Tag: Space opera

Categories
Science Fiction

Two Sci-fi Reviews: Dark Age by Pierce Brown & Those Who Resist by NC Scrimgeour

In my quest to just catch up on reviews, today I’m bringing you my thoughts on two pretty similar types of sci-fi books. They are both large cast space operas with multiple POV and enough drama to fuel a spaceship. Let’s jump in

Dark Age

  • Author: Pierce Brown
  • Series: Red Rising, #5
  • Published: Del Rey, 2019
  • Length: 800 pages
  • Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for fans of the series – keep reading if you didn’t like Iron Gold

It might seem blasphemous not to give Dark Age it’s own review but honestly I spent most of March listening to it and there’s only so much to add after reviewing four Red Rising books. I’m not adding anything to the review canon either

Dark Age is…dark. If you think you’ve seen the characters at rock bottom, you’re wrong, you haven’t seen anything yet. Omg @ Seffi, Ephraim, uhhh Victra, Virginia, Darrow, Alexander, and more, just, I feel like Brown survives on readers’ tears and needed more.

The political plotting and back stabbing was top notch. I love a good scheme or six. Even Lysander’s story is interesting even though I’m not buying him as a “villain” yet.

Stars of the show are definitely Sevro’s crazy daughter and Pax, Darrow’s son, who is going to rule the galaxy one day. I was cheering so hard for him even if I was crying for everyone else.

Can’t wait to read Lightbringer before I start forgetting names again. Also – the switched audiobook narrators are so much better in this book. I am glad they listened to the Iron Gold criticism and found a few different voices actors! 34 hours long whew but worth it

Those Who Resist

  • Author: NC Scrimgeour
  • Series: The Waystations Trilogy #3
  • Published: Self, 2022
  • Length: 460 pages
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ not a standalone but if you liked 1 & 2 you might as well finish!

Ok so I used my last week of KU in February to finish The Waystations Trilogy, which I started back in the 2nd SPSFC when it won second place.

Honestly I just totally forgot all the huge cast of characters in-between book two and three so it was a rocky start. The appendix helped but I would have loved more character pictures.

This ending just went full tilt the whole way. It was almost too much too frequently. Sometimes characters jumped in location and it didn’t make sense to me. Every few pages also had a “breath he didn’t know he was holding” type of phrase like “a home she didn’t know she was missing” and it drove me battywonkers. Is this is what ultimately shut me down? Maybe

I think it’s a me-not-you thing but while there were many good aspects in this conclusion like interesting storylines, strong characters, it was just…too much to process as I went along, a tad repetitive, and it generally became a struggle to finish.

Despite my thoughts on the finale, I 100% recommend the series to space opera – 1st contact – hive mind – political backstabbing – fans because the ending is mostly getting rave reviews. If you’ve read it let me know what you think!

Categories
Science Fiction

SPSFC3 Slush Review: Kenai by Dave Dobson

As we work through the SPSFC3 slush phase, some team members have decided to read books in full as they go if they feel like a potential contender has been found.

None of us are posting scores at this time and the team is not announcing advancement of any book. We are simply choosing to read and review a book in full. All thoughts are mine alone and not reflective of team decisions.

You can see all our official announcements and reviews here at the team hub

My personal first full read of the competition is Kenai by Dave Dobson. Let’s take a look at the book and then I’ll share my thoughts.

Bookish Quick Facts:

  • Title: Kenai
  • Series: N/A
  • Author: Dave Dobson
  • Published: Self, 2023
  • Length: 395 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: for space opera fans who enjoy humor and first contact

Here’s the synopsis:

A planet steeped in mystery…

Jess Amiko is long past her days as a space marine, with all the glory of that time tarnished beyond repair by what came after. Trying to rebuild from the ashes, she’s taken a job as a security guard on Kenai, a lonely world far from the Council systems. It’s supposed to be easy duty – quiet and peaceful, on a docile world with no real threats, watching over an archeological dig at a site built by a race long vanished.

Betrayed and attacked by forces unknown, and finding that nothing on Kenai makes sense, Jess is plunged into a desperate fight for survival that leads her deep into the mysteries of Kenai’s past, and deep into the hardship and paradox the planet imposes on all who call it home.

From Am*zon

My Thoughts

Long story short, Kenai is a fun space opera. It has military sci-fi elements but at heart it’s a dry-humorous space opera. The book also tackles serious themes like “finding the meaning in one’s life”, “how do we move on after seeing terrible things”, and “why do humans wear pants”?

I like Dobson’s descriptive writing and felt like I had a good idea of the setting and atmosphere of Kenai. His descriptions of the tree-like aliens are perfect and he does an amazing job introducing the strangeness that occurs when two totally different races meet for the first time. Is it hair or corpse fungus? What is that hole for? My favorite sci-fi trope is first contact that goes well, and snarky aliens are always a bonus.

I got a bit lost with some of the paradox and time travel elements. It made enough sense as it went but also was super confusing. I felt like I was clueless at first just like the main character, and eventually came to figure it out (kind of) with her. I also liked how the book kept going in different directions to stay fresh but came full circle at the end to answer all the Big Questions.

There’s plenty of murder and humanity and paradox to unravel, plus snarky life forms like aliens yacking out fish bones. Is it a rogue company trying to turn a profit, an alien gone wild, or what?

My only complaint besides being lost at times is that I think this was originally supposed to be a shorter work. It got drawn out with extra words and explanation at times and did tend to drag in a few places, just a bit.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Kenai. I am holding my score because I don’t want it to be mistaken for an official team announcement, although our home page can always be followed for official updates

Thanks for checking out my book review of Kenai by Dave Dobson! I was provided an ecopy for judging purposes although I chose to read on Kindle Unlimited. As always, all opinions are my own 🚀

Categories
audiobooks Science Fiction

Audiobook Review: Those Once Forgotten by N.C. Scrimgeour

A purple and black cover with a space station and galaxy background

After reading & listening to Those Left Behind during the SPSFC final round this past spring, I was super excited to listen to Those Once Forgotten! The first book earned a well deserved second place finish in the competition and the sequel holds itself to the same standards.

The audiobook is another wonderful narration by Jared Kedzia, who has a perfect voice for the series. If you like space opera with wide casts and lots of different sci-fi elements, this is a great series for you.

Bookish Quick Facts

  • Title: Those Left Behind
  • Series: The Waystations Trilogy, #2
  • Author: N.C. Scrimgeour
  • Self Published, 2022 (Audio: July 2023)
  • Length: 416 pages / 12h23m
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ for space opera fans

Here’s the synopsis:

They were a memory once forgotten. For millennia, they waited. Now, they are coming.

The galaxy has been plunged into chaos, left reeling from the trap Alvera Renata triggered around the ancient alien waystations.As the leaders of the allied systems desperately try to prepare for what might be coming, Ridley and Kojan go on the hunt in search of answers. But the one person who might hold the key—the rogue starship captain who started it all—is missing in action, and her old friends aren’t the only ones looking for her

Meanwhile, tensions between the Coalition and the Idran-Var are at breaking point in the aftermath of a brutal attack. The only hope for peace may lie in a fragile alliance between Rivus and Niole, old enemies thrown unwillingly onto the same side. But even if they can bury their past, what will it take to overcome the centuries of bloodshed dividing their people?

As the mysterious signal coming from the waystations counts down, only one thing is for certain: something is coming, and if the fractured factions of the galaxy can’t find a way to stand against it together, it may be the end for them all.

From Am*zon

My Thoughts:

One of my constant issues with large-cast books is that I tend to forget names very easily. Those Left Behind had five different points of view and the result was that I had forgotten almost everyone by the time I started this book🤦‍♀️ Thankfully she recaps in small doses as she goes so that I had no problem picking the story back up!

The big ancient civilization mystery was my favorite part of this one. What are the Curators and what are they doing? I don’t mean Ridley and her little side quest but the Dreamer storyline! While the two main warring factions (told by Rivus and Niole) are trying to find either peace or all out war, we finally learn about what is coming through the Waystations.

It’s… A cool concept that is totally spoilery. Let’s just say I haven’t seen it before.

My other favorite part is that the storylines start to intersect again towards the end. Rivus and Niole, Dreamer and Rivus, Kojan in the middle, and everyone experiences great tragedy. The stakes were high in this installment and I was surprised (and delighted) by the death toll.

