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The Redemption Trilogy #1
The Last Praetorian
Commander Jonathan Radec is a man desperately trying to escape from the mistakes of his past.
Now the owner of Vanguard Shipping, his primary concerns are trying to keep his ships flying and his crew alive. However, the shadowy Syndicate organisation has set their sights on the Commander and his business, having sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. To make matters worse, she’s become the target of his infatuation, much to the dismay of his ex-girlfriend. Recently elevated to President of the Confederation, she’s still very much in love with him and capable of making his life a living hell.
Surrounded by a galaxy beginning to tear itself apart, with enemies on all sides, he’s now also unwillingly tasked with trying to save the Confederation – for which he has little regard. Jon has little going in his favour, except a crew consisting of the elite of the old Imperial Navy, all of whom would fight to the death for him, and a past that possibly makes him one of the most dangerous men alive.
The Last Praetorian is a Science Fiction adventure/romance, which tries to answer the question: “Can you ever find redemption for the mistakes of your past?”
Now the owner of Vanguard Shipping, his primary concerns are trying to keep his ships flying and his crew alive. However, the shadowy Syndicate organisation has set their sights on the Commander and his business, having sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. To make matters worse, she’s become the target of his infatuation, much to the dismay of his ex-girlfriend. Recently elevated to President of the Confederation, she’s still very much in love with him and capable of making his life a living hell.
Surrounded by a galaxy beginning to tear itself apart, with enemies on all sides, he’s now also unwillingly tasked with trying to save the Confederation – for which he has little regard. Jon has little going in his favour, except a crew consisting of the elite of the old Imperial Navy, all of whom would fight to the death for him, and a past that possibly makes him one of the most dangerous men alive.
The Last Praetorian is a Science Fiction adventure/romance, which tries to answer the question: “Can you ever find redemption for the mistakes of your past?”
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
332 people are currently reading
1406 people want to read
About the author
Mike Smith
4 books63 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Mike Smith is 34 year old Project Manager. He has been writing stories for as long as he can remember having started with fan-fiction, before progressing to writing SciFi novels.
His debut novel The Last Praetorian, the first book of The Redemption Trilogy is now available on all good eBook stores.
He spends much of his free time, when not writing, playing with his children...really a full time job.
Mike Smith is 34 year old Project Manager. He has been writing stories for as long as he can remember having started with fan-fiction, before progressing to writing SciFi novels.
His debut novel The Last Praetorian, the first book of The Redemption Trilogy is now available on all good eBook stores.
He spends much of his free time, when not writing, playing with his children...really a full time job.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
January 29, 2013
If you're here for science-fiction, stay the hell away from The Last Praetorian.
I started reading this book expecting a story about a man's struggle to survive after events turn his entire world upside down, and instead I received a poorly written Harlequin romance novel.
Seriously, the writing is the poorest quality I have ever run into. It's not often that I run into writing that makes me roll my eyes, but I am pretty sure my eyes would have become disconnected had I not decided to abandon this book. The entire book felt like the author was smashing me in the face with the most obvious and trite details, while using the most clicheed characters and storytelling devices, never mind his love for the exclamation mark! Announcing characters feelings!
The storyline is predictable from the start, the characters are all beautiful and stunning machines who make all the right decisions, and the amount of sci-fi is limited to a few ships having FTL technology.
Don't even bother.
I started reading this book expecting a story about a man's struggle to survive after events turn his entire world upside down, and instead I received a poorly written Harlequin romance novel.
Seriously, the writing is the poorest quality I have ever run into. It's not often that I run into writing that makes me roll my eyes, but I am pretty sure my eyes would have become disconnected had I not decided to abandon this book. The entire book felt like the author was smashing me in the face with the most obvious and trite details, while using the most clicheed characters and storytelling devices, never mind his love for the exclamation mark! Announcing characters feelings!
The storyline is predictable from the start, the characters are all beautiful and stunning machines who make all the right decisions, and the amount of sci-fi is limited to a few ships having FTL technology.
Don't even bother.
May 21, 2013
Been reading it but had to come to a full stop on the bit about guns not working in space because the propellant needs air. NO! Pretty much all explosives other than black powder and ANFO are monopropellants. That means the fuel and oxidizer are contained in the same molecules. Black powder, ANFO and other mixed explosives have fuel and oxidizer as separate components. In either case no outside oxygen is required. This is a basic error that many many science fiction writers in all media have made. Even Ben Bova did it in "RED Mars". (Not to be confused with Kim Stanley Robinson's "Red Mars".) Please fix that and put out a revised edition.
Another science gaffe made several times is in the velocity and inertia of spacecraft and missiles. Space is essentially frictionless. Missiles will NOT "slow down" when they run out of fuel or whatever powers them. They will *stop accelerating* which will allow the *still accelerating* fighters to catch up to them.
The space battle could use some polishing up too. There's no air in space, no gravity of any account far enough away from a planet or star. A fighter can thrust for a while, achieve the desired velocity then shut off the thrust and stay at that velocity and heading until the pilot turns the ship and thrusts in a different direction or the ship hits or gets hit by something else. That leads to fun tactics such as shutting down thrust, spinning 180 degrees and shooting at an attacker coming up behind - without changing speed and heading. There is no "sneaking up from behind" in a space dogfight, there's in or out of sensor range, which may be affected by things like being near a star emitting lots of x-ray radiation. Hiding behind a moon or planet also works, somewhat. The hiding force can't detect squat on the other side without some kind of relay that could be detected. Watch some fighter action from "Babylon 5" or even the remake series of "Battlestar Galactica". David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series is chock full of excellent space tactical technique.
One last technical thing, the asteroid belt. The only one we have first-probe-hand knowledge of is in our solar system. The rocks are actually quite far apart. At its "thickest" there are a few large ones with some smaller ones orbiting them.
How about saying there was a small asteroid cluster, the largest barely larger than the 'Eternal Light', not enough to hide behind, with a few less than half the ship's size, orbiting the big rock just far enough away to avoid being pulled together by their mutual gravitational attraction. Radec plotted a course that would put the big one between the 'Light and its attacker, but only briefly. At best it would only cause the pursuer to alter course a small amount but that small amount was all he needed for the PDS cannon to track and kill the last missile as it maneuvered around the far side.
One other bit that would add to the believability of the coup, it's a classic trope but it's a classic because it works. Have someone on the bridge try to shoot the bad guy because hey, that guy's trying to kill the Princess, now Empress, who he has sworn to protect! Of course he fails, he *always* fails because if he's able to shoot/stab/decapitate/poison/disintegrate the antagonist - there's no more story.
The book also needs quite a bit of editing for typos ("the only tripe star" just one of many up to where I've stopped) and grammar for such things as mixing up to and too. No spell check can catch properly spelled words used improperly. If you have created some words for your story, add them to your word processor's dictionary so it can catch when you've spelled them wrong. Spelling real words wrong is bad enough, spelling a word you've invented several different ways is, well... Same goes for character names. Put them in the dictionary too. Then latch onto a grammar and spelling 'nazi' to proofread. ;)
Aside from all the above, in spite of all the above, I was enjoying the book, even doing a bit of 'mental editing' on the technical stuff until I got to the bit about the guns.
It is a good tale you've written. Polish it up, make the science a bit 'harder', and it will be a great tale.
Another science gaffe made several times is in the velocity and inertia of spacecraft and missiles. Space is essentially frictionless. Missiles will NOT "slow down" when they run out of fuel or whatever powers them. They will *stop accelerating* which will allow the *still accelerating* fighters to catch up to them.
The space battle could use some polishing up too. There's no air in space, no gravity of any account far enough away from a planet or star. A fighter can thrust for a while, achieve the desired velocity then shut off the thrust and stay at that velocity and heading until the pilot turns the ship and thrusts in a different direction or the ship hits or gets hit by something else. That leads to fun tactics such as shutting down thrust, spinning 180 degrees and shooting at an attacker coming up behind - without changing speed and heading. There is no "sneaking up from behind" in a space dogfight, there's in or out of sensor range, which may be affected by things like being near a star emitting lots of x-ray radiation. Hiding behind a moon or planet also works, somewhat. The hiding force can't detect squat on the other side without some kind of relay that could be detected. Watch some fighter action from "Babylon 5" or even the remake series of "Battlestar Galactica". David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series is chock full of excellent space tactical technique.
One last technical thing, the asteroid belt. The only one we have first-probe-hand knowledge of is in our solar system. The rocks are actually quite far apart. At its "thickest" there are a few large ones with some smaller ones orbiting them.
How about saying there was a small asteroid cluster, the largest barely larger than the 'Eternal Light', not enough to hide behind, with a few less than half the ship's size, orbiting the big rock just far enough away to avoid being pulled together by their mutual gravitational attraction. Radec plotted a course that would put the big one between the 'Light and its attacker, but only briefly. At best it would only cause the pursuer to alter course a small amount but that small amount was all he needed for the PDS cannon to track and kill the last missile as it maneuvered around the far side.
One other bit that would add to the believability of the coup, it's a classic trope but it's a classic because it works. Have someone on the bridge try to shoot the bad guy because hey, that guy's trying to kill the Princess, now Empress, who he has sworn to protect! Of course he fails, he *always* fails because if he's able to shoot/stab/decapitate/poison/disintegrate the antagonist - there's no more story.
The book also needs quite a bit of editing for typos ("the only tripe star" just one of many up to where I've stopped) and grammar for such things as mixing up to and too. No spell check can catch properly spelled words used improperly. If you have created some words for your story, add them to your word processor's dictionary so it can catch when you've spelled them wrong. Spelling real words wrong is bad enough, spelling a word you've invented several different ways is, well... Same goes for character names. Put them in the dictionary too. Then latch onto a grammar and spelling 'nazi' to proofread. ;)
Aside from all the above, in spite of all the above, I was enjoying the book, even doing a bit of 'mental editing' on the technical stuff until I got to the bit about the guns.
It is a good tale you've written. Polish it up, make the science a bit 'harder', and it will be a great tale.
August 27, 2013
Smith is young and it shows in his writing. Though he has a tremendous amount of favorable reviews on Amazon, this book doesn't deserve such unless the reviews happen to be even younger than the author. When I was a teenage boy this would appeal to me, but as an older more seasoned author there are too many loopholes that you can drive a starship in this story to make it seem as good as the followers have proclaimed.
One of the failings of the author is switching points of view in the middle of a scene. We know how the hottie princess is thinking about the the stoic rugged super hero just a second after the super hero has a sexual thought about her.
And that we see the sex fantasies of longing and dating as if the two were in high school play out. Not a mature relation of dating and love.
Further the cliche of situations abound. He is the most accomplished man since a dos equus commercial. And she is the most beautiful and richest woman in the galaxy. The enemy in the most dastardly and easily disappears only to reemerge without logical thought in wanting to continue a vendetta against the superhero and all his followers, knowing that the superhero kills so well, are easily led to the slaughter.
Superhero Radec has no faults. He is the best skilled in hand to hand, he is the best pilot, and he is the confident of the emperor. The absurdity of this is there has been no human being in history that has ever had all these traits, and a character without a flaw just is not exciting.
Then the situational information we learn keeps changing as we go forward. Our hero is the commander of the Praetorian Guards of an Emperor. Responsible for the safety of the Emperor and within the first few pages we learn the guards on the Emperors door don't know who he is? The guys who report to the guys who report to Superhero would know who their boss is, as well as the boss knowing who the guys with the guns protecting his primary would be.
More foolishness like that permeates the entire the story. The Princess and he are on the run and foreshadowing about a sister saying Superhero Radec will marry a princess gives away the entire romance subplot. Or being on the run, they have access to all her money? If on the run anytime the princess appear as herself would trigger a trail right to her. The coup only extended to one fleet, filled with civilians travelling with it, and yet all in the Navy were involved in it and no one let the cat out of the bag? The coup plotters don't line up the politicians for what happens after they are successful? Too many holes.
This is a trilogy and I think Smith offered this as free to get others to pay for the rest. Sorry Mike, I read all of this and as I pointed out, you have too many holes that an editing team, a writers group, some professionalism by getting feedback would help. The trouble with self-publishing, and all authors including myself who do self-publish, need others eyes, critical eyes, to have a glance at our work before release. This work shows that if anyone had taken a look, there was no one there giving advice, or the advice being taken, to elevate this book beyond a children's fantasy.
One of the failings of the author is switching points of view in the middle of a scene. We know how the hottie princess is thinking about the the stoic rugged super hero just a second after the super hero has a sexual thought about her.
And that we see the sex fantasies of longing and dating as if the two were in high school play out. Not a mature relation of dating and love.
Further the cliche of situations abound. He is the most accomplished man since a dos equus commercial. And she is the most beautiful and richest woman in the galaxy. The enemy in the most dastardly and easily disappears only to reemerge without logical thought in wanting to continue a vendetta against the superhero and all his followers, knowing that the superhero kills so well, are easily led to the slaughter.
Superhero Radec has no faults. He is the best skilled in hand to hand, he is the best pilot, and he is the confident of the emperor. The absurdity of this is there has been no human being in history that has ever had all these traits, and a character without a flaw just is not exciting.
Then the situational information we learn keeps changing as we go forward. Our hero is the commander of the Praetorian Guards of an Emperor. Responsible for the safety of the Emperor and within the first few pages we learn the guards on the Emperors door don't know who he is? The guys who report to the guys who report to Superhero would know who their boss is, as well as the boss knowing who the guys with the guns protecting his primary would be.
More foolishness like that permeates the entire the story. The Princess and he are on the run and foreshadowing about a sister saying Superhero Radec will marry a princess gives away the entire romance subplot. Or being on the run, they have access to all her money? If on the run anytime the princess appear as herself would trigger a trail right to her. The coup only extended to one fleet, filled with civilians travelling with it, and yet all in the Navy were involved in it and no one let the cat out of the bag? The coup plotters don't line up the politicians for what happens after they are successful? Too many holes.
This is a trilogy and I think Smith offered this as free to get others to pay for the rest. Sorry Mike, I read all of this and as I pointed out, you have too many holes that an editing team, a writers group, some professionalism by getting feedback would help. The trouble with self-publishing, and all authors including myself who do self-publish, need others eyes, critical eyes, to have a glance at our work before release. This work shows that if anyone had taken a look, there was no one there giving advice, or the advice being taken, to elevate this book beyond a children's fantasy.
July 11, 2013
So bad, it didn't make the 100 page test.
Amateur story and storytelling.
Amateur story and storytelling.
January 26, 2013
I am genuinely surprised at the number of good reviews this book gets. I found the writing style irritating, inconsistent, and the motivation of the characters likewise. I skimmed through the bulk of this book. Someone else mentioned that the book could do with a professional editing, but I personally think it needs a lot more than that. I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt but i just could not get into it. Certainly won't be revisiting a Mike Smith book.
January 27, 2013
I read this book in two nights and I am looking forward to the next installment some people have commented on the two time lines however I thought it was great that we learnt about two characters in more depth it allows you to engage and care for them especially as one is distant and a muse and the other is present and an enigma. The story is well handled and really enjoyable and has a cast of endearing goodies and the odd malevolent and dis likable baddie.
Some have commented on the lack of editing however there can be found in the roughest diamond a natural beauty which can never be recovered once it has been cut and polished by the highest artisan. Enjoy
Some have commented on the lack of editing however there can be found in the roughest diamond a natural beauty which can never be recovered once it has been cut and polished by the highest artisan. Enjoy
March 6, 2017
** 2.5 Stars **
When I started reading this I was expecting a sci-fi. Which it was at start, in fact I was quite enjoying the first chapters. But then it turned more into a romance. Now, I don't mind reading romance, but not when I'm expecting a sci-fi...
The writing was ok.
The narrator was ok.
I don't think I will be reading the rest of the series. At least unless I fancy a romance set in space.
When I started reading this I was expecting a sci-fi. Which it was at start, in fact I was quite enjoying the first chapters. But then it turned more into a romance. Now, I don't mind reading romance, but not when I'm expecting a sci-fi...
The writing was ok.
The narrator was ok.
I don't think I will be reading the rest of the series. At least unless I fancy a romance set in space.
December 2, 2012
Once again I grew way too attached to the characters in a book..*sniff* Was up all night reading & even though I'm rather teary & cranky- this was an amazing find!)freebie on amazon) I will most def be keeping my eye out for this authors future books.
October 2, 2013
The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith This book actually has 2 story lines going on 1 at present time and the other 5 years in the past. Both story lines follow Jon Radec.The first story is of Jon Radec the commander of the elite praetorian guard who's sole job is to protect the Emperor and his beautiful daughter. While he is escorting the Princess to a different sol system so that she can have some semblance of a normal life, there is a coup aboard the Emperor's ship and the Emperor is killed along with all the praetorian guard,and only Jon and Princess Sofia survive.The second story is of Jon Radec CEO of Vanguard shipping station. In the future Jon is a broken man spending all his time working or shut up in his office alone. Until one day while taking his shuttle to meet a client he is attacked by and assassin sent by "the syndicate". During the fight Jon is able to capture the assassin who turns out to be the beautiful Miranda who comes from a checkered past. Miranda is instantly taken with Radec's charm and becomes bound and determined to fix the broken commander.So my thoughts. The book on a whole was good, plenty of action and romance. While there was more romance then I was expecting and it was centered more around the relationships between the various different characters then defeating the enemy, there was still action to keep me coming back. In my opinion it was a very good debut novel to a promising trilogy, and I eagerly await the next book. On a side note if you get the Kindle version of this be prepared for lots of grammatical errors, whoever did the transfer did a very poor job. But I don't fault the author for that.Spoiler: If you don't like a cliff hanger ending then you had better wait till the summer when the second book comes out because there is one helluva cliff hanger to the end of this book.
March 27, 2013
One of my favorite genres is science fiction/space opera and The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith is the epitome of this genre. I really liked this book.
The storyline was full of non-stop action and adventure. It was hard to catch my breath between the twist and turns. Mike Smith did a great job developing the story making it easy to follow and get into. This was one of those stories that I did just that and got absorbed by it. The action and space battles were written in such a way as to be very real and believable.
I also liked the way the author developed each of the main characters. The background into their lives and history made it easy to identify with each of them. I found myself cheering them on. It was hard not to get emotionally involved with each character.
I really enjoyed The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith and highly recommend this book to all readers.
[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]
The storyline was full of non-stop action and adventure. It was hard to catch my breath between the twist and turns. Mike Smith did a great job developing the story making it easy to follow and get into. This was one of those stories that I did just that and got absorbed by it. The action and space battles were written in such a way as to be very real and believable.
I also liked the way the author developed each of the main characters. The background into their lives and history made it easy to identify with each of them. I found myself cheering them on. It was hard not to get emotionally involved with each character.
I really enjoyed The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith and highly recommend this book to all readers.
[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]
February 10, 2016
i'm surprised by the authors age, as it reads like a teenage author wrote this. There are significant loopholes in the plot and the main characters are not really written indepth. the hero is the standard superhero protected by plot, so he's pretty much awesome at everything.
Being hunted by pretty much everyone, he decides to go to a home he bought and his parents live in and stay there for days???? and use what i guess is the galactic credit card to go on a date?
There are some good qualities in the book, some of the banter is fairly fun, but the plot, viewpoints shifts, plotarmor, and lack of commonsense doesn't really read well.
Being hunted by pretty much everyone, he decides to go to a home he bought and his parents live in and stay there for days???? and use what i guess is the galactic credit card to go on a date?
There are some good qualities in the book, some of the banter is fairly fun, but the plot, viewpoints shifts, plotarmor, and lack of commonsense doesn't really read well.
December 17, 2012
Part Star Wars, part Firefly, part Gladiator. Jon Radec is the captain of the Praetorian Guard, in charge of defending the life of the Emperor of the Galaxy. When the Emperor is murdered, Jon is entrusted with escaping with the his daughter while half of the galaxy is searching for them. This book has plenty of action and adventure to satisfy sci-fi fans, and of course the romance between Jon and the Princess. First in a series, and currently free on the kindle store. Recommend.
September 4, 2014
A timeless story of honour, betrayal, love and life. Set nearly a thousand years in the future, the human race has spread across the galaxy, setting up colonies on any habitable planets. Most of which have joined The Imperium (a.k.a. The Empire) for peace and security.
The Praetorians are elite soldiers that protect the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Out of these, one is a young commander that can make enemies turn and flee at the mere mention of his name - Commander Jonathan Radec.
This story follows Jon as he is betrayed, and the Praetorians destroyed. The Imperium is on it's knees, and only he can save it.
I'm going to start with the bad stuff with this review.
As you read this story, you are inundated with... not so much deja vu, as downright copycat-ism. It starts with the Gladiator plot, right down to the name of the Emperor. Jon is the favoured Commander of the Imperium army, but they are betrayed and Jon is on the run.
Switch to a bit of Star Wars, as Jon rescues the feisty Princess Sofia, and the pilot and the Princess clash and argue as a spark of romance gradually builds.
I'm sure there were a few others mixed in too, but those were the main two that screamed out and distracted me from the actual story.
The story itself switches from "5 years ago" to "present day". Which was annoying for two reasons: 1) they are both points in the future, so how can one be seen as 5 years ago, and the other picked as present day.
2) I lost track of the two stories that were being told, and it was confusing when something was mentioned (in a way that assumes we already know the facts and details) in the Present story, before it played out in the 5 year story.
It felt like the writer had written these two stories, and simply dished it out one chapter here, one chapter there, without working out how they could help and build upon each other.
As it was, I didn't really understand how or why Jon and Sofia went their separate ways, before she was back and interrupting his next blossoming romance.
The characters were all ok, apart from Jon.
Or to put it more confusingly, Jon was ok, but everyone else made him a dick. How many times did we have to be told that he was absolutely amazing? How many times were we told that he was a fantastic pilot? An exceptional lover? The best-looking guy and swoon-worthy? Bleurgh, I lost count of the bloody times. The funny thing was, if the author had left all of that crap out, Jon would have been all of the above because of his actions. Instead, I'm left with a bitter taste.
The good stuff... yes, there was good things about this book. There were moments when I really enjoyed the story, the interaction between Jon and Sofia, the adventures, Jon's family. His friends in the Vanguard Shipping were pretty cool.
It was frustrating, I felt that if the author had been a little more original in the beginning, he could have written a bloody good book - the talent is there.
Plus, I felt he was trying to cram 2 stories into one, I would have preferred it laid out chronologically.
I'm torn as to whether I would read the rest of the trilogy.
The Praetorians are elite soldiers that protect the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Out of these, one is a young commander that can make enemies turn and flee at the mere mention of his name - Commander Jonathan Radec.
This story follows Jon as he is betrayed, and the Praetorians destroyed. The Imperium is on it's knees, and only he can save it.
I'm going to start with the bad stuff with this review.
As you read this story, you are inundated with... not so much deja vu, as downright copycat-ism. It starts with the Gladiator plot, right down to the name of the Emperor. Jon is the favoured Commander of the Imperium army, but they are betrayed and Jon is on the run.
Switch to a bit of Star Wars, as Jon rescues the feisty Princess Sofia, and the pilot and the Princess clash and argue as a spark of romance gradually builds.
I'm sure there were a few others mixed in too, but those were the main two that screamed out and distracted me from the actual story.
The story itself switches from "5 years ago" to "present day". Which was annoying for two reasons: 1) they are both points in the future, so how can one be seen as 5 years ago, and the other picked as present day.
2) I lost track of the two stories that were being told, and it was confusing when something was mentioned (in a way that assumes we already know the facts and details) in the Present story, before it played out in the 5 year story.
It felt like the writer had written these two stories, and simply dished it out one chapter here, one chapter there, without working out how they could help and build upon each other.
As it was, I didn't really understand how or why Jon and Sofia went their separate ways, before she was back and interrupting his next blossoming romance.
The characters were all ok, apart from Jon.
Or to put it more confusingly, Jon was ok, but everyone else made him a dick. How many times did we have to be told that he was absolutely amazing? How many times were we told that he was a fantastic pilot? An exceptional lover? The best-looking guy and swoon-worthy? Bleurgh, I lost count of the bloody times. The funny thing was, if the author had left all of that crap out, Jon would have been all of the above because of his actions. Instead, I'm left with a bitter taste.
The good stuff... yes, there was good things about this book. There were moments when I really enjoyed the story, the interaction between Jon and Sofia, the adventures, Jon's family. His friends in the Vanguard Shipping were pretty cool.
It was frustrating, I felt that if the author had been a little more original in the beginning, he could have written a bloody good book - the talent is there.
Plus, I felt he was trying to cram 2 stories into one, I would have preferred it laid out chronologically.
I'm torn as to whether I would read the rest of the trilogy.
March 24, 2015
Honestly this book was hilarious. I was expecting sci-fi, but I got a surprise. (That would be putting mildly) I think it was the most funniest book I have ever read. It just really cracks me up. The story was boring as hell, didn't make sense at all and the whole book made my eyes bleed! But what was really funny was that when the author couldn't think of anything to write, he would add a sex-scene. So, the story would be telling on how handsome, cool, and how the protagonist won a vicious fight just by flashing his abs. Then suddenly there would be a flash-back of a sex scenes. Followed by more almost sex! It was like a freak'n eye bleeder! So yeah, it was a the-author-just-tricked-you-into-reading-a-bodice-ripper book.
January 25, 2013
The book was an enjoyable read. The story going back and forth between time lines is fine because the story keeps the interest level up. What doesn't help, as another reviewer mentioned, are the grammatical errors, as well as the typos. There are times when you have to stop and replace words. There seemed to be quite a few mis-spells, but I am attributing that to be a European thing, and lack of a proof reader. The story line does carry you past these inconveniences and I was still pleased during and after the reading. I am looking forward to the rest of this trilogy, if and when it gets published.
December 6, 2013
An underwhelming attempt at sci-fi, the science wasn't done very well and neither was the fiction. The author lazily invoked the Roman Empire and basic Latin to instil some grandeur into his tired tropes. While some elements of the novel were promising: poor execution, unrealistic characters, illogical story developments and a romance with about as much maturity as a pair of star crossed high schoolers meant the story floundered.
