My Video Reviewhttps://youtu.be/IHPhg59j-fkWoah! I did not expect this to be such an easy read after my experience with the first book. You can jump straight back into the world with ease. His one has more of a focus on characters which lessened the confusing aspects of the first book for me. I did tend to lose my bearings sometimes during battle scenes, but otherwise I really enjoyed this a lot! I liked the representation of different people and how diversity and fluidity is the norm. There is

A terrific space opera from an emerging talent who is already in the running in this year’s Hugo Awards for the first entry in this trilogy, Ninefox Gambit. I will have to go back and read that, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity of supping on this one through Netgalley. I had to catch up fast on the setting here, a large interstellar system of planets with faster-than-light travel and governed by six factions, the Hexarchate. Each group of the ruling confederate has areas of specialty in the...

Have you ever read a series that is so bizarre and yet so fulfilling? Mine is Machineries of Empire. The first book, Ninefox Gambit, for me was one of the best reads of 2017. It was so refreshing, confusing, and engaging at the same time. The universe was as weird or even weirder than Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought. Calendars and maths as belief system/technology/weapon? I have never read anything like it.And the characters, oh my gosh, I love the characters and the dialogues! Even in this seco...

Bit of a letdown after a very cool book one, but this was still an enjoyable read. Totally different in terms of story and presentation this one had a lot less action and a lot more maneuvering and political intrigue. Ninefox Gambit was literally a block to block, street by street, door to door taking over a fortress of a novel with weird math stuff and crazy characters that had an totally awesome explosive finale. Raven Stratagem had a completely different feel and pace and nothing felt as exot...

Extended Review at https://1000yearplan.com/2017/05/17/r...I must admit I was shocked and a little disappointed when I got through the first chapter of Raven Stratagem. Not because it was bad, mind you; it was just that my memory of the first chapter of Ninefox Gambit – which unceremoniously barrel kicks you into a huge flaming pit of WHAT-THE-F***-IS-THIS – was still fresh in my mind nearly a year later. Compared to that, the kickoff for Raven Stratagem is just so damned conventional: setup and...

It's difficult for me to put into words how much I love this book. Or this series. Just the fact that I can't tell which of the three books I like the most is something, since before reading this series, I could always easily rank my favorites.Raven Stratagem is as good as its predecessor, but very different from it, with a much wider focus that doesn't concentrate on only one battle. Which means that the clockwork efficiency the first book had in its pacing and plot is lost, but so much is gain...

“I’m not a linguist, but do you ever think there’s something wrong with the things we do and don’t have words for?”Well, this was amazing.

Re-read 4/10/18:I have no complaints about my previous review. :) I enjoyed it just as much and just want to add one thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-v9...Original review:Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!I think it's safe to say that I'm a fanboy of this writer. I was blown away by the flashy greatness of the first novel, the quantum-perception nature of a whole society versus other whole societies, and especially the absolute craziness of having an undead general in your brain to help y...

4.5 StarsThis is one of those fantastic cases where the second book was even better than the first! I really enjoyed Ninefox Gambit, but I absolutely loved Raven Stratagem. Compared to the first book, this sequel felt much more accessible. The story and character motivations were just more clearly explained. I am now also have a strong grasp how the politics, mathematics and calendar system relate to the larger worldbuilding, which certainly helped.The best aspect of this second book was the cha...

I NEED IT.

I liked this significantly more than the first installment. It may have been a combination of listening to it on audio and it being much more character focused. I do still find myself not following the plot at points and losing interest, but not as much as book 1.

It feels like all I've done since Ninefox Gambit came out is try and convince people to read it, and now I have another weapon to use in my battle against those who resist my will. Read Ninefox Gambit because then you get to read the sequel. And trust me, you want to read the sequel.In what has already been a year of fantastic books for me Raven Stratagem is the best one yet. It takes everything I loved about Ninefox Gambit and just makes it even better. It also does what the very best sequels d...

Second read attempt 6/2018Read it a year later and liked it much more. You can find my review of this book and Revenant Gun here: http://www.commontouchoffantasy.com/r...First read attempt 6/2017DNF'd at 50% Maybe I'll try rereading this series in the future but for now, I just can't get into it. I know it is me and not the book because so many people love this book. The part I loved about Ninefox Gambit was removed in Raven Stratagem and other points of view were added. These points of view are...

4ish stars.An improvement in all areas on the already impressive Ninefox Gambit, reading this makes me glad I gave a second chance to NG. The POV characters are much more interesting and relevant, the pacing is much more consistent and the prose is just as military-grade immaculate.This is expansive, unprecedented military space opera done right. If that sounds like your jam, go ahead and spread it on thick. If you're like me and feel intimidated or if it just isn't your preferred genre, give it...

WARNING: SECOND BOOK SLUMP ALERT. I’m having flashbacks of the Ancillary series all over again. No, no, NO! You can’t make me relive that, you can’t, I won’t, NO!Hey, hey, calm down there self, calm down, it’s not that bad. *pats self on back* There, there. Have a juice box. Pomegranate. Yummy. And good for prostate cancer. Maybe a cookie too. Yes, a cookie will make it all right. And remember, it’s just a book.Whew, got a little nonplussed there. Funny word that, nonplussed, bit of an autoanton...

I read through to the end of chapter 4 in this one (about 14% of the book) and I just wasn't into it. I knew from having already read the first in the series that it would probably take a lot for this to really draw me in, but sadly it just wasn't doing so and although I know many who love this book and series, I just don't think this sort of SF works for me personally. I like knowing where I stand as I read and with this series I constantly feel like I'm not sure what's happening or why or who'...

After the events of Ninefox Gambit, the undead and possibly mad general Shuos Jedao is free and possessing the body of Kel Cheris. Rather than immediately seek revenge on the hexarchs for his time in the black cradle, Jedao takes a Kel Swarm and leads it in a defense of the hexarchate against an incursion of the Hafn. Meanwhile the Shuos hexarch Mikodez watches in horror as the other hexarchs make a bid for immortality, condemning the hexarchate to a potential eternal rule of their insanity.This...

This was "okay" (two stars), which represents a huge disappointment considering how much I loved the first book. Its main weakness was a misguided choice of focus and POV, as well as the resulting lack of plot development over the first 3/4. Instead of staying with the engaging pair of Cheris and Jedao, who are the ones who actually have a goal and an intricate plan for reaching it, we are denied this POV entirely. Instead, we're put into the heads of various other characters who seem to merely

Popsugar 2020 Reading ChallengeA book by a trans or nonbinary authorThis was so good! It provided more insight into the world and characters (especially the factions and the hexarchs). This installment was much more character focused than the first book but we do get some interesting battle scenes and action (I just wish there was more 😭 I just can't get enough of the exotic weapons). The pace was slower as well since it was more character focused but it is a nice trade off for all the worldbuil...

Ninefox Gambit was one of the best books I read in 2016. Raven Stratagem might be even better. This whole series is utterly, gloriously, astoundingly brilliant. Welcome to the world of the hexarchate, where total participation in rigid ritual not only keeps control of the population; it also warps the topology of reality to create "exotic effects" that keeps the hexarchate in power. The hexarchate is ruled by six factions: the Rahal, who make the rules; the Vidona, who enforce them with tor