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A review by kody
Ten Low by Stark Holborn
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this for an upcoming book club! It was labeled as "LGBT" and "space western" and I was immediately sold. This novel explored some interesting themes and had unique world building, but it did not quite live up to my expectations.
The narrator, Ten Low, is a former prisoner on a desert planet with the sole life mission of atoning for what she did during the war. She stumbled across a downed spaceship in the first pages and rescues a child soldier. From there, she travels through the darkest and most dangerous parts of the planet and builds a ragtag cast of characters to protect both the child and herself. All the while, a mysterious supernatural force follows (or maybe guides?) her company and she is forced to confront moral dilemmas from her past and present.
This book is packed with exciting action sequences and dangerous situations. I found myself invested in what happened next and dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of this far flung society. I also enjoyed the exploration of the different ways of life in all those relegated to the farthest reaches of space. Holborn clearly had fun conceptualizing how people would live on a forgotten desert planet at the very edge of human society.
That said, this book over-promised on sci-fi themes and under-delivered on character building. From the get-go, I expected interstellar travel and spacefaring. Unfortunately, the characters never made it off their planet. Additionally, the cast of characters was large and diverse, but only Ten Low had enough characterization for me to truly care what happened to her. In fact, Holborn successfully delivered her a twisting and turning backstory with fulfilling arcs and revelations. For the other characters, there were some incredibly compelling backgrounds, and I wish there had been more opportunity to get to know how that influenced the characters and their motivations.
Overall, this story was a fun and fast-paced adventure that captured and sustained my interest from the very first chapter. I would recommend to a friend looking for an action-focused sci-fi adventure.
The narrator, Ten Low, is a former prisoner on a desert planet with the sole life mission of atoning for what she did during the war. She stumbled across a downed spaceship in the first pages and rescues a child soldier. From there, she travels through the darkest and most dangerous parts of the planet and builds a ragtag cast of characters to protect both the child and herself. All the while, a mysterious supernatural force follows (or maybe guides?) her company and she is forced to confront moral dilemmas from her past and present.
This book is packed with exciting action sequences and dangerous situations. I found myself invested in what happened next and dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of this far flung society. I also enjoyed the exploration of the different ways of life in all those relegated to the farthest reaches of space. Holborn clearly had fun conceptualizing how people would live on a forgotten desert planet at the very edge of human society.
That said, this book over-promised on sci-fi themes and under-delivered on character building. From the get-go, I expected interstellar travel and spacefaring. Unfortunately, the characters never made it off their planet. Additionally, the cast of characters was large and diverse, but only Ten Low had enough characterization for me to truly care what happened to her. In fact, Holborn successfully delivered her a twisting and turning backstory with fulfilling arcs and revelations. For the other characters, there were some incredibly compelling backgrounds, and I wish there had been more opportunity to get to know how that influenced the characters and their motivations.
Overall, this story was a fun and fast-paced adventure that captured and sustained my interest from the very first chapter. I would recommend to a friend looking for an action-focused sci-fi adventure.