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Starship #1
Starship: MotÃn
Es el año 1966 de la Era Galáctica, unos tres mil años en el futuro, y la República está en guerra con la Federación Teroni, una alianza de razas resentidas por el crecimiento militar y económicode los humanos. Aunque los principales escenarios de batalla están en el Brazo Espiral y en el Núcleo Galáctico, en la lejana Periferia, la Theodore Rosselvelt es una de las tres naves encargadas de proteger el Cúmulo del Fénix, un grupo de setenta y tres planetas habitados.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
November 25, 2010
I'm going to write one review for this entire series...
The Starship series premise had me interested. Set well into the future when mankind is at war with the Teroni Federation, one naval officer finds reason to mutiny (hence, the first book, "Starship: Mutiny". Over time he becomes a pirate (book two: "Starship: Pirate"), a mercenary (book three: "Starship: Mercenary"), then rebels formally against the human government (book four: "Starship: Rebel") and finally takes on the humans directly (book five: "Starship: Flagship").
Sadly, the execution was nowhere near as good as the premise. The conceits are many: most of the books are made up almost entirely of the main character explaining (lecturing, really) to all of the rest of the characters why is doing, or did, whatever it is he's doing, or has done. None of the character possess remotely enough intelligence to compete with the blowhard main character who was so over-the-top arrogant and annoying I kept hoping he'd get killed off. Often, the characters are repeating almost word-for-word things they've said previously or in the prior books (particularly about the fighting prowess of one character). Then, there's the references to humans as "Man" (complete with the capital-M). I thought that kind of sexism was over when Star Trek switched from "where no man has gone before" to "no one".
The final struggle against the human government suffers from an unbelievable, and stupid, deus ex machina, required for the main characters to triumph, but not without first some more lecturing to the other characters, always too dumb to understand his big plans. The bad guys are no better, always doing EXACTLY what the main character predicts they will.
Don't waste your time with this series.
The Starship series premise had me interested. Set well into the future when mankind is at war with the Teroni Federation, one naval officer finds reason to mutiny (hence, the first book, "Starship: Mutiny". Over time he becomes a pirate (book two: "Starship: Pirate"), a mercenary (book three: "Starship: Mercenary"), then rebels formally against the human government (book four: "Starship: Rebel") and finally takes on the humans directly (book five: "Starship: Flagship").
Sadly, the execution was nowhere near as good as the premise. The conceits are many: most of the books are made up almost entirely of the main character explaining (lecturing, really) to all of the rest of the characters why is doing, or did, whatever it is he's doing, or has done. None of the character possess remotely enough intelligence to compete with the blowhard main character who was so over-the-top arrogant and annoying I kept hoping he'd get killed off. Often, the characters are repeating almost word-for-word things they've said previously or in the prior books (particularly about the fighting prowess of one character). Then, there's the references to humans as "Man" (complete with the capital-M). I thought that kind of sexism was over when Star Trek switched from "where no man has gone before" to "no one".
The final struggle against the human government suffers from an unbelievable, and stupid, deus ex machina, required for the main characters to triumph, but not without first some more lecturing to the other characters, always too dumb to understand his big plans. The bad guys are no better, always doing EXACTLY what the main character predicts they will.
Don't waste your time with this series.
February 11, 2019
Though Mike Resnick's "Mutiny" is supposed to be his "first real military sci-fi book", it is much, much more military and fi, than sci. Basicaly there is no science in this science fiction book. It doesn't necessary mean that it is a bad thing, though. Mutiny is a very simplistic, straightforward, plot-based action book with a huge emphasis on military. And while I'm not really a die-hard fan of this genre, sometimes (especially after reading such a mammooth like Hyperion Cantos series) this kind of book is just the right thing you need to relax and just chill a bit without giving a flying... one about what is going on.
Both the plot and characters are so thin that they are almost translucent. There's nothing, absolutely nothing that could be perceived as at least a minor character development throughout the book. The plot is so standard, that it can be called generic. Villains are dumb and heroes are almost geniuses. But then again, as I've already said, that is not necessarilly bad. It's just the right kind of book for me at the moment, and despite all those drawbacks I actually enjoyed the book. I didn't enjoy it immenesly, I will never call this book great or terrific or wonderful, but.. It was fun and very easy to read and a real pageturner and I didn't have to even try to think anything while reading it, and for all those pros, well, I guess my 3* rating is well deserved.
P.s. - this book finally and irrevocably confirmed that "page number" is the most useless book stat in all Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. It took me about 4 hours to get through all these 286 pages, while "The Rise of Endymion", at 700 pages, took me not 10, not 15, and most likely even more than 20 hours to finish. I subjectively guess that it took 23-25 hours. Statistically, that makes me reading "Mutiny" at around 1,19 page per minute, and "The Rise of Endymion" - roughly just 0,49 ppm. Hmm...
Both the plot and characters are so thin that they are almost translucent. There's nothing, absolutely nothing that could be perceived as at least a minor character development throughout the book. The plot is so standard, that it can be called generic. Villains are dumb and heroes are almost geniuses. But then again, as I've already said, that is not necessarilly bad. It's just the right kind of book for me at the moment, and despite all those drawbacks I actually enjoyed the book. I didn't enjoy it immenesly, I will never call this book great or terrific or wonderful, but.. It was fun and very easy to read and a real pageturner and I didn't have to even try to think anything while reading it, and for all those pros, well, I guess my 3* rating is well deserved.
P.s. - this book finally and irrevocably confirmed that "page number" is the most useless book stat in all Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. It took me about 4 hours to get through all these 286 pages, while "The Rise of Endymion", at 700 pages, took me not 10, not 15, and most likely even more than 20 hours to finish. I subjectively guess that it took 23-25 hours. Statistically, that makes me reading "Mutiny" at around 1,19 page per minute, and "The Rise of Endymion" - roughly just 0,49 ppm. Hmm...
December 2, 2020
7/10 en 2012. Media de los 7 libros leÃdos del autor : 7/10
Famoso sobre todo por su novela "Santiago, un mito del lejano futuro" (que está muy bien, 8/10), a mà me gustó mucho su saga de Space Opera militarista "Starship".
Space Opera donde los buenos son muy listos y muy fuertes, el “chico� es desobediente pero brillante y los malos son muy malos y poco listos. Perfecta para adolescentes o preadolescentes que pidan sencillamente muchos diálogos, mucha acción ... y poco más.
Los más creciditos se encontrarán con una novela (en realidad en España van publicados tres libros pero en inglés creo que ya van por el quinto) que tiene todo el tópico del género y donde los personajes son esbozos muy poco definidos y bastante pobres. Yo no se lo recomendarÃa a nadie que suela leer habitualmente, pero ya digo que para nóveles lectores jóvenes puede tener el atractivo de la acción/aventura.
Famoso sobre todo por su novela "Santiago, un mito del lejano futuro" (que está muy bien, 8/10), a mà me gustó mucho su saga de Space Opera militarista "Starship".
Space Opera donde los buenos son muy listos y muy fuertes, el “chico� es desobediente pero brillante y los malos son muy malos y poco listos. Perfecta para adolescentes o preadolescentes que pidan sencillamente muchos diálogos, mucha acción ... y poco más.
Los más creciditos se encontrarán con una novela (en realidad en España van publicados tres libros pero en inglés creo que ya van por el quinto) que tiene todo el tópico del género y donde los personajes son esbozos muy poco definidos y bastante pobres. Yo no se lo recomendarÃa a nadie que suela leer habitualmente, pero ya digo que para nóveles lectores jóvenes puede tener el atractivo de la acción/aventura.
June 25, 2010
3.5 stars. A fun, quick read with an engaging lead character and a fast paced, well written plot. I seem to like most of what I read by Resnick.
August 4, 2024
I originally discovered the Starship series in 2009 after discovering Mike Resnick via short stories published on the Escape Pod podcast. I instantly fell in love. It is high on adventure, amazing characters and a fast-moving plot. It is interesting to read military sci fi from an author who almost never writes in the sub-genre. As such, the focus isn't so much on tactics, weapons and details of ships, but more on the people and what makes leadership.
Wilson Cole is the paradigmatic strong leader, but with tendency to resist stupid orders, and as such his career seems to repeatedly take a step forward and a step back. He's been stripped of two commands, and ultimately ends up assigned as a second officer in an outdated, hundred-year-old ship on the outskirts of the war, living in general boredom with other malcontents the Navy wished to relegate to obscurity.
His exploits under these conditions are anything but obscure, and ultimately cause him to cease control of his ship. While his actions are generally celebrated by the crew and appreciated by the Navy, public opinion makes it impossible to exonerate him and place him in command as justice would dictate. He is so loved by his crew that they break him out and steal the ship with him in command. This starts off the five-book series as Wilson Cole and the Teddy R. find their way back through many twists and turns.
My re-reading of the book in 2013 is off to an amazing start. I thought that I'd enjoy it again, and I'm right. In fact, this seems like another one of those addictive series that I'll have to read back-to-back until I'm done with the re-read, an oddity for me. I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes sci fi in general, even if you don't normally prefer the military sub-genre.
2015: This was a FANTASTIC books to share with the kids. I can't wait to continue the series with them.
Wilson Cole is the paradigmatic strong leader, but with tendency to resist stupid orders, and as such his career seems to repeatedly take a step forward and a step back. He's been stripped of two commands, and ultimately ends up assigned as a second officer in an outdated, hundred-year-old ship on the outskirts of the war, living in general boredom with other malcontents the Navy wished to relegate to obscurity.
His exploits under these conditions are anything but obscure, and ultimately cause him to cease control of his ship. While his actions are generally celebrated by the crew and appreciated by the Navy, public opinion makes it impossible to exonerate him and place him in command as justice would dictate. He is so loved by his crew that they break him out and steal the ship with him in command. This starts off the five-book series as Wilson Cole and the Teddy R. find their way back through many twists and turns.
My re-reading of the book in 2013 is off to an amazing start. I thought that I'd enjoy it again, and I'm right. In fact, this seems like another one of those addictive series that I'll have to read back-to-back until I'm done with the re-read, an oddity for me. I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes sci fi in general, even if you don't normally prefer the military sub-genre.
2015: This was a FANTASTIC books to share with the kids. I can't wait to continue the series with them.
June 20, 2014
Fantastic Military Sci Fi.
It's so easy to go wrong in this genre. It depends on what you like. This one is character driven. Not a lot of technical details BUT enough that you understand what's going on.
