The View from the Imperium

Imperium #1

by Jody Lynn Nye

A Paperback Original. Science Fiction Adventure with a Generous Dash of Humor by the Co-Author of the Best-Selling The Planet Pirates.            P. G. Wodehouse meets space opera, as Ensign Thomas Innes Loche Kinago, fresh from the Academy is given his first command. A crumb from the upper crust, he’s eager to uphold the traditions of his family, and in particular, his mother, a distinguished Admiral of the Imperium. Of course, he’s aware of the importance of always having simply smashing tailored uniforms on hand, and having his camera ready to record memorable moments for his scrapbook. In the meantime, a charismatic leader has arisen who seems able to control the minds of anyone he meets, and may be on his way to taking over the entire galaxy. Can Kinago’s aristocratic bearing and unbridled snobbery stand up to such a challenge? Fortunately, his constant companion, the unflappable Jeeves, er, Parsons, is on hand to look after the young, impulsive master, and somehow help his charge bumble his way through, perhaps even saving the galaxy in the process.



 



Praise for Jody Lynn Nye’s An Unexpected Apprentice:



“I thoroughly enjoyed it, the plot, the settlement, the whole nine yards, and especially the twitch of humor at odd moments...a book I can thoroughly recommend.” —Anne McCaffrey



 



“An unusual story well-told, with characters it's a real pleasure to spend time with.” —David Drake

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor, Space Opera, Fiction, Comedy, Ebooks, Audiobook

566 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 29, 2011

About the author

Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.

Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.

For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.

Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.

Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.

Reviews

[Ove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeeves of the Space Ways – fun & thrilling

Ensign Thomas Kinago starts by making a fool of himself the first day by pimping out his uniform in admiral stripes and arriving late to his first dinner with an Admiral known for adhering strictly to punctuality. The dressing-down he gets afterwards is a beauty I enjoyed greatly as a reader and it sets the tone for the rest of the book. I laughed out loud for a long time when the Admiral asked if he had trouble keeping inside the lines with crayons in kindergarten too.

Thomas is a member of the imperial family somewhat distant from the throne but nonetheless firmly removed from reality when the book starts. It is amusing, emotional and revealing as he realizes how protected he has been. He is a good-hearted fellow it is easy to love but he keeps getting into trouble due to inexperience. It is lucky that he has his Jevees sorry Parsons that steers him the right way.

Jody Lynn Nye isn’t exactly new to me. I have enjoyed her Doona collaboration with Anne McCaffrey and a few short stories especially in Worlds of Honor. This is promoted as a space opera version of the P. G. Woodhouse’s Jeeves books and it is not too far from the truth but Thomas is more talented than his counterpart.

The story is about as much about his journey of discovery, including some military adventures not mentioned in the blurb as it is about how a mysteriously charismatic leader threatens to take over a distant former sector of the Imperium the new Emperor wants to re include. It makes sense to send Kinago and Parsons there to find out what is going on.

The characters are great and I love the story even if I get to stretch my sense of disbelief a time or two. Thomas makes mistakes, it wouldn’t be as much fun else but he also makes many things right especially to his friends old and new. It is good when you cry from laughter and deep emotions in the same book.

View from the Imperium is fun character driven space opera with a bit over the top characters, a big heart and thrilling action. I hope Jody Lynn Nye will continue with the characters and make this a series. As you understand I warmly recommend this light-hearted novel.

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very silly, but fun to read. Imagine what a Miles Vorkosigan novel would be like, if Miles was truly clueless.

[Liviu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing novel that starts great but fizzles after the first third since the premise is thin and wears fast. For a similar but better novel - or at least one that holds its own for the full novel though even there i got tired by mid-second installment and stopped reading - I recomend Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost which is the UK take on space opera humor

[John McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bloody good read, or in my case listen as I got the audio. In this case the audio brought the novel to life with such panash that I had to immediately grab the rest of the batch. Thoroughly enjoyed the character of Thomas Kinago and the narrator was without doubt a winner. Well done on a winner for entertainment. Now on to the next!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author described this series at a convention I attended as "P.G. Wodehouse in Space". But it's not just that. It starts with Wooster – I mean Kinago – as a junior naval officer (in space!) with his bumbling artlessness clashing with naval discipline. This is a modernized take on the leisure class that turns Wooster's naivete to good purpose by contrasting the cynical idleness of his class to his full throated belief in the ideals of nobility, such as his bravery to the point of foolhardiness.

The problem was that I knew too much, an ailment that I can truthfully say has never troubled me before in my life.

If switching between first- and third-person point-of-view (but never in the same scene) bothers you, this book will. It took me a bit of getting used to.

"I will be dipped and battered and deep-fried with horseradish" makes me think not of Wooster but of a different Hugh Laurie character (the Prince Regent from Blackadder the Third).

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I think others already posted this, but it's like Jeeves and Wooster in space. And I love Jeeves and Wooster! This book was looooonnnnggg! For me anyway and it really took two long chapters for me to get into the book. Jody Lynn also uses some big vocabulary, so about every 5 pages I was having to look up words. (Thank goodness for the Kindle dictionary!) But once I got into the book, it was quite the enjoyable adventure story with action, mystery and humor.

[Donna Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absurd and Exciting

Somehow combining absurdity with more than a dash of pulse pounding excitement results in a captivating story. Having a pampered noble enter the space navy was a stroke of genius. I can’t recommend it enough and will be eager to read the second book!

[Brandon Mehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful romp from the perspective of the foolish pompous fool that everyone lampoons in so many types of media. It's enjoyable to experience the perspective as a hero, even if only in his own eyes.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Hornblower in space but with Wooster and Jeeves in the lead roles. Amusing without actually being funny.

[Fritters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got 27 percent through and gave up. Too many characters, too much info dumping, too many details that were utterly unnecessary, too little going on.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensign Thomas Innes Loche Kinago is on his first space navy cruise and making a lot of mistakes as he goes. Not unusual for a brand new officer in the Imperium Navy, but Thomas's mistakes come from a far different place then the average ensign in the Emperor's navy. Thomas is a member of the royal family. Sure he's a cousin and pretty far removed from actually inheriting the throne, but he grew up in the rarefied confines of court and had no clue what life is like for the average naval officer. His attempts to fit in and learn the customs so-to-speak meet with mixed results and he ends up making more mistakes then friends at first. He does make friends though and he does stumble into some naval success - much to the chagrin of his Admiral.

I loved getting to know Thomas who is smarter then he or anyone else thinks he is and though he has no street smarts at all, his charm and willingness to learn make him extremely likable. Helping him navigate "real life" is Commander Parsons, his aide-de-camp and someone who has an agenda of his own. The duo are marketed as a Jeeves and Wooster in space - a fair snapshot description - but I think Thomas shows himself to be a little more on the ball then his predecessor in literature.

This book did bog down a bit in the middle but Ms. Nye draws such interesting characters I was able to make it through the slower bits to a fabulous ending.

A slightly altered version of this review was posted to MADreads: http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/m...

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice light science fiction romp in the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse. Imperial heir goes on a military ship, flusters and charms people he meets, while his jeeves gets work done. To his surprise, he might actually become useful after all. Meanwhile the Trade Union is trying to take over a nearby confederacy of worlds. Will snob win against villain?

I would have ranked it higher, except the whole trade union aspect felt tacked on. What's worse is that there is an explanation for how certain things work in the novel that will put people off: it involves why people like the main character so much, and it's a bit too serious in its implications for what is a fine comic novel. The main character is very well done, somewhat of a naive snob with a good heart who needs to grow serious.

Still, it's nice to read SF that isn't doom and gloom dystopia or transgressive future moral anarchism. You could do a lot worse than this.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did a quick re-read so that I could refresh my memory and then proceed with the sequel. Upon reflection, I think I need to revise my rating. It's not that great of a book, and should be worth 2.5 stars, but I don't feel it's deserving of three stars.

The main character doesn't fit the role very well. He seems to do quite well on his own, needing only some guidance and behind-the-scenes help from Parsons. The moments when he appears to be absurdly comic are when authority figures are nearby, but left to his own devices, he's quite gallant and perceptive.

In the end, this book is simply not funny, and the plot doesn't flow smoothly enough to work entirely as an adventure. It's not bad, but eminently unsatisfying. I won't spoil the secret of the villain Sgarthad's appeal to his ensnared populace here, but it does strain credulity.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT Wooster and Jeeves. (*throws hard rolls at the reviewers and publicists who say it is*) but fun in another way.
Let's be honest, this just isn't funny enough to be even breathed in the same category as P.G. Wodehouse. The main character just isn't hapless Bertie Wooster, though the aide-de-camp may exceed Jeeves in sagacity. In fact, if he were a butler he might be the Black Butler, or something else higher up in the butlers-of-utmost-resource-and-sagacity scale. But, honestly, he's boring. Miles Vorksigan's retainers are more interesting.

And yet, I gobbled this up. Despite the 'foolish scion of the nobility' doing an earnest, completely unintentional original of the Albert-Campion blundering-idiot-about-town first experience with actual service. Despite his foolishness. This is good, solid, space opera. And while it's not Bujold, nor is it yet Heinlein, it's a good yarn.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jody Lynn Nye and I was thrilled to see a new book by her on the shelves at Barnes and Noble.

I was disappointed. the characters are two-dimensional. The plot was confused by the multiple storylines.

I kept comparing the protagonist to Prince Roger of David Weber's March Upcountry. Both are of the space nobility. Both are fops. Both are thrown into adventures which they were not prepared for. Prince Roger, though, grows as a character and becomes a hero. This guy doesn't.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this one up as I had the next book in my Baen ebook bundle. In theory, this should have been right up my alley - space opera, with a dilettante hero prancing around the galaxy and accidentally saving the world. However, I found the story disjointed until the last quarter, when everything finally clicked. There was a moment when I wondered how the author would manage to wrap up the story in the remaining pages, but she managed that quite satisfyingly.

[Fumijo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this fun little romp. Really the only thing which bugged me about it is that too much time was spent on the build-up to the actual confrontation, which made the first 400+ pages a little thin on plot (they were mostly back story to the actual plot).

I don't regret reading the book, though, and I think people would generally enjoy it.

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Jody Lynn Nye and Robert Asprin wrote together, it was always fun - fun to read, fun characters, and fun to involve. But Nye on her own just isn't. Have read two or three of her stand-alones and they're dull and plodding and just not worth spending any more time slogging thru. Half read, this one is gone.

[mirba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series.
The character should not be taken seriously, cause he doesn't. I just love him, he makes me laugh outloud with the most insane dialogues and unprobable moments of dumb stupidity.

As the first book, it might be a bit upsetting at first to have to see the world through a character that is so naive, out of the world and completely lacking in normal social skills.

[Patrick Doris]

A very slow book... slow reading... slow action....slow character development it featured a very preposterous social milieu that was populated by stock characters the ending was predictable the foreshadowing was more like forespotlighting but I did finish it

[Jeff Means · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun read it framed a picture very well in my mind to the point I was even smelling the garbage when kenago was running through the back halls after he tried to take down some terrorists unsuccessfully. I want to read more in this story line.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. The hero is part of the Royal Family and everything he does is wrong but turns out right.

[Dvdlynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow at the beginning but ultimately a satisfying entertainment.

[Lindig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't want to spend much time with the idiot snob, so I tossed the book aside after about 100 pages in front and 10 pages in back. That was enough.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel proved to be far more interesting and fun than I had thought it would be, so much so that I was sorely disappointed to see that there is no sequel! A great light hearted romp!

[Scott McNulty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wacky fun space opera. It drags a little when the focus shifts to politics... oh, and you'll probably want to smack the main character a couple times.

[Bryan Thomas Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Protag is not very likeable though you do root for him at the end. He thinks he is funnier than he is, but interesting plot and supporting characterizations and worldbuilding hold interest.

[Ron Judenberg]

to-read

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good bit of fun.