I don't normally like science fiction, but...
929760
I read this book because it was on a list of books with strong female characters.  I was not disappointed, and I found myself thinking that perhaps I had misjudged science fiction.  The plot revolves around the concept that people get upset if attractive people are killed on dangerous missions, but no-one really cares about unattractive or physically flawed people.  So although the technology is there to correct birth defects and other physical problems (such as stammering, obesity, or birthmarks), certain children are left with their physical problem uncorrected and raised to be "explorers", so that if they die on a mission of interplanetary exploration, there won't be a public outcry or grief.  These people are expendable, and no-one will notice they've died, except for other explorers, who will respond with their motto -- "That's what expendable means."  They have been raised from early childhood and specially trained to sacrifice themselves. These "explorers" simultaneously think of themselves as superior and inferior -- "real people", as they call them, are shallow and weak, and yet they envy "real people."  This whole concept raises questions about the value placed on physical perfection by our society and what it means to be someone who can't meet those standards.
The main character, Festina Ramos, is a female explorer sent on a suicide mission to a planet from which no explorer has ever returned.  She and her partner are being sacrificed as part of a larger plot to deal with another undesirable of society.  Needless to say, the planet turns out to be inhabited.  Festina sets off on a long adventure of survival.  I really couldn't put the book down, and I particularly recommend it to those who are interested in strong, capable female protaganists.
4231674
This unusual book did not appeal to me at all.  I have to read a book all the way to the end, even if I do not like it, and that was the case with this book.  However, I did not like anything about this book, and would not recommend it to anyone who is not an avid science fiction lover.
4079095
As expressed in my review title, I usually can't get through most fictional books, because, as another reviewer shared, I can't get through the "groans" as I read implausibilities to enjoy it. Like that reviewer, I also have a science degree, so sci-fi books make suspension of disbelief even harder. This is the first fictional book I picked up in a long time that I was able to finish, enjoy, and didn't feel like I wasted my time.

Characters are developed well-enough to get a sense of who they are, without making the book tedious to read.

The plot has some unexpected twists and turns that I didn't see coming, so it wasn't as predictable a story line as many other formulaic stories.

I wanted to put the book down when I became angry at the injustices perpetrated by some of the bullies in power, but I kept on, and not only did they get theirs, but those kind of tortures weren't dragged out for two long.

The different perspective of the issues was very refreshing, and the author did a very good job at imagining and explaining this very different world, and how it might be perceived by those experiencing it. That said, given the history of the facility as described, it probably should have been set at least 2-3 decades later in the future than it was.

(spoiler alert)

As others noted, some of the social aspects in the outside world with a disease that can strike anyone, any time, and the population dwindling down to near-plague state didn't jive with the kind of social breakdown that would probably occur. Also, AZ is very unlikely to have the water resources to support the lush grounds that facility provided in the future, but I digress.

The on thing that made me want to SCREAM as someone trained in science was the liberal use of the word "theory" because Katie did NOT have any "theories" - she had HYPOTHESES. A theory is something that has been tested with repeatable results, numerous times, by numerous individuals. An idea developed by anyone - scientist or not, based on observations, but has yet to be thoroughly tested is a HYPOTHESIS, not a theory. This is maddening to anyone who takes the scientific method seriously, along with the terminology surrounding it. I really hope that if the author is reading this, she will seriously consider obliterating the word from the book entirely and replace it with "hypothesis" with the exception of when it's formally used referencing Newton's Theories, but even then... most scientists retain enough skepticism to make such comparisons to their own work, anyway. The Newton reference could go as well.

Some of the characters do make some very illogical choices and rash decisions that don't seem to make sense based on other aspects of their character descriptions, but as annoying as that is, I see that happen in real life all the time. So, while I questioned some of those actions the author laid out, I think overall, I liked it better than having the characters seem too scripted or archetypal. There are things that I've done that people who know me now would have a hard time believing, and I see people doing things all the time that don't jive with their other traits or professed traits, so if anything, that's more realistic. And I kind of liked that one of the main characters was always sort of teetering between good guy/bad guy, or doing the "right" things for the "wrong" reasons and vice versa.

The Kindle edition is very nicely formatted without any odd pages or ugly formatting like some books. I read this after hearing about being able to get it free for a limited time and will definitely check out the author's other work. I laughed, I sat on the edge of my seat, I stayed glued to it all day, and I even got sniffly at the end, more than I like to admit. I haven't enjoyed anything fictional like that in years, and had all but given up on being able to stomach fiction completely until I spent the entire day reading this.

Bravo!
1247138
A bit more science fiction than I usually like but very well done.  I would read another by this author.
1494076
Im not really much of a sci fi fan. This book changed my mind. Characters you can feel for, and defintely a good story.
2363416
I was not prepared for how great a book this turned out to be. I was slightly prepared for the unusual style of the opening because I did read something about how Chinese science fiction operates by different rules. But it was far more of a departure than I had anticipated. I stuck with it and I really enjoyed the way the narrative shaped up in unexpected ways. This is a brilliant approach to hard science fiction with plenty of imaginative special effects within the scientific discourse. I am looking forward to the next piece of the story that will come out this summer. I didn't pay enough attention to the names, so I advise that readers take the time to fix onto the names of the characters, as it's easy to lose your way given that the names are Chinese and the unfamiliarity tends to blur who is doing what. Slow down and try not to miss anything.
3702618
Sure, I had read other science fiction(Asimov, Bear, Quite a few unknowns and Names I Can't Remember), but nothing prepared me for this book.  I came  into it off the Thomas Covenant series, trusting that since it was  Donaldson, it would probably be at least an ok read, and besides, its  short.  If I don't like it I don't have to read the others.
What I  found when I opened the book was a drama of such depth and with so many  realistic characters that it changed my views on science fiction.  The  bleakness of the rape scenes and the depravity served as an excellent  counterpoint to the characters' struggle to survive.  You can only have as  much good in a book as you admit bad.  This book has a lot of bad, but it  only serves to make the characters' simplest actions heroic in proportion.  Morn's struggle to survive in the face of all that happens to her is  heartbreaking - it shows both the strengths and the weaknesses inherent in  human nature.  Overcoming those weaknesses and the depravities that are  forced upon her is a seemingly impossible task, and so every score in her  favor means so much more than it would if she was merely kidnapped and  yelled at.  The other characters are equally depthy, but that depth is  developed more over the rest of the series.  I even found myself  sympathizing with the characters on the dark side of the spectrum, although  I would never agree with their actions.  These characters are not  inherently evil, they were twisted by their childhood, by the events that  surrounded them.  This can never make their actions forgivable in any  society, but it can convert anger at them into sadness for them.  If you  read the first book and never pick up the second, you will be losing one of  the best, if not the best, sci-fi series out there, and also one of the  best reflections on the nature of the human soul.  The ideas expressed are  not pretty, if they were they would not be an accurate reflection of  reality.  Give it a chance.
1380146
I'm not sure this book would have kept me reading if my SFF book group weren't reading it. None of the members of the expedition, including the narrator, were particularly sympathetic characters. The narrator's husband, discussed largely in the past tense, seemed more likable than any of them. But I did gradually become absorbed in the uncanny and mysterious setting, and became vicariously part of the narrator's increasingly strange journey. The world-building is impressive, and the mood-building even more so.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and I'm not currently planning to keep reading -- but the book group discussion might change my mind.
2848119
While I'm not necessarily a fan of sci-fi, I have started to change my mind about it thanks to books like this one. There is definitely a feeling of The Terminator or films like that in this book, though the writing seems to be a bit more advanced and "smart." The writing style itself is simplistic, but some of the descriptions are really great. There were times when I could really picture what he was talking about.
To me, this book felt not like a work of fiction but almost as a prophecy - this could actually happen to us.
I did take off a star because I found there to be some pretty odd sentence construction and word choices at times, but not enough to pull me away from the book.
2610124
I am not a Sci Fi fan... I found this to be interesting, beyond the ability to pronounce some to the names and words. But I can also correlate some of the story line to biblical and political paths ...  thank you for the entertainment, I will be watch for book two...

Esther
4413481
Sci-fi is not my normal go-to, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  The book moves and fast and is quite entertaining.  This book is obviously setting the scene for the next two books, and I will definitely be buying them.  All in all, a believable world has been created with a solid cast of characters.  I am looking forward to what comes next.
1627006
And I'm loving Alex Hunters' adventures. This is science fiction at its best, but mixed with some really cool horror. The futuristic weapons and exciting destinations keep the pace screaming along and very interesting. Entertainment value, eleven on a ten scale!  I read a review the other day; someone said something about how in one of Becks books, the plot had a 'scientific flaw' in it or some such??! ...seriously? THIS IS A STORY. Science FICTION. If you want Science FACT, your in the wrong isle. This stuff by Grieg Beck is uber exciting! It's like the first Star Trek; all the cool sci-fi gadgets, the really strange and horrifyingly mind bending monsters and aliens. And the Arcadian. A man that is super human in strength and speed created by -a partial scientific, partially accidental experiment. Resulting in The Arcadian, super spy. Honestly, this is one of the most original story/series going right now. The blend of fact, plausible not-so-far into the future science, and truly freaky creatures is just a blast to read.

In this adventure, the Arcadian and his next batch of elite commandos (to his utter grief, he just can't seem to keep a full crew) are rushed off to the middle east after American spy satellites detect an unimaginably huge Gamma burst. A signal that's is frightening in its power, but puzzling at the same time because it's there and gone again in an instant, leaving no other radioactive signatures behind! Nothing.  Impossible! Meanwhile, on a rural road somewhere in the heartland of the United States, a couple of unfortunate farmer trip across a horrific scene in the middle of the road...a body. They can't believe their eyes.  Not only is it no longer alive,  it's also not ON, but 'melded' half in, half out, of the asphalt. It's stretched like taffy and horribly mutilated with its internal organs pulled out through its mouth! Ick! The unfortunate couple gape in horror...hardly aware as blood begins to seep from their noses as they have just received a fatal dose of radiation.

It seems Iran is about to open Pandoras Box. A brilliant Iranian scientist, working with a super small atomic collider, stumbles upon a way to open up wormholes! And a fanatical Iranian president sees a way to bring about Judgment day for all the infidels of the world.
1864853
I wasn't sure when I got the book what I might be reading.  I got the book because of who the author was.  This book was a great surprise.  I like science fiction, and I got my reward for an extremely interesting story.  It's not always you find the human earth people who are the aliens.  I just had a difficult time trying to picture just what the residents of the planet visited were actually like because I try to envision what the characters actually look like. They could have been out of the Star Wars cast of oddities.  With the latest stories about space travel, if you are someone who believes that this experience could actually happen, you will love this one.
459282
I don't like science fiction! I don't know why I ordered it!!! I read it tho but no more Sci-Fi!!
1303928
I'm not usually a hard sci-fi fan.  This was just enough inside my understanding of science to make it enjoyable and where as sometimes (I admit it) I skip through technical aspects of books, these I read right on through. I was worried that the book might get too dreary or angst heavy.  It did not. The main character HAD to be interesting and appealing and he was.
Yes, there is cursing. It did phase me for a moment then I realized I'd be cursing, too.  It is not curse laced.  It is sprinkled.
I read this in one sitting and enjoyed myself.  I knew I was really into it when I -HAD- to tell my husband what a character just said. (and then explain the rest of the book so it was in context)

Nice job, Mr. Weir.
4487714
I am not a sci-fi enthusiast by any means!  Would much rather read and admire real life stories of real people, BUT!  This story got me hooked!  Not sure it got me hooked on sci-fi specifically, but certainly on the plot of this, what seems to be an unveiling of the future of the human race.  It somehow came too close for comfort as to where we, humans are going and I had to stop and tell myself - wait, this is totally possible even though it seems quite "out there".  The "human" element in the story, however, still exists and I love this book for it making me hopeful that we, humans, have a chance to still retain our human spirit no matter what form we choose to take.  I can't wait for the sequel.
1467878
I had to get used to this type of story.  I usually like space opera.  It is not that.  I did enjoy it.