Download Audio Books from Audible.

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		28%
3 star		9%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Review this product

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

illiandantic

Different, But Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

From the way James Alan Gardner's "Trapped" is written, you'd never know it was written by James Alan Gardner (except for its technical excellence -- which all his books seem to have), nor that it was a "League of Peoples" book. Regarding the difference in writing, even the previous book ( Ascending (League of Peoples) ) felt like a Gardner book even though his use of Oar as the narrator changed the tone completely. The difference here is amazing. As for the "League of Peoples," like the 2nd book in the series ( Commitment Hour (League of Peoples) ), this one takes place on Earth and, except for a vignette or two, there's no one from Festina Ramos' crowd to tie it back to the series. Instead of linking to the Explorer Corps, this book links directly to League business. I kind of miss Ramos, but the way this book is written more than makes up for the lack. Anyway, as with all of Gardner's work, this a very well-written, very interesting, well characterized book. I rate it at an Excellent 5 stars out of 5.

And, as always, the seven books currently in Gardner's League of Peoples series are:

1. Expendable (League of Peoples)
2. Commitment Hour (League of Peoples)
3. Vigilant (League of Peoples)
4. Hunted (League of Peoples)
5. Ascending (League of Peoples)
6. Trapped (League of Peoples)
7. Radiant (League of Peoples)

Very strange entry in an otherwise excellent series

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2008

Verified Purchase

_Trapped_ is another in the series of the overall excellent science fiction series by James Alan Gardner, one that began with _Expendable_. _Trapped_ however differs a great deal from the other installments in this rather loosely connected series.

First of all, the setting is not some alien world (or worlds), but Earth itself. Thinking perhaps that Earth would be high-tech, one of the great worlds of the galaxy, I find it is anything but. For reasons I don't think are adequately explained, Earth is a protected backwater. Some four hundred years or so ago in the setting's history, Earth technology collapsed. Dubbed OldTech times by those who live on Earth, current Earth technology is I would say roughly equivalent at best to early 19th century times. There are sailing ships, crude guns (nothing mass produced), printing presses, that sort of thing, but nothing like the technology that existed before the collapse nor elsewhere in the galaxy in this setting, such as nanotechnology or sophisticated materials science.

For the most part that is. Earth is ruled over by an enigmatic group called the Spark Lords, powerful individuals who mostly work alone and are able with fear, mystery, and powerful weapons manage the bigger problems of this world. Not quite acting as tyrants, they step into matters throughout the world to tackle such things as alien invasions (such as occur in this book, as apparently the Spark Lords have been tackling for many years the sinister shape shifters known as Lucifers). Alone among the peoples of the Earth, the Spark Lords have access to high technology, way beyond anything else the average person has.

Well, sort of. For some bizarre reason, the League of Peoples I gather seeded Earth with many billions upon billions of pieces of nanotechnology, microbe-sized bits of robotics that infest every bit of the Earth's air, water, soil, and are even in living things. While that is not unusual, what is unusual is that some humans are able to mentally manipulate these nanobots to do their bidding. Some are born with innate abilities and can simply imagine what they want, these abilities varying from individual to individual but might include the ability to get the nanobots to levitate the person (or others or inanimate objects). Such individuals are described as being psionic (and by the way the exact way these powers work or even the existence of the nanobots is not common knowledge). Other individuals, with a combination of some apparently lesser talent along with arcane rituals are able to manipulate nanobots to do other things, such as manipulate fire or change the appearance of the person in question to others. Such people are known as sorcerers.

Ok, that is interesting. If someone wanted psionics and magic in a setting that might be the way to do it. But why? I mean, why would the League of Peoples create such as situation? What would be the benefit? It just seemed bizarre, and though more and more backstory of the setting is given as the novel progresses, I don't think that was in any way adequately explained.

Another thing, which other reviewers have noted, is that there is some inconsistency with the other novels. The ruling organization of the galaxy in these novels is the League of Peoples, and readers know (quite clearly I might add) that one of the central tenets of this (indeed, the central tenet, their core, guiding principle) is that murder is an non-sentient act, that it is in no way to be condoned or go unpunished. They even seriously frown upon deaths resulting from self-defense, and a result people and even warships are equipped with non-lethal weaponry. Yet the Spark Lords commit murder (or at least one did), and did so rather casually. The League does not prevent murders or strike murderers down dead on a planet' surface and one might point out that quite likely the Spark Lords (not that they apparently want to) would not be permitted to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere, so perhaps that is ok, but what really bothered me was the fact that the Spark Lords operated with help and under the guidance of the League. What?

Another oddity of this book is that Festina Ramos is a virtual non-presence in the book. She went from being the main character in _Expendable_ to a secondary but very important character in _Vigilant_, _Hunted_, and _Ascending_, to a minor bookend character of sorts, basically there for some exposition and story resolution. Also oddly, I don't remember her being even named (or at least the name she gave was not Festina Ramos though the character was obviously her).

Ok, enough about the setting. The story. Well, as another reviewer or two noted, the story seemed like basically a Dungeons and Dragons tale brought to life in a science fiction setting. A group of school teachers who in their spare time fancy themselves adventurers, complete with a fighting priest, a psionic-user, a wizard, a knight, a thief, and what would I guess be called a dungeon master end up caught up in a real life quest involving a dead student, another missing student, an insane Spark Lord, a crime syndicate, and evil shape shifting aliens.

Overall it was well written and was a brisk read, but there were too many questions to me about the realism of the setting and the Dungeons and Dragons nature of the main protaganists seemed just odd, like more of a fun writing exercise for the author, not a solid continuance of the _Expendable_ novel series.

Detra Fitch

Worth your time.

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2005

Verified Purchase

Set in the 25th century on Earth. Philemon "Phil" Abu Dhubhai is a teacher at a third-rate private school for second-rate rich kids. His friends, who are also teachers at Feliss Academy, each have a small talent. Caryatid is a fire sorceress, though not a great one. Myoko has telekinesis, but hides her talent. Sister Impervia takes her vows seriously but loves a good fight, so she knows much of the martial arts. Pelinor loves swords and blades so he constantly acts like a knight. Annah keeps her talents quiet and Phil, as well as others, are always underestimating her.

Days are routine until a female student, Rosalind, is found murdered by an unknown alien organism. The boyfriend, Sebastian, has disappeared. He supposedly has gone to Niagara Falls. Clues suggest that a shapeshifter (called a "Lucifer") has taken Rosalind's form. Sebastian has no idea that the person he is eloping with is NOT Rosalind, but something that wants Sebastian's special abilities! Just so happens that Rosalind's mother is leader of the Ring of Knives. Once hearing of her daughter's murder, she set off for Niagara Falls. And to make things ever so peachy, the mighty Spark Lords are involved! (Think of them as an elite group of enforcers with AMAZING magical abilities, and no where close to being sane, that do whatever the Spark Protectorate tells them to.)

**** Even though this is set in the 25th century, it starts out like a wild west movie with bars and fights. I was very disappointed as I read the first fifty pages. It soon became clear that this was the way the author chose to simply introduce Phil and his group of misfits. Once I, as the reader, knew the characters names and talents the story began picking up quickly. From then on I found myself absorbed by the story and its plot. Nothing could tear me away. All-in-all, this one is not as fascinating as the author's previous novel "Expendable", however, it is WELL worth your time and money to pick up and read. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.