Sector General

Sector General #5

by James White

Four stories describe the efforts of the doctors in a futuristic hospital to treat strange creatures from outer space

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Medical, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories, Medicine, Space Opera

196 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James White was a Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories and novels. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending some early years in Canada. He became a fan of science fiction in 1941 and co-wrote two fan magazines, from 1948 to 1953 and 1952 to 1965. Encouraged by other fans, White began publishing short stories in 1953, and his first novel was published in 1957. His best-known novels were the twelve of the Sector General series, the first published in 1962 and the last after his death. White also published nine other novels, two of which were nominated for major awards, unsuccessfully.

White abhorred violence, and medical and other emergencies were the sources of dramatic tension in his stories. The "Sector General" series is regarded as defining the genre of medical science fiction, and as introducing a memorable crew of aliens. Although missing winning the most prestigious honours four times, White gained other awards for specific works and for contributions to science fiction. He was also Guest-of-Honour of several conventions.

Reviews

[Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book from the Sector General series is always a delight, and provides a sadly needed reprieve from our current political discussion climate. Everybody is rational, everybody has the greater good in mind, decisions are made with a view to the long-term outcome (the whole idea of an inter-species hospital in space is to increase the chance of friendly contact and minimise the risk of conflicts as new species are encountered), and people are just generally nice.

And White always comes up with new ideas. This 1983 volume starts with a flashback to even before the first story ever published, when two war heroes (heroes because they ended the war) are involved in a complex inter-species accident and from the difficulty of rendering help to different beings conceive the very idea of Sector General. The rest of the book are typical cases of "Alien Emergencies" handled by Dr. Conway and his staff - I really liked the fourth segment, where the Federation spares no effort to rescue the last (singular and/or plural) being(s) of a species whose original planet became uninhabitable, and whose hibernation ship was struck by a meteoroid, scattering parts over a large sector of space.

Overall, as always highly recommended, even if slightly dated.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories which focus on the puzzle solving and the medical care of weird aliens. This one is basically "space ambulance".

In the couple of decades between the first books in this series and this one, the author has noticed that women might also be doctors, and there's less painful sexism to wade through. Murchison has been transformed from nurse to pathologist, though a good portion of her involvement in the story still revolves around her appearance.

The final story of the book is ironically focused on an alien which starts out as an inexperienced female and as it matures becomes experienced, 'intelligent' and male.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a little more than the last few, for two main reasons.

First, the danger to Senior Physician Prilicla was a more interesting line of approach for the plot than the others have had recently, having a main character in danger obviously increases the tension levels and makes for an enjoyable read. The solution to the ills has a deus ex machina ring to it - but then what in this series doesn't?

I also liked the aside about MacEwan and Grawlya-Ki - more background on the hospital was a change of pace compared to the constant find, diagnose, panic and cure pattern of previous titles.

They're addictively fascinating reads. Critics have said they decline in quality after the next one so I shall just have to see for myself.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual adventures of Conway on the ambulance ship, plus a flashback to where the idea of Sector General was created.

[Darnoc Leadburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have just read only book five of twelve, but I think I can say with confidence that Sector General is becoming one of my favorite book series ever. I think I can also say with similar confidence that the strangely named *Sector General*, book five (the one I'm reviewing right now, if you haven't caught onto that), is my favorite book in the series so far. It's a collection of four short stories/novelettes/novellas (I don't know these word counts) and continues the adventures of the *Rhabwar* while giving us one outlier of a story that is probably my favorite Sector General story yet. Let's dive in.

-That new favorite of mine is "Arrival," in which an alien and a human are being deported from a spaceport for starting a riot in the name of peace. These two aliens happened to be displayed in stasis as a war-shaming memorial for hundreds of years, but now they're out there facing a divided universe and an airport incident that leaves the entire terminal filled with uninhabitable air. Will our two new heroes save their fellow passengers? And why the Hell should we care about them? Both questions that are answered with really good answers. Seriously, becoming an origin story for Sector General? Didn't see that coming, but it's just the kind of resolution that I don't expect yet love. This story gets a record-breaking (albeit light) 9/10.
-We return to Conway and the Ambulance Ship with "Survivor," where upon answering an alien distress signal, the crew of the *Rhabwar* rescues a defenseless snail-like being. Priscilla, our favorite insectoid medical officer, starts to receive strangely vivid emotional signals. Is there a correlation between the two? Maybe! But then again, one never knows... Conway receives some considerable respect and trust in this story, showing that the characters of White's Sector General really can change their attitudes in time. Overall just one of those quintessential new-alien-race Sector General stories that we (or at least, I) love, even though with time (like, two weeks) they can get a tad blurry and forgettable. 8/10.
-"Investigation" really pulls Captain Fletcher to the forefront as everyone investigates a crashed spaceship surrounded by unconscious or dead aliens that have largely had their arms chopped off. There are also forms from multiple species present. Why are the arms gone? And did, as Fletcher believes, a serial killing alien cause all this ruin? And why I am asking so many questions today? It can be annoying to see all these high-ranking space-faring officials get mad at each other over petty little violations of egos, but overall it's still got a clever finale and all that even though it's not the more distinct. 8/10.
-Finally, "Combined Operations" shows us just how important Conway and his position aboard the *Rhabwar* have become as he summons a huge fleet to help rebuild what he believes is a colonization ship made out of many cylinders, each containing a tubular lifeform that's been surgically altered at the ends inside of it. The scientific search into this species' form of reproduction and the non-medically-inclined auxiliary characters are highlights of this enjoyable and logical 8.5/10.

How can I explain why this book is my favorite of the bunch while not just parroting all of the good things I usually say about White's creativity and plotting? Well, there's the opening story, which hits its concepts right out of the park, and then there's the final story, which is like *Major Operation* but both more and less manageable at the same time and maybe even better. There's a balance in Sector General tropes while still remaining true to White's spirit here, and I don't know what other to word that praise.

There's also more balance in the way that White writes; at least, to me, I felt like it was easier to get into the narrative and that it was definitely a little less confusing at times; simply put, the prose got better. I'm still having issues remembering exactly what happened and where, but that's an issue I've had with all the Sector General books so far. There's just something about how he writes that dampens me. Still, it's less of an issue here than anywhere else, and that's good enough in my book.

I could write about this for a couple more hours but I don't think I will for both of our sakes. Instead, I'll rate it an 8.5/10 (the highest numerical rating in the series so far) and be on my way to read some other (hopefully) high quality science fiction. I will be finishing the omnibus that this is in, *Alien Emergencies*, sometime later this year. Check that review out @ Darnoc Leadeburger here on Goodreads. And if you have the misfortune to encounter a health issue before reading the next of my reviews, my deepest sympathies that you can't check yourself into Sector General in the real world. Well, not yet, anyways. :)

[Sherrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this one except the third story which was so boring

the first one was about the a relationship between an orgilian and human who was frozen in time during the only interstellar war. and them being a symbol of the war itself and the peace enusing after it. After being unfrozen and celebrated all over the galaxy , they started being annoying because they believed different species were too nice to each other and were performative and didn't mingle around . They were so unwanted there were about to be kick off the nidian planet for pedalling this idea by a major from it's nidain counterpart. As they were ejected from the planet and waiting at it's space port , a nidian driver landing a vehicle full of illesan entities crashed and cause chlorine to seep into the atmosphere leading to a shutdown of the runway leading to nothing being able to come in and out of the place. This cause a huge problem because there was only oxygen breathing entities that slowly suffocated due to seeping chlorine and at the same time illesan vaporising due to the oxygen .

the war heroes then proceeded to provide a class to the whole galaxy as the whole thing was recorded by the nidain media about working together with hudlars to save all the species on the runway , saving a dying illesan that was spiteful asking other creatures to get back and somehow escapaing leaving everyone unscathed not causing an interplaneteray war amongst races as it was either save the illesans or everyone else based on the atmosphere.

story is an amazing reflection of what humans can achieve if we put our differences aside and worked together to a common goal , and this was the backstory because the war heroes formed an idea of sector general to create and foster a more authentic bond between all species of the federation and create a real understanding that whole decreased the likelihood of war due to being nice to each other for the sake of it.


second story had my heart clinging for dear life , as MY FAV CHARACTER, PRICILIA , i thought she was gonna die , it's honestly the most emotional story for far in the past 5 books i read , as every character had such great feelings towards her ( i consider it a her , i know she is genderless , but she just radiates female energy to me) , omara , thornmaster , even captain fletcher who agreed to conway's plan to heist her out of there because of the theory of the patient they save reflecting emotions which amplified and was killing her . Loved love love this story could wax lyrical it MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURTIE.


Third story was really awesome too , about how they found segments of a ship that formed together to form an entity , i won't talk about the story much ,i found it really cool that omara really respects conway when he allowed him to like call out the whole of the monitor corps to his disposal to create the major reconstruction to save a race that was nearly exctinct . Loved the scene where fletecher was shocked as two majors and a fleet commander joined in on the operation , and the anxiety of jumping when it was completed . The creature was also super unique , altho sounded abit sexist , and there was a line from murchison in the book calling this out . i think james got a little self aware his books are abit msysiognistic , hence the line . Also loved the charesdcols gave up their planet for them. Loved the scale of the operation and dermod coming back was super cool ! and dercates ship too fucking awesome !

[Valerie]

This one also I'll keep posted as currently-reading for some time, because the first story is a mediate prequel to the series, while the other stories are from quite a bit later on. Ok, got caught up. Here's the rest.

This is one book where the dedication is very important. It reads "Dedicated to the Friends of Kilgore Trout, who treated the impossible with the contempt it deserves'. I too rarely follow up on hints like that. I should seek out Kilgore Trout, if I can. Maybe when I catch up on my backlog (nb--my wits were woolgathering: Kilgore Trout was a fictional character--a fictional alter ego of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr)

Contents:

I ACCIDENT--The general consensus is that the 'war heroes' (heroes because they'd ended it, centuries before,) have either become senile or paranoid in their fears of the danger of war in the Federation they've time-jumped into by means of their period of suspended animation. At any rate, they're considered too militant in their opposition to war.

MacEwan and Grawlya-Ki are also frustrated, because they can't bring people to understand that the Federation is inherently unstable as long as the various species stand at arms' length (or tentacle length) from each other, and maintain a painstaking politeness when they DO meet.

It could be argued that it was fortuitous that MacEwan and Grawlya-Ki found themselves mixed up in a very public accident at Retlin Complex on Nidia. But it's not that implausible, given the habit of reckless driving common among members of the smaller species (compensation, anyone?). The main difference is that the accident is in the Alien Departure Lounge, that there were press on hand, that the accident began to look like it would involve a choice between the lives of chlorine breathers and of various species of oxygen breathers, and that people who were poorly trained at first aid, but well trained in complex problem-solving, happened to be on hand.

The resolution is not surprising, since it's in the eponymous Sector General Book: but the details are worthwhile. I personally think that the Nidians should at least have consulted with the heroic rescuers over points of disaster preparation. For example, why were all the respirators Nidian-sized in the OTHER-SPECIES Departure Lounge? Why was it necessary to improvise a chlorine tent, when there should have been Illensan stretchers available?

But anyway, it's nice to see old friends get a heroic curtain call--and here's hoping they at least visited each other now and again in retirement.

II SURVIVOR--This story parallels one in Mind Changer. The survivor in this case is a shipwreck survivor. The one in Mind Changer was in an ordinary ground transport accident. Other details vary, but both stories are about generally the same capacities, and their impacts on members of other species. The main problem in this story is the impact on Prilicla, who suffers what is essentially an overload--and a potentially fatal one, for a Cinrusskin (they're not very robust, as readers of the series may have gathered). Note that although the book is titled 'Sector General', much of the action is on the Rhabwar.

III INVESTIGATION--This episode is more about how people's minds jump to reasonless suspicions than about the actual emergency experienced by the unknown spaceship crew which has made a 'good landing' ('a good landing is one you walk away from') on the planet Trugdil (this name is a serious insult in Kelgian). Note, however, that there are sound reasons to send Cultural Contact missions to Trugdil, since the 'mobile thorn-bushes' are evidently fairly intelligent, and if communication can be established, mutually beneficial commerce might be established: or at least a nonaggression treaty.

IV COMBINED OPERATION--At the end of Major Operation, Conway, fresh off treating the strata beasts of Drambo, is presented with a patient resembling the Midgard Serpent. His comment 'Small, isn't it?' is, of course a matter of relative sizes.

This story is a more complete version of that sort of thing. The colonists are capable of independent operation, but they function best when formed into trains of individuals, oldest first. These creatures are born female, and with age they grow more male. The trains consist of a variable number of individuals, with the 'head' being an elder male, and the 'tail' an immature female.

Murchison seems prone to take umbrage at the idea that the 'older, wiser' components are the males. I don't have a problem with that, since the wisdom is clearly associated with greater age. The males are not more intelligent--they're simply more experienced. And where experience grants wisdom, this would mean that the wisest are (now) male.

But it's not as simple as that. Since what's experienced by one is shared by all, it's quite likely that some of the middle elements (trending toward, but not fully, male) would be the more ingenious and imaginative, and might come up with better solutions than the more hidebound elders. And even the as yet immature females may be able to overcome their relative lack of experience, and come up with even more ingenious ideas. 'Out of the mouths of babes and striplings', and all that.

A more disturbing consideration is that the reproductively active females are (pretty much by definition) juveniles, while the reproductively active males are quite a bit older. One wonders what sort of taboos there would have to be to prevent premature fertilization of subadult 'tail' segments.

In this case, the colonists are refugees from a planet that has become uninhabitable. To create a successful colony, a superlong train was created, which contains members of many (dozens?) of smaller trains. This plan amounted to a sort of hybrid generation/hibernation ship--the best solution the colonists could come up with, given limited time to prepare and no hyperdrive capability.

And it might have worked without help, too...except for the accident. There's evidence that there had to be some surgical alteration before launch: but because there are now gaps in the chain due to the accident, the Federation has to supplement the surgery to insure compatibility. And the Federation ships have to replace the missing drive core segments. Which will only take a few hundred small ships, and about three capital ships...and a whole lot of finicky cooperation. Nothing catastrophic about that, surely?

Next in sequence, I conclude, comes Star Healer.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Actually, read in the omnubus volume Alen Emergencies.) An interesting collection of stories, the first being a prequel to the series. "Accident" has an odd little bit: the two main characters were accidentally frozen in time for a while and became an iconic image of reconciliation. The story that seemed to go on forever was "Combined Operation," which has an alien creature that's pretty unimaginable and a lot of technical stuff that's pretty unimaginable as well.

White has a huge imagination when it comes to extraterrestrials and how they might evolve and what their medical issues might be, which makes the stories entertaining. Not so good when it comes to characters. Murchison doesn't really have to be introduced in every story as some sort of bombshell, sometimes in sentences so convoluted that a reader has to chart them to get them to make sense--White being coy and maybe thinking he's being amusing. Male characters are incredibly thin-skinned, choking down outrage almost every time they're contradicted in any way; it's tiresome and weirdly unprofessional. And, yes, the main characters are male, but must every single problem be solved by a male character?

Read it for the medical problems, but not for insight into the human condition.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stories, the first and last of which are the most engaging, and the second of which is quite dull. Especially in these shorter works White is not interested in character, subtext, or observations of human nature; this is pure 'white man engineers a solution to a problem' Golden Age-esque sf, so if you're allergic to that avoid this like the plague. But the problems white male protagonist Conway solves are so interesting and unique among the sf canon (focussing on biology rather than engineering) that they remain occasionally compelling to this day. If all the human interaction bs could be elevated or eliminated this would be a much stronger work; the biological entities in distress conjured by White instill a real sense of wonder. A minor entry in a minor author's contribution to a minor field (biologically interested sf).

[R.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, it's Sector General - they're predictable in the overall shape, interesting in the details, and always entertaining. This book was interesting in that it included a story not set around the usual people and places. The reveal about who the protagonists are and how they fit in with the rest of the universe is fun and led me to hunt down another of White's short stories that didn't make it into the Sector General anthologies. Other than that story, it's pretty much the usual set of cases for the Rhabwar space ambulance and crew, each one with its own challenges and quirks. As usual, it's a good, clean, not-too-stressful way to while away a few hours.

[Daggry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these novelettes as bedtime reading—one short section to wind down, spreading out the goodness and making the few repetitions (which are what make it possible to jump in anywhere) less bothersome.

Anyway, this one actually includes the genesis of the whole Sector General idea. And how I loved it….two frozen heroes from opposing sides of a long-ago interstellar war, awakening into a world that believes non-engagement is enough to avoid hostilities forever. Oops.

What follows that vignette is standard Conway & Co. fare: Rhabwar (ambulance) edition. Medical first contact is the primary fun, with all the puzzle-solving and difference-embracing that entails. But I also enjoyed the interesting tensions between Fletcher and Conway, as they negotiate their way through who has operational versus medical command. Plus there’s the final novelette, which I found quite moving and features an alien that scales all of those challenges up. Way up. 4.5 stars

[R.A. Zuiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sector General is A series of short stories all set in the same universe. I loved the variety between the alien characters. They were all delicately designed and unique beyond the typical "human with green skin" or "human with antennae". I especially adored Dr. Prilicla, and I was deeply emotionally invested in their journey. The entire way through, I was begging for someone to find a way to help them, and was devastated when it looked like nobody would be able to. An emotional rollercoaster.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly my favourite of all the Sector General books. I love them peacefully tripping round helping out random aliens. And of course luckily all the aliens are happy to see them and lovely and peaceful

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the Kindle omnibus "Alien Emergencies". The first section is a flash back to how the hospital came to be founded but the rest of the book continues with Dr. Conway on the Rhabwar (the ambulance ship introduced in the previous book of the omnibus).

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The medical profession is underrepresented in SF. This set of short stories is about the founding and operation of a multi-species hospital to encourage peaceful interactions between species. A very upbeat read.

[Michael Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star. Having enjoyed the previous 4 books, I read this through though I was bored by it. Four stories and it never got any better and is as interesting as a medical text book on weird alien species.

[Edward Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 8th grade and was so in love with it i went to school on the final day to get it. Instead of leaving it for the janitors to clean out and now 20 odd years later i find put there are 14 more

[martbhell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains a prelude about how the Sector General came to be, finally!
Have been reading these in chronological order.

Remaining part of this book was also interesting and enjoyable.

[Georgann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the origin story. I believe our MC is becoming more likeable and less cocky. Pathologist Murchinson, promoted from nurse, is demanding respect.

[Wayne's · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Edward Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in 7th grade it was good

[Emperador Spock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book earns a weak five. There are three stories, and the medical mysteries are some of the best I've seen in the series: 'Combined Operation' is really comparable in depth, ingenuity and scope to the stories in 'Major Operation'. 'Survivor' is not as impressive, but still offers a bunch of curious symbiotic aliens. 'Accident' is the first story in the series that doesn't involve any of its main characters, and sheds some light on the origins of the Hospital Station — this time the author has successfully managed to introduce likeable new characters and an engaging action-oriented plot.

There are two things that make me ambivalent about the five-star rating:

One, the 'oxygen-breathing, warm-blooded, normal gravity' mantra is becoming tiresome. Since the ambulance ship became the stage for most of the action, the author continually and annoyingly avoids the opportunities that can be opened by other environments and organism types.

Two, the whole 'emotional radiation' business that is one of the hallmarks of the series, went up a notch in 'Survivor'. I can get used to Prilicla's seizures — grumblingly, but in this story the author doubles down on this, already way too dodgy, trope. As I said earlier, there are redeeming qualities to 'Survivor' — but 'emotional radiation' makes them what they are: redeeming.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Returning to a lovable sci fi series, I picked up this one that I hadn't read yet. I found its four novellas less emotionally involving than most of White's books, but inviting to the intellect. The exception is the first story, which shows the inception of the idea of Sector General, a hospital in space that treats every known sentient species from the galaxy and some from beyond it.

The other three stories all tell adventures on the Rhabwar, an ambulance ship fitted to answer disaster alerts from aliens the Federation hasn't yet met, and each presents a problem to be worked out by Senior Physician Conway. In "Survivor" a favorite character falls fatally ill. "Investigation" brings the crew to the surface of a barely livable planet to rescue a crew with multiple missing limbs. In "Combined Operation" Conway has to deduce the nature of his patient from the fragments of its space ship, and then figure out how to get its agreement to being treated.

James White had a remarkably inventive mind, both for alien species and for the diagnosis of their needs. I moved right on to another Rhabwar book.

[Peveril · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of four stories.
ACCIDENT goes back to tell of the incident that prompted the formation of Sector 12 General Hospital. Pretty good.
SURVIVOR and INVESTIGATION use the formula for the series - unknown species apparently in trouble Conway et al have to figure them out to find a solution. Both okay, but the formula makes it a bit repetitive. Probably better read one at a time between lots of other stories?
COMBINED OPERATION is the best of the bunch. A puzzle of sorts but a longer one, developed in stages with the drama of the evolving medical and engineering solutions detailed. More satisfactory than the preceding stories and away from the restrictions of the usual formula.
Overall an above average read but I'm sure there are better Sector General collections on my shelf and I'll get back to them some time.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of four stories and all of them very very good. The first story is a continuation of a story in an earlier book in the series. The first story was of a war memorial which was a stasis cube that had been copied for two hundred years as a warning about war. A human and an alien dying together. After 200 years of peace and the Federation growing and medical science improving, the stasis was removed and the injured heroes healed. This story is what they did with their lives after revival and it turns out they were responsible for the decision to build Sector General...what a neat connection. The other stories were equally interesting and engaging.

[Dmitry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid piece of sci-fi, this and the other books in the series are imaginative and thought provoking.
Though I must admit it probably won't make it on my "will read again" list, and some of the elements of science and tech described are betraying of it's age - I'd still recommend it to any sci-fi fan.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth book in the sector general series shows the impetus behind the creation of the hospital and a few other case studies. Still a fun and light quick read.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1984 grade B+

series book SG5

[Rosario]

Random read, a collection of short stories halfway through a series I knew nothing about. Probably not a great idea. There were 4 stories in this omnibus, and I read only the first 2.

The first one, Accident, is a kind of origin story. I gather the series is set in an intergalactic hospital for all species, and this story shows how the concept of it came to be. It stars two people who are war heroes, each from a different side. They were brought forward into the future (not sure if cryogenically frozen, or what), into a peaceful time, and so they are the only two people alive in their time who have known war. And in spite of the existing peace, they are worried. Relationships between species are now characterised by extreme, careful politeness. Every species is terrified of doing something that will offend other species. As a result, there is a great deal of distance between them. People from different species don't get to really know each other. And the men's fear is that, at some point, this will lead to war.

And then the men are involved in an accident in a spaceport. A vehicle crashes into one of the buildings, and it's all hands to the pump trying to rescue people and keep them alive. And the idea of the right forum for species getting to know one another is sparked.

I liked the concept of this, and had fun with the weird and wonderful alien species on show, but it felt kind of slight. Some parts of it also felt a bit confusingly written. Mostly, it was fine.

The second story, Survivor, is set once the intergalactic hospital is already in operation. An ambulance on a rescue mission finds a single survivor from a ship that had a really bad accident. It's an alien of a kind they've never seen before, and an extremely weird one (and that's saying quite a lot, given some of the characters here). On the way back, one of the medics, an empath, starts not feeling well, and her condition deteriorates worryingly quickly.

This one wasn't particularly good. It's a mystery, trying to figure out what happened to the sick medic. I like that concept, but felt the answer was a little bit too obvious. For me, the story really suffered because there were a lot of elements there that I felt I was supposed to understand how they worked, but I had no idea. I spent a lot of time feeling confused. I didn't dislike the story, but it didn't feel satisfying.

After those two, it didn't really seem worth it to read the other two. I felt I got a good sense of what this series is like, and it's not really my thing.

MY GRADE: This was a DNF.