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Kato's War #1
Zara's Flight
Young Zara Sasake-Robbins is heir to the greatest corporate fortune the world has ever known. Her father Kato uses his great wealth to build a spaceship named Eternity that will take him, alone, on a one-way mission out of the Solar System--and out of Zara's life forever. When it's too late for Kato's ship to turn around, he learns that he will die, gasping for air, within a short time. Zara sees only one way to save him: she must pull off the greatest heist in history. If she can hijack the quarter trillion-dollar spaceship Dawn, belonging to Kato's arch enemy Seung Yi, she can reach him. She must steal the Dawn, and fly the enormous ship, alone, faster than humans have ever traveled before, to meet Kato. Can she reach him, and if she does, can they rekindle their love as father and daughter?
- GenresScience FictionFiction
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2015
15 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 30, 2016
What can I say about that great book? Many have said their opinions and what's it about. So I don't need to tell you again.
I will only say, I enjoyed it tremendously, from the first page on. I was with Zara all the way and then with her father as she joined him flying out into deep space, the unknown. What a love from Zara to follow her father out
Andrew wrote a wonderful book and I can't wait to read the second book of the series.
Well done, Andrew, loved your book.
I will only say, I enjoyed it tremendously, from the first page on. I was with Zara all the way and then with her father as she joined him flying out into deep space, the unknown. What a love from Zara to follow her father out
Andrew wrote a wonderful book and I can't wait to read the second book of the series.
Well done, Andrew, loved your book.
January 1, 2016
It was an interesting story, but unfortunately the style of writing didn’t work for me very well. However, I appreciate the author’s hard work and his skill at giving life to his characters.
The hard science fiction part is somehow lacking, even though the book is labelled as “hard science fiction.” Lasers and nanotechnology are not really hard science fiction, in my opinion. Certain action scenes or concepts reminded me of some genre movies. The solutions to several situations appeared childish to me, even hilarious. Same goes for certain sentences.
“They were pushed back in their seats, frightened out of their minds as the savage acceleration —several times more than the capsule had been designed to withstand— began to lower their orbit.” Several times more than it’s been designed to withstand… well, I have to doubt that…
“The DNA’s encoded in binary on a so-called million-year medium. All that really means is it’s physically engraved in a tiny sheet of titanium. It won’t degrade at all, unlike the optical media. It’ll probably still be here in a billion years, if the ship hasn’t been destroyed.”
Hmmm… A billion years, huh? The ship too?
Given the span of the story and the limited number of pages to tell it, there had to be a choice of scenes and pacing, and sometimes I felt that too much emphasis was put on some and too little on others –but that’s a personal preference.
Overall, it still was an enjoyable experience. And I admit, I am a bit curious about what happens next…
(I received the book from the author in exchange of my review.)
The hard science fiction part is somehow lacking, even though the book is labelled as “hard science fiction.” Lasers and nanotechnology are not really hard science fiction, in my opinion. Certain action scenes or concepts reminded me of some genre movies. The solutions to several situations appeared childish to me, even hilarious. Same goes for certain sentences.
“They were pushed back in their seats, frightened out of their minds as the savage acceleration —several times more than the capsule had been designed to withstand— began to lower their orbit.” Several times more than it’s been designed to withstand… well, I have to doubt that…
“The DNA’s encoded in binary on a so-called million-year medium. All that really means is it’s physically engraved in a tiny sheet of titanium. It won’t degrade at all, unlike the optical media. It’ll probably still be here in a billion years, if the ship hasn’t been destroyed.”
Hmmm… A billion years, huh? The ship too?
Given the span of the story and the limited number of pages to tell it, there had to be a choice of scenes and pacing, and sometimes I felt that too much emphasis was put on some and too little on others –but that’s a personal preference.
Overall, it still was an enjoyable experience. And I admit, I am a bit curious about what happens next…
(I received the book from the author in exchange of my review.)
July 20, 2015
If I am not mistaken then I got this book for free via bookbup.
The cover is what drew me, I should have read the description but I never do.
This is a story about a brat who also happens to be stunning. But as she grows up she starts to see that wealth may be a "curse". Never in the story does Zara ever go without or really need to scale down and as the book progressed I grew to dislike her more and more by the day.
