Stepping Up

by Robert Culp

I simply must have been meant for more than this. So begins the story of Sonia MacTaggert. An engineer by education with dreams of actually earning a living as one, she is stuck in a dead-end maintenance job servicing the engines of starships that put into port at Tammuz. When she finally lands an engineering position on the starship Night Searcher, she finds herself thrust into the unfamiliar world of interstellar exploration on a ship with a classified mission. Has her quest for a new life and career gotten Sonia more than she bargained for? The voyage of the Night Searcher tests not only the technical savvy of the fledgling engineer, but her character and leadership, as she's faced with challenges she could never have seen coming.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2013

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a really poor novel. The technologies it features (FTL travel, psionics (whatever that is), antigravity, etc) are poorly described and completely implausible. Aliens are there but the author doesn't even bother to describe them. Humanoids on many planets: how did they get there? Huge planets with human occupation: ever hear of gravity?

The characters are poorly realized. The plot has a lot of loose ends that are seemingly forgotten. The action scenes are shoddy and do not raise any excitement.

I won't be reading anything by this author again.

[Joy Leapheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book . Less than stellar ending.

Sonia made promises to the Captain regarding his son and to the Engineer regarding his daughter. She seems to have completely written these off at the end of the book. When the new Captain comes into the picture, she totally abandons the androids she has inherited from the Captain except for one.

[Glenda Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Anybody would want to read this book it's got it all .Take my word for it .I promise you .You want be sorry

[Michael Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

A bit RAH, a bit Issac, and the rest original. I question the science, or the lack of details of the science. But a good days read

[Chas. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I liked this book, especially the beginning, there are several things that really bothered me. Mostly the graphic sexual innuendo again and again and again. It seems like everybody, except the main character, is gay, even the main characters boyfriend is a lesbian in a mans body. Also, in spite of their extreme promiscuity, the crew is the best in the whole universe.
The second most irritating thing is the fact that the main character can move up to any position without experience and perform as if they've been doing it for 20 years. Talent may allow someone to gain experience in a shorter period of time but it is no replacement for it. The author does give a vague mind power type of explanation but it just didn't work for me.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a better than average first novel. Sonia, a young girl in her first stint as a crewmember on a starship, has an engaging voice that is enough to keep a reader interested in her fate all the way to the end. The novel is not perfect--there are some genre clichés that might have been avoided and a few plot loose ends that never quite get tied up. But all in all, an entertaining read.

[M. Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stepping Up, Excellent........

Great story, well written, believable universe, a well written explanation of technical items, ie space drives, weapons, etc.. I am really looking forward to the next book! A very believable heroine, who gets things done.

[Scott Briers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story - it did it's job and kept me entertained and engrossed. I would love to read more of the story - quite a world was created, with lots of potential for future happenings.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. The writing style throws me a bit though. Feels unpolished. for a first novel though it's excellent.

[tak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space opera from the point of view of the engineer. I love it! None of this killing aliens left right and center, this feels like a "real" story.