Tag Archives: bobiverse

Nov 8 2026
Image

Book Review: Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: Not Till We Are Lost

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Series: Bobiverse #5

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: The Bobiverse is a different place in the aftermath of the Starfleet War, and the days of the Bobs gathering in one big happy moot are far behind. There’s anti-Bob sentiment on multiple planets, the Skippies playing with an AI time bomb, and multiple Bobs just wanting to get away from it all. –Goodreads

.

.

Dave’s Review [2.5/5 stars]:

At this point in the Bobiverse series, I find myself increasingly wondering how much longer the premise can carry the story. Not Till We Are Lost continues the familiar formula of the series, following multiple plotlines involving different Bob clones as they explore the galaxy and encounter various problems. There are still some interesting ideas here, but too often these storylines feel shallow and fail to develop into anything particularly noteworthy. With so many Bobs doing so many different things, I found it increasingly difficult to become invested in any particular thread.

The humor is also starting to wear particularly thin. What was initially one of the more entertaining aspects of the series now feels repetitive and increasingly predictable. There are still moments that made me smile, but the jokes have largely passed the point where they feel clever, and the constant stream of Bob references and running gags has become more tiresome than amusing.

There are certainly some fun ideas along the way. Wormholes and dragons should, in theory, be enough to make for an entertaining science fiction adventure. Unfortunately, even the wormholes and dragons could not rescue this one for me.

I still enjoy Taylor’s easygoing writing style and the basic appeal of the Bobiverse concept, but after several books, the formula is beginning to feel too familiar. I am unsure whether I will continue reading the series. Perhaps we are not yet lost, but after this book, the series may have finally lost me.

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

If book four was a series anomaly, then Not Till We Are Lost was much more true to what I’ve come to expect from these Bob books. They tend to bounce around between different plot points with the occasional deep dive into an interesting thread. As much as I enjoyed the fourth book (a massive, book-long deep dive), it was nice to come back to a familiar story structure. That said, I had a bit of a difficult time getting back into the Bobiverse. And I can’t tell if it was because the story lacked some engaging qualities or if the way I read it had an impact. You see, I started the book, set it down for something more urgent, then came back to it a few weeks later. It took me ages to figure out what the story threads were and to care enough to put in effort to keep them straight. It wasn’t until he started talking about dragons that my brain decided to engage… but even then it was a struggle.

I actually like the more grounded storylines best -> the ones where we get to spend a lot of time planetside with a new species. The ones we found in this book (dragons!) were especially exciting. But unfortunately all the other plot threads were forgettable. I really didn’t have anything to latch onto until close to the end of the book, which presented a series-ending plot arc we can expect to explore more in the final two books. It was a good enough teaser that I’m still interested in picking up Infinite Extent (book six, which came out recently), even if my enthusiasm for the series has waned a bit. As it stands, I think this is the least memorable installment so far, and I’ll be hard-pressed to remember much from it a few months from now.

Overall, the series is an enjoyable, light-hearted scifi. One I’d recommend to Scalzi fans who don’t mind a few more dad jokes. These books generally put me in a good mood, and have just enough smidges of depth to make them feel like more than space fluff. I prefer to read them between heavier reads as palate cleansers. But is the entire thing worth reading? The jury is still out (as I’ve two more books to read to complete the series, one of which isn’t even out yet), but I’d say the majority of readers would probably get the best experience stopping after the first trilogy, with the remaining books reserved for us completionists.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

Other books you might like:

Aug 1 2026
Image

Book Review: Heaven’s River by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: Heaven’s River

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Series: Bobiverse #4

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate—whatever the cost. But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore. Some of them oppose Bob’s plan; others have plans of their own. The out-of-control moots are the least of the Bobiverse’s problems. Undaunted, Bob and his allies follow Bender’s trail. But what they discover out in deep space is so unexpected and so complex that it could either save the universe—or pose an existential threat the likes of which the Bobiverse has never faced. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

Heaven’s River was a departure from the storytelling format I’ve come to expect from Taylor, and I’m not sure the change did it any favors.

One word: pacing. One of the best things about the Bob books is that they clip along at a great pace. Maybe even too fast in some instances, which makes the moments where he decides to deep dive into a specific story thread even more satisfying and immersive. This entire book was an immersive deep dive that honestly read to me as though it were originally planned as two separate short novels that ultimately got mashed into one.

And here’s the thing: I actually LIKED the direction the story took because it reminded me of my favorite thread from the original trilogy (basking within a cool alien culture). No, my issues lie in execution. Diving in, we had a clear idea on what the objective was, however it was unclear through most of the book how the characters’ actions were actually helping them towards their objective. It felt more like stumbling around and getting fortunate a few times more than successful executions of a plan. And I mentioned pacing… oh my gosh move it along already. There were too many repeating elements and encounters that made the book feel like a lot more of a drag than it needed to be. And what’s more, the aliens they spent time with resembled a completely separate alien species we’d already encountered (the Pav). Call me crazy, but since all the main characters are basically the same, you’d think that would leave enough creativity behind to diversify the aliens just a bit more. Maybe he thinks the universe just needs more otters…

But I rant.

The book has some issues, but I’d say overall I’m still glad I read it to continue the series. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with these books this year, and I look forward to reading the next one. The good new is, it’s much shorter. And even though I have a rant to spare for this book, it was still something I enjoyed reading from start to finish. It’s just wasn’t as good as it COULD’VE been, you know?

Pick this series up if you enjoy the cheekier side of scifi. It’s fun without being dumb. Most of the time.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Dave’s Review [2.5/5 stars]:

Having enjoyed the first three Bobiverse novels for the most part, I went into Heaven’s River expecting more of the same. While I still found things to like, this is the first book in the series that left me feeling somewhat disappointed. It retains much of the charm and creativity that made the earlier books so much fun, but it also shows some signs that the formula is beginning to wear thin.

The biggest issue is the length. At over 500 pages, Heaven’s River feels considerably longer than the story it has to tell. The central mission is interesting enough, but it is stretched across too many detours and repetitive scenes, causing the pacing to drag for long stretches. Likewise, the series’ trademark humor, which was one of its greatest strengths early on, no longer lands with the same consistency. The pop culture references and self-aware wit are still present, but they have become predictable more often than not, rather than truly amusing.

That said, the novel has its merits. One of the main plot lines of the novel involves the exploration of the Quinlan civilization, which is imaginative and can be fascinating at times, even if the exploration is more drawn out than necessary. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is watching the Bobs continue to diverge into distinct individuals with competing philosophies and priorities. The growing ideological conflicts between different factions add genuine depth to the series and suggest that the greatest challenges facing the Bobiverse may ultimately come from within rather than from external threats. It sets up what I feel would be the most interesting direction for future installments in the series.

Although Heaven’s River still contains flashes of the imagination and charm that hooked me in the first book, it feels overextended at this point. I remain interested in seeing where the Bobiverse goes next, but I hope future installments recapture some of the tighter pacing and freshness of the first couple of novels.