Eventually we streamline the storylines towards the end with everyone coming together to face this new enemy, bent on wiping out all four races. Except Ridley. I honestly just don’t care for her storyline, she’s trying to show the more “human” side of mass species extinction but I’ve yet to see her really do much and she’s not helping the others yet🤷‍♀️

Overall, I love these books. They combine everything from space opera to first contact to galactic empire with cybernetics and so much more. If you want an exciting sci-fi series that’s packed full of action and interesting characters, definitely check it out . I 100% recommend the audiobooks too!

Thanks for checking out my audio book review of Those Once Forgotten by N.C. Scrimgeour. I received a free audiobook code from the author in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own 🚀

Categories
audiobooks Science Fiction

SPSFC Finalist Review: Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour

The SPSFC is in the final round now!  With winners to be announced mid July, the teams are hard at work reading the finalists.  Team At Boundary’s Edge has decided to review the books individually although not release a score until the entire team has finished reading.  As always these are my thoughts alone and don’t necessarily represent the opinions of the team or anyone else. That said, let’s just dive right in to the next of our finalist books!

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: Those Left Behind
  • Series: The Waystations Trilogy, #1
  • Author: N.C. Scrimgeour
  • Published: Self, 2021
  • Length: 405 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: yes for fans of space operas!
Here’s a plot teaser via Am*zon:

A dying planet. A desperate mission. A crew facing impossible odds. Humanity’s last hope lies with them…

Time is running out for the people of New Pallas. Nobody knows that better than Alvera Renata, a tenacious captain determined to scout past the stars with nothing but a handpicked crew and a promise: to find a new home for humanity.

But when a perilous journey across dark space leads to first contact with a galactic civilisation on the brink of war, Alvera soon realises keeping her word might not be as easy as she thought.

My Thoughts

I’d like to begin with the disclaimer that I received an audiobook code from the author.  I enjoyed the narration by Jared Kedzia immensely, although I read about as much as I listened to so that I also had a good handle on editing and presentation.  I am judging based on the text although I do highly recommend the audiobook.

Those Left Behind is one of my favorite reads of the competition.  I love the dying planet trope and also enjoyed how the author handled first contact.  All of my favorite scifi things are here, from sentient space stations to alien biology, dying worlds, snarky aliens, and the thing where we get to see narration on both sides of a conflict.

So there is a LOT going on.  The book was certainly never boring, as we head hopped between (I think) five different points of view.  I enjoyed how different each viewpoint was. There were “good guys” and “bad guys”, the captain, a mercenary, a scientist, and obviously a huge gray zone as we find out how each side of the various conflicts developed.

I also liked all the betrayal and fighting for survival.  Some had better intentions than others and everyone was willing to go to extremes for their race.  The stakes are real and everyone’s actions are appropriately in line with their arcs and motivations.

Speaking of everyone, I really liked all of the characters pretty much equally. Each viewpoint was pretty interesting and there wasn’t one where I would get to it and groan “oh, not this guy again!” Every one had a major part in the storyline, some kind of personal arc and growth, and hard decisions to make.

I enjoyed how some of the tropes were turned around too.  First contact with … Other humans? What are these Waystations? How is this back story unfurling to meet the present? Who’s going to betray who next? I really did enjoy this one all the way through.

The action is fairly constant as well, as it’s hard to slow down when head hopping points of views so much.  And there’s my only complaint is that honestly I would have loved to see it streamlined into fewer points of view.  Especially at first it’s hard to keep track of so many storylines – five chapters for five points of view at the start had me reeling a bit, although thankfully they were all different enough that I had no trouble keeping them separate.

All in all, this is a solid space opera with big stakes and plenty of character too. I definitely enjoyed Those Left Behind and wish it well in the final round!

Thanks for checking out my book and audiobook review of Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour.  I did receive an audiobook code from the author, and additionally read from Kindle Unlimited.  As always, all opinions are my own 

You can see my other SPSFC2 finalist reviews here:

Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days

The Last Gifts of the Universe 

Aestus: The City

Those Left Behind

Melody

Night Music

Hammer and Crucible

Categories
Science Fiction

Nova by Samuel R. Delany (and what I miss about classic sci-fi )

Newer cover edition

I am having the hardest time writing about Nova. There’s so much packed into this little book.  You know what I really miss about classic sci-fi books compared to modern ones? The size! These authors could pack an entire world into 200 pages and leave a reader full of adventures and ideas.  Now I feel like books are just getting longer and longer for the same reward. Which do you prefer?