I was pumping my fists. I have several favorite characters and I totally felt the frustration of our main character as he usurped control and disobeyed stupid orders. He refused to be a cog in the bureaucracy of the Navy. It was a a great mutineer adventure and I'm off to buy the next bookS
It's so easy to go wrong in this genre. It depends on what you like. This one is character driven. Not a lot of technical details BUT enough that you understand what's going on.
I was pumping my fists. I have several favorite characters and I totally felt the frustration of our main character as he usurped control and disobeyed stupid orders. He refused to be a cog in the bureaucracy of the Navy. It was a a great mutineer adventure and I'm off to buy the next bookS
September 26, 2013
Starship: Mutiny is the first book in Mike Resnick's Starship series, a Military SF series with larger than life characters and a plot that begs you to keep on reading. I initially read this book a few years back and thoroughly enjoyed it, and since it's been a while since the review appeared on the blog I thought I'd polish it up and re-post it.
It's 3000 years into the future and the Republic are locked in a war against the Teroni Federation, an equally powerful starfaring society. Wilson Cole is a hero to the Republic citizens for winning battles that seemed unwinnable, and often not according to the orders he was given. The Republic Navy doesn't see him in this light, despite awarding him some of the highest medals it can, preferring to assign him to a ship full of misfits and sending them out to a remote cluster in the hope that he'll be out of the spotlight. As is typical when Cole is in the frame, things don't quite go according to plan...
Seeing as this book (actually, the whole series) follows Wilson Cole, let's have a look at the unwanted hero that the Navy has in its ranks. He's extremely intelligent, but has won battles by ignoring orders from his superiors, been demoted from Captain twice and now finds himself as the second officer on a ship of misfits. In fact, Wilson Cole is the sort of soldier that any Navy should be proud to have and his reasoning and tactics are second to none when he commands his ships, but disobeying orders doesn't earn him and friends in the higher command ranks.
We pick up Wilson's story as he joins the Theodore Roosevelt, one of the older ships in the fleet, and they are sent to an unimportant star cluster to keep them out of the way. The crew lack discipline, the captain does not care, and Wilson finds himself at a loss to their attitude. His first impressions on the captain, a human, and first officer, a podok, don't do much to help his cause on the Teddy R and it isn't long before he's hauled up by the captain about following orders to the letter and at loggerheads with the first officer over his decisions while in command during his shift.
This is a fairly short novel, but covers a lot of story and plenty of action. Resnick has a great skill at storytelling and I found myself in love with the setting he's created and enjoying the characters very much indeed. I get their motivations, their personalities and their actions - even the ones I dislike because of those traits. The plot moves quickly and fluidly and the conversations between the cast helping the pace to great amounts. There is plenty of action and the setting up and world building is done remarkably well in such a short page count.
Suffice to say that not everything goes according to plan in Starship: Mutiny, but that's where the enjoyment stems from. I want to know what is going to happen at the end of every chapter and often found myself continuing with the story for this very reason alone. Starship: Mutiny is a page turner, there is no other way to describe it.
If you love your Space Opera and Military SF then this is a novel you really need to read. If you're anything like me you'll blast through it and be left very much wanting to read the sequel, Starship: Pirate.
It's 3000 years into the future and the Republic are locked in a war against the Teroni Federation, an equally powerful starfaring society. Wilson Cole is a hero to the Republic citizens for winning battles that seemed unwinnable, and often not according to the orders he was given. The Republic Navy doesn't see him in this light, despite awarding him some of the highest medals it can, preferring to assign him to a ship full of misfits and sending them out to a remote cluster in the hope that he'll be out of the spotlight. As is typical when Cole is in the frame, things don't quite go according to plan...
Seeing as this book (actually, the whole series) follows Wilson Cole, let's have a look at the unwanted hero that the Navy has in its ranks. He's extremely intelligent, but has won battles by ignoring orders from his superiors, been demoted from Captain twice and now finds himself as the second officer on a ship of misfits. In fact, Wilson Cole is the sort of soldier that any Navy should be proud to have and his reasoning and tactics are second to none when he commands his ships, but disobeying orders doesn't earn him and friends in the higher command ranks.
We pick up Wilson's story as he joins the Theodore Roosevelt, one of the older ships in the fleet, and they are sent to an unimportant star cluster to keep them out of the way. The crew lack discipline, the captain does not care, and Wilson finds himself at a loss to their attitude. His first impressions on the captain, a human, and first officer, a podok, don't do much to help his cause on the Teddy R and it isn't long before he's hauled up by the captain about following orders to the letter and at loggerheads with the first officer over his decisions while in command during his shift.
This is a fairly short novel, but covers a lot of story and plenty of action. Resnick has a great skill at storytelling and I found myself in love with the setting he's created and enjoying the characters very much indeed. I get their motivations, their personalities and their actions - even the ones I dislike because of those traits. The plot moves quickly and fluidly and the conversations between the cast helping the pace to great amounts. There is plenty of action and the setting up and world building is done remarkably well in such a short page count.
Suffice to say that not everything goes according to plan in Starship: Mutiny, but that's where the enjoyment stems from. I want to know what is going to happen at the end of every chapter and often found myself continuing with the story for this very reason alone. Starship: Mutiny is a page turner, there is no other way to describe it.
If you love your Space Opera and Military SF then this is a novel you really need to read. If you're anything like me you'll blast through it and be left very much wanting to read the sequel, Starship: Pirate.
