Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Oh boy. Where do I begin with this one? I really wanted to like this book, especially given I am such a fan of Cline's "Ready Player One." But after forcing myself to the end of this mind-numbingly boring and unimaginative story of clichéd alien conquest, I can't help but feel extremely disappointed. For one, the blatant rip off of ideas from "Ender's Game" made me cringe as I consider this book to be a much less engrossing and developed adventure than Orson Scott Card's classic. I understand the concept of paying tribute and drawing inspiration from previous works, but Armada takes ideas from great works of science fiction and then inserts cheesy, one-dimensional, and predictable characters into its storyline. Speaking of characters, the protagonist is just so darn unlikeable, that I can't stand it! An angry-at-the-world, oppositional defiant, geeked out gamer with daddy issues has got to be one of the most unappealing hodgepodge of character traits you can place into a protagonist. Sometimes a story can be saved by really well developed supporting characters, but there are none to be found in this book. There are so many one-dimensional archetypes in this book that it was impossible to develop an attachment to any character whatsoever. All the love interests are completely forced and the romantic dialogue (and I'm being generous by calling it "romantic") sounds like stuff you would read in cheap Valentines Day cards. Heck, the old school "do you like me, check yes or no" is more romantic than any love scene this book has to offer. Another area of insult to me was in dealing with the military rank structure as portrayed in this book. As an armed forces member myself, the blatant disregard of proper military customs and courtesies was appalling to say the least. Captains saluting lieutenants, same ranked individuals saluting each other, and admirals being higher ranking than generals were just a few of the gaffes I suffered through as Cline attempted to depict the Earth Defense Alliance as an actual military organization. There is no excuse for not having this nailed down as the author's brother is a marine I believe. And then lastly, the actual flying/dog-fighting/drone-killing sequences were complete snooze-fests as the protagonist and company shoot down mindless legions of spacecraft in a very predictable manner. In fact, once you read through the first battle scene, the rest of them are pretty much carbon copy showdowns of what happened previously. Also, due to the very nature of the plot design, there was always a lack of suspense in each battle (without giving too much away, think of the whole issue of "drone-fighting" as it relates to our current engagement in conflicts around the world) The only slightly redeeming quality was found in a neatly packaged (albeit predictable) ending that set the stage for a possible sequel while avoiding the all too popular "cliffhanger/unexplained plot holes" trap. The book is also a fairly quick read, though I almost abandoned finishing it multiple times due to sheer boredom. I hope Cline's next book restores him to the former glory of Ready Player One, but until then, I recommend you pass on this dud and re-read Ender's Game for a much better experience.