Xenotech Rising by Dave Schroeder
Jun. 6th, 2023 12:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetOkay, I know someone in my Reading Circle is responsible for recommending Xenotech Rising (A Novel of the Galactic Free Trade Association) by Dave Schroeder; now, which one of you was it so I can give you a sincere thank-you?
I just finished listening to the last ten minutes of the audiobook at work today, and was immediately disappointed that the rest of the series doesn't seem to have been recorded yet. I highly recommend it, and will definitely be getting print copies of the rest of the series in the meantime.
Humorous and thoughtful, Xenotech Rising covers less than a week in the life of Jack Buckston, founder and currently sole employee of Xenotech Support Corporation. The book starts by following Jack on a few jobs, all of which end up ultimately relevant to the overarching plot despite seeming closer to one-off events or interconnected short stories at first glance. We meet some of Jack's neighbors (giant pink space elephants and at least one wolf/bear man), some of his clients, and his love interest, the whip-smart and charming xenolinguistics expert Poly.
If any of this sounds good to you, I hope that the prospect of a dudebro tech billionaire getting his comeuppance and a (somewhat) self-rescuing pre-teen princess only sweeten the deal.
One detail in particular that stood out to me was an interface device on a particular alien species' ships. It's used by humans to replicate biological functions the other species uses to control their technology, but was originally designed for disabled members of that species who had lost (or perhaps never had) that particular ability. I found it to be a particularly well-thought-out bit of worldbuilding.
Overall, a delightful book, and I definitely want more.
I just finished listening to the last ten minutes of the audiobook at work today, and was immediately disappointed that the rest of the series doesn't seem to have been recorded yet. I highly recommend it, and will definitely be getting print copies of the rest of the series in the meantime.
Humorous and thoughtful, Xenotech Rising covers less than a week in the life of Jack Buckston, founder and currently sole employee of Xenotech Support Corporation. The book starts by following Jack on a few jobs, all of which end up ultimately relevant to the overarching plot despite seeming closer to one-off events or interconnected short stories at first glance. We meet some of Jack's neighbors (giant pink space elephants and at least one wolf/bear man), some of his clients, and his love interest, the whip-smart and charming xenolinguistics expert Poly.
If any of this sounds good to you, I hope that the prospect of a dudebro tech billionaire getting his comeuppance and a (somewhat) self-rescuing pre-teen princess only sweeten the deal.
One detail in particular that stood out to me was an interface device on a particular alien species' ships. It's used by humans to replicate biological functions the other species uses to control their technology, but was originally designed for disabled members of that species who had lost (or perhaps never had) that particular ability. I found it to be a particularly well-thought-out bit of worldbuilding.
Overall, a delightful book, and I definitely want more.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-10 04:18 am (UTC)I'm so glad you found it and enjoyed it. ♥ I love all of the little details about how the various species manage to apply Galactic technology across widely disparate biologies.
The bit you mentioned made me remember the line in the Chanur novels that mention the human crewman of The Pride uses a pick to work the controls because they're recessed, being designed by and for a species with retractile claws. Little worldbuilding items like that can really strengthen a story!
no subject
Date: 2023-06-10 04:38 am (UTC)I've got a soft spot for worldbuilding that acknowledges disabilities, especially in ways humans might not normally think of them. (We're still there! We exist! We exist and we're valued and accommodated!)