What do you think?
Rate this book
Hulzein Dynasty #9
Renalle Kerguelen
F.M. Busby's final novel, a sequel to the Rissa Kerguelen novels.
- GenresScience Fiction
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2015
15 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
F.M. Busby
69 books27 followersFrancis Marion Busby
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._B...
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._M._B...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 7, 2015
This showed up for sale at Amazon Kindle the other day, although it was apparently written about ten years ago just before the author died. It's a follow up to the Rissa Kergeluen series from the last 1970s and early 80s.
That series was a landmark for feminism (despite some wince worthy sexist mistakes by the well-meaning author) along with being a grand space opera with plenty of planets, spaceships, etc. so, I was psyched to see this suddenly appear. I suspect it was found and published by the author's family.
Sadly, they do not appear to have had anyone edit it. It needs an edit badly. The dialogue is actually a bit better - less stiff - than the author's earlier books. It looked like the plot might be fun. I say looked like because as of now I'm stuck on a big fat DNF around page 50 or so.
I just could not get through the beginning without flagging. A big party at Rissa's place to celebrate the nth anniversary of the time she and her pals took over the earth. We see the entire thing through the eyes of Renalle, Rissa's college aged daughter who is bored because the party and her thoughts are used to inadequately mask a MASSIVE INFODUMP from the author, including all past book's plots, who's done what since then, and even a drawing of a family tree. Really, Renalle pulls her mom to the side during the Party of the Year to stick a family tree in her face.
I had just re-read the prior books, so I was up on the universe, but the INFODUMP was so massive that it slowed me down and ultimately stopped me in my tracks. I can't imagine what it would do to a new reader.
The other books started with a couple of pages of intro that summed up the story so far. If you knew the story, you could skip it and go straight to chapter one to dive into all-new action. Why didn't that happen here?
Just saying. Painful.
That series was a landmark for feminism (despite some wince worthy sexist mistakes by the well-meaning author) along with being a grand space opera with plenty of planets, spaceships, etc. so, I was psyched to see this suddenly appear. I suspect it was found and published by the author's family.
Sadly, they do not appear to have had anyone edit it. It needs an edit badly. The dialogue is actually a bit better - less stiff - than the author's earlier books. It looked like the plot might be fun. I say looked like because as of now I'm stuck on a big fat DNF around page 50 or so.
I just could not get through the beginning without flagging. A big party at Rissa's place to celebrate the nth anniversary of the time she and her pals took over the earth. We see the entire thing through the eyes of Renalle, Rissa's college aged daughter who is bored because the party and her thoughts are used to inadequately mask a MASSIVE INFODUMP from the author, including all past book's plots, who's done what since then, and even a drawing of a family tree. Really, Renalle pulls her mom to the side during the Party of the Year to stick a family tree in her face.
I had just re-read the prior books, so I was up on the universe, but the INFODUMP was so massive that it slowed me down and ultimately stopped me in my tracks. I can't imagine what it would do to a new reader.
The other books started with a couple of pages of intro that summed up the story so far. If you knew the story, you could skip it and go straight to chapter one to dive into all-new action. Why didn't that happen here?
Just saying. Painful.
January 25, 2022
I really liked the Rissa series and enjoyed Busby's writing in the stories of Rissa, Tregare, M'Tana and the other captains. I have read it many times and my daughter and both ex-husbands read the series. I was surprised when my daughter told me she had discovered this book had been published in 2015. We both immediately purchased it.
It was just ok. It did not have the depth of character that the Rissa and Tregare books had. It started out in the direction of Renalle being concerned about here genetics and trying to find herself while feeling inferior to Rissa. While that theme continued somewhat, the character of Renalle seemed to go through some adventures similar to her mothers - such as ending up on Number One and having a dual with a family on that planet. I wish the author had done more with the secondary theme of no matter who ends up in charge the general public feels change does not take place fast enough or in an approved direction, resulting in outrageous acts by the public engendered by others. (Kind of sound famliar giving our recent history.)
I would like to give it 4 stars, but can't bring myself to do so. Writing and editing were well-done, as were the references to past events. Mostly, this book makes me want to reread the original series.
It was just ok. It did not have the depth of character that the Rissa and Tregare books had. It started out in the direction of Renalle being concerned about here genetics and trying to find herself while feeling inferior to Rissa. While that theme continued somewhat, the character of Renalle seemed to go through some adventures similar to her mothers - such as ending up on Number One and having a dual with a family on that planet. I wish the author had done more with the secondary theme of no matter who ends up in charge the general public feels change does not take place fast enough or in an approved direction, resulting in outrageous acts by the public engendered by others. (Kind of sound famliar giving our recent history.)
I would like to give it 4 stars, but can't bring myself to do so. Writing and editing were well-done, as were the references to past events. Mostly, this book makes me want to reread the original series.
March 22, 2022
This book was much more enjoyable than the previous once, and made a nice wrap-up to the series. I don't know how it came to be, since Busby had said he was done at the end of the previous one, but I'm glad it exists.
October 19, 2017
Posthumously published. I compulsively read it but don't think it's as good as Rissa Kerguelen (Young Rissa + The Long View).
February 27, 2016
Really this was a little less than 3 stars. While I generally enjoy this type of space opera this just did not have the same level of action or quality as the other books in this series. Kind of sad to see that this did not end with the bang I had come to expect from Busby.
June 12, 2016
Solid
Solid. Worthwhile. Less fun than some of the others. The big concepts are missing or better done in earlier books and the core characters are mostly sane, and less as a result.
Solid. Worthwhile. Less fun than some of the others. The big concepts are missing or better done in earlier books and the core characters are mostly sane, and less as a result.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews