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Title: Galaxy Blues
Score:
Author: Allen Steele
Rating: Not available
Hits: 119

Review of Galaxy Blues

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Comments for Galaxy Blues

• Posted on 2009-04-21
  Disappointing
  
  Not up to the author's usual standards.
  First the good points. This is an easy to read book. It flows well. It is a good book to read while spending the day in airports - it passes the time and does not distract or compel one with plot or sterling characters or such. Sort of a "B" movie book.
  Now to why this was a disappointment. This author is a story teller. He is the sort that could take a day in the office and turn it into a riveting tale. His character development and story setup are superb. Usually. Not here.
  Jules, main character, is allegedly the product of excellent military training and background. Yet the character acts more like a teenage drama queen. It is evident the character has never developed the habits of command or discipline. His reaction to authority is displaying juvenile 'attitude' at best. This bloke has never been subject to a military environment and this is a serious lapse for this author.
  The mission commander has never commanded before from the very stereotype actions and reactions. Given that this is a dude (and his wife) who has actually lived with the aliens they were pretty ignorant in dealing with them. Given their also supposed military background they provided no sort of a mission brief or prep. Just not typical of professionals at the level they should be at.
  Come on, hiring someone who did not even know how to don a space suit properly with no pre-mission training? I will buy the politics of hiring powerful folks girl who has no experience - but the lack of training or oversight is criminal. Sorry, I live and work with military professionals and such actions just do not run true.
  Let me pull up short here as I am just running on due to being disappointed in this book. In summary, the mind reader is the most believable character. The rich guy's character is as substantial as smoke. The pilot, don't go there as that character is soooo poorly built. Etc. Maybe this was supposed to be a book for the teen age audience?
  In short, the expected believable characters and development of these is lacking in this book. The sense of the author 'spinning a tale' is absent.
  Do not give up on the author for this book. No one is perfect and his track record is pretty impressive till this clunker. And it an easy to read book for a clunker.
  If this is the first book you have read by this author, try another before X'ing him from your read list.
  
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• Posted on 2009-01-26
  Vertigo
  
  Vertigo is the feeling that ensues when you happen to read not only the best book you've devoured in 5 years but also the worst one in less than two days time.
  
  "Galaxy Blues" is awful. I'd love to be able to sue the publisher to get the time of my life that I wasted on it back.
  
  The story is puerile. A quick summary: Folksy Guy. Tricksy Aliens. Let's outrace the black hole! "You stink, alien". Everybody is happy and maybe gets to, hmm, you know, kiss a girl (giggle).
  
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• Posted on 2008-12-21
  GOOD BUT HE'S DONE MUCH BETTER
  
  if you've never read an allen steele book, please don't start with this one. he really is a great writer, but unfortunately this book doesn't quite showcase this. the plot is rather thin, the characters don't have as nearly as much depth as the ones he usually creates. i read it in a day and i've already forgotten the main character. still a big fan of allen steele though, and look forward to better writing in the future.
  
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• Posted on 2008-12-14
  OK, But Science Problems Near the End Mar it
  
  For the most part, Allen Steel's "Galaxy Blues" is an OK book. Granted, there's not a whole lot of depth to any of the characters. But, outside of a bit of simplistic behavior, the writing's fairly good. The one thing that really nagged at me was the science. It's apparent that Steele put a good amount of effort into at least paying lip-service to physics. But, near the end, it becomes obvious that he didn't run all the numbers:
  
  -Starting around page 247, the characters have to accelerate their main ship to 2.5 x 10^3 km/s and cover 1.5 AU (2.25 x 10^8 km) in 30 hours. They seem to do this at 1g. But, running those numbers means it would take about twice as long at that acceleration. The only way I can make the time come close is to assume instantaneous acceleration to that speed (and they don't have that capability).
  -Then, while at "cruise velocity" (2.5 x 10^3 km/s), they have to take off in another ship and land it within 1.3 x 10^5 km and 7 hours. Again, the writing implies at most 1g deceleration (actually, it implies they coast there and only decelerate during the last "couple of hundred miles). But, by my calculations, without decelerating, that "coast" would have lasted a grand total of 52 seconds. Even if they had started decelerating immediately, it would call for a deceleration of 500,000g to slow down from that speed in that distance. Going back to rendezvous with the main ship, the numbers are about an order of magnitude even worse.
  
  Overall, the book is decent. It's good for a couple of hours of light entertainment. But, with the science problems and simplistic behaviors, the best I can rate it as an OK 3 stars out of 5.
  
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• Posted on 2008-10-24
  Unimpressed
  
  This is the first Allen Steele book I have read and I wasn't impressed. It's a fairly simple story as summarized in previous reviews.
  
  The author would have reduced the book by 50% if he had chosen some pronoun for the aliens instead of constantly using he/she and him/her.
  
  The scene where they are supposed to disrobe for "disinfecting" was also completely unbelievable. Even today space shuttle astronauts are not bothered by nudity among each other. That anybody would still be shy about disrobing while being able to leap across space is just silly.
  
  
  
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