aames and his crew. But what if they decide the evidence against Aames really is overwhelming? What if they decide for Aames? Either decision seems likely to ignite a firestorm of one kind or another and may lead to violence. Indeed some violence erupts simply from the tensions arising during the investigation.
Mr. Shoemaker has a way with words which makes reading this book enjoyable. His ability to develop both characters and plot keep it interesting. The only real downside is that there may be too much science detail with lengthy descriptions to interest some readers. I believe that such readers can easily skim a lot of this without losing the thread of the story. And it is a story worth reading though, perhaps, overly long for some tastes.
October 9, 2019
An excellent novel - I got it absolutely by chance as it featured in the Amazon prime email with the selection for the beginning of the month free prime book (which I generally ignore as I already have enough books on deck so to speak...), but the title, synopsis, and cover of this one attracted my attention and then I saw some very enthusiastic reviews, so I decided to give it a try and while the first few pages are kind of boring and almost made me put it aside, I did my usual routine on promising books that do not hook me early and started browsing every few pages at random and immediately the novel hooked me with the first story of the doctor and from then on it indeed became a novel not to be put down unless there is no other choice and I finished it in two sittings.
The narration mostly alternates between the Inspector General Park Yerim investigating the supposed mutiny on Aldrin and various characters recounting their most memorable past experiences with the presumed leader of the mutiny, Aldrin's captain Nicolau Aames though it eventually gets to the present, the events leading here and their resolution. I definitely do not want to spoil anything more since except for the ending which is sort of telegraphed maybe 50 pages before, the book keeps throwing surprises and hard science sf at the reader in a way I haven't seen in a while, way that reminded me why I love sf and at least used to read 100 novels in the genre a year a while ago. The only weakness (except for the boring first few pages) is the somewhat telegraphed ending, though it definitely was a cool and appropriate one and as the novel is advertised as a first volume (though it is self-contained) I definitely hope there will be more in this milieu and I would eagerly get them asap this time considering how impressive The Last dance was.
Highly, highly recommended and a top 10 of the year
The narration mostly alternates between the Inspector General Park Yerim investigating the supposed mutiny on Aldrin and various characters recounting their most memorable past experiences with the presumed leader of the mutiny, Aldrin's captain Nicolau Aames though it eventually gets to the present, the events leading here and their resolution. I definitely do not want to spoil anything more since except for the ending which is sort of telegraphed maybe 50 pages before, the book keeps throwing surprises and hard science sf at the reader in a way I haven't seen in a while, way that reminded me why I love sf and at least used to read 100 novels in the genre a year a while ago. The only weakness (except for the boring first few pages) is the somewhat telegraphed ending, though it definitely was a cool and appropriate one and as the novel is advertised as a first volume (though it is self-contained) I definitely hope there will be more in this milieu and I would eagerly get them asap this time considering how impressive The Last dance was.
Highly, highly recommended and a top 10 of the year
October 10, 2019
Good story but structural flaws bugged me.
Every chapter begins from the perspective of a character as if they are sharing their experience verbally but the writing style does not support this. It jumps to omniscient 3rd person and each character sounds just like the last. So for the first page or 2 of each chapter I struggled with willing suspension. It really got in the way of a fluid read. Also every character male, female, British or Brazilian spoke in the same "voice" - that of an average white guy, so they all blended together for me.
Nonetheless I read all the way through and the story moved forward at a good clip and the science was credible which was a plus.
Every chapter begins from the perspective of a character as if they are sharing their experience verbally but the writing style does not support this. It jumps to omniscient 3rd person and each character sounds just like the last. So for the first page or 2 of each chapter I struggled with willing suspension. It really got in the way of a fluid read. Also every character male, female, British or Brazilian spoke in the same "voice" - that of an average white guy, so they all blended together for me.
Nonetheless I read all the way through and the story moved forward at a good clip and the science was credible which was a plus.
March 13, 2021
I read this as part of Amazon's 'Kindle Firsts' scheme, more or less on a whim, and I'm so glad I did as it turned out to be one of the best SF novels I've read in a long time.
It's actually a SF/legal drama/mystery novel, really, and blends genres effortlessly. I loved the set-up, I loved the character studies, I loved the structure... I loved that a couple of times I found myself reading a story in a story in a story... and I loved that the ending managed to throw me a curveball I didn't see coming (look, I don't do sport, OK?) which really doesn't happen often.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author, starting with the sequel to this great book. Highly recommended to SF fans.
My next book: Blackberry Farm
It's actually a SF/legal drama/mystery novel, really, and blends genres effortlessly. I loved the set-up, I loved the character studies, I loved the structure... I loved that a couple of times I found myself reading a story in a story in a story... and I loved that the ending managed to throw me a curveball I didn't see coming (look, I don't do sport, OK?) which really doesn't happen often.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author, starting with the sequel to this great book. Highly recommended to SF fans.
My next book: Blackberry Farm
June 7, 2021
The last time I enjoyed a new science fiction author this much was when I read Leviathan Wakes. Like that book, this one feels like something from the Golden Age of Science fiction, while being something brand new.
Inspector General Park conducts a series of "off the record" interviews while investigating charges of mutiny against the captain of a Martian-bound spaceship. That's the framework for a series of stories that range from mystery to Martian survival to estranged love. All are building blocks in the overall question of figuring out the accused captain's motivations and guilt or innocence. It's space opera in fine form.
I burned through this in two days and am already looking forward to the second in the series, though I'll have to wait a year for it.
Inspector General Park conducts a series of "off the record" interviews while investigating charges of mutiny against the captain of a Martian-bound spaceship. That's the framework for a series of stories that range from mystery to Martian survival to estranged love. All are building blocks in the overall question of figuring out the accused captain's motivations and guilt or innocence. It's space opera in fine form.
I burned through this in two days and am already looking forward to the second in the series, though I'll have to wait a year for it.
October 17, 2019
Got my geek on. A multi-POV tale of a Mars-bound mutiny . . . or was it? Bonus points for diverse cast.
The story is primarily told during "off the record" crew interviews about Capt. Nick Aames so that investigator Park Yerim can gain background on the personality and person of the accused. I found the second such "deposition" - that of Bosun Smitty, to track way into the technical weeds - Literally the nuts and bolts of a particular incident. Those pages read more like The Martian's "science the **** out of it" voice and less of the character-driven story which had me fully hooked up to that point. Confess to skimming whole chunks of this section. (Not that I mind nuts and bolts, just that in this story it didn't integrate well - I found myself asking over & over, "And these details give Yerim insight into Aames how exactly?")
Still, a good read with a wholly satisfying ending.
The story is primarily told during "off the record" crew interviews about Capt. Nick Aames so that investigator Park Yerim can gain background on the personality and person of the accused. I found the second such "deposition" - that of Bosun Smitty, to track way into the technical weeds - Literally the nuts and bolts of a particular incident. Those pages read more like The Martian's "science the **** out of it" voice and less of the character-driven story which had me fully hooked up to that point. Confess to skimming whole chunks of this section. (Not that I mind nuts and bolts, just that in this story it didn't integrate well - I found myself asking over & over, "And these details give Yerim insight into Aames how exactly?")
Still, a good read with a wholly satisfying ending.
November 28, 2019
Abandoned this novel at 18% (beginning of Chapter Four).
By the time I abandoned this, there was still no clear main character. Two of the three chapters I read (chapters one and three) were first person POV of the supposed main character, but we learn almost nothing about her. She's 'obsessed' (because it's her job) with finding out what she can about Captain Aames (the other potential main character).
The entirety of the very long second chapter is told from the point of view of a supporting character, about a young man on board the ship years ago, and Captain Aames. The story is of how the young man grew from a surly, insolent, entitled know-it-all to a hard-working and fit person of intellect and character. I'm exaggerating a little to highlight how the chapter got you rooting for and invested in a character that, as far as I know, will not show up again except for a single line in the next chapter. That's a lot of exposition, and a lot of character building, for a minor passing character, in order to try and teach you a little something about some other character.
It was after this chapter that I was already thinking I was bored and completely uninvested in the characters I was probably supposed to be invested in. Then Chapter 4 starts and we're back to a similar writing device: a minor character is going to tell a story, from his point of view, about Captain Aames, from years ago. It starts with introducing some other character who we will probably never meet except in this retelling. I just couldn't.
I didn't care about Aames and whether he's as horrible as the complaints make him out to be. I didn't care if he was insubordinate and whether he stayed as Captain or left. And I really didn't care about the woman investigating these charges. None of it was intriguing; there was a strange discrepancy of having too much detail about what didn't matter and yet not nearly enough about what did.
It's a shame because the sci-fi setting and concept of the Aldrin cycler were promising.
By the time I abandoned this, there was still no clear main character. Two of the three chapters I read (chapters one and three) were first person POV of the supposed main character, but we learn almost nothing about her. She's 'obsessed' (because it's her job) with finding out what she can about Captain Aames (the other potential main character).
The entirety of the very long second chapter is told from the point of view of a supporting character, about a young man on board the ship years ago, and Captain Aames. The story is of how the young man grew from a surly, insolent, entitled know-it-all to a hard-working and fit person of intellect and character. I'm exaggerating a little to highlight how the chapter got you rooting for and invested in a character that, as far as I know, will not show up again except for a single line in the next chapter. That's a lot of exposition, and a lot of character building, for a minor passing character, in order to try and teach you a little something about some other character.
It was after this chapter that I was already thinking I was bored and completely uninvested in the characters I was probably supposed to be invested in. Then Chapter 4 starts and we're back to a similar writing device: a minor character is going to tell a story, from his point of view, about Captain Aames, from years ago. It starts with introducing some other character who we will probably never meet except in this retelling. I just couldn't.
I didn't care about Aames and whether he's as horrible as the complaints make him out to be. I didn't care if he was insubordinate and whether he stayed as Captain or left. And I really didn't care about the woman investigating these charges. None of it was intriguing; there was a strange discrepancy of having too much detail about what didn't matter and yet not nearly enough about what did.
It's a shame because the sci-fi setting and concept of the Aldrin cycler were promising.
January 22, 2022
I understand why the reviews are so polarized. *I* like it a lot... but then, I like Star Trek TOS and NextGen, and this reminds me of them. Not just because it's episodic, and not just because there's the intense loyalty to a leader with a strong personality, but also because of the vibe that mankind is gradually growing up and becoming more civilized.
The mystery is fine, but fortunately for me unobtrusive because I don't like page-turning mystery adventures. This is more like classic hard SF, with a bonus of developed characters. For example, my favorite future tech was the gamut of miracles the doctor could perform. My favorite future politics is the gravipause, at which point the leadership changes over from planet admin. to captain of the ship, and how the captain and other schemed to use that feature as a strategy. My favorite character is probably Bosun Smith, the only one who didn't give Inspector Park a hard time about her task.
I disagree, too, with the readers who say the 'voice' of each character is the same, white male. Are they looking for offensive BE dialect or something? I found each character, and the way they reported their 'story,' distinct. And interesting.
Buzz Aldrin and Marianne J. Dyson were consulted for accuracy.
I read this because I loved Today I Am Carey and I will look for more by the author.
I wish I could figure out how the author came up with the word "mactory" ... Google isn't readily helpful.
The mystery is fine, but fortunately for me unobtrusive because I don't like page-turning mystery adventures. This is more like classic hard SF, with a bonus of developed characters. For example, my favorite future tech was the gamut of miracles the doctor could perform. My favorite future politics is the gravipause, at which point the leadership changes over from planet admin. to captain of the ship, and how the captain and other schemed to use that feature as a strategy. My favorite character is probably Bosun Smith, the only one who didn't give Inspector Park a hard time about her task.
I disagree, too, with the readers who say the 'voice' of each character is the same, white male. Are they looking for offensive BE dialect or something? I found each character, and the way they reported their 'story,' distinct. And interesting.
Buzz Aldrin and Marianne J. Dyson were consulted for accuracy.
I read this because I loved Today I Am Carey and I will look for more by the author.
I wish I could figure out how the author came up with the word "mactory" ... Google isn't readily helpful.
March 9, 2020
I can't remember where I picked this one up on my Kindle. It is the first one by Martin L. Shoemaker I have read and it won't be the last.
Wonderful space opera with varied and compelling characters, a complex plot and it introduced me to some new Brazilian music. Always a plus.
Wonderful space opera with varied and compelling characters, a complex plot and it introduced me to some new Brazilian music. Always a plus.
November 25, 2019
Starts well, but then gets very dull indeed.
