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The Cruel Stars #1
The Cruel Stars
The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of “species purists” intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true “Human Republic,” the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong.
The enemy has returned and, with a brutal and decisive attack, knocks out almost all of humanity’s defenses. Now on the brink of annihilation, humankind’s only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial attack: Commander Lucinda Hardy, thrust into uncertain command of the Royal Armadalen Navy’s only surviving warship. Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason, whose time on death row is cut short when the Sturm attack his prison compound. Princess Alessia, a young royal of the Montanblanc Corporation, forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed. Sephina L’trel, the leader of an outlaw band who must call on all of her criminal skills to resist the invasion. And, finally, Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm hundreds of years ago, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all—or die trying.
These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed.
The enemy has returned and, with a brutal and decisive attack, knocks out almost all of humanity’s defenses. Now on the brink of annihilation, humankind’s only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial attack: Commander Lucinda Hardy, thrust into uncertain command of the Royal Armadalen Navy’s only surviving warship. Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason, whose time on death row is cut short when the Sturm attack his prison compound. Princess Alessia, a young royal of the Montanblanc Corporation, forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed. Sephina L’trel, the leader of an outlaw band who must call on all of her criminal skills to resist the invasion. And, finally, Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm hundreds of years ago, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all—or die trying.
These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed.
412 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2019
544 people are currently reading
7324 people want to read
About the author
John Birmingham
77 books1,158 followersJohn Birmingham grew up in Ipswich, Queensland and was educated at St Edmunds Christian Brother's College in Ipswich and the University of Queensland in Brisbane. His only stint of full time employment was as a researcher at the Defence Department. After this he returned to Queensland to study law but he did not complete his legal studies, choosing instead to pursue a career as a writer. He currently lives in Brisbane.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 448 reviews
April 30, 2019
I love space operas, space books of all sorts so I jumped at the chance to read The Cruel Stars. At first I couldn't get into the book and to be honest I think it was my mood and not the book. There were so many people in the book, I thought I would never get what was going on. That being said, I'm not one hundred percent sure of things that happened, but I got the jist of it and started to love it.
There are five groups of individuals that are going through one thing or another. This is what threw me off as I wanted to get to know the first group. They pretty much all come together in the book when they have to fight for their lives and such.
The book has plenty of blood and guts too, let me tell you! I mean that's fine with me, I'm just sayin' for those that don't like that kind of thing. There are some cannibal people things that were quite disturbing at times. There are radicals and humans and human things and stuff.... yeah.. good times. There is a war going on and there always seems to be people getting bit, ate, throwing up, yelling, cursing and what not, but it makes for a good story. I do believe my sci-fi peeps out there will enjoy this book!
*I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this crazy book.
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG
There are five groups of individuals that are going through one thing or another. This is what threw me off as I wanted to get to know the first group. They pretty much all come together in the book when they have to fight for their lives and such.
The book has plenty of blood and guts too, let me tell you! I mean that's fine with me, I'm just sayin' for those that don't like that kind of thing. There are some cannibal people things that were quite disturbing at times. There are radicals and humans and human things and stuff.... yeah.. good times. There is a war going on and there always seems to be people getting bit, ate, throwing up, yelling, cursing and what not, but it makes for a good story. I do believe my sci-fi peeps out there will enjoy this book!
*I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this crazy book.
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG
May 20, 2020
[2.5/5 stars] Although wildly entertaining, The Cruel Stars didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
It started out with a bunch of POV introductions, one at a time, that took up a good 20% of the page count. The language was a bit thick at first, and there were a few info-dump scenes where the entire conversation served no purpose but to tell the reader stuff about the character. Needless to say, it took a moment to get going.
But get going it did, and I found myself interested in most of the characters. The concept is that these slightly remarkable individuals will have to come together to save the galaxy from an elitist threat. So the culminations of events that eventually converged them together kept my interest really well. There was also a good balance between slow character development moments and action scenes (after the first 20%). When the inciting moment finally hit, I was hooked.
Up until the last few chapters, I had the book at a 4-star rating. But the way the events unfolded left me wanting. For starters, the “remarkableness” of the individuals involved didn’t play a huge role in the final conflict. What’s more, all of the interesting dynamics that had been building the whole book were reduced down to a surprisingly simple outcome. It was too simple for my tastes, taking the expansive feel of the story and reducing it down to a minuscule gunfight within a few mile radius. At least, that’s how it felt.
I loved the concept of the enemy – a group of human “purists” who are out to destroy any who have been genetically or cybernetically altered. But Birmingham didn’t really explore that much in this first book. There was a single sentence in passing that speculated on whether or not the alterations were destroying what makes people “human” at their core (implying it could eventually cause them to destroy themselves) that my mind ran with. It gave the hated enemy a really interesting ground to stand on because, theoretically, they could have an outside perspective of corruption that those ingrained in the system can’t see (or they could just be evil fanaticists… it’s hard to tell). But it got me asking questions: What does the “enemy” know that the POVs don’t?! Is there more depth here? But the problem is that none of this was explored in the text, it’s just my own conjecture.
I love profanity in books. Seriously. A well-placed f-bomb can completely elevate a scene, and I especially love when it’s used for comedic effect. But for it to work, it has to be incorporated with a certain amount of consciousness. Swearing is it’s own art form, and and based on its use in Cruel Stars, Birmingham was essentially fingerprinting with mud. The placement was random and in such great volume that it only served to make the characters sound crass and uncreative. Even its placement within each sentence made the language clunky and awkward.
So for some pacing issues, an over-simplified climax, an under-realized concept, and the chaotic use of profanity, I came away from the book disappointed in enough key elements that I probably won’t be continuing the series, but also still kind of glad I’d read it.
Recommendations: the book advertises that it’s similar to both the Expanse and Battlestar Galactica, but I thought it channeled Serenity more than anything else (if we must compare. Although it did have some similarities to the BG tangent Pegasus, but the comparison is thin). I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you’ve already read a bunch of other titles in the genre and just want some mindless action with a little humor mixed in. I was a lot more critical in this review than I usually am, but at least the book evoked something from me. And despite my objections, it was still enjoyable to read. Do with that what you will haha.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like (…better):
It started out with a bunch of POV introductions, one at a time, that took up a good 20% of the page count. The language was a bit thick at first, and there were a few info-dump scenes where the entire conversation served no purpose but to tell the reader stuff about the character. Needless to say, it took a moment to get going.
But get going it did, and I found myself interested in most of the characters. The concept is that these slightly remarkable individuals will have to come together to save the galaxy from an elitist threat. So the culminations of events that eventually converged them together kept my interest really well. There was also a good balance between slow character development moments and action scenes (after the first 20%). When the inciting moment finally hit, I was hooked.
Up until the last few chapters, I had the book at a 4-star rating. But the way the events unfolded left me wanting. For starters, the “remarkableness” of the individuals involved didn’t play a huge role in the final conflict. What’s more, all of the interesting dynamics that had been building the whole book were reduced down to a surprisingly simple outcome. It was too simple for my tastes, taking the expansive feel of the story and reducing it down to a minuscule gunfight within a few mile radius. At least, that’s how it felt.
I loved the concept of the enemy – a group of human “purists” who are out to destroy any who have been genetically or cybernetically altered. But Birmingham didn’t really explore that much in this first book. There was a single sentence in passing that speculated on whether or not the alterations were destroying what makes people “human” at their core (implying it could eventually cause them to destroy themselves) that my mind ran with. It gave the hated enemy a really interesting ground to stand on because, theoretically, they could have an outside perspective of corruption that those ingrained in the system can’t see (or they could just be evil fanaticists… it’s hard to tell). But it got me asking questions: What does the “enemy” know that the POVs don’t?! Is there more depth here? But the problem is that none of this was explored in the text, it’s just my own conjecture.
I love profanity in books. Seriously. A well-placed f-bomb can completely elevate a scene, and I especially love when it’s used for comedic effect. But for it to work, it has to be incorporated with a certain amount of consciousness. Swearing is it’s own art form, and and based on its use in Cruel Stars, Birmingham was essentially fingerprinting with mud. The placement was random and in such great volume that it only served to make the characters sound crass and uncreative. Even its placement within each sentence made the language clunky and awkward.
So for some pacing issues, an over-simplified climax, an under-realized concept, and the chaotic use of profanity, I came away from the book disappointed in enough key elements that I probably won’t be continuing the series, but also still kind of glad I’d read it.
Recommendations: the book advertises that it’s similar to both the Expanse and Battlestar Galactica, but I thought it channeled Serenity more than anything else (if we must compare. Although it did have some similarities to the BG tangent Pegasus, but the comparison is thin). I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you’ve already read a bunch of other titles in the genre and just want some mindless action with a little humor mixed in. I was a lot more critical in this review than I usually am, but at least the book evoked something from me. And despite my objections, it was still enjoyable to read. Do with that what you will haha.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like (…better):
November 24, 2019
The Cruel Stars is a military sci-fi space opera along the lines of The Expanse meets Altered Carbon and I really enjoyed it.
In the first chapters we get the POVs of 5 interesting characters: Lucinda, who ships out to her newest assignment on the warship Defiant; Professor McLennan (my personal favorite), the gruff curmudgeon astroarcheologist/historian; Sephina the space pirate (along with her motley lovable crew); 12 year old Princess Alessia; and prisoner Corporal Booker who was on death row about to be deleted.
The 6th POV is Admiral Strom, commander of the Sturm whose intent is to wipe out all humans with genetic or cybernetic enhancements.
At first it was a bit confusing as to who was who and how each person was connected, but it didn’t take long to come to the realization that the 5 “good guys” storylines all connect. I really did adore all 5 heroes.
And yes, the future sci-fi lingo was over my head for much of the book. But somewhere in there I did start to catch on and sort out what I needed to. All of it? Nope. But definitely enough to enjoy the story.
The ending was very satisfying and seems like there could be a sequel. I’m completely invested in these characters so would love to see this story continue. More, please!
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine/Del Rey Books for the advance copy!*
In the first chapters we get the POVs of 5 interesting characters: Lucinda, who ships out to her newest assignment on the warship Defiant; Professor McLennan (my personal favorite), the gruff curmudgeon astroarcheologist/historian; Sephina the space pirate (along with her motley lovable crew); 12 year old Princess Alessia; and prisoner Corporal Booker who was on death row about to be deleted.
The 6th POV is Admiral Strom, commander of the Sturm whose intent is to wipe out all humans with genetic or cybernetic enhancements.
At first it was a bit confusing as to who was who and how each person was connected, but it didn’t take long to come to the realization that the 5 “good guys” storylines all connect. I really did adore all 5 heroes.
And yes, the future sci-fi lingo was over my head for much of the book. But somewhere in there I did start to catch on and sort out what I needed to. All of it? Nope. But definitely enough to enjoy the story.
The ending was very satisfying and seems like there could be a sequel. I’m completely invested in these characters so would love to see this story continue. More, please!
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine/Del Rey Books for the advance copy!*
July 28, 2022
3.0 stars
This was a reasonably entertaining but otherwise generic space opera. It had lots of pieces I enjoy but the execution of the narrative was average at best.
This was a reasonably entertaining but otherwise generic space opera. It had lots of pieces I enjoy but the execution of the narrative was average at best.
October 1, 2022
I was very well entertained by the colorful, eccentric characters and exciting action, but also kinda horrified by the unfettered bloodlust (even the good guys have a "no prisoners, kill them all!" attitude). It's a very violent story full of gore, and at some points I wish it had had more sophisticated editing to smooth out some clunky bits and maybe reign in its wildness, but I guess it's better to be over-the-top than boring. And it was definitely never boring, and even made me laugh out loud a few times. So, it gets a thumbs up from me.
There's lesbian space pirates, giant battleships, princesses, gene-modified future humans, cyborgs, AI, a rhino-human, slavers, yakuza, and baddies who want to kill anyone not traditionally human enough for them. And each character has a big, memorable personality.
Content warning: avoid if anything triggers you, because this has everything from incredibly filthy language over cannibalism to all forms of violence and gore. But also some (brief) discussions of philosophy, religion, politics, guilt, imposter-syndrome, grief, privilege, friendship etc. It's not a mindless bloodbath, but pretty smart, and I had to look up vocabulary and references several times while reading.
There's lesbian space pirates, giant battleships, princesses, gene-modified future humans, cyborgs, AI, a rhino-human, slavers, yakuza, and baddies who want to kill anyone not traditionally human enough for them. And each character has a big, memorable personality.
Content warning: avoid if anything triggers you, because this has everything from incredibly filthy language over cannibalism to all forms of violence and gore. But also some (brief) discussions of philosophy, religion, politics, guilt, imposter-syndrome, grief, privilege, friendship etc. It's not a mindless bloodbath, but pretty smart, and I had to look up vocabulary and references several times while reading.
May 8, 2019
The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, "species purists" intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. They cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing countless people before finally being defeated. Centuries later, this sect has returned, close to the brink of victory. Now five people must work together to stand against the invaders.
3.5 stars.
Going into this book there were a lot of characters and info thrown at the reader, so it took a while to get used to and to figure things out. I was immediately drawn to the first character that was introduced, Lucinda Hardy and continued to enjoy any chapter she was in. Other characters took a little while to grow on me, but they eventually all did. McClennan in particular was crass and I could have done without some of the profane things he said, but at the same time he could be amusing as well. I think less profane language in the book in general would have been a good thing. It was excessive for me. I do wish there was a bit more character development, but with this many characters that would be hard.
I liked the mix of drama and comic relief. I thought the book had a good balance of it. There were a couple of scenes that unexpectedly had me really laughing. One involved a hedge trimmer, but that's all I'm going to say. These scenes were needed because there were some rather gruesome scenes to get through as well. In the end this wasn't a favorite, but I liked it enough that I would probably read the next book in the trilogy (at least I think it's going to be a trilogy).
Some other things I liked about the book:
-Ships that are bigger on the inside, like the Tardis.
-Loading a person's consciousness into different bodies or even machines.
-The beautiful cover.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
3.5 stars.
Going into this book there were a lot of characters and info thrown at the reader, so it took a while to get used to and to figure things out. I was immediately drawn to the first character that was introduced, Lucinda Hardy and continued to enjoy any chapter she was in. Other characters took a little while to grow on me, but they eventually all did. McClennan in particular was crass and I could have done without some of the profane things he said, but at the same time he could be amusing as well. I think less profane language in the book in general would have been a good thing. It was excessive for me. I do wish there was a bit more character development, but with this many characters that would be hard.
I liked the mix of drama and comic relief. I thought the book had a good balance of it. There were a couple of scenes that unexpectedly had me really laughing. One involved a hedge trimmer, but that's all I'm going to say. These scenes were needed because there were some rather gruesome scenes to get through as well. In the end this wasn't a favorite, but I liked it enough that I would probably read the next book in the trilogy (at least I think it's going to be a trilogy).
Some other things I liked about the book:
-Ships that are bigger on the inside, like the Tardis.
-Loading a person's consciousness into different bodies or even machines.
-The beautiful cover.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
January 2, 2020
Slow start for the series setup, but a solid beginning to this new Strine-flavored mil-SF space opera series. Once the Sturm come onstage, you'll have no further complaints. No particular fresh ground is broken (so far), but solid meat-and-potatoes reading. As always, read the publishers intro first.
I found the most impressive features of tCS to be the grand cinematic sweep of the book, which can be breathtaking -- and the interplay of the main characters. The ancient fake-Scots Grand Admiral who beat the Sturm the first time, and his near-godlike AI Intellect Minder are consistently entertaining. And the growth of Commander Hardy from guttersnipe to Ship Command is nicely-done. I would start to think that the space-Nazi business was overdone -- but then reflect on the banality of evil....
Anyway, anyone who likes fast-moving mil-sf space opera that doesn't insult your intelligence should take a look a this one. I'll very likely be reading on into the next. Solid 4 star rating.
A grace note that I would have liked to see expanded: Chief Trim, the ship's cat, inspecting the ham hock for the night's split-pea & ham soup, and pronounced it good. And, if I get energetic, I'll put in the Lao Tzu quote that made me laugh -- or rather, the Intellect's retort to Admiral McLennan's use of it.
I found the most impressive features of tCS to be the grand cinematic sweep of the book, which can be breathtaking -- and the interplay of the main characters. The ancient fake-Scots Grand Admiral who beat the Sturm the first time, and his near-godlike AI Intellect Minder are consistently entertaining. And the growth of Commander Hardy from guttersnipe to Ship Command is nicely-done. I would start to think that the space-Nazi business was overdone -- but then reflect on the banality of evil....
Anyway, anyone who likes fast-moving mil-sf space opera that doesn't insult your intelligence should take a look a this one. I'll very likely be reading on into the next. Solid 4 star rating.
A grace note that I would have liked to see expanded: Chief Trim, the ship's cat, inspecting the ham hock for the night's split-pea & ham soup, and pronounced it good. And, if I get energetic, I'll put in the Lao Tzu quote that made me laugh -- or rather, the Intellect's retort to Admiral McLennan's use of it.
December 2, 2019
A really promising start that draws comparisons to Peter F. Hamilton and Marko Kloos is let down a bit by turning into just a war between the rest of humanity and a bunch of space Nazis (a term the book even explicitly uses).
The stuff with AIs that can use dimension-folding technology and embed their intelligences in nano-scale wormholes is really cool. As is the battleships making use of the same technology to do a TARDIS-like thing. And the commentary around the "good guys" being not all that good (capitalist economies as slave economies) with a gulf between haves and have-nots that literally has the rich being immortal and the poor being forced into work camps: it's all good and makes for great world-building. The characters are well done as well and remind me greatly of the aforementioned Hamilton.
But I was looking for an overall plot that was at least as imaginative.
But hey, punching Nazis is good too.
The stuff with AIs that can use dimension-folding technology and embed their intelligences in nano-scale wormholes is really cool. As is the battleships making use of the same technology to do a TARDIS-like thing. And the commentary around the "good guys" being not all that good (capitalist economies as slave economies) with a gulf between haves and have-nots that literally has the rich being immortal and the poor being forced into work camps: it's all good and makes for great world-building. The characters are well done as well and remind me greatly of the aforementioned Hamilton.
But I was looking for an overall plot that was at least as imaginative.
But hey, punching Nazis is good too.
May 15, 2020
3.5 stars
July 19, 2025
Birmingham's latest trilogy starts with The Cruel Stars and while fun, never really broke any new ground in contemporary space opera. This starts off slow as Birmingham introduces the main players in a series of set pieces: a court marshaled solider waiting on death row; a little princess, a crew of space pirates; a young, insecure commander of a warship; and an ancient war hero now working a dig on some remote planet.
Some 500 years ago or so, humanity suffered a massive civil war. On the one side rested the status quo-- humanity with all kinds of neural implants, modifications and such. On the other, a 'specie purist' faction who Birmingham consistently links to Nazis; they want to restore humanity and get rid of the 'mutants' and such. Well, after the war, the Purists fled in great generation ships, but now they have returned; they fired the first salvo as a 'meat virus' into the great information network that links most of humanity; people get 'backed up' all the time and many are on their third or even more lives. The virus, however, turns them insane with a desire to kill and eat-- zombies!
I found the world building derivative--people downloaded into new bodies read just like Altered Carbon. Why humanity would consent to monarchy in the far future? I never get this motif on science fiction. The science/tech is mere handwaves. Ultimately though, The Cruel Stars reads as character driven opera and Birmingham does serve up some good characters. The repartee between the old war hero and 'Hero' the 'intellect' was a highlight. Apparently, the two have known each other for hundreds of years and the insults fly fast and furious. Again, fun, but I did not really find anything special here. 3 stars.
Some 500 years ago or so, humanity suffered a massive civil war. On the one side rested the status quo-- humanity with all kinds of neural implants, modifications and such. On the other, a 'specie purist' faction who Birmingham consistently links to Nazis; they want to restore humanity and get rid of the 'mutants' and such. Well, after the war, the Purists fled in great generation ships, but now they have returned; they fired the first salvo as a 'meat virus' into the great information network that links most of humanity; people get 'backed up' all the time and many are on their third or even more lives. The virus, however, turns them insane with a desire to kill and eat-- zombies!
I found the world building derivative--people downloaded into new bodies read just like Altered Carbon. Why humanity would consent to monarchy in the far future? I never get this motif on science fiction. The science/tech is mere handwaves. Ultimately though, The Cruel Stars reads as character driven opera and Birmingham does serve up some good characters. The repartee between the old war hero and 'Hero' the 'intellect' was a highlight. Apparently, the two have known each other for hundreds of years and the insults fly fast and furious. Again, fun, but I did not really find anything special here. 3 stars.
August 31, 2024
A fun idea, but slow and over complicated.
First, this references the 'return' of the Sturm, so I had to dig around to work out if there was a previous series I'd missed. I found nothing, so assume this is where it begins.
The blurb suggests a bunch of misfits must get together to save humankind, but that's a misdirect - for most of the book, these misfits are just different viewpoints in very separate places. That disappointed me.
I think it also added to how slow this story felt - instead of the story progressing at a decent clip, we spend the first hundred-odd pages reading multiple beginnings.
There's also an abundance of science and technology, to the point it feels saturated and impossible to decipher. So much work went into describing ships and guns and types of ships and guns that the world building was really lacking. I still don't have a clear idea of the scope of this world, and it made it much harder to get swept up in the story.
The characters were a mixed bag - I liked McLennon, but he was quite insufferable at times and his forced Scottish-ness was ridiculous. Hardy was a plain Jane, Seph was a carbon copy of so many other 'badass female' stereotypes and Alessia didn't really do much at all. Booker was an interesting character, but I still never felt particularly attached to any of them.
There are some interesting ideas about identity and technological advancement, but any cleverness designed to make you think is thwarted by simplifying the enemy as Nazis and shutting down any discussions on the matter before they really take off.
I think there were some solid, intriguing ideas here but it was quite heavy-handed. It really spent too much time focusing on the unimportant, stealing vital time from actual plot and character developments.
Perhaps those more inclined to absorb all the minute scientific details will be more impressed, but it was too messy, dense and slow for my tastes to follow up with the sequel.
First, this references the 'return' of the Sturm, so I had to dig around to work out if there was a previous series I'd missed. I found nothing, so assume this is where it begins.
The blurb suggests a bunch of misfits must get together to save humankind, but that's a misdirect - for most of the book, these misfits are just different viewpoints in very separate places. That disappointed me.
I think it also added to how slow this story felt - instead of the story progressing at a decent clip, we spend the first hundred-odd pages reading multiple beginnings.
There's also an abundance of science and technology, to the point it feels saturated and impossible to decipher. So much work went into describing ships and guns and types of ships and guns that the world building was really lacking. I still don't have a clear idea of the scope of this world, and it made it much harder to get swept up in the story.
The characters were a mixed bag - I liked McLennon, but he was quite insufferable at times and his forced Scottish-ness was ridiculous. Hardy was a plain Jane, Seph was a carbon copy of so many other 'badass female' stereotypes and Alessia didn't really do much at all. Booker was an interesting character, but I still never felt particularly attached to any of them.
There are some interesting ideas about identity and technological advancement, but any cleverness designed to make you think is thwarted by simplifying the enemy as Nazis and shutting down any discussions on the matter before they really take off.
I think there were some solid, intriguing ideas here but it was quite heavy-handed. It really spent too much time focusing on the unimportant, stealing vital time from actual plot and character developments.
Perhaps those more inclined to absorb all the minute scientific details will be more impressed, but it was too messy, dense and slow for my tastes to follow up with the sequel.
August 20, 2019
To me, space opera's are just so much fun. An adventure across an entire galaxy is just so entertaining because it allows you to imagine bigger than what reality is. But while I enjoyed this story, it did have a bumpy beginning for me.
Thoughts:
Always on the look out for a new space opera, I was very happy to get a copy of this one to read and review. The book is primarily from 5 different points of views, one of which is the story bad guy, Sturm, although his chapters are more limited than the others. Initially, each of these characters are initially introduced in their own chapter. Although this introduction and storytelling technique is not new there did seem to be a disconnect for me on how they all related to each other or if it was truly going to be 5 different stories that weren’t going to intersect at all. Because of this it took me a little ways into the book to feel ‘at home’ in what I was reading. However, eventually it becomes evident that there is a connecting factor and I found the story more satisfying when I was finally able to see this.
The main issue at hand for Sturm was also one that was intriguing to me. In essence, Sturm believes that natural humans is the correct way it needs to be. A natural human is one that is not harvest or generated, but born from other humans and lives only one life. However, the books protagonists are mostly non-natural humans. They live multiple lifetimes (consciousness is just downloaded into another body) and are not ‘born.’ On one hand the individuals we are rooting for perhaps live a life that I’m not sure I completely agree with. Having not faced this choice or decision in my life, it’s really difficult to say what I would do. However, Sturm’s way of making his point is quite barbaric and is something I strongly disagree with. So, it was interesting to me to have mental conversations with myself as the book went on about where I might stand on this fictional issue in this fictional world.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love space operas and multiple point of view books, although it might be a bit bumpy at the beginning of the ride.
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Thoughts:
Always on the look out for a new space opera, I was very happy to get a copy of this one to read and review. The book is primarily from 5 different points of views, one of which is the story bad guy, Sturm, although his chapters are more limited than the others. Initially, each of these characters are initially introduced in their own chapter. Although this introduction and storytelling technique is not new there did seem to be a disconnect for me on how they all related to each other or if it was truly going to be 5 different stories that weren’t going to intersect at all. Because of this it took me a little ways into the book to feel ‘at home’ in what I was reading. However, eventually it becomes evident that there is a connecting factor and I found the story more satisfying when I was finally able to see this.
The main issue at hand for Sturm was also one that was intriguing to me. In essence, Sturm believes that natural humans is the correct way it needs to be. A natural human is one that is not harvest or generated, but born from other humans and lives only one life. However, the books protagonists are mostly non-natural humans. They live multiple lifetimes (consciousness is just downloaded into another body) and are not ‘born.’ On one hand the individuals we are rooting for perhaps live a life that I’m not sure I completely agree with. Having not faced this choice or decision in my life, it’s really difficult to say what I would do. However, Sturm’s way of making his point is quite barbaric and is something I strongly disagree with. So, it was interesting to me to have mental conversations with myself as the book went on about where I might stand on this fictional issue in this fictional world.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love space operas and multiple point of view books, although it might be a bit bumpy at the beginning of the ride.
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to provide an honest review.
February 14, 2020
Fun if you are in the mood for a retro mil-space opera with modern sensibilities but the classic don't stop and think too hard about what happens as you will lose the enjoyment; the characters and setting worked well and kept me turning pages, while the narrative has energy and doesn't let up; but again, just take it as it is and do not expect "serious" sf here - the next book is a huge asap as I really want to see what happens next
May 11, 2020
(3.25)
My initial impression of the Cruel Stars was disappointing. It’s struck me as overly dense in terminology and futuristic concepts. Almost as if Birmingham was flexing his nerd muscles. I also detected a pattern of the author using conversations to dump large chunks of information and that left them feeling a bit hollow. It took a long time to get a good feel for the characters. He switched to the next protagonist incredibly fast after introducing one, which didn’t really allow the time needed to grow invested.
It frequently felt inappropriately vulgar. Like the author was trying to force explicitness into places it didn’t belong. The language and content didn’t always feel natural and that kept taking me out of the narrative. An early example (from chapter three) is when we're being introduced to a new POV character that's engaged in a firefight with a rival gang. She's hunkered down behind a bar with piloted drone support barely staving off grenades and a genetically modified assassin creeping up. And then this happens.
-“I’ll get him, baby,” Ariane hissed, jacking a new clip of adaptive ammo into her pistol and trying to crawl over Sephina to get to the end of the bar, where she could effect a look-see snapshot at ground level. She was soaked and sticky with alcohol. A deep gash oozed blood down one side of her beautiful face, which broke into a teasing smile as she used their enforced closeness for a quick rubfuck on the way through.-
I ended my first day of reading prematurely due to this problem. Chapter five started out excellent, it was eerie, poetic and intriguing. For the first time the Cruel Stars was evoking something, then a side character starts spewing inane obscenities. This issue severed the thread between words and meaning that had finally started to appear.
The names and structures of the different factions took awhile to become identifiable. There was an immense amount of information on them when introduced, but it came without a perspective that was understandable. As the story progressed, the protagonists grew more substantial. The two that appealed the most to me were Inmate Booker and Lt. Hardy. The action in the CS was at times frenetic, more akin to a zombie story than what’s normally found in a space opera. I found those sequences to be a disturbing yet enjoyable surprise.
I enjoyed the chapter lengths here. I tend to prefer shorter chapters to long ones, though ideally the lengths will fluctuate. The vulgarity toned down a bit as the story progressed, but was replaced by grotesque displays of violence. I liked that change overall but I wish it hadn’t been as excessive.
Something that took me awhile to notice was not a lot of time was passing in the book. A huge percentage of the first two hundred pages was focused around a few hours of a single day. Because the focus was jumping between so many characters, I didn’t quite realize at first that nearly all of them were witnessing the same event. There was a lot of content, but a significant amount of it was backstory and galaxy building that came in pieces as the perspective character dealt with the problem of the moment. It felt a bit like the storytelling of “Lost” in a “Battlestar” like setting. The Cruel Stars features character discovery as opposed to the more common character development path.
My initial impression of the Cruel Stars was disappointing. It’s struck me as overly dense in terminology and futuristic concepts. Almost as if Birmingham was flexing his nerd muscles. I also detected a pattern of the author using conversations to dump large chunks of information and that left them feeling a bit hollow. It took a long time to get a good feel for the characters. He switched to the next protagonist incredibly fast after introducing one, which didn’t really allow the time needed to grow invested.
It frequently felt inappropriately vulgar. Like the author was trying to force explicitness into places it didn’t belong. The language and content didn’t always feel natural and that kept taking me out of the narrative. An early example (from chapter three) is when we're being introduced to a new POV character that's engaged in a firefight with a rival gang. She's hunkered down behind a bar with piloted drone support barely staving off grenades and a genetically modified assassin creeping up. And then this happens.
-“I’ll get him, baby,” Ariane hissed, jacking a new clip of adaptive ammo into her pistol and trying to crawl over Sephina to get to the end of the bar, where she could effect a look-see snapshot at ground level. She was soaked and sticky with alcohol. A deep gash oozed blood down one side of her beautiful face, which broke into a teasing smile as she used their enforced closeness for a quick rubfuck on the way through.-
I ended my first day of reading prematurely due to this problem. Chapter five started out excellent, it was eerie, poetic and intriguing. For the first time the Cruel Stars was evoking something, then a side character starts spewing inane obscenities. This issue severed the thread between words and meaning that had finally started to appear.
The names and structures of the different factions took awhile to become identifiable. There was an immense amount of information on them when introduced, but it came without a perspective that was understandable. As the story progressed, the protagonists grew more substantial. The two that appealed the most to me were Inmate Booker and Lt. Hardy. The action in the CS was at times frenetic, more akin to a zombie story than what’s normally found in a space opera. I found those sequences to be a disturbing yet enjoyable surprise.
I enjoyed the chapter lengths here. I tend to prefer shorter chapters to long ones, though ideally the lengths will fluctuate. The vulgarity toned down a bit as the story progressed, but was replaced by grotesque displays of violence. I liked that change overall but I wish it hadn’t been as excessive.
Something that took me awhile to notice was not a lot of time was passing in the book. A huge percentage of the first two hundred pages was focused around a few hours of a single day. Because the focus was jumping between so many characters, I didn’t quite realize at first that nearly all of them were witnessing the same event. There was a lot of content, but a significant amount of it was backstory and galaxy building that came in pieces as the perspective character dealt with the problem of the moment. It felt a bit like the storytelling of “Lost” in a “Battlestar” like setting. The Cruel Stars features character discovery as opposed to the more common character development path.
September 30, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.
Thousands of years in the future, humanity has brought space travel to a whole new level and now, for most people, space and space colonies are the only thing they know. As well as new planetary discoveries, technology has advanced to a point when most people don't need to learn skills - they can just download them, and for the more privileged person, death doesn't truly exist - they can be regenerated again and again. However, death does become a real threat once again for everyone when a human faction called the Sturm, who believe in the purified version of a human being, come back for vengeance after almost 700 years of silence.
This is a fantastic first book in what I hope continues to be an action-packed duology, and I'm really pleased The Cruel Stars ended up living up the hype in my head. The book from the start is really well-paced with the first seven or so chapters being introductory chapters to each of our main characters who range from military leaders, princesses, space pirates and ancient scholars among others. This layout and pace of the book did remind me of James SA Corey's The Expanse series which is no bad thing as I felt like this type of book is exciting, and easy to dive in and out of at any opportunity.
At first I was afraid of the amount of characters we were following, but I actually quickly got to grips with everyone, and I found that I enjoyed all POVs equally and never felt shortchanged when one character's chapter would end and another's would begin. There is some humour and crassness included with some of the characters - particularly Frazer McLennan and his tense but rather hilarious relationship with the sentient AI that's been his companion for years.
The technology in this book is also immense, and the different types of tech used inside a human's body as well as how people live, die and reborn can take time to get your head around. There are also all kinds of spacebots, as well as some sentient AIs that honestly I couldn't help but picture as a plumbob from the Sims that talked and flashed colours. Because of the expansive world of technolody in this world, and the amount of vernacular and jargon used in terms of military sci-fi and general space travel, I would warn sci-fi newbies away from this book as I feel it could become confusing and overwhelming. Definitely one to tackle after you've gotten used to the style of the genre.
One of the only things I would have liked more of in this book (despire just more in general as I was enjoying the world so much) would have been more insight into the Sturm. We did get a few chapters from the POV of one of the generals but I don't think this view was well-rounded enough. Everyone appeared very black and white, and I think it would be interesting to see a Sturm who maybe isn't quite as brainwashed into the fascist ideology as the others.
A fast-paced, exciting space adventure that I definitely recommend!
Thousands of years in the future, humanity has brought space travel to a whole new level and now, for most people, space and space colonies are the only thing they know. As well as new planetary discoveries, technology has advanced to a point when most people don't need to learn skills - they can just download them, and for the more privileged person, death doesn't truly exist - they can be regenerated again and again. However, death does become a real threat once again for everyone when a human faction called the Sturm, who believe in the purified version of a human being, come back for vengeance after almost 700 years of silence.
This is a fantastic first book in what I hope continues to be an action-packed duology, and I'm really pleased The Cruel Stars ended up living up the hype in my head. The book from the start is really well-paced with the first seven or so chapters being introductory chapters to each of our main characters who range from military leaders, princesses, space pirates and ancient scholars among others. This layout and pace of the book did remind me of James SA Corey's The Expanse series which is no bad thing as I felt like this type of book is exciting, and easy to dive in and out of at any opportunity.
At first I was afraid of the amount of characters we were following, but I actually quickly got to grips with everyone, and I found that I enjoyed all POVs equally and never felt shortchanged when one character's chapter would end and another's would begin. There is some humour and crassness included with some of the characters - particularly Frazer McLennan and his tense but rather hilarious relationship with the sentient AI that's been his companion for years.
The technology in this book is also immense, and the different types of tech used inside a human's body as well as how people live, die and reborn can take time to get your head around. There are also all kinds of spacebots, as well as some sentient AIs that honestly I couldn't help but picture as a plumbob from the Sims that talked and flashed colours. Because of the expansive world of technolody in this world, and the amount of vernacular and jargon used in terms of military sci-fi and general space travel, I would warn sci-fi newbies away from this book as I feel it could become confusing and overwhelming. Definitely one to tackle after you've gotten used to the style of the genre.
One of the only things I would have liked more of in this book (despire just more in general as I was enjoying the world so much) would have been more insight into the Sturm. We did get a few chapters from the POV of one of the generals but I don't think this view was well-rounded enough. Everyone appeared very black and white, and I think it would be interesting to see a Sturm who maybe isn't quite as brainwashed into the fascist ideology as the others.
A fast-paced, exciting space adventure that I definitely recommend!
September 4, 2019
Thoroughly entertaining space opera - excellent world building and scenario and some brilliant characters. There are laughs along the way (the hedge trimmer scene lingers in the mind!) as well as heart ache and intense action (lots of dismembered limbs flying around). I really enjoyed it. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
September 18, 2020
A good space opera with the memorable characters I expect from Birmingham. A lot of setup needed, but he handled it well & the narration was excellent. It's really a 3 star read, but it gets an extra star as I'm looking forward to more in the series.
August 2, 2019
I enjoy space opera and was very pleased that netgalley gave me a chance to check out this book. The first few chapters took me a bit to get into - we have five main characters, and I really liked some of their points of view/events a lot more than others. But then things started happening - big things! And from then on, the action never stopped. Looking back, that setup in the first few chapters was necessary, and I absolutely loved how everything came together.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
August 22, 2019
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Cruel Stars is my first John Birmingham novel. It's a space opera that I was really looking forward to, but unfortunately it never quite got into it as much as I was hoping to. There are a lot of characters (there are five perspective characters) and quite a bit going on. I liked the overall story and action once I got into it, but the characters weren't quite what I was hoping for.
The Cruel Stars is my first John Birmingham novel. It's a space opera that I was really looking forward to, but unfortunately it never quite got into it as much as I was hoping to. There are a lot of characters (there are five perspective characters) and quite a bit going on. I liked the overall story and action once I got into it, but the characters weren't quite what I was hoping for.
January 31, 2022
This book had a good mix of space drama with a splash of razzle dazzle humour tossed in the mix. You need to try and commit to the book when you start it as you’re given a heck of a lot of information about all the different characters so you need to have the concentration from the get go to figure out exactly who everyone is and what is going on.
I think my favourite character in the whole book was McClennan, he had me laughing a lot throughout the book without some of the things he’d say. Though I would love to be on the ship just to see the technology involved. I’d love to wander onto a ship expecting the space to be limited only to find out that it’s so much bigger on the inside. It’s a quick enough read and anyone who likes a good space fantasy novel with extensive world building will like it!
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy, I cant wait to start on the next book in the series.
I think my favourite character in the whole book was McClennan, he had me laughing a lot throughout the book without some of the things he’d say. Though I would love to be on the ship just to see the technology involved. I’d love to wander onto a ship expecting the space to be limited only to find out that it’s so much bigger on the inside. It’s a quick enough read and anyone who likes a good space fantasy novel with extensive world building will like it!
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy, I cant wait to start on the next book in the series.
August 26, 2019
I LOVED this.
It came along just when I needed a bookish adventure and The Cruel Stars was full of adventure. Well and a naked professor, a sarcastic intelligence, a flustered captain and a whole host of bad guys. Plus a princess, a pirate, a hedge trimmer (making me laugh quite a lot) and a few other good guys. I mean really, what’s not to love?
The world building is beautifully done giving you a sense of the scene that lights up the action. A motley group of survivors battling away, the group dynamic is cool and clever and the plot has plenty of layers to keep you turning the pages.
I always love a good fight against the odds and the pay off in this is spectacular, setting us up for book 2 with flair and a strong emotional heart.
The best kind of science fiction drama. The kind that removes you from the real world for a few hours and let’s you vicariously blow s*** up.
Highly Recommended.
It came along just when I needed a bookish adventure and The Cruel Stars was full of adventure. Well and a naked professor, a sarcastic intelligence, a flustered captain and a whole host of bad guys. Plus a princess, a pirate, a hedge trimmer (making me laugh quite a lot) and a few other good guys. I mean really, what’s not to love?
The world building is beautifully done giving you a sense of the scene that lights up the action. A motley group of survivors battling away, the group dynamic is cool and clever and the plot has plenty of layers to keep you turning the pages.
I always love a good fight against the odds and the pay off in this is spectacular, setting us up for book 2 with flair and a strong emotional heart.
The best kind of science fiction drama. The kind that removes you from the real world for a few hours and let’s you vicariously blow s*** up.
Highly Recommended.
January 26, 2021
4.7| John Birmingham is back ! …was zumindest für seine Romane auf Deutsch anbelangt. Bereits vor 10 Jahren hat er mit seinen Romanen der Disappearance-Trilogie
("Der Effekt“ und „Das verlorene Land“)
von sich reden gemacht, diese ungemein spannenden und mitreißenden Romane haben das SF-Sub-Genre der Dystopie einen neuen, frischen, innovativen und mitreißenden Anstrich gegeben (als Schande muss ich allerdings konstatieren, dass es Heyne nach mehr als 10 Jahren nicht geschafft hat, den abschließenden 3. Teil der Trilogie auf Deutsch herauszubringen). Nun macht er mit diesem Roman dasselbe mit den Sub-Genres Space Opera und Military SF, offenbar auch wieder als Trilogie, denn der 2. Teil dieser „Cruel Stars“-Trilogie wurde für den Juli 2021 in den USA und in Australien angekündigt.
Hunderte von Jahren in der Zukunft hat sich die Menschheit in einer Raumblase um das Solsystem ausgebreitet, es herrschen feudal-kapitalistische Regierungen vor, allerdings ist das nicht überall so. Die Menschen haben sich genetisch verändern lassen, tragen fortschrittliche Cyberimplantate, sind umgeben von KI’s und sind verbunden mit Netzwerken, die durch quanten-Verschränkungen und Wurmlochverbindungen überall im Menschen-Raum geschleift werden. Eine radikale Gruppe, der Sturm genannt, lehnt jegliche Form von Implantaten und KI’s ab, diese Auseinandersetzungen führten zu einem sozial-darwinistischen rassistischen Krieg, der vor 100 Jahren stattfand, die Menschen haben gewonnen und die Reste des Sturms zogen sich in die Zone außerhalb des besiedelten Raums zurück und erholten sich unbemerkt zu neuer Stärke. Dies ist die Vorgeschichte, bevor der Roman nun mit einem Überraschungs-Angriff des Sturms gegen die Menschen im gesamten besiedelten Raums einsetzt, die Netzwerke wurden vom Sturm kompromittiert und die Cyber-Implantate wurden gehackt und gegen ihre Träger eingesetzt, sie werden in Sekundenschnelle zu Zombies, die auf alle Menschen die in ihrer Nähe stehen losgehen und beginnen sie zu fressen. Die Geschichte wird aus Sicht verschiedener Protagonisten erzählt, die zum Ende des Romans zu einer Gruppe zusammenfinden und die Sturm bekämpfen. Dieser Kampf wird von beiden Seiten unbarmherzig geführt insbesondere auch dadurch, dass die Sturm den anderen Menschen absprachen, keine Menschen mehr zu sein, wenn sie Implantate benützen oder nicht natürlich geboren wurden, Meere von Blut sind die Folgen…
Ein Klasse Roman, der mich in Rekordzeit pageturnend eingefangen hat und nicht mehr losgelassen hat, ich schwöre, dass ich mit eigenen Füßen nach München eilen und vor den Toren von Random House protestieren werde, sollten die restlichen Romane dieses „Cruel-Stars“-Universums nicht nachgeschoben werden ! So ein Eigentor wie bei der „Disappearance-Trilogie“ darf es hier nicht geben.!
Die vielschichtigen Charaktere sind hervorragend getroffen, sie sind lebendig, emphatisch und die Dialoge sind geschliffen, humorvoll und oft derb, viele davon mit Schimpfwörtern gespickt, die ich noch nie in solcher Häufung gelesen geschweige denn gehört habe.
Das Worldbuilding ist großartig und nachvollziehbar, manchmal hatte ich den Eindruck, einen Roman von Peter F. Hamilton aus dem „Commenwealth“-Universum zu lesen, so interessant sind die wissenschaftlich-technischen Gegebenheiten zu lesen, andererseits krachst und hämmert es vor lauter Action, dann gibt es wieder nachdenkliche und herzerwärmenden Episoden, es ist nie langweilig und keine Seite des Buches ist überflüssig. Am Ende treffen die Protagonisten zusammen und überlegen sich, wie sie dem Sturm begegnen können. Auf der letzten Seite gibt es einen Cliffhanger, der wohl zur nächsten Stufe, zum nächsten Band führt. Und wie bereits erwähnt; wehe, wenn dieser Band dann nicht übersetzt wird…
("Der Effekt“ und „Das verlorene Land“)
von sich reden gemacht, diese ungemein spannenden und mitreißenden Romane haben das SF-Sub-Genre der Dystopie einen neuen, frischen, innovativen und mitreißenden Anstrich gegeben (als Schande muss ich allerdings konstatieren, dass es Heyne nach mehr als 10 Jahren nicht geschafft hat, den abschließenden 3. Teil der Trilogie auf Deutsch herauszubringen). Nun macht er mit diesem Roman dasselbe mit den Sub-Genres Space Opera und Military SF, offenbar auch wieder als Trilogie, denn der 2. Teil dieser „Cruel Stars“-Trilogie wurde für den Juli 2021 in den USA und in Australien angekündigt. Hunderte von Jahren in der Zukunft hat sich die Menschheit in einer Raumblase um das Solsystem ausgebreitet, es herrschen feudal-kapitalistische Regierungen vor, allerdings ist das nicht überall so. Die Menschen haben sich genetisch verändern lassen, tragen fortschrittliche Cyberimplantate, sind umgeben von KI’s und sind verbunden mit Netzwerken, die durch quanten-Verschränkungen und Wurmlochverbindungen überall im Menschen-Raum geschleift werden. Eine radikale Gruppe, der Sturm genannt, lehnt jegliche Form von Implantaten und KI’s ab, diese Auseinandersetzungen führten zu einem sozial-darwinistischen rassistischen Krieg, der vor 100 Jahren stattfand, die Menschen haben gewonnen und die Reste des Sturms zogen sich in die Zone außerhalb des besiedelten Raums zurück und erholten sich unbemerkt zu neuer Stärke. Dies ist die Vorgeschichte, bevor der Roman nun mit einem Überraschungs-Angriff des Sturms gegen die Menschen im gesamten besiedelten Raums einsetzt, die Netzwerke wurden vom Sturm kompromittiert und die Cyber-Implantate wurden gehackt und gegen ihre Träger eingesetzt, sie werden in Sekundenschnelle zu Zombies, die auf alle Menschen die in ihrer Nähe stehen losgehen und beginnen sie zu fressen. Die Geschichte wird aus Sicht verschiedener Protagonisten erzählt, die zum Ende des Romans zu einer Gruppe zusammenfinden und die Sturm bekämpfen. Dieser Kampf wird von beiden Seiten unbarmherzig geführt insbesondere auch dadurch, dass die Sturm den anderen Menschen absprachen, keine Menschen mehr zu sein, wenn sie Implantate benützen oder nicht natürlich geboren wurden, Meere von Blut sind die Folgen…
Ein Klasse Roman, der mich in Rekordzeit pageturnend eingefangen hat und nicht mehr losgelassen hat, ich schwöre, dass ich mit eigenen Füßen nach München eilen und vor den Toren von Random House protestieren werde, sollten die restlichen Romane dieses „Cruel-Stars“-Universums nicht nachgeschoben werden ! So ein Eigentor wie bei der „Disappearance-Trilogie“ darf es hier nicht geben.!
Die vielschichtigen Charaktere sind hervorragend getroffen, sie sind lebendig, emphatisch und die Dialoge sind geschliffen, humorvoll und oft derb, viele davon mit Schimpfwörtern gespickt, die ich noch nie in solcher Häufung gelesen geschweige denn gehört habe.
Das Worldbuilding ist großartig und nachvollziehbar, manchmal hatte ich den Eindruck, einen Roman von Peter F. Hamilton aus dem „Commenwealth“-Universum zu lesen, so interessant sind die wissenschaftlich-technischen Gegebenheiten zu lesen, andererseits krachst und hämmert es vor lauter Action, dann gibt es wieder nachdenkliche und herzerwärmenden Episoden, es ist nie langweilig und keine Seite des Buches ist überflüssig. Am Ende treffen die Protagonisten zusammen und überlegen sich, wie sie dem Sturm begegnen können. Auf der letzten Seite gibt es einen Cliffhanger, der wohl zur nächsten Stufe, zum nächsten Band führt. Und wie bereits erwähnt; wehe, wenn dieser Band dann nicht übersetzt wird…
November 23, 2020
DNF @ 80%
I guess part of my experience with this book is to blame on myself for misinterpreting the synopsis. I thought we would deal with a lot of aliens fighting with humans, but there’s actually no aliens here at all. I was also really hyped for a motley crew to fight the evil Sturm together but since the group doesn’t actually get to know each other until page 300+ (and when it happens it is so abruptly that I didn’t feel the chemistry between them at all) this didn’t really live up to my expectations either. Pair that with a 12 year old girl describing herself as breeding stock and a dead Asian man being described as a pile of smoking Japanese beef (seriously?) this book was a whole mess. I gave it the extra star because I did enjoy the overall premise and the world building to a certain extent.
I guess part of my experience with this book is to blame on myself for misinterpreting the synopsis. I thought we would deal with a lot of aliens fighting with humans, but there’s actually no aliens here at all. I was also really hyped for a motley crew to fight the evil Sturm together but since the group doesn’t actually get to know each other until page 300+ (and when it happens it is so abruptly that I didn’t feel the chemistry between them at all) this didn’t really live up to my expectations either. Pair that with a 12 year old girl describing herself as breeding stock and a dead Asian man being described as a pile of smoking Japanese beef (seriously?) this book was a whole mess. I gave it the extra star because I did enjoy the overall premise and the world building to a certain extent.
October 22, 2019
Grand, epic war story, extremely gruesome and with a few too many pov characters...but also fantastically profane, well cast and choreographed, technologically credible, hilarious at times, and with all sex behind closed doors—so checking off most of my boxes. Hoping sequels won’t be long in coming.
All sorts of choice passages like this:
“I could just kill them,” Coto said. “It would save time later.” “Yeah, good idea, I know, but you kill one of these paleofascist nut jobs and you have to fight a ten-year interstellar war with the whole race of walking-talking genocidal murder boners. Let’s see if we can skip that bit and get to the part where we sneak away with the money we stole off the YG and let someone else do the hard work of bitch-slapping the master race.”
All sorts of choice passages like this:
“I could just kill them,” Coto said. “It would save time later.” “Yeah, good idea, I know, but you kill one of these paleofascist nut jobs and you have to fight a ten-year interstellar war with the whole race of walking-talking genocidal murder boners. Let’s see if we can skip that bit and get to the part where we sneak away with the money we stole off the YG and let someone else do the hard work of bitch-slapping the master race.”
April 29, 2020
DNF at 20%. I tried but just could not connect with the story. Too many characters.
November 24, 2022
The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham is the first book in a space opera science fiction trilogy with the same name. Birmingham has summarized the Cruel Stars trilogy as “Space Nazis invade and try to ruin everything, everywhere, all over the galaxy.” This is the first book by this author I have read; I did so because a machine learning algorithm recommended The Cruel Stars to me because I have either read, bought or borrowed related/similar books (like The Expanse books by James S.A. Corey and The Final Architecture trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky) that led the computer program to extrapolate that I would also enjoy this one. And you know what, the code was right, people, because I completely loved reading The Cruel Stars !
The structure of the book will be quite familiar to regular readers of fantasy and science fiction. The story is told via chapters from the perspective of different characters, similar to the structure of George R.R. Martin’s The Song of Ice and Fire and James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse. The five main characters of the The Cruel Stars are Lucinda Chase, a newly minted war hero who gets a field promotion to captain of her ship when the enemy’s sneak attack decapitates the senior leadership of the entire Armadalen military; Frazer McLennan, a foul-mouthed military genius from Scotland turned archaeologist who killed millions of Earth citizens in order to save billions by almost entirely wiping out an invading army over 700 years ago and by miraculous advances in medicine is still alive (but decrepit); Sephina L’trel, a foul-mouthed lesbian space pirate who leads a small team of violent mercenaries burning to get revenge on the people who killed their loved ones; Princess Alessia Szu Suri sur Montanblanc ul Haq, the 12-year-old scion of an incredibly rich and powerful family who owns and rules the entire planet of Montrachet as well as a galaxy-spanning financial empire; and Corporal Booker3-212162-930-Infantry, a human being who has downloaded his mind into software as a member of a belief system called The Source.
Each of these characters gets their own POV chapters as the story progresses, demonstrating their importance to the plot. However my favorite character in The Cruel Stars is not one of these previously mentioned POV characters, it’s Herodotus, who is an “Armada-level Intellect,” which means he is a sentient artificial intelligence with technological powers that are near god-like (such as the ability to teleport or “fold space” at will and near-infinite data processing capacity and speed) along with an incredibly snarky attitude. (Come for the god-like computer, stay for the snark!)
In The Cruel Stars we discover that the Sturm, also known as The Human Republic, the group that McLennan defeated hundreds of years ago (and has not been heard of since) has returned to continue their genocidal war against all humans who have modified their bodies with either technological or genetic enhancements. In the beginning of the book we discover that The Sturm has launched a devastating first strike in the form of a successful malware attack that turns any humans with technological implants who were accessing the galactic equivalent of the Internet at the time into brain-devouring zombies.
The return of The Sturm has life-altering consequences for all of our main characters. Lucinda becomes the captain of her ship, the Defiant, because all the higher ranked officers are struck down by the Sturm malware. Alessia becomes the sole living representative of her family, as the few remaining relatives who were not affected by the initial attack were killed in a grisly execution broadcast galaxy wide. McLennan is captured by the Sturm while conducting an archaeological dig at a site the Human Republic considers sacred but is rescued by Herodotus after only some mild torture has occurred. Sephina has a lucrative heist interrupted and then watches the love of her life slaughtered by Sturm weapons hours after the initial attack. The only person who is positively impacted by the return of the Sturm is Booker, who is in prison sentenced to be permanently deleted at the vey moment the malware attack strikes his penal colony. The warden makes a deal to allow Booker to escape and promises to put in a good word with future authorities if Booker uses his military expertise to fight back and save lives on the prison habitat. Booker agrees to the deal, keeps his end of the bargain and escapes into space implanted in the operating system of a huge security robot.
Overall, The Cruel Stars is a fantastically entertaining space opera with lots of action, humor and violence. The characters are compelling and world-building intriguing. It’s reminiscent of the very best work of Peter F. Hamilton; fans of Hamilton should also read (and I am confident will enjoy!) The Cruel Stars.
The structure of the book will be quite familiar to regular readers of fantasy and science fiction. The story is told via chapters from the perspective of different characters, similar to the structure of George R.R. Martin’s The Song of Ice and Fire and James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse. The five main characters of the The Cruel Stars are Lucinda Chase, a newly minted war hero who gets a field promotion to captain of her ship when the enemy’s sneak attack decapitates the senior leadership of the entire Armadalen military; Frazer McLennan, a foul-mouthed military genius from Scotland turned archaeologist who killed millions of Earth citizens in order to save billions by almost entirely wiping out an invading army over 700 years ago and by miraculous advances in medicine is still alive (but decrepit); Sephina L’trel, a foul-mouthed lesbian space pirate who leads a small team of violent mercenaries burning to get revenge on the people who killed their loved ones; Princess Alessia Szu Suri sur Montanblanc ul Haq, the 12-year-old scion of an incredibly rich and powerful family who owns and rules the entire planet of Montrachet as well as a galaxy-spanning financial empire; and Corporal Booker3-212162-930-Infantry, a human being who has downloaded his mind into software as a member of a belief system called The Source.
Each of these characters gets their own POV chapters as the story progresses, demonstrating their importance to the plot. However my favorite character in The Cruel Stars is not one of these previously mentioned POV characters, it’s Herodotus, who is an “Armada-level Intellect,” which means he is a sentient artificial intelligence with technological powers that are near god-like (such as the ability to teleport or “fold space” at will and near-infinite data processing capacity and speed) along with an incredibly snarky attitude. (Come for the god-like computer, stay for the snark!)
In The Cruel Stars we discover that the Sturm, also known as The Human Republic, the group that McLennan defeated hundreds of years ago (and has not been heard of since) has returned to continue their genocidal war against all humans who have modified their bodies with either technological or genetic enhancements. In the beginning of the book we discover that The Sturm has launched a devastating first strike in the form of a successful malware attack that turns any humans with technological implants who were accessing the galactic equivalent of the Internet at the time into brain-devouring zombies.
The return of The Sturm has life-altering consequences for all of our main characters. Lucinda becomes the captain of her ship, the Defiant, because all the higher ranked officers are struck down by the Sturm malware. Alessia becomes the sole living representative of her family, as the few remaining relatives who were not affected by the initial attack were killed in a grisly execution broadcast galaxy wide. McLennan is captured by the Sturm while conducting an archaeological dig at a site the Human Republic considers sacred but is rescued by Herodotus after only some mild torture has occurred. Sephina has a lucrative heist interrupted and then watches the love of her life slaughtered by Sturm weapons hours after the initial attack. The only person who is positively impacted by the return of the Sturm is Booker, who is in prison sentenced to be permanently deleted at the vey moment the malware attack strikes his penal colony. The warden makes a deal to allow Booker to escape and promises to put in a good word with future authorities if Booker uses his military expertise to fight back and save lives on the prison habitat. Booker agrees to the deal, keeps his end of the bargain and escapes into space implanted in the operating system of a huge security robot.
Overall, The Cruel Stars is a fantastically entertaining space opera with lots of action, humor and violence. The characters are compelling and world-building intriguing. It’s reminiscent of the very best work of Peter F. Hamilton; fans of Hamilton should also read (and I am confident will enjoy!) The Cruel Stars.
August 13, 2020
Read for the NEWT's - book 3/4
Okay so I'm always in for a good sci-fi book/space opera and this one sounded really promising. It was, however, pretty confusing. The first half of the book was chaotic as f*ck and the introduction of the characters took way too long + the author didn't really round them out. They constantly felt like flat, one dimensional characters to me and it made me care a little less about the story with each chapter. Also, the main villain was... almost never actually part of the story and his fascist group was called the Sturm and his soldiers Sturm Troopers 😂 Can you believe that? Anyhow, the ending was pretty decent and I'll probably check out book two at some point when it's released.
Okay so I'm always in for a good sci-fi book/space opera and this one sounded really promising. It was, however, pretty confusing. The first half of the book was chaotic as f*ck and the introduction of the characters took way too long + the author didn't really round them out. They constantly felt like flat, one dimensional characters to me and it made me care a little less about the story with each chapter. Also, the main villain was... almost never actually part of the story and his fascist group was called the Sturm and his soldiers Sturm Troopers 😂 Can you believe that? Anyhow, the ending was pretty decent and I'll probably check out book two at some point when it's released.
June 23, 2019
This book was a huge disappointment and a slog to get through. The author tries to present the viewpoints from five different characters without making any of them interesting nor the overall storyline engaging. A number of other reviewers seemed to enjoy this book, but it did not resonate with me in any way.
I received a free Kindle ARC courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would provide an honest review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I received a free Kindle ARC courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would provide an honest review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
May 3, 2022
Headlines:
Deep saga
Lots of seperate characters & stories
Concentration needed
If sci-fi war and strategy is your kind of thing, then The Cruel Stars may be the story and series starter that you're looking for. This book reels you in initially but be aware that those characters you just enjoyed reading about switch up pretty quickly and lead you to the style of this book.
For the first half of the book it felt like there were a bunch of short stories, in the same universe, experiencing a similar attack from the Sturm. Over time, these stories did connect but you have to wait for that payoff.
The universe was interesting, with an almost unseen enemy who had different values about modifying and reviving the body and consciousness. There was a lot of unpick and it was pretty complex. I did find it hard going sometimes and I've come away with some questions still about what I understand about some elements of the grand plot.
I did a combination of traditional read and audio and the narration was engaging and the different voices kept me orientated to the different stories in tandem. I will definitely continue with the series but I need to do it soon while the plot is still fresh in my mind.
Thank you Head of Zeus for the review copy.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
Deep saga
Lots of seperate characters & stories
Concentration needed
If sci-fi war and strategy is your kind of thing, then The Cruel Stars may be the story and series starter that you're looking for. This book reels you in initially but be aware that those characters you just enjoyed reading about switch up pretty quickly and lead you to the style of this book.
For the first half of the book it felt like there were a bunch of short stories, in the same universe, experiencing a similar attack from the Sturm. Over time, these stories did connect but you have to wait for that payoff.
The universe was interesting, with an almost unseen enemy who had different values about modifying and reviving the body and consciousness. There was a lot of unpick and it was pretty complex. I did find it hard going sometimes and I've come away with some questions still about what I understand about some elements of the grand plot.
I did a combination of traditional read and audio and the narration was engaging and the different voices kept me orientated to the different stories in tandem. I will definitely continue with the series but I need to do it soon while the plot is still fresh in my mind.
Thank you Head of Zeus for the review copy.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
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