Time for another book! We are going to read together Deceit
Please discuss below - no need to finish it first, discuss as you go along but please add spoiler tags!
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Here’s the poparena video for this one:
This felt like an edgier version of Terminus to me. Most of it is just the Doctor and co. aimlessly wandering looking for the plot, and by the time they do find it, it all gets wrapped almost immediately. And neither the characters or Darville-Evans’ prose are interesting enough to carry this thin plot through those 300 pages.
Ace’s borderline psychotic introduction was certainly… a choice, and I’m not entirely sold on this new Spacefleet iteration of her. The final scene between the TARDIS trio was pretty good however, so I’m still interested to see where the following books take this dynamic.
I don’t quite know why but I love this one.
I got a bit of a weakness for Space Mercenary Ace. Space Mercenaries in general I guess 
And I am glad that Ace is once again a part of the VNAs. And Abslom Daak, even being the complete scumbag that he is is an interesting character.
I’ve been making my way through the book, pretty slowly but steadily. Took a while for me to get going, because I was unsure whether or not I liked this book, but now I know I want to finish it at least.
The take on Ace is something else…
Okay, so what a book this was.
I have to admit that I struggled with it a lot. I found the plot dragging most of the time, despite the interesting setting and mostly good scenes whenever the Doctor, Benny, Ace, or Abslom were present. The New Ace is an interesting reinvention of the character. And Abslom is Absolm, I guess.
This takes too long to get going, and when it does, it sort of just teeters along and never lets the tension grow.
Deceit has interesting elements—a darker, battle-hardened Ace, the return of Abslom Daak, and a welcome attempt at continuity—but it ultimately fails to come together into a satisfying novel. The pacing is too slow, the villain is forgettable, and the plot lacks direction, making it a frustrating read. While there are enjoyable moments, particularly in the interactions between the Doctor, Ace, and Daak, the novel as a whole feels like a chore to get through.
I admit I mainly got this book because of the essay in the back, and because of the guest character. As a novel primarily written as an example to other VNA authors, it is kind of everything that’s wrong with the early VNAs. I don’t mind a bit of edgy, and I sort of like Space Marine Ace, but it’s all just a bit slow and plodding.
