Do You like book Death's Head (2007)?
I never picked up a book that falls in the action sci-fi genre before, and wasn't really sure what to expect. Would I be reading about never ending battles between mercenaries? How much of that can you read before it starts to get tiring?Well, if all books of similar genre are anything like this book, then it never gets tiring. But I doubt other books are anything like this author's style; told in the first person of a human killing machine who's inner thoughts, dry humor and brutal tactics are one of the most fun characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Or in this case, the pleasure of being carried along for the ride as if I were a silent participant.There's so many great words I can use to describe Death's Head. But that's too easy. The story was flying off the pages, never a dull moment, the character barely getting enough time to relax and catch a breath before being thrust into yet more violent craziness.It's what a Rambo of the future might be like. On steroids. But cooler. With just the right sense of humor. It's guaranteed entertainment (if you're into that sort of thing).It's also the first in a series, which makes me immensely happy, for it means that my times spent with Sven the protagonist, are just beginning...
—Alex Sheldon Savva
You know what really impressed me about this book? How STUPID the main character is. Sven, Space Barbarian, is a man who doesn't know much about technology. He's a practical man, for whom book-learnin' isn't on the agenda, and the kind of guy who doesn't deal much with explanations.This is a shame, since the book is from his perspective.I'm left looking at this interesting post-human universe through the goggles of a moron who doesn't understand the significance of an AI-powered gun, or the biological modem that's stuck in his throat. Here's a guy who would probably assume a transhumanist is a breakfast food, dropped into a transhuman world. Sometimes, this gives us brief flashes of interesting character drama. Most of the time, it's just aggravating as I, as a reader, had to puzzle through annoyingly stupid semi-explanations of established sci-fi concepts.The plot? Yeah, I guess there's one of those. It involves bullets, as you may be surprised to learn. Also some betrayal, I guess? But the whole setting kind of feels Warhammer 40K-ish, so betrayal was kind of just on the agenda in my mind.7 AM : Wake up7:10 AM : War9 AM : Breakfast10 AM : More War11 AM : Light Lunch, Talk to Squad11:02 AM : Betrayal11:03 AM : WarNoon : WartrayalRest of the day allocated for whoringOverall, I cannot recommended this. In fact, I think it's kind of awful. It's still readable, though, and while its theme of brutal violence as a serviceable solution to every problem is unsettling, it's not so bad that I'll give it a perilous 1-star. There are some tiny sparkles of good ideas in here, and I hope the author can switch gears in future books and let them show a bit more.
—Argus
I really enjoyed this book. It's hard-core, action packed and full of some great action. I originally saw the second book in an airport bookseller and thought it looked interesting (the title caught my eye) and it took me a while to locate the first one. I always like to read them in sequence. I'm glad I took the time as I was not disappointed. If you like your sci-fi down n' dirty and you heros more anti' than hero then this one is definitely for you.As soon as I read it I knew my brother would like it too, he's the one who introduced me to Fantasy and Sci Fi. I bought him a copy for Christmas and he was hooked too, he kept bugging me to find the next one and then the third one after that.
—Kiwigirlreads
