You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
For the reader who only has ten seconds to decide if they want to read this book or not… it has all of these things and more:
Fun, easy to read story
Enough twists and turns to keep you engaged
A main character that is instantly likeable
A badass grumpy Granny
Different species of people
Great locations
A sprinkling of humour
Interesting characters
Page-turning splendour
If you have a little more time, allow me to expand…
I really enjoyed Jonathan Nevair’s completed Wind Tide trilogy. It’s a series that is so interesting and unique. Despite all three being books I enjoyed greatly, I’ll be the first to admit that they might not be as enjoyable for every reader. Politics and diplomacy take centre stage through prose that is intelligent, beautifully written but also at times can come across a little academic. It means that Wind Tide can feel heavier-going than some reads and requires more energy from the reader. You might recommend it highly to a seasoned sci-fi reader for example, but probably hold off if it was somebody new to the genre looking for a book they could enjoy without too much knowledge of sci-fi or politics.
Stellar Instinct however, is a book that will be throughout enjoyable to a much wider range of people.
It’s fantastic that an author who wrote by all accounts a fairly serious trilogy has been able to come straight back out with an entertaining spy-fi book that actually had vibes of Austin Powers and Sean Connery’s bond – minus the sexual innuendo. It’s not a comedy though and Nevair has tuned back in to his bright imagination with a great plot that keeps you invested with some twists and turns and a willingness for the main character, Lilline, to succeed. The fact she’s working against an egotistical and self important entrepreneur in Mavron Nave is very topical and will make most readers want to cheer her on further.
The characters are really enjoyable to get to know and have their own quirks. The Preacher is a fun enemy who acts as a sort of Lieutenant to Nave. Lilline’s boss, Asher Lauden at first appears like he is just going to be one of those annoying superiors putting a stop to all the fun but he actually really comes into his own and becomes a really interesting character. One of my favourite parts of the book is a secret he reveals to Lilline later in the book about a storage facility they are in…
Another highlight is Lilline’s Grandmother Kissy, an ex-spy with all of her sass, badass personality and quick wits remaining who gives us some amusing moments!
Poetry is a theme in this book, with Lilline in a poetry group in which she is striving to write something she will be remembered by, with a couple of rejections coming at inopportune moments! Her attempts to create poetic meaning at various points adds an extra bit of personality to the book that does actually, rather cleverly, become significant to the story. Even if it hadn’t played a role in the plot, it’s little things like this that add a unique character to the book and in my view makes books in general more memorable.
Memorable too, as always, is the author’s ability to quickly conjure up imagery that lets you imagine a location, such as the volcano-jungle contrast of planet Hesh-9 or a view of the cosmos.
Vibrant red, blue, and green lights danced overhead on structural supports running in a complex geometric pattern, casting a kaleidoscope effect.
You get an immediate sense that the author has had fun writing this book (even from the play on words in the book’s title) and that feeling does not abate as the story progresses. This was an opportunity to be a little more relaxed (though I’m not sure authors ever truly relax) – and write the fun, fast paced novel that was probably a welcome tonic after writing a more emotionally taxing and layered trilogy beforehand.
Indeed, with the pressures of life in general and the majority of fantasy and sci-fi reads being quite heavy going books, Stellar Instinct was a real palate cleanser and gives the reader the opportunity to blow off some steam from some of those books with something that’s just so readable. The author has somehow achieved the feat of maintaining his wonderful prose whilst also making it lighter and easier to read – a real skill. It made this the book I’ve found easiest to fly through over the whole year.
Nevair has created something that could conceivably be a fun outing or the start of a wider series in a world that has already become really interesting to me. One thing I really liked was the introduction of different species of people living together within the world including non-humans:
The blue-skinnes Kreelis, who wear barometric bands across their heads to regulate their blood pressure in order to survive outside of their homeworld.
The muscular-built Rasps, squat figures with a serpentine neck ending in a head the size of your first, with one eye.
The winged Oltari. Oltaris mostly use their double set of wings to get around hovering not far off the ground, with their legs of little use. They make little sounds when aroused, angry or excited which I think is such a fun idea – but one I’m glad is fictional and doesn’t apply to us!
The human variants are also really well imagined:
The Gej-ti, who have translucent skin and a gill flap on their necks. They evolved on a planet in near-darkness long ago.
The Froo, an amphibian-like variant with black rings on green skin and long, 6 knuckled fingers. They have moist skin and cold blood. The typical humans can’t even touch Froo without causing their kind gastrointestinal issues.
Dendari, a hairy and fanged variant adapted to the harsh icy planet of Frebu.
There are also animals and biomes bringing to life Nevair’s worlds here, a highlight being the radioactive Bukki tiger from the Red Zone of Hesh-9. The zone is like a jungle Chernobyl, with rumours of mutations to anything that survived the initial nuclear spill covering five thousand kilometers.
Something I’d like to mention before rounding off my review, but can’t really talk loads about is the implementation of augmented and virtual reality. What I can say is that Jonathan Nevair does this really intelligently and inventively – trust him to deliver, even if at first you’re confused. Again though, the author’s intelligent ideas and the way he paints these ideas onto the page marks his work out and makes it memorable and striking, rather than being just another book to forget about within a few months. What I really love about this book is all these introductions of creative ideas and story elements whilst maintaining the pacing at all times, so it’s a relatively quick read that you enjoy the whole way through, whilst not being so fleeting that it’s a sort of throwaway. I just want to read the next Spy-fi adventure now!!
I’ve got a feeling Jonathan Nevair is going to be an author delighting us with original ideas and exciting stories for many years to come…
“It’s a different approach to intelligence. We call it many things. A ‘hunch’ or our ‘gut’ telling us something.”
“It’s instinct,” Lilline said.
Fun, easy to read story
Enough twists and turns to keep you engaged
A main character that is instantly likeable
A badass grumpy Granny
Different species of people
Great locations
A sprinkling of humour
Interesting characters
Page-turning splendour
If you have a little more time, allow me to expand…
I really enjoyed Jonathan Nevair’s completed Wind Tide trilogy. It’s a series that is so interesting and unique. Despite all three being books I enjoyed greatly, I’ll be the first to admit that they might not be as enjoyable for every reader. Politics and diplomacy take centre stage through prose that is intelligent, beautifully written but also at times can come across a little academic. It means that Wind Tide can feel heavier-going than some reads and requires more energy from the reader. You might recommend it highly to a seasoned sci-fi reader for example, but probably hold off if it was somebody new to the genre looking for a book they could enjoy without too much knowledge of sci-fi or politics.
Stellar Instinct however, is a book that will be throughout enjoyable to a much wider range of people.
It’s fantastic that an author who wrote by all accounts a fairly serious trilogy has been able to come straight back out with an entertaining spy-fi book that actually had vibes of Austin Powers and Sean Connery’s bond – minus the sexual innuendo. It’s not a comedy though and Nevair has tuned back in to his bright imagination with a great plot that keeps you invested with some twists and turns and a willingness for the main character, Lilline, to succeed. The fact she’s working against an egotistical and self important entrepreneur in Mavron Nave is very topical and will make most readers want to cheer her on further.
The characters are really enjoyable to get to know and have their own quirks. The Preacher is a fun enemy who acts as a sort of Lieutenant to Nave. Lilline’s boss, Asher Lauden at first appears like he is just going to be one of those annoying superiors putting a stop to all the fun but he actually really comes into his own and becomes a really interesting character. One of my favourite parts of the book is a secret he reveals to Lilline later in the book about a storage facility they are in…
Another highlight is Lilline’s Grandmother Kissy, an ex-spy with all of her sass, badass personality and quick wits remaining who gives us some amusing moments!
Poetry is a theme in this book, with Lilline in a poetry group in which she is striving to write something she will be remembered by, with a couple of rejections coming at inopportune moments! Her attempts to create poetic meaning at various points adds an extra bit of personality to the book that does actually, rather cleverly, become significant to the story. Even if it hadn’t played a role in the plot, it’s little things like this that add a unique character to the book and in my view makes books in general more memorable.
Memorable too, as always, is the author’s ability to quickly conjure up imagery that lets you imagine a location, such as the volcano-jungle contrast of planet Hesh-9 or a view of the cosmos.
Vibrant red, blue, and green lights danced overhead on structural supports running in a complex geometric pattern, casting a kaleidoscope effect.
You get an immediate sense that the author has had fun writing this book (even from the play on words in the book’s title) and that feeling does not abate as the story progresses. This was an opportunity to be a little more relaxed (though I’m not sure authors ever truly relax) – and write the fun, fast paced novel that was probably a welcome tonic after writing a more emotionally taxing and layered trilogy beforehand.
Indeed, with the pressures of life in general and the majority of fantasy and sci-fi reads being quite heavy going books, Stellar Instinct was a real palate cleanser and gives the reader the opportunity to blow off some steam from some of those books with something that’s just so readable. The author has somehow achieved the feat of maintaining his wonderful prose whilst also making it lighter and easier to read – a real skill. It made this the book I’ve found easiest to fly through over the whole year.
Nevair has created something that could conceivably be a fun outing or the start of a wider series in a world that has already become really interesting to me. One thing I really liked was the introduction of different species of people living together within the world including non-humans:
The blue-skinnes Kreelis, who wear barometric bands across their heads to regulate their blood pressure in order to survive outside of their homeworld.
The muscular-built Rasps, squat figures with a serpentine neck ending in a head the size of your first, with one eye.
The winged Oltari. Oltaris mostly use their double set of wings to get around hovering not far off the ground, with their legs of little use. They make little sounds when aroused, angry or excited which I think is such a fun idea – but one I’m glad is fictional and doesn’t apply to us!
The human variants are also really well imagined:
The Gej-ti, who have translucent skin and a gill flap on their necks. They evolved on a planet in near-darkness long ago.
The Froo, an amphibian-like variant with black rings on green skin and long, 6 knuckled fingers. They have moist skin and cold blood. The typical humans can’t even touch Froo without causing their kind gastrointestinal issues.
Dendari, a hairy and fanged variant adapted to the harsh icy planet of Frebu.
There are also animals and biomes bringing to life Nevair’s worlds here, a highlight being the radioactive Bukki tiger from the Red Zone of Hesh-9. The zone is like a jungle Chernobyl, with rumours of mutations to anything that survived the initial nuclear spill covering five thousand kilometers.
Something I’d like to mention before rounding off my review, but can’t really talk loads about is the implementation of augmented and virtual reality. What I can say is that Jonathan Nevair does this really intelligently and inventively – trust him to deliver, even if at first you’re confused. Again though, the author’s intelligent ideas and the way he paints these ideas onto the page marks his work out and makes it memorable and striking, rather than being just another book to forget about within a few months. What I really love about this book is all these introductions of creative ideas and story elements whilst maintaining the pacing at all times, so it’s a relatively quick read that you enjoy the whole way through, whilst not being so fleeting that it’s a sort of throwaway. I just want to read the next Spy-fi adventure now!!
I’ve got a feeling Jonathan Nevair is going to be an author delighting us with original ideas and exciting stories for many years to come…
“It’s a different approach to intelligence. We call it many things. A ‘hunch’ or our ‘gut’ telling us something.”
“It’s instinct,” Lilline said.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Soft DNF.
Just not vibing with the main character ... it feels a bit like "being a poet as well as a kickass spy" is her entire personality.
Just not vibing with the main character ... it feels a bit like "being a poet as well as a kickass spy" is her entire personality.
This was my first book by Jonathan Nevair after hearing about many of his other SciFi novels. The tagline is what made me grab this one first, as it was a mashup of two of my favorite genres. A SpyFi Thriller!! This just made me want to read it more. I jumped into this one not knowing what to expect and was shocked, not only did it have great thriller plot points, but it also contained humor and beautiful poetry throughout. The world was distinct and described beautifully as well, with each of the characters throughout the novel having a distinct voice.
The strength of the novel were the characters, and how easy they were to read. They all had a distinct voice and it was great to see them have such personalities in a relatively short novel. There was even a character that had gills who loved to smoke. This image made me smile and gave me a sense of great imagery that it quickly became a favorite. It was also great to see how this effected the character through some of the scenes that happen. The only thing that really threw me off was the use of second person. This is most definitely a me thing, as I know many others enjoy it. It works well in the novel, and I understand the choice of using it. It just was unexpected and always seems to interrupt the flow to me.
Overall this is a great easy to read novel. Those looking for a fun SciFi read with great characters, beautiful writing, and a dash of humor have found the book that they are waiting for. The technology used is not over the top and is easy to understand, though it does play an integral part to the story. I encourage everyone to give this a spin, listen to your instinct which is saying "read this". I had a great time!! Don't be a fly on the wall trying to figure it all out and jump in with both feet!!
Thank you for taking the time to read this review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
The strength of the novel were the characters, and how easy they were to read. They all had a distinct voice and it was great to see them have such personalities in a relatively short novel. There was even a character that had gills who loved to smoke. This image made me smile and gave me a sense of great imagery that it quickly became a favorite. It was also great to see how this effected the character through some of the scenes that happen. The only thing that really threw me off was the use of second person. This is most definitely a me thing, as I know many others enjoy it. It works well in the novel, and I understand the choice of using it. It just was unexpected and always seems to interrupt the flow to me.
Overall this is a great easy to read novel. Those looking for a fun SciFi read with great characters, beautiful writing, and a dash of humor have found the book that they are waiting for. The technology used is not over the top and is easy to understand, though it does play an integral part to the story. I encourage everyone to give this a spin, listen to your instinct which is saying "read this". I had a great time!! Don't be a fly on the wall trying to figure it all out and jump in with both feet!!
Thank you for taking the time to read this review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m sure I’ve seen this desecrated as “James Bond in space” and having read it< I find that rather apt! This is a fast-paced adventure romp, with tech, gadgets, fast spaceships, and a smidge of love interest. Basically a Bond movie!
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Finished this wonderful book sci-if book today. It was so fast paced . Loved the story . Here is my review I put for it on audible:
The story is wonderful and the voice actor is fantastic . never once did I not know who was talking. The book was super engaging and the audio performance matched it wonderfully can't wait to get the next book.
The story is wonderful and the voice actor is fantastic . never once did I not know who was talking. The book was super engaging and the audio performance matched it wonderfully can't wait to get the next book.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
This was a nice, entertaining sci-fi ride. Lilline was an enjoyable main character, although I wished I could have gotten closer to her and saw more of her inner world in a deeper fashion. In any case, I loved her poetry insertions a lot. I also enjoyed Kissy's character, we love a badass granny. And Lauden was also great as the big boss. The plot wasn't the most complicated ever, but the couple of settings we visited were immersive (I especially loved Frebu but the jungle planet was also very interesting) and the alien species we got to know were distinct and cool. The villain seemed a tad bit easy to defeat but I did love the concept of what he was trying to do a Lot. My favourite scene was probably the gala. The book was very pacey and we didn't linger a lot anywhere, but maybe that's part of why it's a nice little break between heavier stuff. I'll probably come back for the sequel eventually!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very intriguing! I don’t typically go for sci-fi but I’m glad a friend recommended this to me. It was a wild ride through the universe to solve a mystery and save the universe! I enjoyed the descriptions of the different planets and different characters. I felt as if I were part of the story which is always a plus!