This Solar System based epic sci-fi follows two characters; a middle-age cop (Miller) and a spaceship captain (Holden) as the weak balance in power dynamic between planets breaks, leading to drastic consequences.
Set in a feasible future, this story explores themes like humanity's tendency to fight amongst each other as well as the forming of social groups and societies. That said, its themes aren't the driving factor within the narrative. Like many modern stories, it's character-based (which isn't a bad thing).
A thing that was well handled was the tension. There was always enough that the story was interesting to read throughout and once you started it was difficult to stop but not so much that there wasn't any time to process and take a breather.
The prose was nothing spectacular; it was easy to understand but it wasn't the most beautiful or impactful I've read. It did have an interesting mixture of languages (to create this futuristic space jargon) that was almost imposible to understand (at least the parts that weren't in Spanish) but added a nice flair to the story. It also wasn't prevalent to the point of breaking immersion or making me lose track of the events that were taking place.
Another notable thing is that the perspective was third person omniscient (or, at least, felt like that to me), with the narrator knowing what’s going on inside each character’s heads. This is a stylistic choice that I personally liked for this story but that may put people off, so keep that in mind before deciding whether to read it.
Overall, this was a good story that I'll be continuing in the near future but that didn't grab me (neither character nor world or theme-wise) to the point of having the need to start the next book right now.
Spoiler Commentary:
I personally liked Miller more than Holden as I felt his characters was more complex and less righteous. He also felt more real, with goals and objectives even when his life was falling to shambles. Holden, on the other hand, wasn't doing anything more than surviving (and causing the biggest war in history). He also had a very rigid moral compass that I can appreciate but that was sometimes a bit off given the situation they're in. I also didn't like the fact that the romance with Naomi happened and I would have preferred them to keep on being platonic friends. I don't know why, but “friends-to-lovers” is a trope that doesn't get me as involved as a friendship or a romance.
I liked the way they handled Miller's descent, though I didn't like the way his death was a constant teaser that never happened until the end. I also would have liked if the authors had been willing to get a bit darker and explore his mental breakdown and hallucinations a bit more.
A thing that surprised me is how high the stakes got, with the fate of the human race being at risk by the end of the story. Knowing this is a nine-book series with a lot of story left leaves me wondering where the authors will take it for the next installments. I hope the alien weapon gets explored more in-depth and that Miller survived as a part in the Protogen. I would also like the story to get deeper into themes and ideas, even to the cost of some character.
Comments