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A review by azrah786
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, body horror, medical content, suicidal ideation, war, genocide, death, death of parent (off page)
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A highly entertaining and action packed space opera that cranks the volume up high!
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space takes place far into the future at the end of the world. Giant alien robots with their shapeshifting robotic beasts in tow, are zipping around the galaxy destroying the countless worlds humanity has ventured out to and Earth is up next. After a fall out with famous pop star Ardent Violet, Gus Kitko is aimlessly wondering the “greatest goodbye party of all time” alone but decides to see the final moments out by playing some piano. Except his jazz resonates with Greymalkin, one of the Vanguards that crashes onto the planet, and rather than destroying him it chooses Gus to be its Conduit to help it fight.
When it becomes apparent that Greymalkin is not the only Traitor Vanguard, both Gus and Ardent find themselves drawn into a mission to prevent humanities annihilation.
This was such an entertaining read and gave me major Transformers and Pacific Rim vibes with some added rock ‘n roll and great queer rep. Though the beginning is a little slow it’s not long before the chaos kicks in and grabs your attention. Both Gus and Ardent were such fun protagonists to follow, I loved their individual personalities and their relationship was sweet despite developing a little fast / being a bit insta lovey but hey it’s a book set at the end of the world so..
The worldbuilding was really well established and the heart racing action and battle scenes gave the whole story a cinematic edge.
The idea behind the Vanguards/mechas and their accompanying ghosts was equally fascinating and terrifying – be aware there is a fair amount of body horror involved. However, I really loved the involvement of music in both the overall plot and the process of bonding with the mechas, who each had their own unique characteristics too.
My only real issue with the book was that I got lost with some of the music/musicology lingo. Not being much of a musician myself there were some conversations and descriptions that were just flying over my head and in a scifi book where there is already going to be a handful of obscure science lingo that I am only half going to understand without Google, having the two together meant I was feeling more than the usual amount of confusion at times.
This did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the plot and development of the characters though and I am looking forward to seeing where The Starmetal Symphony is going to head to next!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, body horror, medical content, suicidal ideation, war, genocide, death, death of parent (off page)
--
A highly entertaining and action packed space opera that cranks the volume up high!
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space takes place far into the future at the end of the world. Giant alien robots with their shapeshifting robotic beasts in tow, are zipping around the galaxy destroying the countless worlds humanity has ventured out to and Earth is up next. After a fall out with famous pop star Ardent Violet, Gus Kitko is aimlessly wondering the “greatest goodbye party of all time” alone but decides to see the final moments out by playing some piano. Except his jazz resonates with Greymalkin, one of the Vanguards that crashes onto the planet, and rather than destroying him it chooses Gus to be its Conduit to help it fight.
When it becomes apparent that Greymalkin is not the only Traitor Vanguard, both Gus and Ardent find themselves drawn into a mission to prevent humanities annihilation.
This was such an entertaining read and gave me major Transformers and Pacific Rim vibes with some added rock ‘n roll and great queer rep. Though the beginning is a little slow it’s not long before the chaos kicks in and grabs your attention. Both Gus and Ardent were such fun protagonists to follow, I loved their individual personalities and their relationship was sweet despite developing a little fast / being a bit insta lovey but hey it’s a book set at the end of the world so..
The worldbuilding was really well established and the heart racing action and battle scenes gave the whole story a cinematic edge.
The idea behind the Vanguards/mechas and their accompanying ghosts was equally fascinating and terrifying – be aware there is a fair amount of body horror involved. However, I really loved the involvement of music in both the overall plot and the process of bonding with the mechas, who each had their own unique characteristics too.
My only real issue with the book was that I got lost with some of the music/musicology lingo. Not being much of a musician myself there were some conversations and descriptions that were just flying over my head and in a scifi book where there is already going to be a handful of obscure science lingo that I am only half going to understand without Google, having the two together meant I was feeling more than the usual amount of confusion at times.
This did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the plot and development of the characters though and I am looking forward to seeing where The Starmetal Symphony is going to head to next!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Genocide, Death, Violence, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent