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The Machine Awakes by Adam Christopher (view source)
Revision as of 16:42, 23 April 2015
, 16:42, 23 April 2015no edit summary
The first outing in the ''Spider Wars'' was an intense and claustrophobic affair as the Spiders’ AI started to take over a remote space station person by person. For the second book author Adam Christopher has decided to set the book in the same universe, but completely change the style. Gone is the ''Alien'' feel, in favour of overblown space-operatics. What was once a contained and riveting universe has opened into something that borders on the bland.
''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' taught us that no matter how much we love a science fiction universe, no one wants to watch/read all about politics in a made up world. Christopher seems to have not heeded this lesson from recent history and creates a book that should be about fighting giant mechanical spider in space and instead makes it a book about space politics. The first third is a rather plodding affair as we learn about the structure of the Fleet that controls future Earth. Rather than building directly on from the events seen in ‘‘Burning Dark’’''Burning Dark'', ‘‘Machine Awakes’’ ''Machine Awakes'' instead uses it as a trigger for the political upheaval back on Earth – a footnote in this story.
Readers may be initially upset to realise the investment they had in book one was limited and their despair will only be compounded as the politics are revealed. However, persevere for 70 pages or so and the book begins to open. The good elements of the book all come from the character of Agent Von Kodiak, who is officially dead, making him free to go anywhere and do as he wishes. He is the person that drives the story onwards and it eventually settles in a very interesting place.