Rookie progress
Apr. 17th, 2010 12:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgCarried away by what felt like a rare opportunity, I picked up Rookie by Scott Sigler at Swancon. I didn't mean to, because while I like aliens (and by extension space travel) I'm not that familiar with american football. I am, however a fan of milfic, and so this sporting tale presses enough military buttons to keep me reasonably interested if not intimately aware of the significance of every play. Tim Powers has written several poker-heavy books where I have the same problem, but as long as I can get a feel for the shapes, the ebbs and flows of the action, that is enough. Sigler has managed this quite well.
Interested isn't enough though. I was deeply interested in Ancestor but let down by the writing. Rookie is a far superior book to Ancestor. Sigler writes with much greater confidence and flair, and carries the subtext of character development and alien relations/team bonding forward in believable and smooth stages. The hero starts as an arsehole, but he gets himself some education along the way and acquires new skills to complement his raw talents. There's growth and change. This I like.
Along the way you learn about the state of the universe through many sets of eyes, which is a device that works very well to flesh out the complexities of life.
I'm only 2/3 of the way through (more or less in a single session) so I'll have to stop talking and finish this up when the book is done. The signs are good.
ED: And now I've finished it the final cut is here: http://stephbg.livejournal.com/517148.html
Interested isn't enough though. I was deeply interested in Ancestor but let down by the writing. Rookie is a far superior book to Ancestor. Sigler writes with much greater confidence and flair, and carries the subtext of character development and alien relations/team bonding forward in believable and smooth stages. The hero starts as an arsehole, but he gets himself some education along the way and acquires new skills to complement his raw talents. There's growth and change. This I like.
Along the way you learn about the state of the universe through many sets of eyes, which is a device that works very well to flesh out the complexities of life.
I'm only 2/3 of the way through (more or less in a single session) so I'll have to stop talking and finish this up when the book is done. The signs are good.
ED: And now I've finished it the final cut is here: http://stephbg.livejournal.com/517148.html