January 20, 2014
If you are looking to get into bed for a quickie with a scifi with humor, action and a carefree adventurous attitude then look no further, Starship Mutiny has arrived. ill confess this isn't my first time reading the series but its still damn good and is still thoroughly enjoyable. The Main character Commander Wilson Cole is a twice promoted captain of huge warships, and twice demoted for actions taken under his own accord, regardless of whatever his standing orders were. it's not right to say that he is straight up insubordinate, so much as he is a shining example of an old military maxim, Never give an order you know won't be obeyed.
Labeled a loose cannon by the brass, a war hero by the republic citizens of the galaxy. His charisma, mental fortitude and sense of leadership reminds me an awful alot of another Captain of starship named Serenity. while they both have many similarities Commander Cole stands on his own two feet. He's transferred to the 60+ year old warship Teddy Roosevelt where the entire crew has a back story; as to why they ended up on an aging warship in the middle of deserted space. Now 2nd Officer on this rust bucket of a warship, through his previous exploits he has garnered a very real sense of loyalty and adoration from his crew.
This book is funny, the characters all have their own voice and alls due to their now disposition on the ship; all have surely attitudes. The overall arch of the story was engaging tho this book feels like a staging area for the next, Starship Pirate. It paints a pretty picture of a galaxy where humans interact with other sentient species fight along side each other in space engagements, enough to fill that urge to meet aliens and poke them with a human stick of humor. It touches on the ideologies of the Republic of worlds for which Cole fights for and how the galaxy he inhabits works enough for a solid foundation but enough is left to the imagination for a fully realized space adventure.
Labeled a loose cannon by the brass, a war hero by the republic citizens of the galaxy. His charisma, mental fortitude and sense of leadership reminds me an awful alot of another Captain of starship named Serenity. while they both have many similarities Commander Cole stands on his own two feet. He's transferred to the 60+ year old warship Teddy Roosevelt where the entire crew has a back story; as to why they ended up on an aging warship in the middle of deserted space. Now 2nd Officer on this rust bucket of a warship, through his previous exploits he has garnered a very real sense of loyalty and adoration from his crew.
This book is funny, the characters all have their own voice and alls due to their now disposition on the ship; all have surely attitudes. The overall arch of the story was engaging tho this book feels like a staging area for the next, Starship Pirate. It paints a pretty picture of a galaxy where humans interact with other sentient species fight along side each other in space engagements, enough to fill that urge to meet aliens and poke them with a human stick of humor. It touches on the ideologies of the Republic of worlds for which Cole fights for and how the galaxy he inhabits works enough for a solid foundation but enough is left to the imagination for a fully realized space adventure.
April 29, 2016
Entretenida "space-opera" inicio de una trilogÃa que a su vez se ambienta en un universo creado por el autor (y donde suceden la mayorÃa de sus novelas). Se lee rápido, una prosa muy sencilla pero con el handicap de contar con unos personajes de cartón: los buenos lo son mucho y listos, los malos estúpidos y tenebrosos.
Pese a todo, recomendable si te gusta la sci-fi espacial.
Pese a todo, recomendable si te gusta la sci-fi espacial.
March 22, 2011
I had to ride the bus from southwest Austin to northeast today. It took three hours, and I read this entire book. It wasn't particularly good, but I finished it. The whole thing takes place in this completely undistinguished spaceship-battle future that the author swears up and down he's spent forty years fleshing out. It's about a spaceship captain who's so dang good that he keeps embarrassing his superiors with how awesome he is/how awesome they are not, and how he is awesome and kills enemy aliens with dash and flair while at the same time he is awesome and nice to his alien friends, because he is a modern spaceship captain and not prejudiced at all.
From the action point of view it's pretty good, sort of like Horatio Hornblower in space. They can fly way faster than light, for some reason that he never explains except to say that the FTL box is radioactive and if you look in it you die. But they still use lasers for shooting other ships. They also either have artificial gravity or are so good at living in 0g that they never mention it at all. So from the hard scifi point of view it's not so good. The aliens are impressively designed and cool but they have no personalities at all.
This book also boasted the longest author biography I've ever read. Like, four pages. For example; Mike Resnick is a qualified judge of some sort of dog or another. Like at dog shows and stuff, he's done whatever it takes to prove that he is a good judge of tiny little yapping dogs, which he breeds. This was in the author biography, so I know this, and now you know this.
In short, this book is a product of a startling lack of vision in space opera, but I read it about as quick as shit goes through a goose, so it has that to recommend it. Resnick writes stuff that is very easy to read.
From the action point of view it's pretty good, sort of like Horatio Hornblower in space. They can fly way faster than light, for some reason that he never explains except to say that the FTL box is radioactive and if you look in it you die. But they still use lasers for shooting other ships. They also either have artificial gravity or are so good at living in 0g that they never mention it at all. So from the hard scifi point of view it's not so good. The aliens are impressively designed and cool but they have no personalities at all.
This book also boasted the longest author biography I've ever read. Like, four pages. For example; Mike Resnick is a qualified judge of some sort of dog or another. Like at dog shows and stuff, he's done whatever it takes to prove that he is a good judge of tiny little yapping dogs, which he breeds. This was in the author biography, so I know this, and now you know this.
In short, this book is a product of a startling lack of vision in space opera, but I read it about as quick as shit goes through a goose, so it has that to recommend it. Resnick writes stuff that is very easy to read.
May 31, 2014
The protagonist is a self-important jackass in the Rugged Individualist mold. Problem is, when you put as little effort into creating a unique character as Resnick has done here, the Rugged Individualist ceases to be individual at all and becomes a type. In a western, this would be the battle-hardened scout, wiser than the rest of the cavalry in the ways of the Apache. In a war movie, it would be the battle-hardened platoon leader, wiser than the rest of the army in the ways of the Japanese. Here, he's a battle-hardened fleet officer, wiser than the rest of the navy in the ways of the aliens.
The only actors who I could conceive as playing the lead role in a movie version of this are John Wayne or Bruce Willis, and Willis is a stretch because his standard action hero drops a lot of clever quips and "clever" is not an adjective I would use to describe this book. Duke Wayne on the other hand could swagger through this role without even stopping to read the script.
Cartoon villains, cliched characters, incoherent philosophy, thin but speedy plot. Is not as bad as, say, , but I am one and done with this author.
Given the enormous success of science fiction in film and video games, it's surprising how much boilerplate crap is written in contemporary sci-fi and how little intelligent speculative fiction. Where's when you need him, or ? Were the 1970s actually the high point of sci-fi?
The only actors who I could conceive as playing the lead role in a movie version of this are John Wayne or Bruce Willis, and Willis is a stretch because his standard action hero drops a lot of clever quips and "clever" is not an adjective I would use to describe this book. Duke Wayne on the other hand could swagger through this role without even stopping to read the script.
Cartoon villains, cliched characters, incoherent philosophy, thin but speedy plot. Is not as bad as, say, , but I am one and done with this author.
Given the enormous success of science fiction in film and video games, it's surprising how much boilerplate crap is written in contemporary sci-fi and how little intelligent speculative fiction. Where's when you need him, or ? Were the 1970s actually the high point of sci-fi?
October 26, 2008
This is the first Resnick book I've read. I met him in Ohio at a conference, and he was a very nice guy. He's won Hugos and other awards, so I thought to see what the fuss is about. I started with the first book of a huge saga. It was a fast read but I was disappointed. So little character development, predictable events, a knows-all hero. Unlike my encounter with Jack Campbell, I'm not tempted to seek out the rest of the story.
May 11, 2011
This is the first book in a 5 book series and I recommend them all. This is NOT deep thinking science fiction nor is it represented as such. So forget Clarke, Niven, or Asimov and think Jack Campbell. This is a fun ride that makes killing time by reading a book a true joy.
May 3, 2010
Crap! Enough said. Don’t read it. Can’t believe I got stuck with nothing else to read one evening and had to finish it out of self-defense. Barf.
August 12, 2015
Star Trek Episode ,nothing special
September 23, 2018
Aventura espacial militar con protagonista valiente e inteligente “oprimidoâ€� por la jerarquÃa. Un rebelde de manual demasiado listo para su propio bien.
Es muy sencillo y entretenido. No hay nada nuevo y el protagonista es perfecto y sus planes nunca fallan y sus deducciones son siempre acertadas lo que le resta algo de intriga. En algunos aspectos recuerda a Miles Vorkosigan pero sus historias son más elaboradas. Aquà es todo mucho más sencillo.
Me ha gustado bastante. No es un gran libro pero como pasapáginas de buen ritmo está muy bien.
Es muy sencillo y entretenido. No hay nada nuevo y el protagonista es perfecto y sus planes nunca fallan y sus deducciones son siempre acertadas lo que le resta algo de intriga. En algunos aspectos recuerda a Miles Vorkosigan pero sus historias son más elaboradas. Aquà es todo mucho más sencillo.
Me ha gustado bastante. No es un gran libro pero como pasapáginas de buen ritmo está muy bien.
June 24, 2019
Me ha faltado alguna batalla pero el comandante Wilson Cole no defrauda, deseando seguir con la saga.
November 20, 2013
This was an entertaining book, but it’s definitely a lighter read. The author and series were recommended when asked people on his blog to provide recommendations on who “writes like him�. I’ll allow that Mr. Resnick has a similar flavor, but I don’t think this example of his work is on the same level.
It follows Wilson Cole, a decorated but maligned officer in the human space fleet, which in this universe also encompasses a few non-human creatures, much the way the Star Trek Starfleet did. We follow him through three incidents where he must improvise a solution in spite of bureaucratic and obtuse regulations and officers.
Nothing about the story is particularly innovative and it often flirts and then jumps fully into bed with cliché. The whole thing reminds me of classic Star Trek, in fact, with Wilson Cole filling the role as both Kirk and McCoy; he is sarcastic and cynical, but not in a way that makes him bitter; it’s just enough to make him seem like someone you’d have a drink with, meanwhile his performance garners him popular support and the adoration of women. Beyond that he’s infallibile;
If someone is looking for a book similar to Scalzi’s sci-fi then they can certainly be steered in worse directions, and this is an example of military science fiction that doesn’t attempt to push a Libertarian political agenda nor read like a dictation of a first person shooter videogame, so it can recommend itself on those merits, but it doesn’t have the depth of story, characters, or ideas that a lot of sci-fi fans might want.
