Saturday 16 March 2013

Lady Scoundrels' Saturday: Song of Scarabaeus - Sara Creasy


March is well under way and Lady Scoundrel Saturday is back and this time with a review of a sci-fi book., and a new concept of presenting it. Let me present:

Song of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus #1) by Sara Creasy

Blod: I did not finish, I am horrible, but I have reached the point where I just can’t read everything, I have to say no once and again. And for me this was a DNF. I was bored by page 1. They told me to go for 30, still bored, so I read (and skimmed) to 100 and said NO! 

Ram: And you chose the book! Thank you for that by the way. 

Ana: Yes, the choice was very nice, but not exactly fortunate for the chooser. I personally liked this novel and I was surprised Blodeuedd had so many problems with it. Life of a reader is never easy.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this book?

B. Boooooooooooring! I did not give a rat’s ass about it.

Ram: Which I still can’t understand. For me, it’s the musical analogies. How what Edie does is like composing or playing music to her, which kind of makes sense if I start to think about coding and the mathematics of it. 

Ana: I immediately thought about the human race and the fact that too often we act as a major parasite - whenever we go we want to colonize, change and adapt and everything should submit. If it doesn’t work of if we are attacked by not-so defenceless locals we scream blue murder. 

Not what comes first to mind to me, but it’s true. We’re a horrible race.

Well, I liked the music references as well but after a moment they were kind of drowned by the purpose of Edie’s work.

B, why didn’t you like the book?

B: I got kind of confused at once, and the feeling never left me. I was bored, it felt heavy, I was lost and I just never felt a connection.

Ram: Did you just immediately lose interest and give up on it? The book never really had a chance to win you over after that bad start? Because I did think the beginning was difficult to get through but once I got on the other side it more than redeemed itself for me.

Ana: In my humble opinion there was too much nerdspeak at the very beginning. It was indeed difficult to swallow in one big gulp.

B. To answer Ram’s question, yes. Sometimes I feel at once that it will not work. Sometimes I can struggle, but at other times I need to give up. And the nerdspeak, I have read heavy nerdy books but at least they did not make me wanna tear my eyes out ;)

Ana: Ouch!

Ram: Ouch indeed.  I didn’t mind the nerdspeak, I minded the undefined abbreviations. But then again, I’d just finished reading another Scifi novel so it wasn’t a huge jump. 

What do you think of the main heroine, Edie? Could you relate to her easily?

B: Nope, I did not care really. I need to care when I read and she, well I felt nothing this time around. Yes I had issues with everything.

Ram: I liked that although she was the best of the best in one thing, she was basically innocent and ignorant in all others. Basic human interactions seemed like a difficult concept to her and her antisocial tendencies made it almost impossible for her to understand the larger implications of her actions. That’s why I felt like she and Finn made a good team. They balanced each other.

Ana: I found Edie difficult to like at first but learning more and more about her background made me more understanding. I appreciated her compassion and care, especially towards an alien planet she simply didn’t want to despoil. It was brave.

Ram: Brave and thoughtless. It turned out okay for her to a certain extent, but it could have gone horribly wrong for everyone. And it did.

There are certainly different kinds of bravery...

Ram: What do you mean? 

What did you think about the world building?

B: I am not the person to ask, but it seemed promising...some parts

Ana: I loved the descriptions of Scarabeus, the planet. The rest was so-so, especially the ship Hoi Polloi made me shrug more than one time. Less interesting than your average car ;p.

Ram: The ship and the space-bandits were quite a simplistic concept, but when I think to the beginning of the book and how Creasy mentioned something in passing only to expand on it later, and how it eventually became a pillar of a larger story, a guiding light to Edie’s purpose, I can’t but be awed. The relationship between Crib and the Fringers, the politics and the history that was only hinted at. I want to know more about it, and there is the second book, which hopefully will continue exploring concepts introduced here. A book I need to hunt down and read, soon.

What about Finn? A clever manipulator or a victim of politicians? 

B: Sadly I never got to know him cos you make him sound interesting

Ram: Can’t he be all those things? I think, in this book, he started out as a victim of his situation and a manipulator of the people directly around him..

Ana: Which is kind of awesome, taking into account the fact that he was a slave.

Ram: It is. He goes through a change, just like Edie, but different. He’s been enslaved and his voice had been taken from him. But his first word is a choice that costs a man his life and earns Finn his freedom. All his actions after that balance on a similar line. He’s protecting himself first and he’s willing to do anything including manipulating Edie to stay alive. I also think that towards the end, I saw the possibility of him becoming a skilled politician, but that’s Edie’s compassion having an influence on him.  

Did you like the title? Song of Scarabaeus? 

B: Sure, the title sounds cool.

Ana: Horrible and misleading ;p

Ram: It was the Scarabaeus I had trouble with. Made me think of a bad (wannabe) Egyptian erotica.

Ana: *dies laughing*

B: I have to put in a LOL here ;) It shows I did not read it

Ram: What can I say? Previous bad experiences are bad.

Would you recommend the book and to whom? B, we’re not trying to exclude you or anything...

B: Ha, guess my answer. It’s a no. No one should read this book.

Ana: I would recommend this one to people who liked Wall-e and Star Wars :)

Ram: I fail to see how you connect Wall-e to this. I’d recommend this to people who like rogue alien worlds and don’t mind giving a book fifty pages to win them over. Yes, I upped it from thirty because obviously it didn’t work on B. I’ve not read enough Scifi to say more.

Ana: My connections with Wall-e? What about music? Space ships? A planet which needs saving? Eh, ok, Sirantha Jax fans then or those who like Scott Orson Card. 

Until next month then. I hope you enjoyed our programme.
:D

18 comments:

  1. Great discussion ladies. Blod, you crack me up.

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  2. That was a fantastic review. This has been a book I've wondered over for a while and I think I will pass but I love your discussion! :-)

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    1. I am happy it was something that you enjoyed, even if it did not make you want the book

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  3. Too funny, it cracks me up that the person who picked the book is complaining the most! Blodeudd you crack me up! Better pick something kick ass next time. Like the one I am going to buddy read, Sins and Needles.

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    1. I know, I am soooooo bad at picking books it seems. I wanted to like this one, but at least Ana and Ram liked it

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  4. This was hilarious and a great reminder that everyone reacts to books differently. :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
    ~Jess

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    1. So true and that is why these are fun to do

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  5. You guys are awesome..i laughed through the whole review...

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  6. Haha, this totally cracked me up! I don't know if I can get through 50 pages of nerdspeak before I get sucked in. I might have to side with Blod on this one, though the Wall-E and Sirantha Jax comparisons have me intrigued....

    Awesome, pure awesome. Love these. :-)

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    1. It was soooo much, I was just going all "ahh come on! Please stop now" and then I had to give up

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  7. I really do like this new review format, especially as you all have different opinions. It is not something I would pick up, not a genre I enjoy. Still, it has potential.

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  8. Oh wow! Okay, put this one at the bottom of the stack. Eep! I do have it. I think I got it at a convention from the publisher. Wow. Thanks guys!

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  9. Hahaha I love the format. Sorry B you were the black sheep and didn't like this book. Better luck next time chap! :D

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