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Empty Space
Dorienne Nielsen has no clear vision of her own future…until an object rockets from the sky and slams to earth behind the county fair barn. The mercenary extraterrestrials, Den and Zeeto, want a scrounger. Dorienne’s smart mouth and voracious appetite for information fills the niche. Utilizing an illegal cybernetic augmentation, Dorienne dives head-first into information scrounging while dodging pirates, other mercenaries and political zealots. Tricky interstellar politics and the stigmas of being human in a non-human vacuum test her at every turn.
338 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
About the author
Suzanne Dome
19 books5 followersSuzanne Dome is a special ed para, Emporia State University and Hutchinson Community College Alumni, and a tree-hugging, star-gazing, crystal gripping gypsy in black. For years she has stared at the sky and wondered what was out there and if they wondered the same thing from their planet. Suzanne was an artist early on and started writing young, and achieved a talent based scholarship at her university. Her short fiction and poetry were published in both The Tulgey Wood(HCC) and the Quivira(ESU) collegiate journals. At Wichita-area conventions, she goes by the business-name Off World Tribe, and creates rough gemstone jewelry. Suzanne is also an avid science junkie, fan of ancient aliens, and obsessed with weather phenomena. She currently lives in Rural Kansas, watches the skies and helps special needs kids excel in school. She edits her own work and has a BA in English.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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May 10, 2014As a former stay-at-home mom blogger, I'm not educated enough to read this and understand it.
July 12, 2014
The only way to read this book is if one assumes it is a farce, making fun of sci-fi tropes. However, I don’t think that is what the author intended. But how is one supposed to take this seriously: Non-humanoid aliens crash land on Earth. One of them opens the ship’s hatch for ventilation, which allows two ditzy Earth teenagers to climb aboard. The aliens--despite being, well, aliens--can breath Earth’s atmosphere and speak English (not Spanish, apparently, as we find out later). Instead of booting the teens out on their TSTL butts, the aliens take off again with the teens still on board...and go to a space station, with all kinds of other English-speaking aliens and with an atmosphere that all can jointly survive in--despite, again, being aliens that evolved on other planets. All this even though Earth has been off-limits to these multitude of alien cultures. So how do they know English, much less possess the means or the motivation to speak it? And how would one of the aliens know enough about human evolution on Earth as well as Earth culture to know that calling the heroine an “ape” would be an insult?
*sigh*
I DNF’d a bit later (23%). I just couldn’t take it any more. This reads like a teenager’s take on science fiction, with no basis in reality. It’s a cartoon adventure with a Mary Sue teenage heroine. It’s Romy and Michele’s Outer Space Adventures.
The mechanics of the writing, however, are not as bad as many self-published books I’ve attempted to read, and that’s why this gets two stars instead of one. The first part of the Prologue was poorly-written and confusing, but after that, the writing improved. The author only mildly abuses dialogue tags. For example, “said” is not used that often, and words like “breathed” and “laughed” are sometimes incorrectly used as dialogue tags. Unfortunately, one of the aliens talks like Yoda (e.g. “Just a child [sic] she is”), which is unoriginal and distracting. Overall, though, it’s readable. Now let’s talk about the ugly cover….
*sigh*
I DNF’d a bit later (23%). I just couldn’t take it any more. This reads like a teenager’s take on science fiction, with no basis in reality. It’s a cartoon adventure with a Mary Sue teenage heroine. It’s Romy and Michele’s Outer Space Adventures.
The mechanics of the writing, however, are not as bad as many self-published books I’ve attempted to read, and that’s why this gets two stars instead of one. The first part of the Prologue was poorly-written and confusing, but after that, the writing improved. The author only mildly abuses dialogue tags. For example, “said” is not used that often, and words like “breathed” and “laughed” are sometimes incorrectly used as dialogue tags. Unfortunately, one of the aliens talks like Yoda (e.g. “Just a child [sic] she is”), which is unoriginal and distracting. Overall, though, it’s readable. Now let’s talk about the ugly cover….
August 7, 2013
I'm a bit biased because I'm both the author's little brother and the photographer for this novel, but please don't let that affect your take on this review. As a piece of literature, I think it's the first for a few things: definitely the first published novel for author Suzanne Dome, and the first in what I can predict as a trend toward indie adventure sci-fi.
"Empty Space" is the first in a trilogy which Ms. Dome started in high school--some 15ish years ago, while sitting under the Kansas night sky, dreaming of aliens and intergalactic pirates. Her daydreams have been translated well onto the pages of this independently-published book, which reads a little differently from what most sci-fi fans are used to.
The pacing is unusual but works effectively. The spiral effect is in full force, leading us through a story built upon interpersonal and large-scale plot points. Ms. Dome has penned a novel about a young girl's dreams coming true, in both the best and worst ways. She's also written a book about the broader concept of politics, scheming, conning and conniving on an interplanetary level. The personal and public plights faced by the characters in the book are fun to watch unfold. I mean, who doesn't like the idea of hitchhiking with aliens?
Most of all, Ms. Dome has created living, breathing characters which thrive on the pages. They are the underdogs in a dog-eat-dog universe, and you'll end up rooting for them the entire way. The heroine of the books, Dara Nielsen, is a saucy young woman and a much better role model than most of the female leads in popular culture today. Take lessons from Dara where you can.
The next two books in the series should be available to the public by Christmas 2013. In the meantime, immerse yourself in the wide open universe that is "Empty Space," and take comfort knowing that Dara Nielsen is there to kick villains in the teeth if necessary.
"Empty Space" is the first in a trilogy which Ms. Dome started in high school--some 15ish years ago, while sitting under the Kansas night sky, dreaming of aliens and intergalactic pirates. Her daydreams have been translated well onto the pages of this independently-published book, which reads a little differently from what most sci-fi fans are used to.
The pacing is unusual but works effectively. The spiral effect is in full force, leading us through a story built upon interpersonal and large-scale plot points. Ms. Dome has penned a novel about a young girl's dreams coming true, in both the best and worst ways. She's also written a book about the broader concept of politics, scheming, conning and conniving on an interplanetary level. The personal and public plights faced by the characters in the book are fun to watch unfold. I mean, who doesn't like the idea of hitchhiking with aliens?
Most of all, Ms. Dome has created living, breathing characters which thrive on the pages. They are the underdogs in a dog-eat-dog universe, and you'll end up rooting for them the entire way. The heroine of the books, Dara Nielsen, is a saucy young woman and a much better role model than most of the female leads in popular culture today. Take lessons from Dara where you can.
The next two books in the series should be available to the public by Christmas 2013. In the meantime, immerse yourself in the wide open universe that is "Empty Space," and take comfort knowing that Dara Nielsen is there to kick villains in the teeth if necessary.
shelf-that-must-not-be-named
July 13, 2014Any READER who wants to know why I'm not interested in reading this book can certainly ask me.
Read
July 23, 2014Nope. One chapter in and the terrible writing and rampant cliches made me delete this one right off the Kindle. Score one for Kindle Unlimited.
May 7, 2014
I want to preface my review with the confession that science fiction isn't often a category I find myself reading, though this is only because I end up involved in other genres. This isn't to say that I don't enjoy science fiction- quite to the contrary! I'm simply not much of an authority on it.
That being said, I loved this departure from the norm- it was a lovely breath of fresh air!
I'll endeavor not to give away any spoilers, so please bear with me!
"Empty Space" is a unique and, perhaps rather appropriately, human adventure, at the very heart of it all.
Through the restless eyes of the story's protagonist, Dorienne ( better, perhaps, known as "Dara" to myself, as I feel on very familiar terms with her at this point ), a universe of possibilities, mystery and galactic intrigue emerge in an often fast-unfolding chain of events.
Dara's world is both literally and metaphorically grounded, when the story begins; the initial feelings of listlessness, of being captive in a terribly normal world, is captured well, and entirely relatable. This makes the events to follow a relief, not just because of the connection felt to her plight, but because there's a true desire to learn, see and experience things alongside her.
As someone who often looks to the stars hopefully, I found all of this to be close to my heart. I think most of us stop, every now and then, to look around and dream of what else could be out there. "Empty Space" offers its own energetic and unusual take on these dreams, along with an avenue or ten that the answers might well take.
The worlds are many, diverse and well-cultivated. Sweeping, bustling galaxies, worlds both idyllic and barren in turn, all with plenty of trouble to be found on them, of course!
There are certainly a lot of things I would like to discuss here, but I did promise not to give anything away!
Among the character roster, I found everyone to be intriguing, if not always likeable- only when they weren't meant to be, mind you. A colourful cast consisting of everything from scroungers, to fugitives, to pirates join in along the way, keeping things always moving at a good pace, and certainly bringing about plenty of surprises.
Of course, selfish as it is, I definitely wouldn't have objected to seeing more of those who grew to be my favourites, but I imagine that I'll see them again soon, in the next book!
Dara seems perhaps a little more fleshed out than the others once or twice, but this is appropriate given that the story is told largely from her perspective.
She is, first and foremost, human; not as much in species, even, as in character. She is tough, but not an unbreakable machine; feisty, but not bitter when it's unwarranted; she feels strongly and passionately, but isn't incapacitated by her emotions. I loved how real she is.
I'd readily recommend this book not only to fans of science fiction, but to anyone looking to embark on a unique adventure. As I plummet headfirst into the next book in the series, I urge anyone who hasn't had the treat of reading "Empty Space" to don their best, and head out into the vast, crazy, complicated universe that we all only thought we knew.
That being said, I loved this departure from the norm- it was a lovely breath of fresh air!
I'll endeavor not to give away any spoilers, so please bear with me!
"Empty Space" is a unique and, perhaps rather appropriately, human adventure, at the very heart of it all.
Through the restless eyes of the story's protagonist, Dorienne ( better, perhaps, known as "Dara" to myself, as I feel on very familiar terms with her at this point ), a universe of possibilities, mystery and galactic intrigue emerge in an often fast-unfolding chain of events.
Dara's world is both literally and metaphorically grounded, when the story begins; the initial feelings of listlessness, of being captive in a terribly normal world, is captured well, and entirely relatable. This makes the events to follow a relief, not just because of the connection felt to her plight, but because there's a true desire to learn, see and experience things alongside her.
As someone who often looks to the stars hopefully, I found all of this to be close to my heart. I think most of us stop, every now and then, to look around and dream of what else could be out there. "Empty Space" offers its own energetic and unusual take on these dreams, along with an avenue or ten that the answers might well take.
The worlds are many, diverse and well-cultivated. Sweeping, bustling galaxies, worlds both idyllic and barren in turn, all with plenty of trouble to be found on them, of course!
There are certainly a lot of things I would like to discuss here, but I did promise not to give anything away!
Among the character roster, I found everyone to be intriguing, if not always likeable- only when they weren't meant to be, mind you. A colourful cast consisting of everything from scroungers, to fugitives, to pirates join in along the way, keeping things always moving at a good pace, and certainly bringing about plenty of surprises.
Of course, selfish as it is, I definitely wouldn't have objected to seeing more of those who grew to be my favourites, but I imagine that I'll see them again soon, in the next book!
Dara seems perhaps a little more fleshed out than the others once or twice, but this is appropriate given that the story is told largely from her perspective.
She is, first and foremost, human; not as much in species, even, as in character. She is tough, but not an unbreakable machine; feisty, but not bitter when it's unwarranted; she feels strongly and passionately, but isn't incapacitated by her emotions. I loved how real she is.
I'd readily recommend this book not only to fans of science fiction, but to anyone looking to embark on a unique adventure. As I plummet headfirst into the next book in the series, I urge anyone who hasn't had the treat of reading "Empty Space" to don their best, and head out into the vast, crazy, complicated universe that we all only thought we knew.
April 27, 2014
My Review: I really enjoyed the slant this book had on life from other planets. The story was original and fresh. Loved the main character Dara. Her interactions with the aliens was unique. I had a little trouble getting into the book at first. I did not really like her high school friend and the conversations seemed forced. The more I got into the book though the better and more natural it seemed to flow. I would recommend it to Sci-Fi fans and I am looking forward to the next book. I would like to give it a high rating but in fairness to my other submission I have to subtract a lot for poor editing. A trip through a good editor would make this rank right up there with the best. I give this a 3 star.
May 11, 2014
Love this book!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews