War. War never changes.
Except maybe when your squad happens to be named Team Kitty and your callsign sounds slightly silly to remain thematically prudent.
The prose of “Spots the Space Marine” is spartan almost laconic, but the mood comes across loud-and-clear. It reads generally like a radio-play; but retains the solid impact of a heftier work. The presentation forces the reader to instead invent their own voice for each of the characters and imagine themselves into the situation that narrates itself from the screen. The chapters are also so short they can be read in a bite—a style allowing the entire series to be grazed casually, episode at a time, or swallowed in a huge handful as time permits.
Spots presents herself as a likable person, yanked out of her comfort zone and thrust into a war zone. A woman among the war. The story then plays out in the conversation space between Spots and other marines. Their voices resonate, with hers playing the following melody of the narrative. Spots isn’t your normal marine. She’s also a mom. A fact that makes her something different, something familiar yet out of the ordinary to read about.
The part of the story that really began to hook me, however—like any proper sci-fi geek—happens to be the aliens. Not just aliens: bugs. The introduction suggests that the insectoid aliens have brought technology and know-how to humanity to aid them in their upcoming war against invader xeno bugs; but the first time that one of the friendly xenos appears in the story happens to be during a vignette titled “The Violinist,” where one gets an introduction to Spots. I have a soft spot for aliens and xeno racial epithets (like the piggies from Ender’s Game.) The friendly xenos here get to be the “fiddlers.”
The hardcore sci-fi reader and drama aficionado alike will find something to like about “Spots the Space Marine.”
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I’m not terribly fond of the script treatment format of the story—presenting a story as if it were a movie rather than prose. I don’t care for it any more here, though I agree with ctan that it does move things along at a fast clip.
That said, I really like this. The characters are well-drawn. It’s rare in military science fiction that we get characters who are mothers or religious let alone both, as Spots is. (Spoken as a Neo-Pagan; Spots, I believe, is Catholic.) Recently the focus has been a little sharp on Spots’s tendency to mother everyone, but it’s been driven home for her by events, I like to think.
If you like military science fiction, but could wish for better (or any) characterization than what’s usually presented, read this. You won’t be sorry.
Update: Spots is gripping. Don’t let the title fool you; this is no comedy. Prepare to be sucked in.
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Exciting and delightful, the beauty of this serial is in its lush character development. The style is spare, and relies largely on script-like dialogue, but the strong plot, fast action and wonderful characters have a richness and depth that the spartan wordcount belies.
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