Kemper’s review of Armada > Likes and Comments

hate! hate! hate!

Dan wrote: "hate! hate! hate!"

What are you talking about? I'm just a few chapters in and loving it. Where does this guy come up with these crazy original plots?!? And using pop culture references as your primary means of communication isn't annoying at all!

*Waiting*

Also, I know I usually hate that kind of thing, but I just pre-liked what I'm sure will be a most excellent rant. Please don't let me down.

Becky wrote: "Also, I know I usually hate that kind of thing, but I just pre-liked what I'm sure will be a most excellent rant. Please don't let me down."

I have no idea what you're talking about it. I've been all "SQUEEEEEE!!! It's a new Ernest Cline book!!!!" for months now. I meant to give it 5 stars weeks ago before I even read it because you know he's the most super fantastic original sci-fi writer in the history of the world.

Did you know he makes references about Star Wars and video games?!? STAR WARS!! That proves he's awesome.

NO WAY! O_O

Becky wrote: "NO WAY! O_O"

And Star Trek, too!! I mean, that's the genius of this man. Where else can you go to have nerds talking about Star Trek and Star Wars?

Shut the front door!

OMG. This thread should be labelled NSFW.


lol

MrsJoseph wrote: "OMG. This thread should be labelled NSFW."

I assume you mean because it gives you the irresistible urge to stand up and scream, "THIS BOOK SOUNDS F#^!$G INCREDIBLE!!"

I know it makes me want to shout something.

Yikes. This book is not getting any love. That's too bad. Welp, it's going to the bottom of my to read list now.

April wrote: "Yikes. This book is not getting any love. That's too bad. Welp, it's going to the bottom of my to read list now."

That's where it belongs. Or off the list entirely would be even better.

Kemper wrote: "Dan wrote: "hate! hate! hate!"

What are you talking about? I'm just a few chapters in and loving it. Where does this guy come up with these crazy original plots?!? And using pop culture referen..."

And we're off.

I'm not even going to read this one, but I will read the comments here for even better entertainment.


Boy George!

parachute pants!

leg warmers!

Carol. wrote: "I'm not even going to read this one, but I will read the comments here for even better entertainment...."

The real fun will start when the Cline fan base shows up to tell me that I read the book wrong and/or missed the point.

"Maybe if Cline checked a thesaurus instead of IMDB once in a while he could find a new verb."

Heh heh. Excellent. All of it. I won't be reading this. I love a good dose of pop culture nostalgia, but there's gotta be a good reason for it - if not it's just porn for the sake of porn. Boring, rote, unimaginative. Exactly like eating pre-chewed food that's been regurgitated into your mouth. Blech.

Trudi wrote: ""I love a good dose of pop culture nostalgia, but there's gotta be a good reason for it - if not it's just porn for the sake of porn...."

Yeah, the stuff can be fun like the Futurama episode I mentioned or a movie like Wreck-It Ralph, but you gotta do something other than just hold the reference up and say, "You guys like this, right? RIGHT?!?"

This was a thing of beauty. Thank you.

Say what you want about the second season, but, boy, that quote from True Detective sure is fun to make your own iterations out of.

Cline is like that guy at work who made one decent joke that got a short giggle out of you once in the break room and after that repeats a variation of it every time you bump into him in the hall.

That's exactly what I thought when I read the premise. I'm also too young for a lot of the '80s references leaving me feeling like WOW, that's awesome. If Cline found his niche then good for him, he'd hardly be the first author to focus solely on his only semi-innovative premise for far too long.

Excellent review. I love me some references but wow, there's a point where it's too much and Armada sounds like it's completely crossed that line.
Even if a kid is obsessed with the 80s, I feel like the majority of the references would go over everyone's heads...especially other younger people. It would be like he's having inside jokes with himself, rather than having "real" conversations.

I think I can just count reading your review as reading the book and not feel stupid about the $9.99 I spent on it looking for some book love!

Thanks!

Becky wrote: "This was a thing of beauty. Thank you."

I'd say it was my pleasure, but I had to read the book to do it so that's not true.

Anthony wrote: "Say what you want about the second season, but, boy, that quote from True Detective sure is fun to make your own iterations out of."

Yeah, that one and the threat about what will happen to the parents of a bully are pure gold.

This has been the most anticipated review of the week. And you delivered wonderfully!

Terence wrote: "I'm also too young for a lot of the '80s references leaving me feeling like WOW, that's awesome..."

I was a teenager in the '80s, and I still don't think they're awesome.

Kandice wrote: "I think I can just count reading your review as reading the book and not feel stupid about the $9.99 I spent on it looking for some book love!"

Can you get a refund?

Ashley (JaffaCaffa) wrote: "Even if a kid is obsessed with the 80s, I feel like the majority of the references would go over everyone's heads...especially other younger people. It would be like he's having inside jokes with himself, rather than having "real" conversations.."

He gets around that by having pretty much every character share the same level of geek knowledge and love of the '80s. But it should get some blank looks. I ran one quote by my friend Trudi, who has not seen Star Wars or Star Trek, just as a test to see if she could tell what information was trying to be conveyed, and it was pretty much gibberish to her.

Richard Vialet wrote: "This has been the most anticipated review of the week. And you delivered wonderfully!"

Hopefully better than Cline did. Thanks!

Kemper wrote: "I ran one quote by my friend Trudi, who has not seen Star Wars or Star Trek, just as a test to see if she could tell what information was trying to be conveyed, and it was pretty much gibberish to her. "

Well, in all honesty, Trudi is Canadian. So there's a lot that is gibberish to her.

Carol. wrote: "Well, in all honesty, Trudi is Canadian. So there's a lot that is gibberish to her.."

So is William Shatner so you'd think she could translate someone who speaks her own native tongue.

Also, I'd like to point out to Trudi, who has a tendency to blame me for everything, that it was actually Carol who drew first blood in this case.

Kemper wrote: "Terence wrote: "I'm also too young for a lot of the '80s references leaving me feeling like WOW, that's awesome..."

I was a teenager in the '80s, and I still don't think they're awesome."

Fair enough. I just started kindergarten when the 80s ended.

Kemper wrote: "Ashley (JaffaCaffa) wrote: "Even if a kid is obsessed with the 80s, I feel like the majority of the references would go over everyone's heads...especially other younger people. It would be like he'..."

Yeah the 80s overload worked in Ready Player One because of the egg hunt and Halliday's obsession. I can't see that continue to be interesting for tons of varied books.

Kemper wrote: "Also, I'd like to point out to Trudi, who has a tendency to blame me for everything, that it was actually Carol who drew first blood in this case. "


Yeah, but it's your review.

Terence wrote: "Fair enough. I just started kindergarten when the 80s ended..."

That actually brings up a nitpick about the plot I almost made. Zach's father is supposed to have died in '99 at the age of 19. So born in 1980, right? Yet, supposedly it was his love of the '80s stuff and all the tapes and stuff he had that inspire Zach's devotion to the era.

It's possible, but it didn't seem like a kid whose teen years were in the '90s would be that obsessed with the '80s.

Absolutely fantastic review, Kemper. While I'm still interested in RP1 I'll be showing this review to a few folks who picked up Armada and have been greatly disappointed.

Kemper wrote: "I'd like to point out to Trudi, who has a tendency to blame me for everything..."

This is all your fault, all of it, everything, including the fact that Cline wrote this book in the first place. I also blame you for Speed 2 and Battlefield Earth. And even though I can't prove it, I know you used your time mower for more than one nefarious occasion to derail historical events (and rob banks).

One of the things that I hate that Cline has done is appropriate 80s pop culture for his own unimaginative selfish masturbatory purposes and created an undeserved backlash against a great decade that saw the rise of amazing technology and film and books and a political landscape that nearly annihilated all of us. To reduce the decade down to such insipid references is the most unkindest cut of all. Shame on him.

Kemper wrote: "Terence wrote: "Fair enough. I just started kindergarten when the 80s ended..."

That actually brings up a nitpick about the plot I almost made. Zach's father is supposed to have died in '99 at th..."

Yeah that's a great point, why would someone that young at the time be obsessed with the 80s as a whole. If it was just 80s cartoons I'd buy it.

Trudi wrote: "One of the things that I hate that Cline has done is appropriate 80s pop culture for his own unimaginative selfish masturbatory purposes and created an undeserved backlash against a great decade th..."

Very well said. Once could be imaginative, but two books like that...I'm just not buying it.

Edward wrote: "Yep, yep, and more yep. Well said, Kemper."

Thanks!

Mike wrote: "Absolutely fantastic review, Kemper. While I'm still interested in RP1 I'll be showing this review to a few folks who picked up Armada and have been greatly disappointed."

Thanks! This one makes me think even less of RP1, but it's still the better book even though it has many of the same problems.

Terence wrote: "Yeah that's a great point, why would someone that young at the time be obsessed with the 80s as a whole. If it was just 80s cartoons I'd buy it..."

Exactly. There's some stuff that is gonna cross generations like Star Wars, but I didn't buy that about his dad in this. That book also has another flaw because Zach's father notices and writes about a video game he saw with no copyright information that is supposed to be an early government test. Per the book's timeline he would have been 9 years old when this game was out. What 9 year old in 1989 would care or check a video game for copyright information?

Even by the very loose standards of this book's internal logic and timeline, there's a lot of stupid lazy mistakes like that.

Trudi wrote: "This is all your fault, all of it, everything, including the fact that Cline wrote this book in the..."

If I actually had a time mower there'd be one less Canadian sassing me!

Trudi wrote: "One of the things that I hate that Cline has done is appropriate 80s pop culture for his own unimaginative selfish masturbatory purposes and created an undeserved backlash against a great decade th..."

That's the underlying thing about why I have no respect for this guy. It's just the laziest and least imaginative way to do it, but he's laughing all the way to the bank.

Great review, Kemper. Even when I wouldn't probably get the 80's references, I think I'd rather stick with RP1 when I finally read it. Also, what the hell with Star Wars? It's known by everyone, so why would that kid get excited for meeting another SW's fan?!

This review is awesome. Nice work, Kemper.

Kemper wrote: "but he's laughing all the way to the bank..."

I guess the real joke is on us then, isn't it. And now I'm stuck with an ARC of this I'm never going to read. I suppose it will make for decent toilet paper when the zombie apocalypse comes. Or to line the kitty litter pans.

Diane wrote: "This review is awesome. Nice work, Kemper."

Thanks!

Vane wrote: "Great review, Kemper. Even when I wouldn't probably get the 80's references, I think I'd rather stick with RP1 when I finally read it. Also, what the hell with Star Wars? It's known by everyone, so..."

Thanks. And yeah, I don't get Cline acting as if liking Star Wars makes someone special. I saw a small child, younger than 10, with a R2-D2 backpack yesterday. I thought about the bit with the geek dream girl having the R2-D2 flask that was supposed to make her unique and got a good laugh.

Even I know who R2-D2 is.

Maybe it was what she was drinking that made her special?

A Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, perhaps?