- too many characters
- severely insufficient worldbuilding, cool but inconsistent & confusing sci-fi aspects
- unnecessary levels of gore/violence
- too much action, not enough story, even though murdering space nazis is fun
- utterly unrealistic depiction of military, 12 year olds and queer individuals
- is a stand-alone but felt like it should be a series
- mediocre writing at best
- somehow, in this 450 page, action-packed book... nothing happened. I know this was because the timeline kept jumping back and forth between characters, and the whole middle of the book was the five character perspectives witnessing the same few hours, but I've read shorter books in which there was more plot. Action is only fun if it has a point - much of this did not have a point. Also, it shouldn't take the first quarter of the book to establish your premise. If you can't introduce all your characters and at least get some plot going by 15%, you have too many character perspectives and not enough plot.

Thank you Del Rey Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

The Cruel Stars is everything to love about a space opera and everything to fear about the future.

The inciting incident by the Strum is one of horrid fascination. It kind of felt like I was a reading a more futuristic version of The Walking Dead. And, once the initial dust, settles it seems rather obvious that something like this was bound to happen. That for all the advancement in science and technology there would always be the one opening - however big or small - that could turn things inside out.

For a good part of the story I felt like I was reading the five different possible versions of the story. Following five POVs is fine but somewhat hard to follow. It starts out like any select random people turned reluctant heroes trope. But, for me, the story spent way too much time with them all very far apart (for lack of better words). By the climax of the story, at least 3 out of the 5 main characters I'd say fit the zero to hero bill.

I will say Birmingham has created an elegant future. Every detail was so concrete and believable, even if I didn't quiet understand the jargon being thrown around. The world of The Cruel Stars is unique in every facet of an imagined future. Throw in a rather philosophical question about humanity and life and you've got one wild story to contend with in the most astonishing way.

I don't know if this will turn into a series - the ending certainly suggests otherwise. But if the story continued I'd follow. I feel invested and want to see more of these characters and their fight against such a formidable adversary. There is an unknown aftermath to The Cruel Stars that's begging to be told.

The Cruel Stars is a rollicking good tale! An old enemy has reappeared, threatening all people everywhere. A diverse set of characters (lots to keep track of, so pay attention!) works separately and together to send the invaders back to the dark end of the universe.
Very richly painted people, mutants, Intellects, racists, heroes, princesses, soldiers, criminals, etc. Excellent writing. One fight scene involving a gardening bot sent me into an extended fit of giggles.
The language is vulgar in the extreme, and there’s an inexplicable obsession with scatological functions, which I found a wee bit off-putting. A few instances of religious profanity gave offense but thankfully were rare and limited to one character’s outbursts.
The excellent story triumphed over my objections and kept me up reading far past my bedtime for several nights. I found the book impossible to put down or stop thinking about. It’s possibly set up for a sequel for which I will be on the alert!

A thrilling and unique space opera, The Cruel Stars follows several different "non-natural" protagonists as they attempt to survive the genetically-influenced terrorist group that have recently reappeared after being thought long defeated. The universe of this novel reminded me of a combination of Yoon Ha Lee and George R.R. Martin - a truly genius amount of detail with a wide cast of characters whose points of view all contribute to the same picture. I enjoyed many of the characters but I was particularly interested in Strum's pov, which I thought could've used some more time in the spotlight in order to understand the story conflicts better. Other than that small complaint, a great book!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Cruel Stars shouts science fiction epic from the start, rolling through a wildly expansive cast of characters ranging from a war criminal on death row to a Princess on the run. It’s a high tech world on the brink of extinction at the hands of an enemy who wants to purify the human race. Birmingham has the writing chops to make it a thrilling ride.

ALL THE CHARACTERS

I was amazed at the range of protagonists featured throughout the story. I can’t recall a larger set of characters and somehow it works perfectly, given the scope and style of the storytelling. We have a Lieutenant who finds herself thrust into a seat of power after the unimaginable happens. We have a mysterious soldier sentenced to death row. We have a Princess who suddenly finds herself on the run. We have an incredibly quirky Admiral whose interactions with his AI partner are hilarious. We have an outlaw who gets stuck in the middle of enemy action. Everyone is tested to the edges of their abilities and must fight ferociously to survive. It’s impressive how deftly Birmingham is able to juggle these characters. I cared about each of them and appreciated their individual quirks.

A HIGH-TECH WORLD

This was the coolest part of the novel. There are concepts that baffled and intrigued me, namely the high-tech spaceships that somehow fold space-time to create a ship that’s larger inside than out. I can’t wrap my head around the concept, and I’m probably describing it wrong, but it’s incredibly badass nonetheless. Add to that a genetically modified population of humans and AIs straight out of the sleekest sci-fi adventure and you have a pretty cool technology-driven universe. 

NINE LIVES (OR INFINITE)

The system of mind preservation is fascinating to imagine. These people are living for centuries, simply transferring their minds into different bodies. The ultimate punishment is to have your mind erased, hence removing your centuries worth of life from all records and preventing rebirth. I can’t fathom living that long, but it definitely has different effects on people. Some seem worn out and tired of constantly living. Other become complacent, just accepting they can always be reborn. 

A FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICT

The overarching conflict brings up an interesting conversation on what it means to be human. On the one hand, you have the villains, a race of non-enhanced humans who believe any addition of bio-tech removes your humanity and requires extermination. It’s as extreme as it gets. On the other hand, you have the race of incredibly enhanced humans who are all connected into a central neural net. As a science fiction reviewer, I’m naturally on the side of the enhanced because that’s awesome and I’d love to have a vision overlay showing me any number of things real time. With the attack on the enhanced universe, an important issue comes to the forefront. Without access to this neural net, everyone forgets how to do everything. They’ve spent so many decades relying on easy access that they can’t fend for themselves. Given our reliance on smartphones for everything, it doesn’t seem too far off.

Review to be published on 8/23: http://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/08/23/the-cruel-stars-book-review

To me, space opera's are just so much fun. An adventure across an entire galaxy is just so entertaining because it allows you to imagine bigger than what reality is. While I enjoyed this story, it did have a bumpy beginning for me.

Thoughts:
Always on the look out for a new space opera, I was very happy to get a copy of this one to read and review. The book is primarily from 5 different points of views, one of which is the story bad guy, Sturm, although his chapters are more limited than the others. Initially, each of these characters are initially introduced in their own chapter. Although this introduction and storytelling technique is not new there did seem to be a disconnect for me on how they all related to each other or if it was truly going to be 5 different stories that weren’t going to intersect at all. Because of this it took me a little ways into the book to feel ‘at home’ in what I was reading. However, eventually it becomes evident that there is a connecting factor and I found the story more satisfying when I was finally able to see this.

The main issue at hand for Sturm was also one that was intriguing to me. In essence, Sturm believes that natural humans is the correct way it needs to be. A natural human is one that is not harvest or generated, but born from other humans and lives only one life. However, the books protagonists are mostly non-natural humans. They live multiple lifetimes (consciousness is just downloaded into another body) and are not ‘born.’ On one hand the individuals we are rooting for perhaps live a life that I’m not sure I completely agree with. Having not faced this choice or decision in my life, it’s really difficult to say what I would do. However, Sturm’s way of making his point is quite barbaric and is something I strongly disagree with. So, it was interesting to me to have mental conversations with myself as the book went on about where I might stand on this fictional issue in this fictional world.


Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love space operas and multiple point of view books, although it might be a bit bumpy at the beginning of the ride.

Rating: 4 stars.

I enjoy space opera and was very pleased that netgalley gave me a chance to check out this book. The first few chapters took me a bit to get into - we have five main characters, and I really liked some of their points of view/events a lot more than others. But then things started happening - big things! And from then on, the action never stopped. Looking back, that setup in the first few chapters was necessary, and I absolutely loved how everything came together.

The author use of multiple POV causes the tale to be (in my opinion) a bit disjointed. Also the use of jargon with sufficient explanation is a bit confusing. Thankfully, since I am a fan of Commonwealth TV, the use of non-American idioms like numpties didn't throw me for a loop. The underlying story did seem interesting, however,

Shorten the chapters and don’t ramble on about the people/beings in the first two chapters-please. You had me wishing that there was a way to get around the first chapters in hopes of seeing something good about this book-sorry fell asleep twice.

There are some interesting ideas in this military sci-fi, and well-paced combat scenes. The author has a gift for imaginative invective, though he sometimes carries it to extremes. The problem is that these commendable features don't form a whole. They seem to be hung at random on a framework derived from the Honor Harrington series. The writing has moments of punch, but for the most part it's utilitarian. This is the first volume of a trilogy, but I will not be reading further.

I was not familiar with the author, John Birmingham, so I freely admit that I had no expectations as to the quality of the writing or plotting, I was simply suckered in by the gorgeous cover. I am happy to say, I was not disappointed.

"The Cruel Stars" is the best of what I look for in science fiction. There are space ships, space battles, folding space in order to travel vast distances, a plethora of inhabited systems, complex human societies, and technology that evolved beyond "just" simple nano level - there is omnipresent gene modification and beyond staggeringly intelligent AI.

This complex universe is populated by an assembly of five principal characters, each introduced in their own chapter, and each uniquely compelling, and fully filled-out. Once the characters are established and familiar, they come together in the greater story, one that I was completely enraptured by. The evil Strum, "species purists" intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements, are back, striving to restore "true" humanity. Our five heroes stand against them.

Right there, in that premise, lies perhaps the novel's only weakness, at least as far as this readers is concerned. See, I found a bit repulsive the overwhelming inundation of nanotechnology and artificial enhancements in humanity. I did not actually like the idea that humanity resembled robots more than anything I actually consider "human". There is no need to learn any skills, you just download an app into your mesh network, and voila!, you know how to speak French, or how to kick ass in Krav Maga. In other words, despite liking the five heroes, I found myself siding with the Strum philosophy. And I couldn't help but wonder, as I kept reading, how I was supposed to root for the heroes to win, if I fundamentally didn't like what humanity had turned into.

Unfortunately, the author takes the simplest route to effectively deal with that particular problem - despite imbuing them with lofty ideals, he ultimately turns the Strum into monsters. They might proclaim that they are there as saviors, but they deal death to enhanced humans and "slaves" alike, killing indiscriminately to reach their ultimate goal - taking control of the "Human Volume". With that kind of characterization, my sympathy for them turned into dust.

Will I reach for the next in the series, though? I definitely will. This is first class science fiction.

I love a good space opera and this one is a great one! Set in a future where humans can be genetically modified and get implants that load scripts instead of having to learn skills. Of course these perks are used by the elite far more than the grunts.

The Sturm, a race of "pure" humans who want to kill anyone they deem to be "not genetically pure", once defeated and driven out, have returned with a vengeance!

The Cruel Stars is the story of those taken by surprise who must fight back. Those who had their implants on at the time of the attack go mad and attack anyone nearby. The ship AIs, on which humans rely heavily, are disabled in the first second of the attack.

The story is told from several points of view which seems chaotic and hard to follow, but I imagine that is just how the characters would feel and react in that situation. Despite this confusion and chaos they must band together and try to figure out a way to win this battle and those to follow.

If you love space opera and don't mind keeping a few things straight in your head, this book is for you!

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book marketed as similar to "The Expanse" series, I jumped at the chance to read it. I absolutely loved the series and I really hoped that this would give a similar feel. I was simultaneously disappointed and happy with this book.

There were so many characters, but unlike other books with multiple POVs, I didn't feel that they belonged in the same book. At least it was this way at the beginning. Right when I got into one characters chapter, the book would quickly shift to a whole new setting. It just didn't feel cohesive. This is why I found this book so hard to get into. Yes, somewhere in the book it becomes clear as to why these characters are the "main" ones and they do connect, but it just took so long to get there. There was also so much info dumping that it was hard to actually delve into the world. Not a lot was explained and at times it felt as if I was expected to know more, which left me wondering whether or not I missed something. At one point I actually went and reread a chapter because I was confused.

Now, the things that I really liked where the characters. They each had a distinct personality and felt fully fleshed out. They all had realistic and great personalities for where they were, and each characters conflict drew me in. I just hated how the chapters jumped around so much. I wish we would have gotten to spend more time with each character before switching. I also really enjoyed the whole switching consciousness to different bodies. I was intrigued by all the science describing how this happens and the neural network that had to be backed up.

In previous works, Birmingham has delivered cracking sf battle scenes and some truly ugly stereotypes about non-Westerners. This book, set in a far future that’s supposed to have completely different cultures after the diaspora from Earth, provides mostly the former. Based on his past work, I side-eyed casual references to specific Earth cultures that various of his characters seemed to think provided good stock (Japanese, nonracially specified South African) but that wasn’t a big enough part of the book to say anything definitive. Instead, it’s a far future in which a chunk of humanity has embraced various kinds of genetic/phenotypic modification, as well as pervasive computer implants to allow instant “loading” of various skills and quick communication. This future remains unequally distributed, however; people who can’t afford modifications eke out a living, or don’t, without them, and one of the POV characters is a woman whose father sold himself into debt slavery to fund her education and implants, allowing her to serve in the Royal Armadalen Navy. (Yes, corporate kingdoms are very much a thing.) Then the Sturm return—the fragment of humanity that rejects all forms of modification and holds that all modified people must be exterminated. So it’s a battle of genocidaires against standard corrupt, unfair hierarchies, with the occasional upright hero like our Navy girl; even when the genocidaires rescue the woman’s father from slavery, their appearance as liberators reads as ominous rather than as truly morally complicated. I thought a bit about the Battle of Britain from the perspective of an Indian nationalist, though there isn’t any very similar character in the book—instead the POVs are from the Navy woman; a young princess who rises to the occasion; a space pirate; a washed-up general who might not be as washed-up as he first seems; and the leader of the Sturm invasion. If you like space battles and references to firing on a position as “servicing” a target, with enough difference in the warring cultures that you don’t have to make any analogies if you don’t want to, then this book might be for you.

This book was a huge disappointment and a slog to get through. The author tries to present the viewpoints from five different characters without making any of them interesting nor the overall storyline engaging. A number of other reviewers seemed to enjoy this book, but it did not resonate with me in any way.

I received a free Kindle ARC courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would provide an honest review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

As feudal space operas go, this is a great one. It reminded me a lot of Battlestar Galactica with lots of space battles, woven in with other great sci-fi elements like nano tech and well-written AI. The multitude of storylines converged nicely at the end. It was so engrossing that I read the whole thing in just over a day because I couldn't put it down and it's an easy read.

Thank you to Random House, John Birmingham and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this awesome book.

Hello, this review will go up on Instagram, goodreads, and my blog all under the name thegeekishbrunette. The review will be posted on August 15th and links will be added when they are live.

Title: The Cruel Stars
Author: John Birmingham
Genre: Sci-Fi
Publication Date: Aug. 20th, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.



Synopsis: "The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of "species purists" intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true "Human Republic," the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong.

The enemy has returned and, with a brutal and decisive attack, knocks out almost all of humanity's defenses. Now on the brink of annihilation, humankind's only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial attack: Commander Lucinda Hardy, thrust into uncertain command of the Royal Armadalen Navy's only surviving warship. Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason, whose time on death row is cut short when the Sturm attack his prison compound. Princess Alessia, a young royal of the Montanblanc Corporation, forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed. Sephina L'trel, the leader of an outlaw band who must call on all of her criminal skills to resist the invasion. And, finally, Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm hundreds of years ago, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all--or die trying.

These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed."



My Review:
Here's the thing, I don't know if it was just me but I just couldn't get into this book like I wanted. The synopsis sounded fantastic and the cover is amazing but it just didn't live up to the ideals in my head.

I am usually one that loves multiple point of views but it was hard to follow along in this particular book. I didn't find myself connecting with the characters or feeling interested in their lives or their quest to save earth. It didn't feel like they had much character development. The characters were just thrown at us from the beginning with not a lot to go off of.

The plot was interesting for the most part and had a few surprises I wasn't expecting. That is always a plus. We get to glimpse at the invaders ideology and what drives them. To them, they are just doing what they think is right. Although there is quite a bit of action packed scenes, at times the pacing slowed down. This also happens more often in the later part of the book as well.

One thing I did enjoy was the comic relief. Even though things are going wrong and there is a lot of gore to be seen, the characters find time to joke or mention Lord of the Rings. It adds a nice touch and makes the story a bit lighter at times.

Overall, I wish I had liked it more but I know that others will enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.. The story starts with numerous chapters devoted to the situations of various groups that will eventually be fighting the Sturm. The whole story revolves around the perfect human 'Sturm' who are out to eliminate any modified humans thoughout the galaxy. The are subtle and direct comparisons to Nazi /German attempts to eradicate any but the perfect Aryan race. The story makes perfect sense the longer you stick with it.

3.5 / 5 stars

NetGalley furnished me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Cruel Stars is a space opera set in a black-and-white world populated by vibrant and interesting characters. It chronicles the return of an old enemy, once defeated—the Sturm, a radical group of human purists set on purging the galaxy of any they don’t see as genetically pure. Where initially the world seems well-thought out and complete, it quickly becomes clear that the story is set entirely within the bounds of a single star-system, while supposedly the invasion is staged on a galactic scale. Plagued by uneven pacing and a fairly uninteresting story, The Cruel Stars is certainly an example of a piece that just would not come together as it was meant to.

Five regular POVs (and one infrequent) tell the tale of the Sturm’s attack: retired Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero known for defeating the Sturm hundreds of year prior. Princess Alessia, twelve year-old and heir to the Montanblanc Corporation. Booker 3-212162-930-Infantry, once soldier now prisoner and believer in the Code—a kind of digital consciousness that transcends the human body. Lieutenant Lucinda Hardy, initially assigned to the stealth corvette Defiant, a series of malware attacks soon sees her in charge of the ship, the entire mission hanging in the balance. Sephina L’trel, a pirate leader with a score to settle, must use all the tricks at her disposal to see her crew through the invasion. (Archon-Admiral Wenbo Strom of the Sturm is seen but a few times and makes a poor POV, due to a lack of depth and a heavily racist overtone that firmly entrenches him as a bad guy).

There is no perfect enemy. There are two short Sturm POVs, both using their ideology to just kill people. Not even those implanted, genetically modified, post-humans, but also the regular unadorned they came to “save”. Not that I’m defending the racists, but the author isn’t either. They’re the designated as the bad guys. While their ideology or beliefs or prejudices and such are never explained, or even briefed. By the 89% mark, there have been 3 Sturm POV appearances. All short, which totals to around one full chapter in length. So there’s really no dissenting opinion—one side is good, the other bad.

There’s also very little disconnect with the modern world. The weapons are fairly well thought out, but little else. The detail that Birmingham strives for in the first half soon departs, leaving the action and plot to carry the entire weight. I probably wouldn’t have minded as much had the plot been good. Sadly, what follows is a straightforward story with little to no character growth and frankly a lame ending. During the second half of the book, the author goes out of his way to remind the reader again and again of the characters’ motivations, backstories, and even why the Sturm are bad.

While the Cruel Stars was an excellent read over its first half, the following 200 pages struggled with identity, uneven pacing, and a slight, under-developed world. While the action is enough to carry the book to its outset—a subpar, unfulfilling ending leaves the audience awaiting the sequel just to figure out what exactly happened.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

The book is a space opera, humanity fighting against a brutal invader kind of theme. That doesn't sound that original, and the concept isn't, but the invader isn't an alien it's an offshoot of humanity. Still, a common theme, and lots of common character types. The book also has a number of perspectives and bounces around a fair bit, so it takes a while to get going. there isn't a lot of help in getting into the backstory, it's a bit sink or swim.

Once the characters were bedded in, and the world building established, I actually really liked the book. the story pace was on the right side of frantic and there was plenty of scope for the future books. An unoriginal theme, done well, with interesting characters and a story I want to hear more about. A good solid start to an upcoming series.