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108th out of 238 books
—
801 voters
Black Hole Sun (Hell’s Cross #1)
On Mars, a planetary version of the Wild West, Durango and his crew of mercenaries for hire try to prevent a feral band of marauders from stealing the settlers' most valuable resource.
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
August 24th 2010
by Greenwillow Books
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Highly entertaining piece of sci-fi literature that will make you laugh, cringe, shout hooray and laugh some more.
Durango is the chief of a band of rouge Regulators. Together with his davos of motley crew Regulators they fight to protect a group of Martian miners from the evil, flesh eating Draeu led by an equally evil Queen.
This novel was entreatingly good (and fun) for so many reasons. For one thing, it is a sci-fi dystopian (I <3 dystopia) book. I liked the inventive world created by Gil...more
Durango is the chief of a band of rouge Regulators. Together with his davos of motley crew Regulators they fight to protect a group of Martian miners from the evil, flesh eating Draeu led by an equally evil Queen.
This novel was entreatingly good (and fun) for so many reasons. For one thing, it is a sci-fi dystopian (I <3 dystopia) book. I liked the inventive world created by Gil...more
Originally posted on Guy Gone Geek.
I have to admit that the Suzanne Collins blurb on the cover sold the book for me. An established young adult dystopian author pimping a new dystopian book really seals the deal. I am glad that I was lured by that bait because Black Hole Sun is one hell of a book dystopian fans shouldn’t miss.
David Macinnis Gill’s version of our dark future is on Mars. I would naturally expect that the story will take place when the society is still settling in their new home or...more
I have to admit that the Suzanne Collins blurb on the cover sold the book for me. An established young adult dystopian author pimping a new dystopian book really seals the deal. I am glad that I was lured by that bait because Black Hole Sun is one hell of a book dystopian fans shouldn’t miss.
David Macinnis Gill’s version of our dark future is on Mars. I would naturally expect that the story will take place when the society is still settling in their new home or...more
Where is Joss Whedon, does he know about this book, and is he getting his fair share of profits, since the entire tome is constructed around the worlds and characters Whedon created in Firefly?
Although the book is set on Mars, the list of Firefly similarities is alarming -
1) Pithy, sarcastic male leader with a troubled past (Captain Malcolm Reynolds)
2) Supportive, female subordinate who is a little too> supportive and makes you question the nature of the relationship (Zoe)
3) Humanoid creature...more
Although the book is set on Mars, the list of Firefly similarities is alarming -
1) Pithy, sarcastic male leader with a troubled past (Captain Malcolm Reynolds)
2) Supportive, female subordinate who is a little too> supportive and makes you question the nature of the relationship (Zoe)
3) Humanoid creature...more
15 likes · like · see review
Oct 20, 2010
Elizabeth Briggs
added it
Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill is a YA sci-fi novel set on a terraformed Mars of the future. Durango is a disgraced Regulator who takes on mercenary jobs to get by, with the help of his AI Mimi and his former squad mate Vienne.
When a colony of miners ask them for help, Durango and Vienne take the low paying, dangerous job because they can't turn away people in need. Both characters are flawed but brave, and it is easy to root for them (and hope they get together in the end, of course). I...more
When a colony of miners ask them for help, Durango and Vienne take the low paying, dangerous job because they can't turn away people in need. Both characters are flawed but brave, and it is easy to root for them (and hope they get together in the end, of course). I...more
The book moved along at a good pace with a lot of action (gun fire, explosions, cannibals, snowmobile chases). The characterization is weak, but perhaps the book is meant to appeal more to a crowd that prefers the aforementioned action to knowing much about the backstories of the characters. Despite that, I did rather like the chief and his davos, even though I knew little about them. The action scenes are well-drawn, allowing me to draw a decent picture of the scene in my head, which some books...more
Gill drops us right into the story--and his improbable characters--with a ten kilometer free fall over Mars and the pace (and improbability) never slackens. The back story--and a third of the story is back story--is rationed to the reader meagerly, which is good. A data dump at the beginning would have been a complete turn off.
The characters are more caricatures, except for the bad guys. The mutants and their queen are as mysterious as they are evil. Only in the last pages does Gill fill us in....more
The characters are more caricatures, except for the bad guys. The mutants and their queen are as mysterious as they are evil. Only in the last pages does Gill fill us in....more
More of a 1.5 star
First impression:
Extremely action-packed. Dystopia-ish world in space. Smart-ass protagonist with HIDDEN PAST. Some seriously icky scenes.
Final verdict:
I really want to love the book. I really do. Space Opera/Adventure is my pet love and I'm just thrill there's YA book in that genre. But the characters are way too cardboard and the interaction between them is totally not convincing. The plot is confusing and involve lots of Huh? moment.
Dear authors of the world, I still need a...more
First impression:
Extremely action-packed. Dystopia-ish world in space. Smart-ass protagonist with HIDDEN PAST. Some seriously icky scenes.
Final verdict:
I really want to love the book. I really do. Space Opera/Adventure is my pet love and I'm just thrill there's YA book in that genre. But the characters are way too cardboard and the interaction between them is totally not convincing. The plot is confusing and involve lots of Huh? moment.
Dear authors of the world, I still need a...more
1 like · like · see review
Kelly Garwood
Gill, D. M. (2010). Black hole sun. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Award(s): Booklist starred, School Library Journal starred, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) starred
Format: book
Selection process: Nilsen, A. P. (Ed.). (2013). Literature for today’s young adults. (p. 172). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Review:
Durango is a 16 year-old Regulator whose disgraced father marks him as a dalit or outcast. He struggles to find jobs that pay much and he just tries to keep hi...more
Gill, D. M. (2010). Black hole sun. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Award(s): Booklist starred, School Library Journal starred, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) starred
Format: book
Selection process: Nilsen, A. P. (Ed.). (2013). Literature for today’s young adults. (p. 172). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Review:
Durango is a 16 year-old Regulator whose disgraced father marks him as a dalit or outcast. He struggles to find jobs that pay much and he just tries to keep hi...more
Black Hole Sun is about a teenage boy named Durango who lives on Mars during what would be the future, yet western cowboy like times. His life is tough because his only family is his father who is in Jail, so Durango has to work many jobs to keep a living. But one day he gets a mission to watch a mining crew in no mans land, he goes on more of an adventure. He has to fight mutant humans who eat humans. And it turns out those mutants, the Draeu, are looking for something in the mines that Durang...more
I wasn't sure about this book since it is not my usual genre. I like science fiction but I like the more magical types of books. This book grew on me as I read it. At first it was confusing since I wasn't sure who or where Mimi was and Durango's history was not obvious. But then slowly as the story went along these things were explained. The characters were interesting and I cared about them. The interaction between the members of the team were comical as intended. And yes there was violence but...more
Another 2.5 book here, but I'm rounding up for the heck of it because, well, why not. Anyways, sort of interesting, but it sort of felt a bit cookie cutter and there wasn't enough background for me. And I'm ALL ABOUT THE BACKGROUNDS. (Sort of overload on it, actually.) I think a lot of authors don't want to make it sound like a text book and so they forgo the history bit of context, forgetting, of course, that the history is what makes the world seem plausible and realistic. Also, I felt like hi...more
Dec 05, 2012
Ed
added it
Gill, David Macinnis. (2010). Black Hole Sun. New York: HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 352 pp. ISBN 978-0-06-167304-7 (Hard Cover); $16.99.
Baby-eating Draeu stalk the miners on the bleak, south pole of Mars forcing them to engage the services of Durango, a renegade mercenary with a hardcore code of honor. However, bringing in Durango risks exposure of the miners’ secret treasure, which the Draeu would also like to steal. Strong women characters are an essential element of the novel, particularly Vie...more
Baby-eating Draeu stalk the miners on the bleak, south pole of Mars forcing them to engage the services of Durango, a renegade mercenary with a hardcore code of honor. However, bringing in Durango risks exposure of the miners’ secret treasure, which the Draeu would also like to steal. Strong women characters are an essential element of the novel, particularly Vie...more
Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill is a good book for people that like science fiction books. The science fiction part comes in when the book starts to describe the different weapons used by the regulators. Special guns called armalites, protective gear that is truly impermeable and even Artificial Intelligence placed inside a human brain. The book was mainly about a group of regulators that come help a group of miners that are being attacked by savage beasts. The book was set on Mars, the pl...more
I enjoyed it, although not as much as some reviewers seem to have.
I had problems with how derivative the setup was, mostly Seven Samurai meets Mad Max in the middle of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, but as I was reading it the bigger problem I had was with odd word usage. Several times it felt like the author or the editor put in the wrong word, like mixing up "vertical" and "horizontal" in one fight scene. The weapons used in the story were just weirdly described, like the plasma guns th...more
I had problems with how derivative the setup was, mostly Seven Samurai meets Mad Max in the middle of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, but as I was reading it the bigger problem I had was with odd word usage. Several times it felt like the author or the editor put in the wrong word, like mixing up "vertical" and "horizontal" in one fight scene. The weapons used in the story were just weirdly described, like the plasma guns th...more
This classic sci-fi western book was a delight to find. Although it has some of the issues that are ingrained in its genre Black Hole Sun was still a breath of fresh air in the current sci-fi/romances and fantasy/romances. Durango is a great character, and I was surprised to find that I really identified with him even though I almost always identify with the female lead. Perhaps Mimi, Durango’s iPhone-in-his-head-voice has a lot to do with that. Mimi is delightfully sarcastic and has a distinct...more
We are introduced to Durango a chief for a group of mercenaries. The group consists of his right hand woman (not in that way... well sorta... no, not really... okay let's just settle for "it's complicated" for the time being), his second in command, and a tech chip in his head. Two rag tag kind of guys joins them later in their mission to save a outpost, that are being ravaged by creatures. Oh the story takes place on Mars.
A thought occured to me, after I had finished reading this book this morn...more
A thought occured to me, after I had finished reading this book this morn...more
Durango is the leader of a group of soldiers-for-hire on futuristic Mars. His checkered past has led him into some interesting predicaments. He usually tries to get the most bang for his buck, but sometimes his desire to do the right thing outweighs his desire for lots of money. Thus he accepts a dangerous job in a mining community for very little pay. His team thinks he is crazy but they are sworn to follow him. Of course, nothing goes as planned. His leadership skills and his teams loyalty are...more
The main character is Durango he is a regulator which seems to be a mix of a policeman and mercenary.Durango has a computer like device on his brain that has a wise cracking personality and seems to be a female named Mimi.Mimi constantly mocks and insults Durango in a child like manner. Durango seems to be the leader and one of his favorite workers named Vienne.According to Durango she is perfect in her aim,machine like action, and ability to follow orders.
Durango and his davos (team or crew) a...more
Durango and his davos (team or crew) a...more
I must confess to finding this book rather awful. Durango was a sterotypical loner badass that we've all seen, from Han Solo to that guy with the harmonica in 'Once Upon a Time in the West'. His second in command is a beautiful girl, who is of course his love interest and, in a totally new idea, love between them is forbidden. Well give the author a prize-how'd he come up with that idea? Not only is it forbidden, but like most young people, these two blow the rules out the window and go for it a...more
Durango has many problems in his life. He is dalit, a social pariah for failing to commit ritual suicide. In the highly stratified future Mars, dalit rank somewhere below the miners who have been used, abused, and discarded. First there were the Orthocrats, willing to terraform Mars under any circumstance. Then, came the CorpComs with legions of soldiers in battle suits. Left behind were the draeu, cannibalistic beings with no rhyne or reason, other than to kill and eat flesh. But Durango has ot...more
Sci-fi soup: add a little Star Wars, a dash of Starship Troopers, a pinch of The Golden Compass, a huge helping of Ender's Game (and probably a ton more things that I'm not aware of) and you get this novel. It's the perfect definition of "It was okay." While the dialogue was good and snarky (if a little too clever and too long at times), and the action kept the novel moving, nothing felt new. The plot: Jacob Durango leads a team of Regulators, including his second-in-command love interest--Vienn...more
I am glad that I randomly chose this book. When I first saw the title it caught my eye because of the song by the same name. This fact alone was a great push factor for me to pick up this book. I also liked the cover design of the book. It is very simple but still appealing and relatively representative of the book. Even the font used to state the chapters was a perfect fit.
For those of you that don’t know, this book is about a 17 year old boy named Durango who is a “regulator”. A regulator is...more
For those of you that don’t know, this book is about a 17 year old boy named Durango who is a “regulator”. A regulator is...more
I'm quite sure the book Gill imagined in his head was pretty cool, with a fun mix of action, thrills, witty banter, creativity, and grit. I'm sure of this because some of it comes through, enough to make this an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, I don't think his writing skills are up to the task of capturing and portraying everything he had in mind, and I found at the same time that I was entertained I was also disappointed with what I was reading. Here's a sample sentence from protagonist Durango...more
I fully picked this book up in Barnes and Noble because it had a rec from Suzanna Collins on the cover. I have no shame in admitting that. And, ok, I liked the cover, too. And the title. And, fine, I read a few pages and that tickled me enough to buy it. But still. When Suzanne Collins is reccing things, well, I’m dang sure going to listen. And boy am I glad I did.
Black Hole Sun tells the story of Cowboy. Or Durango. Or Jacob. Three names that all refer to one incredibly awesome lead character....more
Black Hole Sun tells the story of Cowboy. Or Durango. Or Jacob. Three names that all refer to one incredibly awesome lead character....more
After the Earth has collapsed with plague, the colonies on the planet Mars thrive. After using greenhouse gas technology to heat up the planet and make it habitable, mankind has also let regions of Mars slide into decay. Durango is a disgraced Regulator, a member of an elite combat force, who now takes on dirty security jobs supported by his team of “davos”, other Regulators sworn by the arcane Tenets to serve their Chief. After rescuing kidnapped aristocrat children, Durango and his group find...more
Jake did his review in song!
