Review of Duck
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Marion Latchoumania-Quédou
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Review of Duck
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Duck" by Pamela Zero.]
Duck is a novel written by Pamela Zero. In this novel, we follow a five-year-old girl named Duck. Trapped in the future with her found family, she tries to escape the Service, a galaxy-wide mercantile organization with dubious intents toward the protagonists.
The universe set up by the author is rich and innovative. Duck is a science fiction novel based on a subtle mix of technology, new cultures, and somewhat mysterious, almost “magical” abilities, although explained by science. Many characters are endearing and flawed but touching in their own way.
The writing is perfect, showing a golden mean between long descriptions and action scenes.
I loved the character of Duck; I would have almost preferred that the book focus only on her (for multiple reasons), but she is excellently written.
I would also have liked the plot to focus more on the prophecy since it is a central subject, and I felt that elements regarding the prophecy came in late (as it is a recurring question regarding its mere existence throughout the entire book).
However, in a way, all these questions helped me immerse myself in the story. I was emotionally invested in the story and was rooting for the protagonists.
On the other hand, I felt that some relationships or emotions were forced (some characters feeling love for others when it doesn't make any sense, for example). I liked most of the characters in the first half of the book, but in the second half (because of a central event for the plot), most of these characters became almost unbearable to me, more bossy, more thickheaded.
The sudden personality change, while being completely consistent with the universe of the book, appeared, in my opinion, too late in the unfolding of the scenario. Not only that, but I became attached to some characters only to find myself confronted with very different characters, stuck with personalities that I didn’t like. It felt frustrating.
Some elements of the scenario didn't always make sense, alternating between a futuristic world where every piece of information is stored somewhere and somewhat naive government members, even stupid.
The women are angry at the Service for trying to use them as objects, but the book's purpose is tainted by the group of direct antagonists who, in addition to not being punished for their terrible actions, are almost rewarded for them. Their presence and place in the book destabilize all the moral questions that the book tries to set up since they are not punished, and therefore, their behavior is almost seen as acceptable.
Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5. The pace of the book bothered me a lot; having to familiarize myself with new characters while the plot was more than moving forward destabilized me, and I had trouble relating to the new characters. I had the impression that the book was sending me conflicting messages or that the scenario was sometimes going off in all directions without focusing on certain points that deserved more attention. I had the impression that the author had set up dozens or even hundreds of little things but that none of them had really come to fruition yet.
And I found that a shame because The Visitor Series is a hyper-rich, innovative universe that revisits the science-fiction genre, bringing a new, mystical, moral, and questioning perspective. I loved diving into Duck, and although it cut me off in my tracks, the universe impressed me! I’m more than eager to read the second volume of this series, even though there is room for improvement.
Furthermore, I recommend this book to all fans of science fiction, found families, futuristic societies, and deep strategizing!
******
Duck
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Duck is a novel written by Pamela Zero. In this novel, we follow a five-year-old girl named Duck. Trapped in the future with her found family, she tries to escape the Service, a galaxy-wide mercantile organization with dubious intents toward the protagonists.
The universe set up by the author is rich and innovative. Duck is a science fiction novel based on a subtle mix of technology, new cultures, and somewhat mysterious, almost “magical” abilities, although explained by science. Many characters are endearing and flawed but touching in their own way.
The writing is perfect, showing a golden mean between long descriptions and action scenes.
I loved the character of Duck; I would have almost preferred that the book focus only on her (for multiple reasons), but she is excellently written.
I would also have liked the plot to focus more on the prophecy since it is a central subject, and I felt that elements regarding the prophecy came in late (as it is a recurring question regarding its mere existence throughout the entire book).
However, in a way, all these questions helped me immerse myself in the story. I was emotionally invested in the story and was rooting for the protagonists.
On the other hand, I felt that some relationships or emotions were forced (some characters feeling love for others when it doesn't make any sense, for example). I liked most of the characters in the first half of the book, but in the second half (because of a central event for the plot), most of these characters became almost unbearable to me, more bossy, more thickheaded.
The sudden personality change, while being completely consistent with the universe of the book, appeared, in my opinion, too late in the unfolding of the scenario. Not only that, but I became attached to some characters only to find myself confronted with very different characters, stuck with personalities that I didn’t like. It felt frustrating.
Some elements of the scenario didn't always make sense, alternating between a futuristic world where every piece of information is stored somewhere and somewhat naive government members, even stupid.
The women are angry at the Service for trying to use them as objects, but the book's purpose is tainted by the group of direct antagonists who, in addition to not being punished for their terrible actions, are almost rewarded for them. Their presence and place in the book destabilize all the moral questions that the book tries to set up since they are not punished, and therefore, their behavior is almost seen as acceptable.
Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5. The pace of the book bothered me a lot; having to familiarize myself with new characters while the plot was more than moving forward destabilized me, and I had trouble relating to the new characters. I had the impression that the book was sending me conflicting messages or that the scenario was sometimes going off in all directions without focusing on certain points that deserved more attention. I had the impression that the author had set up dozens or even hundreds of little things but that none of them had really come to fruition yet.
And I found that a shame because The Visitor Series is a hyper-rich, innovative universe that revisits the science-fiction genre, bringing a new, mystical, moral, and questioning perspective. I loved diving into Duck, and although it cut me off in my tracks, the universe impressed me! I’m more than eager to read the second volume of this series, even though there is room for improvement.
Furthermore, I recommend this book to all fans of science fiction, found families, futuristic societies, and deep strategizing!
******
Duck
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
