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Willful Child #2
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty
From New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson comes Willful Wrath of Betty , a new Science Fiction novel of devil-may-care, near calamitous, and downright chaotic adventures through the infinite vastness of interstellar space.
These are the voyages of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child . Its ongoing to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the...
And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child.
The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series has taken his lifelong passion for Star Trek and transformed it into a smart, inventive, and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-high-tech-gadgets-along-the-way, overblown adventure. The result is an Science Fiction novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.
These are the voyages of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child . Its ongoing to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the...
And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child.
The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series has taken his lifelong passion for Star Trek and transformed it into a smart, inventive, and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-high-tech-gadgets-along-the-way, overblown adventure. The result is an Science Fiction novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 18, 2016
53 people are currently reading
1033 people want to read
About the author
Steven Erikson
129 books15.1k followersSteven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
November 8, 2016
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/11/04/...
UPDATED: Sci-Fi Month Giveaway (US/Canada) for 2 copies of Wrath of Betty running 11/4/16-11/13/16 https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/11/04/...
Calling all Starfleet personnel: if you’ve ever found yourself hankering for a homage or parody of your favorite sci-fi franchise, you might just want to take a closer look at this humorous space opera by Steven Erikson of Malazan fame. While it’s true I don’t usually go for “spoofy” books such as these, when it comes to my beloved Star Trek though, you can be sure all bets are off.
These are the voyages of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to blindly stumble upon strange new worlds, to be a huge pain in the ass to every new life and civilization it meets, to boldly go where no author has dared go before. Erikson has certainly pulled out all the stops for this one, and if you’ve read the first book, then you’ll already know that this series is very different from his fantasy. The style of humor is also bound to raise a few eyebrows, especially if you’re not prepared for it. Suffice to say, it can be a little (okay, maybe a lot) on the crass side. Well, you have been warned.
Still, considering the prime source of inspiration seems to come from Star Trek: The Original Series, it’s easy to see why there might be plenty of material for Erikson to play with. His Captain Hadrian A. Sawback is a lot like Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk with his bluster and libido dialed up to eleventy-billion (though apparently he also looks a lot like Chris Pine, enough to be his stand-in). Meanwhile, all the members of Sawback’s bumbling crew have characteristics that will no doubt remind readers of characters not just from the 60s shows, but from all the other series and movies as well.
While the title is an obvious nod to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the hirsute Captain Betty of the Klang fleet actually receives very little page-time in this rowdy romp through space and time, in spite of his vow to destroy his archnemesis Captain Hadrian Sawback. The story is once again told in a style that kind of emulates the “episodic” format of a TV series, with the outrageous events of the plot flowing from one hilarious calamity to the next. I didn’t think it would be possible, but this follow-up to Willful Child might be even wilder, zanier, and more unrestrained than the first book. The satirical tone is also more forceful and cutting in this one, almost like Erikson has realized just how far he could push the envelope when it comes to the genre, and he’s endeavored to outdo even himself for this second novel. This escalation can be seen as Hadrian and Co. are thrown in increasingly deeper waters and more absurd situations, including a howling good scene where they find themselves trapped at an early 21st Century Comicon. As you can imagine, Galaxy Quest-levels of hilarity ensue.
The characters are also given a lot more depth—to the extent that it is possible in a spoof such as this. We see the return of many members of the bridge crew as well as the introduction of several new ones, forming an eccentric collection of personalities that signal no end to the fun in sight. As well, those who enjoyed the character dynamics from the first book will probably be pleased to see more of the same in this follow-up, especially if you got a kick out of the vicious ripostes between Hadrian and Tammy the shipboard-artificial-intelligence-and-sometimes-chicken from the future.
From the second part of that last sentence alone, you can probably guess there will be no serious majestic sweeping space epic here. But if you are a fan of Family Guy or The Simpsons-type satire and humor, then the snappy and suggestive dialogue together with the fast-almost-frenetic pacing of Willful Child: Wrath of Betty will give you more than you bargained for. I’ll admit, if this had been a spoof on anything else other than Star Trek, I might not have been quite so taken with it, but in general I think this series has a lot to offer for fans of sci-fi humor. Erikson’s main inspiration aside, you’ll also find him mercilessly/lovingly riffing on other franchises like Star Wars as well as many of the genre’s most popular tropes. All this amounts to plenty of laughs and never a dull moment.
UPDATED: Sci-Fi Month Giveaway (US/Canada) for 2 copies of Wrath of Betty running 11/4/16-11/13/16 https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/11/04/...
Calling all Starfleet personnel: if you’ve ever found yourself hankering for a homage or parody of your favorite sci-fi franchise, you might just want to take a closer look at this humorous space opera by Steven Erikson of Malazan fame. While it’s true I don’t usually go for “spoofy” books such as these, when it comes to my beloved Star Trek though, you can be sure all bets are off.
These are the voyages of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to blindly stumble upon strange new worlds, to be a huge pain in the ass to every new life and civilization it meets, to boldly go where no author has dared go before. Erikson has certainly pulled out all the stops for this one, and if you’ve read the first book, then you’ll already know that this series is very different from his fantasy. The style of humor is also bound to raise a few eyebrows, especially if you’re not prepared for it. Suffice to say, it can be a little (okay, maybe a lot) on the crass side. Well, you have been warned.
Still, considering the prime source of inspiration seems to come from Star Trek: The Original Series, it’s easy to see why there might be plenty of material for Erikson to play with. His Captain Hadrian A. Sawback is a lot like Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk with his bluster and libido dialed up to eleventy-billion (though apparently he also looks a lot like Chris Pine, enough to be his stand-in). Meanwhile, all the members of Sawback’s bumbling crew have characteristics that will no doubt remind readers of characters not just from the 60s shows, but from all the other series and movies as well.
While the title is an obvious nod to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the hirsute Captain Betty of the Klang fleet actually receives very little page-time in this rowdy romp through space and time, in spite of his vow to destroy his archnemesis Captain Hadrian Sawback. The story is once again told in a style that kind of emulates the “episodic” format of a TV series, with the outrageous events of the plot flowing from one hilarious calamity to the next. I didn’t think it would be possible, but this follow-up to Willful Child might be even wilder, zanier, and more unrestrained than the first book. The satirical tone is also more forceful and cutting in this one, almost like Erikson has realized just how far he could push the envelope when it comes to the genre, and he’s endeavored to outdo even himself for this second novel. This escalation can be seen as Hadrian and Co. are thrown in increasingly deeper waters and more absurd situations, including a howling good scene where they find themselves trapped at an early 21st Century Comicon. As you can imagine, Galaxy Quest-levels of hilarity ensue.
The characters are also given a lot more depth—to the extent that it is possible in a spoof such as this. We see the return of many members of the bridge crew as well as the introduction of several new ones, forming an eccentric collection of personalities that signal no end to the fun in sight. As well, those who enjoyed the character dynamics from the first book will probably be pleased to see more of the same in this follow-up, especially if you got a kick out of the vicious ripostes between Hadrian and Tammy the shipboard-artificial-intelligence-and-sometimes-chicken from the future.
From the second part of that last sentence alone, you can probably guess there will be no serious majestic sweeping space epic here. But if you are a fan of Family Guy or The Simpsons-type satire and humor, then the snappy and suggestive dialogue together with the fast-almost-frenetic pacing of Willful Child: Wrath of Betty will give you more than you bargained for. I’ll admit, if this had been a spoof on anything else other than Star Trek, I might not have been quite so taken with it, but in general I think this series has a lot to offer for fans of sci-fi humor. Erikson’s main inspiration aside, you’ll also find him mercilessly/lovingly riffing on other franchises like Star Wars as well as many of the genre’s most popular tropes. All this amounts to plenty of laughs and never a dull moment.
November 14, 2018
Whereas the first Willful Child was a harrowingly wicked and smart loving/parody of Star Trek with an episodic feel barrelling down to the eventual discovery of Tammy's origins, the Wrath of Betty feels more like a movie tie-in.
