What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Anyone asking this in relation to St Mary's must be either very brave or very stupid. The disaster magnets are back and the chaos will only be bigger this time as Max is set to train a new bunch of them. Lots of nice adventures in this one, but it is slightly darker then the previous one, I think.

While I've enjoyed all the novels in this series so far, it was not before this book that I fully realized how much I liked it. It might easily be one of the best series I've read in the last few years. It's easy reading, but it is so much fun. That's why I've been reading them all back to back, but with this sixth book, I'm almost at the end (and I don't want it to end).

"What Could Possibly Go Wrong" was a refreshing return to kind of St.Mary's Mayhem that go me hooked on the series in the first place.

 

Max is on light duties and has become the Training Officer, responsible for shaping five new recruits into Historians. It should be a safe, straight-forward job. How could anyone get into trouble while their the Training Officer? Silly question really, this is St. Mary's, nothing ever goes according to plan.

 

Max has revamped the training program to give recruits early exposure to actually going back in time so we pack in a lot of training trips in this novel. Most of them are chaotic fun - what's not to like about wooly mammoths, even if they are stampeding towards you? Wh0'd miss a trip to the Valley of the Kings - a simple observe and record, at least it was before it all went wrong.

 

I enjoy these high-spirited romps through history, but what keeps me coming back to St. Mary's is the way Jodi Taylor offsets the chaotic with jumps to times and places that are fundamentally unpleasant. This time we get to watch Joan of Arc burn. No punches are pulled. The full brutality of the day is made very clear. It was emotionally draining.

 

In Max's world, behind the flippancy and the insane experiments that usually result in things going bang unexpectedly, there is always an external threat and the possibility of betrayal. This time the betrayals are from surprising sources and, in once case, for unique and very original reasons.

 

I think this is one of the best books in the series. It gave me all the enjoyment I expected and a few surprises along the way.

 

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Zara Ramm. She has become the voice of St. Mary's for me. Actually, she's ALL the voices of St.Mary's and she does them very well. I think this is the best way to experience St. Mary's.

 

What Could Possibly Go Wrong.jpg"What Could Possibly Go Wrong" was a refreshing return to kind of St.Mary's Mayhem that go me hooked on the series in the first place.

Max is on light duties and has become the Training Officer, responsible for shaping five new recruits into Historians. It should be a safe, straight-forward job. How could anyone get into trouble while their the Training Officer? Silly question really, this is St. Mary's, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Max has revamped the training program to give recruits early exposure to actually going back in time so we pack in a lot of training trips in this novel. Most of them are chaotic fun - what's not to like about wooly mammoths, even if they are stampeding towards you? Wh0'd miss a trip to the Valley of the Kings - a simple observe and record, at least it was before it all went wrong.

I enjoy these high-spirited romps through history, but what keeps me coming back to St. Mary's is the way Jodi Taylor offsets the chaotic with jumps to times and places that are fundamentally unpleasant. This time we get to watch Joan of Arc burn. No punches are pulled. The full brutality of the day is made very clear. It was emotionally draining.

In Max's world, behind the flippancy and the insane experiments that usually result in things going bang unexpectedly, there is always an external threat and the possibility of betrayal. This time the betrayals are from surprising sources and, in once case, for unique and very original reasons.

I think this is one of the best books in the series. It gave me all the enjoyment I expected and a few surprises along the way.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Zara Ramm. She has become the voice of St. Mary's for me. Actually, she's ALL the voices of St.Mary's and she does them very well. I think this is the best way to experience St. Mary's.

Yet another work that pits nerds against cheerleaders. I should be over this sort of thing. And honestly, most of the time, I am. Luckily, Shen takes a slightly different track here. Yes, the book does start off with cheerleaders vs. nerds. But Shen's cheerleaders are smart, formidable, and ruthless in precisely equal measure to the nerds. These cheerleaders are going to be powerful women. And that, I think, is at least part of the point of Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. Yes, the robot action is huge, especially at the end (they give their robot a chainsaw) but it is by no means the main focus here.

Instead, it's mainly about how cheerleaders (or jocks) vs. nerds is silly and hugely counterproductive. And in a less than preachy way, thank goodness. I don't know if I could have taken it if there'd been long speeches about how they really aren't all that different after all. But it is implied, in a way that I think is far more effective than any number of speeches, however well-written.

The star of the story is the one character caught in the middle. His ex-girlfriend is the head cheerleader, and his best friend is the president of the robotics club. And his parents are in the middle of a divorce, which he just doesn't want to deal with. I really liked the poor guy. He doesn't deal very well with any of the things going on around him, in much the same way that a lot of teenage guys would fail to deal with things. And he's really a good guy at heart. Watching him face his life is one of the best parts of the book.

Of course, I love Faith Erin Hicks's art. It's every bit as good as it was in [b:Friends with Boys|11389398|Friends with Boys|Faith Erin Hicks|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317794304s/11389398.jpg|16321405], maybe even better. And she can do a good robot action scene.

Well, THAT was fun - I laughed out loud enough times to annoy (and interest) the kid. Great pacing and beats, awesome robots, and punchy, easy-to-distinguish characters. I reckon this GN would translate to an animated movie or TV show just great.