Review: A diamond in the rough
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 10, 2013
I enjoyed reading this and I look forward to future books by Mr. Culp.  I have been an avid sci-fi fan for 45 years, so I know what to look for in good story.  Liked the banter, the characters, and the flow of the story.  I was pleased to see very good editing throughout, which is sadly lacking in these days of easy e-publishing.  Now for the constructive criticism.  The plot needed more development and I need more basis to suspend my disbelief.  What made the main character so special that she was able "step up" to star ship captain from grunt maintenance worker in just two years.  The impression one gets is that willingness to flirt and/or sleep with everyone in sight does the trick.  While I liked the sexual banter and found it reminiscent of Robert Heinlein, it was not enough to explain away such a rapid ascent to captaincy.  Genetic enhancement perhaps?  I just need a reason to believe.  On a similar note, the mission of the ship was way to vague and the replacement captain was a bit cartoonish.  Great story telling and I look forward to the next one, but more plot development please.