Review: A Rising Need for a Resolute Spellcheck
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2014
What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (no spoilers)1. What type of book is it: action, drama, etc? This is a heavy action book with some drama thrown into the mix.2. What is the story about, in general? The story continues the adventures of the human remnants as they fight against the Ch’Tauk.3. What/Who is the target audience? Young adult and adult males.4. Is there character development? There is some. The roles of some of the characters have changed, but they are tertiary characters with little page time. The main characters have been fairly developed in previous books and remain static through this installment. Some questionable actions are conducted but the pragmatic realities of the hostile universe keep any real emotional changes from taking effect and altering the character’s development.5. Are the characters likable? The characters are as likable as they have been portrayed in previous books in the series. Their appeal doesn't increase or decrease.6. Does the story keep its pacing? Minor repetitive spelling errors cause the jarring of reader attention.  The author sometimes calls Zeus a carrier. It is also referred to as the ship that gives the 'Zeus carrier type its name'. He sometimes says the 'Zeus type battle cruiser'. It's either a carrier or a battle cruiser not both. Each one has a completely different type of role so I am putting that down as more errors in editing.My penchant for disliking flashbacks reared its ugly head. At least two flashbacks on this installment are unnecessary. All I could hear myself think through them was “blah … blah … more blah”. Of the other flashbacks, one was very interesting. I wish all the flashbacks were written with as much intensity as that one.Apart from my ‘flashback dislike’ this installment continues the pleasant tradition of smart combat action. The combat operational goals and targets made sense. They were both strategically logical and unpredictable. I really liked that.7. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Yep. There is a moment when a half mad human evades all of Ch’Tauk ship security when there is only one way in and out.  We aren’t told how this came about, it just did. A huge coincidence follows this impossible feat and kicks the reader in the teeth with a second dose of skepticism. Basically one supremely improbable event is built on top of another improvable event. The book has a few other moments of disbelief, but these aren’t given a lot of book emphasis, so I won’t either.8. Is the book worth the asking price? As always, $3 for an ebook is very cheap.In conclusion: This book is a fitting addition to the action driven series. The hand of the author becomes a tad more predominant in this installment as it uses a fair amount of coincidences to bring about certain conclusions. Sadly, my disbelief is truly crossed with a remarkably unbelievable scene. Some flashbacks are dull, filler and unnecessary. The editing and spelling errors continue to pop up at the worst of times and undercut the story flow. The ebook is well priced at $3. Besides the stated problems, this book continues the general fast pace. The action simply doesn’t stop coming and the book, if you’re able to get through the snags, is pleasantly enjoyable and entertaining.3.0 Stars