Artemis (edition 2011)

As with Debatable Space, there's a lot about this book that normally I would dislike. The narrative is less fragmentary, but this one has footnotes (which don't add much to the story) and the same amount of profanity, carnage, and incoherence. The characters are not exactly lovable. And, yet again, it won me over. It does have a different narrative voice, despite similarities; it does have moments where I connected with the characters, particularly the couple of cameos of characters from other books and their relationship to Artemis (I'll say no more). And there's the fact that Artemis is a librarian: she loves books. Though she's not as innocent as the mental image of a librarian you might get... And yes, the footnotes were okay: yes, they endeared themselves to me too -- they do add somewhat to the world-building; I got very interested in the editor-character and wanted to know more about them, too

It's, like Debatable Space, a rip-roaring adventure story that rarely slows down and gushes red with blood. There are epic battles and the safety of all mankind depends on it. The ending is satisfying, a perfect way to end it (except I still want to know more about the editor, and it is an entirely different perfect way to end the story to Debatable Space's perfect ending).

Suffice it to say that I really enjoyed this, and while it's similar to Debatable Space, it's not a copy either. There's fresh stuff here to keep you turning the pages. And even if it doesn't sound like something you'd be interested in, it might be worth giving it a try, because it certainly won me over. ( )