Customer Reviews

Counterfeit Kings

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Okay. The last time I tried to review this I guess I was so harsh that Amazon pulled my review, so I will not berate the reviewers who praise this thing. The bood is bad, the writer has no clue to writing science fiction. Sometimes that's a good thing, it means a fresh perspective. In this case it means that character's go into the "basement" of a starship to check the "boiler", or check the ship's "dashboard". And that's just the terminology. Really this is way beyond silly, it is just typing disguised as a story. Personally, I believe the author should be sat down and told that whenever they have the need to write they should stick a needle in their eye until the feeling passes and editor of this mess should be fired. But hey, I just have this thing about not wasting my money on bad writing.

I never would have thought that spacefarers would keep large stocks of embalming fluid in their ships, but what do I know. I also wonder at the clear sense of up and down that exists aboard these spaceships, and how they seem to come to a dead stop when their drives are busted. I give Connell high marks for narrative drive; that's what enabled me to finish, and even enjoy the book despite being revolted by the violence, the characters, the society described and nearly everything else in the book. If an alien race had arrived and exterminated humanity, I would have called it a happy ending. In the end, I give it a qualified recommendation to space-opera fans with strong stomachs.

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!

If Alfred Bester, David Mamet and Kate Chopin had a voodoo love-child, their
punk-rock offspring would be Adam Connell.

Counterfeit Kings is a daring debut on par with Mieville's and Stephenson's.

Connell surprises, delights and amazes. All the things science fiction was
meant to do, and Connell does them better than most.

Comparisons with Alfred Bester are apt here. The action in Counterfeit Kings is gripping and brilliantly paced. On the one hand, the story describes a race between several realistic characters--some of them truly disturbing--to recover a ruler who's gone missing. The book also tells of the protagonist Horrocks' struggle to hold on to his humanity as his corner of the universe descends into chaos. Brutal, exciting, insightful, and very well done.

Counterfeit Kings rivals the best of classic SF in scope and intensity. The science fiction setting and plot are woven together tightly, giving us one of the most plausible future visions ever put on paper. The plot twists and turns like a runaway rollercoaster, and even the most jaded reader of SF is going to get taken by surprise as the story unfolds.

But for me, the most fascinating details of Counterfeit Kings are the characters. The cover shows a flayed human face, and Adam Connell pulls off the equivelent feat in presenting his characters, peeling away the layers of their external actions to stare unblinkingly at the demons that drive them. Life in outer space isn't easy in Connell's vision--the characters are trapped in flimsy tin cans, surrounded by void, their lives dependent on jury-rigged and ever-failing technology. The stress and claustrophopia has taken a toll on even the most likable of the characters. The heroes are separated from the villians by only the thinest moral lines, but, in the end, these lines prove to be the truly important ones. Connell's understanding of human desires and actions equals or exceeds his impressive grasp of science fiction. Even non-SF readers will love this book.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Connell has gained a fan for life in me after this one.

Yeah, you can feel there are themes lurking under the book's surface current, but I don't have time for that. I want to be entertained. And I was!

Holy cow, this book, it's like stepping onto one of those moving walkways at the airport. You have to be prepared for the jolt. So let me prepare you. Counterfeit Kings is high conflict, rip out the breaks, non-stop action. Chases, dogfights in space, murder, betrayals. Blood, guts, and octane, as I like to say.

There's depth if you want it, but only if you want it. Connell's not hitting you over the head with allusions and symbolism and blah blah. You can be like me...I rode this thing like a twenty-foot wave and it left me breathless. I want more! Let's hear it for a sequel!

None of the other reviewers have commented on the book's female characters. Being a woman, I'll step in and raise my voice. I do agree with most of what's been said around me, but the women of Counterfeit Kings are the book's strength. Sari and Kitsis in particular.

Sari's a strong heroine, but not in a Ripley/Alien kind of way. She's not a whip-cracking butt kicker. She's pregnant, she has her frail moments. She's also the book's toughest character when it comes to self-sacrifice and her refusal to live in denial. A lot of the characters lie to themselves to cope, but never Sari.

Science fiction doesn't have enough complex, layered women. Hopefully Counterfeit Kings starts a trend.

This remarkable novel by Adam Connell is a fast-paced page-turner that grabs you from the starting blocks and takes you on an exhilarating spree of plot twists, sudden violence, and poignancy. In spinning this volatile tale of desperation, conflicted loyalties, and revenge, Mr. Connell uses an interplay between a variety of characters--some despicable yet humorously sympathetic, and others heroic yet tragically flawed--to weave a wonderful read that left the impressions of a true cinematic experience on this reader. Highly, highly recommended.

As Horrocks demands of Sari in the opening scene- strap your seatbelt on and get ready for one wild ride. This debut novel, from a writer I certainly hope to read more of, has it all- adventure, war, hate, love, and greed- presented at a breathtaking pace. The language used is terse and at some times harsh, and Connell does an excellent job of using dialogue to define the personalities of his characters. Throughout the story there are references to the great masters of the genre- Guilfoyle seems to be an ugly shadow of the famous Bester character. The story is driven by the egos of the essential characters and these characters are driven by the darkness inside them whether it comes from greed, jealousy, anger, or a warped sense of responsibility. The story is as much about the extreme actions people will take in a time of uncertainty- looking at death as an insignificant coincidence in their quest for what they believe is rightfully theirs- as it is a politically charged sci-fi epic. I highly recommend this book to any sci-fi aficionado and to anyone ready to take on a swift and stirring read.

Folks, I bought this book based on the existing glowing reviews. But, I have to say that I thought this book was raw at best. I almost didn't finish reading it.

I think that Adam Connell could develop into a much better author, but this work reflects his weaknesses more than strengths:

* Characters that you had to try hard to care about
* Weak plot
* Gratuitous violence

I personally will not buy another of his books until he gets positive reviews from a major source and/or makes the cut at a major publisher.

Sorry, but that's my honest opinion.