January 7, 2013
Smith has mastered the star war mix and gone one better, by giving his characters real depth. Nice treatment of action scenes from the interpersonal to the intergalactic and in between. However, his cover of male/female interactions is way too stereotypic and downright jarring at times. Use of an editor or an editing program would have helped weed out the glitches which broke the flow.
December 10, 2012
Struggled to put this one down, great characters and plot, thoroughly enjoyed and looking forward to the sequel next year.
March 20, 2020
Good story
Wasn't a huge fan, but this also it's not my usual genre, so in saying that DON'T let my review deter you. The characters were well written and they worked well throughout the storyline. Give it a go, you'll probably love it
Wasn't a huge fan, but this also it's not my usual genre, so in saying that DON'T let my review deter you. The characters were well written and they worked well throughout the storyline. Give it a go, you'll probably love it
December 17, 2013
So, this was a free book which I downloaded from Amazon. Alas, like so many other free e-books, this one is in need of an editor. Even if it was excellently plotted, phrases like "his sword was wrapped around his hand" when it should have been the other around or words like "summersaulted", were just jarring and would have spoilt the book.
The problem was that the plot was amazingly thin. It would seem that the author did not think it through. No explanation is offered for the rebellion against the emperor, except that the fleet admiral was upset about a demotion. But why would the fleet support the admiral in this unless the emperor was so loathed and the admiral greatly admired and even then, would the entire fleet have taken part? But neither seems to be the case and the reader is left to wonder at the reasons for the rebellion. and this is only one of the many many issues plaguing this book
Not picking up the rest of the trilogy.
The problem was that the plot was amazingly thin. It would seem that the author did not think it through. No explanation is offered for the rebellion against the emperor, except that the fleet admiral was upset about a demotion. But why would the fleet support the admiral in this unless the emperor was so loathed and the admiral greatly admired and even then, would the entire fleet have taken part? But neither seems to be the case and the reader is left to wonder at the reasons for the rebellion. and this is only one of the many many issues plaguing this book
Not picking up the rest of the trilogy.
November 9, 2012
I can say in all honesty that Mike Smith has written a page-turner with his debut novel. While reading The Last Praetorian you are not only reading about what is happening to Jon at the present time, but piece by piece you also find out what happened to him previously, his relationship to the Emperor and his daughter.
This makes your understanding of his present day moods more and more as the story progresses and you find more about his history. So much happens in this wonderful book, too much to write all down in a review. This book is filled with so much suspense and of course romance, it deserves more than the maximum score! Perfect for both the SciFi buffs and also those preferring a little more romance than your average military sci-fi.
Jason for UK-SciFi-Reviews
This makes your understanding of his present day moods more and more as the story progresses and you find more about his history. So much happens in this wonderful book, too much to write all down in a review. This book is filled with so much suspense and of course romance, it deserves more than the maximum score! Perfect for both the SciFi buffs and also those preferring a little more romance than your average military sci-fi.
Jason for UK-SciFi-Reviews
March 13, 2017
Not bad
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Last Praetorian (The Redemption Trilogy Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Despite the opinions of some other reviewers, this is not pornography simply because some characters love other characters. There are no graphic descriptions of sexual activity. Nor is the author misogynistic simply because all of the female characters are not made of iron. Indeed, many of the women are steel rather than mere iron. In my opinion, the main character is a bit too good to believe in many ways. So far as the star crossed lovers & other confused characters are concerned, they should try talking. If you don't mind a near superman hero & people who don't talk with each other thoroughly enough, this is a pretty good military/adventure scifi story.
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Last Praetorian (The Redemption Trilogy Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Despite the opinions of some other reviewers, this is not pornography simply because some characters love other characters. There are no graphic descriptions of sexual activity. Nor is the author misogynistic simply because all of the female characters are not made of iron. Indeed, many of the women are steel rather than mere iron. In my opinion, the main character is a bit too good to believe in many ways. So far as the star crossed lovers & other confused characters are concerned, they should try talking. If you don't mind a near superman hero & people who don't talk with each other thoroughly enough, this is a pretty good military/adventure scifi story.
January 8, 2016
Whilst this is set in space and in the future it is hardly, in my view, sci-fi. A badly written futuristic love story at best. This was not an enjoyable read for me. I only finished this book because I'm stubborn and don't like to leave things unfinished.
The lead male character is always so brave, so handsome and so right it's nauseating and the female lead is even worse. Where's the character depth? Answer, nowhere. The storyline uses flashbacks far too much and, at one point, even flashes back during a flashback.
It is a clichéd storyline full of clichéd 2D characters. Really, really, not a good read.
The lead male character is always so brave, so handsome and so right it's nauseating and the female lead is even worse. Where's the character depth? Answer, nowhere. The storyline uses flashbacks far too much and, at one point, even flashes back during a flashback.
It is a clichéd storyline full of clichéd 2D characters. Really, really, not a good read.
March 1, 2013
I wanted to like this book. I have tried for two days to get into it but...I can't. The author should have employed an editor or at the very least turned on the spell checker and paid a modicum of attention to the grammar. This might be petty but the author also used the first name of the main character over and over and over which is irritating. E-page after e-page of "Jon grimaced", "Jon stood stoically", "Jon did this" or "Jon did that" made it difficult to read.
Maybe at some point I'll pick it up again but I doubt it.
Maybe at some point I'll pick it up again but I doubt it.
December 12, 2012
I would have given this book a 5* but the very poor editing let it down badly. However I put up with it because the storyline was excellent. I was fully engaged with all the Characters and I fully intend to get the next books in this trilogy. I just hope they are better edited (would recommend using a freelance editor such as A J O’Donovan).
November 6, 2013
I don't really get into the space stories that much, and the going back and forth in time took me a little bit to get used to, but I really liked the book (although the writer attempted a steamy sex scene, I really could have just that to the imagination), the book didn't need it. I'm reading the second one Sunfire, and the plot keeps thickening!
December 17, 2012
Good military Sci-Fi with an interesting plot and cool characters.
January 21, 2013
Well written, fun read. The end is a real page turner.
February 21, 2013
Really good read a tiny bit of a cliff hanger ending looking forward for next book in the serie
July 20, 2016
Commander Jonathan Radec is a man desperately trying to escape from the mistakes of his past.
Now the owner of Vanguard Shipping, his primary concerns are trying to keep his ships flying and his crew alive. Let alone his undying love and concern for Princess Sofia Aurelius, daughter of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the jewel of the Galaxy.
However, the shadowy Syndicate organisation has set their sights on the Commander and his business, having sent an amazing pilot and beautiful assassin to kill him, Miranda.
