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emilise's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ethan is a gay misogynist through no fault of his own. Elli Quinn is ready to change his mind about the latter.
justine_ao's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
A short book, but as usual, very skillfully written. Ethan was an interesting character to me, and one who I found quite endearing. I loved the strength evinced by Elli Quinn, who seems to have bounced back nicely from the devasting injury she suffered in [b:The Warrior's Apprentice|61906|The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1170597854s/61906.jpg|2792].
I also enjoyed seeing Admiral Naismith through the eyes of Quinn as observer, rather than directly through his own. It's always fascinating to get the perceptions of another person that way.
The whole idea of a planet of men as opposed to a planet of women seemed like a finely conceived gender flipped idea to me, although some of the references to the inhabitants' sexuality did seem a trifle dated. No surprise given that this book was published in 1986.
A short book, but as usual, very skillfully written. Ethan was an interesting character to me, and one who I found quite endearing. I loved the strength evinced by Elli Quinn, who seems to have bounced back nicely from the devasting injury she suffered in [b:The Warrior's Apprentice|61906|The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1170597854s/61906.jpg|2792].
I also enjoyed seeing Admiral Naismith through the eyes of Quinn as observer, rather than directly through his own. It's always fascinating to get the perceptions of another person that way.
The whole idea of a planet of men as opposed to a planet of women seemed like a finely conceived gender flipped idea to me, although some of the references to the inhabitants' sexuality did seem a trifle dated. No surprise given that this book was published in 1986.
dzver's review against another edition
5.0
Проблем на планета, заселена само от мъже. Защо само мъже и как точно работи системата се разбира с цената на няколко часа четене. Книжката е малка.
saint_augustine15's review against another edition
3.0
Having not read any of the other books in the series, I wonder how many subtle nods and such I missed out on. All the same, I enjoyed this book and thought the writing style was clear and imaginative. I was pleased by the way everything shook out, particularly as if did not follow the (sexist, misogynistic) pattern I'm used to seeing in science fiction, particularly Heinlein.
Spoiler
Given when the novel was written (1986), I had some misgivings about how social structure on an all-male planet, but I was pleased to find that Athos was completely fine with same-sex relationships. I was a bit disappointed to find that sentiment did not extend to the rest of the galaxy, but ah, well. At least he didn't fall in love with Quinn, as the blurb suggested, which would have made this novel far more predictable and a far less enjoyable read for me. I was happy that Ethan and Cee ended up together rather than Ethan and Quinn.kimu's review against another edition
2.0
I'm rereading the Vorkosigan saga & realized I skipped this one on first pass. Incredibly surprised to give any Vorkosigan book a 2 star rating, but I just disliked this one from start to finish. Hard to break out exactly why it was so unappealing to me, but this was just a giant nope for me.
spinstersam's review against another edition
4.0
Very good Vorksagian Universe story. Although Miles is absent in this book, one of his mercenaries, Elli from Warrior's Apprentice, fully recovered from her plasma gun facial injuries, plays a central role and is delightful. As part of her Intel mission, she hooks up with Ethan, from an all male planet sent to obtain ovarian cells (required for reproduction with Uterine replicators, some nice bits of hard Sci Fi ). What follows is a pretty entertaining thriller with some "fish out of water" aspects and some high stakes, deadly genetics intrigue.
willandbeyond's review against another edition
5.0
Great series; this one is odd since there's overlap with the universe, but nothing to do with Miles, the lead character. Very strange society...
darkenergy's review against another edition
4.0
Alright, it's not quite as exciting as when a certain Admiral (or, well, Lord) is the main focus, but this was an enjoyable read that, yes, stands alone just fine. For one you see more of Quinn's background (and I'm not sure that there's a lot of other places where space station culture is looked at), and for two, Athos is like, simultaneously the kind of world you expect to have existed 2000 years ago but also the kind of world that won't even be possible until 2000 years in the future. Definitely a lot of tongue in cheek points about Ethan's view of women, as is to be expected.
alizy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0