Those of you who have hung out at BOOKGASM since the early days (translation: last Wednesday’s launch) may have noted contributor Chris Sharpe’s pledge to review every STAR WARS novel out there. (So far, he’s two down.) I admire his dedication, but wanted to out-geek him, so I decided I would review every ALIENS VS. PREDATOR novel out there. True, there’s fewer of them than the STAR WARS series, but it’s clearly a nerdier pursuit.
I don’t know what the hell I was on when I made that decision (yes, I do: Equate Migraine Relief), but it was the worst I’ve made in some time, and I hereby rescind it.
Ten years before the polarizing ALIEN VS. PREDATOR movie (underrated in my opinion; what, you were expecting Ridley Scott?), the concept was a comic book, and then a short series of paperback novels, starting with the first volume, ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: PREY. It’s about humans running a ranch on another planet. Aliens arrive. Predators arrive. They fight. I snoozed.
I’m all for cheap paperback thrills as much as the next guy in the airport, but this is weak stuff, with slow pacing, characters whose names are so similar that you can’t tell them apart and – a huge pet peeve of mine – using lots of invented words just because it’s set in the future. I gave it a fair shake with my 100-page rule (read ’til then, then give up if it’s still no good) before bailing. Chris, you win.
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I didn’t know there was a 100-page rule. I think this should be implemented site wide. Then I can actually review STAR WARS: LABYRINTH OF EVIL and that will knock one more off the list.
It’s my personal rule, but it’s fair enough to be adopted by one and all. Go for it!
With certain authors, the 100 page rule can’t apply. I remember reading Tommyknockers, which had a decent first 100, but then it went off into laborious side track for 500 pages before wrapping the book up. I definitely should have given up after 150, but the first 100 had given me hope.
My rule doesn’t mean you can’t give up further into the book. You’re not committed to it once you pass 100. You’ve just got to give the book at least much of a shot before you can say “life’s too short” and move on to the next one.
I never made it through TOMMYKNOCKERS. I don’t think i even made it to page 100.
I don’t think I could ever *bring* myself to read something called TOMMYKNOCKERS. I’d be too embarassed to say the title aloud.