Review: Harry Potter in Space
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2012
This book really is written like a sci-fi version of Harry Potter.  Excellent if you like Harry, not so much if you don't.  It's not a scene by scene copy of Harry Potter, but it comes pretty close.  World of magic / world of technology and aliens. Rival with cronies who hates main character's guts? Check.  Manages to overhear and investigate evil plots more suited for adults than students? Check. Main character grew up without really knowing who his parents are? Double check.  Students divided into sections (houses) that compete against each other? Check.  Spaceball (Quiddich)? Check. Getting detentions for breaking tons of school rules, yet managing to justify it all by saving the day at the end? Check.  The professors in the book even carry stun "wands" they use to subdue uncooperative students.  The only thing that doesn't feel Potter-esque is that there is no single evil archenemy like Voldemort that our hero Alex is destined to battle.  There are some alien races that are trying to bring the galaxy to war that young Alex will probably take care of in the future.Normally I don't complain too much about lack of proofreading and editing, but this book was worse than average for an independent author and I think that it should lose one star for that.  Missing words in sentences, incorrect word choice, and other various grammatical errors really disrupted the flow of the story.I enjoyed the Harry Potter books when I read them, so I felt that this was a nice diversion while looking for something more original and exciting to read.  Worth the 99 cents but I wouldn't pay a whole lot more for it.  I will continue reading if this develops into a series since the author has room to improve, and would even pay more for future installments if the quality improves.Overall, a good effort and I don't feel like I wasted my time with this book.