Customer Reviews

Grasp the Stars

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

 

 

OK, Wingert shares a credit for "Spirit Fox" with Mickey Reichert from 2000 but this is her first solo credit/effort. And since it reads like a first novel I will treat it as such.

I need to say that I read this book just after finishing another first novel (Lorna Freeman's Covenants). This is important because "Covenants" was such a polished first novel, reading "Grasp the Stars" right after tended to highlight its' first novel symptoms.

Wingert has created an universe, populated it with aliens and humans all of which are interesting. But the bones/mechanics of the novel tends, in places, to really stand out. And sometimes moving the story in the direction the author wants to go requires the characters to act stupidly - guaranteed to drive me nuts.

Now I do not want to go into any real story detail as it would/could tend to ruin the story for any readers of this review. I will say that having read the novel, I am not sure that the writer of the back cover blurb and I read the same book.

Still, I read the novel from start to finish. And I found the fact that there were threads left unfinished - suggesting future visits to this universe and its' inhabitants - promising. It will give the author the chance to fill in the detail(s) lacking in the broad strokes she used to begin her painting of this universe. And as she gains experience the 'first novel' rough spots should be polished away.

This is a solid first effort. Wingert has created a reality that is interesting and has lots of potential. And the best recommendation I can give it is the fact that it was good enough that I look forward to buying and reading Wingerts' next novel. So, if you are like me and enjoy trying out new voices in the field, this is SF worth the read.

The reason I'm sad this is a first book is that I just finished it, and came here to Amazon to find other books by the same author, only to find out that she hasn't written anything else yet.
I was an early fan of Lois McMaster Bujold, and I think that Ms. Wingert has the potential to create a universe as complex in intrigue and character as the Vorkosigan milieu has become.
Let's just pray that she isn't a one hit wonder.

For the first time in too long, a book kept me reading until the last page, all in one day. What a refreshing change to some of the science fiction coming out today. There wasn't a focus on just one character. The author told each character point of view so clearly and in detail that I forgot other characters were just waiting to tell me what they thought. I thought the aspect of a non-violent human race was a nice switch as well as an older female character, one that you can see in a commanding position because she worked her way into it. From the first paragraph, I was hooked. Wu Jackson is a character of which I can't wait to read more.

Humans, both naturalist and stationer, aliens of many types, some mystery and interesting chemistry make this a very good first (on her own) book for Wingert. What starts as a cop story quickly delves into some political intrigue as Rachel (station police) finds herself in the middle of a number of odd incidences in a station where odd is an everyday occurrence. The cast of main characters (2 female, 3 male) is interesting and their interaction and connections to one another are complex. I read it in one sitting and am eagerly awaiting the next.

The author is Jennifer Wingert. I was very impressed with this book. It's extremely fast moving, and was extremely hard to put down. I finished the almost 500 pages in less than 2 days.

The entire book centers upon a few days at a spaceport. It opens with a female trying to escape from her would-be rapists at the Igsha Reey Spaceport. She does not remember much of her previous life as she has been drugged. She knows people are hunting her but she doesn't know why. The rapists catch up with her and an assasin from another race comes to her rescue with the condition that she becomes his slave. From there, she winds up at the Earth Spaceport, and things start getting really dicey, not just for her, but for everyone on the port.

The book has non-stop action, and was very interesting. If you like the Honor Harrington series or the Heris Serrano series, you'll like this book. I definitely plan to check out other books from Jennifer Wingert.

Grasp the Stars is a solid first book. The characters and future world were interesting.

Though I have to agree that it wasn't polished. The plotting and pace moved so fast that, at times, it was hard to follow.

But saying that I read the whole book and look forward to a sequel. I want to know what happens to Wu and Rachel, Meris and Bailey, and the rest of the cast of characters, species, and worlds.

I could tell that this novel was a first attempt, but the story was captivating from beginning to end. The synopsis on the back didn't do it justice. It was character centered and yet had a great plot. It's always nice to hear from a great new female vioce in SF. The only thing frustrating about it is that the sequel isn't out yet!!!

I highly enjoyed Grasp the Stars, and as a previous reviewer pointed out, there are several loose-ends that must mean a second book is in the making. The characters are well-developed, and the collisions of human and alien cultures are intriguing. What is also interesting is the open-mindedness about gender/sexual orientation in this future universe. Sometimes writing about such a future helps those of us in the present to reconsider entrenched viewpoints.
All in all, I recommend this great first effort and look forward to more of Jennifer Wingert's books.

I wanted to like this book. Great characters, great universe, great action sequences. Potentially the kind of subtle plot line that takes time to develope and is worth sinking your teeth into a la Robin Hobb. Unfortunately, I am not sure this is going to happen. Either this is a stand alone book that finished way too soon or this is the first in a trilogy that somehow included the first two chapters of the next book. Way to many subplots and characters that somehow seem to get in the authors way so she just either kills them off or forgets about them. I would wait to read this book until the sequel comes out and the pair are reviewed as a whole.

I was not happy with this book. I had to make myself finish it. The characters were not that interesting and, most importantly, the plot was weak. The plot went back and forth between petty stuff and universe ending stuff, it wasn't tied together very well. There was also a lot of running around hysterically and you were wondering, "what's the big deal?" There is a lot of character angst and its hard to figure out where its coming from. My biggest issue was the lack of a central theme, one big issue that is supposed to be dealt with as opposed to 3-4 big issues that are never really addressed.