It follows Wilson Cole, a decorated but maligned officer in the human space fleet, which in this universe also encompasses a few non-human creatures, much the way the Star Trek Starfleet did. We follow him through three incidents where he must improvise a solution in spite of bureaucratic and obtuse regulations and officers.
Nothing about the story is particularly innovative and it often flirts and then jumps fully into bed with cliché. The whole thing reminds me of classic Star Trek, in fact, with Wilson Cole filling the role as both Kirk and McCoy; he is sarcastic and cynical, but not in a way that makes him bitter; it’s just enough to make him seem like someone you’d have a drink with, meanwhile his performance garners him popular support and the adoration of women. Beyond that he’s infallibile;
If someone is looking for a book similar to Scalzi’s sci-fi then they can certainly be steered in worse directions, and this is an example of military science fiction that doesn’t attempt to push a Libertarian political agenda nor read like a dictation of a first person shooter videogame, so it can recommend itself on those merits, but it doesn’t have the depth of story, characters, or ideas that a lot of sci-fi fans might want.
September 7, 2015
This piece of space opera stars Wilson Cole, a space navy officer who never met an order he liked and who makes a habit of being demoted for cause. He's assigned to the Theodore Roosevelt for his insubordination. Once there, he proceeds to violate orders multiple times before finally mutinying and taking over the ship.
This is all supposed to be in the service of a grand adventure, starring a supremely competent officer. It fails because Cole is a jerk who's constantly explaining his own superior understanding of what everyone else should be doing. Worse, he's a loose cannon who acts on his own initiative, always impressed by his own abilities. If you developed a plan no failed to tell him the entire thing, he's exactly the type of officer that would screw it up, by taking the part of it he did know and deciding to “improve� it.
All of the other characters are wafer thin and seemingly only exist to either admire Cole's brilliance or make Cole look more brilliant by playing the part of the idiotic foil. There's the weapons tech who worships Cole, just because he disciplined the tech for being high on duty. There's the alien best friend, who will support him no matter what. And there's the beautiful security chief who will tell him everything, subverting ship,security to do so, , and who (of course) ends up in his bed.
Having been blinded by the light shining from Cole's halo, I have no interest in reading any further in this series.
This is all supposed to be in the service of a grand adventure, starring a supremely competent officer. It fails because Cole is a jerk who's constantly explaining his own superior understanding of what everyone else should be doing. Worse, he's a loose cannon who acts on his own initiative, always impressed by his own abilities. If you developed a plan no failed to tell him the entire thing, he's exactly the type of officer that would screw it up, by taking the part of it he did know and deciding to “improve� it.
All of the other characters are wafer thin and seemingly only exist to either admire Cole's brilliance or make Cole look more brilliant by playing the part of the idiotic foil. There's the weapons tech who worships Cole, just because he disciplined the tech for being high on duty. There's the alien best friend, who will support him no matter what. And there's the beautiful security chief who will tell him everything, subverting ship,security to do so, , and who (of course) ends up in his bed.
Having been blinded by the light shining from Cole's halo, I have no interest in reading any further in this series.
July 23, 2011
Somewhat of a very light and spare book that attempts to come off as military sci-fi but is more of a series of events that justifies the title at the very end. While the main protagonist, Wilson Core, is likable enough, we're give little to no information about the character other than to treat him as the weary hero just because the author says so. Overall this book probably would have been fine if it was published during the 1960s, but as something that was published in 2005 and billed as the author's "very first military SF," it overall came to feel somewhat shallow instead.
Based on the appendix at the end (which I was not aware of until finishing the book), this is all part of a grand series (a la Azimov's Robot/Foundation), of which the Starship series seems to chronicle the end of what is called the Age of the Republic (that of which in itself is the first of five Ages of Man). Perhaps, if the reader was to read all the stories that lead up to this series, maybe it would have contributed to a more richer experience. But I doubt it.
Based on the appendix at the end (which I was not aware of until finishing the book), this is all part of a grand series (a la Azimov's Robot/Foundation), of which the Starship series seems to chronicle the end of what is called the Age of the Republic (that of which in itself is the first of five Ages of Man). Perhaps, if the reader was to read all the stories that lead up to this series, maybe it would have contributed to a more richer experience. But I doubt it.
May 25, 2015
The Starship series features Wilson Cole (not to be confused with the pulp hero Cole Wilson, the Robin Hood-esque companion of The Avenger, though one has to wonder if the similarity of names isn't a sort of homage), who takes control of the Starship Theodore Roosevelt and leads its crew on a series of amazing, astounding, thrilling, and fantastic space opera adventures. They're very fast-paced and clever books, with witty dialog and fascinating characters. Set in Resnick's Birthright Universe, they're fun to read and it's interesting to note the changes from one volume to the next. Each book has a series of enjoyable appendixes offering more details of his works and how they fit together.
May 25, 2017
I'm really not sure why I have moved on to the next book in the series (and as I write, I think I have decided not to continue.) I do not like the main character: he's arrogant, knows everything, thinks very little of anyone else, is rude to his friends and ruder to his superiors. He makes completely nonsensical decisions based on what he thinks and not what he knows, and puts himself and his crews at risk with regular monotony. The fact that he ends up being "right" is more by accident than design.
I first read Mike Resnick when I read Travels with my Cat and I really liked that. This is not even in the same class. Very disappointing.
