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mjporterauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Lost Solace is a hugely enjoyable book, and the narrator is absolutely fabulous. She brings wonderful warmth to our main character, and also our AI companion. I don't read a huge amount of sci-fi these days, but decided to take a chance on it, and I'm really pleased I did.
The story itself is fast-paced and well-plotted. Opal is an intriguing main character, determined to achieve her objective no matter what obstacles try to stop her, and there are a lot of obstacles. The action is pretty non-stop.
The story is sure to appeal to sci-fi fans (and those who've perhaps not sampled the genre much recently) and the narrator makes the storyline pop. Really enjoyable. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I plan on enjoying the rest of the books in the series.
The story itself is fast-paced and well-plotted. Opal is an intriguing main character, determined to achieve her objective no matter what obstacles try to stop her, and there are a lot of obstacles. The action is pretty non-stop.
The story is sure to appeal to sci-fi fans (and those who've perhaps not sampled the genre much recently) and the narrator makes the storyline pop. Really enjoyable. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I plan on enjoying the rest of the books in the series.
duartepatri's review against another edition
5.0
Karl's one of a kind when it comes to delivering characters.
The only question I ask myself is, Why didn't I read it before? Why?
The only question I ask myself is, Why didn't I read it before? Why?
humvee's review against another edition
3.0
Light space opera with a touch of horror
I found this title to be an entertaining read, but there were elements that kept me from loving the story. Sometimes the adjectives used didn't fit the sentence well for me. Or a scene didn't flow well. I think the author could of benefited from a writing group that could have helped to polish the book. But overall I found the story enjoyable. I'll keep reading the series, to see if the writing improves.
I found this title to be an entertaining read, but there were elements that kept me from loving the story. Sometimes the adjectives used didn't fit the sentence well for me. Or a scene didn't flow well. I think the author could of benefited from a writing group that could have helped to polish the book. But overall I found the story enjoyable. I'll keep reading the series, to see if the writing improves.
jmkemp's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent space opera, great feel and a thrilling read. The whole story takes place in a very short space and yet so much is conveyed about the main character and the universe that she inhabits. There's a very real feel to it, and at the same time a weirdness from the setting. But weird in a good way.
Lost Solace refers to the ship that Opal, the protagonist, is looking for. Sometimes spaceships just disappear. Sometimes they come back. When they come back they're full of secrets and treasure that can make you rich. But they aren't safe.
Opal has hacked an AI driven spaceship. She's using it to help her board and explore a Lost Ship, in the hope that it is the Solace, or that it can give Opal clues on how to find the lost Solace.
Slowly the backstory is leaked out to us like air from a damaged spacesuit. As Opal ponders the situation and tries to work out what is weird about the apparently abandoned hulk she's exploring. She's not alone. Her ship is sentient, and there are intelligences on the hulk too. She also has human hunters, chasing her down to recover their stolen ship with its experimental AI.
Every obstacle and challenge builds the suspense. It also explores both the strange hulk and Opal's life story. We find out how she developed the skills that keep her alive and why she's here looking for lost ships. None of it seems contrived, there are no info dumps. It's just really well written and immaculately edited story.
Lost Solace refers to the ship that Opal, the protagonist, is looking for. Sometimes spaceships just disappear. Sometimes they come back. When they come back they're full of secrets and treasure that can make you rich. But they aren't safe.
Opal has hacked an AI driven spaceship. She's using it to help her board and explore a Lost Ship, in the hope that it is the Solace, or that it can give Opal clues on how to find the lost Solace.
Slowly the backstory is leaked out to us like air from a damaged spacesuit. As Opal ponders the situation and tries to work out what is weird about the apparently abandoned hulk she's exploring. She's not alone. Her ship is sentient, and there are intelligences on the hulk too. She also has human hunters, chasing her down to recover their stolen ship with its experimental AI.
Every obstacle and challenge builds the suspense. It also explores both the strange hulk and Opal's life story. We find out how she developed the skills that keep her alive and why she's here looking for lost ships. None of it seems contrived, there are no info dumps. It's just really well written and immaculately edited story.
doodlefox's review
5.0
Intriguing read
Lost Solace is a very different type of science fiction. I enjoyed the way the story was put together, leading the reader to discover pieces of information without divulging the whole.
Lost Solace is a very different type of science fiction. I enjoyed the way the story was put together, leading the reader to discover pieces of information without divulging the whole.
mae_mae13's review against another edition
4.0
The book was a fun read. I like that the main character is a female. You don't see that in a lot of science fiction books. This was definitely a well-written space adventure with plenty of action and a lot of creepy mystery. I loved the friendship between Opal and her AI companion Clarissa. It's a very satisfying story and I enjoyed it very much!
terriaminute's review
This is well-written, which is what kept me going for a little while, but at 14% I'm frustrated with, of all things, lack of worldbuilding in the face of some substantial weirdness. Just when I think characters are the most important to me, this happens. I hope the author finds their audience, and I'm sorry I'm not it.
clacksee's review against another edition
4.0
There was a lot to love – but also a lot that detracted from its enjoyability.
Opal and her stolen stolen ship, Clarissa, stumble upon a ‘lost’ ship. They board, searching for … I’ll be honest, I’m still not sure what they’re looking for. And then the cavalry show up.
The pros: The story is unique and interesting. The writing is solid. I didn’t catch any distracting typos or grammatical errors. And the cover is fab.
The cons: The story is told largely in dialogue — yet there are almost no dialogue tags or indicators of any kind. I was constantly lost as to who was speaking. Big talking-head syndrome vibes. The other issue was that the story comes to repeated false climaxes. Like, this is it. There’s no way out. There’s literally nothing we can do this time. Oh, hang on, actually we can just do this thing and then it’s all fine.
For me this was 3.5 stars. Rounded up because that’s how it works.
Opal and her stolen stolen ship, Clarissa, stumble upon a ‘lost’ ship. They board, searching for … I’ll be honest, I’m still not sure what they’re looking for. And then the cavalry show up.
The pros: The story is unique and interesting. The writing is solid. I didn’t catch any distracting typos or grammatical errors. And the cover is fab.
The cons: The story is told largely in dialogue — yet there are almost no dialogue tags or indicators of any kind. I was constantly lost as to who was speaking. Big talking-head syndrome vibes. The other issue was that the story comes to repeated false climaxes. Like, this is it. There’s no way out. There’s literally nothing we can do this time. Oh, hang on, actually we can just do this thing and then it’s all fine.
For me this was 3.5 stars. Rounded up because that’s how it works.
readbyfred's review against another edition
4.0
This was an action packed, Alien-esque type of book - a wonderful read!
The story is of Opal, a rogue soldier, who steals a ship, but not just any ship, a state of the art experimental military ship with a very powerful AI. She need's this ship because she's looking for a lost ship. Legends say that ships lost in space tend to turn up derelict and changed somehow in a not so good way, but on them are treasures beyond wonder.
It's not a spoiler to tell you that she finds this lost ship and she boards it and battles stuff - hence the Alien-esque feel (which was really well laid out). The story was well written and kept my interest. You could really feel the danger Opal was in when she was aboard the lost ship.
The only downside was the battle against the warship Aurikaa. This battle, in my opinion, should have had a different ending. Great battle and thrilling read; but nope, shouldn't have a happened the way it did - the odds were too stacked.
Definitely a recommended read. The author did a great job creating an environment that made you want to read it from start to end in one sitting : )
The story is of Opal, a rogue soldier, who steals a ship, but not just any ship, a state of the art experimental military ship with a very powerful AI. She need's this ship because she's looking for a lost ship. Legends say that ships lost in space tend to turn up derelict and changed somehow in a not so good way, but on them are treasures beyond wonder.
It's not a spoiler to tell you that she finds this lost ship and she boards it and battles stuff - hence the Alien-esque feel (which was really well laid out). The story was well written and kept my interest. You could really feel the danger Opal was in when she was aboard the lost ship.
The only downside was the battle against the warship Aurikaa. This battle, in my opinion, should have had a different ending. Great battle and thrilling read; but nope, shouldn't have a happened the way it did - the odds were too stacked.
Definitely a recommended read. The author did a great job creating an environment that made you want to read it from start to end in one sitting : )