V: The Second Generation by Kenneth Johnson
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.93 You Save: $16.02 (95%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of V: The Second Generation
Book Review: He would have been better served by fan fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
Kenneth Johnson forgot what drives continuing interest in a franchise, at some point you have to listen to the fans a little bit. He may not have liked the Final Battle but I think most viewers did. Almost all of the fan fiction I've ever seen included it as canon and just dropped the TV show. I am fifty pages from the end and I like it - except for the fact that 'insectoid' aliens looked human - but I miss Ham Tyler. He was a great foil for the sometimes goody-two shoes attitude of the Resistance. I didn't find a character nearly as captivating in this one. In fact, the names were so bland that I really had to focus to remember who was what. And while there are a few scene recaps of the original miniseries, there are no reminders of the other members (Elias and his father, Robert's daughters, Mike's son, Sancho).
Read for nostalgia but I doubt this piece will convince anyone to restart the show. (I say that regretfully. I've waited twenty-plus years for a continuation only to find that half of what I wanted to see whas neglected.
Book Review: From a casual fan of the original V mini-series
Summary: 4 Stars
I guess I must've missed the fact that there was a second mini-series that a number of reviewers make reference to. I do remember the TV series, barely.
So, I'm reading this based on hazy twenty-five year old memories. I thought the book held up pretty well and it was a fun, last blast of summer read for me. Nothing fancy, nothing I'd brage about and say, "Yes! I read that!" but also a good bit of sci-fi action.
That being said, it's not like this book is not without it's problems. There are continuity issues, too much happens with too few people. The secret "weapon" of the resistance is created so quickly that it boggles the mind as to why they didn't try this earlier. Clunky sentences abound. Strange phrases like, "people of both genders and sexes" (aren't gender and sex the same thing?) are peppered throughout.
So, fun, but not perfect by any means. Much like my memories of the original series.
Book Review: What a surprise
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is well written and has a lot of surprises in it. I will not give anything away except to say that all the characters from the V the Final Battle mini-series are part of this story. It is full of action. A new race from beyond the stars comes into play. In all Kenneth Johnson did a great job with this story. I recommend it very highly.Book Review: Wasted potential
Summary: 2 Stars
The story idea is good. The execution is not. The new characters are cardboard cutouts, humans and aliens. Totally ignored some essential characters from the original miniseries (Elias, Robin, etc). Glossed over the intervening 20 years, which would have been nice to see. My biggest complaint about the whole thing was the writing. Ken Johnson might be a decent scriptwriter, but he is not a good novelist. Still, all that said, I love the series and I'm willing to read bad writing for more human eating lizards.Book Review: Second time is not the charm - Waste of Paper!
Summary: 1 Stars
Let me preface by saying that I am a huge fan of the original V series and often wondered about the SOS signal sent at the end of the original mini-series. I think I was ten or so when V first aired, and let me tell you, I had better and more original ideas for who or what might respond to the distress call back then.
The writer, Kenneth Johnson apparently decided to watch a few really bad Star Trek episodes and liberally rehash tired concepts that just do not work.
This book seems intent on borrowing from every worn out idea from unoriginal science fiction and truly is memorable as being kind of like those old Pocket Star Trek novels that used to come out once a month, sometimes good, often bad, but never very original.
Not only does the "creator" of V (now how can one create space-nazis really as they have been a staple of science fiction baddies since hell before the nazis) ignore (wisely) the V the TV series storyline, but he ignores V the Final Battle and all that worked to bring closure to the story.
I do not want to ruin the story such as it is for anyone who has not read this waste of paper, but let me assure you there are no surprises and you have heard it all before. Julie is less of a scientist and more of a politician. Donovan is a broken shell of man who needs some intergalactic love just to be about useless.
Many of the characters from both the original and V the Final Battle series make appearances and you can only identify them from their familiar as everything that made the actors bring life into the characters is missing.
Missing too is the Starchild storyline which may have been hokey, but at least kept it interesting. Gone too, is any subterfuge on the part of the Visitors either as half of the world's water is gone. Ok, not trying to be a pain here, but even with the super motherships, it would take generations of them sucking up water every second for us to see the vast wastelands of missing water Johnson writes about. Even suspension of disbelief has its limits.
There is a whole half-breed storyline that is just offensive and disgusting for bad special effects sake. Almost 30 years after V, it is good to know that good old fashoned racial sterotypes are around too as Elias apparently has not evolved a single iota since 1984.
I started playing a little game when I read anything with Elias. Its fun kids, play along. The amazing comic genius Dave Chappelle in one of his episodes does a great Lil John impression who basically only says "WHAT?!? YEAH!!! OK!!!!" in various orders. Everytime I read a bad Elias sterotype straight out of the Atari generation, I just raised my glass and let Chappelle's Lil John come right on out.
Honestly, this was the most fun I had reading the book.
I so wanted to like this book and was more than annoyed at the multiple publisher delays (perhaps they wanted to delay this load of waste with their name on it as long as they could?). I really wanted to see a new direction and a new vision. At least the book is oversized, so if I need to start a campfire soon...
All I saw in this horrible storyline was the quest for more money. Evem the worst Sci-Fi Channel Original movie is better than this garbage.
If by some sad mistake this book is turned into a failure of a movie, the only saving grace is that it will bring back Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and will be a do not miss Svenghouli (Chicago crowd knows what this is!) it came from Berwyn adventure.
Save your money. The V novels from the 80's are more enjoyable and the original AC Cripsin novel (also check out the same-time story called V: East Coast Crisis) is fantastic.
I have loved the creations of Kenneth Johnson and appreciate the many hours of great TV he has given us over the years. This is Johnson's worst work and will do no other than make you question if he really is the man behind so many great sci fi ideas.
More Customer Reviews:
1 2
1 2