Anyway, let’s look at Nova‘s original book facts and I’ll try to keep it brief since I’m writing a review, not a scholarly article. We will also play a game of favorite cover edition

Bookish quick facts:
  • Title: Nova
  • Series: N/A
  • Author: Samuel R. Delany
  • Release: 1968
  • Pages: 241
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for space opera & classic sci-fi fans
Here’s the blurb:

Given that the suns of Draco stretch almost sixteen light years from end to end, it stands to reason that the cost of transportation is the most important factor of the 32nd century. And since Illyrion is the element most needed for space travel, Lorq von Ray is plenty willing to fly through the core of a recently imploded sun in order to obtain seven tons of it. The potential for profit is so great that Lorq has little difficulty cobbling together an alluring crew that includes a gypsy musician and a moon-obsessed scholar interested in the ancient art of writing a novel. What the crew doesn’t know, though, is that Lorq’s quest is actually fueled by a private revenge so consuming that he’ll stop at nothing to achieve it. In the grandest manner of speculative fiction, Nova is a wise and witty classic that casts a fascinating new light on some of humanity’s oldest truths and enduring myths.

My thoughts:

Okay. Samuel R. Delany always interested me as an author and person.  He wrote everything from scifi to fantasy to pornography, won a ton of SF awards, taught and lived all over the place including here near Buffalo for a bit, and is black. He was only I think 25 when Nova was released and is frequently listed by others as an influencial author. Overall I just think his biography is fascinating and it’s about time I read more of his work.

Nova is a space opera at heart.  A crew of mismatched people from all over the known world’s form up to help a famous and slightly crazed captain complete his quest.  He ties in Grail and Tarot myths, class and race, economics, history, rivalry, art, found family, ship pets, and much more, packing an adventure into a fully formed world … In well under 300 pages.

Seeing things from Mouse’s point of view we get the story through the eyes of a poor gypsy type with no formal education. Katin is a middle class guy with education who is on the search for something to write a novel about. Lorq von Ray, the captain, is rich and privileged from one of the most prominent family lines in the galaxy and absolutely hell bent on outrunning his own rage.  All three offer different viewpoints on the events as the story rolls on so that we understand how things effect different classes in different parts of known worlds.

The book is pretty funny too.  Among the more serious aspects, two crew members have “waddling along, malevolent and happy” pets that the captain threatens to shoot out the airlock if ever trips over them🤣.  Katin self describes as “a bright guy with a lot to say and nothing to say it about”.  There will be laughs, I promise.

I don’t want to go too deeply into themes since I’m not writing a scholarly article but a few are pretty interesting.  The nova itself – sensory overload as a form of destruction – is a theme that runs throughout.  So is the affect of large scale economics and events on small pockets of individuals.  Language is used thematically to show class and solidarity, where Delany translates a Turkish or Greek syntax word for word to demonstrate when people are speaking it, and uses a normal English to show when they’re speaking the accepted or higher class lingo.

My favorite part was this long running feud between von Ray and Prince Red. It started long before their time and was rekindled because, well, Prince is a psychopath.  Lorq says this wonderful bit about outrunning his rage and taking everything his antagonist wants, regardless of the cost. Both men are off the wall with jealousy over Ruby (of course there’s a woman) and rival family operations (fuel, transportation, cybernetics).

Oh….yeah, and pretty much everyone is a cyborg that can plug into spaceships and other things.

I’m only scratching the surface here and I think you all can see how much is actually going on in this book. All while they’re flying in an insane quest towards a supernova.  If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts!

P.S. I did sample the audiobook but I’ll be honest that Stefan Rudnicki isn’t my favorite narrator. He narrates a TON of classic sci-fi and it’s hard because I have to slow him way down, and when a book is this full of ideas I prefer to read it.  Anyway, thanks so much for checking out my book review and thoughts on Nova by Samuel R. Delany. This one came off my shelves and as always, all opinions are my own.

Alright, this book also has 5 billion different covers so I picked a few select random ones – which do you prefer?

