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Title: It's Hell to Choose
Series: Kurtherian Gambit #9
Author: Michael Anderle
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 313
Format: Digital Edition
Series: Kurtherian Gambit #9
Author: Michael Anderle
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 313
Format: Digital Edition
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Synopsis:
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TQB Enterprises is
going semi-public. Not only have they revealed their space
capabilities but also that they have other tech that is very
advanced. Tech that companies and countries want, now, for free. A
group of highly skilled mercenaries are hired to infiltrate the
American base that is the current headquarters for TQB and to data
mine it and then destroy it, with a nuke. This is sanctioned by a US
government Senator.
At the same time
TQB advances its space plans to create a space station in months,
instead of years. Bethany Ann wants off the Earth so she's not
entangled in the politics. She also begins the process of integrating
the Vamps and Weres into a single fighting unit instead of splitting
them up, as has historically happened.
Most of the TQB
tech is moved into space and given protection by the new fighter
units. They outmatch some French fighter jets and put one of them on
the Eiffel Tower. They also move everything from the United States
base into storage or prep it for space. They fight off the mercenary
attack but Michael sacrifices himself to get rid of the nuke.
The book ends with
Bethany Ann being all broken up about Michael's death, since she
confessed that “she loved him”. She begins to focus that fury
into accomplishing her goal of protecting the Earth against whatever
maybe coming.
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My
Thoughts:
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So this is where the Kurtherian Gambit and I part ways. First, there
are the token homosexuals that Anderle throws in, for wokeness
points, then there is the unspoken deification of Bethany Ann and
finally the “character growth” that was meant to happen by
Michael's supposed demise.
Obviously, the first issue is one that I've made my stance on very
clear. No need to talk about it yet again.
The second issue is one that has been building for me for the last
couple of books. Bethany Ann is growing so powerful, with no checks
upon her and we as readers have no idea what sets her moral compass.
Anderle throws in some stuff about “loyalty” and general goodness
and crap, but when a character is the most powerful entity on a
planet, and pretty much is going to run things how they see fit, as
an author you'd better make sure that you're not creating a tinpot
tyrant. I don't see that happening with Anderle. Bethany Ann is a
tyrant with unfettered power and an attitude of “my way or the
highway, bub”. While Anderle writes her as protecting humanity,
there is no real reason given. She's just “good”. I know I'm
using a lot of quotation words here, but this issue really bothers
me. What makes her so good, what sets her apart from all the other
humans on the planet (those same humans who show their worst at a
moments notice by the way), etc. Being Good by authorial fiat works
in a shorter storyline, but we're up to book 9 here.
I took a step back from this issue to make sure it wasn't a gender
thing. I have some strong opinions on that issue that are about as
popular as my stance on the whole homosexuality thing so I sat back
and thought. Would I have these same issues if this series had been
about Michael? And the answer is a resounding “Yes!”, if he'd
been Bethany Ann'ized into Good Incarnate. Bethany Ann is just
inherently good and every decision she makes, while not necessarily
the best one, is always the right one. I am obviously over-thinking
that aspect, but it has cropped up enough for me to realize it would
have bugged me for the rest of the series.
Finally, the character development, or lack thereof. I was perfectly
fine with these books being action packed, wham bam books. Introduce
the characters, give them a hint of a personality and then just go
from there. But don't try to make your characters “real” if you
don't have the writing chops to do it. We're led to believe that
Bethany Ann and Michael have this deep soul connection, because they
go out on a couple of dates and sleep together and Bethany Ann
confesses she loves Michael? Come on, even I can write that! So don't
do it. Telling me something, as a reader, is very different from
showing it. And it is hard to show character development in a 300
page book with so many characters and so much going on.
So that is why I'm done with the Kurtherian Gambit series.
Anderle does have another series, the Amazing Mr Brownstone,
that I'm hoping to start sometime next year. It is another long
running series that I hope doesn't have the same issues as this
series. With my drop in reading, I certainly won't be waiting until
book 9 to make a final decision about it.
★☆☆☆☆
