Re: Nebula finalists 2018

On 2025-01-22, Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

Robert Woodward  <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

In article <vmpvq1$pns8$2@dont-email.me>,
"Default User" <defaultuserbr@yahoo.com> wrote:
>

Robert Woodward wrote:
 

AFACT, I have read none of the finalists

If I could recommend any to you, it would be All Systems Red.

>
I have seen many words of praise for that series, but I have hundreds of
unread books and I am reluctant to start another series.

>
Don't read the series.  Read the first book, maybe the first three books,
and stop there.  The first book is amazing but after a while there just
isn't any point.
--scott

I'll echo Scott's advice. You absolutely should read the first book,
but you don't need to read the series. The attraction is not the
worldbuilding; it's not the changing or maturing of the main
character; it's not the secondary characters.  All of those
might be reasons you want to keep on reading a series, but are
not important here.

Instead the primary attraction is the portrayal of the quirky main
character. You gradually learn what Murderbot is like and Wells
completely nails the character; she gets it perfectly right. You feel
you know the essentials of Murderbot and you don't need more books
except to solve a couple of minor mysteries.

I happened to read _All Systems Red_ within a couple of days of it
coming out since I like Wells. I re-read it that day (it's short). The
next day I reported it here as the most enjoyable book I had read in
several years. It's that good.

Chris