Sphere SF edition by Bob Haberfield
A French cover
Nova hardcover 1st edition
Nova, the first German edition
Nova audiobook cover
Newer cover edition

Categories
Science Fiction

SPSFC Semifinalist Review: Heritage by S.M. Warlow

Well well, here we are in the semifinalist round! If you haven’t been following along, I’m a member of team At Boundary’s Edge and like to post my individual reviews.  My opinions are mine alone and don’t reflect those of the team nor anyone else.  Anyway, let’s look at the book then you can see my first review out of six to come before the end of April!

Bookish quick facts:
  • Title: Heritage
  • Series: Tales of the Phoenix Titan, #1
  • Author: S.M. Warlow
  • Publisher & Release: Self, 2022
  • Length: 622 pages
  • SPSFC score: 5/10
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

Heritage is the debut novel from S.M. Warlow and the first instalment of the Tales of the Phoenix Titan series. This space opera is perfect for fans of Firefly, the Expanse, Star Wars and Mass Effect.

Make them proud, son of Earth.

25 years after the fall of Earth, the Commonwealth is locked in a vicious, galaxy-spanning war against the Revenant. Countless worlds have been lost in the fighting, and now one crew must come together and stand in the way of galactic annihilation.

Nathan Carter is an efficient criminal, but when he’s hired to steal supplies from a Commonwealth warship, what starts as an easy job soon transforms into something that could change the course of history. Now, Nathan must work with a group of unlikely allies to protect a woman whose heritage is the key to everything.

My thoughts:

One sentence TLDR: this is a good space opera adventure with plenty of action that had an unfortunately rough editing & presentation.  

The thing with Heritage is that while I genuinely enjoyed the plot, this is a 622 page long book that is absolutely riddled with presentation issues. There are punctuation typos involving commas, colons, and semicolons on every single page. The book repeats itself constantly and the character names keep changing spelling.

Screenshot_20230208-211308

My last gripe is that the text changed sizes inconsistently to emphasize inner monologue, epigraphs, and anything else the author thought should stand out. Anything structurally, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt to my EPub reader.

So now let’s pretend that all didn’t happen and talk about the story itself.

The plot is interesting.  We get to see a crew come together and meet quite a few different species of intelligent life.  Everything from cats that can operate sniper rifles with giant paws (what?) to doglike creatures, human types, droids, and many others.  The book certainly isn’t hurting for alien diversity. Between the ships and weapons and history there is a lot of good sci-fi material in there too.

There are many different plot lines to keep things moving.  Some are political and hint at conspiracy.  Others involve drawing moral similarities between different warring factions.  We are tracking down alien artifacts, building a crew, fighting bad guys, pulling off heists; there’s a lot going on.

(That’s a semicolon, in this case used like a super comma to designate a similar main clause that needs more separation than another comma could indicate).

There were a ton of characters too.  I wasn’t believing the romantic aspects but other than that, I liked the crew.  They worked together well despite being from different backgrounds and formed a fairly interesting dynamic.

My last main point is about the quasi cliffhanger. I’d love to read the next book to find out what happens, but I’m not a big enough fan of cliffhangers to read forward unless some form of editing is going to be involved.  I’d like a little more closure from Vol, Russell, and Gordon for where they are going next.  Also I really don’t think Jack’s storyline got enough closure for the amount of time we spent repeatedly hearing about it.

Would recommend for space opera fans that can take the editing

Thanks for checking out my SPSFC book review of Heritage by S.M. Warlow.  I was provided an e-copy for judging purposes and as always, all opinions are my own. Stay tuned for more team reviews!

Categories
Science Fiction

SPSFC2 Quarterfinalist Review: The Empyrean by Katherine Franklin

The Empyrean by Katherine Franklin

The At Boundary’s Edge team has narrowed our original allocation down from 28 books to 7 “Quarterfinalists”, all of which we are now reading in full and scoring out of 10 points. The top three books will move forward as semifinalists. As always, this is my own review and reflects only my own individual opinion and score, not that of the team

As one additional note here, the first round is now complete! We chose to read seven full books and you’ve seen my reviews for each of those.  Soon there will be semifinalist announcements from the competition and I’ll know which six books we are reading next!

Alright everyone, my last “quarterfinalist” review is for a space opera called The Empyrean! Let’s take a quick look at the book first and then I’ll share my thoughts.

