Brisk, entertaining supernatural romp.
A 13-year-old boy becomes a superpowered defender of planets throughout the universe in Royer’s debut novel, which launches an SF/adventure series.
When a new family moves to his North Carolina neighborhood, Aben Egole meets Nastera Roshen, a girl his age. She wastes no time in showcasing her supernatural abilities by teleporting Aben to planet Zonda. Nastera is there to recruit Aben to the Astroknights, a group that protects planets from foreign invaders. She furthermore activates his dormant powers, which stem from his mother, Marlya, who’s been MIA for nine years. Aben learns that not only is his mother an alien, but that she’s alive and well, safely residing on her home planet. Aben subsequently develops and hones such abilities as telepathy and flight. Soon joined by his father, Col. Ivory Egole, the teenager and his fellow Astroknights embark on missions to help others, confronting winged creatures and more. These missions play a part in creating the universe’s first alliance, the Fortress of Planets. An alliance, however, may not be possible as long as tyrannical Imperial Gen. Warnod and his warships remain a perpetual menace. Consequently, a battle between the Astroknights and Warnod may be unavoidable. Royer begins this novel full-tilt as Nastera introduces herself and then teleports Aben by the very next page. The novel covers a wide range of characters, planets, and subplots, including Astroknights’ training or undergoing specific missions. As such, action scenes are sometimes over too quickly. Nevertheless, myriad abilities are on display, like shape-shifting and invisibility. And while Aben harnesses incredible skills (e.g., creating a vortex), he’s a mostly relatable teen protagonist. He, for example, is not invulnerable, as he doesn’t win every confrontation, and Aben can be impetuous, putting himself at unnecessary risk by going off on his own.
Brisk, entertaining supernatural romp. (dedication, author bio)Pub Date: April 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5447-6218-0
Page Count: 302
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ambitious but plodding space odyssey.
Having survived a disastrous deep space mission in 2038, three asteroid miners plan a return to their abandoned ship to save two colleagues who were left behind.
Though bankrolled through a crooked money laundering scheme, their original project promised to put in place a program to reduce the CO2 levels on Earth, ease global warming, and pave the way for the future. The rescue mission, itself unsanctioned, doesn't have a much better chance of succeeding. All manner of technical mishaps, unplanned-for dangers, and cutthroat competition for the precious resources from the asteroid await the three miners. One of them has cancer. The international community opposes the mission, with China, Russia, and the United States sending questionable "observers" to the new space station that gets built north of the moon for the expedition. And then there is Space Titan Jack Macy, a rogue billionaire threatening to grab the riches. (As one character says, "It's a free universe.") Suarez's basic story is a good one, with tense moments, cool robot surrogates, and virtual reality visions. But too much of the novel consists of long, sometimes bloated stretches of technical description, discussions of newfangled financing for "off-world" projects, and at least one unneeded backstory. So little actually happens that fixing the station's faulty plumbing becomes a significant plot point. For those who want to know everything about "silicon photovoltaics" and "orthostatic intolerance," Suarez's latest SF saga will be right up their alley. But for those itching for less talk and more action, the book's many pages of setup become wearing.
An ambitious but plodding space odyssey.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-18363-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
A laugh-out-loud “why choose?” romance of intergalactic proportions.
What’s worse: to be killed by a lion or dropped on a strange planet and forced into an alien breeding program?
Dorothy Valentine had a happy career in wildlife biology, studying meerkats in their native environment and living on her own terms. That is, until a hungry lion decided to make her into lunchmeat. Abducted from Earth at the moment of her death—along with the lion who attacked her—Dory becomes Subject 4 in an alien research project. The goal: to extend the life of the Sankado species, whose females were left behind on their dying home planet. With "a few modifications," Dory is a prime candidate for Sankado breeding…except for the secret birth control implant in her arm. To make matters more complicated, she hooks up with two Sankado men, Sol and Lok, while under the influence of an alien love serum, becoming their Zhali—a mate for life. Luckily, they don’t mind sharing Dory or one another. Just when their three-way honeymoon is about to kick off, however, Lok’s old enemy rears his ugly head, putting all of their lives in peril. Lemming’s characterization really shines here. Sassy Dory, sensitive and whip-smart Sol, and the dominant, flirtatious Lok all feel fully realized, as do Toto and Intern—the lion who tried to eat Dory and the birdlike alien responsible for observing her. The sex scenes are spicy, if perhaps too few and far between, and the dialogue is snappy and realistic.
A laugh-out-loud “why choose?” romance of intergalactic proportions.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780593818633
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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