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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It started off as an entertaining read but there was just so much wrong with the physics at the end (shockwaves in space?!). There are limits too how far I can suspend my disbelief. Instead of enjoying the story I kept thinking "that doesn't make sense" or "that's not how it works".
Though this wasn't earth-shattering to me in plot, characters, or world-building, it's a solidly enjoyable military-turned-rebel space story of the kind that I enjoy (Vatta's War, Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, etc).
This is a quick read with the usual tropes. A reprobate drunk captain with an irritating sidekick just trying to make a living. The back story was a bit contrived, but not bad enough to matter. There is a fair amount of bad science in the sci-fi here, but just like the back story, it doesn't really detract from the plot much, which keeps moving right along pretty much as expected with a Space Opera. We get some resolution at the end and a jump on the sequel, which I will probably pick up sometime in the future to see where it all goes from here (or might not ... I didn't exactly connect with the any of the main characters, so YMMV).
"Life is short. Make it interesting." -- Box
This series is currently available on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#CaspiansFortune #NetGalley
"Life is short. Make it interesting." -- Box
This series is currently available on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#CaspiansFortune #NetGalley
This is not a review, just a reminder to myself in the future. I didn’t like this and quit reading a little more than halfway through. *tosses book toward DNF bin
Ugh. The sci-fi elements are minimal - energy guns and spaceships, so the heavy lifting has to be accomplished by great characters and a clever plot. Caspian's Fortune has neither of those things. The characters lack a great deal of common sense, and author fiat is necessary to force characters to do stupid things in order for the plot to move forward the way Eric Warren planned. Which might be fine, if the plot weren't so slow and boring. To explain why requires spoilers, so instead I'll focus on other aspects...
Per the cover blurb, Caspian takes a job that could clear his name -- except the reason why he has the job requires the author keep a secret from the reader, but Caspian knows throughout the narration. I hate this kind of cheap writing: the novel is from Caspian's viewpoint but we are purposely kept in the dark despite the secret being critical to Caspian's decision making. This removes tension from the plot. I have no idea why I should care, and Caspian seems to be making decisions contrary to his survival and yet I am not told why for the majority of the book.
Combine this with very thin world-building and this novel is simply not for me. Characters exist to do what the plot demands, rather than have actual jobs and roles within the universe. Our female lead is allegedly an XO who doesn't seem to have any responsibilities on a ship at all. The military organization barely resembles a navy... hell it barely resembles any sort of organization. Characters have an ill-defined background and role. They exist to move the plot forward, and have no life the moment they disappear out of narration.
Ah I almost forgot... there are a number of plot twists based on technical capabilities that are not foreshadowed at all. It's as if you're reading a present day novel and suddenly someone has a teleporter. Cheap, terrible writing.
I regret the time I spent reading this novel, and highly recommend against.
Per the cover blurb, Caspian takes a job that could clear his name -- except the reason why he has the job requires the author keep a secret from the reader, but Caspian knows throughout the narration. I hate this kind of cheap writing: the novel is from Caspian's viewpoint but we are purposely kept in the dark despite the secret being critical to Caspian's decision making. This removes tension from the plot. I have no idea why I should care, and Caspian seems to be making decisions contrary to his survival and yet I am not told why for the majority of the book.
Combine this with very thin world-building and this novel is simply not for me. Characters exist to do what the plot demands, rather than have actual jobs and roles within the universe. Our female lead is allegedly an XO who doesn't seem to have any responsibilities on a ship at all. The military organization barely resembles a navy... hell it barely resembles any sort of organization. Characters have an ill-defined background and role. They exist to move the plot forward, and have no life the moment they disappear out of narration.
Ah I almost forgot... there are a number of plot twists based on technical capabilities that are not foreshadowed at all. It's as if you're reading a present day novel and suddenly someone has a teleporter. Cheap, terrible writing.
I regret the time I spent reading this novel, and highly recommend against.
Though this wasn't earth-shattering to me in plot, characters, or world-building, it's a solidly enjoyable military-turned-rebel space story of the kind that I enjoy (Vatta's War, Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, etc).
A fun short read!
This novel is about an outlaw named Cas and his robot pilot and best friend Box. Cas is a courier and a drunk. The first because he has no other option at the moment, the second because he wants to forget his past. When he meets Evie, a pilot from the same Coalition that forced him into exile, he isn't happy to say the least. He gets even angrier when he discovers she has been ordered to bring him back. She may not know why he was living so far from home but he knows that the Coalition never forgets. Either he'll be thrown in jail or murdered on the spot, but goes with her for some reason.
Warren tells the story in a fun and exciting way. Parts of the narrative were a bit unbelievable which is why I am giving this novella a four instead of a five but other than that, I liked the emotion and the action. Box was hilarious, even though he was a robot, there were times he seemed more human than Cas himself. The new life forms were fun to imagine and every action sequence was intense, eloquent and fast-paced, forcing me to keep reading.
This novel is about an outlaw named Cas and his robot pilot and best friend Box. Cas is a courier and a drunk. The first because he has no other option at the moment, the second because he wants to forget his past. When he meets Evie, a pilot from the same Coalition that forced him into exile, he isn't happy to say the least. He gets even angrier when he discovers she has been ordered to bring him back. She may not know why he was living so far from home but he knows that the Coalition never forgets. Either he'll be thrown in jail or murdered on the spot, but goes with her for some reason.
Warren tells the story in a fun and exciting way. Parts of the narrative were a bit unbelievable which is why I am giving this novella a four instead of a five but other than that, I liked the emotion and the action. Box was hilarious, even though he was a robot, there were times he seemed more human than Cas himself. The new life forms were fun to imagine and every action sequence was intense, eloquent and fast-paced, forcing me to keep reading.
When we first meet Caspian Robeaux, his life is considered quite rough. He is on the run, he doesn't have much money, and his ship is falling apart. As the story unfolds we begin to see how he can possibly turn his life around and redeem himself.
Cas was in the very organization that he is on the run from and on his path gets trapped in another hard situation. When we meet Cas, he is very closed off and does not want a part of either organization. He just wants to take his ship and his robot, Box, and explore space and move on with his life.
I really enjoyed this book, the pacing was really well done and the different characters were very enjoyable. The author did a great job of not only creating great characters but he created a whole universe that you want to know more about. I am excited to see what happens next to our friends
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Cas was in the very organization that he is on the run from and on his path gets trapped in another hard situation. When we meet Cas, he is very closed off and does not want a part of either organization. He just wants to take his ship and his robot, Box, and explore space and move on with his life.
I really enjoyed this book, the pacing was really well done and the different characters were very enjoyable. The author did a great job of not only creating great characters but he created a whole universe that you want to know more about. I am excited to see what happens next to our friends
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.