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edwindownward's review
5.0
A short but fast paced adventure in which we see a young man face both himself and his past to survive.
errantdreams's review
5.0
Naturally Jeff isn’t seen by his more experienced crew as being ready to command them, which seems to confirm their belief that Chinese officers benefit from favoritism. His own second in command bullies him, the cook makes excellent food for others while ruining his meals, and so forth. This part of the book was a bit hard to read for me–I find it difficult to read about bullying. Luckily it doesn’t take too long before Jeff starts getting clever, finding ways to win over or overcome his crew. He clearly does have the capacity to become a great officer; he just got thrust into the role of command before he was ready. When he starts, he doesn’t even know how to draw up a duty roster, or even whether that’s his job or his second’s.
I love the characters in this book. They all have depth and interest to them. Jeff’s crew (seven plus himself) is small enough to let us get to know the individuals and their quirks. Jeff comes up with some very creative ways to work with, through, and around his crew, although it doesn’t always work, which is also a nice touch.
Jeff’s ship is not any kind of warship, so you won’t see a lot of extensive space battles. There’s one or two, however, in which Jeff and his crew have to be doubly creative because they have so few weapons. There are also some great escape sequences. The action is engrossing and tense and kept me riveted to the page.
This is a delightful bit of military SF escapism. Well worth the read!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/review-stars-like-cold-fire-brent-nichols/
I love the characters in this book. They all have depth and interest to them. Jeff’s crew (seven plus himself) is small enough to let us get to know the individuals and their quirks. Jeff comes up with some very creative ways to work with, through, and around his crew, although it doesn’t always work, which is also a nice touch.
Jeff’s ship is not any kind of warship, so you won’t see a lot of extensive space battles. There’s one or two, however, in which Jeff and his crew have to be doubly creative because they have so few weapons. There are also some great escape sequences. The action is engrossing and tense and kept me riveted to the page.
This is a delightful bit of military SF escapism. Well worth the read!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/review-stars-like-cold-fire-brent-nichols/
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