There isn’t an original thought that goes through his head, and he’s constantly going on about how “humble” and “down to earth” he is and thinks he’s cooler than everyone else because he can…I don’t know, live off the land, or whatever. Joe Bishop was infuriating he’s the kind of heroic but unknowing everyman who is supposed to appeal to everybody, but falls short big time. I found most of the characters to be fairly bland and unlikable, but the one thing I will say in their favor is that they worked as characters in this novel specifically. I would’ve gone for a few more rounds of editing on this one. The frequent comma splices didn’t exactly help, either. The same treatment was given to the worldbuilding, which, although it was clearly complex and well thought-out (which was great!), it was delivered in such dizzyingly long chunks that it all felt more convoluted than it was intended to be. And there is quite a lot of jargon here on multiple occasions, I found myself lost in a thick, murky swamp of unexplained slang and technical terms. Columbus Day was entertaining, but it got bogged down by a series of flaws that built on top of each other.Ĭolumbus Day largely hinges on the prospect that your average reader knows a substantial amount of military jargon. (The only other one I can think of might be Ender’s Game, but it’s been a while since I’ve read that one.) After reading this, I wouldn’t say that I was impressed, but I wasn’t fighting the urge to vomit, either. I’ve been a fan of sci-fi for years, but I think Columbus Day is one of the only military sci-fi books that I’ve read. TW/CW: graphic violence, xenophobia, misogyny, sexual content, war, death

Expeditionary force columbus day