Review: Hullmetal Girls

Title: Hullmetal Girls
Author: Emily Skrutskie
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Published: 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2.5/5

Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor's salary isn't enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother.

Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she's from the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. If she can make it through the training, she might have a shot at recovering her missing past.

In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement, Aisha's and Key's paths collide, and the two must learn to work together--a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintain unity.

With violence brewing and dark secrets surfacing, Aisha and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties. They will have to put aside their differences, though, if they want to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.

While I remain a big fan of this author and her apparently boundless and horrific imagination (that's a compliment, trust me) I found Hullmetal Girls to be maybe 2.5 stars out of 5 if I am being lenient. Maybe. I have to admit that I am disappointed by the lackluster effort that is her third novel. I expect big things from the mind behind The Abyss Surrounds Us and while this book has more than a few good ideas and a few clever science fiction angles, the messy execution of them makes it hard to stick around, much less immerse myself in Key and Aisha's POVs. 

This is a standalone so I understand the author didn't have the time of say her earlier duology to frame and fill her imagined world/starships, but there are many questions left about how the districts work; some subplots are woven into the gaps of the information but overall it's a patchy framework from which to hang a story. The setup of this space-dystopia is also unfailingly familiar to anyone whose read even just the Hunger Games. Skrutskie is usually brimming with originality and flair -- and while the second talent is on display with things like the Scela system, the "rich and poor numbered district' left much to be desired.

The worldbuilding is sink or swim when it comes to the hard scifi (and then comes the body horror, be prepared), but without enough information provided and the POVs felt indistinguishable. There is a definite uptick after about 65% in -- the story makes up somewhat for lost time by the end but it's not enough to entirely compensate. It takes a long time for basic details of Key and Aisha's life to be understood -- how the Scela work, what their function is within the ships, what the General Body means and how it ties into the story. It's clumsily rendered and often too late; I finished the novel because I was intrigued in one of the plots, but not due to any attachment to the characters themselves.

A swing and a miss for Skrutskie's third at bat, but I'll definitely be checking out her fourth.

 

Two Minute Review: Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

Title: Only Human
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Genre: science fiction
Series: Themis Files #3
Pages: 352
Published: May 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3/5

We always thought the biggest threat to humanity would come from the outside.

We were wrong.

As the human race picks up the pieces of destruction left behind, a new world order emerges. New alliances are formed. Old divisions are strengthened. And, with a power struggle fuelled by the threat of mutually assured destruction, nothing is certain.

At a time when the world's nations should have been coming together, they have never been more divided.

With the human race teetering on the brink of total war, Rose, Vincent and Eva must choose sides. But doing the right thing might mean making the ultimate sacrifice. 

Hmmm... I hate to damn with fain praise but this is a very lukewarm three stars. This is one novel that needed to sit and sink in before I was entirely sure how I felt about it. It's obvious that Sylvain Neuvel never does what you think he is going to -- or even what he might possibly do. He heads in entirely new directions with each successive novel, but I can't say that it worked very well for me in this last of his humans-meet-aliens trilogy. The first novel was an unparalleled success but neither of the followups matched that original level of imagination meets execution.

For a finale, specially for a series like this -- one that has been so creative and unpredictable... this was kind of underwhelming, I am not going to lie. This series started out so strongly and then.. kinda petered out more and more with both sequels. They each weren't bad taken on their own merit, but both Waking Gods a year ago and Only Human now definitely didn't have the vision and creativity of Sleeping Giants.

Book Tour Review: Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza

Title: Blood of a Thousand Stars
Author: Rhoda Belleza
Genre: science fiction
Series: Empress of a Thousand Skies #2
Pages: 344
Published: expected February 20 2018
Source: ARC from publishers for review
Rating: 4/5

Empress 

With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown.


Fugitive 
Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home.

Princess 
Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was.

Madman 

Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy.

Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.

The second book in Rhoda Belleza's politics and revenge-driven YA science fiction series, Blood of a Thousand Stars offers more of what made the first so much fun: fast-paced action, interesting characters of diverse backgrounds, clever plots, and general mayhem in space.  This time around the stakes are higher and the plots are thicker, the villain more devious -- the author pulls no punches with her sophomore offering. Galactic war threatens everyone and everything, and the Ta'an sisters and their allies have to scramble to find their place in everything and try to stop a tyrant.

Empress of a Thousand Skies was undoubtedly Rhiannon's story, and Blood of a Thousand Stars belongs to Kara/Josselyn's struggle and evolution. While there are still three pivotal rotating POVs --  this time: Kara, Rhee, and Alyosha -- it is Kara that dominates the narrative. Hers is the POV that stood out the most because her choices are the most crucial to the plot of the novel. The other characters have become steadily more real and defined people over the course of both books, and they again play essential roles, but Kara remains the linchpin of the narrative. Rhiannon is a strong supporting main character; she still grows and learns about herself; Alyosha finds himself once again in unexpected but dire straits and complements Kara in more ways than one.

Belleza features a lot of action and assassination attempts and political maneuvering in her second novel. There are some high stakes and high adventures as each character fights -- for the throne, for their people, for themselves. At times the pacing of essential scenes can feel almost frenetic; with a lot happening and different narrators covering various events, it can be confusing to keep straight. There can be clarity issues when it comes to the fight scenes, especially, but it's an improvement from the same situation in book one. There also is a third-act plot reveal which feels like a bit of a retcon from key events that took place  in Empress of a Thousand Skies -- <spoiler>now Veyron is revealed as loyal and his ill-fated assassination attemped was timed perfectly so Dahlen would save Rhee? But then who would have saved Julian from Nero because Rhee was alive?....</spoiler>  -- but tied in neatly with how Julian was involved in this book's plot. I'm not sure it entirely works but I did appreciate how Julian complicated Rhiannon's narrative and made her reflect on her past choices and actions.

