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The Historical Chronicles of Elinor Sturgeon and the Last Human Colony by Ken Bastard, R.T. Kilgore
brompton_sawdon's review
5.0
You know how we always say that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? Well I just got really burned on that one. Don’t get me wrong, its a good cover and kind of gives the impression of a graphic novel (would actually be a really good idea). It’s just the cover didn’t really prepare me for the story the pages revealed.
So what’s this book all about? We start with Elinor Sturgeon, a searcher from the last human colony of Earth, Earth is gone and so the hopes of finding a viable planet to colonize are on her shoulders. Travelling through space in stasis, she’s awoken by a race called the Pars. Although in appearance they are not like humans, they bear a resemblance, except for the larger form, insect like eyes and lack of hair. Oh and yes they’re all different colours 😉
Les, commander and leader of this ship takes a liking to Elinor and claims her as his. The Pars regard the humans as slaves, being of inferior intellect. They use slaves for every purpose, much like the Romans and conquerors of old Earth. The Pars agree to save the colony and head off to pick them up. That’s where the fun and games start. I’m not going to spoil anything else because where would the fun be for you. Suffice to say its a very detailed and lighthearted book that kept me reading to the very end.
How would I describe the book to a total stranger (yes looking at you). Well it’s a bit of Star Trek rolled into Star Wars. Throw in a liberal serving of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, then a small galactic Fifty Shades of Grey and we’re there. Not that there’s any graphic sexual content, but you’ll understand when you read this book, which you must because trust me it’s well worth it and no effort at all 🙂
I admit it took me about twenty pages to get into the flow of the book, I think the double spaced lines didn’t help at first. However it was so worth it. Building an new universe, even if its only a few races isn’t for the fainthearted. It takes skill to create the new technologies required and the imagination to come up with three races that are wholly different. This book had me digging for the fine details and they were revealed. I won’t say in the hard sci-fi sense but more explained in a way we might actually understand.
At it’s heart this story has romance at its core. It’s a slow burner though and interweaves with the story really well. I’d recommend this to the YA market upwards. In fact anyone who has a wicked sense of humour.
As you might tell by now, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Illustrations at the beginning of chapters give you an impression of the characters, as I say would make a wonderful graphic novel. The words flow well meaning that reading is no chore. This is book for reading fun, yet in places deep. You can see the similarities with Earth at this time. That could be me of course, but a thoughtful read at times. They say history repeats itself. Elinor would say ‘What is history besides the documentation of someone’s pride’.
This book was sent for a fair and honest review by the author. The resulting review is my honest thoughts after reading the book.
So what’s this book all about? We start with Elinor Sturgeon, a searcher from the last human colony of Earth, Earth is gone and so the hopes of finding a viable planet to colonize are on her shoulders. Travelling through space in stasis, she’s awoken by a race called the Pars. Although in appearance they are not like humans, they bear a resemblance, except for the larger form, insect like eyes and lack of hair. Oh and yes they’re all different colours 😉
Les, commander and leader of this ship takes a liking to Elinor and claims her as his. The Pars regard the humans as slaves, being of inferior intellect. They use slaves for every purpose, much like the Romans and conquerors of old Earth. The Pars agree to save the colony and head off to pick them up. That’s where the fun and games start. I’m not going to spoil anything else because where would the fun be for you. Suffice to say its a very detailed and lighthearted book that kept me reading to the very end.
How would I describe the book to a total stranger (yes looking at you). Well it’s a bit of Star Trek rolled into Star Wars. Throw in a liberal serving of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, then a small galactic Fifty Shades of Grey and we’re there. Not that there’s any graphic sexual content, but you’ll understand when you read this book, which you must because trust me it’s well worth it and no effort at all 🙂
I admit it took me about twenty pages to get into the flow of the book, I think the double spaced lines didn’t help at first. However it was so worth it. Building an new universe, even if its only a few races isn’t for the fainthearted. It takes skill to create the new technologies required and the imagination to come up with three races that are wholly different. This book had me digging for the fine details and they were revealed. I won’t say in the hard sci-fi sense but more explained in a way we might actually understand.
At it’s heart this story has romance at its core. It’s a slow burner though and interweaves with the story really well. I’d recommend this to the YA market upwards. In fact anyone who has a wicked sense of humour.
As you might tell by now, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Illustrations at the beginning of chapters give you an impression of the characters, as I say would make a wonderful graphic novel. The words flow well meaning that reading is no chore. This is book for reading fun, yet in places deep. You can see the similarities with Earth at this time. That could be me of course, but a thoughtful read at times. They say history repeats itself. Elinor would say ‘What is history besides the documentation of someone’s pride’.
This book was sent for a fair and honest review by the author. The resulting review is my honest thoughts after reading the book.
carolibrary's review
The premise of this book is really intriguing, with displaced humans exploring the galaxy in search of a habitable planet, discovering the Par species, and being forced to assimilate into their culture. The world was really well developed with multiple alien species, each with their own language, biology, customs, and technology. The gender biases in the Par culture were relatable and drove a lot of the conflict. I absolutely love the old-school sci-fi comic book vibes of the cover.
However, this book was not for me. A lot of the dialogue felt stilted and awkward to me, and I noticed several typos throughout the book. The descriptions of the multiple long training sessions slowed down the pace of the story for me. I also thought Elinor was a frustrating narrator because she had so many contradictory desires.
Triggers: rape
Thank you to the author for sending me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
However, this book was not for me. A lot of the dialogue felt stilted and awkward to me, and I noticed several typos throughout the book. The descriptions of the multiple long training sessions slowed down the pace of the story for me. I also thought Elinor was a frustrating narrator because she had so many contradictory desires.
Triggers: rape
Thank you to the author for sending me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
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