On Basilisk Station - Buddy Read: February 2017

[Esther]

This is the thread for toose of us who want to read and chat about On Basilisk Station - starting February 2017 but continuing for as long as we want.

I will probably start reading at the beginning of next week.

This book has frequently been recommended to me as a classic and because it has a woman as the main protagonist.
Still I am not quite sure what to expect.

[Esther]

OK Simcha and anyone else who wants to join us - I am starting this today!

[Zohar]

I'm in !

also, FYI - first book is free on amazon for kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Basilisk-Stati...

[Esther]

Zohar wrote: "I'm in !
also, FYI - first book is free on amazon for kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Basilisk-Stati......"

Great!!

I have just started.
I am also reading on Kindle. It is going a bit slow for me but that maybe because it is an e-book, I find I read them more slowly than dead-tree versions.

What do you think about her treecat?

[Zohar]

Esther wrote: "Zohar wrote: "I'm in !
also, FYI - first book is free on amazon for kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Basilisk-Stati......"

I really like the treecat ! As a cat aficionado, I understand the notion that the cat chooses you and not the other way around : )

I just finished chapter 2. Got a little lost in the politics, especially the names of everyone... but Honor seems like my kind of protagonist. As in active, strong female.
I have no idea where the plot is going .. but it reads really well, its a great recommendation ! thanks !

I'll probably go like average 1 chapter per day. but if its really good I might do more . Have to agree with you on the physical book front, it feels different

What do you think so far ? Honor description was so long, all i could register that her hair was chopped .. did it work for you ?

[Esther]

Zohar wrote: "Got a little lost in the politics, especially the names of everyone......"

OMG so true! What totally confused me was when the author used two different names for the same person in the space of 3 sentences!
I am no so sure about the treecat but I am convinced it is going to become significant and am waiting to find out how.

[Zohar]

Finished it! Damn that ending was brutal..
Did you make it through?

[Esther]

Zohar wrote: "Finished it! Damn that ending was brutal..
Did you make it through?"

Yes, but it hurt.
What I don't get is after all the unsubtle info dumps and over-complicated battle descriptions he managed to (view spoiler)[get me so emotionally involved with such a large cast of characters that each death felt like a knife. I was surprised that anyone but Honor was left alive at the end (hide spoiler)]
That is what bumped it up to a 3.5 star for me. I like to get involved with the characters.

[Esther]

So I had very conflicted impressions of this novel: on one hand horrendous info-dumps that wren't helped by the e-book formatting and the truly exciting conclusion.
I had marked the next book in the series to read but it is a free download. I am not sure if my decision would be the same if I had to pay for it.

My review if anyone is interested.

[Esther]

So Zohar, other than the brutal ending what are your impressions?
Simcha, did you get round to reading?

[Zohar]

Hey!
Here are some of my random thoughts about the book, sorry they are a little jumbled - spoilers ! Esther- I read your review, commented on it below..

-------
(view spoiler)[
Took me a while to finish the book, pacing was slow. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Mainly because of Honor.
But most of the time I didn't understand where the plot is going and nothing really compelled me to keep reading..
With chapters full of science explanations (that either were important only much later or not relevant all to the plot), and the weird Medusan plot .. what ? I mean, the drug conspiracy is logical. I just dont understand what sort of legitimate trade any space-faring civilization could be doing with such a backwards civilization. I feel like they needed to send scientists- not the navy -to deal with the populous, where is Amy Adams from Arrival when you need her ? :)
All in all, it felt like a colonial British story about a great Captain in a corner of the world, dealing with primitives and greedy corporations.

Breaking it down, Honor is a really great character. It's also obvious that the writer loves her, which can be annoying.. But forgiven in this case. He made her a model Captain, nearly faultless, but also very compelling in her way of thinking and operating.
Also, loved Nimitz :)
Other characters I found hard to like, they were beginning to be interesting once they were cooperating with one another.. but then most of them were wiped out ..

which brings me to the ending... whereas the entire book was about how to get things going smoothly, according to protocol and uniting the ship - the ending was about wrapping things on Medusa and utilizing a lot of the science-y stuff to provide a highly satisfying space battle.
Also! I'm not sure I got this right- so if I'm wrong please tell me - the entire fight was for nothing ! the Sirius freighter was about to call off the attack on Medusa. Was the evidence really that important ?

very slight future spoilers - there are like a 1000 books more .. I have absolutely no idea where this is going. Maybe this book was a little slow because it's prequel-y?
I also grabbed the second book free on kindle, maybe listen to it as an audio book. (+2$)

and good riddance McKeon.


------- added after I read your review -
Haha. I was way too nice, the writing is indeed terrible.
It's just been a long time since I read anything hard sci-fi, I thought it was the norm. is it Hard sci-fi? the explanations were exhausting for me .. the politics I completely tuned out...
And the point of view ... damn .. just commit to one , or a few .. or anything coherent
I still have to stand by my gal, Honor. I love her non compromising position and I long for the day she breaks it, that would be an interesting read.
(hide spoiler)]

So, I'm up for book 2! maybe after a little break : )
Also, again, thanks for the recommendation !

[Esther]

Quote (view spoiler)[ Also! I'm not sure I got this right- so if I'm wrong please tell me - the entire fight was for nothing ! the Sirius freighter was about to call off the attack on Medusa. Was the evidence really that important ? (hide spoiler)]
I agree this also seemed a little strange to me (view spoiler)[ I realise that if they had called off the attack the Manticoreans would have no proof of Haven's evil intentions but with this attack on Basilisk station failing so spectacularly Haven might have been put off from a second attempt for a long time if not forever. Was it really worth losing half her crew to obtain that proof of an attack which wouldn't have happened if she had let the ship go?
Or maybe she wasn't as clever as she thought she was and she assumed the Haven ship was calling for the attack not rushing to stop it? (hide spoiler)]