While there is still room and space in this galaxy to explore further stories, there is a definite feel of finality to at least this particular arc of Kara and Rhee's stories. There's bittersweet resolution that fits the harsh events that preceded it. Blood of a Thousand Stars was quickly-moving and and engaging; it may be on the lighter side of scifi but doesn't lack for imagination or for a death toll. The plotting could use a little more finesse, the universe feels a tad bit small (why are all these journeys over so fast? Space is huge!) but overall, a surprising and entertaining sequel and an improvement on its predecessor.

Two Minute Review: The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett

Title: The Space Between the Stars
Author: Anne Corlett
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 368
Published: June 13 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2/5

In a breathtakingly vivid and emotionally gripping debut novel, one woman must confront the emptiness in the universe—and in her own heart—when a devastating virus reduces most of humanity to dust and memories.

All Jamie Allenby ever wanted was space. Even though she wasn’t forced to emigrate from Earth, she willingly left the overpopulated, claustrophobic planet. And when a long relationship devolved into silence and suffocating sadness, she found work on a frontier world on the edges of civilization. Then the virus hit...

Now Jamie finds herself dreadfully alone, with all that’s left of the dead. Until a garbled message from Earth gives her hope that someone from her past might still be alive.

Soon Jamie finds other survivors, and their ragtag group will travel through the vast reaches of space, drawn to the promise of a new beginning on Earth. But their dream will pit them against those desperately clinging to the old ways. And Jamie’s own journey home will help her close the distance between who she has become and who she is meant to be... 

Two stars, according to the official scale of Goodreads, means "it was okay." That's.... pretty much how I feel about The Space Between the Stars and that's being pretty generous. 

Despite an impressive summary and good start this novel quickly emerges as exceedingly average when it wasn't being preachingly pedantic. There are some good bones and good ideas in Anne Corlett's odd science fiction tale, but they do tend to get lost in the morass and the dull nature of the narration. The main character is hard to invest in or to even generally care about; I don't need to like a character but I do need to be interested in their story. That was not the case with Jamie. She's whiny and spoiled; instead of rooting for her it's more likely to go the opposite way.

The main thing The Space Between the Stars has going for it is the plot's framework. It's an interesting plot and though Corlett doesn't do all she could with the premise, there are a few decent plot reveals and resolutions. It's not enough to compensate for the utter lack of character charisma but it does make the novel at least palatable enough to finish.

Review: Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

Title: Waking Gods
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Genre: science fiction
Series: Themis Files #2
Pages: 320
Published: April 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5

In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel’s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward.

As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars.  

I seem to be in the minority but I enjoyed Waking Gods less than Sleeping Giants. I really loved the first novel from Sylvain Neuvel; I could hardly even believe that this whirl of science and space and aliens was a debut novel. The dossier style, the ambitious plotting, the unnamed central figure operating from the shadows and from center stage.. it just worked so very well. A uniquely fun and forebodingly good experience. The twists and turns of the plot, the way the characters complicated and entwined lives coalesced.. it built so well into a great story. The ending? THE ENDING. Flabbergastingly good. But perhaps that was just a bit much for Waking Gods to live up to a year later.

There is still some seriously clever stuff going on here in Neuvel's sophomore effort, and also some very fun stuff -- Neuvel is a very creative and original talent when it comes to subverting and fullfilling science fiction tropes -- but the heart of it, the emotional investment I had with Kara, Vincent, Our Friend, Rose --- had nowhere to land here in Waking Gods. The inclusion of some new characters was a strong start but they lacked the definition really needed to invest and never got the screen time to become more dynamic. Even the familiar characters from before that appear had an emotional disconnect the second time around.

But I seem to be the baaa baaa black sheep for this anticipated sequel. I liked Waking Gods. It was.. good. I was entertained and appreciated the twists of the plot. But I didn’t love it. I didn’t have the emotional connection to the story or to the characters within it. I though it a bit.. rushed and over-complicated, with clarity issues in the writing. I appreciated the good points enough to continue and finish, but overall was mildly disappointed. Even the character deaths left me unemotional. However, this ending is impossible to ignore or forget, as was the gamechanger ending of Sleeping Giants. Though Neuvel's most recent effort was not a perfect read, it cannot be denied that the man is a master at ending his books with a memorable bang.

Blog Tour Review: Shattered Warrior by Sharon Shinn

Title: Shattered Warrior
Author: Sharon Shinn
Illustrator: Molly Knox Ostertag
Genre: post-apocalyptic
Series: Untitled #1
Pages: 256
Published: May 16 2017
Source: from publisher for review
Rating: 3.75/5

Bestselling fantasy author Sharon Shinn delivers a gripping science fiction adventure with a sweeping romance at its heart.

It is ten years after Colleen Cavanaugh's home world was invaded by the Derichets, a tyrannical alien race bent on exploiting the planet's mineral resources.

Most of her family died in the war, and she now lives alone in the city. Aside from her acquaintances at the factory where she toils for the Derichets, Colleen makes a single friend in Jann, a member of the violent group of rebels known as the Chromatti. One day Colleen receives shocking news: her niece Lucy is alive and in need of her help. Together, Colleen, Jann, and Lucy create their own tenuous family.

But Colleen must decide if it's worth risking all of their survival to join a growing underground revolution against the Derichets.

It's strange to consider that just about a year ago I had never read a Sharon Shinn novel and now I seek out anything she's worked on. Graphic novels are somewhat of a new media for me, but Shinn's lively tale of aliens and rebellion paired with Molly Knox Ostertag's unique and sharp art for a quick, entertaining read.

This is the first such graphic novel from an established and prolific author. Though Shinn's experimenting with a new genre, staples and trademarks of her fantasy and romance past are evident in Shattered Warrior's pages. The classic flair for worldbuilding and imagination I expect from this author is evident, though simplified and condensed to fit. I do think her style is a bit hampered by the necessary brevity for dialogue and character development in this type of storytelling. There's just not enough time and/or pages to fully develop the side characters' various personalities or the Derichet antagonists into more than one-note villains. The novel itself is 256 pages and because of that, the plot can skip along easily from plot point to plot point for lack of time to develop it further.

Shattered Warrior is centered around the character of Colleen Cavenaugh, a former heiress who lost much more than her wealth and influence when society fell to alien invaders and war. The loss of her family, friends, and even country has left her a shadow of the person she was before. But her story is a study in character evolution; she is far from static. Colleen grows and changes, makes mistakes through her success and failures. She feels like a real person. And though she may start out shattered, piece by piece Colleen begins fix herself. First she finds her drive to life, then her anger and her bravery return to her. Shattered Warrior is about Colleen fighting for her found family and her world, but first she has to fight her own self-doubt and depression. Her battles over the course of the series' first graphic novel are mental and emotional as well as physical.

Despite the fact I wanted a little more meat to the plot-bone, Shattered Warrior is the first in a series sure to engage and entertain readers. Though the general storyline may not be the most original for scifi, it succeeds on the multiple other strengths present in its pages. Colleen shines the most as the main character, but others in the cast are sure to sink their claws in, emotionally speaking. Shattered Warrior is a quick, clever, enjoyable, and suitably dark look at an Earth invaded and controlled by an alien cat-like species. Molly Knox Ostertag's illustations are bright and interesting - her version of the future is uniquely her own and fun to look at. It's easy and fast to get caught up in the story being told by both Shinn and Ostertag in their first effort together.

Review: The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Title: The Love Interest
Author: Cale Dietrich
Genre: science fiction, contemporary
Series: N/A
Pages: 384
Published: expected May 16 2017
Source: ARC via publisher
Rating: 3/5

There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.

Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?

Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.

What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.

The Love Interest is a pretty readable blend of contemporary and science fiction for YA audiences, but I am not entirely sure that it's good. I had fun reading it at times, but the problems are not negligible and build throughout the nearly four hundred pages. Engaging as it sometimes could be to watch surgically-perfected Caden and Dylan battle murderous robots (literally) and each other (metaphorically), it has to be to noted that the worldbuilding is slim and what is there is nonsensical (how do the people at LIC know what a teen girl/boy is attracted to? Or that they will be geniuses or presidents or Olympic athletes? Or even what gender(s) they are attracted to? Why is hetero the only focus when more and more youth are identifying as LGBTQIA?) or even self-contradictory (Caden says he had no name before the assignment to Juliet but while at LIC he mentions other guys with names like Robert etc?). This is the barely-there-details science fiction kind of story that requires a healthy suspension of disbelief to finish.

Outside of the less than substantial worldbuilding shown for this scifi story, I wanted more depth and emotion from the characters themselves. The basic premise makes it easy to set up star-crossed romances between the various characters, so I was sad to see that Juliet, Caden, and Dylan are all rather broadly and bluntly-drawn. They each felt like the trope they were supposed to be subverting; instead of really being the protagonist of his own story, Caden often felt like a side character. Juliet and Natalie were good additions, as was Trevor, but they too needed more definition and dimension. And while I wanted more from him personally, [it's pretty obvious that Caden is gay and I appreciated that it wasn't a bait-and-switch situation. There's some sneakiness to the relationship but the main romance - the REAL romance, since it's not on order of death --  is between two  teen guys.]

There is some inventiveness to the overall plot and The Love Interest is driven far more by its action and suspense than by its characters.  I am pretty sure most teens are smart enough to see through this and predict not only the twist but the outcome. I liked Caden enough - especially when he wants to stand up for himself and point out that his sexuality is not a plot point for another person - but he's milquetoast. Dylan is burnt milquetoast. Juliet has little on-page time that's not devoted to how she feels about the boys -- so she makes even less of an impression. The Love Interest had an interesting premise and refreshingly diverse romance but never quite met the potential for its plot or its characters.

Review: Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan

Title: Hold Back the Stars
Author: Katie Khan
Genre: science fiction, contemporary
Series: N/A
Pages: 305
Published: expected May 2017
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 4.75/5

A startling and evocative novel, harkening to both One Day and Gravity, a man and a woman revisit memories of their love affair on a utopian Earth while they are trapped in the vast void of space with only ninety minutes of oxygen left.

After the catastrophic destruction of the Middle East and the United States, Europe has become a utopia and, every three years, the European population must rotate into different multicultural communities, living as individuals responsible for their own actions. While living in this paradise, Max meets Carys and immediately feels a spark of attraction. He quickly realizes, however, that Carys is someone he might want to stay with long-term, which is impossible in this new world.

As their relationship plays out, the connections between their time on Earth and their present dilemma in space become clear. When their air ticks dangerously low, one is offered the chance of salvation—but who will take it? An original and daring exploration of the impact of first love and how the choices we make can change the fate of everyone around us, this is an unforgettable read.

Some stories stick with us because they feature big, memorable events and larger-than-life characters that are hard to forget. Some stories resonate because, though smaller in scope, they can capture the emotions and struggles we all endure over the course of our lives, even in extraordinary circumstances. Somehow Katie Khan's Hold Back the Stars manages to be both kinds of story at once, and in just over 300 pages. There are space disasters and relationship problems held in equal gravity; a world-threatening meter belt around Earth and first love are the two main complications for main characters Carys and Max.

Hold Back the Stars is a intricately-written and plotted story. On the whole, I loved this debut. It was fresh, clever, evocative, and an original way to frame a love story. A few very small nitpicks kept this from a full five-star rating (I read 300 pages of this book and still don't really get how the Voivodeship works? I get it's really just a framework for Carys and Max to fight against but it makes no sense to me? A utopia where everyone moves every three years? Who moves the belongings all the time? No one can be in a couple until they're in their late 30s? And no one challenged that before the third generation of the utopia? Anyway..... ) but this is a clever, engaging, and emotion-filled novel. It's thoughtful and creative in how it approaches the love story between Max and Carys; an unpredictable and harrowing read as the story alternates between Carys and Max's past on Earth and present in space.


The framework of Hold Back the Star's narrative is one told in alternating timelines. Jaunting between severe dilemmas in space for the present (the more science fiction end of the story) and the evolution of their relationship in Europia that lead up to their space mission, this book feels half like science fiction and half contemporary. It shouldn't work as well as it does with those different two genres, but Katie Khan keeps both halves of the story in balance as she unwinds the plot that connects the two realities. Max and Carys do a lot to dispel issues; both alone and together these are two well-developed and interesting people. They aren't perfect and neither is their love story, but watching them grow and evolve is worth an investment of time and emotion.

Bittersweet, clever, and introspective, Hold Back the Stars was a late but necessary addition to all my best-of lists for 2016. The unique way the story was written fits the plot and made for an excellent and entertaining read that satisfies both science fiction and romance cravings.

Series Review: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Titles: The Abyss Surrounds Us and The Edge of the Abyss

Author: Emily Skrutskie

Genre: science fiction

Pages: 273 & 296

Published: Feb 8 2016 & April 18 2017

Source: purchased & ARC from NetGalley

Ratings: 4/5

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.

With just these two monster-centric books, new author Emily Skrutskie has already made quite an impression. Though her novels are rather on the short side for science fiction at less than three hundred pages each, both contain so much plot and action and character development that not a page feels wasted or more needed. With its ambitious, clever imagination, complex and morally-grey characters, and the detailed world-building needed to back up a world balanced by seamonster fights, Skrutskie's ecologically-impaired version of the future is dynamic and original while still being a high-stakes and action-packed read.

Sea monsters and pirates and the battles between comprise the bulk of the series' action, plotting, and attention across the two books in this series. Through the main character of Cas, a headstrong teen girl first on the legit side of the monster vs pirates lines that define her world, and later on the lawless side, the book uses a first-person viewpoint to explore both sides of the central conflict. Cas's role over the course of both books is pivotal and evolves along the way, from the Reckoner trainer initially introduced in The Abyss Surrounds Us to the crewmember of the Minnow in The Edge of the Abyss. It's not an easy transition to handle and remain believable: from hostage to outsider to pirate, but Skrutskie's characterization has depth and takes the time to make Cas' changes feel organic for the character.

It's not only martial conflict that plagues Cas over the course of this duology. She has to contend with a barrage of emotional damage in a relatively short amount of time: distance from her family, living among a hostile crew, training a "little shit" of a Reckoner in stressful environs, a Captain who likes to play deadly mind games, and a love interest that may or may not betray her depending on the given day of the week. The romance between Cas and Swift is long-gestating and complicated. The seeds of their attraction are authentic and planted in the first novel, but thanks to a severe imbalance in power between the two, it is never cemented. By the events of the the second book, the girls are on more even terms but their relationship is now troubled by the actions of Swift in the past, her future as a pirate, and by Cas's own actions. 

Outside of the characters and character interactions, the world-building of The Abyss Surrounds Us as a series remains a high point. There's cool tech invented for the world's necessities and in-depth thought given to crafting the eco-systems of the NeoPacific. Skrutskie's premise and imagination are strong and she uses scientific principles to create additional suspense and tension. The plotting reflects the author's knowledge, and while both books are mostly well-developed, they can also fall prey to tropes and conveniences on occasion. This is particularly noticeable in book two when Santa Elena needs other pirates to recognize the danger of a Hellbeast and hark! ONE APPEARS JUST THEN and attacking CIVILIANS! The series may go for the easy answer from time to time to tie plotlines or characters together, but its the exception rather than the rule.

The Abyss Surrounds Us was an excellent introduction to the world of Cas, Swift, Santa Elena and the Reckoners; short but impactful, and very memorable. The Edge of the Abyss continued those good traits and then builds a new, relevant plot to end the duology. The effortlessly diverse cast is worth noting and commending as well. This post-apocalyptic tale has f/f relationships, women of color in positions of power, Cas herself is of an unspecified Asian descent, aaaand The main human villain is a mediocre white failed businessman. Very much recommended.

Blog Tour Review: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Title: The Collapsing Empire
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: science fiction
Series: Untitled #1
Pages: 336
Published: expected March 21 2017
Source: ARC via publisher
Rating: 4/5

The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe.

Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.

Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war -- and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.

Expansive in scope and stellar in its execution, John Scalzi's newest novel, the upcoming The Collapsing Empire, illustrates a version of humanity's diaspora future; one set in space, on various hostile planets, and in precarious far-flung systems, all ruled by a distant Emperox. Featuring an all new universe with its own detailed ruling systems, the concept of the time/space riverlike system called "The Flow", a cast of fresh and dynamic characters/antiheroes, brewing revolution, and oh yeah, also the dawn of the collapse of human civilization, there are a lot of moving parts in this shorter scifi novel. Scalzi is a veteran author and proved more than equal to the task of executing all the various elements into the solid world-building, taut plotting, and unique tech that make up his story.

From the mutinous start, The Collapsing Empire runs wild with its clever, apocalyptic premise. It and its central characters are broadly appealing though far-reaching; following a storyline more than creative and original enough to stand out in memory, it's hard not to be engaged and entertained even in the novel's quieter moments. The concept and use of The Flow to anchor the Interdependency is one of the strongest aspects of the novel. Utilizing and explaining it as a way to (believably) feature faster-than-light travel is a unique but understandable approach and also allows the author to showcase a universe of humans from disparate backgrounds and from various terrains. The author also uses this river-esque concept in important ways to affect the story and all the characters. It's the pivot on which the plot turns and Scalzi's astronomical invention is interesting, cool, and necessary all at the same time. 

If there was an area that didn't totally impress across the board, it was that the surrounding characters at times could feel hollow, or underdeveloped. There was an obvious and notable exception in the rarely-seen Vrenna, but by and large, the secondary cast is forgettable or interchangeable. The main characters of the novel (a scientist, an emperox and a starship captain) thankfully fared better and had more depth and personality. Kiva, especially, came to life and excelled at being anything she wanted. The Collapsing Empire featured two other people alongside Kiva as the other main characters: a scientist/Lord Marce and the newly-crowned Cardenia/Grayland II. Those two characters had plots that were more intertwined and political in nature, but though likeable and capable, they just didn't quite capture the charisma of their more... violently-inclined counterpart. 

All in all, this first new series offering more than makes for a good beginning. All the traditional hallmark Scalzi qualities are there: smart, inventive, actiontastic, peppered with wry/sardonic humor. The Collapsing Empire establishes the universe and the players; the board is set and ready for round two. The ending here is rather frustratingly open-ended, though it also leaves plenty of room for exploration and continuance of various plot lines in the forthcoming next book.

Two Minute Review: The Hangman's Daughter by Gavin Smith

Title: The Hangman's Daughter
Author: Gavin Smith
Genre: science fiction
Series: The Bastard Legion #1
Pages: 336
Published: January 26 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 1.5/5

Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and "rehabilitated" in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Storrow, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman's Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska's own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?

Does this not sound AWESOME? I love the idea of it so much. I mean --- an unrepentant anti-heroine uses criminals to be her own army and if they disobery she blows their heads off? LITERALLY? I mean sure the whole "indentured" part is beyond messed up but that sounds like a helluva draw for a science fiction story. There's a large scope to this story that appeals, even if the execution is not up to meeting the challenge. The Hangman's Daughter launches a series that is dark and different and has so much potential....

Which is why it's such a shame that The Hangman's Daughter can't live up to its own synopsis. This is a messy, jumbled narrative -- clarity issues abound, character dialogue is clunky, and the storyline's pacing is all over the place. I can take the high levels of violence, I can take characters I don't like -- but I have to have something connecting me to the story. There was none of that personal investment here. There's violence for violence's sake and a thin plot that never really coalesces into anything meaningful. Disappointing enough to turn me off trying the rest of the series, The Hangman's Daughter is a forgettable mess.

Review: Shadow Run by AdriAnne Strickland & Michael Miller

Title: Shadow Run
Author: AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Moore
Genre: science fiction
Series: Kaitan Chronicles #1
Pages: 400
Published: expected March 21 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 4/5

"Firefly" meets DUNE in this action-packed sci-fi adventure about a close-knit, found family of a crew navigating a galaxy of political intrigue and resource-driven power games.

Nev has just joined the crew of the starship Kaitan Heritage as the cargo loader. His captain, Qole, is the youngest-ever person to command her own ship, but she brooks no argument from her crew of orphans, fugitives, and con men. Nev can’t resist her, even if her ship is an antique.

As for Nev, he’s a prince, in hiding on the ship. He believes Qole holds the key to changing galactic civilization, and when her cooperation proves difficult to obtain, Nev resolves to get her to his home planet by any means necessary.

But before they know it, a rival royal family is after Qole too, and they’re more interested in stealing her abilities than in keeping her alive.

Nev’s mission to manipulate Qole becomes one to save her, and to survive, she’ll have to trust her would-be kidnapper. He may be royalty, but Qole is discovering a deep reservoir of power—and stars have mercy on whoever tries to hurt her ship or her crew.

There is a lot to enjoy about Shadow Run. A co-authored YA science fiction novel, this high-octane read spans galaxies and stellar empires with an intense and relentless plot. With plenty of room to play and imagination to burn, the two collaborating authors of Michael Miller and AdriAnne Strickland have created an action-filled scifi adventure with MURDER DRONES IN SPACE and so much more to make those pages fly. Fast-paced, action-filled, and teeming with cool ideas and interesting characters, Shadow Run is just plain fun entertainment.

Told in strong and distinct alternating POVs, Miller and Strickland use their two main narrating characters to complement, contrast, and challenge each other. Shadow Run follows the escapades of Qole, a young starship captain eking out survival on an unforgiving planet and Nev, the newest addition to the Kaitain Heritage's crew. Qole and Nev are thrown together under some stressful circumstances and must learn to work together or face merciless forces and enemies; their relationship's progress is fraught at times but authentic. They are both well-defined and rounded characters on their own, but together they have an easy chemistry that lends well to establishing a growing attraction between them.

Characters are well-drawn across the board in this series beginner, but the members of Qole's crew are particularly lifelike and get more time and attention to develop. Each crewmate has a pivotal impact on the plot and come into play neatly. From Basra, the gender fluid crew member to Telu the underage female hacker, they each have unique personality and personal dynamism that makes the group stand out. I also loved how much of a nonfactor Basra's gender fluidity was to the story and to the other characters -- some days Basra is female and some days he is male. It's treated as a matter of fact -- just a part of life, as much as gravity or Shadow or Qole's unique Shadow capabilities.

There are some cool and imaginative scifi ideas being introduced and explored in Shadow Run's universe. The eponymous Shadow angle -- a new idea for a power source [for people too!] and also neatly ties in a few plot threads, allowing for some clever plotting down the line. I am less impressed with the world building established for how humanity functions in a stellar diaspora when it comes to the Emperor/Kings rule of law. The way the interconnected governments/families function need to be explained more, or better, in future novels, especially if the ending of Shadow Run foretells further imperial involvement in the series overall plot.

Though the comparisons to Dune (which is more of an ecological SF than a space-faring action adventure) and Firefly (found family feels!) are a bit of a stretch, Shadow Run is a fun, fast, exciting SF jaunt.

Review: Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

Title: Nowhere Near You
Author: Leah Thomas
Genre: contemporary, science fiction
Series: Because You'll Never Meet Me #2
Pages: 400
Published: expected February 14 2017
Source: ARC from publishers for review
Rating: 4/5

Ollie and Moritz might never meet, but their friendship knows no bounds. Their letters carry on as Ollie embarks on his first road trip away from the woods--no easy feat for a boy allergic to electricity--and Moritz decides which new school would best suit an eyeless boy who prefers to be alone.

Along the way they meet other teens like them, other products of strange science who lead seemingly normal lives in ways Ollie and Moritz never imagined possible: A boy who jokes about his atypical skeleton; an aspiring actress who hides a strange deformity; a track star whose abnormal heart propels her to victory. Suddenly the future feels wide open for two former hermits. But even as Ollie and Moritz dare to enjoy life, they can't escape their past, which threatens to destroy any progress they've made. Can these boys ever find their place in a world that might never understand them?

The second in Leah Thomas' light scifi/contemporary YA series, Nowhere Near You is a fantastic return to form and to the complex, odd, fascinating lives of Ollie, Moritz, and their various supporting characters, both the old and the newly introduced. The boisterous and irrepressible Ollie has had his world changed drastically since the events of Because You'll Never Meet Me and so too has the more reticent and recalcitrant Moritz. Both teens are still different, trying to adapt to a world not suited to them, and their long-distance friendship is tested and strengthened as the boys mature and form other emotional bonds in their travels. Their epistolary friendship is once again rendered in the various letters between them, showcasing how they complement and contrast with one another.

The science fiction element introduced rather late in book one feels more natural here, now that it's given time to evolve and integrate with the characters themselves. Nowhere Near You is definitely a light science fiction story -- there's not much more detail given about why the various Blunderkids are the way they are (like... was Molly born with two mouths? Was it surgery? How?) other than what was said previously in Because You'll Never Meet Me. Despite the lack of concrete information, the various abilities/attributes mentioned or shown by the secondary characters are interesting, often read as real-world allusions (Molly's second mouth being reminiscent of a teen girl's internal self-doubt, etc.) and unique to this author/series. I was hoping for more conclusions or finality along the lines of the other Blunderkids, but Thomas left most open-ended.

The letters between Ollie and Moritz are vibrant, visual, and burst with the individual voices of the two main characters. Ollie still has a way of practically leaping off the page, but his larger-than-life personality and verbosity is more multifaceted and mature than it has been in the past. He's still excitable but Ollie is more capable than he might appear. His story has always been a difficult one, as have all the Blunderkids, and Ollie's relentless cheer is one of the ways he fights his own darkness. Moritz too has grown and changed over the course of their friendship. Clever, Germanically-dour, and loyal, Moritz has become much more open to life than in book one. These two characters are good for each other: they challenge one another and cheer for each other.

Nowhere Near You is a contemplative contemporary novel. It can feel a tad over-extended at times in its 400 pages, but the last chapter is so emotionally rewarding it's hard to notice or really care. Most of the storylines are left rather open-ended, but despite that it's such a satisfying, hits-on-all-feels novel. The memorable, unique characters in these two books are realistic despite their unusual abilities. From Ollie to Moritz to Owen to Fieke -- they are impossible to not care about. This is a series that will creep up on you.

Review: The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley

Title: The Stars Are Legion
Author: Kameron Hurley
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 400
Published: expected February 7 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.75/5

Somewhere on the outer rim of the universe, a mass of decaying world-ships known as the Legion is traveling in the seams between the stars. For generations, a war for control of the Legion has been waged, with no clear resolution. As worlds continue to die, a desperate plan is put into motion.

Zan wakes with no memory, prisoner of a people who say they are her family. She is told she is their salvation - the only person capable of boarding the Mokshi, a world-ship with the power to leave the Legion. But Zan's new family is not the only one desperate to gain control of the prized ship. Zan finds that she must choose sides in a genocidal campaign that will take her from the edges of the Legion's gravity well to the very belly of the world.

Zan will soon learn that she carries the seeds of the Legion's destruction - and its possible salvation. But can she and her ragtag band of followers survive the horrors of the Legion and its people long enough to deliver it?

In the tradition of The Fall of Hyperion and Dune, The Stars are Legion is an epic and thrilling tale about tragic love, revenge, and war as imagined by one of the genre's most celebrated new writers.

There are a couple science fiction writers out there that reviewers and fans liked to call "the New Weird" in the nineties and early 2000s. Though that term's fallen out of use, author Kameron Hurley is a surefire fit into that niche with her new nonfantasy novel due to come out in early February. The Stars Are Legion is a book that's wildly creative, completely unique, and unarguably very, very weird in a genre often known for just those attributes. There are a lot of cool, fun, or just plain odd ideas permeating every layer and culture of this totally, 100% all-female space opera, and while some of those new concepts are better explained and thus easier to grasp than others, it's a pretty well envisioned and developed universe. 

The depth of the world and its many unique cultures is impressive, especially considering that The Stars Are Legion is a standalone effort. Hurley builds her universe and its imperiled tentacled worlds (see? Already weird) with both intricacy and inventiveness; she uses the entire four hundred available pages to expand and show the imagination and originality behind Zan and Jayd's world and their own entangled history. There's a lot of background information that helps to illustrate how everything functions or how the families operate in this mad universe, but some of the story's finer points can have clarity issues during the big scenes. And honestly, some of the novel is just so weirdly described it's hard to wrap your head around it, (The whole... women giving birth to whatever part [???] the ship needs? ARE THE SHIPS ALIVE? What's the substance covering the metal? I still have so many questions....) even for readers with a very agile suspension of disbelief.

The secret at the heart of Zan and Jay'd intertwined tale is intricate and hard to predict; it also provides most of the motivation for both of the POV characters. I loved the unforeseeable nature of how their plot developed, though it hinged on one of my least favorite plot points: characters acting secretively about pivotal information because it's "better" for the main character to not know. I will say despite that, Hurley pulls that narrative angle off rather well. She keeps her characters complicated enough to compel interest; there's more to all of these women, even the antagonists, than what is immediately seen. Zan may not know her own history to start and everyone else is keeping their secrets, but the action and mystery keep the plot moving, as does Zan's own irrepressible drive to figure out the truth for herself.
 
The lingering questions left by the novel's end are small issues by themselves, but there are a few too many to not mention. The sheer amount of creativity and imagination at work is obvious and two of the best elements about The Stars Are Legion, but the lack of clarity or explanation does detract from the novel's overall appeal. The adventure level is high (Space battles! Planetary exploration! Trash monsters!) but the pacing is a bit uneven -- Zan's plotline just after about midway stalls for several chapters. Some of Jayd's storyline is redundant and unnecessarily drawn out. Still, these are small issues in the face of so much more awesome (did I say there's no men? None. Zero. Not. Even. An. Offhand. Mention.) A unique and strange, fun book, I can say that The Stars Are Legion is definitely one I won't forget.

 

Book Tour Review: Martians Aboard by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Martians Abroad
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 288
Published: January 17 2017
Source: ARC from publishers for review
Rating: 3/5

Polly Newton has one single-minded dream, to be a starship pilot and travel the galaxy. Her mother, the director of the Mars Colony, derails Polly's plans when she sends Polly and her genius twin brother, Charles, to Galileo Academy on Earth—the one planet Polly has no desire to visit. Ever.

Homesick and cut off from her desired future, Polly cannot seem to fit into the constraints of life on Earth, unlike Charles, who deftly maneuvers around people and sees through their behavior to their true motives. Strange, unexplained, dangerous coincidences centered on their high-profile classmates begin piling up. Charles may be right—there's more going on than would appear, and the stakes are high. With the help of Charles, Polly is determined to find the truth, no matter the cost. 

Carrie Vaughn's newest young adult novel is this short but detailed science fiction story/retelling. Updating and altering the premise from the 1960's classic YA novel Podkayne of Mars by Robert Heinlein, Martians Abroad tells the outsider tale of Polly Newton, a Martian-born human journeying to Earth for the first time in her fifteen years. Most science fiction tends to explore the stories of people leaving (or having already long left) Earth for parts unknown, but this standalone imagines the opposite scenario for Polly and her twin brother. Sent away from Mars and Colony One by their ambitious and politically-motivated mother, the siblings face a myriad of issues in a relatively short amount of time: Earth-centric culture shock, mysterious accidents, conspiracies, etc.

Polly narrates and identifies as an outsider, literally and figuratively. Her story is distinct and memorable largely because of the unique and strongly-held views she has on other humans/schoolmates and about the Earth itself. Through Polly, and to a much smaller extent her brother Charles, humanity's ancestral home is viewed as an (often hostile) alien world, full of unknown dangers. This reversal of the usual narrative makes for a fresh plotline; Polly's disbelief at the realities home world (large carnivores! parasitic bugs drinking blood!) is sometimes hilarious, and sometimes thoughtful ("As much as space liked to think it, Earth wasn't totally safe. It's just a different kind of dangerous." "Sure, space would kill you given half a chance, but nobody talked about the millions of ways Earth was constantly trying to kill people.") but always uniquely hers.

The main strengths of Martians Abroad lies in its creative imagination, its unique premise, and in Polly herself. The other characters shown, even her own Martian-born twin, are noticeably much less developed in nature. Charles is deliberately and voluntarily held apart from the rest at their military/boarding school, but even the other cadets Polly is friendly with don't get a lot of characterization or much personality. The various antagonists or competitors that Polly faces manage to be a bit more intriguing and add new interest to the story. They at least have agency, though some of the novel's plotlines end too easily and predictably.

This is a rather short book and it manages to quickly cover a lot within those just-under three hundred pages. Some elements of the plot are executed better than others but Martians Abroad is fun; a creative and fresh take on a genre classic. It's ended up being a mixed bag overall; I liked Martians Abroad but a few issues kept me from loving it. The narration, though distinct and believable as a young teen, is also distant and remote. The secondary characters are unfortunately one-dimensional from start to finish. There's more to enjoy about this than otherwise, but it didn't create the emotion necessary to be a favorite.

Review & Giveaway: Dreadnought by April Daniels

Title: Dreadnought
Author: April Daniels
Genre: science fiction
Series: Nemesis #1
Pages: 276
Published: expected January 24 2017
Source: received an ARC from publishers for review
Rating: 4.5/5

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of the world's greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, she was trying to keep people from finding out she's transgender. But then her second-hand superpowers transformed her body into what she's always thought it should be. Now there's no hiding that she's a girl.

It should be the happiest time of her life, but between her father's dangerous obsession with curing her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he's entitled to date her, and the classmate who is secretly a masked vigilante, Danny's first weeks living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined.

She doesn't have much time to adjust. Dreadnought's murderer, a cyborg named Utopia, still haunts the streets of New Port City. If Danny can't sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

Most of the time, in movies or in books, the big superhero stories tend to feature and promote the same type of story over and over: the experiences of adult cishet straight male heroes. Dreadnought by April Daniels shatters that cultural expectation from its first page. This creative, thoughtful, and occasionally heavy supernaturally-inclined young adult novel is centered on a young transgender teenager named Danny (her chosen name both pre- and post-transition) Tozer; a 15-year old girl who unexpectedly inherits the mantle of the most powerful metahuman known to her world. Evenly balancing the high-stakes action with the just-as-pivotal mundane moments that make up a life, Dreadnought is an original, layered, and diverse take on a superhero plot.

Set in an alternate world where metahumans and special abilities exist, Danny's home and school life is sadly familiar to our real-world in a lot of recognizable ways. Her parents are less than enthusiastic about some of the hard facts of Danny's existence: namely the fact that she's a girl, and a lesbian, and that they never even had a son. Danny's relationships with both her parents are hard to read; her father's treatment both before and after the mantle is obviously abusive in a number of ways, and though her mother's reactions aren't as visibly harmful, they are just as toxic. They misgender her intentionally and repeatedly; they use slurs and bully their child. It's not always easy to read, even before the TERF "hero" also mistreats the MC.

The personal struggles -- both internal and external, mundane and magical -- that Danny is experiencing are handled with care, sensitivity and honesty. It can be an incredible amount of fun to read about Danny's escapades out caping with her friend Calamity, but Dreadnought doesn't sugarcoat the other aspects of her transitioning so publicly and so abruptly. In addition to the undeniable entertainment value and pure joy (the airplane!) that the novel offers, April Daniels also shows a lot of the harsh truths that a lot of transgender teens will face in their lives.

Danny Tozer is a great character, hands down. Even working within the short amount of pages in this first novel of the Nemesis series (less than three hundred!) she is one of the most developed, complex protagonists I've read in a long while. She's vibrant and bursts from the page; a determined, stubborn, a little bit foolhardy girl, but one who is also genuinely goodhearted. The voice is strong, even as Danny is openly conflicted about what having inherited the mantle of being Dreadnought means to her personally. Her POV is sadly rare to find in any kind of traditionally published story, much less one where they are the hero tasked to save the world from an all-consuming evil/supervillain. The fact that this is an Own Voices author just proves how important it is to have authors that understand diverse stories be the ones to tell them. April Daniels understands her main character in ways others purely can't and her main character, and the story, is better for that.

Not only is Deadnought an original spin on the ever-popular superhero tales in many ways, it's just plain engaging to read start to finish. The action is taut and unpredictable -- and there's definitely a learning curve for our young heroine in all aspects of her new role. The story moves quickly after an initial infodump but doesn't sacrifice developing the plot or characterization for that fact. The many different kinds of tech mentioned are interesting if a tad unclear (I don't quite get the hypertech?) but doesn't overwhelm. It's an inventive alternate world and one that is open for further exploration in the forthcoming sequel(s). The characters are strong and unique individuals, from the main characters to the secondary. The villain especially has potential for further development and a larger role to play in the overall series plot.

The only issues come very late in the narrative: the ending is a bit abrupt and under-developed. There is the possibility of further resolution to come, but the way Dreadnought ends seemed a bit... easy. There is some clever authorial sleight of hand but it's not quite enough to compensate. Though the finale lacks the satisfaction of a story completed, this debut novel is a fantastic read. Through the high moments and the low, Danny's story is unputdownable but it's also obviously just beginning.

Since I was sent a review copy of this book, I'd like to giveaway a finished copy as well. Since I was given a platform (as Dani said) I'd like to use it to both review and promote this book.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Fortress At the End of Time by Joe M. McDermott

Title: The Fortress At the End of Time
Author: Joe M. McDermott
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 305
Published: expected January 17 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2.5/5

Captain Ronaldo Aldo has committed an unforgivable crime. He will ask for forgiveness all the same: from you, from God, even from himself.

Connected by ansible, humanity has spread across galaxies and fought a war against an enemy that remains a mystery. At the edge of human space sits the Citadel—a relic of the war and a listening station for the enemy's return. For a young Ensign Aldo, fresh from the academy and newly cloned across the ansible line, it's a prison from which he may never escape.

Deplorable work conditions and deafening silence from the blackness of space have left morale on the station low and tensions high. Aldo's only hope of transcending his station, and cloning a piece of his soul somewhere new is both his triumph and his terrible crime.

There's a pretty even split on reaction to finishing this rather short science fiction story; I really liked the technology/inventive side to this novel, but I disliked or didn't care about the people/clones/[alien thought experiments, according to one solder] concerned. So it's a sturdy 2.5 out of 5 with a note that what didn't work for me may be a better fit for less character-driven readers.

The ideas used here, for travel, for terraforming, etc. are cool, creative, and above all, smart. In veteran author Joe M. McDermott's universe humanity has fought a war against an alien enemy, won, and now uses ansible and clone tech to guard and wait the possible return of enemy forces. For all that it's established on the effects of a former intergalactic and interspecies spacewar, The Fortress at the End of Time is more introspective than action-packed. The author has a clear ideas on how that high stress and high boredom scenario would affect the people and explores it though his characters.

 The story is told from the view of a newly-transmitted clone sent to an isolated and troubled station at the edge of a universe. Everything about The Fortress at the End of Time's narration through Ronald II is rendered in his remote, removed POV. It makes the story dry and emotionless in tone no matter the events being described. It's hard to really care about either Ronalds I and II or the majority of his acquaintances on the station. The choices Ronald makes, the guilt he constantly mentions... well, those don't exactly help, either. It's often a dour book, for all its imagination.

The rather slow plot hinges on the narrator revealing, piece by piece, story by story, some past major indiscretion that has lead to his subsequent imprisonment and the telling of events that lead here to The Fortress At the End of Time. It's an oft-used concept and McDermott reveals the rules of Citadel life to fully illustrate and show how Ronaldo has come to his current situation, both through his own actions and the machinations of others. The plot is interesting but takes a long time to develop and a lot of patience to watch build. The high concept nature of the plot can only carry the book so far and the ending lacks impact.

Short version: cool concepts, lots of detail and creatives idea, but unfortunately falls entirely short on personality and characterization.