The Book Depository The Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley
262 ratings
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Price: £10.99
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: The Orphaned Worlds : Paperback : Little, Brown Book Group : 9781841496344 : 1841496340 : 03 Mar 2011 : A multi-layered, 21st century take on the classic tropes of space opera by a bold new voice in British science fiction. The Book Depository The Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9781841496344
MPN: 1841496340
GTIN: 9781841496344
Author: Steve Michael
Rating: 5
Review: Having already gone through the first book, Seeds of earth' I was very much looking forward to this second installment. I can honestly say that this book is a joy to read. The story and the whole scope of the worlds and characters captured are nothing short of magnificent. There are a lot of nice twists and turns that keep you guessing. Lots of action and a off course, lots of SciFi goodness also! It is as good if not better than the first book. If you have gone through the first book and you think you can guess and see where this is all going, you are most likely mistaken. The story is anything but predictable! Its very skillfully written and keeps you locked in and coming back for more and more. Very much looking forward to the third book which I'm about to start now.
Author: LeBigMac
Rating: 1
Review: I've been so frustrated by this book that it has spurred me to submit my first review. Like others I bought Seeds of Earth because of Bank's cover quote and I while I thought that it was far from perfect i felt that it was worth sticking with Cobley. Goodness knows that we need some fresh blood in the Space Opera genre, and writers do grow in confidence and ability over the course of a series. But dear oh dear what a mess Orphaned Worlds is. The book is filled with such unnecessary complexity - virtually every character and plot line sits within a maelstrom of political intrigue - that it is impossible to keep up with who is doing what and why. As a result of this tangle huge plot inconsistencies arise and characters frequently contr adict previously deeply held beliefs. Solid practitioners of Space Opera feed off complexity to spin a compelling yarn, but Cobley just gets lost. Plot lines fall apart and just end after running for 100s of pages, characters embark on epic journeys and then appear to have nothing to do when they reach their destination and so turn around and go back again. Timelines and galactic scale are ignored and narrative falls apart. The scfi of the book is also weak. The levels of hyperspace thing is non-sensical and the mysticism of the forest would be more at home in a bad fantasy novel. Cobley is not without talent - 2 or 3 of the human characters and well rounded and sympathetically drawn, and the basic idea behind the trilogy is strong - but the poor boy needs a strong editor to give him some firm advice to get him out of this fuddle. I read on wikipedia that Cobley is building a universe in which he intends to write several novels not just this trilogy. That would maybe explain why all the stupid twists, turns, and loose ends are being stuffed into this book but Cobley needs to realize that his future plans are ruining his present endeavor. It's unlikely that I'll be buying the final part of this trilogy let alone his future novels.