July 13, 2024
Hardish interplanetary space opera, murder mystery, corporate/government conspiracy crossover in which a spaceman with Obsessive Compulsive Perfection Disorder (OCPD) and a: junior, space navy, Judge Advocate General (JAG), investigator smelling a Miscarriage of Justice ensures the development of Mars in a Villains Act, Heroes React story.
My dead pixels version was a moderate 333 pages. It had a 2019 US copyright.
Martin L. Shoemaker is an American computer programmer and science fiction author. He has published three novels and several works of short fiction. This is the first book I’ve read by the author.
There was a lot about this book that I liked. In particular the supporting character’s POV’s incrementally revealing the dimensions of The Incident and the character of the OCPD afflicted, spaceman Aames. I also liked the early, little twist that revealed the Park character to be a woman. The worldbuilding and space science around the Aldrin cycler, a space station-like ship leveraging orbital mechanics to economically shuttle a large mass between Earth and Mars without requiring a larger amount of reaction mass was solid. In addition, the on-planet Martian world building was of comparable quality to Andy Weir’s The Martian .
Unfortunately, the politics and relationships between the government and commercial organizations conquering space were a bit of a muddle. The techno-murder mystery was just OK. The Perp, received just a tad too much exposure, to be properly obscured. I also thought as the conspiracy revealed itself, the antagonists were just too obviously evil and willing have their confessions of felonious behavior recorded. However, having hooked me with the tech, Shoemaker lost me by trying too hard to pluck at my heartstrings with Aames’ backstory and the: fear, obligation and guilt felt by the: junior ranked, female, Asian JAG investigator Park.
Shoemaker is obviously an Andy Weir-wannabee. This was an ambitious novel for a relatively new author. I thought the worldbuilding was well done and technically credible. The multiple POVs for the story were likewise well handled. It was successful for the book’s modest number of pages. The author also pulls off some clever twists. However, I found the character building to be rushed. Expository mini-bios, may have expedited the use of several POVs without bloating the page count, but they resulted in ill-fitting off the rack characters. Show,‘em, don’t tell ‘em would have created a fuller story. Finally, both of the story’s co-protagonist’s stories lapsed into melodrama.
In summary, good but not great.
However, I’ll likely be reading the second book in the series: The Last Campaign . There are just too few science fiction authors out there writing hard, interplanetary space operas.
My dead pixels version was a moderate 333 pages. It had a 2019 US copyright.
Martin L. Shoemaker is an American computer programmer and science fiction author. He has published three novels and several works of short fiction. This is the first book I’ve read by the author.
There was a lot about this book that I liked. In particular the supporting character’s POV’s incrementally revealing the dimensions of The Incident and the character of the OCPD afflicted, spaceman Aames. I also liked the early, little twist that revealed the Park character to be a woman. The worldbuilding and space science around the Aldrin cycler, a space station-like ship leveraging orbital mechanics to economically shuttle a large mass between Earth and Mars without requiring a larger amount of reaction mass was solid. In addition, the on-planet Martian world building was of comparable quality to Andy Weir’s The Martian .
Unfortunately, the politics and relationships between the government and commercial organizations conquering space were a bit of a muddle. The techno-murder mystery was just OK. The Perp, received just a tad too much exposure, to be properly obscured. I also thought as the conspiracy revealed itself, the antagonists were just too obviously evil and willing have their confessions of felonious behavior recorded. However, having hooked me with the tech, Shoemaker lost me by trying too hard to pluck at my heartstrings with Aames’ backstory and the: fear, obligation and guilt felt by the: junior ranked, female, Asian JAG investigator Park.
Shoemaker is obviously an Andy Weir-wannabee. This was an ambitious novel for a relatively new author. I thought the worldbuilding was well done and technically credible. The multiple POVs for the story were likewise well handled. It was successful for the book’s modest number of pages. The author also pulls off some clever twists. However, I found the character building to be rushed. Expository mini-bios, may have expedited the use of several POVs without bloating the page count, but they resulted in ill-fitting off the rack characters. Show,‘em, don’t tell ‘em would have created a fuller story. Finally, both of the story’s co-protagonist’s stories lapsed into melodrama.
In summary, good but not great.
However, I’ll likely be reading the second book in the series: The Last Campaign . There are just too few science fiction authors out there writing hard, interplanetary space operas.
November 21, 2019
The Last Dance is an excellent science fiction and suspense novel. To me, there really was not a "mystery", so I'm not sure why that it is the subtitle. Don't go into this book expecting some big twist in the plot, or a grand mystery to solve. However, if you like science fiction, then the science it good. If you like political suspense, then you will like this for sure.
The writing is excellent. The plot is good, but not the main focus. This is a character driven story, which I prefer. The use of flashbacks to explain the current situation was done very well. A strong 4+ star effort.
The writing is excellent. The plot is good, but not the main focus. This is a character driven story, which I prefer. The use of flashbacks to explain the current situation was done very well. A strong 4+ star effort.
October 6, 2019
You care so you finish but
Good characters you care about them and want to know how it all ends up. But very long winded and the stories within the story become repetitive, too detailed for the purpose they serve ( opinions will vary in this i am sure) and too many. Found myself page scanning not reading until the last chapter. Do recommend this read but it gets tedious feel free to fast forward.
Good characters you care about them and want to know how it all ends up. But very long winded and the stories within the story become repetitive, too detailed for the purpose they serve ( opinions will vary in this i am sure) and too many. Found myself page scanning not reading until the last chapter. Do recommend this read but it gets tedious feel free to fast forward.
September 22, 2020
https://book-bucket.com/2020/05/22/th...
Rounded up to 4.5 stars.
The story is centred around General Inspector Park Yerim, on whose shoulders it has fallen to investigate allegations of mutiny brought against spaceship Captain Nick Aames. The story is told predominantly through a series of 'off-the-record' accounts by crew members of previous events in which the captain played major parts. It is through these accounts that the investigator and the reader come to form an understanding of the complex character of Captain Aames. Interspersed with these accounts the story reverts to the present and the investigation. Inspector Parks is in a difficult position - under pressure from all sides and finding herself being stonewalled and under threat.
Each account is almost a short story in itself and very interesting. The writing, dialogue, character-building and scene-setting were all brilliantly done. And I loved the very ending despite guessing it.
I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. This author was previously unknown to me, but I will now be looking up his back-catalogue.
Rounded up to 4.5 stars.
The story is centred around General Inspector Park Yerim, on whose shoulders it has fallen to investigate allegations of mutiny brought against spaceship Captain Nick Aames. The story is told predominantly through a series of 'off-the-record' accounts by crew members of previous events in which the captain played major parts. It is through these accounts that the investigator and the reader come to form an understanding of the complex character of Captain Aames. Interspersed with these accounts the story reverts to the present and the investigation. Inspector Parks is in a difficult position - under pressure from all sides and finding herself being stonewalled and under threat.
Each account is almost a short story in itself and very interesting. The writing, dialogue, character-building and scene-setting were all brilliantly done. And I loved the very ending despite guessing it.
I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. This author was previously unknown to me, but I will now be looking up his back-catalogue.
June 9, 2024
This is quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. Ever.
I have that list of perfect books—those books that make you so so happy you spent time in that world. Rothfuss, GRRM, JKRowling, Both Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga and World of the Five Gods. Blood Song. Megan Whalen Turner.
I’ll add this one to that list eagerly and happily because this is honestly a _WONDERFUL_ book.
It’s a terrific story that is magnificently told.
Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it is a book about integrity, featuring a lot of big and small stories about how to behave with integrity. There are some of the best characters I’ve ever met on these pages and I hope you come to love them as I do.
I have that list of perfect books—those books that make you so so happy you spent time in that world. Rothfuss, GRRM, JKRowling, Both Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga and World of the Five Gods. Blood Song. Megan Whalen Turner.
I’ll add this one to that list eagerly and happily because this is honestly a _WONDERFUL_ book.
It’s a terrific story that is magnificently told.
Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it is a book about integrity, featuring a lot of big and small stories about how to behave with integrity. There are some of the best characters I’ve ever met on these pages and I hope you come to love them as I do.
November 6, 2019
2019 grade Z
I actually tried to read this several times but never got past the first page. This time I put more effort into it. I still only finished 2% the book. It is such dedicated first person POV that it took me a while to even learn the gender of the protagonist (I don't care which gender but I need at least a small mental image.) Virtually every paragraph is a long boring information dump. The setting is depressing as are the characters. Sorry, I did not like it. Thankfully is was free.
