Finder by Suzanne Palmer

Title: Finder
Author: Suzanne Palmer
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 391 pages
Publication: April 12, 2019 by Daw Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He'll slip in, decode the ship's compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.

Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant-harvesting colony called Cernee. But Fergus' arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger's enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly--and inconveniently--invested in the lives of the locals.

It doesn't help that a dangerous alien species thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following Fergus around.

Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he's called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process.

Finder had me at “…thief, con artist, repo man.” In my opinion, all the best stories involve them. Finder introduce readers to Fergus Ferguson on a mission to recover (steal back) the spacecraft Venetia’s Sword. His goal is to get in and get out without complications, but that optimism is blown to kingdom come when his life entangles with the Vahns. Fergus suddenly finds himself in a middle of a war of his own making and half of Cernee and the entire galaxy gunning for him.

I really enjoyed Finder, it was a fun, action packed space adventure! The world building had all the familiar sci-fi techno baubles and jargon; various terrains, interesting and unique species, a governmental council, tyrants and rebels. The little pocket of space that Fergus found himself in was ran by five main gangster-type syndicates, all dabbling in some sort of illegal activity which was no surprise that one of syndicates stole The Sword. What I liked most about Finder was the perfect balance between seriousness, tender-moments and humor as well as the characters themselves. I thought Fergus was a great character. Throughout the book Fergus probably broke hundreds of rules and isn’t necessarily a good guy but he does the right thing when it mattered. Which is really ALL that matters. I loved his personality, his lightening fast thinking and sheer luck in narrowly escaping every predicament he found himself in. The vibrator and tennis balls were ingenious and hilarious! Mari, Fergus’s teenage companion was the perfect sidekick. They worked well as a team and their banter made for amusing dialogue.

A reviewer compared Finder to Guardian of the Galaxy and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a fun and light sci-fi read that will appeal to those who like unconventional heroes and an all-around good space adventure. I’m a bit bummed that this is a standalone but am glad I got a chance to read this book because it introduced me to Palmer’s work. Looking forward to reading more of it.

Dauntless by Jack Campbell

Title: Dauntless
Author: Jack Campbell
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: The Lost Fleet # 1
Mass Market Paperback, 304 Pages
Publication: June 27, 2006 by Ace

Source: Personal Library

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The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century--and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized, beyond belief...

Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.

Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend...

Jack Campbell is synonymous with Science Fiction,whom is most notable for his military sci-fi novels. I’ve heard about Campbell over the years with my foray into Science Fiction but never really got around to reading his novels. Until a co-worker recommended Campbell’s Black Jack series for the best and most accurate space battles; thus resulted in me picking up Dauntless, the first book in The Lost Fleet series. The story is centered around John “Black Jack” Geary waking up a century later from stasis and finding himself revered as a heroic legend and in the midst of a long, drawn out war between the Alliance and the Syndics. A war he thought he prevented. Geary is now thrust to the forefront to help Dauntless and fleet navigate through hostile territory, hoping to make their way home back to the Alliance.

I’ve never been one for military science fiction but I found myself enthralled by the fleet operations. From the intricate and detailed space battle, practice simulations, war time tactics, battle laws dealing with the enemy and prisoners, to the overall internal and external chain of command. The only thing I knew of space battle can be reference to Star Wars. And the space battle in Dauntless is the total opposite. It’s not high octane or fast. Instead, everything is counted in light minutes…hours with significant lag time between every volley shot and received.  The author was an ex-Navy Officer and it clearly shows he knows exactly what he's writing about. What ended up being more fascinating was the character of Geary. He’s been floating through space for a 100 years, only to wake up to find how drastic time has changed. He was a somewhat newbie, not unlike the ones he ends up commanding now. Yet everyone sees him as this wartime god. Every solider in the fleet has learned about Geary from a young age and everything anyone has ever done in the Alliance was in hope of living up to his standard. An apparently high bar he never meant to set. I liked seeing Geary grapple with his new current reality, as he does his best to get everyone home and somehow live up to these new expectations of himself without bolstering it even more.

I enjoyed Dauntless and thought it was a great starter in what looks like to be a long but eventful trip back to the Alliance. The novel hints at more obstacles to overcome and new lifeforms waiting to be discovered. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series and see what Campbell has in store for the Dauntless and Co. 

Irontown Blues by John Varley

Title: Irontown Blues
Author: John Varley
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Eight Worlds # 4

Paperback, 304 Pages
Publication: August 28, 2018 by Ace

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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A new noir science fiction novel from a master of science fiction set in the Eight Worlds series about a detective on the hunt for biohackers who have created a dangerous new disease.

Christopher Bach was a policeman in one of the largest Lunar cities when the A.I. Lunar Central Computer had a breakdown, known as the Big Glitch, but it turned out to be a larger war than anyone expected. When order was restored, Chris's life could never be the same. Now he functions as a private detective assisted by his genetically altered dog Sherlock as he does his best to emulate the tough guys in the noir books and movies that he loves.

When he takes the case of a woman involuntarily afflicted with an engineered virus, he is on the hunt to track the bio hackers down to the infamous district of Irontown.

I wasn’t aware that Irontown Blues was part of a series that started back in the 70’s and 90’s. However, it can be read as a standalone as there is a new character narrating. The book follows P.I Bach and his trusty companion Sherlock, a genetically altered bloodhound as they investigate a potential disease outbreak leading to the notorious zone of Irontown, a place filled with criminals and the unsavory sorts.

I thought the synopsis sounded interesting: a private detective, dangerous diseases and a corrupted city all sounded right up my alley. But unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. Let me start with what I liked. Irontown Blues had this old style noir sci-fi we don’t see in most sci-fi today, which I appreciated. The overall writing was also well done. But that’s pretty much it. I thought the plot was weak and a bit silly. The gist is Bach is chasing a person that is manufacturing type of diseases (found on old earth). Just the overall topic was a little too weird for me, and I normally can handle weird. The first half of the book went into detail how some folks on Lunar were obsessed with certain disgusting smells like; sweat socks, rotting food and vaginal yeast infection. Yeah, no. And how some people would purposely get diseases like psoriasis (because you can’t let alone get sick nowadays)...it was just topics I didn’t want to read about.

Another issues I had was the narration. The book is not only narrated by Bach but there were some chapters where Bach’s bloodhound, Sherlock was narrating. I didn’t like or care for Sherlock’s chapters. Sherlock’s chapters were boring and the writing stilted, which I get because it’s from a canine’s perspective. There was a reason why Varley incorporated Sherlock’s POV. But like I said I didn’t like reading his chapters. Anyone seen the Pixar's UP? Well Sherlock’s chapters reminded of me of the dog Doug in that movie. Some people may find it funny and entertaining or annoying. I’m with the later. I also felt that Sherlock’s chapters were filled with nothing but info-dumping, a big turnoff in any book.

I honestly would have not picked up Irontown Blues if I knew it was part of a series. I’m not the type to start a series mid-book either. While this book wasn’t for me I’m sure longtime Varley/Eight Worlds fans will be excited to learn that he written another novel in the Eight Worlds series and more likely find enjoyment in reading Irontown Blues after so many years between the last novel.

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall

Title: Stars Uncharted
Author: S.K. Dunstall
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: N/A

Paperback, 416 Pages
Publication: August 14, 2018 by Ace
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Three people who are not who they claim to be:

Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people's bodies right down to the molecular level. Give her a living body and a genemod machine, and she will turn out a work of art.

Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. But Josune and the rest of the crew are united in their single-minded pursuit of the most famous lost planet of all.

Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world.

Josune's captain sends her to infiltrate Roystan's ship, promising to follow. But when the Hassim exits nullspace close to Roystan's ship, it's out of control, the crew are dead, and unknown Company operatives are trying to take over. Narrowly escaping and wounded, Roystan and Josune come to Nika for treatment--and with problems of her own, she flees with them after the next Company attack.

Now they're in a race to find the lost world...and stay alive long enough to claim the biggest prize in the galaxy.

I’ve been trying to branch out on what I read, to read more Science Fiction instead of my usual Urban Fantasy/Fantasy. And for the most part, all the SF I’ve read so far this year has been great. And Stars Uncharted was no exception. Misfits in space? Sold! Stars Uncharted is written by two sisters and follows two incredible female leads: Nika, a renown body modder and Josune, an engineer. The book alternatives between the two ladies as they try to escape The Corporation.

The thing that always make me hesitate picking up a Sci-Fi novel is the world-build and jargon. They’re usually so complex that, at times, a reader can get lost and overwhelmed with all the technobabble. But I didn’t have any issue with Stars Uncharted. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of information to digest but it was written in a way that was easy to understand and process. Nika and Josune lived in a world where anyone with enough credit/money can change their appearance or identity after a few hours in a machine. How cool and scary is that? And The Corporation, comprising of 27 companies rule everything with an iron fist. Their word law. One particular company, The Eaglehawk Corporation is after Nika because she holds the code to an invaluable, one-of-a-kind genemod capable of body swapping. While Josune may have a lead/knowledge of a way to find precious minerals that has been lost for over 80 years. Two different women on the run, only to have their path cross aboard, The Road, a cargo ship.

As I’ve mentioned time and time again I’m not a fan of multiple point-of-views, but Dunstall made it work and I found myself enjoying both Nika and Josune’s narrative. They’re smart, savvy and scrappy as heck. They do whatever it takes to stay alive and found rules more of a guideline than actual law. There were many times when the other characters would use the term “certifiably crazy” in describing Nika and Josune and I couldn’t agree more. Nika and Josune are rounded out with an eclectic crew consisting of the mysterious captain Roystan, chef extraordinaire Jacques, Carlos the engineer and Snow, a young modder obsessed with Nika Rik Terri. The characters were all well developed and unique, and often lighten more of the serious and dire scenes with their banter. I especially enjoyed Snow and Nika’s interaction and Snow’s obliviousness to who his traveling companion was.

Stars Uncharted was a fun action-packed adventure that captured me from page one. This space-opera was just complex enough to be enjoyable without going overboard with meticulous details. But what makes this book truly wonderful were the characters, who are all very diverse but worked great together as a team. The ending tied up nicely but I hope Dunstall plans to write more in this world, as there’s still so much to explore! And in the meantime, I plan to check out their back-list! I highly recommend Stars Uncharted, for Sci-Fi fan and those who want to read Sci-Fi but haven’t taken the plunge yet; this book would be a great place to start!

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

Title: Empire of Silence
Author: Christopher Ruocchio 
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Sun Eater # 1

Hardcover, 612 Pages
Publication: July 3, 2018 by Daw Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.

It was not his war.

The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives--even the Emperor himself--against Imperial orders.

But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.

On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.

Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.

I’m not an enthusiastic reader of Science Fiction, although I watch plenty of Sci-Fi movies and televisions. But that’s because there hasn’t been a Science Fiction novel that captured my attention…that is until I read Empire of Silence. Empire of Silence was more than just a Science Fiction novel, it’s a novel about a man’s journey and struggle to find out who he is and who he wants to be, about life, war, political, family and friends. It multifaceted, complex and beautifully written. Many reviewers stated that this is an epic Science Fiction Space Opera, a genre I’m not too familiar with but what I can definitely say is this book is impressive and well written and executed. This is a whopper of a book and one would think a book this size would be intimidating with over 600 pages but by the time you start and finish Empire of Silence; you’d wish there was another 600 pages!

Empire of Silence is written in a style I’ve never encountered before. It’s written like an autobiography narrated by a future Hadrian and Hadrian in the present. It was different, unique and I loved it. Readers are taken on a space adventure as we see young Hadrian, a noble on Delos, Hadrian on the run and living in poverty on a foreign planet light years away, as a fighter in the coliseum, a prisoner in a gilded cage to Hadrian on the cusp of greatness or destruction…or both. But it wasn't always fun and games. Ruocchio also painted a cruel, unforgiving and dreary world. Where nothing is as it seems and there are monsters, because where would a story be without monsters? Except they don’t come in the form of some alien species nine feet tall or with talons and razor sharp teeth. But are made flesh and bone like us dear readers.

The characters and world-building were both well-crafted, developed and rich. The way that Ruocchio described things down to the most minute details showed the great care he had for his characters, with the world being a secondary character itself. I can imagine myself on Delos with the red and black imperial colors in the flag billowing in the wind to the hot days and nights in the slum of Emesh. Hadrian was a great flawed characters and I loved seeing his transformation over the course of the book. After reading the first page I knew I was going to enjoy this book and narrative. Hadrian did terrible things, or to be more accurate it’s the things that he didn’t do that made him terrible but yet I couldn’t help but want to learn more about him. He is by no means your typical lead, he never said he was a hero. He was just Hadrian, Had to his friends.

I absolutely loved Empire of Silence. I loved reading every minute of it, every page. With normal books, 600 pages would've been too much but for Empire of Silence it wasn't enough; and we were left with a cliffhanger! If you haven’t already read Empire of Silence then you need to go grab yourself a copy A.S.A.P. This is a 2018 debut you do not want to miss! I am already counting down the days until we get the sequel. Ruocchio is an emerging talented writer you’re going to want to watch out for and I can’t wait to see what he publishes next. 

Voyagers: Project Alpha by D.J. MacHale

Title: Project Alpha
Author: D.J. MacHale
Genre: Middle School, Sci-Fi
Series: Voyagers #1

Hardcover, 224 pages
Publication: September 1, 2015 by Random House BFYR

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Earth is about to go dark. Without a new power source, life as we know it will be toast. A global competition is under way to determine who will join the secret mission that might just save us all. Project Alpha is a contest of physical challenges, mental puzzles, and political alliances.

The battle is fierce, and only four kids will make the cut. The Voyagers will journey to the far reaches of space, collecting unique elements and facing unbelievable dangers;The future of our planet is in the hands of four kids. Sure, they’ll be the best in the world . . . but can they save the world?

I’ve recently started reading more middle grade fiction because I really enjoy all the books aimed within that audience age group. And Voyagers: Project Alpha is no exception. Project Alpha focuses on a group of twelve-year-olds who volunteer to help find a new energy/fuel source for Earth. Readers follow along as the children compete against each other for one in four spots on Team Alpha. Team Alpha's first mission is to retrieve 1 of 6 ingredients needed to create 'the source' (energy to power Earth) and the first ingredient is on an alien planet where dinosaurs aren’t extinct!

I am definitely not within the age group for Project Alpha but I had so much fun reading it! Voyagers is the first of a six book multiplatform series and it is unlike anything I’ve ever experience. The series will be published within the year, each book written by a different blockbuster/Best Selling author. Not only are we experiencing the story and characters by reading the book, but there is also an interactive site in which readers can log on and explore the missions, check out the alien planets, solve codes (hidden within the book) to unlock special messages/information, and even design your own ZRK Commander (Steam)! This is probably the best idea I’ve ever seen aimed at middle-grade readers, and I know a lot of kids will love it especially in this tech-savvy era (My niece and nephew who are age 5 & 7…know way more about computers than I did at that age!).

The whole plot with children being the savor of man-kind isn’t anything new really, but nonetheless, I found the characters and action-packed plot entertaining. While the characters were pretty well-written, with the length of the book I hope that in subsequent books the characters will be more fleshed out so we can get to know them better. I loved that there was action from start to finish. My favorite part of the book is probably the competition and training. If I had to compare this book to another, it’d be Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the movie not the book (since I've only seen the movie) but I loved it. Project Alpha reminded me a lot of the movie, which isn’t a bad thing. Overall, Project Alpha was a great start to a new series. MacHale did a wonderful job setting the stage for the entire series and I can’t wait to read more of it!