However, her final act almost redeemed her in my eyes almost. Very little character growth throughout the book made the plot less attractive although it is a good idea with a lot of possibilities.
If Zara ever end up truly down and out I may get to get invested in the story but thus far I am not.
Now do not misunderstand, the writing, editing everything is of a very good calibre but Zara and her entitled view of life is a pet peeve of mine. I hoped she would catch a clue in the outback but no such luck.
All in all, make sure this is your genre before purchase and that people like the Hiltons etc are people you can identify with if not, you might need to rethink your purchase
WaAr
The cover is what drew me, I should have read the description but I never do.
This is a story about a brat who also happens to be stunning. But as she grows up she starts to see that wealth may be a "curse". Never in the story does Zara ever go without or really need to scale down and as the book progressed I grew to dislike her more and more by the day.
However, her final act almost redeemed her in my eyes almost. Very little character growth throughout the book made the plot less attractive although it is a good idea with a lot of possibilities.
If Zara ever end up truly down and out I may get to get invested in the story but thus far I am not.
Now do not misunderstand, the writing, editing everything is of a very good calibre but Zara and her entitled view of life is a pet peeve of mine. I hoped she would catch a clue in the outback but no such luck.
All in all, make sure this is your genre before purchase and that people like the Hiltons etc are people you can identify with if not, you might need to rethink your purchase
WaAr
May 12, 2017
Good start for the series
I liked the storyline immensely yet found most of the characters shallow or under-developed. However, just because it reads more like a YA book, does not mean the story should be discarded. No, the plot does thicken as they say and by the time you get to the end of this book (with no cliffhanger either) you are more than willing to read the next book. That is what I am doing now!
I liked the storyline immensely yet found most of the characters shallow or under-developed. However, just because it reads more like a YA book, does not mean the story should be discarded. No, the plot does thicken as they say and by the time you get to the end of this book (with no cliffhanger either) you are more than willing to read the next book. That is what I am doing now!
July 1, 2015
This review is originally posted on: http://wp.me/p5m5jd-fN
Disclaimer: I received the e-ARC from the author in exchange of my honest review.
Zara's Flight is the first book in Kato's War series. I received the e-ARC from the author because I reviewed The Martian by Andy Weir. After I started reading the book, I understood why the author approached me. Zara's Flight is another hard science fiction which is great for fans of space travel.
The story is set in a futuristic world where robots are quite common to be seen to fill up the inadequate of workforce at places like farms at rural areas or jobs which requires dangerous acts. Zara's father, Kato, is the owner of the world's best robot manufacturer. For instance, he has the best scientists and technologies for him to build almost anything, including a very powerful space craft called Eternity.
Zara's relationship with her dad is almost as cold as ice since something tragic happened in their family. I love to read about the relationship between them as I could understand even though Zara rarely talk to her dad, she does love him.
When I mentioned hard science above, it means that there are a lot of scientific terms and explanations involved in the book. There are parts where the characters in the book discuss about the technologies of the Eternity and also the course of line in the space (e.g. trajectory, orbit, etc).
To be honest, I know almost nothing on these terms. But it seems cool to read about those and I would start to imagine the scene to be adapted into a movie while the characters speak professionally on those terms. My original rating for this book was 3 stars because I tend to scan through when I read these sections. But I rated it higher after a few days simply because I couldn't get over the story, I wish to read more, especially about the relationship between Zara and Kato.
By reading this book, I could feel the sincerity of the author on bringing his imaginative world to his readers. His book is well-researched and well-written. I couldn't wait to read the sequel which the author informs me that there'll be more of the elements that I wanted to read about.
Disclaimer: I received the e-ARC from the author in exchange of my honest review.
Zara's Flight is the first book in Kato's War series. I received the e-ARC from the author because I reviewed The Martian by Andy Weir. After I started reading the book, I understood why the author approached me. Zara's Flight is another hard science fiction which is great for fans of space travel.
The story is set in a futuristic world where robots are quite common to be seen to fill up the inadequate of workforce at places like farms at rural areas or jobs which requires dangerous acts. Zara's father, Kato, is the owner of the world's best robot manufacturer. For instance, he has the best scientists and technologies for him to build almost anything, including a very powerful space craft called Eternity.