I first read Mike Resnick when I read Travels with my Cat and I really liked that. This is not even in the same class. Very disappointing.
February 9, 2009
I stopped in at the library to pick up the next book in the Honor Harrington series when I saw this on the shelf. Recognizing the author's name I decided to give the book a shot. It certainly isn't the heavily detailed series that Honor Harrington is shaping up to be, but it is a nice, light read that doesn't skimp on humor. A nice, easy read with characters that you quickly form attachments to. I will definitely be tracking down the rest of the series.
June 27, 2018
I bought the first 3 of these but having read reviews that say my problems with this book continue throughout the series, I think I'll return the other two. A character who arrives and solves years worth of problems in days/weeks and lectures everyone constantly about how they should feel, behave, and think is not what I want in military sci-fi. And the guy wasn't even likeable. The other characters only exist to ask him questions and/or die for his ideals.
August 20, 2014
Una space opera totalmente militar, muy entretenida pero le falta eso que aporta Miles a la saga de Mcmaster Bujold, y no me refiero a Miles que eso es inimitable. Falla en explicarnos su universo.
August 29, 2014
A quick and fun read. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
May 15, 2021
Joder!! Me ha gustado mucho
LeÃda en una sentada. Me ha recordado a cuando hace una década (o más) leà “La Vieja Guardiaâ€� y me la termine también de una sentada.
No voy a engañar a nadie. Es una novela de una lectura rápida y entretenida. No penséis en obras literarias, pero su objetivo de entretener al lector y que disfrute lo consiguen.
Me encanta por ver la cantidad de alienÃgenas que presenta, algo que me gusta de estas novelas (si estás basada en un futuro lejano donde la humanidad anda por las estrellas, espero poder ver que hay alienÃgenas también y a ser posible que no sean calcos humanos aumentando o disminuyendo caracterÃsticas de la anatomÃa humana)
Nos presentan personajes con un claro protagonista que se van desarrollando a lo largo de ¿3misiones? donde vemos como el protagonista trata de usar la inteligencia y el sentido común tan escaso entre los Altos Mandos de la Armada de la República. En algunos momentos el protagonista tiene unos puntos de humor quedando rancios que te hacen alzar una ceja y viendo que sobran o no aportan nada útil a la historia, pero afortunadamente son muy escasos.
Muy contento de este descubrimiento y triste porque después de leer el primero y pensando que seria una trilogÃa, he descubierto que es una pentalogÃa donde los dos últimos libros nunca se han traducido al español... otra mas de la editorial Timun Mas para apuntarla (a este paso voy a llamarlos Timo Más)
4/5
LeÃda en una sentada. Me ha recordado a cuando hace una década (o más) leà “La Vieja Guardiaâ€� y me la termine también de una sentada.
No voy a engañar a nadie. Es una novela de una lectura rápida y entretenida. No penséis en obras literarias, pero su objetivo de entretener al lector y que disfrute lo consiguen.
Me encanta por ver la cantidad de alienÃgenas que presenta, algo que me gusta de estas novelas (si estás basada en un futuro lejano donde la humanidad anda por las estrellas, espero poder ver que hay alienÃgenas también y a ser posible que no sean calcos humanos aumentando o disminuyendo caracterÃsticas de la anatomÃa humana)
Nos presentan personajes con un claro protagonista que se van desarrollando a lo largo de ¿3misiones? donde vemos como el protagonista trata de usar la inteligencia y el sentido común tan escaso entre los Altos Mandos de la Armada de la República. En algunos momentos el protagonista tiene unos puntos de humor quedando rancios que te hacen alzar una ceja y viendo que sobran o no aportan nada útil a la historia, pero afortunadamente son muy escasos.
Muy contento de este descubrimiento y triste porque después de leer el primero y pensando que seria una trilogÃa, he descubierto que es una pentalogÃa donde los dos últimos libros nunca se han traducido al español... otra mas de la editorial Timun Mas para apuntarla (a este paso voy a llamarlos Timo Más)
4/5
January 8, 2023
I love this book. And I can tell you exactly why. But first, I confess, I'm a Mike Resnick fanboy so I may not be all that objective on this one.
Former captain Wilson Cole is the smartest member in the entire Navy. But he also has zero concern about follow orders he disagrees with. As a result, he's been demoted several times and is no longer captain of his own starship. Having been reassigned to the outdated Teddy Roosevelt, home of other military misfits, Cole immediately begins bucking against the ship's captain in an effort to do what he believes is right.
Resnick does a great job of world (universe) building in this book. And the starship crew successfully handle several unique situations which makes for an entertaining space romp.
Wilson Cole is an extremely likable character - which is good because the entire novel revolves around him. He stands for what he believes to be right and will see his actions through even if it comes at a personal loss. He is witty and always appears to be about 3 or 4 steps of everyone else in the story. While I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the story, I concede some readers may find Cole to be smug and annoying. Throughout the story he always appears to know what is about to happen next but rarely just comes out and says it. Instead, he often makes others guess at what he already has surmised. The result is he sometimes appears to revel in his own brilliance more than he is concerned with resolving the problems the crew is facing.
I've read this book several times and enjoy it every time. I have never read any of the other books in the series but plan to do so this year. I assume I'll enjoy them as I've enjoyed this one!
Former captain Wilson Cole is the smartest member in the entire Navy. But he also has zero concern about follow orders he disagrees with. As a result, he's been demoted several times and is no longer captain of his own starship. Having been reassigned to the outdated Teddy Roosevelt, home of other military misfits, Cole immediately begins bucking against the ship's captain in an effort to do what he believes is right.
Resnick does a great job of world (universe) building in this book. And the starship crew successfully handle several unique situations which makes for an entertaining space romp.
Wilson Cole is an extremely likable character - which is good because the entire novel revolves around him. He stands for what he believes to be right and will see his actions through even if it comes at a personal loss. He is witty and always appears to be about 3 or 4 steps of everyone else in the story. While I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the story, I concede some readers may find Cole to be smug and annoying. Throughout the story he always appears to know what is about to happen next but rarely just comes out and says it. Instead, he often makes others guess at what he already has surmised. The result is he sometimes appears to revel in his own brilliance more than he is concerned with resolving the problems the crew is facing.
I've read this book several times and enjoy it every time. I have never read any of the other books in the series but plan to do so this year. I assume I'll enjoy them as I've enjoyed this one!
February 25, 2024
Wilson Cole is an officer in the intergalactic Republic (currently at war with a confederacy of alien races) who acts on his own initiative and thus annoys those in command. But he is also very successful in the actions he takes--Cole is Awesome by Analysis, able to quickly and accurately think through tactical and strategic situations, then take immediate action to bring about victory.
This has won him medals and made him a media darling, but it has also gotten him demoted and assigned to the aging starship "Theodore Roosevelt," a ship upon which many malcontents in the Navy are sent and which is permanently assigned to patrol a quiet sector of space.
But Cole's presense on the ship soon leads to action.
This is a fun book, the first in a five-book series that I'm really looking forward to reading through in its entirety. Both Cole and the various crewmembers he interacts with are great characters. The action is fast-paced, with adventures taking place both on an alien planet and in deep space.
At the climax, Cole is forced to make a decision that will save literally millions of lives, but permanently scuttle his career. But by now, there's a ship full of former malcontents who are willing to stay at his side no matter what. This creates a situation that leads directly into the next book in the series.
This has won him medals and made him a media darling, but it has also gotten him demoted and assigned to the aging starship "Theodore Roosevelt," a ship upon which many malcontents in the Navy are sent and which is permanently assigned to patrol a quiet sector of space.
But Cole's presense on the ship soon leads to action.
This is a fun book, the first in a five-book series that I'm really looking forward to reading through in its entirety. Both Cole and the various crewmembers he interacts with are great characters. The action is fast-paced, with adventures taking place both on an alien planet and in deep space.
At the climax, Cole is forced to make a decision that will save literally millions of lives, but permanently scuttle his career. But by now, there's a ship full of former malcontents who are willing to stay at his side no matter what. This creates a situation that leads directly into the next book in the series.
October 19, 2017
Como los demás, tengo opiniones encontradas con este libro.
La buena es que me divertÃ, me gusta el humor de Resnick y me relaja, no es lo que yo denominarÃa excelente como el de otros autores, pero es entretenido al punto de no permitirme aburrirme con sus historias y eso ya es mucho decir.
Lo malo es que está escrito como un fanfic, o peor, parece un manuscrito. Hay páginas enteras de diálogos y más diálogos sin descripciones y el héroe del caso, Wilson Cole, siempre sabe todo por obra y gracia divina, porque ni siquiera mi lógica puede anticipar tanto como él... ya creo que bien podrÃa advertir el futuro tanto que podrÃamos declararlo Muad'Dib. Ah, y es irresistible salvo para la primer oficial. PobrÃsima la edición de esto que, si lo hicieron porque Mike ya era famoso o no, cometieron terrible error al no controlarlo y dejarlo ser nomás, deberÃa haberle puesto más empeño a las descripciones haciendo al menos una segunda lectura de su libro. Está perfecto que se escriban los diálogos primero... ¿pero sólo diálogo por partes? Es de lo peor que existe en un libro.
Igual, bien por la desfachatez y la parte del anti-héroe. Mal por el pobre trabajo y desarrollo que le han impuesto a esta historia en particular.
La buena es que me divertÃ, me gusta el humor de Resnick y me relaja, no es lo que yo denominarÃa excelente como el de otros autores, pero es entretenido al punto de no permitirme aburrirme con sus historias y eso ya es mucho decir.
Lo malo es que está escrito como un fanfic, o peor, parece un manuscrito. Hay páginas enteras de diálogos y más diálogos sin descripciones y el héroe del caso, Wilson Cole, siempre sabe todo por obra y gracia divina, porque ni siquiera mi lógica puede anticipar tanto como él... ya creo que bien podrÃa advertir el futuro tanto que podrÃamos declararlo Muad'Dib. Ah, y es irresistible salvo para la primer oficial. PobrÃsima la edición de esto que, si lo hicieron porque Mike ya era famoso o no, cometieron terrible error al no controlarlo y dejarlo ser nomás, deberÃa haberle puesto más empeño a las descripciones haciendo al menos una segunda lectura de su libro. Está perfecto que se escriban los diálogos primero... ¿pero sólo diálogo por partes? Es de lo peor que existe en un libro.
Igual, bien por la desfachatez y la parte del anti-héroe. Mal por el pobre trabajo y desarrollo que le han impuesto a esta historia en particular.
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