DNF Audiobook Review – Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire, Book 1) by Yoon Ha Lee (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 10 hours and 52 minutes
Publisher:‎ Recorded Books
Release Date: June 14, 2016
ASIN: B01GIOKBWI
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Machineries of Empire trilogy
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

“To win an impossible war, Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

Captain Kel Cheris of the Hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris’ career isn’t the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the Hexarchate itself might be next. Cheris’ best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress. The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao – because she might be his next victim.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Machineries of Empire trilogy. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.

Thoughts: My husband and I listened to this on audiobook. The quality of the narration is fine. We ended up stopping listening to this around the 30% mark. The world here is very confusing, and there is a ton of military strategy stuff going on that is very dry. It seemed to be getting a bit better at the point we stopped. However, we were listening to this while driving, and it was literally putting us both to sleep. We kept switching drivers when one person started to fall asleep while driving, but it wasn’t helping because it was putting both of us to sleep. So, for the sake of driving safety, we just needed to stop this one and move on to a book that is more exciting and interesting.

This is flat out military science fiction. The world is an incredibly confusing one where military prowess is based off some sort of combination of mathematics and ritual. Neither my husband nor I really ever figured it out. I did enjoy the main character, and I thought that her having a madman riding around in her body as a ghost was kind of interesting. However, we didn’t even get to that part until nearly 25% in to the story, and we were still perplexed by all the weird rituals and military tactics.

I am not a huge fan of military science fiction, but there have been some books in this genre that I do enjoy. This is definitely not one of them. I have found over the years if I am this confused about world-building, it really just isn’t done that well. This is a book to read if you want to put a ton of time into trying to piece together how this world works. I am sure it has a rabid following where people analyze and analyze again all the intricacies of rituals and mathematics that go into these military maneuvers.

Yes, it is creative. No, I am not the kind of reader that wants to have to spend a ton of time figuring out a world. Some time, sure, but at 30% in to the book, I should have at least an inkling about what is going on. This was not the book for me (or my husband). I am not sure who it would be for; maybe die hard military sci-fi fans who really like a challenge as they are trying to figure out the world they’ve been thrown into.

Narration for this audiobook was fine, and I don’t have any complaints about the narration quality.

My Summary (3/5): Overall, I was super excited to read this book (it was on a best sci-fi books list or something) and I ended up super disappointed in what I was reading. It’s creative, and maybe some die-hard military sci-fans out there will put in the time to understand this complex world and love it. It was not for me since I am not a huge fan of military sci-fi and am not willing to put in the sort of effort (while driving and listening to an audiobook) to understand what the heck was going on here.