I actually tried to read this several times but never got past the first page. This time I put more effort into it. I still only finished 2% the book. It is such dedicated first person POV that it took me a while to even learn the gender of the protagonist (I don't care which gender but I need at least a small mental image.) Virtually every paragraph is a long boring information dump. The setting is depressing as are the characters. Sorry, I did not like it. Thankfully is was free.
October 15, 2019
A series of shorts tied together well
I hope there are more Near-Earth mysteries because this was a great background universe and the characters totally pop. The characters each have a nicely written backstory and the dialogue develops the characters.
Well put together book with a neat background universe. I'm looking at his other books.
I hope there are more Near-Earth mysteries because this was a great background universe and the characters totally pop. The characters each have a nicely written backstory and the dialogue develops the characters.
Well put together book with a neat background universe. I'm looking at his other books.
December 12, 2019
Вот прямо неплохо. Да, очень полярное деление на свой-чужой. Забавно, что подход к развитию команды, доведения до совершенства процессов очень похож на советы какого-то бизнес-лидера, сторонника жесткого менеджмента. Ну и отсылки к Одержимости (Whiplash) - чтобы достичь выдающихся результатов, надо сломать много тех, кто недотягивает. Мне не близко, но подано со вкусом.
October 12, 2019
This was one of the most unique science fiction books I have read lately. It is reminiscent of some older Asimov sci-fi mysteries, modernized both in terms of science and more sophisticated in terms of society. Well rooted in science and a realistic space faring period, it avoids entirely some semi-magical late-breaking scientific solution, and instead develops characters deeply and generally realistically (I might argue that despite carefully built foundation the main character is still a bit difficult to believe, though). Told largely with flashbacks they are carefully integrated and reveal at a pace that seems natural, but is far strongly than a chronological telling would be.
After suffering through a ton of recent Amazon sci-fi authors, and discovering only repetition in many, this was both a surprise and a pleasure.
After suffering through a ton of recent Amazon sci-fi authors, and discovering only repetition in many, this was both a surprise and a pleasure.
October 5, 2019
Can't fault it
There is no single flaw in any part of this book. It's a very complex story, perfectly executed.
Stupid people won't like it, but they don't generally read science fiction to start with.
That the characters are as well-drawn as the science is clearly explained may be its only drawback. This is the work of a person who understands people. Of all the current and past science fiction authors of whom I am aware, only C.J. Cherryh and the late Sherri S. Tepper have such a firm grip on characterization.
So if you like a complex story well-told, buy this book. Do not buy it second hand. Buy it from the author, so that he gets paid. It's the least you can do for such good reading.
There is no single flaw in any part of this book. It's a very complex story, perfectly executed.
Stupid people won't like it, but they don't generally read science fiction to start with.
That the characters are as well-drawn as the science is clearly explained may be its only drawback. This is the work of a person who understands people. Of all the current and past science fiction authors of whom I am aware, only C.J. Cherryh and the late Sherri S. Tepper have such a firm grip on characterization.
So if you like a complex story well-told, buy this book. Do not buy it second hand. Buy it from the author, so that he gets paid. It's the least you can do for such good reading.
November 2, 2020
I was fully on board with this book until Chapter 6. The characters, stories, and near-future technology were all working very well for me. Then, Smith's flashback story ground everything to a screeching halt. I read through the first two chunks of it and was not finding anything very new to add to the captain's personality or style. I checked the table of contents at that point, and I saw that there were still about 50 pages left of that flashback story!
Note to authors: Do not include chapters that are in the ballpark of 100 pages, especially when your other chapters are normal sizes.
Note to authors: Do not include chapters that are in the ballpark of 100 pages, especially when your other chapters are normal sizes.
November 14, 2019
Really good book, but Aames is too much. Not only is he the smartest guy in the room, he is the smartest on the entire ship. The concept for the Aldrin is really cool, I wonder if it will come to fruition and make Mars travel a little easier and way more fuel efficient. I liked the way the book was structured and appreciated Aames’ high expectations, but I wish that he was more imperfect and did not have ALL the answers.
October 25, 2019
This Was Just Awful
This was such a disjointed and disappointing waste of reading time. You aren’t even introduced to the basis for the story until you’re 80% into the book. The characters are almost all thoroughly unlikable, it’s more a bunch of independent writing exercises than a well constructed novel that was worth what I paid for it — nothing.
