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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really liked this science fiction collection of short stories. Just don't read the foreward by another before you read the book. Some of the stories read like first chapters in sf adventure novels (Arches) that never gelled. But they are still entertaining. The emphasis seems to be high concept, hardish science. I really felt I wanted to read more. A few stories have characters and mileiu in common. The Last Reef being one, in which the dangers and temptations of runaway AI are explored. Ack Ack Maqaque is also a runaway AI story. But what happens when the AI confuses it's identity with a Manga character? All in all I enjoyed this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
Fine science fiction collection
1 Nov 2008
Format:Paperback
The Last Reef is a quite impressive short story collection. The average is 3.63, not what you would expect from someone that hasn't been around too long. Short story is indeed the operative word here, as in general that is what you get. Powell seems to have a real talent for the shorter end of the story scale, and, in fact, has a large number of short-shorts at his website. Having checked out some of these, there is more evidence of this rarer ability here.
Not many people can do short-shorts well, particularly lots of them. They are popular on the internet because they are quick and cheap. However, what they say about fast, good and cheap, pick two, also applies. Sturgeon's Law has a higher threshold for short-shorts, or they have a lower average quality in general, whichever you prefer.
When expanding to the short story length GLP displays the same ability to deliver a taut tale with all the elements. You have cyberpunk, hardboiled action, and tales of weird alien incursions in the near future with people on the run in a lot of cases. The odd different piece like Six Lights off Green Scar is still your story of desperation, even though space opera. Powell is definitely my sort of writer, it would seem, and if none of those elements appeal at all, may not be yours.
Jetse de Vries discourses at some length about the elements that go into these stories in the introduction, too. Good that they made the ebook available here, or I would have missed this.
Anyway, fine work, hope he continues with more.
Last Reef : Sunsets and Hamburgers - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Last Reef - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Redoubt - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Ack-Ack Macaque - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Pod Dreams of Tuckertown - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Six Lights off Green Scar - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Distant Galaxies Colliding - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Falling Apart - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Morning Star - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : A Necklace of Ivy - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Hot Rain - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Long Walk Aft - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Arches - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Flotsam - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Cat in a Box - Gareth L. Powell
Not many people can do short-shorts well, particularly lots of them. They are popular on the internet because they are quick and cheap. However, what they say about fast, good and cheap, pick two, also applies. Sturgeon's Law has a higher threshold for short-shorts, or they have a lower average quality in general, whichever you prefer.
When expanding to the short story length GLP displays the same ability to deliver a taut tale with all the elements. You have cyberpunk, hardboiled action, and tales of weird alien incursions in the near future with people on the run in a lot of cases. The odd different piece like Six Lights off Green Scar is still your story of desperation, even though space opera. Powell is definitely my sort of writer, it would seem, and if none of those elements appeal at all, may not be yours.
Jetse de Vries discourses at some length about the elements that go into these stories in the introduction, too. Good that they made the ebook available here, or I would have missed this.
Anyway, fine work, hope he continues with more.
Last Reef : Sunsets and Hamburgers - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Last Reef - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Redoubt - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Ack-Ack Macaque - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Pod Dreams of Tuckertown - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Six Lights off Green Scar - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Distant Galaxies Colliding - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Falling Apart - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Morning Star - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : A Necklace of Ivy - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Hot Rain - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : The Long Walk Aft - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Arches - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Flotsam - Gareth L. Powell
Last Reef : Cat in a Box - Gareth L. Powell
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