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: The Empyrean
  • Series: Galaxy of Exiles #1
  • Author: Katherine Franklin
  • Release: Self pub, 2022
  • Length: 478 pages (Paperback length)
  • SPSFC Rating: 5.5/10
Here’s the synopsis via Am*zon:

Emotion is a weapon. Harnessing its power could destroy worlds.

Palia’s emotions are in turmoil. After watching her son succumb to Empyrean fire, she barely escapes the same fate. Guilt ridden and alone, she will not stop until his killer is brought to justice.

The Protectorate forbids Ferrash to have emotions. That suits him, since he cannot avoid the people who control the Empyrean. Making this sacrifice prevents them from hijacking his feelings and using them as a weapon against him.

When Ferrash spots Palia’s ship venting atmosphere, he is forced to save her. Having an enemy from the Hegemony on board could see him accused of treason. But when the Empyrean reveals its potential as a destroyer of worlds and Palia’s link to it, Ferrash knows he can’t let her leave.

With billions at risk of succumbing to the Empyrean weapon, can the enemies join forces and prevent the same fate that killed Palia’s son?

My thoughts:

I first want to add the disclaimer that I purchased the audiobook (I can only stare at an e reader for so long). I physically read the first 150 pages in order to judge technical presentation, editing, etc.  The fact that I listened to the rest is not affecting my score nor am I going to comment on the experience, other than that it was a decent production and James Alper seems like a solid narrator.

So, about the book! I liked the overall idea quite a bit.  The story opens with a planetary explosion and utter devastation, vivid imagery, and it was enough to snag my attention from the get go.

Broadly, I can appreciate the plot regarding interstellar weapons potential and the fact that emotion could be harvested as a source of power, magic, fire. The Empyrean is full of interesting concepts.

It’s also got a few likeable characters and, my favorite part, a hilarious but all too brief episode with a rather large animal companion.

Where this story ended up falling flat for me was in execution.  There were some big, overarching mysteries hinted at throughout, and the thing is that for an author to hold onto those mysteries and just keep dropping hints, the reward has to be worth it.  I really truly hate to say that the “answers” fell flat for me and that the entire final resolution was a bit of a weak setup for the next book in the series.  Many characters and events appeared and vanished throughout without the page time they needed to land an impact.

While individually I liked Palia and Bek, Farrash felt pretty out there. The romance felt more like a proximity attraction without much to ground it on, so the … Uh … Pinnacle of Action scene didn’t land either. The concept did, I get what the author was going for, I just couldn’t see it.

I’m smacking myself because this sounds harsher than I mean it to.  For editing and presentation this is one of our stronger books, and if I had spent a tiny bit less time feeling lost I would have enjoyed it much more overall.  It’s a great plot that just got lost in the execution.

(Plus, I’m one of those blind-ish people who endlessly appreciate books that are turned into audio and made affordable).

TLDR: Overall – The Empyrean held a great idea and a lot of wonderful imagery, but overall it didn’t hit home for me.  I’m rating 5.5/10 for SPSFC purposes and would recommend for fans of space operas with broad scopes!

Thanks for checking out my book review of The Empyrean by Katherine Franklin! I was provided a free digital copy for judging purposes, although I purchased the audiobook on my own to help me finish our books (and save my eyes) within the allotted time frame. As always, all opinions are my own 🚀

Categories
Science Fiction

SPSFC2 Quarterfinalist Review: Empire Reborn by A.K. DuBoff

The At Boundary’s Edge team has narrowed our original allocation down from 28 books to 7 “Quarterfinalists”, all of which we are now reading in full and scoring out of 10 points. The top three books will move forward as semifinalists. As always, this is my own review and reflects only my own individual opinion and score, not that of the team

As the first round winds down to a close in the next week, I’m back with ‘quarterfinalist’ review number 6 out of 7! I’m also absolutely ecstatic to say that I finally found a book that I personally believe has a chance of making the top ten.  Empire Reborn is meticulously edited and the best presented, every character motivation makes sense, her ideas translate to paper 100% of the time, and it hits all the space opera first in a series checks.  Again these are only my personal thoughts but I’d throw down for this book!

Let’s take a look at the book itself and then I’ll share the rest of my thoughts.

Bookish quick facts:
  • Title: Empire Reborn
  • Series: Taran Empire Saga #1 (Cadicle Universe #12)
  • Author: A.K. DuBoff
  • Publisher & Release: Self, March 2021
  • Length: 388 pages (Kindle Length)
  • Rating: 8/10 for SPSFC purposes (⭐⭐⭐⭐) and yes for space opera fans
Here’s the synopsis via Am*zon:

A forgotten enemy’s return reignites an ancient war.

Jason Sietinen lives in the shadow of greatness. He’s worked hard to become a TSS officer in his own right, but having war heroes for parents is hard to top.

When Jason is assigned to investigate a mysterious attack, he finds evidence of powerful transdimensional beings never before seen. Or so he thought.

Jason soon learns that critical information was lost through the millennia: Tarans had an ancient treaty with the aliens. Unfortunately, rogue actions by a shadow faction within the Empire just broke the peace.

With the future of the Empire hanging in the balance, Jason must find a way to unite the Taran worlds, including the lost colony of Earth, against the mounting threat. There’s just one problem: how do you fight an enemy you can’t see or touch?

My thoughts:

The first thing you probably noticed is that this book is very deep in an already existing universe.  Past events are referred to fairly frequently but the author also does a good job setting up this series on its own merit.  All the big pieces are there to create something multifaceted and interesting going forward.

 I believe in presentation and editing, both of which were accomplished near flawlessly here.  I think I found one tiny grammatical typo and that is huge compared to the rest of our book allocation. Technical merit aside, space operas should have these big casts, big stakes, and big moral discussions, all of which DuBoff has here.

 I wasn’t a huge fan of the slang (really, fok vs fuck and shite vs shit, etc, isn’t going to break any language barriers) but otherwise I have nothing else bad to say.  It makes sense to have similar language roots between descendant cultures but I think that facet needed something…just a different approach.  It didn’t affect the book though, plus she was consistent with it, and I got what she was trying to do. Not the biggest deal but that’s my only nitpick here.

Theme wise, she tackles some big sci-fi tropes and moral dilemmas.  There’s multiple instances of first contact, force vs diplomacy, the integration of new government,  interdimensional cause and effect, and a lot more.  I generally overall just like what she did her even if it ultimately wasn’t the most exciting read.

Oh heck, did I mention telekinesis as a weapon? The book didn’t need the Men In Black tie-in but it was there, and I believe it’s going to come into play moving forward. There’s a whole idea of this telekinesis tying into an upper dimension that I’m waiting to learn more about too.  Also planet sized space leviathans.  Realistic characters.  Big ideas that suit this genre well.

TLDR & Overall: this has all the good space opera elements and is presented as well as the average trad pub book.  I hope I get time to read more of DuBoff’s books, I did already download the next one for when time permits.  I also truly hope we see this one in round two 😅

Thanks for checking out my book review of Empire Reborn by A K. DuBoff.  I was provided a free copy for judging purposes although found it on, and used Kindle Unlimited. As always, all thoughts are my own 🚀 

Categories
Science Fiction

The Rush’s Echo by Ginger Smith (ARC Review)

The Rush's Echo book cover

Thank you so much to the author for my advanced digital copy of The Rush’s Echo!  The first book in the duology was published over two years ago by Angry Robot and now we have closure. I was a little worried honestly that there would be a lapse in quality since this one is self-published, but I didn’t see that at all. This is a well-presented and edited ending to the story and I’m glad that it’s out in the world.

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: The Rush’s Echo
  • Series: Untitled Duology #2
  • Author: Ginger Smith
  • Publisher & Release: Self, 01/10/23
  • Length: 474 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for space opera & soft sci-fi adventure fans
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

TY, HAL, VIVI, AND BERYL JOIN THE OPPOSITION TO PUSH THE COALITION OUT OF THE EDGE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

In this sequel to The Rush’s Edge, Halvor Cullen and the crew of the Loshad return from a lukewarm meeting with the Mudar to an Edge on the verge of war. A vat operative has used every genetically engineered talent and programmed skill she has to infiltrate the heart of the Opposition forces and disrupt their resistance to the Coalition.

In a desperate attempt to stop their enemies, Vivi must confront the specter of her past as the crew petitions the shadowy hacker group Echo to succeed. When the mission goes awry, and they are forced to leave a crewmember behind, the team wonders if their victory against the Coalition will come at all, and if so, at what cost?

My thoughts:

If you click the link in the first paragraph you can see my thoughts on the first book.  It’s been 2 years and I didn’t have any trouble getting back into the plot line thankfully. For those that read these back to back, you won’t be bored with recapping either.  Smith built on everything in book one and didn’t drop the bar at all on quality!

The characters continued to grow and mature as a team, as a family, and as individuals.  As they dealt with old and new trauma there was quite a lot of relationship navigation and continuing themes on what it is to be human and where the VAT soldiers fit in after military service.  I think she did a great job tackling PTSD and to a lesser extent addiction and programming.

We also got to see some of the atrocities committed on the soldiers by the Coalition.  It gave the characters the highest of stakes and something personal to fight for.  The multiple points of view kept the action rolling at all times and there were some pretty exciting scenes. We also got to meet the Mudar race which just added one more layer of depth to the war effort.

Overall I’ve really got nothing bad to say about the conclusion here. I was rooting for the home team characters all the way, even the morally gray ones, and found the last half of the book pretty hard to put down. I think there’s good resolution to all of the major points definitely recommend these books for Space Opera and Military sci-fi fans.

Categories
Science Fiction

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes (ARC Review)

Thank you so much to Tor Books via NetGalley for the early read, all opinions are my own!

Well… I finally finished Rubicon even if it took me a month 😳.  Let’s take a quick look at the book first then go into my thoughts:

Bookish Quick Facts:

  • Title: Rubicon
  • Series: to be announced?
  • Author: J.S. Dewes
  • Publisher & Release: Tor Books, 03/28/23
  • Length: 480 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for space opera and AI fans

Here’s the synopsis via Am*zon:

J. S. Dewes, author of The Last Watch and The Exiled Fleet, returns with another science fiction space opera, Rubicon, that melds elements of Scalzi’s Old Man’s War with Edge of Tomorrow.

Sergeant Adriene Valero wants to die.

She can’t.

After enduring a traumatic resurrection for the ninety-sixth time, Valero is reassigned to a special forces unit and outfitted with a cutting-edge virtual intelligence aid. They could turn the tide in the war against intelligent machines dedicated to the assimilation, or destruction, of humanity.

When her VI suddenly achieves sentience, Valero is drawn into the machinations of an enigmatic major who’s hell-bent on ending the war―by any means necessary.

My Thoughts:

I don’t know why it was so hard to sit down and read this book. The long chapters didn’t help and I really only got enthusiastic about Rubicon in the final 150 pages, and then couldn’t put it down.  I think it just has a LOT going on. It’s a  character driven space opera, there’s military involvement, there’s a discourse on AI and ethics (my favorite), aliens, and just so much else happening.

Dewes did a lot of things well, like the characters and their trauma, coping and new relationships and team bonding. The military operations would go from zero to 100 real quick as did Adrienne’s relationship with the Rubicon.

I generally wanted more from the science in a lot of places. Dewes dedicated the book to a Warcraft character (also a great name for a dog) and turned the game’s resurrection protocol into chips and rezone areas. I think the overall concept was great and we did eventually get some of the “how” behind it. There are weapons and advanced tech, contact with alien vessels, and the terrible truth that in order to avoid becoming part of the hive mind, it’s best to just “wipe” or kill yourself in order to rezone instead of being captured. I liked learning about the alien history too and just wish she had connected it personally to… The big boss guy. I’m pretty sure there were a few more WoW things in the book but I could also be projecting.

After some thought, I’ve decided that I love the ending. Oh those poor characters LOL but I’m here for it. I’m afraid I won’t remember what happened when the sequel comes out (oh hey, publishers – make it clear when a book is going to be a series, yeah)? But man, oh man, that was an ending for you. 100% the ending bumped her rating up.

Overall: I can’t say any one thing that the book did wrong (although hopefully they edit out how many times someone’s lock of curly hair is mentioned) but I also can’t latch onto anything that grabbed me until the final plot line emerged. I do love themes of AI and finding humanity in these genres. It was a solid military sci-fi adventure with good characters and many different elements. I’d recommend for space opera fans if you aren’t squeamish about suicide and I will definitely read the sequel!

Thanks for checking out my early book review of Rubicon by JS Dewes! I received a free advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own ⭐