Dark Space

Dark Space #1

by Jasper T. Scott

Die Menschheit ist verloren.
Zehn Jahre zuvor eroberten die Sythianer das Sonnensystem. Ihr Ziel: menschliches Leben vollständig zu vernichten. Die letzten Überlebenden zogen sich in den Dunklen Raum zurück, einen isolierten Teil der Galaxis, der einst als Gefängnis und nun als Zufluchtsort dient. Hier bekommt der Söldner Ethan Ortane einen finsteren Auftrag. Er soll das gewaltige Sternenschiff Valiant infiltrieren, das die Tore zum Dunklen Raum bewacht und die Menschheit vor den feindlichen Sythianern schützt. Bald entdeckt Ethan, dass seine Mission zu einem epischen Sternenkrieg führen wird. Und er muss sich entscheiden, auf welcher Seite er steht: auf der der Menschen oder der Gerechtigkeit...

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Space, Amazon, Ebooks, Aliens

272 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published April 20, 2013

About the author

Jasper Scott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 sci-fi novels. With over a million books sold, Jasper's work has been translated into various languages and published around the world.

Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the time of my writing this review Dark Space has a 4.1 out of 5 stars review on Amazon based on over one thousand reviews. I managed to snag this book for free. I thought I had a win-win; a solidly rated book for free. For likely at least the millionth time in my life, I was wrong.

I can say at least one positive thing for Dark Space; the book does grab you at the beginning and keeps the action going steadily to its conclusion. Unfortunately, I’m struggling to come up with additional ones. The chapter lengths are appropriate, so there’s a second.

I finished the book and I will say it wasn’t a wholly unenjoyable experience, but it had many flaws. I could not relate to the main character, so that put the book behind the eight-ball from the start. The author tries to give the main character a mysterious past that is somewhat revealed throughout the book, but it makes his actions so seemingly random at first that I started off disliking the protagonist. Also, he and seemingly all the other characters are two dimensional stereotypes typical of the genre put into relatively stereotypical situations. I didn’t feel I was getting a new story, but rather a mishmash of many others.

Want to read more? http://nerdsdom.com/dark-space/

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can tell Jasper Scott is a Star Wars fan, and probably Battlestar Galatica as well after reading Dark Space. This is really a novella, easily read in a few hours or less. Our hero and main protagonist, Ethan Ortane, was sent to 'dark space' years ago for smuggling. Dark Space existed as a penal colony; a sector of the galaxy where criminals were sent and the underground ruled. After the devastating invasion by the alien Sythians, however, Dark Space seems to be the only place where humanity still survives. The remains of the fleet, that once served a galaxy wide human empire, retreated to Dark Space and now serve as glorified policemen.

Our hero, Ethan, has a small freighter in Dark Space, but is deeply in hock to a loanshark/mafia like guy named Alec Brondi. Brondi catches Ethan and makes him a deal...

If you are looking for a lite space opera, you could do worse. Dark Space is not sophisticated, could use a better editor, and contains way too many coincidences. Yet, it is still fun to read, and Scott dumps enough surprises along the way to keep it interesting. A few peeves, however, made me grind my teeth a little. Scott's space fighters are almost comical, with 'afterburners' and rudders. Ethan is so Gary Stu it hurts, and Bondi a walking trope of a crime boss. 2.5 fluffy stars!

[Glenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really have to say anyone who likes science fiction stay away from this, its really not going to be for you. The book is full of so many plot holes, for one he sneaks onto a ship using a holographic skin which is apparently common place and yet no one checks for it, the main character is cliché at best and the author doesn't really seem to know anything about space travel or even space itself.

The technical aspect is also just plain wrong! i quote, "it was flying toward him at a pitful 68 KAPS and at 3.5 kilometres away, it was just out of laser and ripper range." What? If your laser cant hit something 3.5 kilometres away in space then I'm not sure what your doing is it pointing sideways? How are you even going to get to within 3.5 kilometres of a space fighter. Then there's the fact that apparently ships are about half an hour away can be seen with the naked eye through a window, i dont want to think about the fact that those ships are probably traveling at a few cms a second, approaching a stationary target, exc exc theres too many things wrong to mention in this regard.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Somewhere about the half way mark of listening to the Audible version of Dark Space, I began to realize that this was very much a Mary Sue (or, at least, a Gary Stu - pure middle age male wish fulfillment fantasy). The deus ex machina is so thick here as to really be mind boggling - in a very bad way. From the loser 'salt and pepper haired' main character with the hot exotic girlfriend half his age, perfect wife and son, and chance to really inexplicably prove he's still studly to the evil moustache twirling bad guy. Really, take a blender and add in Firefly and Star Wars and here you go.

Story (such as it is): Ethan and the surviving humans have fled to a place called "Dark Space" - closing a gate behind them so that the vernicious knids...er...evil aliens...can't continue to exterminate the humans. Han Solo...er...Ethan Ortane wants to rejoin the army but his ship is in hock to Jabba...er....Brondi and Brondi concocts the most senile plot ever in order for Ethan to get his debt paid. Ethan must use a holo device to pretend to be an officer of the surviving military - infiltrate and sabotage the last remaining law in the human universe. The only ones preventing the aliens from finding the humans....

Characters. Right off the bat we have the aging vet and hot girlfriend from well-to-do family slumming with him (for reasons unknown). He treats her like crap and she takes it - being so 'madly in love' with him. But he's still mooning over his missing wife and son from some 20 years previous, so it's ok that he abuses the girlfriend and treats her like crap. Of course, we have the wonderful cliche of women: exotic 'super' gorgeous young girlfriend with 'violet' eyes and fancy name like Alara. Contrast that with the other female character, a hard hitting, tough talking pilot with the common name Gina. Because who would want to date a Gina when you could have an Alara?

It's hard not to go into the silliness of the holo device, lack of any ability of detection of someone using it, and that no one seems to question the personality change of the office he is impersonating. Better yet, (mild spoiler here), everyone seems to forgive quite easily that he was involved in the officer (and mate) being tortured and killed for that identity and used it to do harm (actually, kill) 10,000 other people. But hey, it's ok, no biggie.

We're also supposed to like a character that is willing to hurt so many in order to save his own hide or that of his idiot girlfriend. I didn't buy it and everyone seemed to have 1 second of half hearted regret before patting him on the back and welcoming the loser to their fold - no biggie that he killed so many.

The bad guy is so over the top and yet so incredibly stupid. Half the time the set up is gentle coercion but it always turns into kidnapping of family, etc. E.g., Brondi has Ethan over the coals for the debt but only thinks to kidnap the girlfriend on impulse later? Or the scientists who are concocting Brondi's evil scheme for a payment - only to have family members kidnapped after completion anyway. Why not just kidnap in the beginning and get it over with? It just seemed silly and a forced way to escalate the drama/plot.

There are some 'plot twists' at the end that are so left field as to make implausible segue straight to impossible. I won't go into it for spoilers but the book ends abruptly on the spoiler and not in a very eager or satisfying end of arc way.

There was a lot I really didn't like about Dark Space. It lacked gravitas, realistic characters, or an interesting storyline. I hated each one of the cliche characters and never invested in any part of the story.

I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did an ok job with a really silly story.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. A simple-minded, fun space opera.

It's too bad the early space operas described space combat in terms of World War II aircraft dog fighting because most everyone since has copied. Rudders? Afterburner? Banking? I don't think so. Even "pulling Gs" as described is not the way objects in space behave.

But who cares? It's just good, clean fun.

[Max Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Space is a wonderful science-fiction adventure filled with solid characters thrust into increasingly difficult situations, more twists than you can shake a stick at, and a dire fate that the protagonists are fighting with all their might to avoid. The author rapidly brings us into this new world, using sufficiently descriptive text to whisk us away with lush visuals, while not overloading the story. Indeed, the book moves along at a brisk pace, and is sufficiently compact to make it a quick and entertaining read.

There are plenty of nods to classic science-fiction, making the story feel at home with the likes of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. The author works in current scientific concepts and security issues that ensure that it is a timely and particularly pertinent yarn. It definitely left me wanting to see what more is in store for these characters.

[Doug Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love good science fiction, SF was one of the reasons I became a real scientist. For me the first requisite for good SF is good, or at least believable, science. Unfortunately, Dark Space is hack science fiction. The author is obviously not a scientist or even scientifically literate. This is a mediocre adventure novel stuffed with obligatory SF tropes and stage dressing. Lasers? Check. Shields? Check. Faster than light travel? Check. Evil scary aliens? Check. Logical consistency and adherence to real science? Not on your life. Beyond the miserable SF sheen lies a pointless story line and unlikable characters with all the depth of a mud puddle. Only the fact that the writing was grammatically serviceable saves this abomination from a single star. I really wish all the scifi posers would go write fantasy, where unreality is acceptable.

[Greg Tymn · Rating 1 out of 5]

It sometimes takes new, self-publishing authors a while to hit their editorial stride, so I tend to overlook minor grammatical errors, spelling problems not caught by a spell-checker, etc.

However, this sentence irritated the *#@$* out of me and I put the book down unfinished when the grammar seemed to continue to erode into a metastatic morass.

"The alien's forearms and legs were striped a darker blue and also lined with bony protrusions, BUT THOSE ONES LOOKED LIKE SPINES." [emphasis added].

Get an editor.

[Isaac Hooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully well written!

Dark Space is a thrilling action-adventure set in the far future. It reminded me a little of an exciting episode of BattleStar Galatica. The story revolves around Ethan Ortane, who lives in Dark Space. Formerly a cluster of black holes, Dark Space holds all that is left of humanity. In classical "Dude with a problem" style, Jasper Scott starts off with Ethan on the run from crime lord Alec Brondi, who catches Ethan and forces him to sabotage the ship that guards the entrance to Dark Space. Ethan accepts, though he eventually discovers that the real plan is far more sinister and could threaten humanity.

I have to admit I really liked the characters in this story. And the dialogue was engaging, and real, especially the playful banter between Ethan and Alara, the love interest.

I enjoyed the twist at the end regarding the Supreme Overlord.

The kindle version has some nice touches, such as graphical headers for each chapter, and is gorgeously laid out. He's spent a lot of work on this puppy, sending it out to droves of beta readers before release, and the polish definitely shows. Dark Space 2 comes out July 23rd. I'm on board!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to my friends, and readers.

[Vicii · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there's a story behind this; I finished the previous book I was reading on Friday and there is a book that I've been waiting to read being released on Tuesday (The Mime Order). So I've got three days to kill and I know that I "need" to read something as a weekend without reading is just not going to happen... So I checked through the books that I own to find which one had the least amount of pages and I came up with this book at just over 200 pages. I figured that would be doable and should just about manage to finish it in time to start reading The Mime Order on Tuesday.

The truth is, I enjoyed this book so much that I just kept reading it and didn't want to put it down. This is only one of the few science fiction books that I have read but definitely the one that I have enjoyed the most and I have already marked the rest of the series To-Be-Read. In fact if I didn't have such a long awaited book to read, I would have started on the next book already. It totally caught me be surprise and I enjoyed the fast pace.

[Michael Pang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable quick-read. The whole book took me a few hours or so to complete. The experience is similar to watching an episode of Battlestar Galactica (cruiser-carrier ship, fighter pilots, humans hiding out against enemy seeking to wipe them out, etc.) Much like a TV episode, it isn't complex, original nor is it hard scifi. It is fun and enjoyable if you take it for what it is. I picked this book (#1 of series) up for .99 cents on my Kindle and bought book #2 (1.99) once I was done. If you are up for a quick/light read where humans battle in space, this book is worth a shot; especially for around a $1.

[M Hamed · Rating 1 out of 5]

this,this piece of shit.with it Constant Presence in amazon top lists
is what gives the genre a bad name

[Douglas Bittinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Space, by Jasper T. Scott is a rollicking space opera that kicks off a series of books in high adventure fashion. This review is based on the Kindle edition, this book is also available in paperback.

Ethan Ortane is captain of a badly beat up space freighter, he already owes crime boss Alec Brondi a lot of money for previous repairs and now Ethan and his female sidekick are on the run. But you can’t hide from Brondi. When Brondi catches them he forces Ethan into a deal he doesn’t want. A deal that would mean he would be responsible for the loss of a great many lives.

Our setting is a place called Dark Space, a galaxy within a shell of black holes. Once used as a dumping ground for convicts it is now the final refuge of humanity’s remnants as they flee a merciless invasion by the Sythians who are bent on the extinction of all humankind.

There are several sub-plots that wind around one another to propel the events of the story. There are surprises and twists too.

The main characters are fairly strong. They’re a little slow to build, but by the end of the book I felt I knew them well enough to care about them. This will, no doubt build in the subsequent books.

Dialogue was fairly natural, never cornball, but not always as smooth as I’ve seen. Part of this is the slow bonding with the characters: if the reader does not know the character well, it’s hard to say if a statement is natural for them.

This is where I beat up a lot of self-published books pretty badly. Not so here. I found three obvious editorial errors: two instances of a misspelled word that makes it a properly spelled word, but the wrong word for the sentence (i.e. “is” instead of “it”) and a repeated word that should not have been. Not perfect, but above the curve.

The main “what’s new about this” factor is the idea of a small galaxy hidden inside a cluster of black holes and this left me squinting sideways at the idea. The rest is fairly stock Sci-Fi/fantasy stuff: FTL drives, gravity plating, inertial cancelation, beam weapons. I will give him credit for using a fair number of missiles and projectile weapons, including missiles that split down (like a fireworks rocket) into multiple warheads that acquire and track a target.

No failures in any of the above categories. Weakness in a few of them means I’ll call this one a 4 out of 5 star read. And I look forward to Dark Space 2, due out in July 2013, which ought to build on the foundation laid here and be an even better read.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost, when you pick up a book like this with the description it provides, you know you're not picking up a bit of classic literature. This is space opera from the start, complete with two-dimensional characters, laser guns, and not-sufficiently-explained science. As a way to kill time or just enjoy a book that is basically a written version of something you would see on network TV, it works. But outside of that it basically falls into the high school sci-fi genre.

The plot is simple. Our dubious hero is in debt to a bad guy who basically forces him to do a bad deed. As we learn more, the bad deed doesn't seem so bad. And then we find out that the bad deed is really, really bad. All of this because our hero, who is pining over his lost wife and son, is somehow hooked up with a very attractive woman half his age who he kind of likes but won't get with while she moons all over him. So, yes, two-dimensional.

Now, adolescent (or mid-life crisis) fantasies aside, this book has some things going for it. First, it is easy to read. Unlike some sci-fi books that try to explain the science, this one does not. So there is nothing here to make you stop and actually have to think. Nope, you get to just skip along through page after page. The chapters and chapter breaks are straightforward, come at a good pace, and are not too numerous. You feel like you're getting somewhere as you're reading because, well, you are. And you know that because the hero is supposed to be a good guy gone bad and now going back to good that things will work out.

On the downside, among the other things you just don't really care for anyone in the story. The good guy just kind of is there with these great flying abilities and tactical thinking, and things just kind of happen to him. The side characters appear and disappear and reappear like characters in a melodrama, so you never get to know or like them either. And about the only thing the bad guy is missing is a long, greasy moustache that he can twirl between his fingers as he laughs maniacally. Oh, and it's part of a series, meaning there is no resolution coming for at least two more books.

If you want to kill some time in a non-thinking story that reminds you of a sci-fi TV series, this is not a bad stop. But otherwise, move along, there's not much to see here.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent self-published space opera that will while away a few of hours of your daily commute without taxing too much of your concentration. At times it does feel a little like Battlestar Galactica fan fiction, but the excellent pacing of the book won't leave you with too much time to dwell on its problems. Three stars from me, as I head off to the Kindle store to pick up book 2.

NOTE: If there is another book in the language which uses the word "roiling" with as much frequency as Dark Space, I want to know about it.

[Dea]

but those girls in magazines with huge tits and puffed-up lips and sleepy eyes, like they’d been fucked hard all night and they were mostly pouting now because the guy finally pulled out.

Right on the first page! So nice to know right away so I don't have to waste my time. :)

Curiosity got the better of me. Wrong "Dark Space" book. The writing is not much better in this one, but at least not as gross, chapter one does start with a woman sitting on the bed with alabaster skin, so yeah. Now I have to find out which "Dark Space" book I attempted to read...

[Kev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was craving a sci/fi/space book and this hit the spot! It had everything I was looking for. Space, laser beams and starship battles to name a few. I love that the author was able to fit so much into such a short book. All around just an enjoyable read.

[Sean Bai · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was clunky. It started with a confusing prologue of a space battle involving many smaller ships.

The words cluttered the page and there were too many unnecessary descriptions and filler words. The battle was just not interesting.

The author loaded a whole bunch of jargon specific to his world so I didn't know what was going on. The swear words are almost exactly the same as in Battlestar Galactica, just with one vowel spelled differently, so the main character reminds me of Lee Adama.

Then the next chapter starts two days earlier with a flashback.

The prologue failed to grab my attention and the rest was full of unnecessary descriptions of random things, interspersed with the author telling us about his friend and the history of what Dark Space is. It would have been better if the author slowly doled the information to us over time and let us make our own assumptions about people's personalities instead of giving us their backstory so soon.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decently entertaining, if scattershot, SF debut.

Dark Space reads like a debut novel that tries to tackle several genres at once. None of them well but none of them offensively bad either.

We have the remnants of humanity sitting on one side of a jump gate waiting for ill defined alien invaders to come through at any moment to finish the job. We have a down on his luck smuggler Shanghai'd into supporting the local crime lord by trying to infiltrate the big battleship that both defends the jump gate and rules over humans on the not-dark space side.

We also get a plague that wipes out 50k worth of people and a last minute battle between gangster pilots and "authority" pilots. Toss in a couple last minute plot twists and.... we're done (except for the obvious cliffhanger/ sequel bait ending).

It's a very short novel that switches gears in both tone and focus so many times you almost get whiplash. It's never "bad" but it could've been much better.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I tried. The MC is a Gary Stu, the set up is stupid, the plot is stupid, the writing is terrible and I hated the Gary Stu.

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy good science in your science fiction this is not the place for you. But if you like occasional interesting plot twist and Mobsters in space with some likable characters and you want a light read then here you go.

[Cynthia Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good series from Mr. Scott.

Let me adress some of the bad reviews for this book. I personally think that if they had read Mr. Scott's New Frontiers Trilogy (starting with Excelsior) they would have appreciated this series more. It's not necessary to first read New Frontiers (seriously you don't have to), however, it does help considering the last book slightly ties into this series. This series takes place 1,000 plus years after the last book in the New Frontiers Trilogy. Also New Frontiers is a kick ass series so it's worth the read anyway.

Onto to this series starter. It really is a beginning. Most of the book is focused on introducing charectors and world building with some nice space battles in there. A few mysteries are answered but for the most part the book only scrapes the surface of the answers we need. In fact, the book ends on a fantastic cliff hanger. But if you don't want to continue the series the ending is still satisfying.

As for me...I'm on to book number 2!

[Scott Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast-paced sci-fi space opera, Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott (@JasperTScott) opens with a slam-bang action sequence before skipping back in time a few days to show the events leading up to that point in time. Along the way there is plenty more action, some intrigue and a few plot twists to keep the reader on his or her toes.

After losing a devastating war against the alien Sythians, humanity retreats to a far-off and hidden corner of the galaxy: Dark Space. Protected by a sealed jump-gate that is guarded by most of the few Imperium of Star Systems (ISS) military units that survived the war, the remaining humans eke out a tenuous existence in the part of space where they once exiled prisoners.

Lack of visible authorities means crime is rampant, and protagonist Ethan Ortane is in deep debt to Brondi, one of the most powerful criminals in Dark Space. Brondi has an idea of how that debt can be worked off, and therein lies the story of how Ethan comes to be in that all-out battle at the start of the story. To say much more would spoil the story for new readers.

I can’t say there is anything new, per se, with the “science” in this fiction. Anyone familiar with mainstream sci-fi shows like Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek will feel comfortable enough in the setting, with jump drives, cloaking, energy beam weapons, body implants, holograms, etc. The “techno” doesn’t get so outlandish that it interferes with the plot, something I appreciated.

The plot moves along quickly but there are moments to savor, especially when Ethan discovers the view commonly held in Dark Space about the ISS doesn’t quite match up with reality. Also, it was interesting to work back to the opening sequence and revisit it after learning all that happened beforehand.

I’m still coming to terms with one twist near the end, but the author does an excellent job setting up a sequel with some tantalizing hints of things to come in the final chapter. I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next.

For more on Mr. Scott and his writing, visit his website.

[Don Viecelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

From My Newsletter Number 48:

This review is on Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott. It is a new series I found online by chance while looking for new ebooks to read on Amazon.com. Mr. Scott is a relatively new author and this series is very popular in the UK as well as the US according to the many thousands of ebooks sold to date.

Dark Space is about the last surviving humans living in a cluster of black holes with a few semi-habitable planets and space stations far from Earth’s solar system. The humans have lost the war with a savage race called the Sythians and now try to stay hidden in ‘Dark Space’ from the aliens. Ethan Ortane and his young copilot, Alara Vastra, operate an old space ship called the Atton, of which Ethan is behind in payments to a boss man named Alec Brondi. Things are looking down for Ethan and he decides to abandon the Atton to join the ISS Space Fleet aboard the battleship Valiant as a Nova pilot if he can get the job. Ethan has a dark past and has lost track of his wife, Destra, and son, Atton, during the alien attacks.

Unfortunately, Brondi catches up to Ethan and Alara before they can get to the Valiant and the situation worsens for all involved. Ethan is forced to do some very bad things for Brondi to save himself and Alara, which really threaten the survival of the remaining humans in Dark Space.

Somehow, Ethan survives the terrors that occur on the Valiant battleship and ends up fighting the Sythians in deep space. Their only hope is to find another group of humans that have survived the wars and see if together they can defeat the Sythians. Numerous space battles ensue with the enemy and the Valiant’s losses are great. The story ends with Ethan wondering what else can be done to defeat the Sythians.

I give this book four stars because the story is good and the main characters are well developed and interesting. There are a few surprising twists in the story that I did not foresee. However, one of the main events in the story seemed implausible to me. Otherwise I might have rated this story even higher.

[João Jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick and easy read. Its a fun little space opera. Lots of inspiration, from all the usual “big boys” in the genre but enough originality to stand on its own. The writing is crisp, the pacing stupendous and the action very entertaining. Its all fluff obviously. Pure entertainment. The plot is very light, the characters are walking cardboards with no development or complexity whatsoever. The “book” also suffers greatly from an unlikable and annoying main character. The “hero” is a complete jerk, not very bright and has few, if any, redeeming qualities other than being a good pilot. Its hard to root for him and that´s a huge problem in any story, particularly one so lacking in plot.
The lore here is actually interesting but only briefly mentioned in an effort to keep the action going strong. Because that´s is what “Dark Space” is all about.
As for the ending, well there isn't one. To be honest I don't even consider this a “book”. This is the first part of a story, an introduction for the characters and the “world” and a set-up for the “real” plot of the “series”. Not a single plot point is resolved and the book just abruptly stops. Its more of a “sample”, a slice of the “real book”, something to make you decide if you want to go along for the ride.
For me, oh yes, I will gladly read more of “Dark Space”. Its silly, light but its honest in its purpose and is highly successful in achieving its goal. Its very, very entertaining! On to “book” 2.

[Deanna Mayhood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel, the first of a series, is fast-paced and fun to read, always good signs for a reader. However, the lack of detail in it leaves one a little in the dark. I am not sure if the writer had a quota for pages in the first book (there were only 193), he was unsure how to describe certain events/people/actions, or he was simply lazy; still, there were several sequences in this very short book in which the action seemed to be running ahead of comprehension simply because there was a swift set of events that were supposed to be... I don't know... implied? Sure, it adds to the dramatic irony that our protagonist awakens from stasis to find dead people all over the place, but within ten pages we have moved on to new action, and the understanding of all of this is simply glossed over with an acknowledgement of disease and now we have to do something else. "He's dead, Jim... Have you noticed that odd spot over there in space?"
One would almost think that nothing is surprising in this universe, or that understanding comes easily to people with the speed at which characters accept events or statements, and the plot twists are rather juvenile and convenient. Ooh, let's make this old guy this other guy's son, that ought to pull them into the next book!
Well, sorry, but while I enjoyed the actual action, without further substance, I cannot fathom reading on.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Space is book 1 by Jasper T. Scott. It is currently a 4 book series but I've read through the first three and that makes a good solid story arc right there. I liked the book. I'm not sure why I bought it but do like it. I also bought the audio version and I'm glad I did. Good narration.

The Story: Ethan Ortane is a bad boy but a good space pilot. He was banished to Dark Space right before the rest of the empire was invaded by aliens and just about destroyed. Dark Space is a hideaway and he must make a deal with the local crime lord to get back his co-pilot. He just wants this one little job done and then all will be forgiven... yeah... right.

Any problems with the book? It is good. It's not great. The story line is predictable but fun. They hero at times seems like less than a hero... then a hero... and then not. I'm pretty sure he'll be a hero... eventually.

It could have been made for kids but with all the senseless killing and prostitution ... probably not.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic because I want to like it more but they characters remained so conflicted within themselves that I am conflicted myself. So... I notice that the first book is free on Amazon and the audio is just $1.99 at the time of this writing. Maybe that is why I decided to give it a whirl. I thought it was good enough to by two more books in the series.

[Read Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Space is a fair military space battle story. I can't help but compare to Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series. This first story is also in keeping with becoming part of a series.

I found the space battles good, but fixed upon twentieth century battle tactics. Similar to watching a movie space battle, ship and weapons speeds and distances are all confined to a relatively small screen. Real space battles should take place over much greater distances and velocities. After all, in space you can hide behind a planet or within an asteroid field, but otherwise everyone you're pretty much plainly visible and on predicable trajectories. Battles must be quite different.

I had one problem with the disguised hero in tbe "holosuit" going to sickbay. Can the disguise fool the medics? That did not sound all that plausible.

All in all, it was still a GoodReads. I look forward to reading more of this series.

[Larry B Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not often I read a book that can get my heart racing like Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott. This science fiction space opera is a true page turner and I could not put it down.

The author did an excellent job of developing a story that was true to the genre. The action and adventure was non-stop. It was easy to follow the story and keep up with the characters even though the book was full of twist and turns.

The characters of the book were well developed and very believable. I like the fact I could identify with them and follow along as an unseen character. By putting myself into the story it came alive.

I really enjoyed Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott and I highly recommend it to all true lovers of space opera. This book is great for all ages.


[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok for your story to have obvious influences, but there's a little too much Battlestar Galactica here and not enough originality. The author also tends to explain things too much. (You don't need a sentence or two to explain everything that could possibly be unique.)

Here's my favorite quote:

"He pulled the trigger and three fire-linked red lasers flashed out toward his target with a high-pitched squeal that actually made his fighter shake from the force of the abruptly-released energy. The sound was synthesized, not real, and coming from his dash speakers."

I just couldn't take this seriously. The Battlestar Galactica knockoff feel and the obvious storytelling issues made me give up about 40% through.