Nano-Shenanigans

4:51 pm 14 June 2015
Immune - Richard Phillips

Remember that list I opened with in my review of the first book? We've got most of that and more on this second voyage of the USS Exposition, the most notable additions being Colombian drug lords and a scrappy investigative reporter down on his luck. I'm not feeling motivated enough to do a detailed review, but I will say this much:

 

I'm still interested in the story, but the writing style and the short chapters (average chapter length for this one = 4 pages) are driving me batty. The contradictions and the contrivances are killing me. Rant on contrivances to follow behind a spoiler tag. Because it's super spoilery. Fair warning.

 

One of the big twists hinges solely on a main character (Jennifer) doing something inexplicable and mind-numbingly stupid. When she runs away from home (because reasons! I guess...) she takes with her two of the mind-altering headbands from the alien ship: the one attuned to her, and the one that wasn't currently attuned to anyone. She has no reason to do this. It makes no sense for her to do this. And then she's somehow tracked down by the Colombian drug lord she's embezzling from (because reasons) even though she's a super hacker and it's never really explained how he tracked her down. Oh, and it just so happens that this drug lord she targeted basically at random is in cahoots with the mad scientist who plans to take over the world with his alien tech. Oh, and once this drug lord has her he introduces her to an assassin (also on the mad scientist's payroll) with Sith-like mind powers SO amazing that when he finds and puts on the alien headband he instantly masters abilities it took Jen and the others months to develop. Because reasons. Gah.

(show spoiler)

 

This series has yet to do enough for me to elevate it above a 2.5 "It's okay" rating. I'm going to stick it out for book three mainly because I want to see how everything is resolved. (Also, I'm still irrationally hoping the offspring of nanite-infested parents will pop out of the womb with Borg implants and a link to the Collective. Please, oh please, make it so!)

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