Review: A makes you think soft sci-fi read while entertaining
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 30, 2014
This soft sci-fi read takes place in a futuristic world where the majority of the world’s population looks the same. This idea has been presented before, but the author twines in her own twists, characters, and plot lines to craft a compelling read. The multi point of view was a bonus too as it is my preferred format when done well and Pauline Creeden does it very well.The world is a combination of future Earth and space, but the meat of the story takes place on the shuttle. The minimalist description allowed my imagination to paint each scene, always giving me enough, but not too much description or mind numbing words. This extends over the whole of the book and adds to the ease of reading without, well, numbing your mind with unpronounceable jargon. Some readers might prefer that but I don't, so I was happy to see a strong vocabulary from the author without having to take notes as I read along.The character voices were each unique and strong enough to carry their weight through the story. From the antagonist to the protagonist, we see the world and plot through their eyes as the story evolves. Each scene popped and moved things along. This is a difficult part of multi POV novels, but again, she did a great job.I’d recommend Abiding Flame to anyone who enjoys soft sci-fi/low fantasy. There are religious undertones and a strong message hidden within the pages, but it's a clean, entertaining read for all ages that makes you wonder if this could actually become the future.