Surrounded by a galaxy beginning to tear itself apart, with enemies on all sides, he’s now also unwillingly tasked with trying to save the Confederation – for which he has little regard. Jon has little going in his favour, except a crew consisting of the elite of the old Imperial Navy, all of whom would fight to the death for him, and a past that possibly makes him one of the most dangerous men alive.
The Last Praetorian is a Science Fiction adventure/romance, which tries to answer the question: “Can you ever find redemption for the mistakes of your past?”
I started this book 4 days ago and finished it this morning at dawn. It was really difficult for me to put it aside when I needed it cause I was really immersed in the story.
The Last Praetorian is the first of the "Redemption Trilogy" and if the two others books are of the same quality, this is going to be a really great trilogy!
The story is strong, the plot twist really interesting, the characters personality strongly built-up. M. Smith succeeds greatly in writting amazing combat scenes, particularly those in space. I really like how the author describes the ships, the universe... it's as if you were there!
There are a lot of emotion in this book, suspense, pain, love, tenderness and a lot of humor, welcome to lighten the tension.
I really like too the flashback we find at some chapters, explaining us what happened between Jon and Sofia five years before the present time. The timeline is really well created so you're never lost and can enjoy every moment of the story.
Concerning the humor part, I really like the relation between Jon Radec and Paul Harrington, his second in command at Terra Nova. Paul dares teasing shamelessly his boss who is a real part of his family as they know each other for years, are close together and, funny detail, as John comes often reading bed times stories to Paul's children.
I particularly love the strong link Jon feels with his sword. It's like this Velerian sword was his soulmate, like a real part of him, the one he “trusts with his life”, for real!
The relation between Jon and Sofia is really beautiful, strong, funny, full of love and tenderness. I love how at first they seem to not stand each other while hiding their true feelings.
Paul and Miranda's relation is very nice as they trust each other, talk a lot and don't hesitate to tease the others. Not the same strong attraction Miranda experiences with Jon as she isn't attract by Paul but something close to a brother-sister relationship that I find really sweet.
The relation between Jon Radec and his parents Irene and Ryan is very tenderly related too. The way they engulf him in their warm embrace when Jon and Sofia come to Altair is very nice, showing that even if the background on which Jon grew was not an easy one, he and his little sister were always surrounded by love and affection.
His parents gave anything to help him escape Altair and her poverty and Jon rewardes them much than they would ever realise as they don't even know what he does to them.
The author really touched my heart by showing how close Jon and his father are. They hadn't seen each other for years but as soon as they meet again, they talk intimately, trying to understand each other, proving how much their relation counts for them.
Other thing that I really like is how much his team loves Jon. The Praetorians and the Altair crew are fond of him, showing him a respect colored with awe, being ready to follow him to death, trusting him with their own life.
I have a crush on “Gunny”, he is strong-builted, grumpy but he makes me think of a big teddy bear! I particularly loved when he loses his dare against Miranda when she kisses him. This moment is really fun.
This man tries to hide what he feels but he is really great and the kids on the station are sure of it!
At first, I was a little anxious by Miranda's arrival in Jon's life. I can't say that I'm fond of love triangle and I really hoped we will not have to endure one as for me it was Jon-Sofia all the way!
Quite the reverse, I really liked what the author wrote about Jon and Miranda. Of course, the attraction is present, Jon is very attached to her and Miranda is head over heels in love with him; the kiss they share before his leaving is the best evidence of it.
But I really like the fact that Miranda knows that for Jon, there will always be Sofia, as proved when Jon and Miranda dance in his quarters and when after, she looks in the mirror, trying to understand what just happened. She is smart enough to feel that Sofia is a ghost haunting Jon with his approval.
And Jon knows perfectly that even if he really cares for Miranda and even if at some point he thinks perhaps she could help him to feel better, he will never forget Sofia as she is a real part of him, as he can't think of anything or anyone else.
As I think you have understood, I really loved this book and to be honest, I wanted so much to know the rest, I started the second book instantly after having finished the first! Sadly my tablet computer had shut down permanently when I finished writting this reveiw so I will have to wait to continue the second book :(
It is very difficult for me to find a good book of science-fiction without “magic” or “fantasy” things, with great adventures, without to many violence, too many graphic scenes of sex, with strong characters and a beautiful love story… but I find it on The Last Praetorian and I’m really glad I did it!
I really hope the 2 others books will be of the same quality!
Sometimes, I found there was to many repetitions of the same words ("hence" for example was one of them. I have the same issue myself with some words and when I write, I have to work a lot to do my best to fix it. It’s probably why I noted that.) or some expressions, sometimes at the same page.
It’s not a big deal but it is a little disturbing.
However, don’t hesitate to read it, you will have a great moment of entertainment.
Now the owner of Vanguard Shipping, his primary concerns are trying to keep his ships flying and his crew alive. Let alone his undying love and concern for Princess Sofia Aurelius, daughter of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the jewel of the Galaxy.
However, the shadowy Syndicate organisation has set their sights on the Commander and his business, having sent an amazing pilot and beautiful assassin to kill him, Miranda.
Surrounded by a galaxy beginning to tear itself apart, with enemies on all sides, he’s now also unwillingly tasked with trying to save the Confederation – for which he has little regard. Jon has little going in his favour, except a crew consisting of the elite of the old Imperial Navy, all of whom would fight to the death for him, and a past that possibly makes him one of the most dangerous men alive.
The Last Praetorian is a Science Fiction adventure/romance, which tries to answer the question: “Can you ever find redemption for the mistakes of your past?”
Commentary:
I started this book 4 days ago and finished it this morning at dawn. It was really difficult for me to put it aside when I needed it cause I was really immersed in the story.
The Last Praetorian is the first of the "Redemption Trilogy" and if the two others books are of the same quality, this is going to be a really great trilogy!
The story is strong, the plot twist really interesting, the characters personality strongly built-up. M. Smith succeeds greatly in writting amazing combat scenes, particularly those in space. I really like how the author describes the ships, the universe... it's as if you were there!
There are a lot of emotion in this book, suspense, pain, love, tenderness and a lot of humor, welcome to lighten the tension.
I really like too the flashback we find at some chapters, explaining us what happened between Jon and Sofia five years before the present time. The timeline is really well created so you're never lost and can enjoy every moment of the story.
Now, I’m afraid there will be a lot of spoilers so if you don’t have read the book for now, please, don’t read anymore.
Concerning the humor part, I really like the relation between Jon Radec and Paul Harrington, his second in command at Terra Nova. Paul dares teasing shamelessly his boss who is a real part of his family as they know each other for years, are close together and, funny detail, as John comes often reading bed times stories to Paul's children.
"Hey! It's no problem to me," Paul responded with a grin. "I just want to know who is going to be signing my paycheque if we ever have a power failure in this section of the station."
"And here I thought you were gunning for the Chief Executive position."
"No way!" said Paul holding up his hands in defense, "The paperwork would kill me." (loc 927)
The moment the door to medical slid shut, Paul leaned against the corridor laughing his ass off. "Oh, to see the look on your face when you walked in," Paul crooned. "If I only had a camera so I could store that look for future prosperity... and blackmail." Paul laughed.
John only shot Paul a dirty look before replying, "I'm failry sure it says somewhere I am in charge, doesn't that mean I can fire your ass?"
Paul only laughed louder. "So I assume we are going to forgo the rack and thumbscrews?" Paul inquiered. "Perhaps a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates instead?" Paul asked with another laugh.
They had finally managed to put Paul's kids to sleep, which had involved complex negotiations, followed by a round of 'Good Cop, Bad Cop.' With Jon, as the more senior, threatening the kids that if they did not go to sleep he was going to space their teddy bear, they had agreed and settled fown to sleep. (loc 1938)
"I cannot believe it", John stated in disbelief. "She mentionned she was thinking of going into politics the last time that I saw her." he said, thinking aloud.
"Would that have been the time that she was clinging to you like a barnacle in tears?" Paul commented with a wide smirk. "Or the other time when she was throwing things at you and threatening bodily harm if you ever set foot within her sight again?" Paul was trying to suppress a laugh. (loc 2224)
"Remember when Carol asks, it's all your idea."
"Yeah, like she will ever believe that," Jon teased, slapping his oldest friend on the back. (loc 5303)
I particularly love the strong link Jon feels with his sword. It's like this Velerian sword was his soulmate, like a real part of him, the one he “trusts with his life”, for real!
Jon remained silent, but inside he seethed at the thought of anybody touching his blade. Nobody, absolutely nobody else held that weapon but him. (loc 1286)
As if time had slowed, Jon watched the blade descend towards him but he felt no fear, not of this weapon. The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, had presented the sword to him personally a few years before on his promotion to Commander of the Praetorian Guards. The minute he felt the blade touch him for the first time it was as if a bolt of energy had been transferred from the blade into him. Something seemed to have clicked inside of him, as if part of his soul that had been missing his entire life was re-joined. From that day onwards the deadly weapon had never left his side, as if they were now one, a right hand to his left. Idly, for a moment, Jon considered doing nothing, wondering if the blade would simply bounce off him or even just pass through him. (loc 1312)
He hesitated before reaching for the sword. He had not wielded this weapon since abandoning his oath to the Emperor, since he betrayed Sofia, since he turned his back on his old life. He did not feel worthy to possess such a weapon, but at the same time he could not part with it. The blade was part of him, part of his soul, and he could no more abandon it than cut off his right hand. So instead he had kept it close, but never touching it.
However, now with possible intruders on his station, in his home, threatening people, families that he loved... Shoving aside his own fears and inadequacies he reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword, pulling the blade free from the desk. As always when holding this blade, his blood seemed to sing with the song of battle. Casting one more glance over his shoulder, outside the viewport, still dark with the inkiness of space, Jon departed for C&C. With his blade still wrapped firmly in his hand, the office door slid shut and sealed itself behind him. (loc 3826)
However, the other part of John's nervousness was from having to leave his Valerian sword on the 'Light. It would have completely destroyed the façade they were trying to project of a married pair of young, independent traders. No trader would ever wear such a thing. Instead he had holstered at his side a standard pulse pistol, but Jon still felt naked without his sword. John knew it was supoerstitious nonsense but he honestly flet the blade protected him. John secretly feared that the day he died, the weapon would be out of his reach. (loc 5017)
The relation between Jon and Sofia is really beautiful, strong, funny, full of love and tenderness. I love how at first they seem to not stand each other while hiding their true feelings.
No matter how exasperating John found Sofia, he would have to confess, but only under torture, she was stunningly beautiful. (loc 170)
"You know, it was my sister who encouraged me to join the Navy." John decided he did not want to consider the future, not when the present looked so dazzling.
"Really?" Sofia asked, giving a weak smile and looking up into his eyes.
"Really," John confirmed. "She told me I would one day become a famous navy pilot and marry a princess."
"Really?" Sofia's smile broadened.
"Really!" John insisted. "Although she was only six a the time, she thought I was a prince and told me I really needed to get a horse." (loc 262)
"You never harmed me and I was never frightened by what you did. Ever since father made you head of the Praetorians I have always felt safe with you around, knowing no one could harm me, as they would have to go through you-my own white knight, with his magical sword." Sofia explained wistfully, with a hint of sadness. (loc 377)
"For the moment let's just concentrate on getting you to Eden Prime safely. We can worry about what happens next after we arrive."
"You won't leave me?" Sofia asked in a small voice.
"Not unless you wish me to." John replied truthfully, but inside a little piece of his heart died. Upon her arrival Sofia would be crowned Empress and Jon would continue to serve her, just as he had her father, but never again would he hold her in his arms. (loc 604)
"So what was all that about, in front of the clerk?" She asked sleepily.
"Hmm" Jon responded, distracted by her smell.
"Me strong warrior... you weak female," Sofia replied, with a giggle. (loc 1235)
Suddenly her mind cleared and she stared into the dark brown eyes of a face she did not recognise. Not the misty grey eyes of the person that filled her thoughts and dreams. (loc 1273-1274)
Even many years later, when thinking back on their first shared kiss, he wasn't sure how long they stood there so entwined-perhaps seconds, perhaps centuries, perhaps forever. (loc 3177)
"This time I do not plan to let you out of my sight for a single instant. You seem to be a magnet for trouble whenever I am not around."
"Me?" Sofia replied with a laugh. "What about you? All I asked for is a dinner and some dancing, and you start a brawl in the middle of the club. Anyway, if you plan on waching me all the time, where are you going to sleep?" she asked playfully.
"With you," Jon shot back, with a heated gaze. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for a moment."
The tight knot of fear and worry that had settled in Sofia's stomach when she agreed they change course to Memphis abruptly vanished. Suddenly she was looking forward to this excursion. (loc 4935)
This time, however, instead of the disapproval she was used to seeing, his expression turned to a warm smile and he nodded his approval, with a simple "I like it." Sofia decided she liked this reaction almost as much and decided in the future she would just have to alternate, to keep him guessing. (loc 5005)
"No!" she insisted firmy. "I am not going to leave you." She would not accept that future for herself. Better to stay here and die together with the man she had fallen in love with, than accept that future. "If you want me to go, then you have to come with me. Otherwise I am going to stay here, together with you," she insisted. (loc 5138)
Jon had no idea of how Sofia knew about events taking place at Terra Nova. In another time and place he might have been outraged at her impulsive intrusion back into his life. However, this was not the time or the place to look such a gift horse in the mouth. He would deal with Sofia another day, probably by pushing her against a bulkhead, professing his thanks and then kissing her senseless... assuming he lived through today." (loc 5408)
Paul and Miranda's relation is very nice as they trust each other, talk a lot and don't hesitate to tease the others. Not the same strong attraction Miranda experiences with Jon as she isn't attract by Paul but something close to a brother-sister relationship that I find really sweet.
"Anyway, he was very grateful you survived the destruction of your ship. He said he would have been mortified if he killed anyone with such a great posterior," Paul added glibly frantically trying to nurse the engines into life.
"He said what?" Miranda exlaimed in disbelief, completely forgetting about the approching threat and turning her full attention to Paul.
"Uh..." Paul said, frantically trying to change the topic of conversation. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned that, should I?" (loc 3334)
"Let's get to the part you were discussing my ass." Miranda insisted, venomously. (loc 3334)
"Don't worry," Paul added reassuringly. "I am sure they will not be billing us for the damage." (loc 3362)
The relation between Jon Radec and his parents Irene and Ryan is very tenderly related too. The way they engulf him in their warm embrace when Jon and Sofia come to Altair is very nice, showing that even if the background on which Jon grew was not an easy one, he and his little sister were always surrounded by love and affection.
His parents gave anything to help him escape Altair and her poverty and Jon rewardes them much than they would ever realise as they don't even know what he does to them.
John stared at his father intently. This was entirely is fault, as he had planned to make detailed introductions before now.
"Not a word son, not a word." His father exclaimed, wagging his finger at his eldest son before heading towards the bedrooms to prepare the guest room.
"So what am I meant to do?" Jon asked the empty room rhetorically. (loc 2568)
The author really touched my heart by showing how close Jon and his father are. They hadn't seen each other for years but as soon as they meet again, they talk intimately, trying to understand each other, proving how much their relation counts for them.
"While I did sleep with her, once, just once, I'm not sleeping with her if you know what I mean?"
"No," his father replied just staring at him, perplexed.
"Look dad, we are both adults here, let me put this simply. I am not having sex with her!" Jon exclaimed loudly. (loc 2659)
"Now don't get your knickers in a twist, son," Ryan replied and added with an evil grin. "And come to think of it, you stay away from your Princess's knickers."
Jon just rolled his eyes and replied, "She's not my Princess, dad."
"Could have fooled me, the way you two were drooling over each other earlier."
"I don't know what you're talking about," John replied, desperately trying to change the topic. (loc 2728)
"Now don't forget, I want you both home by midnight, and no necking in the cab," his father warned him seriously, which was rather spoilt by the grin that was threatening to split his face in half.
"You are having far too much fun with this," Jon warned his father.
"His father gave the accusation careful consideration before he replied, "Yep." (loc 2968)
Other thing that I really like is how much his team loves Jon. The Praetorians and the Altair crew are fond of him, showing him a respect colored with awe, being ready to follow him to death, trusting him with their own life.
Unfortunately the rest of the crew did not share Jon's lack of self-worth. Paul knew with absolute certainty not one member of the crew was going to leave if Jon insisted on remaining behind to face the fleet alone. (loc 4665)
I have a crush on “Gunny”, he is strong-builted, grumpy but he makes me think of a big teddy bear! I particularly loved when he loses his dare against Miranda when she kisses him. This moment is really fun.
This man tries to hide what he feels but he is really great and the kids on the station are sure of it!
The station's kids had been in awe of the Marine Sergeant, ever since Lieutenant Castle's daughter had recounted the story of how he had wasted the monster that was hiding in her bedroom wardrobe. (loc 4747)
Even the children present, while they did not understand the seriousness of the situation, agreed they were all better staying on the station with their parents. If the imposing marine sergeant promised them they would be safe, who were they to doubt him? After all, they had all heard what Gunny had done to the monster that was hiding in Lieutenant Castle's daughters wardrobe. Any bad people trying to get onto their station were going to be in big trouble! (loc 5312)
At first, I was a little anxious by Miranda's arrival in Jon's life. I can't say that I'm fond of love triangle and I really hoped we will not have to endure one as for me it was Jon-Sofia all the way!
Quite the reverse, I really liked what the author wrote about Jon and Miranda. Of course, the attraction is present, Jon is very attached to her and Miranda is head over heels in love with him; the kiss they share before his leaving is the best evidence of it.
But I really like the fact that Miranda knows that for Jon, there will always be Sofia, as proved when Jon and Miranda dance in his quarters and when after, she looks in the mirror, trying to understand what just happened. She is smart enough to feel that Sofia is a ghost haunting Jon with his approval.
And Jon knows perfectly that even if he really cares for Miranda and even if at some point he thinks perhaps she could help him to feel better, he will never forget Sofia as she is a real part of him, as he can't think of anything or anyone else.
As his senior command staff filed out of the conference room, Jon's thoughts turned back to Sofia. It had been at least eight hours since he had last thought about her. Jon idly wondered if he was going to spend the rest of his life thinking about her. (loc 2293)
"Please don't leave me," Jon cried desperately. "I have been so alone without you." Admitting it to himself at the same time as saying the words aloud.
Twirling back, closer, Sofia touched her hand delicately to his chest, in the same fashion she did on the Imperial Star, she explained in a soft voice. "You have never been alone, Jon. I have always been with you, in here," she said laying her hand over his heart.
[...] "I'm sorry," Jon said aloud. "I never wanted to hurt you, I love you..." Admitting it to himself, for the first time. (loc 4111)
As I think you have understood, I really loved this book and to be honest, I wanted so much to know the rest, I started the second book instantly after having finished the first! Sadly my tablet computer had shut down permanently when I finished writting this reveiw so I will have to wait to continue the second book :(
It is very difficult for me to find a good book of science-fiction without “magic” or “fantasy” things, with great adventures, without to many violence, too many graphic scenes of sex, with strong characters and a beautiful love story… but I find it on The Last Praetorian and I’m really glad I did it!
I really hope the 2 others books will be of the same quality!
Sometimes, I found there was to many repetitions of the same words ("hence" for example was one of them. I have the same issue myself with some words and when I write, I have to work a lot to do my best to fix it. It’s probably why I noted that.) or some expressions, sometimes at the same page.
It’s not a big deal but it is a little disturbing.
However, don’t hesitate to read it, you will have a great moment of entertainment.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews