Rogue

by J.T. Vaydensen

Blessed and cursed with a talent for combat, Tek "Deuce" Dakker has spent his life fighting a losing war against slavery. Now he has a chance to turn the tide.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2015

Reviews

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got this book free in exchange for a review

Rarely does my opinion of a book change so drastically from beginning to end (and throughout). When I started the book, I was wary of where it was going to go. It seemed a bit too nice and clean. Then, mid-way through I started thinking I'd give it maybe three stars. And at the end it ended up with 4. It's not a perfect book by any means. But it won me over, by golly, and somehow I just ended up really liking it.

The things I didn't like: the timeline jumps forward in steps that make it a little hard to follow for the first few paragraphs while orienting one's self to the protagonist's new situation. Sometimes the story got a bit clunky. Some of the morals in the story are a little anvilicious.

What I did like: this seems to be a growing trend, but the main character was on the autism spectrum. It makes some things easier to deal with storywise, but I still like that people with differently functioning brains are getting more stories and more people out there to see what it's like to be different. The book was pretty realistic on teen emotions, sex drives, etc. The book was pitched to me as "because you really liked Harry Potter, you'll like this". Maybe the kids in England mature more slowly than America, but I thought later Potter books had Potter and the gang a little slow on the dating game.

Overall, I like the universe Vaydensen puts together and while it feels like there is room for more stories in the universe, it also seems a pretty satisfying way to end a story without needing to wrap up every loose end. I'd compare it in that way to the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy or the first Matrix movie. Sure, there's more story to be told, but you can stop right here and feel like you weren't cheated.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue, and I plan to read Vaydensen's next book. I got a free copy, but if I had known how much I have ended up enjoyed it, I would gladly have paid full price for it.

At least one reviewer complained that it seemed to be a bit of a rip-off of Ender's Game, but I just don't see that at all. Yes, there are similarities, but one may as well say that Oz is a rip-off of Wonderland.

The action is great, especially the space battles, real and simulated. The character of Deuce is believable, with me finding myself literally yelling at him for a fool right through the (electronic) pages of the book. What a teen-aged idiot he is in his relations with other persons!

[Pena · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was good:
- The protagonist, Deuce. A really unique character who is always interesting and who you always root for even when he's pissing off all the other characters.
- The plot. First chapter and a half were a bit boring. After that, every chapter was a high octane cliff hanger.
- The combat scenes. So cool. And easy to follow even though they happen in space, so tough to describe.
- The writing, especially the dialogue.
- The ending. Multiple twists. One of which I saw coming, but the other ones I didn't. All plausible enough.

What was bad:
- The world-building left a little to be desired. Once Deuce gets to Afax, it pretty much just seems like any modern-day school.
- Not as much tech and science as many sci-fi books. The sci-fi element was more in the background
- Only a few of the characters are really developed. I guess that's true of most books but there were so many characters that I wish a few more of them had interesting back stories

Overall, the good far outweighed the bad. Awesome book.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so badly wanted to love this book, but bits-and-pieces kept nagging at me. My first complaint is that pieces of this are an obvious rip off of Enders game. I mean come on....Dragon Squad. I can see the author trying to introduce a slavery element into the story to evoke emotion, but I was confused by the timeline jumping that when I figured it out I felt nothing. By the time I figured out who the main character was I didn't feel attached to him.

Another star had to be taken for bad sentence errors. I found myself doing a double take and editing the sentence in my mind so that it was coherent.

That being said, this is an entertaining story, but I don't feel like it can stand alone as an original, there's just too many elements of Enders Game in here. If you want a space marine battle type book then this is your jam, but I couldn't fall in love with the story. Winger is the only intriguing character in my opinion. Perhaps if this book was his story I might have liked it more.

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given that my choice of books is primarily non-fiction, I probably would not have read the book had I not been given a free copy by the author's publicist. Even so, I found it to be excellent action-packed science fiction and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The protagonist, Tek Dakker, is a native of the planet Caripha and a Rogue. Because of Eugenist tendencies within the Federation, Carifans were often viewed as inferior and found desirable as slave. To supply the demand for Carifan slaves, armadas of slavers would raid isolated towns and villages, enslaving entire populations. While this was a violation of Federation law, the admiral responsible for the space around Carifa was a notorious Eugenist and in the pockets of the slavers. Because the antislavery laws were not being enforced, a Carifan paramilitary group known as the Rogues took it upon themselves to intercept and destroyed the inbound slaver fleets.

As a child, Dakkar had been captured by slavers and forced to fight in bloodsport, gladiatorial competitions in which squadrons of single-seat fighters manned by slaves fought each other. After he escaped, he joined the Rogues, putting to good use tactical skills honed during his days as a bloodsport squadron leader. The ultimate irony of Dakkar's escape from slavery was that he was still not truly free. His intense hatred of slavery merged with his sense of duty to his people, and he had merely traded masters and now served his most implacable master ever, his sense of duty.

If the book has a weakness, it is in the transitions from one scene to another. Several different periods of Dakkar's life are portrayed, each with a different character set. Perhaps it is just my own difficulty keeping up with names, but each transition produced a slow down as I learned the new characters. Otherwise, I found the book hard to put down, but then again, other duties called.

[Jagoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more 3.5 stars rather than 4, but still, the book was enjoyable.

I received Rouge in exchange of honest review, so here it is! I apologize that reading it took me a while- Reading slump isn't something you can fight in a day or two. Throughout this week I managed to get myself together and I read it. Obviously, I didn't regret it.

What I enjoyed the most about the book are the characters. Their development through the book , to be more specific. The book showed how particular actions can change us. And it was really pleasurable.

Also, the setting. Some kind of a future, and interesting view of it. It really made me feel as if I was reading Ender's Game once more. And I don't really know if that's a bad thing or not. Ender's Game, is, after all, one of my favourite books.

It had a lot of plot twists and suprises, that's for sure. (what pleases me as a reader A LOT)

All in all, I would totally recommend this book to all sci fi fans out there, and YA readers. It's not life changing , but it will be a nice read.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what the 'official format' is for this, so bear with me. I was given a free copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review. It is funny, because it was presented as being similar to Starship Troopers when I was approached about reading and reviewing it. I would say it is more along the lines of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow than Starship Troopers. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed there were no powered suits of heavily-armed armor in the book. hahahahah

Overall, I think I enjoyed the book. I did waver between two stars and three stars, but I think I liked it enough to give it three stars. I think, overall, I enjoyed the plot the most. It had decent mechanics, adequate character development [although some of it left me scratching my head], and it did feel forced in parts. That, and the presentation of the plot to me was more-than-mildly embellished, but I still enjoyed the story, overall.

I think the 'part' I liked the most was that the hero was special needs [probably high-functioning autistic?]. Dakker was not your usual polished hero who easily moves amidst the crowd and graces people with his presence. He has issues, he has difficulty relating to other people, and he has a gift. He is also incredibly prickly and a jerk [well, 'jerk' is much too mild a description for him, but Momma told me not to use that kind of language]. He is incredibly offensive a large part of the time, and incredibly stupid in how he treats people. But the way he treats people can be explained as a part of his condition [as well as his doing what he has to do to survive]. I do get the very end, though, the loneliness of command and having to keep oneself separate, although I do not think you necessarily have to lose your edge if you do get close to / with other people.

There were some segments of the book that seemed 'long' and I just wanted it to be over with so the story could move on. It is hard to describe, but fortunately it did not happen very often.

I think one thing that 'bugged' me about the book was trying to figure out the age of Dakker and Winger. I thought I had it figured out, until they seemed to age-regress in the book. Perhaps I had their ages wrong in my head initially [or misunderstood their ages]; I am not sure. It seemed like the author was trying to keep Dakker at a younger age than he should have been, but I could have gotten things discombobulated.

There was one other 'beef' I had with the book. The whole premise of slavers and slaves and kidnapping did not make much sense to me. That, and that bounty hunters could be looking for Dakker and Winger with relative impunity even though the two young heroes had been kidnapped and sold into slavery in their early to mid teens. It did not make any sense to me that the government refused to do anything about the slavers or the bounty hunters; the legal system did not make any sense to me, either. This was one of the more frustrating parts of the book, because I got really, really, really tired of reading about how fearful the two male heroes were over being recaptured by bounty hunters.

I realize the Corsair showing up at the base and the 'big reveal' toward the end was supposed to have a [huge] level of irony to it, but it did not work for me. It seemed too forced. Maybe if the flow of the plot had been 'better' it would have worked.

I thought the description of "Deuce" Dakker's anger upon discovering that Caitlyn had a boyfriend was well done; it was one of the better 'scenes' in the book [in my opinion]. I thought the author did a nice job, here.

The author had some nice word pictures, turns-of-phrases, and descriptions scattered throughout the book. They were gems waiting to be discovered like the description of "wearing the entrails of one's opponents like a trophy" was nuts!

Some quotes from segments in the book I enjoyed:
"When I said humans can learn from turtles, I didn’t mean we should emulate ’em. I meant the opposite. Turtles don’t do anything. They can���t do anything. They’re constrained to their nature. Human beings, my brother, we can transcend. We can do anything. And too many people waste that. Too many people do act like turtles. So by all means, brother…if some un-turtle-y purpose compels you, you go right ahead, and Godspeed to ya."

"Necessity is the mother of progress; inquiry is the father."

"Everyone’s religious. Some religions just got names. Mine doesn’t. Po Mahler said organized religion is fascism. What do you think about that?"

"I think there are fascists who exploit organized religion, sure. But I also think religion is a natural consequence of the human condition, know what I mean? Religion comes from the desire for more. More than the corporeal world."

Speaking of religion, there was an interesting mix of religious and non-religious views in this book. I did not think it completely took away from the book, although I think it distracted the author a couple of times [in terms of the narrative and how some of it fit together]. The addition of religion added to the story, I think. There were no alien life forms in the story, so that made the general acceptance of the religious beliefs a little easier to swallow [as it were].

Describing a planet that required its citizens to have sex on a regular basis was comically corny, on the one hand. I am sure Jasmine got harassed a lot because of her home planet's reputation.

The ending. Hmmmm....where do I start?

It was kinda hokey [well, not the 'end' ending, but the events leading up to the ending]. It felt too much like it had a deus ex machina vibe going for it. It felt too contrived, too convenient. Granted, it was not the whole 'everything is going perfectly' scenario where nothing goes wrong, but it still felt contrived.

And then the actual ending itself. I realize this probably seems like a silly 'complaint,' but the story was over 'so soon', it was almost anti-climactic. It was odd, because while it seemed like the story was never going to end, I knew it had to end sometime soon because I was running out of pages to read. I was wondering how he was going to end the story, as it seemed like it could have gone on a bit longer, yet there were no extra pages appearing as I neared the end. Then it was over. It was so abrupt it caught me off guard hahahah.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I could see myself reading it again at some future point. I am glad I read it, and I am grateful I was given the opportunity to read it.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Would you like a free advance Kindle edition of ROGUE by J.T. Vaydensen in exchange for an honest review?"
"Ok."
I apparently got this in April 2016, and just knocked it out as part of my goal to read unread books on my Kindle that've been accumulating over the years.
Since proceeds from this book are apparently (supposedly) donated to charity, I can confirm it is very readable. It seems like that sort of violent, unsophisticated YA that's popular now. Very little character development (of teenage characters that are conveniently the best star-fighter pilots ev-uh!), half-baked plot, troubling interpersonal relations and interactions. But you dangling space battles in front of me and damned if I didn't read it. I read the whole thing! In only 2 sittings!
It was no ENDER'S GAME, but then the author probably isn't a garbage-person like Orson Scott Card either. Good for you, Author! Except for the main character punching his ex-GF in the stomach, and also where he shoves away a different girl who like hims and slut-shames her. You didn't quite pull off explaining that away or redeeming him.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an offer for a free review copy of this book after I updated my review of Starship Troopers. I was told that it had some similarities to Starship Troopers and so it should be right up my alley.

Spoiler alert, it's not like Starship Troopers.

That's a good thing.

A little background before I get into it. J. T. Vaydensen donates all profits from his books to charity. There is more information on that on his personal website, but because this is in some ways a very political book I give a lot of credit to Mr Vaydensen for putting the money he gets into action.

Rouge in some ways reminded me of Ender's Game, in that the main character is a military prodigy, but Rouge is about human trafficking and eugenics, not genocide strictly speaking. (In case you weren't paying attention in history class, eugenics is what the Nazis used to justify genocide.) Our intrepid protagonist, Tek "Deuce" Dakkar comes from the planet Carifa. A planet who's inhabitants are considered backwards and inferior examples of humanity by much of the rest of the galaxy. Because the planet is considered barbarous, there is a large slave trade which uses Carifa as its primary port of acquisition. The main thrust of the book's plot focuses on the issues of ending the slaver raids on Carifa, thus allowing the planet to develop more peacefully, with the philosophical underpinning of eugenics and a major denouncement of human trafficking, the modern, PC term for the slave trade. (Yes, slavery is still a thing.)

There is a lot to like about this book. It has a lot of space combat action and tackles very serious issues, as mentioned above. Deuce is in some ways a compelling character, and in others the kind that you want to smack upside the head for being an idiot, but his idiocy is less of a factor given his traumatic experiences.

I really wanted to give this book four stars, but it has a few problems which made me pull back. The first problem is that early on, especially in the first hundred pages, there is a lot of jumping around. It's almost as if the book was finished and one of the early readers wanted to know more about Deuce' back story so Mr Vaydensen went back and added two short narratives explaining where this guy came from. I think those narratives are very important to the book, but I feel they need to be more fleshed out. The second critique I would give is that the technical descriptions of what all the fancy Sci-Fi stuff in this universe does is almost too technical in some places, and needlessly repeated in others. At one point, a combat scenario is described in training and the anti-missile defence of a certain type of capital ship is explicitly stated. In the final battle, that specification is repeated parenthetically, which I found completely unnecessary. While that is the most salient example, the details given of the capabilities and armaments of different spacecraft is almost nauseating in places.

I really did enjoy this book and I think it deals with very important subjects that people don't necessarily realize are still pertinent. It's also a fun, action packed space opera that any sci-fi geek should have a good time reading. So, while the book has its flaws, I think it's worth the read and I do think it's a good read as well.

[ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to be contacted and received a free copy of this book, which has not bearing on the review you are about to read.

The story of "Rogue" may seem like a typical sci-fi novel, shooting around space in starships fighting for a cause, but it is much more than that. J. T. Vaydensen incorporates many relevant issues within the story showcasing a hard critique on modern society while also giving it a futuristic "fun" back-drop making the story accessible for many ages. Ranging in issues from body image to slavery (yes, slavery is still a major issue in today's world - it's now called "human trafficking") Vaydensen weighs in on the issues and through the eyes of aloof and possibly OCD/ADHD protagonist Deuce gives some fantastic critiques, while not being in your face on the issues like body image whereas the main conflict of slavery and racisms is readily there. Several shortcomings prevented me from giving this a 4 star rating which I desperately wanted too because I applaud being able to insert serious issues and have a discussion on them within a story geared towards a more high school audience than college - but I could not let the issues I did notice be ruled by my love for a story that can be analyzed in many ways. The main issue I had was mainly early on where a flow and continuity seemed to be lacking (without giving anything away) a character disappeared and no real explanation was given until much later but the transition from their being there to gone seemed jaunty and incomplete. There were also a few chapters that jumped years and managed to leave me briefly confused because with those years a lot of characterization changed and was not immediately evident. The story does provide a nice picture into the adolescent brain, particularly when dealing with the opposite gender especially given the neuroses Deuce appears to have and that was a pleasure to read what was happening in his head. The only other issues I had with the story were the abrupt way it ended with a number of loose strands (some of which I should have seen coming) and a personal pet peeve - it is not 'alright' it can only be "all right." If you enjoy sci-fi novels that are fast paced and not only provide a thrill ride but also serious discussion topics (think in the line of Robert Heinlein) then this is something worth picking up even if you deem it in a younger bracket range than what you typically pick up for your reading material.

[Claudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primero lo primero: este libro me lo regalaron a cambio de una reseña honesta en goodreads.com. Es nuevo y sólo está disponible en inglés. Me contactaron porque me gusta STARSHIP TROOPERS, y pensaron que sería de mi gusto. Les comenté que la reseña sería en español porque no me tengo suficiente confianza para escribir algo muy elaborado en inglés, y estuvieron de acuerdo.

Segundo: He leído malas críticas a la novela, acusándola de ser una copia de "El juego de Ender". Dicen que pilotos jóvenes en un juego es mas una "copia" que un "homenaje". Y según mi punto de vista, es una crítica sin fundamento, sólo hecha para dañar. Este libro no tienen NADA que ver con el de Scott Card. Su alcance es totalmente distinto, el juego es sólo una parte y no se usa de la misma forma, toda la trama está cruzada por la política y es mas como "academia de guerra" que "niños contra alienígenas".

Dicho este par de puntos, a lo que nos convoca:

Cuando comencé a leerlo me puse en guardia de inmediato. Me dije "aquí tenemos la típica historia del niño prodigio que se las sabe todas y puede superar a cualquier leyenda, porque nació con la habilidad". Una idea que personalmente me tiene bastante aburrido.

Pero al avanzar en la trama, nuestro héroe se revela como alguien lleno de conflictos y problemas personales con los cuales debe lidiar. Y si bien es un prodigio, casi todo le sale mal. Entonces, en base a cometer errores uno tras otro, se profundiza en la psicología del personaje y en última instancia, hay un crecimiento (aunque no el que uno esperaría)

Otro punto importante es que nadie actúa porque sí. Cada personaje tiene una motivación, una historia, y todos toman las mejores decisiones posibles. Y eso se nota y agradece, pues no hay soluciones facilistas en esta novela. Todos juegan sus mejores cartas y ganen o pierdan depende su habilidad para enfrentar las situaciones.

Lo peor:
Hay saltos (al principio) que me gustaría hubiera desarrollado mas. Este problema lo vi, sobre todo, en el paso de la parte I a la II. Luego pensé que se repetía en el salto del II al III, pero finalmente tiene una explicación satisfactoria.

Lo mejor:
Los personajes secundarios, la construcción de la rebelión y los giros argumentales. Y aún cuando vi venir el principal, no me sacó de la intriga.

En suma:
El libro va de menos a mas, y vale absolutamente la pena. Un buen representante del género.

[Alice Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I was asked to write a review for this book because I had written a review for Starship Troopers and was told this book was similar. There were a few similarities, but there are other books to which it is more akin, such as Ender’s Game.

The first third of this book is set up and backstory to let us know where Tek/Deuce came from and why he is like he is. I don’t have a problem with story that builds the world and introduces us to characters, but each section of the back story felt as though it had been specifically written with one key scene in mind to let the reader know where a particular aspect of Deuce’s character came from. Each piece of the backstory felt contrived to show one specific plot point, whether it be a personality trait, a particular event or a dynamic between characters. Stories have to advance, but it was blatant what the ‘point’ of each scene was. I don’t want to see the skeleton structure of a story that way, I’d like for it to be covered in muscle and skin so that you can lead me through the story without jarring from significant event to significant event.

The name of the main character changed abruptly from Tek in the early stages of the story, to Deuce for the remainder. The change was abrupt and distracting. I wasn’t sure for a while whether it was the same character. It was made clear later, and the change in name was explained, but I was never comfortable with the explanation coming so much later. Had it been explained immediately I could have accepted it and moved on, instead of letting it distract me and infuriate me for half a novel.

Creating and resolving believable conflict between characters is hard. The author found a technique that worked for him and used it again and again, stripping it of all emotional impact. “I like you but I’m going to act like I hate you and shut you out because it’s for your own good” became a trope that was used to manipulate relationships. Winger used it on Deuce and Deuce used it on both Kaitlyn and Jasmine. Instead of adding complexity to the characters it made all the relationships shallow and doubtable.

I like stories set in space, but I was too often taken out of the story and distracted by the obvious plot devices and the lack of depth to the characters.

3 out of 5 overly emo ace pilots.

[Yessenia Andaverde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got this book free in exchange for a review

I had some ideas about what would this book be about. I was expecting an intergalactic love story full of action. Wrong.

This book was a drug. At first it was a bit confusing because of the terminology, but soon the author makes you venture in this whole new universe. Yes, there remind facts, places and references I didn't get, but still you grasp the main points of what is going on.

I said this was a drug because I can't think of another way to describe how I felt while reading this. The story gets you so high that when you finish is disorienting. I felt as if I was in a roaller coaster that suddenly stopped while I was upside down. I didn't expected it and frankly I didn't know how to feel.

Is the story good? Hell yeah. I stayed awake 'till 2:30 in the morning. Again. Fuck this amazing books that won't let me get enough sleep in finals week. If I fail in my grades, blame The Princess's Dragon and this book.

The plot and scenarios made an atmosphere kind of like the one in Ender's Game. I hated to make the comparison, but there are situations so similar it is impossible not to.

But the protagonist is like nothing I have ever seen. He is complicated from the very first moment, and you can't avoid having feeling for him. Pity, admiration, frustration, expectation, but overall, you have hope in him, and for him. Because he simply can't help how he is, and doesn't want to change.



Also, there is a bit of romance. The tiniest bit. And the ending was as unexpected as amazing.

I won't forget this book in a very long time, if ever.

Warning: There's a tourtle that stole the show.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a fine book. It had some flaws, but was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end. Sadly the last 50 pages were the weakest in my opinion.

Flaws:

The way of giving the reader information.
A) Throwing in a new word and explaining it in the next sentence. Breaks the flow of reading when in a prose text you suddenly feel like reading a Textbook.
Example: "Yeah, it's sad actually. It's Zylotryl, and he's adicted." Zylotryl was a synthetic, opioid-based sedative and antidepressant....
B) Dialogue stating what everybody in the room already knows.
Example: "As you should all know, Drillers are fron5-line force-boarders."

Characterization
The main character is supposed to be a teen, but also the best leader the Rogues ever had. He is really bad at motivational speeches though and doesn't feel right as a leader outside of battle. I'd think that is a crucial part of being a commander. He also was quite annoying sometimes in my opinion, by being only focused on the job, trying to suppress all feelings, but on the other hand there are thoughts like : "Except no one would value him. Why would they? Why would anyone want to be his friend, much less his girlfriend?"
Also a lot of what I think are supposed to be main characters stay a blank page for me throughout the book.

There is one character with a thick accent who always says "ye" instead of "you" but he will say "your" and not "yer".

In the last part of the book there are some parts that are highly illogical to me, but I want go into them here, to avoid spoilers. The first 250 pages didn't have such problems, only the last 50 had me go "why?" And "why not??" a lot.

Overall it was a fine read, and I think the author does have potential, but hasn't really fully utilized it.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

With that disclaimer stated, this was an excellent book, and I'm extremely glad that I had the opportunity to read it. When offered the copy, the publicist described it as similar to Starship Troopers, which is one of my absolute favorites. While there are certainly some of those elements in the book, I actually felt that it was much more similar to Ender's Game (also one of my favorites). There are also elements of Glen Cook's Black Company series in the sense that the book will sometimes jump ahead months or even years without much of an explanation. Rogue does do a much better job of filling in the gaps than Cook's series did however.

The best part of the book is definitely the conflict scenes. They sometimes involve space battles and sometimes they're just arguments. Either way, they tend to be extremely intense. Some of them to the point that I could actually feel my heart racing as I read through them. The characters are also great, and the story is very solid.

So, why not a full 5 stars? The biggest reason is that I would have liked to see more depth to the supporting cast. The primary 2 or 3 characters are well written, but everyone around them also have extremely interesting and engaging stories that I would have like to have delved into quite a bit more. There were also elements to the final scheme that didn't quite make sense to me, but that could have been more from my lack of understanding than the writing.

With that being said, this was a very good book. If you are a fan of Science Fiction in general, you should definitely give it a read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say that I enjoy the book. In overall, this is good book and I could recommended to my friends to read it; it have great descriptions and is light reading; there are flaws in the book, mainly in the narrative, but the flaws aren’t big enough to affect my ratting.

In my opinion, this book is the work of a new writer, which is really proficient with his/hers descriptions and character development skills (environmental, feelings and characters); but can improve his/hers narrative skills.

The main flaw I see was in the narrative, which I had a lot of troubles to following it; it was common to have to go back two or three paragraphs because I lost the main idea; sometimes were abruptly breaks between the ideas of two following paragraphs, and this tendency maintained, in some cases, between chapters.

What I like about this book was the environment descriptions and how the characters development along the main history; the main history of the book is common and universal (a vigilante team against criminals under corrupt government) but what it makes it great is how the character lives it and how “Tek-Deuce”, and his team, growth around it.

As footnote, who introduced this book to me say that this book is similar to Starship Troopers Star Ship Trooper from Robert A. Heinlein. In my humble opinion the only resemble I see between the books was that both were Science Fiction books, further that they were totally different; nether the less, I enjoyed both books.

[Nicola Pike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rabbits! I know it shouldn't matter but who in the right mind would let rabbits go in a pristine environment on another planet especially after what happened in Australia. Unfortunately, this set a trend. I was expecting a book like Ender's game which is pretty deep and if it wasn't like Ender's Game I was expecting Starship Troopers. In the end, it was like the movie all about the characters and not about the story. I got lost a few times especially when they jump from one character to another.

​​For characters who are so young they have very adult concerns. We have Tek who is a bit autistic so he doesn't make friends very well. One day his world is tipped on its end and the sweet boy has to put aside childish things. Then there is Deuce. I'm actually not sure where he came from. Like I said I got lost a few times. There are some good strong characters though I could have wished for more female characters as this universe is very much tilted to the male gender side. Not surprising as this is about soldiers.

The pace is a bit slow and the book is a bit long for a YA book. Actually, that is its main issue. Too long.

After saying that it was easier to get into than books like Ender's Game with similar themes it could be recommended for those with a lower reading level to introduce them to Science Fiction.

 

[Marianne Boutet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy wants to fly a fighter spaceship and be a hero. This is the story of his journey from the dream to the reality, and what happens to him along the way.

The world building is subtle. There is a lot of infodump; transitions from one scenario to another are abrupt and take awhile for the reader to track and then see, "ah, ha, now I see where the story is developing." Then the reader realizes that stuff has happened and our hero's life and goals are getting more and more complicated. Salted and peppered along with this are the conflicts, outright fights both physical and tactical and....While I am not a big fan of battle tactics or specifications, there are enough of both here to please any Top Gun or Star Wars fan.

While I was frequently exasperated by our hero, I was very much invested in the story. I was so absorbed in events as they happened I kept forgetting how young Deuce is/was. His character was admirable, with very human flaws. And even though it wasn't an easy ending, I very much liked how the author left our hero.

All in all, there is a little bit of Heinlein (in his young adult books), a little bit of Poul Anderson (Ensign Flandry) and let's not forget a bit of Andre Norton (her early stuff). It's a good read.

[Boyd Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I found the writing style very maddening. For about the first third of the book, every new chapter came with a jump in time from the previous one. Further, things happened in the time gap that were significant to story in the new chapter.

After that, though, the author settled down to some very good story-telling. There's not as much "sci" in this sci-fi book as I'm used to (Asimov, for instance), but I was thoroughly entertained, which is the whole point behind reading a novel, right?

I usually take a casual approach to my book reading, but since I was offered this book for free in anticipation of writing a review, I determined to spend longer and more frequent periods of reading it. After I got through the previously-mentioned first third, though, I didn't have to exercise any discipline to read more quickly; the story drew me in and held me. A book can typically last me a month or more, but I steamed through Rogue in a week.

While I'd presume that this book is targeted toward teenagers, I still enjoyed reading it, and I have teenaged grandchildren.

Again, I received this book for free on the promise of writing an honest review.

[Boulder Boulderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure - I was sent a free copy of this book on Kindle by the author's agent.


It's not a terrible book; Vaydensen manages to get over his desire to tell us the age of each new person quite quickly, and there's plenty of action to enjoy. The real problem is a lack of craft; there's no building up of danger and tension throughout, no character development. No real motivation for the characters other than "this is what I do".

Actually the main problem is probably going to turn out to be plagiarism. All authors borrow/steal/develop ideas from other, but you can't have a child prodigy commander in a combat school for teens playing 'a game' and then put a misfit in charge of Dragon Army and split in five rather than four units...it's lifted wholesale from Ender's Game, which isn't exactly an unknown property. That level of 'homage' just isn't acceptable, and adds nothing new.

I wish Vaydensen the best and he's probably got some potential, but he needs more training in the art of telling a compelling story. Learn the rules, then you can break them.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest issue with the story involves the jumping of time between the parts. It makes the story feel extremely disjointed when after a few chapters it jumps to, what I assume is, several years into the future without explaining it. If that wasn't enough, the main character who has been called Tek the entire first few chapters, all of a sudden is now called Deuce and there's no mention of that whatsoever. It took me several chapters to finally pick up that they were the same person. I feel that part 1 was largely unnecessary and could have been more of a preamble or shortened chapter to setup the angst of Tek rather than several chapters and then a massive jump in time.

Another issue I had was some of the jargon would be a major turn off for some people. I found it overwhelming at times, but necessary at others. Using the word and defining it immediately is something that should be practiced, same goes for slang terms such as eggs which is used and then explained later.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, but the writing really kept me from enjoying the experience completely.

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Ender's Game inspired book, it follows the character of Tek, a gifted young man that is taken as a slave. He is forced to fight in space-era bloodsport, in which teams of ships fight to the death, then he joins the Rogues, a shadowy organization.

I think the book could've been a lot better if it wasn't for the descriptive approach to everything - any flow is generally sidelined by an explanation, terms are thrown then invariably explained until you forgot what the action is all about. I think this works well for people that enjoy this amount of detail, but it didn't work well for me.

However, even so you can enjoy the action - it's space battles, the characters keep the action interesting, and if you don't mind the unexplained renames of or introduction of characters and random jumps in action, and the descriptive sidetracking, the book works well as an Ender's Game-like action. I can see who this can work for, but it didn't work for me that well.

I also received this book for free in exchange for a fair review.

[Ze'Ro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was offered a free copy of this book. I am a huge fan of the novel "Ender's Game" and I cannot deny that this book definitely has similarities to it. Unfortunately, I really just couldn't get into the book. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get completely consumed in the story especially since that is something that I enjoy so much about reading.

The main reason for this being the fact that I didn't really understand what was happening.

I'll have to admit that this book does have a great storyline and I can understand why so many people enjoyed it. I did too, the story was really interesting and honestly, I did keep feeling the urge to continue reading onto the next page the only problem being that I got confused... a lot.

This book could have been an amazing read for me, I guess the only thing that ruined it was that half the time I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review... here it is.

I have to say honestly, I had a hard time getting in to this book. The writing seemed a little amateur, some of the phrasing just didn't seem professional level. Somehow I expected an adult level read, and it really seemed that the book is geared for young adults. That being said, I felt that some of the action and some of the topics were a little more gruesome and racy than I would have liked to put before a young adult. The story jumps around a bit much between segments and gets confusing until you figure out how to orient yourself again. And I have to say the ending was rather abrupt.

That being said, the story was interesting enough for me to finish it, the language was pretty clean and I don't remember any overt sex. Would I recommend it? Probably not, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either.

[Michael Elconin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced sci-fi thriller. It follows the early life of Tek Dakker, who we first meet as a nine year old orphan on the backwater planet of Carifa. The people of the Federation are sharply divided on the issue of slavery, which is still practiced against the people of Carifa, and Tek dreams of taking on the slavers by joining the rebel group known as the Rogues. Until his own village is overrun by slavers.

The main characters are interesting and well developed, amidst the dual themes of racism and the tension between duty and happiness. But I found the action sequences - often beautifully detailed descriptions of space combat - were impossible to put down. I hate the term "riveting," but there is no other way to describe them. Vaydensen writes like he has been flying space fighters all his life.

[Quinton Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got this book free in exchange for a review

I had mixed feelings as I read this book. I had read some of the reviews already, and so had some expectations. Also, some pieces are obvious (homage?) to Ender's Game. With that aside, I feel that there were enough unique point to this story, that it stands on its own, and is not a rip off.

My biggest struggle was how much the first two sections of the book jumped around. However, the last two sections made up for that. There were many characters and a few were developed fairly well. I hope that Vaydensen will get better with this with continued writing. The same goes for premonition, clues, and such. In some cases they felt a bit ham-fisted, but other times were spot on.

There were a few emotional parts that made this story more real and engaging. I look forward to more of Vandensen's work.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly; that exchange was the only reason I finished the book.
The author tries to turn emotion, action, and drama up to the maximum without a break and achieves an effect similar to a Micheal Bay film -so dramatic it's boring.
The first third of the book is spent on time jumps to explain the main protagonist's motivations and grief, but the jumps only serve to distance the reader from all of the characters and lesson the impact of events that shape the main character. Tek/Deuce spends so much time brooding over his role in the deaths of people in his charge that I eventually became convinced that the angst -not Tek- was the main character of the story.
If the reader just wants lots of battle scenes and a few fights, this might be the book for you.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free Kindle version of this book due to my high rating of Ender's Game. This book was a very good read. It definitely has Ender's Game elements to it, but was different enough to keep me interested.

I gave it 3 stars, but wish I had the ability to do 3.5 stars. I had been rating it 4 stars nearly all the way through, until I was about 80% or so along. Then it all seemed to go very quickly, and the depth disappeared a bit. I wish the book had been longer, and that there would have been more build-up and description around the end scenes.

I would recommend this book, but the ending might be a little disappointing just in terms of depth and style. The beginning and middle sections were much stronger in writing and storytelling. But otherwise, an excellent story!

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this! In terms of sci-fi I've only read Star Wars books, which is probably why I was offered a free copy of Rogue by the author. This book had a Star Wars feel to it, which made it an easy transition for me.

The space battles were really well done and exciting! The characters were all interesting and had distinct personalities. The only thing I wish the book had was a little more world-building, like explaining how all these humans live on different planets. Other than that, I would recommend this book to any of my fantasy/sci-fi loving friends!

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" should enjoy this space adventure about a teen who becomes a slave gladiator after being captured by slavers. Then he becomes a member of a secret group fighting slavers and eventually an unwilling student at an elite advanced space academy. It is action packed work throughout with the hero very similar to Ender Wiggins. This was a free review copy from the author.