Book Review: The Ruins of Anthalas

On April 10, 2017May 8, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Book Review1 Comment

Richard Fox Book Reviews

Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. I’m currently taking a break on reading the Honor Harrington Series to read The Ember War Saga by a fellow Army veteran, Richard Fox. He seems to be pretty successful, so another author whom might have something to teach us all. I always want to read novels by well written authors, because I mine everything I read for useful skills. Nothing has really changed on my end, so I won’t bore your ear holes with gibberish. Instead, let’s jump right into the nuts and bolts of the story.

Title: The Ruins of Anthalas

Author: Richard Fox

Price: $3.99 USD (Kindle Version) or $2.99 (Add on Audiobook)

Obtained: I listened to this through the audio book, which I received for free from Podium Publishing.

Pages: 452 pages

Rating: 5/5 Grenades

Summary:

This follows the story of Marc Ibarra, an alien probe, Marine Lieutenant Hale, Captain Valdar, and the star cruiser Breitenfeld. The alien probe has successfully saved a sliver of humanity, and now they have to prepare because the Xaros are coming back. They fly off to the planet Anthalas to discover a lost technology which would allow humanity to use their abundance of omnium to save themselves from the alien threat. With most of Earth’s defenses destroyed, the survivors must look outside themselves for a solution. In this story we’ll meet new enemies, new allies and learn that Marc Ibarra isn’t done manipulating the human race. There’s plenty of action, intrigue, and sci-fi adventure, but on a much larger scale as the war grows to include the Alliance that saved humanity from the Xaros invasion. This novel takes the reader even deeper into the war against the Xaros, and with the fate of humanities very existence, all bets are off. If you want to know more, read the book!

Characters:

There were three main characters in this novel; the star cruiser Breitenfeld, Captain Isaac Valdar, Lieutenant Hale, Marc Ibarra and the alien probe. The same ones from the previous books, which added to the familiarity with the universe. Like most novels with multiple POVs, each one served a unique purpose in the evolution of the plot. Each of these characters were well written, and you could feel enough depth to make them believable.

Breitenfeld: While the ship didn’t have any personality, per say, she was such an integral part of the story that she began to have agency and personhood. I was never a sailor, but I understand our swabbie friends have said similar things about current naval vessels. Like all good weapons of war, human and machine, she begins to show her age as she progresses through the plot. Scars, however, show her character as she bleeds oil and vents atmosphere to protect her crew. The way Richard Fox describes the ship, you could almost believe it was a sentient being! I also loved how we see the ship get more battered as the war with the Xaros continues to play itself out over interstellar space.

Captain Isaac Valdar: This character allowed you to see the naval action of the story, always at the tip of the spear in the war against the Xaros alien probes. His position as the ships commander make it extremely plausible for him to be in any action that directly involved the Breitenfeld. He was a troubled man, who’d lost his entire world when Earth was wiped out. His flawed nature is on display in this book, but it only makes me like him more. I could feel his pain, and it became my pain as I read his story. As an author, if you can make your audience emotionally invested in your characters, you won. Richard Fox did his job, and this character was extremely well flushed out.

Lieutenant Hale: This character allowed you to see the action of the story, always at the tip of the spear in the war against the Xaros alien probes. His position as one of the junior Marine officers, and a member of a special forces wing of the Marine Corps makes it extremely plausible for him to be everywhere when the Gauss Rifles start firing. He was a bit too ‘gung ho’ and competent for a junior officer but otherwise he was flushed out. Admittedly he had a competent senior NCO at his side, but I would’ve preferred to see the LT make a few mistakes so we knew he was, in fact, actually still an LT! However, as he continues to fight in the war it becomes more believable and was less of a distraction. The character was even more likeable and well thought out than in the first novel in the series. I felt he was believable and he showcased the authors own time in the US Army. Overall, an extremely well flushed out character.

Marc Ibarra/Alien Probe: We meet the unnamed alien probe and a young Marc Ibarra at the beginning of this series, and while we still don’t get a whole lot of face time they’re both so integral to the story that I feel like they’re defacto main characters. They were flushed out, with just enough information to be believable and yet vague enough we could picture them as embodiments of character archetypes we know and love. They were just the sort of shady that keeps you up at night, and conspiracy theorists spinning circles at the possibilities. I will say, the more I get to learn about the terrible duo, the less I like them. Not because they’re badly written, but because they make me want to punch them in their almost face!

Plot:

This plot moved along at a steady pace, though it felt a bit slower than the first novel. I still loved the story, but maybe it was the history lover in me? I wanted to explore Anthalas myself, seeing how these aliens lived. I loved the detail and precision that Richard Fox still paid to the military technology. I also liked that he didn’t get bogged down in the science of space travel, and most of the action in this book took place on the ground or the derelict space ships. Richard didn’t ignore the science, but rather he didn’t let it bog down the story. As a reader, I don’t care how the space flight works, just that the author had a reason that it did. This novel was heavier on the ground operations than the space combat, but none of it felt lacking. Compared to book one, it was twice as much ground action than space fights. While this novel changed POVs several times, it never felt jarring and the shifts were easy to follow. You might have noticed, it is something I pay attention too when I read. Again, I read this novel as an eBook while listening to it as an audiobook. The Whisper Sync feature via Amazon’s pairing with Audible didn’t work with book two, but it didn’t mess me up. The plotting was definitely five out of five grenades for me.

World Building:

The world building of this novel was expertly done, and it never felt like it was done as an “info dump.” I felt like the world building in this novel was solid, even better than the first book! There was just enough to understand everything, without slowing the pace of the novel too much. I could picture most of what he described, which helped me a lot. I sort of envisioned Incan Temples for the ruins of Anthalas. If you weren’t rooted in history, then maybe you picture something different? Hey I have to use that history degree or the bill for Villanova’s graduate program would just be a waste! However, with regards to the space technology, it was persuasively written, but not substantially different from book one. And yes, I still want my own Gauss Rifle! There were some parts where I felt it was still lacking details, but as a lover of stories I recognized them as hooks for what I expect to happen in later novels. This happens when the story spans several novels. It never felt forced, or cliff hanger-esq, and it only made me want to keep reading. I can’t really say anything else here without spoiling it for people who haven’t read the stories, but the world building was a solid five out of five grenades.

Description:

Much like the world building, the detailed descriptions were solidly done. I could envision what he wrote, and I can’t wait for the graphic novel out of this universe! Hint, hint Richard! I definitely feel like the descriptions of this book set the standard, balance the not enough against the too much. Even having said that about the first one, book two kicked it up a notch. In regards to description, this was another win for the author. I’d give this section five out of five grenades. There was still room to make the descriptions really pop, but it didn’t hurt the overall story for me. In fact, if he did give more on the description I might’ve complained about the slower pace. It’s all about balance, and none of these sub-components to the story can exist without the others, so bare that in mind as you read book reviews.

Audio Quality:

I received the audiobook free as a proof of concept from Podium Publishing while in we were in negotiation for my own series. In fact, the quality of this production was why I pushed Boss Man to agree to the contract. The only real complaint the accents of the various characters made them slightly difficult to understand. Because of this, I couldn’t tell you a single call sign for the pilots in this novel. Full disclosure, I lost some of my hearing while in the service, so this might just be my own issue. Also of note, the first two novels of this series are on the same audiobook. The whisper sync only worked for the first book but if you pay attention to the chapters you can easily find your place. Five out of five grenades.

Overall:

In spite of my issues with the accents from the narrator, I really enjoyed this novel. I loved this story even more than the first novel. The story kept me hooked, and made me want to read the rest of the series. I’ve bought book three already, and suggest you do too! This wasn’t a novel to revolutionize the world, but that isn’t why I read military science fiction. I want explosions, gun fights and cool stories. A few cool aliens wouldn’t hurt, and in every regard Richard Fox delivers! I would even recommend that you buy the novel in the digital AND audio format! This is one book you’ll want to buy for your reading pleasure and keep to read again. This was a solid 5 grenades.

If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then you fall asleep while driving and wreck your vehicle. And while you’re stuck on the side of the road your boss calls and fires you because you’re late. Without viable employment, you become a rabid fan, blowing your life savings buying all gazillion of his novels in this universe. And then, while looking for a job the alien probe arrives… and well, you know what happens. Then, you’ll try to tell your friends but they’ll think you’re insane and lock you up in a funny farm. And then they give you good drugs, making you see even more of the aliens, forcing your spirit to carry on in the limbo as your body sits in a drugged-out comma, restrained by your straight jacket. With nothing left to lose, you astroproject in Richard’s office because he ruined your life. But you go insane at the futility because he can’t see or hear you. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT kill you. Be warned, but enjoy the happy pills!

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are used on the Fair Use Doctrine.

Book Review: The Ember War

On April 5, 2017April 8, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Book Review9 Comments

Richard Fox Book Reviews.PNG

Title: The Ember War

Author: Richard Fox

Price: $3.99 USD (Kindle Version) or $2.99 (Add on Audiobook)

Obtained: I bought the novel, but also received the audio version for free from Podium Publishing.

Pages: 426 pages

Rating: 5/5 Grenades

Summary:

This book shares the story of Marc Ibarra, an alien probe, Marine Lieutenant Hale, Captain Valdar, and the star cruiser Breitenfeld. The alien probe arrives to help Marc Ibarra prepare Earth for the coming invasion. A series of events and political assignations end with two super powers fighting for dominance and an arms race. Ultimately this prepares the Naval forces for what was to come when they fight this mysterious enemy force. The survivors of humanity had been tasked to escort a colony mission, but disappeared, only reappearing where they’d left. Only, it wasn’t the same year they’d left. They’d returned 60 years into the future, with Earth wiped out and an alien invasion. If you want to know more, read the book!

Characters:

There were three main characters in this novel; the star cruiser Breitenfeld, Captain Isaac Valdar, Lieutenant Hale, Marc Ibarra and the alien probe. Like most novels with multiple POVs, each one served a unique purpose in the evolution of the plot. Each of these characters were well written, and you could feel enough depth to make them believable.

Captain Isaac Valdar: This character allowed you to see the naval action of the story, always at the tip of the spear in the war against the Xaros alien probes. His position as the ships commander make it extremely plausible for him to be in any action that directly involved the Breitenfeld. He was a troubled man, who’d lost his entire world when Earth was wiped out. I could feel his pain, and it became my pain as I read his story. As an author, if you can make your audience emotionally invested in your characters, you won. Richard Fox did his job, and this character was extremely well flushed out.

Lieutenant Hale: This character allowed you to see the action of the story, always at the tip of the spear in the war against the Xaros alien probes. His position as one of the junior Marine officers, and a member of a special forces wing of the Marine Corps makes it extremely plausible for him to be everywhere when the Gauss Rifles start firing. He was a bit too ‘gung ho’ and competent for a junior officer but otherwise he was flushed out. Admittedly he had a competent senior NCO at his side, but I would’ve preferred to see the LT make a few mistakes so we knew he was, in fact, actually still an LT! I’ll honestly admit, I was an enlisted NCO and the author was an Army officer so some of this is merely a matter of perspective. That aside, the character was likeable and well thought out. I felt he was believable and he showcased the authors own time in the US Army. Overall, an extremely well flushed out character.

Marc Ibarra/Alien Probe: We meet the unnamed alien probe and a young Marc Ibarra at the beginning of this story, and while they don’t get a whole lot of face time they’re both so integral to the story that I feel like they’re defacto main characters. They were flushed out, with just enough information to be believable and yet vague enough we could picture them as embodiments of character archetypes we know and love. They were just the sort of shady that keeps you up at night, and conspiracy theorists spinning circles at the possibilities.

Plot:

This plot moved along at a steady pace, I never felt like it slowed down, which I loved. I loved the detail and precision that Richard Fox payed to the military technology. Further, I liked that he didn’t get bogged down in the science of space travel. He didn’t ignore it, but rather he didn’t get bogged down in it like hard science fiction stories do. As a reader, I don’t care how the space flight works, just that the author had a reason that it did. This novel was heavier on the ground operations than the space combat, but none of it felt lacking. While this novel changed POVs several times, it never felt jarring and the shifts were easy to follow. I read this novel as an eBook, and listened to it as an audiobook via the Whisper Sync feature via Amazon’s pairing with Audible. The plotting was definitely five out of five grenades for me.

World Building:

The world building of this novel was expertly done, and it never felt like it was done as an “info dump.” I felt like the world building in this novel was solid, there was just enough to understand everything. I could picture most of what he described, though it started in “modern” America, which helped me a lot. However, with regards to the space technology, it was persuasively written, believable and fun to imagine myself joining. Now I want my own Gauss Rifle! There were some parts where I felt it was lacking details, but as a lover of stories I recognized them as hooks for what I expect to happen in later novels. I can’t really say anything else here without spoiling it for people who haven’t read the stories, but the world building was a solid five out of five grenades.

Description:

Audio Quality:

I received the audiobook free as a proof of concept from Podium Publishing while in we were in negotiation for my own series. In fact, the quality of this production was why I pushed Boss Man to agree to the contract. The only real complaint the accents of the various characters made them slightly difficult to understand. Because of this, I couldn’t tell you a single call sign for the pilots in this novel. Full disclosure, I lost some of my hearing while in the service, so this might just be my own issue. Besides, if this is my only complaint, I call it a win! Five out of five grenades.

Overall:

In spite of my issues with the accents from the narrator, I really enjoyed this novel. The story kept me hooked, and made me want to read the rest of the series. I’ve bought book two and three already! This wasn’t a novel to revolutionize the world, but that isn’t why I read military science fiction. I want explosions, gun fights and cool stories. A few cool aliens wouldn’t hurt, and in every regard Richard Fox delivers! I would even recommend that you buy the novel in the digital AND audio format! Some novel’s I’ve only like enough to check out from the library, but this one you’ll want to buy for your reading pleasure and keep to read again. This was a solid 5 grenades.

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are used on the Fair Use Doctrine.

Book Review: Exigency

On March 21, 2017March 21, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Book Review4 Comments

Michael Seimsen.PNG

Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. I’m currently outlining Maternal Vengeance, the fourth novel in my Sleeping Legion Series. I wanted to take a second away from that to share my review of the last novel I read, and recommend it! Tomorrow I will have a new World Building Wednesday, and I’ll share some super exciting news with you! Nothing else has changed on my end, so I won’t bore your brain buckets with gobbledygook. Instead, let’s jump right into the nuts and bolts of the story.

Title: Exigency

Author: Michael Siemsen

Price: $3.99 USD

Obtained: Bought on Amazon on the recommendation of a friend

Pages: 440

Rating: 4/5 Grenades

Summary:

This novel tells the story of several scientists, who travel light years on a one-way trip to an Earth-like planet. Their mission was to study the two species of intelligent lifeforms on the surface from their orbital station. One of the species was an isolated people embarking on civilization and building their world’s first city. The other species was a brutal race of massive predators, spreading across the dominant landmass. The scientists believe this species is destined to breed and eat their way to extinction within a few centuries. After almost a decade of observation, disaster struck the orbiting station and only two crewmembers eject successfully. Drifting down through a dark alien sky, the pair realizes their escape pod launched not toward the safety of the city, but to the other side of the planet. They ultimately touch down deep inside a land no human could possibly survive.

Characters:

There were many secondary characters, but I’ll limit my review to the two main ones. The characters were exactly what I would expect from a group of scientists, but that meant they weren’t necessarily as likeable or personable. The author does get credit for their believability, but much of this is to be expected from this sub-genre of science fiction. Overall, the character development was one of the two reasons this was a 4 Grenade book for me, instead of a 5.

Minerva (Minnie): She was, hands down, the main point of view character and John was her supporting cast. She has been diagnosis with HSPD, some new psychotic condition that forces her to remain on medicine to maintain her sanity. Why would you send someone like this into space? I don’t know, because the author never told us. She was whiny, annoying and I didn’t really like her but I didn’t want her to die either. She was well rounded, not very likeable, and shouldn’t have been anywhere near a space exploration mission. She was believable, as a character, but I kept yelling “Why isn’t she back on Earth?”

John: This character was very thought out, although he came off as a bit too perfect for my tastes. The usual “Mr. Awesome,” who sails through life until Thing X in the story requires divergence from his life’s trajectory. He was strong at times many would have broken down, and I didn’t feel like we had enough back story to justify his actions. Overall, it wouldn’t have bothered me if he got struck by lightning and tied.

Plot:

The story was disjointed at times, though I can’t tell you how without ruining the plot. It was high octane on the drama, an even mix of internal angst and outside forces. Though, if strange aliens wanted to eat you, you’d be pretty angst ridden as well so I can’t fault that artistic choice. While I did think it was disjointed, the novel was easy enough to follow so that might just be a personal preference on my part. And for all its faults, which might not be flaws for some people, the story kept me riveted. I couldn’t put it down, even as I wanted to throw Minnie off a cliff! I read this in just under two days, which is pretty quick for me. Again, other than the character development, this was a solid plot that was well written.

World Building:

This was another area where the author excelled! The world was vivid, I could imagine all of it and I wanted to see it on the big screen. The world was fleshed out, and totally believable for the circumstances. I could envision myself fighting the Hynka and dealing with the more advanced Threck. The strange colors and toxic environment would be fun to visit, like an alien safari! But obviously, only if we were well stocked and had food and water for the entire trip! I have nothing to say here, this was a solid 5 Grenades.

Description:

The author also got this right, the descriptions were spot on, and added to the desperate vibe the unwittingly unintentional colonists were enduring. I would love to go into more details, but I strive for spoiler free reviews. Overall, if this is ever made into a movie the script writers won’t have to worry about imagining things because Michael Siemsen gave them what they needed! Another 5 Grenades for this category!

Overall:

In an effort to be fully transparent, I half listened and half read this novel. Whysper Sync I think it’s called? Some books are better suited for that, a lesson that I learned with this book. The audio narration WAS superbly done, since I brought it up. Heck, I wouldn’t mind if Julia Whelan wanted to narrate my books, I certainly wouldn’t say no! If you love audiobooks, give Julia and Podium Publishing a shot, they’ve seem to figure out the magic formula. While I gave the book 4 Grenades, the audio narration gets 5! One of my main issues, aside from the characters, was the use of alien languages. I get it, you want to show your world building and how things are different but if you invent translation programs in your world, we don’t need to bog us down with the language. Move on, tell the story! However, the story and the plot is something the author got right! If I rated the plot separately, he would have a solid 6 Grenades out of 5, it’s that good! If you like science fiction, with some of the science on full display, you need to buy this book! Heck, give the audio book a listen as well!

If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then your boss fires you, because you became a book addict and a rabid Michael Siemsen fan. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT leave you starving. Then again, it COULD be one heck of a weight loss plan! Be warned, but enjoy the high!

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are screen grabs taken by JR Handley for use under the Fair Use Doctrine.

Book Review: On Basilisk Station

On March 11, 2017March 11, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Book Review33 Comments

Weber Pic.PNG

Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. I’m currently reading one of the greats of military science fiction, David Weber. I want to read his novels, and mine them for useful skills. He created one of the largest fan bases, so he is clearly doing something right. Nothing has really changed on my end, so I won’t bore your ear holes with gibberish. Instead, let’s jump right into the nuts and bolts of the story.

Title: On Basilisk Station

Author: David Weber

Price: $0.00 USD (Kindle Version)

Obtained: I bought it when it was free on Amazon

Pages: 432 pages

Rating: 4/5 Grenades

Summary:

This book shares the story of Commander Honor Harrington of the Royal Manticoran Navy. She commands the HMS Fearless, having assumed command after some new weapons are added. These changes have the rank and file upset, but Honor is determined to give it the old college try when she participates in the navy’s war games. After a sneak attack ends with her ship scoring a direct ‘kill’ against the flagship of one of the Lords of the Admiralty. She ends up banished to picket duty on Basilisk Station, essentially an assignment to Siberia in her universe. There is the usual tension, as she has some issues with her command, the drama of ground combat with the Medusa locals a smattering of intrigue and political shenanigans. And lest we forget, since this IS a novel about the Royal Manticoran Navy, there is space ships knocking it out to the bitter end.

Characters:

The main character in this novel is Honor Harrington, a naval commander who is given command of the HMS Fearless at the beginning of the novel. I found myself very much drawn to her, she was a well-developed character, who had enough depth to make her believable. Having grown up a Navy Brat and taken Navy JROTC in high school, I felt like she fit with the upstanding naval officers I’ve known. Admittedly, I went on to an Army college and then enlisted into the infantry so otherwise my exposure to the Navy is almost nil, but I felt like she fit with what I’ve known in real life. She’s a no-nonsense kind of woman, who gets the job done and overcomes, no matter the cost. Honor does all this without sacrificing her troops needlessly, but isn’t afraid to risk all and pull the trigger when the need arises.

Plot:

I felt like the plot moved along at a steady pace, a bit slow in places but not enough to draw you out of the universe David Weber was creating. The plot was enough that I kept turning the pages for more, which is all we can really ask for! He went a little heavier on the science of his space flight than I like, but I was able to skim over those pages easily enough and enjoy an otherwise good space opera. The parts where David Weber described the combat on the ground was entirely believable, given the way he set up the primitive natives. It fit with what I knew from my own training as a historian and my time as a grunt. The only real issue I had was that the changes in POV felt jarring and were hard to follow. I read this novel as an eBook, and it was published as a trade paperback in 1993. I’m guessing that the novel was simply poorly converted, and the indications of the swapping POVs weren’t carried over, though I haven’t verified this. Either way, it was an issue for me.

World Building:

I felt like the world building in this novel was solid, there was just enough to understand everything. The setting was cogently written, believable and fun to imagine yourself joining. Probably a bad idea, as lots of people die in these fights, but such are the dangers of SciFy fandom. Admittedly, I came into these novels after being seduced to the dark side by the TRMN Fan Club at RavenCon last year so I knew a lot about the universe going in. I think it would’ve still stood alone on the laurels of the world David Weber created, but felt the need for full disclosure.

Description:

I felt like this one is hard, my visualizations were colored by the outside representations I’ve seen from the TRMN. These fans are dedicated and cosplay his universe, so when I read these books they were what I pictured. I think it was well done, but it’s possible my affiliation with his rabid fans colored my readings of things.

Overall:

Aside from my issues with the jarring switches from one POV to another, I really enjoyed this novel. It kept me hooked, and gave me an idea of how to make the hard science fiction approach to space combat more enjoyable. It was a bit heavy on the math, which I’m in no way qualified to judge the veracity of, but was otherwise enjoyable. I did like it enough to buy book two and will be reading that next. When the author is such an iconic master like David Weber, us noobs need to read and learn. It wasn’t a WOWZER five grenade novel, but it was good. Despite my issues with it, this is a book I would happily recommend. Heck, I would even recommend that you buy the novel! Some novel’s I’ve only liked enough to check out from the library, but this one you’ll want to buy for your reading pleasure and keep on your bookshelves.

If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then your boss fires you, because you became a book addict and a rabid David Webber fan. And then, because you’re unemployed and need a job, you enlist into the Royal Manticoran Navy. As a spacer, you are then deployed to the front lines. This shock to your sensibilities then forces you to desert, so that you might live. And then you track him down, the man who ruined your life, and climb into his window in your skivvies. And he shoots you with grapeshot. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT kill you. Be warned, but enjoy the high!

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are used on the Fair Use Doctrine.

Book Review: Asbaran Solutions

On January 15, 2017January 15, 2017 By J.R. HandleyIn Book Review, Writing7 Comments

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Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m about half way through book three of The Sleeping Legion Series and loving it. Loads of action, some surprises and a lot of exploding goodness. I’ve also been outlining my next project based off of my short story from the Roswell Anthology, and thinking it’s gonna be the next big thing in science fiction. It feels like a winner, but you’ll have to wait and see!

On to this specific review. I was given this book by a local US Navy veteran and seasoned author to review and couldn’t say no. No really, he might go all Tonya Harding on me! Plus, as a veteran, I feel obligated to support other veterans where possible. I won’t buy substandard things just BECAUSE they’re a veteran but if it’s a choice between two good things and one provider was a veteran, I’ll pick that. I mention that, so you can read my review in as transparent a fashion as I can manage. With that said, I truly did enjoy this book and I can only hope this comes through in my review.

Title: Asbaran Solutions

Author: Chris Kennedy

Price: $4.99 USD (Kindle Edition)

Obtained: I received an ARC for an honest review on Amazon and GoodReads, but liked it enough to buy it once it went live. I’m even going to buy the other novels in this universe and likely review them as well!

Pages: 332

Rating: 5/5 Grenades

Summary:

First, let me say that none of what I’ll say in this section couldn’t be found on the back copy of the novel. I wanted to provide a spoiler free review, so here goes nothing! Ultimately, this is a family saga, a tale of redemption and one mans journey to familial acceptance. One of the main characters, Nigel Shirazi was first in line for the chairmanship of Asbaran Solutions. It was to be his birth right, commanding one of the prominent “Four Horsemen” mercenary companies. That is until his maladaptive behavior cost him everything, ending in hedonist downward spiral. And finally, a rock bottom where he is disinherited. After being discarded by his birthright, he enjoys the life of a rich playboy until something happens to rock his world. An enemy gets to his family, and Nigel is all that stands between this hidden foe and the destruction of Asbaran Solutions and the Shirazi family line. In the end, the adventure is partially Nigel’s war within himself. If he can gain some self-control and self-discipline, he just might restore all that was lost. All he has to do is rescue his sister from an unbeatable foe, easy peasy.

Characters:

There are three main characters in this story; The Asbaran Solutions mercenary company, Nigel Shirazi and Thomas Mason.

Nigel Shirazi: He is the principle main character in this story, on a quest of personal redemption. By saving his sister, he seeks to save himself and prove his worth to the family who’d dismissed him so many years ago. At first, I really didn’t like the spoiled man-child that we met in the beginning of the story. However, as time went on he sort of grew on me as Nigel grew into himself. He had a definitive character arc, was flushed out and thoroughly described. You never felt like he was a blank shell, he was a character all on his own. If we met in real life, I’d either drink a beer with him and swap war stories or shoot him on sight. Would really depend on whether I met the Nigel from the beginning of this book or the one from the end. I deeply respected his love of family, and his sense of familial obligation. Blood really IS thicker than water, and it was nice to see that this was a sentiment Nigel understood.

Thomas Mason: He was your stereotypical soldiers soldier and helped guide and shape the path of the troubled Asbaran Solutions. He also has some personal reasons for going with Nigel on what appears to be a suicide mission, though I can’t go into that without giving some spoilers. He offers the military background, and serves as a foil to Nigel’s playboy ignorance. Overall, I really liked this character and would love to read more about him. I wouldn’t mind if he got his own book as well, giving him room to develop into an even more flushed out character.

Asbaran Solutions: This is the company that is at the heart of the adventures of Nigel and Mason. For Mason, it’s a job and a personal journey you’ll have to read about but for Nigel it’s so much more. For Nigel, it’s about saving his sister and his families honor. It’s a connection with his heritage and his forefathers. The special time he spent on his grandfather’s knee learning about the galaxy and the mercenary life that Earth provided to the sentient species whom inhabited it. With its mere existence, this company drives the plot and serves as the invisible puppet master pulling all the strings.

Plot:

Like most of the military science fiction I love to read, this was an action-packed novel. The beginning was a bit of a slow start, but once it took off it never really lagged. I wasn’t able to read this book from start to finish in one setting because of its length but I wanted too. I believed that the tactics worked for the novel, especially the aerial ones, but what do you expect from a naval aviator? The action on the ground was believable, though lacking in tactical sophistication and depth. However, when you had a bad assed mech like their CASPer’s you can get away with a run and gun strategy. The story flowed seamlessly from one plot point to another, which made it easy to read and follow. There were a few times where I was confused by what was going on, but this was likely because of my TBI. After I backtracked and re-read the part that got me it became very clear.

World Building:

This is the first book I’ve read by Chris Kennedy, but I’d heard good things and his reviews were solid. I wasn’t disappointed! This world was very flushed out, and left you curious about the world. Heck, I bought his book AND the other book in the universe after I read this one. While this is science fiction, and you definitely need to have some suspension of disbelief for the aliens Chris Kennedy invents, within the universe he builds they’re totally believable. I also found myself sympathetic to Nigel, as he struggles on his quest for redemption. Asbaran Solutions definitely had shades of the Prodigal Son, though with a metric butt ton more death and explosions. The one part I wasn’t thrilled about was the concept of Earth evolving into a system of the mercenary corporate planet, without any nation states, but it is a common trope in science fiction. Overall, this didn’t dissuade me from enjoying this story and I’m aware that many people LOVE those kinds of universe set ups. In a nut shell, the world building gets an A- from me, but only because of the lack of explanations on HOW we became a planet without nations.

Description:

This book was chalk full of visualization, and you could definitely imagine yourself in this world. It felt very flushed out, and there were times where you could even smell the aliens. I love it when a book is this immersive, where it takes you deeply into the world. For me, if a book isn’t described enough that I can imagine myself into the story. If a story is truly good, I often find myself imagining what happens when the book ends. That doesn’t work in books where the world wasn’t flushed out. In this category, Chris gets an A+++!

Overall:

I think that the easiest way for me to explain my thoughts, is to tell you how I received the novel. Like with the Wraithkin novel, I was given a free ARC (advanced reader copy) eBook a little over a week before the novel went live. In return, I was to post an honest review on Amazon for the author on the day it launched. I loved this book, it was definitely 5 out of 5 Grenades. Chris Kennedy had me hooked from the beginning, and kept it going throughout the whole novel. I went on to buy a copy, because I liked it enough that I wanted to support the author. I also went on to purchase the Cartwright Cavaliers, another novel in the Four Horsemen Universe. It’s an amazing adventure, a look into Chris Kennedy’s twisted imagination, and leaves you wishing that his therapist has a therapist. This is a book I would happily recommend, and an author I will definitely read again. Heck, I would even recommend that you buy the novel! But hey, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money! This is definitely a novel worth buying, versus merely reading for free at the library.

If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then your boss fires you, because you became a book addict and a rabid Chris Kennedy fan. And then you track him down, and climb into his window in your skivvies and he shoots you with grapeshot. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT kill you. Be warned, but enjoy the high!