REVIEW: USU by Jayde Ver Elst

http://lestgoo.id
http://lestgoo.id/download
USU by Jayde Ver Elst
Publishing Information: Paperback; 180pgs
Publisher: Bad Dreams Entertainment; 1 Jan 2014
ISBN: 9780996038133
Standalone
Copy: Provided by Author
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "Humans are gone and bloody good riddance to the lot of them. The planet, left barren and lifeless by the long extinct species, has since been inherited by their own creations. Now all that roams the hollow cities and landscapes of man are the various machinations left bestowed with intelligent (or in some cases barely functional) programming, including the likes of janitorial robots, violently affectionate androids, and one very unfortunate stuffed rabbit.

Separated by distance and time, two unlikely soul mates, Usu and Rain have been rekindled by fate only to struggle once again to hold onto their fragile union. To save a friendship that has stretched across lifetimes they must trek across a land as exotic as it is unforgiving, joined in their adventure by cleaning droids, cannibal robots, and holograms from an era long past. Fighting against time, forgotten memories, and their own design at the hands of their former creators, they will find a way to be together forever, at any cost.

'Usu' is a heartwarming sci-fi adventure from the mind of South African writer Jayde Ver Elst that tells the tale of two very dear friends; a stuffed rabbit and his android girl."

I have a love/hate relationship with books that are in a similar vein to Douglas Adams. On one hand I love the snark but after a while it starts to grate on me and I fall out of love with the whole book. That is what happened with USU. The characters are interesting and the world unique but the snark that happens in the book seemed cute and humorous at first but there is just so much of it that it began to wear thin for me.

The three main characters a life-like rabbit that was once a human's toy/companion, a janitorial robot, and a childlike android with some serious issues are unique but even with their various personalities, they all started to blend together in order to set up lame joke after lame joke. It is the same problem I have with all of these books, they just seem like one event after the other brought together in order for a few funny lines of dialogue. A lot of set up for a punchline. It grows wearisome.

I am not sure why I always except books in this (sub)genre as I always seem to be let down as the various build up to a punchline always starts to fray my affection for the book. However, if you are someone who loves books that are similar to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and want a South African's perspective, look no further.

Overall 6.5/10
http://lestgoo.id
http://lestgoo.id/download

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Ukkusiksalik: The People's Story

Image
Ukkusiksalik: The People's Story By David F. Pelly Toronto: Dundurn, $21.50 Reviewed by Russell A. Potter When I was in Gjoa Haven for ten days in 2004, I remember a local Inuk who, though he was happy to answer my newcomer's questions, regarded my interest in his community as a short-term one, despite my protestations to the contrary. When I asked him why, he put it plainly: many  Qallunaaat say the same thing -- but then that's the last you see of them -- they never come back. David F. Pelly is one who came back -- again and again -- and so earned the trust and the friendship of the people he sojourned among. And these qualities are vital to the  project of  Ukkusiksalik , which is no less than to provide a comprehensive oral history of this area from the earliest appearance of humans to the establishment of the national park that bears its name in 2003, and beyond. Indeed, Pelly opens with an account of the geological history of the area beginning with the last Ice Ag...
Read more

REVIEW: Star Wars Vol. 2 Showdown on Smuggler's Moon by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, and Simone Bianchi

Image
Star Wars Vol. 2 Showdown on Smuggler's Moon by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, and Simone Bianchi Publishing Information: Paperback; 144 pages Publisher: Marvel; 26 Jan 2016 ISBN: 9780785192145 Series: Vol. 2 Copy: Out of Pocket Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "Injustice reigns on Tatooine as villainous scum run rampant. Will Ben Kenobi risk revealing himself to do what's right? Then, Luke continues his quest to learn about the Jedi by heading for the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Plus: Han & Leia are confronted by an unexpected foe from Han's past! COLLECTING: STAR WARS 7-12" Last week I reviewed the first volume of the new Star Wars comic book that covers the time between New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Volume 2 continues the adventures of the rebels and this time it features a little more of Leia, which was missing from the last book. I don't want to give too much away but in this storyline Han and Leia's struggling romance gets sidelined when someone...
Read more

REVIEW: Mort(e) by Robert Repino

Image
Mort(e) by Robert Repino Publishing information: Hardcover; 358pgs Publisher: Soho Press; 1 Jan 2014 ISBN: 9781616954277 Series: War with No Name #1 Copy: Out of Pocket Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "After the “war with no name” a cat assassin searches for his lost love in Repino’s strange, moving sci-fi epic that channels both Homeward Bound and A Canticle for Lebowitz. The “war with no name” has begun, with human extinction as its goal. The instigator of this war is the Colony, a race of intelligent ants who, for thousands of years, have been silently building an army that would forever eradicate the destructive, oppressive humans. Under the Colony's watchful eye, this utopia will be free of the humans' penchant for violence, exploitation and religious superstition. As a final step in the war effort, the Colony uses its strange technology to transform the surface animals into high-functioning two-legged beings who rise up to kill their masters. Former housecat turned ...
Read more