This was such a disjointed and disappointing waste of reading time. You aren’t even introduced to the basis for the story until you’re 80% into the book. The characters are almost all thoroughly unlikable, it’s more a bunch of independent writing exercises than a well constructed novel that was worth what I paid for it — nothing.
November 18, 2019
2 1/2 stars. I'm not really sure why I continued reading this book even though I obviously wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't a fan of how the story was told and struggled to find much if anything to like about many of the characters.
November 16, 2019
Brilliant!
Hard science fiction, narrated by a genuine novelist. An exceptional piece of uncommon quality for this genre. A very pleasant surprise.
Hard science fiction, narrated by a genuine novelist. An exceptional piece of uncommon quality for this genre. A very pleasant surprise.
November 30, 2019
Humans being human, in space.
An intelligent detective interviews a ship's crew concerning their abrasive and talented captain. Stories told by friends and enemies assist the detective and reader in making a judgement. It was fun read. I'll purchase more shoemaker stories for sure. This book would make a great tv show!
An intelligent detective interviews a ship's crew concerning their abrasive and talented captain. Stories told by friends and enemies assist the detective and reader in making a judgement. It was fun read. I'll purchase more shoemaker stories for sure. This book would make a great tv show!
October 14, 2019
A story set in a future very close at hand. In the expanse between Earth and Mars is an expanding technological vessel, Aldrin, composed of tubes, spokes, and artificial gravity that is hanging together based on the brains, brawn, bravery and shear tenacity of the engineers, technicians and support personnel who keep everything working according to plan. This entire complex is also a traveling community with the purpose of moving people and material between the earth and a new outpost of humanity on our sister planet, Mars.
That is the setting. The story is as complex as the technology and the trajectory of the massive vessel itself. With virtually no margin for error a commander with extreme organizational talents is needed to keep building and moving. Captain Nicolau Aames is the hard minded man in the hot-seat in more ways than one. Despite his safety record and ability to achieve all technological goals he did not endear himself to his crew or his superiors. In fact, he has been charged with mutiny.
But wait! His crew rallies to his side. No one loves him but they all respect him and most believe they have become better people and more competent in their vocations because of his stern and no-nonsense ways. On the other hand his superiors and peers regard him as a renegade and egotist who believes himself superior to all others.
Enter General Park Yerim, Inspector General. She has been charged with investigating the circumstances and is fully expected to come down hard on the captain. While Captain Aames is charged with mutiny, should IG Yerim charge him, his crew, who run the vessel Aldrin may mutiny en mass.
The narrative is focused on the efforts of IG Yerim to undercover the facts and beyond that, to determine what makes Captain Aames tick - and why his crew is so loyal.
This is not a dry recitation of facts but rather an exploration of personalities. There are also episodes of drama, violence and near catastrophe.
I enjoyed it enormously.
That is the setting. The story is as complex as the technology and the trajectory of the massive vessel itself. With virtually no margin for error a commander with extreme organizational talents is needed to keep building and moving. Captain Nicolau Aames is the hard minded man in the hot-seat in more ways than one. Despite his safety record and ability to achieve all technological goals he did not endear himself to his crew or his superiors. In fact, he has been charged with mutiny.
But wait! His crew rallies to his side. No one loves him but they all respect him and most believe they have become better people and more competent in their vocations because of his stern and no-nonsense ways. On the other hand his superiors and peers regard him as a renegade and egotist who believes himself superior to all others.
Enter General Park Yerim, Inspector General. She has been charged with investigating the circumstances and is fully expected to come down hard on the captain. While Captain Aames is charged with mutiny, should IG Yerim charge him, his crew, who run the vessel Aldrin may mutiny en mass.
The narrative is focused on the efforts of IG Yerim to undercover the facts and beyond that, to determine what makes Captain Aames tick - and why his crew is so loyal.
This is not a dry recitation of facts but rather an exploration of personalities. There are also episodes of drama, violence and near catastrophe.
I enjoyed it enormously.
October 10, 2019
I'm not a regular reader of science fiction but what I'm looking for when I do read it is to encounter imagination, entertainment and hopefully if I'm lucky to gain a little knowledge. On all three counts Martin L Shoemaker has succeeded here. Reading from the author's notes and biography it is clear that he is well versed on the mechanics and requirements of space travel to Mars, indeed he describes himself as "a programmer who writes on the side."
From this technical basis he has used his imagination to envisage how later in the 21st Century space travel to Mars might look. However at the heart of the book is an examination of some pretty basic human attributes including greed, duplicity, power, loyalty and trust. Of all it is the latter that predominates in this story for ultimately it is the most important thing that one must have in others and especially the captain of a vessel as it leaves the Earth for outer space.
The plot revolves around the investigation of General Park Yerim into an alleged mutiny on board the Earth-Mars vessel Aldrin by Captain Nicolau Aames. Through the testimonies of fellow crew members a picture emerges not only of the enigmatic captain in all his complexities but also the commercial and vested interests that are so keen to secure a conviction.
This may be a long book but once into the story it becomes increasingly engrossing and it has that readable factor that perhaps some titles of this genre sometimes lack. At no time did I think that the concepts and plot lines were unrealistic and not possible. If you are a bit wary of science fiction then you need not be put off by this book and I'm sure it will delight both regular readers of this genre and those who are not.
From this technical basis he has used his imagination to envisage how later in the 21st Century space travel to Mars might look. However at the heart of the book is an examination of some pretty basic human attributes including greed, duplicity, power, loyalty and trust. Of all it is the latter that predominates in this story for ultimately it is the most important thing that one must have in others and especially the captain of a vessel as it leaves the Earth for outer space.
The plot revolves around the investigation of General Park Yerim into an alleged mutiny on board the Earth-Mars vessel Aldrin by Captain Nicolau Aames. Through the testimonies of fellow crew members a picture emerges not only of the enigmatic captain in all his complexities but also the commercial and vested interests that are so keen to secure a conviction.
This may be a long book but once into the story it becomes increasingly engrossing and it has that readable factor that perhaps some titles of this genre sometimes lack. At no time did I think that the concepts and plot lines were unrealistic and not possible. If you are a bit wary of science fiction then you need not be put off by this book and I'm sure it will delight both regular readers of this genre and those who are not.
December 2, 2019
Character study of an old grumpy, stickler for rules, captain.
This was an algorithm generated recommendation from Amazon. After reading a few of the reviews others posted on it, I decided to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised. This isn't your typical sci-fi novel. If anything the space and science is simply there to propel the novel true intentions, which is a character study of Nick Asked. Story is broken up into sections of IG Yerim investigation on Earth-Mars space ship Aldrin. An event took place prior to the begining of the story, and each chapter took us closer into finding out what happened and how key members within the crew handled it. That said, Aames was never far from their decision and rationale for actions taken, effectively making this book a character study of Aames himself and how his influenced if felt by those around him.
If you find procedure books, and step by step guides boring, then this book is probably not for you. Even I struggled to get through certain chapters, mostly towards the end; mostly because it felt like nothing new was being introduced that added any additional refinement to Aames' character. Author also had a habit of repeating lines used by different characters to described Aames. This made the book feel like it stalled out around chapter 9 until the last IG investigation summary chapter. Despite this pacing issue, I still enjoyed the book, and now worry that the Amazon bots are getting to know me a little too well. ;-)
This was an algorithm generated recommendation from Amazon. After reading a few of the reviews others posted on it, I decided to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised. This isn't your typical sci-fi novel. If anything the space and science is simply there to propel the novel true intentions, which is a character study of Nick Asked. Story is broken up into sections of IG Yerim investigation on Earth-Mars space ship Aldrin. An event took place prior to the begining of the story, and each chapter took us closer into finding out what happened and how key members within the crew handled it. That said, Aames was never far from their decision and rationale for actions taken, effectively making this book a character study of Aames himself and how his influenced if felt by those around him.
If you find procedure books, and step by step guides boring, then this book is probably not for you. Even I struggled to get through certain chapters, mostly towards the end; mostly because it felt like nothing new was being introduced that added any additional refinement to Aames' character. Author also had a habit of repeating lines used by different characters to described Aames. This made the book feel like it stalled out around chapter 9 until the last IG investigation summary chapter. Despite this pacing issue, I still enjoyed the book, and now worry that the Amazon bots are getting to know me a little too well. ;-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews