Sci-Fi Audiobook Review: Fortune's Rising by Sara King
Fortune's Rising by Sara King (Outer Bounds #1)
Audiocopy courtesy of Audible US
Synopsis from Goodreads
Under the supertech Coalition government, Fortune’s colonists are enslaved to harvest the highly valuable brain-enhancing drug Yolk, often losing their sanity and lives in the process. The population is dying off and the planet is becoming a police state whose only purpose is to harvest Yolk. But a revolution is in the air, fueled by an unlikely band of rebels:
Anna Landborn, a brilliant, sociopathic child, and her quiet, lethally gifted sister, Magali; Runaway Joel, a virtuous military pilot turned tormented smuggler; Milar Whitecliff, a tattooed, chess-playing fugitive full of hatred and heart; Doberman, a simple robot in the throes of a startling transformation; and Tatiana Eyre, a captured Coalition soldier torn between loyalty and love. As their paths and fates collide, the battle to spark a full-scale uprising is violently challenged by the Nephyrs, the government’s elite army of sadistic, near-indestructible cyborgs. But the prophecies of a mad soothsayer have foretold the coming of a hero destined to turn the tide—and the fight for freedom is just beginning.
Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK | The Book Depository | Audible US/UK
8.5/10
* * *
You know, peeps, that I'm a fan of Sara King. Her sci-fi and urban fantasy are craaazy good! This book is no exception, even if she just a couple of degrees gentler with the reader than R.Lee Smith.
This book is character driven more than plot driven, the characters are sooo larger than life you end up following your favorites with morbid fascination, and it's the characters you want to talk about rather than the plot itself.
I have to say Magali is my favorite. She is a natural born sharp shooter, a warrior and is famous in her hometown under the nickname Killer. And yet, despite her extraordinary abilities, Magali hates violence. She wants to do anything possible to avoid it, but the circumstances are such that she becomes the driving force for the uprising. A reluctant heroine, an idealist, she makes the reader pity her and will her to become more ruthless and practical, which she does by the end of this book
Anna is a repugnant little shit. She is not only a sociopath, she is a psychopath who takes pleasure in other people's suffering. Unfortunately she is Magali's little sister, a Yolk baby genius who leaves Magali in a world of trouble without a backward glance, and she keeps ruining lives of everyone she touches. I honestly wanted her dead.
Milar and Tatyana were fun, and had classic for Sara King snarky antagonism which slowly turned into attraction and love. Joel was marginally more interesting because he showed more depth and his character stayed ambiguous throughout. I'd be really curious to see how he behaves later in the series.
At last, Dobby was one of the very few absolutely positive personalities. A cyborg whose conscience was awaken, he was the only one who could keep Anna in check trying to minimize the damage she was doing. He is another character I'd enjoy reading about in the next book.
The narrator was excellent, and the book flowed really well. Overall, Fortune's Rising is a compelling story, fast-paced, dramatic and gruesome. Recommended to any fan of the genre.
* * *
Ребята, вы знаете, что творчество Сары Кинг я очень люблю. Она пишет безумно хорошие городское фэнтэзи и научную фантастику. Восстание Фортуны в этом плане не исключение, хоть и написано оно на несколько уровней мягче чем книги Р. Ли Смит.По большей части не сюжет в этой книге главное, а характеры, больше чем жизнь характеры, которые отодвигают происходящее на задний план.
Моей любимицей оказалась Магали, легендарный меткий стрелок, воин по кличке Убийца. Парадоксально, Магали ненавидит насилие и делает всё возможное, чтобы избежать столкновения. Она наивна и идеалистична, и читателю её до глубины души жаль. Мы очень хотим, чтобы она стала более практичной и беспощадной, и под конец так и выходит. Из Магали получается настоящая противящаяся своей судьбе героиня, толкающая Фортуну на восстание.
Анна, наоборот читателю противна до невозможности. Социопат и психопат, она разрушает жизни всех, с кем соприкосается походя, и ей это доставляет удовольствие. К сожалению, эта восьмилетняя девочка - дитя Желтка, настоящий гений и младшая сестра Магали, которая забрасывает ту в кучу неприятностей и уходит от нее без сожаления.
Татьяна и Майлар - пара наиболее характерная для творчества мисс Кинг. Их саркастичный антагонизм постепенно переходит во влечение и наконец любовь и настоящее партнёрство.
Наконец, Беглец Джоэл и киборг Добби, серые и очеь интересные персонажи, которые могут перерасти в положительных или отрицательных героев в зависимости от того как подует ветер. Добби к тому же, единственный, кто кое-как контролирует Анну и пытается возместить ущерб, что она причиняет окружающим.
Книга очень интересная, рассказчица превосходно передаёт различные характеры и акценты, и я рекомендую её любому любителю жанра. Я с удоыольствием буду слушать продолжение этой истории.