Which is only fair, considering the title.
Fascinating references include time travel to Comicon in 2015 to find the missing Krill, dark universe hijinx with women commanding all the battleships, (including a female doppelganger for our favorite insane MC), and plenty of gorgeous and delightful references to other SFnal universes like Wall-E and Star Wars... because everyone should be heckled.
Including Sad Puppies. It was pretty glorious to join our heroes in the takedown that egalitarian utopia based on respect and reason, relocating them the way a nuclear bomb can relocate atoms in the wind of desolation. Obviously, the SJWs are the greater evil. Bigotry and wanton destruction is our species birthright. Huah.
Am I a big fan? Oh yeah. So much happens, so many SHARP commentaries, so many unbelievably wicked satirical moments.
These are the continuing adventures of the Willful Child, promoting the cloning of a boss's literal asshole to a shipful of aliens who all willingly severed a thumb to ceremonially place in the said asshole.
A bit edgy? Perhaps. But also funny as hell.
Which is only fair, considering the title.
Fascinating references include time travel to Comicon in 2015 to find the missing Krill, dark universe hijinx with women commanding all the battleships, (including a female doppelganger for our favorite insane MC), and plenty of gorgeous and delightful references to other SFnal universes like Wall-E and Star Wars... because everyone should be heckled.
Including Sad Puppies. It was pretty glorious to join our heroes in the takedown that egalitarian utopia based on respect and reason, relocating them the way a nuclear bomb can relocate atoms in the wind of desolation. Obviously, the SJWs are the greater evil. Bigotry and wanton destruction is our species birthright. Huah.
Am I a big fan? Oh yeah. So much happens, so many SHARP commentaries, so many unbelievably wicked satirical moments.
These are the continuing adventures of the Willful Child, promoting the cloning of a boss's literal asshole to a shipful of aliens who all willingly severed a thumb to ceremonially place in the said asshole.
A bit edgy? Perhaps. But also funny as hell.
October 14, 2018
Rather disappointing. I liked first book but this one didn't work for me. Humor misses more that it hits for me but the bigger problem was constant criticism of modern society.Does Erikson have a point on all those criticism? Yes but every spoof turns into one critique or a another with the same point over and over again. Every episodic adventure blended together in my mind and hour after finishing a book I have trouble remembering individual adventures.
Every good joke and pun got lost in ton of bad ones and satire dulled by sheer amount of it.
Every good joke and pun got lost in ton of bad ones and satire dulled by sheer amount of it.
March 28, 2018
This book takes place in space. The book is about captain Hadrian Sawback of the AFS Willful Child. Overall there isn't much of a main plot, the book is basically a bunch of short stories taped together. There is a theme of them trying to save humanity, but it usually gets pushed to the back. This book is basically one big joke, and is a knockoff of Star Trek, specifically the episodes where they destroy a planet's government and leave its inhabitants to fend for themselves.
Overall I thought this book was great, despite the fact that the entire book is completely ridiculous. The story was extremely entertaining and hilarious, although none of it really made any sense. To sum it up the story was ridiculous not at all serious in any sense. To me it seems that this book was the author just writing the most ridiculous things he could think of.
This book left me feeling confused and amused, which was probably the author's goal. I would recommend this book to sci fi fans with a good sense of humor and a day or two to waste.
Overall I thought this book was great, despite the fact that the entire book is completely ridiculous. The story was extremely entertaining and hilarious, although none of it really made any sense. To sum it up the story was ridiculous not at all serious in any sense. To me it seems that this book was the author just writing the most ridiculous things he could think of.
This book left me feeling confused and amused, which was probably the author's goal. I would recommend this book to sci fi fans with a good sense of humor and a day or two to waste.
June 30, 2017
Steven Erikson, the author of the grim and gritty Malazan Book the Fallen series, has gone in a completely different direction with his two Willful Child books. Both “Willful Child” (the first), and “Willful Child: Wrath of Betty” (Tor, $25.99, 352 pages) are both a homage and a sendup of Star Trek, and though “Wrath of Betty” isn’t quite as consistently hilarious as volume one, it’s still got more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.
Captain Hadrian Sawback and the crew of the Willful Child are out to save the galaxy, and it’s hard to tell if Sawback’s R-rated (and not for violence) leadership is successful due to blind luck or some undefined skill. Sawback, though, is convinced of his genius, and naturally sends himself to various planets to deal with aliens and imminent threats to civilization as we know it. Along with him come a motley crew of colleagues who somehow stumble to savior status while traversing the very familiar ground of the Star Trek oeuvre.
No, “Willful Child: Wrath of Betty” will not rock your world. But it will make you smile, and that counts for something.
Captain Hadrian Sawback and the crew of the Willful Child are out to save the galaxy, and it’s hard to tell if Sawback’s R-rated (and not for violence) leadership is successful due to blind luck or some undefined skill. Sawback, though, is convinced of his genius, and naturally sends himself to various planets to deal with aliens and imminent threats to civilization as we know it. Along with him come a motley crew of colleagues who somehow stumble to savior status while traversing the very familiar ground of the Star Trek oeuvre.
No, “Willful Child: Wrath of Betty” will not rock your world. But it will make you smile, and that counts for something.
August 31, 2016
I was extremely curious about Willful Child when it was announced that Steven Erikson would be publishing a Star Trek spoof. God knows I've never been a Star Trek fan myself, but I was looking forward to reading Erikson's homage/parody. Considering how fun and humorous the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas have always been, such a spoof promised to be hilarious. And Willful Child was just that!
So when I received a galley of the sequel, you can be sure that it went to the top of the pile! This being the second volume and reviewers should now know better, one can only hope that we won't be seeing negative and luke-warm reviews from readers expecting a blistering and fascinating foray into science fiction by the author. How could anyone have had such expectations after reading the cover blurb for the first installment, I'll never know. This book/series was always meant to be a parody. Anyone expecting something dense and thought-provoking, or the Bridgeburners in space, was smoking some pretty potent stuff. To those who thoroughly enjoyed Willful Child, I can tell you that this sequel is just as fun and entertaining as its predecessor.
Here's the blurb:
From New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson comes a new Science Fiction novel of devil-may-care, near calamitous, and downright chaotic adventures through the infinite vastness of interstellar space.
The continuing adventures of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the...
And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child for a series of devil-may-care, near-calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through ‘the infinite vastness of interstellar space.'
The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series has taken his lifelong passion for Star Trek and transformed it into a smart, inventive, and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-high-tech-gadgets-along-the-way, overblown adventure. The result is an Science Fiction novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.
Steven Erikson has accustomed us to multilayered worldbuilding that resounds with depth, but once again this aspect takes a backseat in this new Star Trek spoof. As was the case in Willful Child, we get just enough to keep the story moving forward. This is a parody/comedy and nothing gets in the way of the rhythm so that the jokes and weird/funny situations keep on coming. And believe you me: They keep on coming! It appears that Erikson was gunning for at least a laugh/chuckle on every single page and it's pretty much what we get. Once more, Willful Child: Wrath of Betty isn't a work that takes itself too seriously and it's a joyride from start to finish!
Following the hilarious misadventures of Captain Hadrian Sawback continues to be a riot. Sexist, incompetent, rude, too full of himself, and downright dumb at times, it's nonetheless impossible not to root for the poor guy. In every way, the man remains an over-the-top parody of the memorable Captain Kirk. Old-fashioned sexism, racism, and xenophobia often characterize his character, making him a throwback male protagonist from the 60S or the 70s. The Affiliation and Fleet Command have had it with Sawback due to the events chronicled in the first book, and they send the charismatic Captain Hans Olo of the AFS Century Warbler and A.C.P. Security Field Agent Rand Humblenot to shadow the Willful Child and make sure that they can be there to take action whenever Captain Sawback screws up again. And to speed up the man's demise if the opportunity were to present itself. The rest of the supporting cast is comprised of incompetent crew members and a number of buxom female officers hand-picked by the captain for their looks and nothing else, as well as the recalcitrant chicken AI Tammy, and a few odd aliens along the way. Between Sawback and his incredibly inept crew, an AI from the future who wishes to see its captain fail miserably, Affiliation officers bent on orchestring Sawback's military and personal downfall, and friendly and not-so-friendly alien species populating known and unknown parts of interstellar space, how could things possibly go well for the Willful Child and its crew? Follow them on another unexpected and fun-filled journey across time, space and dimensions!
By removing much of the depth and the details that have come to define Erikson's fantasy works, like its predecessor Willful Child: Wrath of Betty is another fast-paced novel. There is never a dull moment within its pages. Too quickly do we reach the end of the book and here's to hoping that there will be yet another sequel down the line. Although I much prefer Steven Erikson's Malazan installments, occasional fun romps like these last two wacky science fiction parodies are like a breath of fresh air that show a totally different side of the author. Time will tell just how many of these fun and entertaining scifi comedies Erikson can get away with. But as things stand, I'm persuaded that fans will clamor for yet more adventures featuring the inimitable Captain Hadrian Sawback and his crew as the voyage of the Willful Child continues.
If you are looking for a light and hilarious science fiction spoof, then Willful Child: Wrath of Betty will definitely scratch that itch! This Star Trek parody/homage, with a number of Star Wars references thrown in for good measure, continues to work incredibly well. I for one am looking forward to whatever comes next!
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
So when I received a galley of the sequel, you can be sure that it went to the top of the pile! This being the second volume and reviewers should now know better, one can only hope that we won't be seeing negative and luke-warm reviews from readers expecting a blistering and fascinating foray into science fiction by the author. How could anyone have had such expectations after reading the cover blurb for the first installment, I'll never know. This book/series was always meant to be a parody. Anyone expecting something dense and thought-provoking, or the Bridgeburners in space, was smoking some pretty potent stuff. To those who thoroughly enjoyed Willful Child, I can tell you that this sequel is just as fun and entertaining as its predecessor.
Here's the blurb:
From New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson comes a new Science Fiction novel of devil-may-care, near calamitous, and downright chaotic adventures through the infinite vastness of interstellar space.
The continuing adventures of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the...
And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child for a series of devil-may-care, near-calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through ‘the infinite vastness of interstellar space.'
The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series has taken his lifelong passion for Star Trek and transformed it into a smart, inventive, and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-high-tech-gadgets-along-the-way, overblown adventure. The result is an Science Fiction novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.
Steven Erikson has accustomed us to multilayered worldbuilding that resounds with depth, but once again this aspect takes a backseat in this new Star Trek spoof. As was the case in Willful Child, we get just enough to keep the story moving forward. This is a parody/comedy and nothing gets in the way of the rhythm so that the jokes and weird/funny situations keep on coming. And believe you me: They keep on coming! It appears that Erikson was gunning for at least a laugh/chuckle on every single page and it's pretty much what we get. Once more, Willful Child: Wrath of Betty isn't a work that takes itself too seriously and it's a joyride from start to finish!
Following the hilarious misadventures of Captain Hadrian Sawback continues to be a riot. Sexist, incompetent, rude, too full of himself, and downright dumb at times, it's nonetheless impossible not to root for the poor guy. In every way, the man remains an over-the-top parody of the memorable Captain Kirk. Old-fashioned sexism, racism, and xenophobia often characterize his character, making him a throwback male protagonist from the 60S or the 70s. The Affiliation and Fleet Command have had it with Sawback due to the events chronicled in the first book, and they send the charismatic Captain Hans Olo of the AFS Century Warbler and A.C.P. Security Field Agent Rand Humblenot to shadow the Willful Child and make sure that they can be there to take action whenever Captain Sawback screws up again. And to speed up the man's demise if the opportunity were to present itself. The rest of the supporting cast is comprised of incompetent crew members and a number of buxom female officers hand-picked by the captain for their looks and nothing else, as well as the recalcitrant chicken AI Tammy, and a few odd aliens along the way. Between Sawback and his incredibly inept crew, an AI from the future who wishes to see its captain fail miserably, Affiliation officers bent on orchestring Sawback's military and personal downfall, and friendly and not-so-friendly alien species populating known and unknown parts of interstellar space, how could things possibly go well for the Willful Child and its crew? Follow them on another unexpected and fun-filled journey across time, space and dimensions!
By removing much of the depth and the details that have come to define Erikson's fantasy works, like its predecessor Willful Child: Wrath of Betty is another fast-paced novel. There is never a dull moment within its pages. Too quickly do we reach the end of the book and here's to hoping that there will be yet another sequel down the line. Although I much prefer Steven Erikson's Malazan installments, occasional fun romps like these last two wacky science fiction parodies are like a breath of fresh air that show a totally different side of the author. Time will tell just how many of these fun and entertaining scifi comedies Erikson can get away with. But as things stand, I'm persuaded that fans will clamor for yet more adventures featuring the inimitable Captain Hadrian Sawback and his crew as the voyage of the Willful Child continues.
If you are looking for a light and hilarious science fiction spoof, then Willful Child: Wrath of Betty will definitely scratch that itch! This Star Trek parody/homage, with a number of Star Wars references thrown in for good measure, continues to work incredibly well. I for one am looking forward to whatever comes next!
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
Read
March 17, 2019The Willful Child series of stories by Steven Erikson is the funniest shit I have ever read.
The funniest shit.
It seems like low-brow slapstick comedy at first glance, and it is! But, it's also very intelligent humor as far as I'm concerned. Erikson makes fun of pretty much everything, and a page doesn't go by when I'm not laughing, many times out loud. This book is just a blast to read, and I look forward to re-reads from time to time.
Sure, it's NOTHING like the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. And that's ok. I have the Malazan Book of the Fallen if I want the deep, brutal, thought-provoking fantasy.
I highly, highly recommend this book if you're any kind of Star Trek fan with a good sense of humor.
The funniest shit.
It seems like low-brow slapstick comedy at first glance, and it is! But, it's also very intelligent humor as far as I'm concerned. Erikson makes fun of pretty much everything, and a page doesn't go by when I'm not laughing, many times out loud. This book is just a blast to read, and I look forward to re-reads from time to time.
Sure, it's NOTHING like the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. And that's ok. I have the Malazan Book of the Fallen if I want the deep, brutal, thought-provoking fantasy.
I highly, highly recommend this book if you're any kind of Star Trek fan with a good sense of humor.
June 10, 2025
OK, so DNF at 50%
Wait, what. How come, you ask! After all, did you not rate the first book, Willful Child, with a most solid 5/5,? Was it not totally fun, amazing, splendid, spectacular, and whatnot? Yup, it was.
And the second book isn't.
In a nutshell, Wrath of Betty can be summed as:
CANADA > USA.
Yup, that's it. The entire book is one giant not-so-subtle, tongue-in-cheek Canada good, Murka bad allegory. This might be ok for a political satire. But I be under the impression that I be reading a humorous sci-fi novel, hurr. Moreover, a sequel to the wonderful Willful Child no less!
Every few paragraphs, there's a snide remark that takes away from the story, diminishes the humor, becomes less and less funny with each repetition, and around the 50% mark becomes contemporary North American politics of the 2020s. Not interested. There's a reason why I avoid mainstream news. I definitely don't want those same news paraphrased through a book that is meant to be a solid sci-fi parody. For some people, this may be cathartic or whatever. For me, its exhausting, unnecessary, and irrelevant.
I'm only bringing this up because Willful Child established what Willful Child ought to be. I'm merely following the rules the author set in the first book.
Wrath of Betty has almost none of the charm. The composition, this time around, is:
60% North American politics and contemporary social issues
30% Douglas Adams (only more forced and less funny)
10% Quintessential Willful Childness
So yeah. Disappointed. Oh well. WARP 2 engage.
Igor
Wait, what. How come, you ask! After all, did you not rate the first book, Willful Child, with a most solid 5/5,? Was it not totally fun, amazing, splendid, spectacular, and whatnot? Yup, it was.
And the second book isn't.
In a nutshell, Wrath of Betty can be summed as:
CANADA > USA.
Yup, that's it. The entire book is one giant not-so-subtle, tongue-in-cheek Canada good, Murka bad allegory. This might be ok for a political satire. But I be under the impression that I be reading a humorous sci-fi novel, hurr. Moreover, a sequel to the wonderful Willful Child no less!
Every few paragraphs, there's a snide remark that takes away from the story, diminishes the humor, becomes less and less funny with each repetition, and around the 50% mark becomes contemporary North American politics of the 2020s. Not interested. There's a reason why I avoid mainstream news. I definitely don't want those same news paraphrased through a book that is meant to be a solid sci-fi parody. For some people, this may be cathartic or whatever. For me, its exhausting, unnecessary, and irrelevant.
I'm only bringing this up because Willful Child established what Willful Child ought to be. I'm merely following the rules the author set in the first book.
Wrath of Betty has almost none of the charm. The composition, this time around, is:
60% North American politics and contemporary social issues
30% Douglas Adams (only more forced and less funny)
10% Quintessential Willful Childness
So yeah. Disappointed. Oh well. WARP 2 engage.
Igor
August 6, 2021
A fitting sequal to the first in the series. I am still digesting it as I turned the last page about ten minutes ago. I am also still laughing at the one liners (Ah, Beta...**sigh**) and the extended situational comedy (ComicCon appearance = inspired in the handling of a cliché).
Read
April 14, 2025Enjoyed it about as much as the first. Though it was funny, the satirical misogyny is out of the window which is nice as it got old pretty quick.
Fun space adventures not much to say. Didnt blow my socks off but I like it.
My man can't top the lofty lofty heights of Malazan
Fun space adventures not much to say. Didnt blow my socks off but I like it.
My man can't top the lofty lofty heights of Malazan
August 6, 2021
Hilarious!
November 10, 2017
J’ai souhaité, j’ai été exhaussé, Willful Child sera une série et il y aura plusieurs romans. Après avoir lu le premier livre 2 fois, j’étais dû pour de nouvelles aventure de Adrian Sawback ainsi que son équipage totalement déganté. Le premier livre m’avais fait rire au larme par moment, ricanné au moins 1 chapitre sur 2 et m’avait carrément laisser sur ma faim. Donc est-ce qu’un livre supplémentaire aura eu le résultat escompté, voici donc ce que j’en ai pensé.
L’histoire continue et sur la même lancé on a droit encore une fois à un contenu épisodique de plus ou moins 5 aventures condensé dans un roman. Cependant, l’auteur a régler un très gros défaut du premier livre, celui de s’essouffler avant la fin du livre. On a droit ici à une œuvre beaucoup plus stable et surtout beaucoup plus travaillé. On voit que Erickson a écouté les critique et qu’il a décidé d’amélioré son œuvre pour qu’elle puisse être produite sous forme d’une série plutôt qu’un one-shot. En plus, cette fois-ci, on a droit à des moment où le capitaine n’est pas là et on peut de cette manière approfondir les relation et le background des personnages. Donc dans son desing et dans sa présentation ce livre est de loin un amélioration sur le précédent.
Au niveau du contenu, il faut savoir que Steven Erikson est un auteur très cultivé et intellectuel. Il est intelligent, posé et surtout très créatif. Par contre, si vous avez déjà lu Malazan Book of the Fallen, vous allez savoir que Erikson peut être pesant et pousser son histoire dans des retranchement où le cerveau lui-même peut se briser (je suis une victime avoué). Bien qu’une œuvre parodique et de loin plus légère que Malazan, ce livre à des moment où on a le choix de relire 3-4 fois pour comprendre ou comme pour Malazan passé, lire plus loin et espérer comprendre plus tard. Que ce soit sur les appartés de l’auteur sur le voyage dans le temps, sur les paradoxes temporelle ou sur des concept inter-culturels; voir même un mélange des trois, ce livre a dequoi donner mal à la tête même à un physicien s’il s’attarde à essayer de tout comprendre. C’est sur c’est de la science fiction parodier, mais la pesanteur de certains concept m’ont parfois donné mal à la tête et sa pourrait en décourager plusieurs. Surtout si vous d’appréciez pas ce livre pour ce qu’il est.
Comme c’est une parodie, la question reste de savoir est-ce que l’auteur frappe en plein dans le mille ou est-ce qu’il rate son coup. Je dois être franc, j’ai pas mal moins ri en lisant ce livre que quand j’ai lu le premier. Même ma deuxième lecture du premier livre m’a fait beaucoup rire, donc on ne peut mettre ça sur le fait d’un style qui s’estompe. Non, les gag son juste moins ridicules et je crois que l’auteur a voulu équilibré son monde pour justement pouvoir en faire une série de livre. Sa aurait été carrément impossible pour l’auteur de nous sortir gag sur gag sans s’essouffler comme c’est arrivé dans le premier livre. Imaginé 4 livre plus tard, sa serait un désastre ou l’auteur aurait juste abandonné. Donc l’humour bien que toujours présent est moins cinglant mais on pourrait dire qu’il est plus stable.
Du point de vue des clin d’oeil aux autres œuvres de science fiction je dois dire que l’auteur a beaucoup plus frappé dans le mille dans ce livre, intégrant encore plus de thèmes de star trek mais intégrant maintenant du star wars ainsi que quelques clin d’oeil à plusieurs autre œuvres classique du genre. Oui, c’est vrai, j’ai moins ri à cause des gag un peu moins cherché et moins travaillé. Mais, les clin d’oeil eux m’ont fait bien sourir et m’on rendu la lecture plus agréable. J’espere que l’auteur continuera de jongler avec ces concepts car à mon avis un humour plus facile s’y cache et bien maîtrisé ça donnera des livres encore plus intéressant à lire.
Là où je vais me plaindre un peu plus c’est la tendance qu’à eu l’auteur a tomber dans l’humour facile par moment. Les joke de penis, de caca et de pipi, c’est bien drôle mais il faut doser. Je crois sincèrement que ce qui tue le monde des comédies aujourd’hui c’est que les joke sont toutes autour du Sexe, Drogue, Alcool et du pipi/caca/pouete. Steven est plus intelligent que ça et il pourrait se tenir loin de ce style d’humour, même si l’imbécilité de ses personnage s’y prêtent bien.
Sinon, au niveau de l’écriture en général ce livre n’a pas de longueurs, la prose est facile à suivre et est plaisante à lire. On voit ici un auteur de talent et surtout d’expérience. Beaucoup critiques ce livre en disant que la prose, le débit et la cohérence du livre est mauvaise, mais je vous assure que ce n’est pas le cas. Ce livre est magnifiquement écrit, la seul chose il faut comprendre le but de l’auteur. Nous faire vivre les aventure d’un capitaine pas mal cowboy, d’un équipage pas mal imbécile et de nous faire découvrir un univers où ces personnages fittent et ne sont pas nécessairement tant différents. Ça marcherait pas si le Willful Child était le seul vaisseau à avoir un capitain un peu malade mental et le seul vaisseau à avoir un équipage bizarre. Comme on peut le voir dans ce livre tous les équipage on des défauts et tous les capitaine ont leur moment de folie. Le tout est apporté de main de maître et en bout de ligne on arrive à la fin de l’histoire ayant eu la ferme impression d’avoir lu une œuvre qui se tien. Avec un monde comme Willful Child c’est un miracle ou du moins un coup de génie d’y arriver.
Donc ma note finale s’arrêtera sur 4 étoiles et non pas 4.5 comme le premier. La raison est simple, les apartés scientifiques, robotiques, temporelles et inter-culturelles m’ont carrément fatigué. Ce live est supposé être une parodie et j’ai eu l’impression par moment de devoir travaillé pour pouvoir suivre le cours de l’histoire. Ça n’a pas gâché la qualité de lecture, mais trop souvent j’ai dû me dire «fuck off je continue de lire et tant pis si je comprend pas ce qui veux dire/ce qui se passe». Il faudrait presque je je relise le roman une deuxième fois pour m’assurer d’avoir bien compris plusieurs passage que j’ai refuser de relire pour peut-être bien comprendre. Ce défaut est important car il va poussé des gens à abandonné cette série car ils vont croire que l’ensemble de l’oeuvre sera incompréhensible. Je sous assure ce n’est pas le cas et plusieurs passages sont réellement du bonbon à lire. Il faut juste passé par dessu le fait que l’auteur est brillant et nous le montre peut-être sans s’en rendre compte.
Pour conclure, ce roman est vraiment bon, un peu moins accessible que le premier livre à mon avis, mais tout de même une superbe parodie de star trek avec des clin d’oeils à la science fiction en générale. Ce livre est peut-être moins ridicule et drôle que le précédent, il en reste quand même divertissant et surtout mieux dosé. Je suis donc content d’avoir eu mon souhait exhausser et j’ai hate de lire la suite de ce livre car oui l’aventure continue dans un troisième volume. Recommandé pour les fan de science fiction et pour les fan de star trek qui ont pas un bâton dans le cul (désoler mais ceux qui disent que ce livre insulte star trek et sont outragés allez voir Printlip pour qu’il vous enlève le dit bâton, vous allez vous sentir mieux). Une très bonne parodie.
L’histoire continue et sur la même lancé on a droit encore une fois à un contenu épisodique de plus ou moins 5 aventures condensé dans un roman. Cependant, l’auteur a régler un très gros défaut du premier livre, celui de s’essouffler avant la fin du livre. On a droit ici à une œuvre beaucoup plus stable et surtout beaucoup plus travaillé. On voit que Erickson a écouté les critique et qu’il a décidé d’amélioré son œuvre pour qu’elle puisse être produite sous forme d’une série plutôt qu’un one-shot. En plus, cette fois-ci, on a droit à des moment où le capitaine n’est pas là et on peut de cette manière approfondir les relation et le background des personnages. Donc dans son desing et dans sa présentation ce livre est de loin un amélioration sur le précédent.
Au niveau du contenu, il faut savoir que Steven Erikson est un auteur très cultivé et intellectuel. Il est intelligent, posé et surtout très créatif. Par contre, si vous avez déjà lu Malazan Book of the Fallen, vous allez savoir que Erikson peut être pesant et pousser son histoire dans des retranchement où le cerveau lui-même peut se briser (je suis une victime avoué). Bien qu’une œuvre parodique et de loin plus légère que Malazan, ce livre à des moment où on a le choix de relire 3-4 fois pour comprendre ou comme pour Malazan passé, lire plus loin et espérer comprendre plus tard. Que ce soit sur les appartés de l’auteur sur le voyage dans le temps, sur les paradoxes temporelle ou sur des concept inter-culturels; voir même un mélange des trois, ce livre a dequoi donner mal à la tête même à un physicien s’il s’attarde à essayer de tout comprendre. C’est sur c’est de la science fiction parodier, mais la pesanteur de certains concept m’ont parfois donné mal à la tête et sa pourrait en décourager plusieurs. Surtout si vous d’appréciez pas ce livre pour ce qu’il est.
Comme c’est une parodie, la question reste de savoir est-ce que l’auteur frappe en plein dans le mille ou est-ce qu’il rate son coup. Je dois être franc, j’ai pas mal moins ri en lisant ce livre que quand j’ai lu le premier. Même ma deuxième lecture du premier livre m’a fait beaucoup rire, donc on ne peut mettre ça sur le fait d’un style qui s’estompe. Non, les gag son juste moins ridicules et je crois que l’auteur a voulu équilibré son monde pour justement pouvoir en faire une série de livre. Sa aurait été carrément impossible pour l’auteur de nous sortir gag sur gag sans s’essouffler comme c’est arrivé dans le premier livre. Imaginé 4 livre plus tard, sa serait un désastre ou l’auteur aurait juste abandonné. Donc l’humour bien que toujours présent est moins cinglant mais on pourrait dire qu’il est plus stable.
Du point de vue des clin d’oeil aux autres œuvres de science fiction je dois dire que l’auteur a beaucoup plus frappé dans le mille dans ce livre, intégrant encore plus de thèmes de star trek mais intégrant maintenant du star wars ainsi que quelques clin d’oeil à plusieurs autre œuvres classique du genre. Oui, c’est vrai, j’ai moins ri à cause des gag un peu moins cherché et moins travaillé. Mais, les clin d’oeil eux m’ont fait bien sourir et m’on rendu la lecture plus agréable. J’espere que l’auteur continuera de jongler avec ces concepts car à mon avis un humour plus facile s’y cache et bien maîtrisé ça donnera des livres encore plus intéressant à lire.
Là où je vais me plaindre un peu plus c’est la tendance qu’à eu l’auteur a tomber dans l’humour facile par moment. Les joke de penis, de caca et de pipi, c’est bien drôle mais il faut doser. Je crois sincèrement que ce qui tue le monde des comédies aujourd’hui c’est que les joke sont toutes autour du Sexe, Drogue, Alcool et du pipi/caca/pouete. Steven est plus intelligent que ça et il pourrait se tenir loin de ce style d’humour, même si l’imbécilité de ses personnage s’y prêtent bien.
Sinon, au niveau de l’écriture en général ce livre n’a pas de longueurs, la prose est facile à suivre et est plaisante à lire. On voit ici un auteur de talent et surtout d’expérience. Beaucoup critiques ce livre en disant que la prose, le débit et la cohérence du livre est mauvaise, mais je vous assure que ce n’est pas le cas. Ce livre est magnifiquement écrit, la seul chose il faut comprendre le but de l’auteur. Nous faire vivre les aventure d’un capitaine pas mal cowboy, d’un équipage pas mal imbécile et de nous faire découvrir un univers où ces personnages fittent et ne sont pas nécessairement tant différents. Ça marcherait pas si le Willful Child était le seul vaisseau à avoir un capitain un peu malade mental et le seul vaisseau à avoir un équipage bizarre. Comme on peut le voir dans ce livre tous les équipage on des défauts et tous les capitaine ont leur moment de folie. Le tout est apporté de main de maître et en bout de ligne on arrive à la fin de l’histoire ayant eu la ferme impression d’avoir lu une œuvre qui se tien. Avec un monde comme Willful Child c’est un miracle ou du moins un coup de génie d’y arriver.
Donc ma note finale s’arrêtera sur 4 étoiles et non pas 4.5 comme le premier. La raison est simple, les apartés scientifiques, robotiques, temporelles et inter-culturelles m’ont carrément fatigué. Ce live est supposé être une parodie et j’ai eu l’impression par moment de devoir travaillé pour pouvoir suivre le cours de l’histoire. Ça n’a pas gâché la qualité de lecture, mais trop souvent j’ai dû me dire «fuck off je continue de lire et tant pis si je comprend pas ce qui veux dire/ce qui se passe». Il faudrait presque je je relise le roman une deuxième fois pour m’assurer d’avoir bien compris plusieurs passage que j’ai refuser de relire pour peut-être bien comprendre. Ce défaut est important car il va poussé des gens à abandonné cette série car ils vont croire que l’ensemble de l’oeuvre sera incompréhensible. Je sous assure ce n’est pas le cas et plusieurs passages sont réellement du bonbon à lire. Il faut juste passé par dessu le fait que l’auteur est brillant et nous le montre peut-être sans s’en rendre compte.
Pour conclure, ce roman est vraiment bon, un peu moins accessible que le premier livre à mon avis, mais tout de même une superbe parodie de star trek avec des clin d’oeils à la science fiction en générale. Ce livre est peut-être moins ridicule et drôle que le précédent, il en reste quand même divertissant et surtout mieux dosé. Je suis donc content d’avoir eu mon souhait exhausser et j’ai hate de lire la suite de ce livre car oui l’aventure continue dans un troisième volume. Recommandé pour les fan de science fiction et pour les fan de star trek qui ont pas un bâton dans le cul (désoler mais ceux qui disent que ce livre insulte star trek et sont outragés allez voir Printlip pour qu’il vous enlève le dit bâton, vous allez vous sentir mieux). Une très bonne parodie.
December 12, 2016
I regret that I have but five stars to give. Willful Child: Wrath of Betty is an incredible sequel to the very good Willful Child. I enjoyed every second of this.
The book follows the same pattern as the previous in the series, splitting the stories into multiple TV-like episodes with an overarching arc that provides the fireworks for the final act. Within this framework, the seemingly incompetent but perpetually successful Captain Hadrian Sawback drags his crew of misfits through harrowing adventures across space, time, and dimensions.
It's a fun, fast-paced, and hilarious spoof of primarily Star Trek with references to Star Wars, Futurama, Archer, and many other sources, and also contains some surprisingly topical explorations of themes and ideas that are germaine to our current political climate. I highly recommend this to fans of Star Trek in particular and science fiction in general.
Also, the Audible narration is incredible. MacLeod Andrews does an amazing job voicing multiple characters, aliens, androids, sound effects, holographic chickens, sentient weasels, and, well, everything. Even for people who aren't familiar with Star Trek (those poor, poor souls), the Audible book is worth listening to for Andrews alone.
The book follows the same pattern as the previous in the series, splitting the stories into multiple TV-like episodes with an overarching arc that provides the fireworks for the final act. Within this framework, the seemingly incompetent but perpetually successful Captain Hadrian Sawback drags his crew of misfits through harrowing adventures across space, time, and dimensions.
It's a fun, fast-paced, and hilarious spoof of primarily Star Trek with references to Star Wars, Futurama, Archer, and many other sources, and also contains some surprisingly topical explorations of themes and ideas that are germaine to our current political climate. I highly recommend this to fans of Star Trek in particular and science fiction in general.
Also, the Audible narration is incredible. MacLeod Andrews does an amazing job voicing multiple characters, aliens, androids, sound effects, holographic chickens, sentient weasels, and, well, everything. Even for people who aren't familiar with Star Trek (those poor, poor souls), the Audible book is worth listening to for Andrews alone.
January 6, 2017
Exhilarating, exciting and exhausting, book 2 packs even more on Captain Hadrain Sawback's plate including a jealous captain (Captain Hans Olo), time travel and multiverses all of which are handled with panache, elan and a good deal of flying by the seat of the pants.
While book 1 was a simple beast, book 2 tries to outdo it at every turn, packing in a lot more concepts and ideas making it a less easy read. There are times when you just had to take a break and times where you had to go back to re-read sentences due to the plot mechanics. The whole adventure around the comiccon while being funny and to the points, has a fair amount of missteps, derailing the momentum of the book. But overall, funny as ever, with pointed jabs at a lot of things (including Trump) and a rollercoaster ride
While book 1 was a simple beast, book 2 tries to outdo it at every turn, packing in a lot more concepts and ideas making it a less easy read. There are times when you just had to take a break and times where you had to go back to re-read sentences due to the plot mechanics. The whole adventure around the comiccon while being funny and to the points, has a fair amount of missteps, derailing the momentum of the book. But overall, funny as ever, with pointed jabs at a lot of things (including Trump) and a rollercoaster ride
September 3, 2022
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty by Steven Erikson is what I would call in-your-face narrative humor. This is less a book of ideas, and more one of puns, jokes, double entendres, and other clever wordplay. While there is a loosely structured plot behind it all, the story is completely secondary to the humor.
This is a book that's almost exhausting to read. Erikson packs a joke or a pun into almost every single sentence. Names are entirely ridiculous, dialogue is over-the-top cheesy, and the action is frantically slapstick. It's rude and ribald, rarely rising above the level of crass bathroom humor, but if you're an open-minded fan of all things Star Trek, then it works. If you're not even a casual fan . . . well, you're probably wise to avoid this at all costs, as the parody simply doesn't work if you can't appreciate the references.
Basically, this is a continuation (and an exaggeration) of the Kirk era, with all the sexism, misogyny, arrogance, and casual racism taken to the extreme. There are nods to the progressive, more socially aware aspects of the Picard era, but they really only exist to further emphasize how much of a bad-ass, self-important, womanizing space cowboy Captain Hadrian Sawback really is. It's an episodic story, flitting from scene to scene, with what almost feel like commercial breaks in between. This is not a story to be consumed in one sitting, but one to be enjoyed a few chapters at a time. More than that, and it moves beyond exhausting to become tiresome and tedious.
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty is not the best example of Erikson's humor - for that, check out his far superior Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - but still an entirely amusing diversion for Star Trek fans.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
This is a book that's almost exhausting to read. Erikson packs a joke or a pun into almost every single sentence. Names are entirely ridiculous, dialogue is over-the-top cheesy, and the action is frantically slapstick. It's rude and ribald, rarely rising above the level of crass bathroom humor, but if you're an open-minded fan of all things Star Trek, then it works. If you're not even a casual fan . . . well, you're probably wise to avoid this at all costs, as the parody simply doesn't work if you can't appreciate the references.
Basically, this is a continuation (and an exaggeration) of the Kirk era, with all the sexism, misogyny, arrogance, and casual racism taken to the extreme. There are nods to the progressive, more socially aware aspects of the Picard era, but they really only exist to further emphasize how much of a bad-ass, self-important, womanizing space cowboy Captain Hadrian Sawback really is. It's an episodic story, flitting from scene to scene, with what almost feel like commercial breaks in between. This is not a story to be consumed in one sitting, but one to be enjoyed a few chapters at a time. More than that, and it moves beyond exhausting to become tiresome and tedious.
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty is not the best example of Erikson's humor - for that, check out his far superior Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - but still an entirely amusing diversion for Star Trek fans.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.
March 12, 2017
3.5 stars from Bill, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
Disclaimer: just so you know, some of the books we review are received free from publishers
If you’re going to parody a TV series, as Steven Erikson did with Star Trek in Willful Child, then you can’t stop at just one book, can you? Think of all those other episodes ripe for the plucking! And so we’re back for more interstellar hijinks with the crew of the Starship Willful Child and their erstwhile leader Captain James T–, er, Captain Hadrian Sawbuck as they face hostile aliens, robots run Amok, Time (see what I did there?) travel, hostility from their own Federation, and perhaps most dangerous of all, rampant consumerism. The laughs come at warp speed, making Wrath of Betty a mostly successful mission, though as I noted in my review of the first book, Willful Child, humor is of course highly subjective, and so the usual your-mileage-may-vary caveat applies triply to this review.
So much happens here so semi-randomly and episodically that I’m going to eschew the usual plot summary. Basically, Sawbuck and the crew move in space, trouble ensues thanks to external forces (hostile aliens, jealous colleagues, corporate-Federation conspirators, strange phenomena) or internal issues (a semi-crazy AI ship’s computer, highly neurotic crew members), said trouble is dealt with, often causing more trouble, and then ship moves a bit further in space or time or dimensions, repeat...3.5 stars from Bill, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
Disclaimer: just so you know, some of the books we review are received free from publishers
If you’re going to parody a TV series, as Steven Erikson did with Star Trek in Willful Child, then you can’t stop at just one book, can you? Think of all those other episodes ripe for the plucking! And so we’re back for more interstellar hijinks with the crew of the Starship Willful Child and their erstwhile leader Captain James T–, er, Captain Hadrian Sawbuck as they face hostile aliens, robots run Amok, Time (see what I did there?) travel, hostility from their own Federation, and perhaps most dangerous of all, rampant consumerism. The laughs come at warp speed, making Wrath of Betty a mostly successful mission, though as I noted in my review of the first book, Willful Child, humor is of course highly subjective, and so the usual your-mileage-may-vary caveat applies triply to this review.
So much happens here so semi-randomly and episodically that I’m going to eschew the usual plot summary. Basically, Sawbuck and the crew move in space, trouble ensues thanks to external forces (hostile aliens, jealous colleagues, corporate-Federation conspirators, strange phenomena) or internal issues (a semi-crazy AI ship’s computer, highly neurotic crew members), said trouble is dealt with, often causing more trouble, and then ship moves a bit further in space or time or dimensions, repeat...3.5 stars from Bill, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
May 12, 2017
reviews.metaphorosis.com
1 star
Remember when you read that one book, and it had some really funny lines? Or maybe it was even a book that was funny overall? (Say, Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide, or Pratchett's Nation.) Imagine someone took just the funny lines and made a book out of those, and made it a parody of Star Trek to boot. Wouldn't that be funny?
In a word, no. While some of Erikson's lines and situations are funny, the book as a whole is unreadable. Even individual chapters are unreadable. I tried very, very hard, but in the end, the best I could do was to skim the latter half of the book. There's simply no effort to provide any structure or meaningful plot. It's Exaggerated Situation followed Exaggerated Situation - in many cases, the same situation, just with different labels.It's not only incomprehensible, it's dull.
This is the kind of idea that deserves a tossed-off flash piece for a convention magazine. I can't imagine how it became a full-scale book. Even writing the thing can't have been fun, and reading it (or trying to) is torture. And it's a sequel!
I didn't really enjoy what I've read of Erikson's Malazan Empire, but this is much, much worse. Those books had plots, characters, concepts. What this has is one joke, repeated over and over and over. And over. I can't recommend this unless you really, really hate Star Trek, you know it really, really well, and you can laugh at the same thing all day long. If that's not you, don't go near this book.
1 star
Remember when you read that one book, and it had some really funny lines? Or maybe it was even a book that was funny overall? (Say, Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide, or Pratchett's Nation.) Imagine someone took just the funny lines and made a book out of those, and made it a parody of Star Trek to boot. Wouldn't that be funny?
In a word, no. While some of Erikson's lines and situations are funny, the book as a whole is unreadable. Even individual chapters are unreadable. I tried very, very hard, but in the end, the best I could do was to skim the latter half of the book. There's simply no effort to provide any structure or meaningful plot. It's Exaggerated Situation followed Exaggerated Situation - in many cases, the same situation, just with different labels.It's not only incomprehensible, it's dull.
This is the kind of idea that deserves a tossed-off flash piece for a convention magazine. I can't imagine how it became a full-scale book. Even writing the thing can't have been fun, and reading it (or trying to) is torture. And it's a sequel!
I didn't really enjoy what I've read of Erikson's Malazan Empire, but this is much, much worse. Those books had plots, characters, concepts. What this has is one joke, repeated over and over and over. And over. I can't recommend this unless you really, really hate Star Trek, you know it really, really well, and you can laugh at the same thing all day long. If that's not you, don't go near this book.
July 20, 2019
This book was an improvement on the previous entry in the series.
I found myself quite engaged during the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sequence, where we saw 2015 Earth through the eyes of the crew. The satire here was easier to pick out because it wasn't filtered through the lens of an already fictional world. I especially liked the dig at people who didn't "get" Verhoeven's Starship Troopers.
I felt the satire of Trump/Americans early on in the book was a bit on the nose, as was the Walmart satire, but these sequences still felt more fully-realized than comparable sequences in the previous novel. And on the nose or not, I always appreciate the kind of anti-capitalist red meat Erikson throws in at every opportunity. I hope Karsa does socialism or green anarchism or something in Karsa Orlong Trilogy, just to mess with right-wing Malazan fans (I assume there must be some, given the military fantasy nature of the series).
Erikson's work on the Malazan books shows an author who is more than capable of evolving when needed, (particularly between the first and second entries in the series), and he's produced a better version of "Trek parody fic" here than in the previous iteration. I'm glad this series is improving and I figure I may as well see what the third (final?) book has to offer. Maybe long-form written comedy is an acquired taste?
I found myself quite engaged during the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sequence, where we saw 2015 Earth through the eyes of the crew. The satire here was easier to pick out because it wasn't filtered through the lens of an already fictional world. I especially liked the dig at people who didn't "get" Verhoeven's Starship Troopers.
I felt the satire of Trump/Americans early on in the book was a bit on the nose, as was the Walmart satire, but these sequences still felt more fully-realized than comparable sequences in the previous novel. And on the nose or not, I always appreciate the kind of anti-capitalist red meat Erikson throws in at every opportunity. I hope Karsa does socialism or green anarchism or something in Karsa Orlong Trilogy, just to mess with right-wing Malazan fans (I assume there must be some, given the military fantasy nature of the series).
Erikson's work on the Malazan books shows an author who is more than capable of evolving when needed, (particularly between the first and second entries in the series), and he's produced a better version of "Trek parody fic" here than in the previous iteration. I'm glad this series is improving and I figure I may as well see what the third (final?) book has to offer. Maybe long-form written comedy is an acquired taste?
October 8, 2018
Wochen ......
What is this book?
Watch an ep. from the latest 2017 Star Trek series and one from the latest of Seth McFarlen: Orvile. This sits just in between
Is it any good?
I rated it 5stars sure its superbly inventive, original, familiar but then still challenging and surprisingly as consistently unpredictable.
What makes it so special? Worth the rate&words
Feels like a short novella written by the best of them (that you are yet to discover). It’s funny in the 50to50 ratio vs the science&fiction.
Also unlike any other SF book there are prb 20 alien encounters and genres of such books in a quarter of a normal novel size, without sacrificing narrative, consistency, characterisation, immersion etc.
Any last words?
Yes,
I understand why Steven wrote it, but i don’t agree with actually writing it. OK not writing as obviously simply perfect(no i don’t find it any fault while i am writing this in the bus twds home)
, but publishing it. I feel (yes feel) that the char&story&action is so close to reality its not worth sharing.
What is this book?
Watch an ep. from the latest 2017 Star Trek series and one from the latest of Seth McFarlen: Orvile. This sits just in between
Is it any good?
I rated it 5stars sure its superbly inventive, original, familiar but then still challenging and surprisingly as consistently unpredictable.
What makes it so special? Worth the rate&words
Feels like a short novella written by the best of them (that you are yet to discover). It’s funny in the 50to50 ratio vs the science&fiction.
Also unlike any other SF book there are prb 20 alien encounters and genres of such books in a quarter of a normal novel size, without sacrificing narrative, consistency, characterisation, immersion etc.
Any last words?
Yes,
I understand why Steven wrote it, but i don’t agree with actually writing it. OK not writing as obviously simply perfect(no i don’t find it any fault while i am writing this in the bus twds home)
, but publishing it. I feel (yes feel) that the char&story&action is so close to reality its not worth sharing.
November 8, 2016
They're back! I'm so glad this got a sequel. I honestly don't understand why people don't love this book and its prequel.
Wrath of Betty is a better book than the first, I suspect because Erikson has figured out what he wants to do with the series. Now what he wants to do is make an uproarious satire of both space shows like Star Trek and just a satire of the mid-2010s.
This second book more than the previous one is set up in an episode format (TV series pretty please?) where for a chapter or two there is a contained plot that flows into the next episode. It's pretty nice since it means nothing ever stays and goes on too long, as books like this are prone to do.
So I still highly recommend this series to anyone who wants a book that is a hybrid of (deep breath) Star Trek, Star Trek Next Generation, Futurama, Archer, Portal, John Scalzi, Douglas Adams, Star Wars, and many more.
Wrath of Betty is a better book than the first, I suspect because Erikson has figured out what he wants to do with the series. Now what he wants to do is make an uproarious satire of both space shows like Star Trek and just a satire of the mid-2010s.
This second book more than the previous one is set up in an episode format (TV series pretty please?) where for a chapter or two there is a contained plot that flows into the next episode. It's pretty nice since it means nothing ever stays and goes on too long, as books like this are prone to do.
So I still highly recommend this series to anyone who wants a book that is a hybrid of (deep breath) Star Trek, Star Trek Next Generation, Futurama, Archer, Portal, John Scalzi, Douglas Adams, Star Wars, and many more.
March 6, 2017
This book looked like it would tick all the boxes: sci fi, homage to Star Trek, witticisms... This book is an homage and a lampoon of Star Trek. The author spares no effort in skewering any and all aspects of the beloved show. With love, mind you, with love. He goes for the easy ones as well as the hard ones. For example, Doc doesn't have a tricorder, he had a pentacorder... It would appear that the author has some strong opinions, because he also takes every opportunity to lampoon various current issues: bureaucracies, big government, little government, corporations, human and extraterrestrial rights, sexism you name it. All entertaining. The book is a constant deluge of snark. I found that a bit wearing. So, there's a lot going for this book, and some that doesn't. However, the author penned one of the greatest lines I ever read, "The sprig of parsley garnishing the plate experiences soul-crushing rejection if left uneaten." Yes, that explains it all.
May 9, 2023
“Let that be a sobering lesson to us all. When the world is full of nothing but trailer parks crammed with ill-educated nitwits chugging beer and scratching their asses, the meatheads in charge will have won.' He paused. 'On the other hand, a planet full of mewling pro-education social justice warriors will, if left alone, establish a utopian model civilization with no conflict, no inequality, and no room at all for sociopathic billionaires sucking blood from the tits of the poor - and if that ever happens, why, it'd be cancelled after the first three seasons” - Steven Erikson, Willful Child: Wrath of Betty
Aboard the A.F.S. Willful Child, Captain Hadrian Sawback takes his captive crew through eight "parables" (not episodes) in an effort to aggressively bring the Galaxy Corporation's colonization to the unsuspecting and unwelcoming masses.
Little does he know that Captain Hans Olo of the Century Warbler is bent on stopping Hadrian from being himself and saving/destroying life as they know it.
Also, there's some dude named Betty romping around looking for an excuse to fight Hadrian or surrender to him. It's a moment-by-moment decision.
This isn't meant to be taken seriously. At least, not all of it. Erikson knows how to switch gears from Malazan, so if that's what you were looking for, this ain't it. Erikson's ability to weave endless jokes (many of which went over my head) in parallel with serious social and political critique was fun. I'm glad I'm reading these as a breather from all the other heavy things I read. I'm glad I own them so I can come back to them when I need a laugh.
Aboard the A.F.S. Willful Child, Captain Hadrian Sawback takes his captive crew through eight "parables" (not episodes) in an effort to aggressively bring the Galaxy Corporation's colonization to the unsuspecting and unwelcoming masses.
Little does he know that Captain Hans Olo of the Century Warbler is bent on stopping Hadrian from being himself and saving/destroying life as they know it.
Also, there's some dude named Betty romping around looking for an excuse to fight Hadrian or surrender to him. It's a moment-by-moment decision.
This isn't meant to be taken seriously. At least, not all of it. Erikson knows how to switch gears from Malazan, so if that's what you were looking for, this ain't it. Erikson's ability to weave endless jokes (many of which went over my head) in parallel with serious social and political critique was fun. I'm glad I'm reading these as a breather from all the other heavy things I read. I'm glad I own them so I can come back to them when I need a laugh.
August 24, 2017
I loved much of Erikson's Malazan series (see Midnight Tides and Deadhouse Gates in my all time favs list) so I was intrigued to see this sci-fi spoof on the display of new books at the library. Alas, I forgot that things that are funny in Erikson-land (see Bauchelain and Korbal Broach) do not amuse me. This book has no discernable plot by page 71 when I finally threw in the towel and the characters, what little sense exists of them, are awful. I can see the parts that are meant to amuse and some of them do hit the mark, but on the whole, it's an exercise in how not to do a parody. I only threw on the second star for raising the questions why Troi ever got to hang out on the bridge and where the eff did Guinan come from in the first place.
April 13, 2019
The adventures of the AFS "Willful Child" and its captain Hadrian Sawback continue. The evil Klang aliens are trying to surrender to him in order to undermine the Affiliation's economy via sabotage; his rival captain Hans Olois plotting with the Affiliation's higher-ups to arrange for his disgraceful demise; and a bunch of temporal agents are watching him throughout time and space, causing varius screwups in the timeline.
Throughout all this, Se continues to tell his satirical story, in a manner that had me chuckling for the entirety of the week it took me to read it. Innuendo and grotesque consumerism gone wrong paint a grotesque, yet hilarious pictures of dystonian future of the universe.
Pacing remains solid, and the humour works. A lighter book, obviously, but still utterly good time.
Throughout all this, Se continues to tell his satirical story, in a manner that had me chuckling for the entirety of the week it took me to read it. Innuendo and grotesque consumerism gone wrong paint a grotesque, yet hilarious pictures of dystonian future of the universe.
Pacing remains solid, and the humour works. A lighter book, obviously, but still utterly good time.
May 9, 2020
Bookcase Club sent me this (why the hell would they send the second book in a series?) I've definitely read much better Trek parodies. The parody is so broad... There's a character named Hans Olo FFS.
Maybe I'm lost because this is the second book and I haven't read the first? I don't like any of the characters (Joss Sticks, yes that's what they call her, is most annoying so far) I don't know what's meant to be going on, there are all these monologues about the sociopathic stupidity of old Earth. Whoever this is meant for, it's not me. I quit before page 100. I have too much on my TBR to drag myself through this.
Maybe I'm lost because this is the second book and I haven't read the first? I don't like any of the characters (Joss Sticks, yes that's what they call her, is most annoying so far) I don't know what's meant to be going on, there are all these monologues about the sociopathic stupidity of old Earth. Whoever this is meant for, it's not me. I quit before page 100. I have too much on my TBR to drag myself through this.
February 9, 2018
This second in the Willful Child series is right on the same level as the first, lots of Star Trek references and piss takes, the odd jab at Star Wars (to which I'll never forgive you Erikson!!) and general geek culture as well as a few political and general cultural references.
The language is reasonably strong but its all very tongue in cheek and in most places completely mad. Don't expect flowing deep stories but do expect lots of action, madcap antics and completely pointless bits thrown in for good measure.
The language is reasonably strong but its all very tongue in cheek and in most places completely mad. Don't expect flowing deep stories but do expect lots of action, madcap antics and completely pointless bits thrown in for good measure.
June 28, 2021
I enjoyed the second book much more than the 1st one – it kind of grew on me, and I actually found it much funnier than the 1st one. Or maybe I just was in the right mood for it. However, I still don’t understand the bits about time agents, and they are COMPLETELY not funny… normally, I just skim through them. And there are a couple of other moments I feel the same about, but in general, the impression is positive, the mood is relaxing, and I feel a great respect for the author for his overwhelming versatility.
June 29, 2025
This is my favorite in the trilogy, yet it is hard to rate such a thing for each book is very episodical. Thus one rather remember certain chapters in each book rather than differentiate between the three too much. This sounds like a bad thing yet it is not. It works perfectly with the mile a minute story telling and ridiculous laugh out loud moments around each corner. Erikson barely allows you to breath. This book expands the world with alot newly added colorful characters. And the crew of the willful child gets to shine
March 30, 2018
It’s a fun little romp. My favorite two parts are the bonobo alternate universe & the part where they go back in time to comic con ala Star Trek 4. The worst part was the Trump chapter. Given the depth of Erickson’s other writing I would think his satire of this would be smarter then smug ivory tower sanctimonious liberal elitist. Unfortunately it’s not so this part just felt lazy to me. Overall I thought it was more fun than the first.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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