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A review by robotswithpersonality
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White
I rarely read anything where the action alone is enough to suck me in and keep me reading but this is so very engagingly written, you care about the characters immediately, so that finding out what's going to happen is a riveting enterprise, that and between the rocking amidst giant mechas, basically everyone having incredible tech-aided style and the evasion and fight scene choreography, the action itself is a hell of a ride. Did I mention Ardent and Gus, and the situations they get into are hilarious? There's a warmth and humanity that reminds me of Scalzi, definitely my favoured direction in sci-fi, though that doesn't mean there's not some heavy shit going on, as in Scalzi.
The epic duel/duet between Falchion and Ardent is a scene I'm going to have in my head for a long time. Serious cinematic potential.
Very much dug the nod to the original meaning of robot.
Non-binary main character for the win!
The world building can feel a little 'in media res' but it helps with the flow of the narrative, what's introduced varies from not too far from where tech is currently/where people are currently studying for future innovations to extrapolate and have no trouble believing in its existence, and casual reference to things like star metal which have a very 'just go with it' quality that is my preferred version of sci fi world-building (as opposed to getting bogged down in the detailed breakdown of how it works when I may or may not have the math/science background to comprehend it).
The ending is at a good place where it's not a cliffhanger, you could stop and keep this as a standalone, but I am happy to read on in the series. Next one apparently comes out next month!
⚠️non-con body modification/body horror(?), suicidal ideation, depression
The epic duel/duet between Falchion and Ardent is a scene I'm going to have in my head for a long time. Serious cinematic potential.
Very much dug the nod to the original meaning of robot.
Non-binary main character for the win!
The world building can feel a little 'in media res' but it helps with the flow of the narrative, what's introduced varies from not too far from where tech is currently/where people are currently studying for future innovations to extrapolate and have no trouble believing in its existence, and casual reference to things like star metal which have a very 'just go with it' quality that is my preferred version of sci fi world-building (as opposed to getting bogged down in the detailed breakdown of how it works when I may or may not have the math/science background to comprehend it).
The ending is at a good place where it's not a cliffhanger, you could stop and keep this as a standalone, but I am happy to read on in the series. Next one apparently comes out next month!
⚠️non-con body modification/body horror(?), suicidal ideation, depression