Yo, yo, yiggity, yo! This is mix master Jake "Jakey-Jake" Kirk and I'm going to do this review as illustrated by a series of graphical rhymes starting...NOW!
My Lyrically Advanced Review
(As Inspired by Ian Stupidhalder)
So our story starts out with with a boy named Durango.
He's 8 years old Mars Time(17 in Earth though).
He's a disgraced soldier just trying to get by,
And with the help of his friends Vienne and Mimi, he's doing just fine.
Until someone makes him an offer...more
Yo, yo, yiggity, yo! This is mix master Jake "Jakey-Jake" Kirk and I'm going to do this review as illustrated by a series of graphical rhymes starting...NOW!
My Lyrically Advanced Review
(As Inspired by Ian Stupidhalder)
So our story starts out with with a boy named Durango.
He's 8 years old Mars Time(17 in Earth though).
He's a disgraced soldier just trying to get by,
And with the help of his friends Vienne and Mimi, he's doing just fine.
Until someone makes him an offer...more
Durango, 16, is a Regulator living on Mars, which has been colonized and terraformed by Earthers. Disgraced by the actions of his father, he now roams the planet looking for paying mercenary gigs with Vienne, a Regulator and Durango’s love interest, and Mimi, an artificial intelligence grafted onto this brain. When a group of miners ask for his help protecting them from the Draeu, an army of half-human cannibals, Durango, driven by the Regulator tenets to help the helpless, can’t turn them down....more
Gruesome action led by a disgraced soldier turned mercenary worth cheering for.
Terraformed Mars is the brutal setting. Seventeen year old space cowboy Durango is the protagonist. He’s chief of a crew of one (his second, Vienne) with the aid of his implanted AI, Mimi. They’re disgraced Regulators who hire out for whatever work they can get, honor bound to take on the do-gooder jobs that never pay much. This latest one has them piecing together additional forces to face off against a violent and...more
Terraformed Mars is the brutal setting. Seventeen year old space cowboy Durango is the protagonist. He’s chief of a crew of one (his second, Vienne) with the aid of his implanted AI, Mimi. They’re disgraced Regulators who hire out for whatever work they can get, honor bound to take on the do-gooder jobs that never pay much. This latest one has them piecing together additional forces to face off against a violent and...more
Mars isn't what it used to be.
The mining outposts no longer dominate the economy. Worse, mutant marauder cannibals called the Draeu, infest the mining regions. None of the mining families are safe.
But that’s just the beginning. The terraforming on Mars was never completed, and everyone except the elite who stopped all progress for their self-serving interests live in a polluted environment.
This is Durango’s world. Durango is a dalit, a warrior who did not sacrifice himself to death when his lead...more
The mining outposts no longer dominate the economy. Worse, mutant marauder cannibals called the Draeu, infest the mining regions. None of the mining families are safe.
But that’s just the beginning. The terraforming on Mars was never completed, and everyone except the elite who stopped all progress for their self-serving interests live in a polluted environment.
This is Durango’s world. Durango is a dalit, a warrior who did not sacrifice himself to death when his lead...more
I had high hopes for David Macinnis Gill's
Black Hole Sun
. It was a combination dystopian/sci-fi; it was young-adult; and it came highly recommended with a five-star rating by a friend whose opinion I trust. Unfortunately, it fell far short of the mark.
The premise of the book starts off fairly well: mercenary Durango and his team of rag-tag misfits accept a mission for far below their usual pay to defend a mining outpost on Mars from a band of cannibals who demand children of the miners. Of cou...more
The premise of the book starts off fairly well: mercenary Durango and his team of rag-tag misfits accept a mission for far below their usual pay to defend a mining outpost on Mars from a band of cannibals who demand children of the miners. Of cou...more
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David Macinnis Gill is the author of the award-winning novels Black Hole Sun and Soul Enchilada, both from Greenwillow/Harper Collins. His short stories have appeared in several magazines, including The Crescent Review and Writer’s Forum. His critical biography of young adult author Graham Salisbury, Graham Salisbury: Island Boy, was published by Scarecrow Press. He holds a bachelor’s degree in En...more
More about David Macinnis Gill...
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“My old chief taught me three lessons: Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Never go into debt because you will never get out. And never pat yourself on the back because karma will bite you in the ass.
Karma, I think, meet ass.”
—
9 people liked it
Karma, I think, meet ass.”
“It is the thinnest lines that define us.”
—
8 people liked it
More quotes…
Oct 06, 2010 11:03am