Monday, January 14, 2019

The Unknown Hero- Isaac Philips

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description: "Something had flinched in the darkness. He scanned the scene, his eyes straining to penetrate the walls of rain and mist. Then he saw it, a giant form as pitch black as the night…”

Why have they come? Fear and speculation ripple across the solar system when an immense war fleet shows up out of nowhere. The leaders of the seven inhabited worlds must scramble to determine a course of action. Together, they can stand against the threat, but their own underhanded schemes divide them.

Swept into the political panic, a timid, young rancher will have to unravel the secrets of the solar system that he holds dear. He will come face to face with the invaders and witness the first acts of war. To survive will take bravery, strength, and more than a little cunning.


My Thoughts: Often with sci-fi, the narrative is focused more on the science and how cool space travel is. At least that is how it has always seemed to me. And for that reason, I have preferred to read space operas, because I felt that I was able to get a better grasp on the story without being bogged down in terms that I didn't really understand. And so, with this story, I felt that it was a good middle ground between hard sci-fi and space opera in that it has the many worlds and deep world building of sci-fi with more of the simplicity of space opera.

The story did take some time to delve into. I was not able to picture the different species of characters as well as I would have liked, or even how those characters interacted with their world in ways that were different from humans. However, the story shown through those issues and Kiiyeepo stood out as a character who I could relate to. Adventure was not something he sought, but something he undertook because his world needed him.

I do not know how more devoted fans of sci-fi would take this story. The Unknown Hero does not seem to latch onto the typical genre staples of blasters, lasers, warp drives, or particle reassembly that can be found in other books. The science is closer to ours, just used in another galaxy with perhaps a few creative liberties. For that reason, I do not think this book fits into a solid box and that for anyone looking for that type of story, this may be for you.

I have provided an honest review after receiving a copy of the book from the author.


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