Genre: Science Fiction
Disclaimer: Reading is all about discovery, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.
The Analysis:
If Lost Solace is soft science then Nophek Glass is hard. After experiencing both, I think I’d prefer a book firmly in the middle. But none of that has to do with my review. So let’s get into it.
Here’s the Blurb:
I like the cover. I don't love it. Its essentially a picture of a ship. It's size kinda indicates that its not the ship that the characters spend a considerable amount of their time on. However, it hits all the genre notes and is intriguing.
Now The Story:
Book Info:
Pages: 433
Author: Essa Hansen
Available: Amazon
Caiden aka Winn, 10 years old, experiences the most traumatic event ever at the hands of the Overseers aka Caspian. Basically, on this planet him and his people herds animals called the Bovine. But sometime before the book even starts the animals have died. Leaving the people to maintain the factory with no real sense of purpose outside of things were always this way.
One day the Overseers come and collect everyone with little explanation. Everyone's feeling a mixture of hope and fear. Only to be let off on this ship into a planet full of huge man-eating creatures who just happen to inhabit a planet with minerals that read like diamonds. So we know what the Overseer's motivations are.
Anyway, the story is about Winn's search for revenge. Normally I wouldn't be behind such efforts. However, the Overseers appear to be a huge network of wrongs, this big evil, that could be doing this and more to other planets. So I'm like seek revenge cough justice.
He's found by this crew that I'm immediately distrustful of because I don't want them sidetracking this 10-year old lol. I'm less connected to the crew and more all-in on the boy. There's a lot he doesn't know being sheltered and thrust into this new universe. However, the crew reluctantly agrees to help him and hijinks ensue in the wider galaxy.
Most of the time I'm like shut up adult crew. I need my Jedi to change the world.
Then Caiden ages to about 16 through a perk of doing a good deed. I won't spoil why this book is a long one and there will probably be a lot of minor things like that. So I'll stick to the hit list. But here's how I felt.
I'll make revenge suit me.
Best Quote of the Book
One of the themes in this book is family. Caidens original family was thrown together and yet it was real. He wanted the same with the crew. A sentiment I never fully embraced. They treated him like an outsider because of his lack of experience, knowledge of the world, and just the limited time they had together. All good reasons. However, I argued that's exactly why they should have accepted him. Outside of 2 members, I really didn't feel like they were a group worth being apart of. Someone with a clean slate and nothing reinforcing it but anger shouldn't be pushed aside as an annoyance. The crew did that repeatedly and made him prove himself. No, you prove that your good for him.
Threi (the villain) was an anomaly and the old adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend could certainly apply to him in this story.
However, all was revealed some chapters in and boy was it a doozy. And honestly something I should have seen coming but didn't. The coolest part of this section was that one of the planets was a creature. The most complicated part was that this creature housed thousands of worlds within a door that housed even more.
Back to this secret that I won't reveal. I do kinda wish for Caidens sake that it was revealed earlier. I certainly agree that he shouldn't have spilled his treasure trove to Caiden when they first met on opposite sides. But there was plenty of time when they were on the ship on the way there that he probably should have. It probably would have allowed him to get some of his anger out and let him sit on it for a bit. I can't help but feel this shock was for the readers sake. 🤷🏾♀️
Threi also lost some of his mystery during this reveal. Not because we learned anything about him, because we didnt. I just felt like from his actions I could gleam enough as to what was motivating all this. He probably lost his planet, wife, or kids and was on a similar revenge kick as Caiden. One that had sustained him over what could possibly be centuries if not decades. So, I was less interested in him after that. And more like, alright let me go back to following my Luke Skywalker, who's about to save the universe for you.
Also, to come up with this full-proof plan means that Threi had to torture aliens of a variety of different species in a variety of diff ways. Which for me was proof that I didn't want him running things after the big evil was gone. I don't judge him for it, but I can't reasonably be able to expect him to rule with honesty and care either. Caiden eventually asks later but I'm not satisfied with Threi's answered.
The story continues. Ultimately the man didn't want to kill the big evil. He wanted to kill the person she could morph into and it would be more satisfying because the big evil had an ego that wouldn't allow her to feel pain. On top of that, it was sort of a practice round.
It's psychotic. Which should be cool, but for some reason I'm finding it silly.
I was a tad disappointed when the big evil was defeated. Thank you Caiden. Mostly because we still had chapters left. I would describe the last 5-7 chapters as one big epilogue. We're pretty much watching Caiden get his life together and what that means. It does tie up two smaller questions, but not to any great detail. Those two things are Threi's little side quest and what happens with all the Nophex.
Then the real epilogue appears and the story jumps ahead 10 years. Most likely setting up for book 2. It's revealed that Leta, Caidens adopted sister, who died in chapter 1 in the massacre, is still alive. Not only that, but Threi is trapped in some universe that he needs Caidens help to get out from. Without options, he turns to his sister to smoke the guy. Yes, the one he wanted to kill.
Story At A Glance:
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Read Series Continuation: No*
The Ratings:
Book Cover Appeal:
🍓🍓🍓
Story & Narration:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
Romance:
N/A
Character/(s) Personality:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
*I just personally wouldn't. I'm a book pirate remember, I need to explore new worlds. Not conquer the same book lands. Make your own decision off how you think you might enjoy the story being told.
