I give this book five out of five stars. This is a wonderful collection of shorts, with each one posing a few new and some old questions on immortality. Is living eternal a goal or a debasement of the meaning of life? Will the change make human life better or render its beauty a perversion. I especially liked The Control, by: Will Swardstrom, The Backup, by: Patricia Gilliam, and A Severance of Souls, by: Drew Avera.
In The Control, I liked the action through historical events, and how the ancient alien concept was incorporated into the story. It was a great character arch to see the young mind of the protagonist fooled in the beginning, but growing over time to develop and find his free will. It was well paced and I was satisfied with the ending.
Patricia Gilliam’s The Backup, was a page turner. There were many interesting twists within just a few short pages, and I was quickly drawn into the story. I felt emotionally tied to unexpected deaths, and even the injury of the family pet. I want to know more about the assassins, pre programed weapons, and the motivation behind it all.
Drew Avera’s A Severance of Souls, I think hit on one of the key aspects of immortality: Is it worth having if we are alone? Is it better to face an end with people you love, than run after the laurels and achievements of work pursuits?
Rememorations, by: Paul B. Kohler, was another story that stood out. Memory and the human brain is still something scientists are working to understand. How would massive memory loss affect our present life? I liked this exploration of what would happen if part of our history were taken away? Would reoccurring memory loss be a worthy cost to becoming immortal? I’m not a fan of multiple flashbacks as a narrative, but I enjoyed how they were used in this story. It was appropriate for the decision making process presented to the protagonist.
Overall they were all well done, with a variety of voices and styles providing lots of ideas and questions to ponder. Book Review: Sojourners (Farpointe Initiative Book Two) by: Aaron Hubble
I give this book four out of five stars for its characters, world building, and vivid battle scenes. This is the first full novel in Aaron Hubbles Farpointe Initiative series, following a group of Aereas native’s as they navigate the wilderness to seek refuge from an unknown attacking force. Questions from the first book are answered only to pull you in deeper into the story as a series of new mysteries are presented.
What I liked about this book:
1) Characters, protagonists, supporting, and antagonists, I liked them all. I found myself engaged in the story even more by the mysteries surrounding the female cyborg pilot, wondering if the native who walked out of the ruined city with a crossbow was a spy, and curious to learn what happened to Berit’s family.
2) The speculative ideas. I liked learning about the antagonist and seeing human nature’s dark side. What happens when population embraces peace and rejects the need for self-defense? What happens when a population has a choice between hardship or joining a militant force with guarantees of life’s essentials and more? I was as intrigued with what happened on earth as I was with the story unfolding on Aereas.
3) The Narrative Style. The struggles the group of survivors encounter on a long cross-country trek were legitimate and well thought out. Finding out if the group would reach their destination held my interest, and the answers were rewarding and blew my expectations apart. Each of the battle scenes, with native animals, and then the attacking force were well paced and well done.
Overall a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more in this series. The book is free to subscribers to Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.
Book Review: Ash (Farpointe Initiative Book One) by: Aaron Hubble
I give this book five out of five stars for its breakneck pacing while binding me to the characters, providing details of a foreign planet, and vivid scenes of an attacking force. This is a short read that offers an amazing first look at the world of Aereas. A once war torn planet has lived in peace for five hundred years. Hubble pulls no punches when he tells the story of wars return to Aereas.
What I loved about this book:
1) Characters, I was rooting and morning for each one encountered. I went back and counted the number of paragraphs it took to bind me to Berit. Three, I was attached to her character in three paragraphs. Well done Hubble, very well done.
2) The Pacing, it was spot on. We are given enough calm before the storm, to meet the protagonists, enjoy the new world, and then freak out when the first bombs arrive.
3) Strong Narrative Style. The visual descriptions were lovely. The beautiful moments and the heart wrenching ones were captured. The cultural and world building details were scattered throughout the read, and not dumped in long paragraphs.
Overall it was a great start to a series and I look forward to reading more about the unfolding conflict. This book is currently free on Amazon. You can find out more about author Aaron Hubble on his website HERE.
Recent Comments