New and different!

the mob politics, and (of course): the gin.

 

- "I don't have time for a grudge match with every poser in a parka." -Dr. Horrible

and how they all interacted and had a unique history and place in the  timeline from the present to the future....I think this construction is amazing.
I read everyones comments posted here and really have to agree with just about everything. The Rookie is a FANTASTIC and Unique work like nothing else, (and I didn't even LIKE football), I really could see this as a movie, the visuals are so strong.
*I am the Rear Admiral but Sigler gives the Orders*

I think what really set the rookie apart for me was exposure. The Mighty Siggy has a was of peeling back the lid and showing what's underneath. A lot of authors will just describe what someone's emotions and motivations are, but Scott took a topic that many had only a passing interest in and then delved deeply into the individuals involved and made it understandable and somewhat believable. Most people who have never played high powered competative sports don't really have an in-depth understanding of what goes into competing. And it doesn't get much more high powered or competative than the GFL. The Junkie Line has been full of calls with people saying that even though they never cared for American Football, The Rookie works for them. It's the author's ability to show the whole picture that does that... Kudos to the Great Siggy! This missive brought to you by SynapticJam - hhhmmm... tastes like chicken

I found The Rookie to be highly entertaining. I've never cared much for the Horror genre, but I don't mind violence if it makes sense in the story. I appreciated the fact that I didn't have to spend hours afterward trying to get certain imagery out of my mind. While I've enjoyed much of Scott's works, this was the only book with a story captivating enough that I would occasionally listen the latest episode before listening to the latest episode of 7th Son.

He made a good universe for things to happen in. And the best thing though, is that most aliens were not humanoid... and the humanoid ones were not the biggest, brightest, fastest, etc etc that we always end up being in most SF... I actually like the idea of Football now though.. which scares the hell out of me >_> I had seen a few games (I'm in the UK... its not a big sport here), but I didn't really enjoy it much... I have seen a few games on TV now, and it holds my interest... --- Mike---its fun-->

The first thing I liked about 'The Rookie' was its non-geo-centric universe. That is, Earth wasn't the focal point until the very end where the last game was played. I think it's bloody arrogant when sci-fi universes seem to think that Earth is still the most important planet in the galaxy. The biggest example of this is Star Trek. I mean honestly...San Fran's probably a nice place, but come on...capital of the entire freakin' galaxy? Really... I also loved how football was so well translated to the other races. It was completely believable, despite the seemingly extreme differences between the races. And, best of all...it was about the game. No grand crusade against the bats, or the take-down of some criminal organization. It was just about getting through the season in one piece and making into Tier 1.

I think Siggie has done for team sports what Firefly did for Westerns. People tend to think of sports books as being all about sports heroes. They might think of them as having suspense as the team moves on, or has to hurtle obstacles. Giving the protagonist multiple burdens of getting the team to succeed, overcome his own racism, fight with mobsters and figure out who his parents really are, has given Quentin a depth like a character not typical of the Sports Book genre. Quentin seems like somebody I could actually like... I mean, heck, I was shouting at my radio in the car as though I were listening to a live Kraken's game. I'm curious to hear from people who have listened to the show as their first to see if they got into the story, or if you had to be a junkie to find the story good. ------- Whole Lot of Nonsense PodCast - http://www.wholelotofnonsense.org UUCSH Sunday Services - http://uucsh.libsyn.com Follow Me - http://www.twitter.com/bpende Pownce on Me - http://www.pownce.com/bpende

Well.... personally I found the aliens and the universe the most interesting part of the story. Scott's aliens were believable. They were alien, yet familiar as authentic aliens will be (they most definitely will not be little green or grey men). So, from a biological perspective they were very well done. Factor in his interesting and strange cultures ontop of that and you have pure poetry. The second most interesting part of the story was the depth of the universe. The detail kept flowing and never stopped. Every episode was a unique voyage into a probable universe where you learned about everything from galactic politics to punch drive. Nice! Lastly, imagining alien species playing a team sport together was quite entertaining. I had always wondered how this would work out and Scott brought it to life. Hopefully one day we will have a story about the MMA sport in the Rookie universe.