Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsPaper characters getting thinner and boredom make this one of the worst books in the series.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 10, 2022
Character personalities should drive the narrative. The narrative should not drive character personalities as it sees fit. The Bob and Nikki characters have always been a bit thin, but now they are barely more than sheets of paper flapping in the breeze as the narrative sees fit.
Bob in particular is all over the place recently. Try to nuke him and everyone he loves MULTIPLE times? Narrative says that's just another day at the office.
Poison an acquaintance with nerve gas? It happens.
Poach and shoot a friend, almost killing them? Honest mistake that could happen to anyone.
A new employee asks a few pointed questions though, and Bob has to be talked down from murdering them, all because the narrative needs some extra conflict in an otherwise boring book.
Literally EVERYONE in the galaxy has the SAME sense of humor and idiomatic phrasing (No wonder they are all instantly so chummy) except West Coast folks who are all stoners and East coast folks who are all stuck up jerks.
We've got a President that goes from being the semi-voice of reason to plotting nut job, a nefarious imposter that suddenly shifts to a somewhat dim heir apparent, and a group of friends that are basically mirrors of Bob to reinforce all of his decisions.
You also have the usual saucer sized plot holes all over the place (at least keep track of who is whose kid...) and this is one is a slog to read through. This series is hurting and I hope it can recover quickly.
