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A review by lindzy
Flotsam: Peridot Shift: Book 1 by R.J. Theodore
4.0
Original Review Here
Flotsam was an enjoyable, tense and mystical story that often had me wondering what on earth (or, not!) was going to happen next.
Talis is a captain and a scavenger. She and her crew risk their lives to obtain the junk caught in Peridot’s gravitational field. She’ll fight if that is what is needed and doesn’t shy away from violence. But she wants answers, and she wants to be paid. More than anything, she wants to make sure she delivers to her crew what she promised them.
I liked Talis from the start. She’s a bold captain but she’s vulnerable: she’s human. She fears she can’t offer her crew enough and she’s terrified when it all starts to go wrong. She doubts, she hopes, she loves and she fights. It was easy to warm to her character and root for her; she’s in over her head but is determined to make it right.
The rest of the crew were also likeable. Sophie with her love for the ship. I wanted more of Tisker – his backstory intrigues me and his pilot ability is second-to-none. Dug is loyal but has his own demons – and Talis is about to test how far his loyalty goes.
I could spend ages talking about the aliens, the AI life-forms, the Gods, the epic-space-battles. Or I could tell you to go and read the book for yourself!
The more I think about it, the more I realise how many layers there are to this book. It questions how far you are prepared to put your belief in something: the Gods are worshipped (it’s Dug’s core), but can the characters accept their idols are fallible? That they aren’t as good and pure as Talis and her crew believed? What are you left fighting for when your gods have been destroyed (literally) in front of you?
It’s also about sacrifice and love. When the main battle rages, Talis and co are on the outskirts. They are in danger and have to deal with some pretty hectic problems. But they aren’t rushing around firing cannons. I was more concerned for them afterwards, when they have to find their reserves and see if they can make it to safety. The violence wasn’t the crux of the story; working together to solve the problem was. Really rather satisfying!
The world was easy enough to get a grip on. Meran – the AI – left me confused though; I couldn’t work out the extent of her powers or what she wanted. Then again, I was in the same position as the characters there. There was also a lack of closure with her character.
With enjoyable characters, an interesting setting and a plot that was about more than fighting for survival, Flotsam was an entertaining read with just enough tension to keep me gripped.
Flotsam was an enjoyable, tense and mystical story that often had me wondering what on earth (or, not!) was going to happen next.
Talis is a captain and a scavenger. She and her crew risk their lives to obtain the junk caught in Peridot’s gravitational field. She’ll fight if that is what is needed and doesn’t shy away from violence. But she wants answers, and she wants to be paid. More than anything, she wants to make sure she delivers to her crew what she promised them.
I liked Talis from the start. She’s a bold captain but she’s vulnerable: she’s human. She fears she can’t offer her crew enough and she’s terrified when it all starts to go wrong. She doubts, she hopes, she loves and she fights. It was easy to warm to her character and root for her; she’s in over her head but is determined to make it right.
The rest of the crew were also likeable. Sophie with her love for the ship. I wanted more of Tisker – his backstory intrigues me and his pilot ability is second-to-none. Dug is loyal but has his own demons – and Talis is about to test how far his loyalty goes.
I could spend ages talking about the aliens, the AI life-forms, the Gods, the epic-space-battles. Or I could tell you to go and read the book for yourself!
The more I think about it, the more I realise how many layers there are to this book. It questions how far you are prepared to put your belief in something: the Gods are worshipped (it’s Dug’s core), but can the characters accept their idols are fallible? That they aren’t as good and pure as Talis and her crew believed? What are you left fighting for when your gods have been destroyed (literally) in front of you?
It’s also about sacrifice and love. When the main battle rages, Talis and co are on the outskirts. They are in danger and have to deal with some pretty hectic problems. But they aren’t rushing around firing cannons. I was more concerned for them afterwards, when they have to find their reserves and see if they can make it to safety. The violence wasn’t the crux of the story; working together to solve the problem was. Really rather satisfying!
The world was easy enough to get a grip on. Meran – the AI – left me confused though; I couldn’t work out the extent of her powers or what she wanted. Then again, I was in the same position as the characters there. There was also a lack of closure with her character.
With enjoyable characters, an interesting setting and a plot that was about more than fighting for survival, Flotsam was an entertaining read with just enough tension to keep me gripped.