Review: Excellent start of a story, unique worldbuilding & evocative writing style
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2014
As other reviews note, this is the start of a series, so it reads like the beginning of a novel. The author notes he's experimenting with a model inspired by sci-fi serials of the 50s and 60s which were published in magazines and then compiled & published as a novel when finished.Two things I really like about this: The worldbuilding was unique and very interesting. Though it is sci-fi, it reads like fantasy. The characters wear jerkins and cast magic, but fly around spaceships and explore other planets. The other aspect I loved was the writing style. The author's way with description is very evocative. The way he describes mundane things like a murmuring crowd just makes you feel like you're right there in the audience. And I love how he describes how it feels to cast magic.My gripe with the book was a lack of female characters. There was a mention of a female love interest back home, and another minor female character is introduced who seems like she will play a role later in the story. The whole ship is populated by men; I assume that's because it seems to be a military ship, but I still found it disappointing. Even in all-military organizations throughout real history, there have always been women there: camp-followers, nurses, women who enlisted while disguised as men, or even women who fought in battle "despite" their gender. Since the lack of females characters is a problem plaguing a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, I wish the author had made more of an effort to be inclusive.Other than that, I recommend this story and look forward to the rest.