Zara's relationship with her dad is almost as cold as ice since something tragic happened in their family. I love to read about the relationship between them as I could understand even though Zara rarely talk to her dad, she does love him.
When I mentioned hard science above, it means that there are a lot of scientific terms and explanations involved in the book. There are parts where the characters in the book discuss about the technologies of the Eternity and also the course of line in the space (e.g. trajectory, orbit, etc).
To be honest, I know almost nothing on these terms. But it seems cool to read about those and I would start to imagine the scene to be adapted into a movie while the characters speak professionally on those terms. My original rating for this book was 3 stars because I tend to scan through when I read these sections. But I rated it higher after a few days simply because I couldn't get over the story, I wish to read more, especially about the relationship between Zara and Kato.
By reading this book, I could feel the sincerity of the author on bringing his imaginative world to his readers. His book is well-researched and well-written. I couldn't wait to read the sequel which the author informs me that there'll be more of the elements that I wanted to read about.
November 30, 2015
Those of you that are afraid of independently published books, or authors' freshman efforts for that matter, may rest easy. Zara's Flight is a cut above most of its contemporaries. The story is concise, maintains a good pace throughout, and contains very little that is extraneous. While it isn't exactly filled with unpredictable surprises and plot twists, it does to a good job of pacing (particularly in the second half), and within the confines of near-future science fiction, is a solid story with just enough of an epic scope to pique your interest. The world Broderick has created is familiar and seems plausible enough. Technology is explained concisely and adequately, never going anywhere near the overly-abstruse explanations and extensive histories that plague so much modern science fiction -- we know merely that it exists, what it can do, and what its rules are. Dialog largely drives the exposition, which I particularly liked, as it kept the story moving and was solidly written for the most part, only slipping up in a couple of places. For me, the only real weakness is the characters. Only the two main characters are fleshed out with any detail, and even then their motivations are rather simplistic, and their actions woefully predictable. I certainly would like to have gotten to know most of the secondary characters better – who hinted at interesting backstories and personalities, but didn’t stick around long enough to serve any purpose other than the utilitarian. (We need a pilot? Here's a pilot. We need an engineer? Here's an engineer.) Finally, the story's lone antagonist (and only real source of any sort of dramatic conflict) is just a twisty mustache away from being over the top camp. In all, however, Zara's flight is a delightful, imaginative adventure in the vein of early Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov that can easily be read in one sitting. I, for one, will certainly be around for the sequel.
May 30, 2015
"Zara's Flight is a fast paced story that keeps everything organized and is easy to follow. Think of it as a script made into a book, using areas to take you to the next one without missing anything. You will know what is going on and why, and you look forward to how it will turn out. It is an easy read and feels like it would be a good movie or short series for TV.
From the beginning, you are easily pulled into Zara's world and will pick up on things that relate to real life in certain ways. Relationships, betrayal, and friends all come together in a story that spans several decades and also a few miles... You will see what I mean if you decide to read it, which I hope you do. The characters in the story move quickly and keep pace with the book, thereby giving it the quick moving feel I mentioned earlier.
The story will take you forward and backward in an easy to follow manner, and you soon discover things are not always what they seem. In some parts, it would indeed take a very intelligent or a very warped mind to do a few of the things the story lays out for the reader. Once you tie it all together, the basics of life and what we perceive, are what are given. Use your imagination and follow the story from start to finish, and you will see a puzzle fall into place."
Andrew, I liked the book and see where you could continue it. Perhaps you are already considering or doing this as I write this review. As I said above, this feels like a movie or series I would see on TV and would be good as a script. As I read it, I pictured the settings, the ships, and the views as they traveled. Also, the fact that things moved quick, and then were explained within a few paragraphs or lines made it simple to follow. It makes me wonder what Seung is planning once he wakes up. Or perhaps Kato has something planned as well...
From the beginning, you are easily pulled into Zara's world and will pick up on things that relate to real life in certain ways. Relationships, betrayal, and friends all come together in a story that spans several decades and also a few miles... You will see what I mean if you decide to read it, which I hope you do. The characters in the story move quickly and keep pace with the book, thereby giving it the quick moving feel I mentioned earlier.
The story will take you forward and backward in an easy to follow manner, and you soon discover things are not always what they seem. In some parts, it would indeed take a very intelligent or a very warped mind to do a few of the things the story lays out for the reader. Once you tie it all together, the basics of life and what we perceive, are what are given. Use your imagination and follow the story from start to finish, and you will see a puzzle fall into place."
Andrew, I liked the book and see where you could continue it. Perhaps you are already considering or doing this as I write this review. As I said above, this feels like a movie or series I would see on TV and would be good as a script. As I read it, I pictured the settings, the ships, and the views as they traveled. Also, the fact that things moved quick, and then were explained within a few paragraphs or lines made it simple to follow. It makes me wonder what Seung is planning once he wakes up. Or perhaps Kato has something planned as well...
June 2, 2015
If you ever wondered what would happen if Paris Hilton grew up, Zara's Flight is an example. Zara is a spoiled brat who thinks she's the only one with problems. As so many super wealthy adolescents have to learn, vast wealth often creates more problems than they expect. What everyone really wants, love and respect, aren't obtained by money, especially second generation money.
Our unlikely heroine has lost her mother at a young age and feels abandoned by her super successful father. This is much more than a feeling when her father sets off on a journey to the stars which will last way beyond even his expanded futuristic lifetime. His body, along with the DNA from a million donors and all recorded history, media and entertainment will be preserved until discovered by some alien intelligence.
Zara's feelings and ambition dramatically change when it's discovered a former employee, turned ambitions rival, has left behind some software time-bombs that begin to destroy Zara's Dad's conglomerate as well as bringing a likely premature end to the "Journey-to-the-Stars" which is way beyond the "point-of-no-return". How can Zara hope to help or reunite with her Father?
Read the book.
I would have loved to give this a five star rating; the STORY deserves it. However, there are a few too many distracting editorial blunders that should have been corrected before publishing.
Review by "THE HOLEY ONE"
Our unlikely heroine has lost her mother at a young age and feels abandoned by her super successful father. This is much more than a feeling when her father sets off on a journey to the stars which will last way beyond even his expanded futuristic lifetime. His body, along with the DNA from a million donors and all recorded history, media and entertainment will be preserved until discovered by some alien intelligence.
Zara's feelings and ambition dramatically change when it's discovered a former employee, turned ambitions rival, has left behind some software time-bombs that begin to destroy Zara's Dad's conglomerate as well as bringing a likely premature end to the "Journey-to-the-Stars" which is way beyond the "point-of-no-return". How can Zara hope to help or reunite with her Father?
Read the book.
I would have loved to give this a five star rating; the STORY deserves it. However, there are a few too many distracting editorial blunders that should have been corrected before publishing.
Review by "THE HOLEY ONE"
February 14, 2017
Good Story
I enjoyed this story a lot. My only complaint is that we did not get a chance to know all the characters. The story was a little shallow on some of the characters.
I enjoyed this story a lot. My only complaint is that we did not get a chance to know all the characters. The story was a little shallow on some of the characters.
April 29, 2015
I received a pre-edit copy of this and even in that state it was an excellent read, kept me going from start to finish.
Zara is a conflicted teenager, while her father tries to balance his work and family responsibilities. Unlike other books, he realistically does not manage this well.
Kato, her father, is building an empire, one made out of the fires of new technology that can change the future of humanity in huge ways. An old rival constantly bites at his success. Despite this, he battles his own demons trying to hold together his family at the same time.
To try and come together after Kato takes off, Zara will have to take flight, quite literally out of this world, and it's more than a hop, skip, and a jump to the stars.
Zara is a conflicted teenager, while her father tries to balance his work and family responsibilities. Unlike other books, he realistically does not manage this well.
Kato, her father, is building an empire, one made out of the fires of new technology that can change the future of humanity in huge ways. An old rival constantly bites at his success. Despite this, he battles his own demons trying to hold together his family at the same time.
To try and come together after Kato takes off, Zara will have to take flight, quite literally out of this world, and it's more than a hop, skip, and a jump to the stars.
May 14, 2015
Zara's Flight is what Science Fiction should be, with larger-than-life protagonists, a Kahn-like villain and enough robot technology, space-flight content and derring-do to completely hold one's interest. Spanning three hundred years, it also explores the relationships between a troubled Zara and her absentee billionaire space-exploring father, along with their friends and family. I'm dying of curiosity now and salivating for part 2 as I wait to know what the villain will do next. I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews