Rogue Stars: 7 Novels of Exploration and Adventure, C. Gockel, producer, 2018.
Another box set! This was generally a pretty pleasant set of reads. I'm not going to follow up on all of the series these books start, but have made an effort to follow the authors -- the exception being Hard Duty's Cooper, whose output tails off in the last decade and whose web presence seems abandoned.
Archangel Down (Archangel Project #1), C. Gockel
Noa Sato has problems, starting with being in a concentration camp under suspicion of involvement in a secret project which she knows nothing about. Her homeworld is simmering in the grip of repression and hate, aliens are lurking, and her rescuer is an unlikely professor who is very much not what he seems. This novel is an interesting mix of themes, including the slightly ludicrous luv ‘bot “6T9”—use your imagination—but under the action and suspense lurk themes of genocide, sacrifice and the meaning of being loved and who gets to belong to humanity. The writing is generally good—it could use a little polish and the plot occasionally drifts a little—but it was solidly entertaining and kept me turning the pages. This scores high on adventure, while never forgetting the human touch.
Smirk factor: Plus-que acceptable: 1.5 pts (6 smirks, but otherwise generally good words!)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5 pts
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Innovative/interesting: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Total: 7/10 (3.5 stars, rounded to 4)
Betrayal: The 1000 Revolution, Pippa DaCosta
“She is programmed to kill. He’ll do anything to survive.” The cover blurb is an excellent set-up for this dark not-quite-buddy novel, featuring a reprobate smuggler who’s all bad habits and a “synth” (synthetic human) who is factory serial number 1001 out of a production run of 1000 who has some deadly habits. Told from alternating perspectives, this is great space opera: Han Solo meets Blade Runner, but trying to keep the synth alive. Very solid writing, well-paced plot, and enough twists and uncertainty to keep pages steadily turning.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (2 smirks.)
Immersion factor: Shallow water: 1 pt
Writing quality: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Character/plot development: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Innovative/interesting: Average: 1 pt
Total: 7/10 (3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)
Quantum Tangle: The Targon Tales – Sethran 1, Chris Reher
Spacer Sethran Kada wakes up in a system he wasn’t heading towards, but that’s only the beginning of his problems. He discovers that his ship has an uninvited guest—one who wants him to help with a matter of interstellar life and death. The book is good entertainment, but I didn’t connect with it. I felt I was constantly hitting little discontinuities, abrupt transitions, and the introduction of people and situations without much background. Part of it may be that this is set in a larger universe. I wonder if it might have been written with an assumption, conscious or not, that readers would already have a certain amount of knowledge. Still a good use of time and worth the effort. Although I’m not sure this will draw me in for the larger series (7 other books) it’s still worth trying on for size.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (4 smirks)
Immersion factor: Shallow: 1 pt
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Average: 1 pt; Low: 0 pts
Total: 6/10 (3 stars)
Starshine: Aurora Rising Book One, G.S. Jennsen
Alexis Solovy is an accomplished loner, who winds up in danger—and critically dependent on someone who should be her mortal enemy. But as the strands of a deadly conspiracy begin to come to light, she’ll have to make a choice about who—and what—she believes in. Bog-standard space opera, well-executed and interesting. A solid but not compelling read, it tends towards slightly stereotypical plot and characters, though the nuances of the scenes and technology are lovingly outlined. Jennsen writes decently, although this book might have benefitted from being a bit shorter with more attention the mechanics of the narrative.
Smirk factor: Overdone: 0 pts (20 smirks—some depicting facial tics, sure, but still far too many.)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Total: 5/10 (2.5 stars, rounded to 3)
Hard Duty: Merkiaari Wars Book 1, Mark E. Cooper
Humanity is slowly recovering from a brutal interstellar war against the warrior Merkiaari in which billions died. Out on the galactic frontier, a survey ship intercepts an signal from an intelligent source and discovers a new species—setting off an epic struggle. Cooper has a highly ambitious plot, and spins a sprawling story and cast of characters. Reasonable reading, entertaining, and fun. This was perfectly average: better-crafted than much indie/series SF—including a nod towards actual physics--this is competent but not distinguished.
Smirk factor: Acceptable: 1 pt (7 smirks)
Immersion factor: Shallow water: 1 pt
Writing quality: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Total: 6/10 (3 stars)
Ambassador 1: Seeing Red, Patty Jansen
This is an interesting take on space opera/mystery, which opens when an attack of extraterrestrial origin kills the President of Earth. It nearly takes out a young diplomat named Cory Wilson, who has been trained to work with gamra, the mysterious organization that governs a galaxy-wide faster-than-light transportation network. With war drums beating and conspiracies aplenty, Wilson dives into a mind-bendingly ornate and intricate world. World building on steroids is both the book’s main strength and weakness. Gamra’s culture is bizarre and potentially lethal, but if Wilson is the best humankind can do as a representative to it, we’re galactic roadkill. Middle of the road plot, vivid universe, and a wildly unconvincing main character average out to a modestly entertaining read.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (No smirks given.)
Immersion factor: Shallow water: 1 pt
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Average: 1 pt
Total: 6/10 (3 stars)
Lunar Discovery, Salvador Mercer
This was the sleeper of the group, and the hardest SF in the collection. An alien object is discovered on the far side of the moon, setting off a space race among the mutually-hostile and perpetually suspicious Russians, Chinese and Americans. Way above-average physics and pretty realistic human interactions as well made this unassuming novel a pleasure to read.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (Zero-smirk environment.)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5 pts
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Innovative/interesting: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Total: 7.5/10 (3.75 stars, rounded to 4)
Worth way more than the price.
Overall verdict: Very good value for a free collection. The worst stories here were middle of the road compared to what I typically read (my 2022 ratings on average came out to 6/10 or 3 stars) and the best were good. Ratings average out to 6.4/10 (3.2 stars) across the seven books, which seems about right.