What do you think?
Rate this book
Shen
Captured by a spaceship that appears to be abducting a crew, David Travis won't go without a fight. Determination gets him free more than once, though each time life on Earth gets trickier (and shorter).
Eventually it's clear this job offer can't be refused. The new commander of a motley collections of aliens, David has to manage their hang ups while trying to figure out why they are together.
Eventually it's clear this job offer can't be refused. The new commander of a motley collections of aliens, David has to manage their hang ups while trying to figure out why they are together.
ebook
First published June 3, 2012
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
abandoned
January 6, 2016I've been plodding along with this book for three weeks now, and managed to get 70% of the way through. No more, I've decided; life is too short to force yourself to finish books you're not enjoying.
In the beginning, I thought the story showed a lot of promise, and I was excited about reading it. The problem is that it went downhill quite quickly from there. More characters got introduced, more sub-plots and time periods were described, and I just completely lost it. I no longer have any idea who ANYONE is, anymore!
This book is more confusing than Dune, which I struggled to get into, but which I'm rather glad I finished because it all came together in the end. The difference is that I never got quite so lost with Dune, and in Shen it doesn't look like I'm ever going to catch up with who everybody is and where everybody comes from.
I'm sure some people will really enjoy it, since it seems to be quite well written. I just think it probably requires a bit more attention than I'm able to give it right now, is all.
In the beginning, I thought the story showed a lot of promise, and I was excited about reading it. The problem is that it went downhill quite quickly from there. More characters got introduced, more sub-plots and time periods were described, and I just completely lost it. I no longer have any idea who ANYONE is, anymore!
This book is more confusing than Dune, which I struggled to get into, but which I'm rather glad I finished because it all came together in the end. The difference is that I never got quite so lost with Dune, and in Shen it doesn't look like I'm ever going to catch up with who everybody is and where everybody comes from.
I'm sure some people will really enjoy it, since it seems to be quite well written. I just think it probably requires a bit more attention than I'm able to give it right now, is all.
June 12, 2013
"Shen" is an engagingly offbeat science fiction novel which the author describes (slightly tongue-in-cheek) as “space opera for the unprepared” and "a “a mythic space fantasy where the number one mission of the crew is to discover whether they have one”.
I particularly enjoyed Part 1 which manages to combine elements of popular realist literary fiction (e.g. the main character is having an extra-marital affair etc) with an intriguing sci-fi premise (the main character keeps finding himself on an alien spaceship, but it’s not clear why – and the other people/beings on board don’t seem too clear about it either).
Part 2 sees the action move to a different planet and the focus of the novel shifts to more conventional sci-fi/fantasy territory. However, it is still quite ambitious in its attempt to depict the interplay between different racial/cultural/religious groups (Part 2 reminded me of the late Iain Banks’ “Culture” novels and Frank Herbert’s “Dune” series).
For a longer review, see http://www.paulsamael.com/blog/shen-b...
You can download the book here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
I particularly enjoyed Part 1 which manages to combine elements of popular realist literary fiction (e.g. the main character is having an extra-marital affair etc) with an intriguing sci-fi premise (the main character keeps finding himself on an alien spaceship, but it’s not clear why – and the other people/beings on board don’t seem too clear about it either).
Part 2 sees the action move to a different planet and the focus of the novel shifts to more conventional sci-fi/fantasy territory. However, it is still quite ambitious in its attempt to depict the interplay between different racial/cultural/religious groups (Part 2 reminded me of the late Iain Banks’ “Culture” novels and Frank Herbert’s “Dune” series).
For a longer review, see http://www.paulsamael.com/blog/shen-b...
You can download the book here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews