What do you think?
Rate this book
Jak Jinnaka #1
The Duke of Uranium
Living on a 36th-century space station, 18-year-old Jak Jinnaka's seemingly normal life turns when strangers viciously attack him and kidnap his girlfriend, Sesh. When Jak learns Sesh is actually a princess from a distant world, and that he has been groomed from birth to be a secret agent, he sets out to free Sesh from her captor, the mysterious Duke of Uranium--and discovers a world he never knew existed.
290 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
10 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
John Barnes
263 books198 followersJohn Barnes (born 1957) is an American science fiction author, whose stories often explore questions of individual moral responsibility within a larger social context. Social criticism is woven throughout his plots. The four novels in his Thousand Cultures series pose serious questions about the effects of globalization on isolated societies. Barnes holds a doctorate in theatre and for several years taught in Colorado, where he still lives.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bar...
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bar...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 11, 2013
In one way, The Duke of Uranium is a blast from the past. I grew up on the space operas of Robert Heinlein, C. L Moore, Doc Smith and Andre Norton just to name a few. John Barnes seems to be channeling a few of these writers in this modern but somewhat retro space fantasy. I even sense an iota of Orson Scott Card minus the pretentiousness and arrogance. Like most good space operas, it seems to be catering to the young adult, mostly boys, but is intelligent enough for adults. The Duke of Uranium is an entertaining tale of space espionage and galactic intrigue.
So why am I not all that enthusiastic about this novel? It does a lot of things right but some of it bothered me...a lot. First, I couldn't really believe in the hero, Jax Jinnaka . He starts as a spoiled rich kid until his girl friend is kidnapped. Soon he finds out that not only is his girl friend a princess. But he has been raised to be a cog in a complex and colorful wheel of conflict between various power players. With that kind of scenario, you would think you would see sort of a sea-change between spoiled brat and warrior, But it never shows up. In fact Jax seems a bit passive, traveling and thinking a lot and getting saved by other people, to be called a hero. The other characters didn't help much neither . They often seem introductory, like being a set-up for a series.
Then there is the made up language. Many science fiction writers use fictional words and and slang to give an exotic feel to their stories. But Barnes' made up words do not always make sense. There should be some kind of mini-Rosetta stone embedded in the tale to help the reader feel part of the language and to have an actual sense of what they mean. To this reader, it just felt annoying. Admittedly I am no fan of this type of imaginary word play. Yet even the most used word in the book didn't seem to have a distinct meaning. I never could figure out whether "Toktru" meant "Darn!, "True Dat!", "Really?" or "Fergitboutit". As Jax would say, I didn't dak it.
Tip: Add a glossary to the next book.
But there is a thing the author does exceedingly well and it holds promise for the rest of the Jax Jinnala novels. Barnes is a master at world building. The future alt-reality that he creates in quite vivid both in the harder (and more technical) science fiction aspects and in the description of the socio-politcal intrigue of the future society. The structure of his hierarchy of power brokers and their distinct philosophies is my favorite aspect of the tale. It reminded me a bit of Ian Banks' Culture series, another modern space opera. The author uses a lot of his novel to build his world and while it does slow down the action a little, especially in the middle, I still found it fascinating. In my opinion, world building is what makes or breaks a science fiction adventure novel like this one.
One more thing. I really liked the little computers with attitude.
So overall, this is a pleasant novel that holds promise for the rest of the series. I would like to see Jax become more three dimensional and more of an actual hero. I must say I didn't find it totally successful due to the issues I mentioned. But those who loved the science fiction of Heinlein and others, or those who just like to lose themselves in a different world, will find something to like.
So why am I not all that enthusiastic about this novel? It does a lot of things right but some of it bothered me...a lot. First, I couldn't really believe in the hero, Jax Jinnaka . He starts as a spoiled rich kid until his girl friend is kidnapped. Soon he finds out that not only is his girl friend a princess. But he has been raised to be a cog in a complex and colorful wheel of conflict between various power players. With that kind of scenario, you would think you would see sort of a sea-change between spoiled brat and warrior, But it never shows up. In fact Jax seems a bit passive, traveling and thinking a lot and getting saved by other people, to be called a hero. The other characters didn't help much neither . They often seem introductory, like being a set-up for a series.
