Scan barcode
mattdoylemedia's review
5.0
Background: Residing in Brighton in the UK, K.J. Heritage primarily writes action and adventure based sci-fi, mystery, and epic fantasy novels, all with the odd dash of humour thrown in.
Vatic, the titular character of this particular book, is in a spot of bother. You see, a top scientist named Chen Jelinek has committed suicide, and Vatic has been sent in to get to the truth of the matter. The problem? Vatic is half-dead, has little memory of who or what he is, and has been told that if he doesn’t solve the case within six hours, he’ll die. As he works his way through the denizens of an intergalactic research centre, things just get more and more complicated …
The Good: Sitting comfortably at 258 pages, Vatic is quite a quick read. That being the case, there was always going to be the inherent risk that there simply wasn’t enough space to fit the details of the mystery in in a satisfactory manner. As it happens though, this isn’t the case here. What Heritage has done is to take the approach of letting the story show us what we need without any dross to pad it out. Each chapter is integral in pushing things forward, whether that be by dropping hints about the mystery, or by giving us some background on our hero, Vatic. Streamlining the book in this way ensures that we get the most out of the tale without unnecessary distractions. Oh, and in terms of the mystery itself, while it could be argued that certain points were easy enough to figure out, the conclusion of the case offers a nice little twist that many likely won’t see coming.
Character-wise, Vatic and co are rounded enough to be interesting. The various researchers that we encounter each have their own quirks and foibles, not to mention their own brand of bad attitudes and paranoia, so you don’t tend to get bored when reading about them. Meanwhile, Vatic himself is fairly straight forward in attitude, but his skills and past add enough layers to keep your attention. I enjoyed the general concept of the Skilled too, and would love to see more about them in future books.
In all, the writing is smooth, the book is well paced, and there’s plenty here to enjoy if you have a preference for sci-fi or mystery. In a way, it reminds a little of Richard Morgan’s hardboiled cyberpunk series about Takeshi Lev Kovacs, which is no bad thing.
The Bad: This is all going to come down to taste, but I could see some readers being put off by Vatic himself. While I enjoyed his grumpy demeanour, he’s not a character that’s well suited to those who want a more upbeat, clean-cut hero. He has a job to do, and he’s going to do it. He’s not one for taking the moral high ground, he just does what he needs to. I’d also say that the romantic-ish subplot was probably the weakest part of the book, but again, that comes down to personal taste more than anything. It doesn’t detract from the story or leave you feeling derailed, so it’s not a major issue by any means.
Final View: Vatic serves up a hefty dose of action, intrigue and verbal jousting that draws you in, throws a few curve balls at you, and leaves you eagerly anticipating the finale. It’s a fun read that is well worth picking up, especially if you like your crime to have a sci-fi setting.
Final Score: 4.5 / 5
Vatic, the titular character of this particular book, is in a spot of bother. You see, a top scientist named Chen Jelinek has committed suicide, and Vatic has been sent in to get to the truth of the matter. The problem? Vatic is half-dead, has little memory of who or what he is, and has been told that if he doesn’t solve the case within six hours, he’ll die. As he works his way through the denizens of an intergalactic research centre, things just get more and more complicated …
The Good: Sitting comfortably at 258 pages, Vatic is quite a quick read. That being the case, there was always going to be the inherent risk that there simply wasn’t enough space to fit the details of the mystery in in a satisfactory manner. As it happens though, this isn’t the case here. What Heritage has done is to take the approach of letting the story show us what we need without any dross to pad it out. Each chapter is integral in pushing things forward, whether that be by dropping hints about the mystery, or by giving us some background on our hero, Vatic. Streamlining the book in this way ensures that we get the most out of the tale without unnecessary distractions. Oh, and in terms of the mystery itself, while it could be argued that certain points were easy enough to figure out, the conclusion of the case offers a nice little twist that many likely won’t see coming.
Character-wise, Vatic and co are rounded enough to be interesting. The various researchers that we encounter each have their own quirks and foibles, not to mention their own brand of bad attitudes and paranoia, so you don’t tend to get bored when reading about them. Meanwhile, Vatic himself is fairly straight forward in attitude, but his skills and past add enough layers to keep your attention. I enjoyed the general concept of the Skilled too, and would love to see more about them in future books.
In all, the writing is smooth, the book is well paced, and there’s plenty here to enjoy if you have a preference for sci-fi or mystery. In a way, it reminds a little of Richard Morgan’s hardboiled cyberpunk series about Takeshi Lev Kovacs, which is no bad thing.
The Bad: This is all going to come down to taste, but I could see some readers being put off by Vatic himself. While I enjoyed his grumpy demeanour, he’s not a character that’s well suited to those who want a more upbeat, clean-cut hero. He has a job to do, and he’s going to do it. He’s not one for taking the moral high ground, he just does what he needs to. I’d also say that the romantic-ish subplot was probably the weakest part of the book, but again, that comes down to personal taste more than anything. It doesn’t detract from the story or leave you feeling derailed, so it’s not a major issue by any means.
Final View: Vatic serves up a hefty dose of action, intrigue and verbal jousting that draws you in, throws a few curve balls at you, and leaves you eagerly anticipating the finale. It’s a fun read that is well worth picking up, especially if you like your crime to have a sci-fi setting.
Final Score: 4.5 / 5
love_coffee_n_books's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘒.𝘑. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺! (𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸).
Some of you know that one of my bookish resolutions for 2023 is to try a sci-fi novel. What better way to dip into a new-to-me genre than one written by an author whose books I adore?
𝘐 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋...
• The pace was fast and adventurous.
• Character development was pristine. I had a hunch at the beginning that something was "off" with the characters' personalities but I won't spoil it for you.
• The imagery of the story's setting was not overwhelming as I had initially feared reading this genre would be. I was worried there would be excessive details being thrown at me but I was pleasantly surprised with the perfect balance of details. I had no problem visualizing the setting and overall atmosphere.
𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓...
This sci-fi mystery is the first in a series and was very enjoyable. Now, I seriously need to read the second book. Also, the main character, Vatic, gave off major Keanu Reeves vibes. So, if you have a thing for Keanu Reeves, like I do, you will enjoy this. 😉
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (CAWPILE 8/10)
Some of you know that one of my bookish resolutions for 2023 is to try a sci-fi novel. What better way to dip into a new-to-me genre than one written by an author whose books I adore?
𝘐 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋...
• The pace was fast and adventurous.
• Character development was pristine. I had a hunch at the beginning that something was "off" with the characters' personalities but I won't spoil it for you.
• The imagery of the story's setting was not overwhelming as I had initially feared reading this genre would be. I was worried there would be excessive details being thrown at me but I was pleasantly surprised with the perfect balance of details. I had no problem visualizing the setting and overall atmosphere.
𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓...
This sci-fi mystery is the first in a series and was very enjoyable. Now, I seriously need to read the second book. Also, the main character, Vatic, gave off major Keanu Reeves vibes. So, if you have a thing for Keanu Reeves, like I do, you will enjoy this. 😉
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (CAWPILE 8/10)
altruest's review
4.0
This was actually pretty good! The main character was interesting, going through the whole "I have have amnesia and now I'm slowly regaining my memories" thing. I figured out the twist about a third of the way through the book, so after that it was just a coast until the end of the book, but it wasn't an unenjoyable read.
4/5 stars, slightly recommended.
4/5 stars, slightly recommended.
melhara's review
2.0
...am I the only one who didn't like this book?! I hate being the first person to write a negative review...
The plot and concept of [b:Vatic|44529990|Vatic (Vatic #1)|K.J. Heritage|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552991421l/44529990._SX50_.jpg|47354770] very much intrigued me - Vatic is a genetically enhanced or 'Skilled' human who was woken up from hypersleep to solve the mystery of a scientist's supposed suicide. The catch? He has amnesia and 6 hours to live.
Unfortunately, I had a very hard time getting into the book. I felt completely disconnected from the characters and the story.
First of all, none of the characters were likable. This was done intentionally as they were all suspects and Vatic was slowly discovering himself (and realizing that he's not the most likable dude out there either).
I also felt that the dialogue was very flat and boring.
I was very close to giving up on this book and marking it as DNF. I somehow managed to push onwards and realized that the only saving grace was the unexpected ending (which I definitely did not see coming!). I felt the book really picked up it's pace near the end when everything finally came together and the mystery was solved.
eBook provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The plot and concept of [b:Vatic|44529990|Vatic (Vatic #1)|K.J. Heritage|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552991421l/44529990._SX50_.jpg|47354770] very much intrigued me - Vatic is a genetically enhanced or 'Skilled' human who was woken up from hypersleep to solve the mystery of a scientist's supposed suicide. The catch? He has amnesia and 6 hours to live.
Unfortunately, I had a very hard time getting into the book. I felt completely disconnected from the characters and the story.
First of all, none of the characters were likable. This was done intentionally as they were all suspects and Vatic was slowly discovering himself (and realizing that he's not the most likable dude out there either).
I also felt that the dialogue was very flat and boring.
I was very close to giving up on this book and marking it as DNF. I somehow managed to push onwards and realized that the only saving grace was the unexpected ending (which I definitely did not see coming!). I felt the book really picked up it's pace near the end when everything finally came together and the mystery was solved.
eBook provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
More...