Then there is the made up language. Many science fiction writers use fictional words and and slang to give an exotic feel to their stories. But Barnes' made up words do not always make sense. There should be some kind of mini-Rosetta stone embedded in the tale to help the reader feel part of the language and to have an actual sense of what they mean. To this reader, it just felt annoying. Admittedly I am no fan of this type of imaginary word play. Yet even the most used word in the book didn't seem to have a distinct meaning. I never could figure out whether "Toktru" meant "Darn!, "True Dat!", "Really?" or "Fergitboutit". As Jax would say, I didn't dak it.
Tip: Add a glossary to the next book.
But there is a thing the author does exceedingly well and it holds promise for the rest of the Jax Jinnala novels. Barnes is a master at world building. The future alt-reality that he creates in quite vivid both in the harder (and more technical) science fiction aspects and in the description of the socio-politcal intrigue of the future society. The structure of his hierarchy of power brokers and their distinct philosophies is my favorite aspect of the tale. It reminded me a bit of Ian Banks' Culture series, another modern space opera. The author uses a lot of his novel to build his world and while it does slow down the action a little, especially in the middle, I still found it fascinating. In my opinion, world building is what makes or breaks a science fiction adventure novel like this one.
One more thing. I really liked the little computers with attitude.
So overall, this is a pleasant novel that holds promise for the rest of the series. I would like to see Jax become more three dimensional and more of an actual hero. I must say I didn't find it totally successful due to the issues I mentioned. But those who loved the science fiction of Heinlein and others, or those who just like to lose themselves in a different world, will find something to like.
October 25, 2024
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2013/11/18...
Review: This was a really fun scifi novel that spans our solar system. Jak Kinnaka is a bleary eyed teen with no real interest in school. He is at once likable and interesting. The character development throughout this novel was very well done. The characters grew into something more as the story progressed. New characters were infused as the story line shifted with good result.
A good scifi novel, where morals are somewhat diminished, has a bit more of a “graphic” edge to it. This novel fell a little short in that regard but left room for your imagination. Jak’s love interest, Phrysaba, could have been better developed along with their “social” interactions. Myx is a great character that needs a voice of her own, and her story-line expanded. Smart, bold, slutty and a born leader makes for a good read. Uncle Sib has marginal development, but just enough to get the story-line rolling.
Besides some world description failures, that did not render well for visualization, this novel was fun and light hearted. Some reviewers thought that this was a fairly shallow piece of work. I just don't think the author's intention resided with making this too heavy. It has just enough to draw you in, then have a good time.
The author does a great job with alien introduction and development (the Rubahy) and their culture system. I am looking forward to the next in this series as the author is a great story teller.
Review: This was a really fun scifi novel that spans our solar system. Jak Kinnaka is a bleary eyed teen with no real interest in school. He is at once likable and interesting. The character development throughout this novel was very well done. The characters grew into something more as the story progressed. New characters were infused as the story line shifted with good result.
A good scifi novel, where morals are somewhat diminished, has a bit more of a “graphic” edge to it. This novel fell a little short in that regard but left room for your imagination. Jak’s love interest, Phrysaba, could have been better developed along with their “social” interactions. Myx is a great character that needs a voice of her own, and her story-line expanded. Smart, bold, slutty and a born leader makes for a good read. Uncle Sib has marginal development, but just enough to get the story-line rolling.
Besides some world description failures, that did not render well for visualization, this novel was fun and light hearted. Some reviewers thought that this was a fairly shallow piece of work. I just don't think the author's intention resided with making this too heavy. It has just enough to draw you in, then have a good time.
The author does a great job with alien introduction and development (the Rubahy) and their culture system. I am looking forward to the next in this series as the author is a great story teller.
May 7, 2015
The cover of the Aspect edition evokes military space opera: a well-chinned young man in uniform, face lit from below, striking a dramatic pose while something attention-getting happens in the background. This, of course, never occurs.
The story evokes the spirit of the old-fashioned 'juvenile' science fiction adventure stories, here buckled into an upgraded 21st century chassis complete with somewhat Jack Vance society and libertarian morality. Unfortunately those stories are buoyed on the pluck and resourcefulness of the protagonist, and here the story runs on rails. Jinnaka's mission has been planned out by his betters, and the wiggle room left to him will ultimately not matter.
Barnes's construction of the 36th Century tantalizes with the history of humanity's war against the Rubahy, where Earth suffered under a fifty year Bombardment that permanently scarred the planet. Humanity's retaliatory strike puts it under the eventual and slow judgment of the Galactic Court, which may or may not spell doom for the species. Between this and the Principles of the Wager, a philosophical system that is both strangely positive and cynical, the book is dotted with little flourishes that decorate a story that is more often a travelogue than anything else.
It was frequently fun to read, especially for the embellishments reminding me of Jack Vance's Gaean Reach stories, but at the end I am not particularly enamored of Jak Jinnaka or the world he inhabits.
The story evokes the spirit of the old-fashioned 'juvenile' science fiction adventure stories, here buckled into an upgraded 21st century chassis complete with somewhat Jack Vance society and libertarian morality. Unfortunately those stories are buoyed on the pluck and resourcefulness of the protagonist, and here the story runs on rails. Jinnaka's mission has been planned out by his betters, and the wiggle room left to him will ultimately not matter.
Barnes's construction of the 36th Century tantalizes with the history of humanity's war against the Rubahy, where Earth suffered under a fifty year Bombardment that permanently scarred the planet. Humanity's retaliatory strike puts it under the eventual and slow judgment of the Galactic Court, which may or may not spell doom for the species. Between this and the Principles of the Wager, a philosophical system that is both strangely positive and cynical, the book is dotted with little flourishes that decorate a story that is more often a travelogue than anything else.
It was frequently fun to read, especially for the embellishments reminding me of Jack Vance's Gaean Reach stories, but at the end I am not particularly enamored of Jak Jinnaka or the world he inhabits.
July 8, 2021
I read this new in the early 00s and remembered it reasonably fondly as a fast-paced action-adventure story with an interesting far-future setting, which is only moderately accurate. Yes, it's definitely action-adventure, and yes, the far-future setting is really interesting to me, but it isn't exactly fast-paced because there are So Many Pages dedicated to explaining in immense technical detail exactly how some piece of imaginary technology works. When I read this originally I just took it for granted that lots of books I otherwise liked had many boring stretches, because I read a lot of science fiction and was used to having a 5-page digression to explain cargo handling or artificial gravity or solar sails or whatever-it-was and I just automatically tuned it out in my memory of the book, but now it is 2021 and people write books that are *only the interesting bits* and I was surprised by how painfully dull large chunks of this were. Trying to figure out Jak and his friends was interesting, trying to understand the society from inside the society was really good, the weird sampled dance/music artform/concert/rave experience was neat and fun, but there was lots of boring stuff to skip through, and I kept expecting it to actually serve the story -- to reflect thematically in some way on the events, or at least to provide clever answers to some problems, but no, it was just there because it was there and because (I assume) the target audience liked reading that sort of thing and Barnes liked writing it. (Or did he? I don't remember his earlier books having much of that at all -- was he putting it in because he liked it, or had his editor asked him to write a different kind of book that might sell better? Or are his earlier books chock full of this too and I just didn't notice because it was the 90s and I took what I could get?)
Anyway, I'm reading the rest of this series, and I'm reading more Barnes after that probably, but wow, I'm glad there are so many books out there for me to read where I don't have to skip big chunks to stay awake.
[See my next review for thoughts about how Barnes was clearly writing deliberately about the entitlement and privilege of young white men! Hmmmn, maybe that's why he wrapped it up in all that engineering discussion?]
Anyway, I'm reading the rest of this series, and I'm reading more Barnes after that probably, but wow, I'm glad there are so many books out there for me to read where I don't have to skip big chunks to stay awake.
[See my next review for thoughts about how Barnes was clearly writing deliberately about the entitlement and privilege of young white men! Hmmmn, maybe that's why he wrapped it up in all that engineering discussion?]
February 14, 2011
I requested a couple John Barnes books that I haven't gotten around to reading from the library. One I really wanted to read, but the other one, and its sequels, I always avoided, because from the blurb, frankly, I thought I'd hate it, though I like a lot of Barnes's work. (The Sky So Big and Black and the first three Giraut books.)
Thisshowed up before Orbital Resonance (the one I really wanted to read), so I figured I'd read it in the meantime. Honestly, I was right. I hated this book. About a hundred pages from the end I couldn't take it anymore, so I flipped ahead to the ending and then skimmed for the intermediate stuff that I needed to read to make the end more comprehensible.
The teenagers in the book are obnoxious, but not in an especially interesting or well-developed way. Character development in general is at a premium here, for the most part.
The future slang is ... meh. Heinlein generally did this right, Tiptree did this right, here it's just ... I don't know. I don't think of myself as particularly linguistically ignorant - I can usually figure out future slang from being familiar with a lot of languages at different levels, and/or from context, but here ... it's hard to strike a balance, sometimes, between "It's the 36th century, the language will have changed" and "I have to make my projected changes comprehensible to the 21st century reader." Here, I don't feel like it worked.
Pacing was wrong, characterization annoying, some interesting concepts. Read like bad Heinlein with Cherryh's ideas of shipboard culture mixed in. Barnes is capable of much better than this. 2.5 stars/5, rounding down to 2/5 for Goodreads.
Thisshowed up before Orbital Resonance (the one I really wanted to read), so I figured I'd read it in the meantime. Honestly, I was right. I hated this book. About a hundred pages from the end I couldn't take it anymore, so I flipped ahead to the ending and then skimmed for the intermediate stuff that I needed to read to make the end more comprehensible.
The teenagers in the book are obnoxious, but not in an especially interesting or well-developed way. Character development in general is at a premium here, for the most part.
The future slang is ... meh. Heinlein generally did this right, Tiptree did this right, here it's just ... I don't know. I don't think of myself as particularly linguistically ignorant - I can usually figure out future slang from being familiar with a lot of languages at different levels, and/or from context, but here ... it's hard to strike a balance, sometimes, between "It's the 36th century, the language will have changed" and "I have to make my projected changes comprehensible to the 21st century reader." Here, I don't feel like it worked.
Pacing was wrong, characterization annoying, some interesting concepts. Read like bad Heinlein with Cherryh's ideas of shipboard culture mixed in. Barnes is capable of much better than this. 2.5 stars/5, rounding down to 2/5 for Goodreads.
August 25, 2018
Not really sure this is YA, but I'll tag it that way anyhow.
I enjoyed Jak's story, at least enough to go see if the next one was available from Kindle Unlimited. It wasn't. Nor was it available from my local library. So, I'll let that one go - it wasn't so awesome that I'll buy it (rare for me to buy books, I'm a terrible person as a reader) or put in an inter-library loan.
Here's what I really liked though - it was an old style space opera with a nice culture in place. The past may be a foreign land, but that should also be true of the future. When I first started hitting invented words, I was unimpressed. By the end of the book though, they were flowly smoothly through my brain, and helping in the suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed that while trips were rapid compared to today, it still takes a real amount of time to go places in the solar system. That gave the book time to take place, so it served the plot, but it also felt more real.
I enjoyed Jak's story, at least enough to go see if the next one was available from Kindle Unlimited. It wasn't. Nor was it available from my local library. So, I'll let that one go - it wasn't so awesome that I'll buy it (rare for me to buy books, I'm a terrible person as a reader) or put in an inter-library loan.
Here's what I really liked though - it was an old style space opera with a nice culture in place. The past may be a foreign land, but that should also be true of the future. When I first started hitting invented words, I was unimpressed. By the end of the book though, they were flowly smoothly through my brain, and helping in the suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed that while trips were rapid compared to today, it still takes a real amount of time to go places in the solar system. That gave the book time to take place, so it served the plot, but it also felt more real.
December 26, 2024
It's essentially a shaggy dog story with characters coming and go, lots of plot churning, and ridiculous coincidences resolving things. I've enjoyed other books by the author but won't be following this series.
May 5, 2017
It starts off REALLY slowly, and not well, at all. But it does get better. Not great, but worth reading.
December 30, 2018
An interesting romp, I think best suited for younger males.
December 4, 2013
Our solar system in the future envisioned by John Barnes is a weird place. Four planets, two giant space stations, dozens of moons around the gas giants and hundreds of asteroids are inhabited by hundreds of different species of genetically engineered humans. Everything seems so different and alien. Even the language is full of slang and the meaning of these words is not explained. How soon you will get engrossed in The Duke of Uranium, depends on how quickly you can accept new situations and adapt to new vocabulary. For me it took some time until I completely understood what some phrases used in everyday speech meant.
The Duke of Uranium starts as all coming of age novels. Jak Jinnaka just finished high school and is wondering what next… But the story very soon stops following the usual plotline because ka-boom Jak’s girlfriend is kidnapped and he is in the middle of the interplanetary conspiracy. It’s never boring with a lot of chasing and fighting and unexpected attacks. The plot is similar to old James Bond movies. There is even a requisite number of sexy female characters on the way who are seduced by Jak’s charm.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I was a boy, this way some situation made me read with a sarcastic eyebrow raised. For example, a girl who get her shirt torn away and then loses her skirt in escape so she is running in only her panties and high heels. Yeah right. :/
Another thing that might or might not work for you is the amount of information we get about the world. Some customs that are fundamental in society and culture are not explained because Jak as narrator assumes we are already familiar with them. Some other terms, new and interesting to him, get descriptions a couple of pages long. It definitely adds up to the realism of the narration, but can be sometimes frustrating when you have to guess what something is.
In The End…
Lovers of young adult thrillers with male lead character should definitely take a closer look at Jak Jinnaka‘s series. Instead of action adventures by Clive Cussler or Ian Fleming, John Barnes offers them hero of their age in similar situation and it’s all set in a futuristic, exciting setting.
My rating: 3 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
The Duke of Uranium starts as all coming of age novels. Jak Jinnaka just finished high school and is wondering what next… But the story very soon stops following the usual plotline because ka-boom Jak’s girlfriend is kidnapped and he is in the middle of the interplanetary conspiracy. It’s never boring with a lot of chasing and fighting and unexpected attacks. The plot is similar to old James Bond movies. There is even a requisite number of sexy female characters on the way who are seduced by Jak’s charm.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I was a boy, this way some situation made me read with a sarcastic eyebrow raised. For example, a girl who get her shirt torn away and then loses her skirt in escape so she is running in only her panties and high heels. Yeah right. :/
Another thing that might or might not work for you is the amount of information we get about the world. Some customs that are fundamental in society and culture are not explained because Jak as narrator assumes we are already familiar with them. Some other terms, new and interesting to him, get descriptions a couple of pages long. It definitely adds up to the realism of the narration, but can be sometimes frustrating when you have to guess what something is.
In The End…
Lovers of young adult thrillers with male lead character should definitely take a closer look at Jak Jinnaka‘s series. Instead of action adventures by Clive Cussler or Ian Fleming, John Barnes offers them hero of their age in similar situation and it’s all set in a futuristic, exciting setting.
My rating: 3 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
December 14, 2013
In a future a few thousand years from now, Jak Jinnaka and his pals are having a grand old time. Partying hearty and ignoring everything he’s supposed to be learning at school, he hasn’t spent any time or effort thinking about the future. Any future, but especially his own. His got a great best friend, a gorgeous girlfriend and no responsibilities.
But that ends abruptly the day his girlfriend, Sesh, is kidnapped. He’s beaten senseless and discovers the world is nothing like he thought it was.
It’s a brand new reality. The beautiful, free-wheeling party girl Sesh is Princess Shyf of Greenworld, heiress and only daughter of the rulers of a powerful kingdom. Jak’s Uncle Sib is not merely the kindly old guy who controls the family money, but a legendary spymaster. Now, it appears Jak is about to enter the family business with no training or time to think about possible repercussions.
It’s the first book in a new series obviously aimed at a teen audience. As was Harry Potter, so I didn’t consider its youthful skew an obstacle to enjoyment. I did sometimes find it a bit young for me … but I also found it witty and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Barnes’ observations on society and culture is razor-sharp.
The characters are fun and interesting. They grow and change, something I always appreciate in a book. This was promoted as being along the lines of Heinlein’s young adult literature, but Barnes writes nothing like Heinlein. I like Heinlein — that’s not true. I love Heinlein. But I like Barnes too. You don’t need to lure me with promises of “another Heinlein.” I don’t need the incentive. I’d read it anyhow.
The book takes a long time to catch fire. Barnes has created a world and needs to explain it. I’d prefer he showed us more and told us less because the book plods for the first half. After that, it takes off and steps out lively.
Not only has Barnes invented a world, but he’s invented a language. It uses a lot of words that are sort of English, but not really. We’re supposed to figure out what they mean by context and mostly, I did. Eventually. It would have been easier if he had included a short glossary or footnoted the words or … just used English. I don’t think the unfamiliarity of the language added anything but confusion.
That being said, I enjoyed the book. It dragged in the beginning, but the end was fast with plenty of action. Predictable? I didn’t think it was all that predictable … no more than any other book of this type I’ve read. It has a lot of potential as a series and I’ll be interested to see where Barnes takes it.
But that ends abruptly the day his girlfriend, Sesh, is kidnapped. He’s beaten senseless and discovers the world is nothing like he thought it was.
It’s a brand new reality. The beautiful, free-wheeling party girl Sesh is Princess Shyf of Greenworld, heiress and only daughter of the rulers of a powerful kingdom. Jak’s Uncle Sib is not merely the kindly old guy who controls the family money, but a legendary spymaster. Now, it appears Jak is about to enter the family business with no training or time to think about possible repercussions.
It’s the first book in a new series obviously aimed at a teen audience. As was Harry Potter, so I didn’t consider its youthful skew an obstacle to enjoyment. I did sometimes find it a bit young for me … but I also found it witty and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Barnes’ observations on society and culture is razor-sharp.
The characters are fun and interesting. They grow and change, something I always appreciate in a book. This was promoted as being along the lines of Heinlein’s young adult literature, but Barnes writes nothing like Heinlein. I like Heinlein — that’s not true. I love Heinlein. But I like Barnes too. You don’t need to lure me with promises of “another Heinlein.” I don’t need the incentive. I’d read it anyhow.
The book takes a long time to catch fire. Barnes has created a world and needs to explain it. I’d prefer he showed us more and told us less because the book plods for the first half. After that, it takes off and steps out lively.
Not only has Barnes invented a world, but he’s invented a language. It uses a lot of words that are sort of English, but not really. We’re supposed to figure out what they mean by context and mostly, I did. Eventually. It would have been easier if he had included a short glossary or footnoted the words or … just used English. I don’t think the unfamiliarity of the language added anything but confusion.
That being said, I enjoyed the book. It dragged in the beginning, but the end was fast with plenty of action. Predictable? I didn’t think it was all that predictable … no more than any other book of this type I’ve read. It has a lot of potential as a series and I’ll be interested to see where Barnes takes it.
September 11, 2013
True, there's nothing earthshatteringly unique about an entitled brat bucking up and going to save the girl. That Jak (said brat) was unknowingly trained to be the equivlent of a ninja super-spy makes it a bit cooler. That it's an interplanetary intrigue story is even better. Overall expect a lighthearted, high school sitcom meets James Bond Jr. kind of story - in space. In this easygoing context, I was won over by Barnes' sly inventiveness - the wink and a nudge here and there. He includes all kinds of funny futuristic details that I haven't seen in other space opera. Barnes makes you picture -- imagine trying to shepherd toddlers in low-g! He also gives informed and vivid depictions of space travel in the future, without too much information overload.
Jak will be too much of a mouthbreather for some readers' taste, but
I like that he struggles with boredom and tuning out adults, even when it's important that he listens. Who can't relate to that? It was a refreshing change from the more usual brilliant heroes. Plus Barnes shows how even shallow or haphazard motivations can lead to real growth, which is both realistic and encouraging, when you think about it. Recommended for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Piers Anthony, and Marissa Meyer.
Jak will be too much of a mouthbreather for some readers' taste, but
I like that he struggles with boredom and tuning out adults, even when it's important that he listens. Who can't relate to that? It was a refreshing change from the more usual brilliant heroes. Plus Barnes shows how even shallow or haphazard motivations can lead to real growth, which is both realistic and encouraging, when you think about it. Recommended for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Piers Anthony, and Marissa Meyer.
September 26, 2014
I had seen this book on the library shelves several times, but it didn't look like the kind of thing I wanted to read. The cover illustration and copy made it seem like this was a deliberate attempt to return to the good old days of science fiction for young adults, when action was action and there was no pesky subtext. (Although that was just the impression I got-- actually, the juveniles by the authors they referenced, like The Stainless Steel Rat and Podkayne of Mars are not really that sort of book either.)
For some reason I didn't put it together that this was written by the author of The Sky So Big and Black, and there's no way he would write a dumb adventure story. So yeah, he's a rich teenage secret agent in the year 3500 or so, but it does subvert a lot of tropes of the genre.
I always get the feeling though, that reading the backstory Barnes invented but didn't write in the book (because it would be huge blocks of exposition) would actually be even more interesting for me to read (though admittedly it probably has a small audience). I wanted to get away from rescuing princesses and learn more about the political theory behind his society.
For some reason I didn't put it together that this was written by the author of The Sky So Big and Black, and there's no way he would write a dumb adventure story. So yeah, he's a rich teenage secret agent in the year 3500 or so, but it does subvert a lot of tropes of the genre.
I always get the feeling though, that reading the backstory Barnes invented but didn't write in the book (because it would be huge blocks of exposition) would actually be even more interesting for me to read (though admittedly it probably has a small audience). I wanted to get away from rescuing princesses and learn more about the political theory behind his society.
December 8, 2013
I received this book in Kindle format from Net Gallery free in exchange for a review.
This book might work for a young demographic but it didn't resonate with me.
I found the unexplained and unnecessary future slang terms grating. This technique can be used effectively, Heinlein and Neal Stephenson come to mind, but in The Duke of Uranium the slang terms just seem to be there to force the reader to realize the time setting of the novel is drastically different from today.
I didn't think that the characters had any depth or much appeal. All in all, a disappointing book. However many of these faults aren't viewed negatively by young readers. For the under 16 crowd, this book might be very appealing.
This book might work for a young demographic but it didn't resonate with me.
I found the unexplained and unnecessary future slang terms grating. This technique can be used effectively, Heinlein and Neal Stephenson come to mind, but in The Duke of Uranium the slang terms just seem to be there to force the reader to realize the time setting of the novel is drastically different from today.
I didn't think that the characters had any depth or much appeal. All in all, a disappointing book. However many of these faults aren't viewed negatively by young readers. For the under 16 crowd, this book might be very appealing.
November 16, 2010
oh goodness. found this in a brooklyn street-side give-away crate. the title was comic, and the back cover copy hilarious. read it in a little less than two days, and only now realize that there are more to the series. there were some interesting ideas and concepts, which further books could certainly help develop. but overall, the hollowness remains. still, i did feel compelled to finish it!
April 12, 2013
Run of the mill space opera. The author creates new words, I supposed to give you a sense of being in a different time & mindset, but mostly I find that distracting -- especially since the meaning of some of the words isn't all that clear. Disappointing from John Barnes, whose other works I've generally liked.
May 21, 2014
It was okay. Hokey, but okay. Yes, yes, I know, I've been warned the rest are not stellar. We'll see when I need a good shot of goofy space adventure. I may come back.
April 5, 2017
The key word for this space opera is "fun." To this reader, it seemed too short: it was just picking up steam when it ended. I enjoyed the characters, though.
November 6, 2014
John Barnes takes his jovial cynicism to young adult fiction. This is satire within satire within a glowing love for the genre.
December 14, 2015
Has potential, but never quiet gets there
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews