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The Return of Ul Quorn #Vol. 1
Avengers of the Moon
The solar system needs a hero and it's about to get one in an old-fashioned pulp adventure with modern sensibility
It was an age of miracles. It was an era of wonder. It was a time of troubles. It was all these things and more . . . except there were no heroes.
Naturally, one had to be created.
Curt Newton has spent most of his life hidden from the rest of humankind, being raised by a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of a renowned scientist. This unlikely trio of guardians has kept his existence a closely guarded secret since the murder of Curt's parents.
Curt's innate curiosity and nose for trouble inadvertently lead him into a plot to destabilize the Solar Coalition and assassinate the president. There's only one way to uncover the evil mastermind—Curt must become Captain Future.
With the permission of the Edmond Hamilton estate, Allen Steele revives the exciting adventures of Captain Future.
It was an age of miracles. It was an era of wonder. It was a time of troubles. It was all these things and more . . . except there were no heroes.
Naturally, one had to be created.
Curt Newton has spent most of his life hidden from the rest of humankind, being raised by a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of a renowned scientist. This unlikely trio of guardians has kept his existence a closely guarded secret since the murder of Curt's parents.
Curt's innate curiosity and nose for trouble inadvertently lead him into a plot to destabilize the Solar Coalition and assassinate the president. There's only one way to uncover the evil mastermind—Curt must become Captain Future.
With the permission of the Edmond Hamilton estate, Allen Steele revives the exciting adventures of Captain Future.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2012
About the author
Allen M. Steele
239 books429 followersBefore becoming a science fiction writer, Allen Steele was a journalist for newspapers and magazines in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Missouri, and his home state of Tennessee. But science fiction was his first love, so he eventually ditched journalism and began producing that which had made him decide to become a writer in the first place.
Since then, Steele has published eighteen novels and nearly one hundred short stories. His work has received numerous accolades, including three Hugo Awards, and has been translated worldwide, mainly into languages he can’t read. He serves on the board of advisors for the Space Frontier Foundation and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He also belongs to Sigma, a group of science fiction writers who frequently serve as unpaid consultants on matters regarding technology and security.
Allen Steele is a lifelong space buff, and this interest has not only influenced his writing, it has taken him to some interesting places. He has witnessed numerous space shuttle launches from Kennedy Space Center and has flown NASA’s shuttle cockpit simulator at the Johnson Space Center. In 2001, he testified before the US House of Representatives in hearings regarding the future of space exploration. He would like very much to go into orbit, and hopes that one day he’ll be able to afford to do so.
Steele lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Linda, and a continual procession of adopted dogs. He collects vintage science fiction books and magazines, spacecraft model kits, and dreams.
Since then, Steele has published eighteen novels and nearly one hundred short stories. His work has received numerous accolades, including three Hugo Awards, and has been translated worldwide, mainly into languages he can’t read. He serves on the board of advisors for the Space Frontier Foundation and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He also belongs to Sigma, a group of science fiction writers who frequently serve as unpaid consultants on matters regarding technology and security.
Allen Steele is a lifelong space buff, and this interest has not only influenced his writing, it has taken him to some interesting places. He has witnessed numerous space shuttle launches from Kennedy Space Center and has flown NASA’s shuttle cockpit simulator at the Johnson Space Center. In 2001, he testified before the US House of Representatives in hearings regarding the future of space exploration. He would like very much to go into orbit, and hopes that one day he’ll be able to afford to do so.
Steele lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Linda, and a continual procession of adopted dogs. He collects vintage science fiction books and magazines, spacecraft model kits, and dreams.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 15, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
Ed Hamilton's old Captain Future stories of the 40's are Golden Age SF staples.... or pulp fiction... that many people have loved and promptly forgotten through the ages, but not completely forgotten.
In case you're wondering what the Golden Age SF is, it's the zap guns, the cyborgs, the Robbie robots, the classic rocket-ships, the dastardly villains and the exotic locations -- It's that kind of thing. :) Goofy names, heavily telegraphed plots, and especially -- the pathos!
The thing is, Allen Steele writes a real homage to Ed Hamilton's character, including better reasons, updated technology to fit today's SF standards, and even a much better character lineup. You know -- characters that avoid stupid robots, complex brains in jars rather than just crazy ones, women who aren't cardboard with boobs, and interactions across the board that doesn't just make me laugh my way through the book as if I was reading a caricature of really silly (and bad) SF.
This isn't bad. It feels like an updated boy's adventure tale with regular men with better tech doing heroic things and using silly names for somewhat silly reasons.
It's nice for what it is and what it wants to accomplish.
But do I really call it High-SF? No. I do appreciate it for being what it is. It'd be good as a YA SF. It's clear and it's direct. It's bigger than life. Better yet, it's DIFFERENT from anything else that's been written for 70 years. It's good enough to bring people back into a feel of a different time and outlook while not regressing into cultural awkwardness, to give us all that taste of an optimistic and idealistic world where good guys win and bad guys get justice, not just death.
For these reasons, I totally recommend it for anyone. :)
But if you have nagging questions like why Curt let so many people die while saving the one man he wanted to kill and how that fits into his growing moral code.... then perhaps you might want to let this slide a little. :) *ahem*
Ed Hamilton's old Captain Future stories of the 40's are Golden Age SF staples.... or pulp fiction... that many people have loved and promptly forgotten through the ages, but not completely forgotten.
In case you're wondering what the Golden Age SF is, it's the zap guns, the cyborgs, the Robbie robots, the classic rocket-ships, the dastardly villains and the exotic locations -- It's that kind of thing. :) Goofy names, heavily telegraphed plots, and especially -- the pathos!
The thing is, Allen Steele writes a real homage to Ed Hamilton's character, including better reasons, updated technology to fit today's SF standards, and even a much better character lineup. You know -- characters that avoid stupid robots, complex brains in jars rather than just crazy ones, women who aren't cardboard with boobs, and interactions across the board that doesn't just make me laugh my way through the book as if I was reading a caricature of really silly (and bad) SF.
This isn't bad. It feels like an updated boy's adventure tale with regular men with better tech doing heroic things and using silly names for somewhat silly reasons.
It's nice for what it is and what it wants to accomplish.
But do I really call it High-SF? No. I do appreciate it for being what it is. It'd be good as a YA SF. It's clear and it's direct. It's bigger than life. Better yet, it's DIFFERENT from anything else that's been written for 70 years. It's good enough to bring people back into a feel of a different time and outlook while not regressing into cultural awkwardness, to give us all that taste of an optimistic and idealistic world where good guys win and bad guys get justice, not just death.
For these reasons, I totally recommend it for anyone. :)
But if you have nagging questions like why Curt let so many people die while saving the one man he wanted to kill and how that fits into his growing moral code.... then perhaps you might want to let this slide a little. :) *ahem*
April 20, 2017
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Modern pulp. Retro scifi. Label Avengers of the Moon whatever you want, but Allen Steele has accomplished something amazing with this novel: resurrect Captain Future and set him up for a return to greatness!
Who is Captain Future, you ask?
Well, the original pulp series was created by Mort Weisinger and mainly written by Edmond Hamilton, lasting from 1940 to 1951. The hero, Curt Newton, a brilliant scientist who – along with his faithful side-kicks – righted wrongs, defeated vile villains, and kept the inhabited planets in our Solar System safe from evil. But these days Captain Future is probably best known as the guy whose poster is on the wall in the Big Bang Theory apartment.
Naturally, Allen Steele’s revamp of this classic character begins with a new origin story. Here Curt Newton is a child whose mother and father are murdered. A robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright, a good friend of his parents, rearing him thereafter and keeping him safe in an underground bunker on the moon.
Fast forward a couple of decades. Curt discovers that his parents’ killer is corrupt businessman and Lunar Senator Victor Corvo. To obtain justice, Curt creates the Captain Future persona and along with his guardians (the already mentioned robot, android, and disembodied brain), as well as competent but beautiful Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force, sets out to bring this corrupt politician down. But nothing is as simple as it seems, and soon Captain Future uncovers a far larger conspiracy, one which puts his desire for personal justice (or revenge) on the back burner.
Combining all the fun and excitement of Golden Age sci-fi pulp with today’s science facts and modern sensibilities is a tough task for any author to take on. Thankfully, Allen Steele was up to the challenge. His new Captain Future centered in a more realistic solar system with a more socially acceptable persona, surrounded by updated side-kicks, villains, and female characters, yet able to retain the naive excitement, amazing gadgets and roller coaster action of the original. Avengers perfectly managing the precarious balancing act of satisfying both old school and new age readers, providing all of them a rip roaring ride into the future of science fiction pulp!
For the type of retro sci-fi pulp that it was, I felt Avengers had no real deficits. Obviously, the writing had an intentional pulp feel to it and a few story elements were a bit silly or more young adult oriented than I personally would have liked, but, overall, Allen Steele created an entertaining story in the mold of the original Captain Future. However, if I’m being perfectly fair, I can see where some readers will be bothered by the portrayal of the female characters here. While updated from the original material, none of them are in positions of power, and they are all noted as being attractive more than a few times. I didn’t find any of this to be intentional or sexist in any way, but I felt it only fair I mention this fact.
Whatever criticisms can be leveled at Avengers of the Moon, everyone should be able to agree Allen Steele has done a wonderful job rebooting Captain Future. From outdated pulp hero of old to a modern sci-fi pulp star, this scientist and his sidekicks will delight any admirers of Golden Age science fiction or lovers of fast-paced, pulp inspired stories. Nope, Avengers isn’t a serious, deep science fiction saga, but it isn’t meant to be. Rather, it is exactly what Allen Steele dreamed it would be: FUN!
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
Modern pulp. Retro scifi. Label Avengers of the Moon whatever you want, but Allen Steele has accomplished something amazing with this novel: resurrect Captain Future and set him up for a return to greatness!
Who is Captain Future, you ask?
Well, the original pulp series was created by Mort Weisinger and mainly written by Edmond Hamilton, lasting from 1940 to 1951. The hero, Curt Newton, a brilliant scientist who – along with his faithful side-kicks – righted wrongs, defeated vile villains, and kept the inhabited planets in our Solar System safe from evil. But these days Captain Future is probably best known as the guy whose poster is on the wall in the Big Bang Theory apartment.
Naturally, Allen Steele’s revamp of this classic character begins with a new origin story. Here Curt Newton is a child whose mother and father are murdered. A robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright, a good friend of his parents, rearing him thereafter and keeping him safe in an underground bunker on the moon.
Fast forward a couple of decades. Curt discovers that his parents’ killer is corrupt businessman and Lunar Senator Victor Corvo. To obtain justice, Curt creates the Captain Future persona and along with his guardians (the already mentioned robot, android, and disembodied brain), as well as competent but beautiful Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force, sets out to bring this corrupt politician down. But nothing is as simple as it seems, and soon Captain Future uncovers a far larger conspiracy, one which puts his desire for personal justice (or revenge) on the back burner.
Combining all the fun and excitement of Golden Age sci-fi pulp with today’s science facts and modern sensibilities is a tough task for any author to take on. Thankfully, Allen Steele was up to the challenge. His new Captain Future centered in a more realistic solar system with a more socially acceptable persona, surrounded by updated side-kicks, villains, and female characters, yet able to retain the naive excitement, amazing gadgets and roller coaster action of the original. Avengers perfectly managing the precarious balancing act of satisfying both old school and new age readers, providing all of them a rip roaring ride into the future of science fiction pulp!
For the type of retro sci-fi pulp that it was, I felt Avengers had no real deficits. Obviously, the writing had an intentional pulp feel to it and a few story elements were a bit silly or more young adult oriented than I personally would have liked, but, overall, Allen Steele created an entertaining story in the mold of the original Captain Future. However, if I’m being perfectly fair, I can see where some readers will be bothered by the portrayal of the female characters here. While updated from the original material, none of them are in positions of power, and they are all noted as being attractive more than a few times. I didn’t find any of this to be intentional or sexist in any way, but I felt it only fair I mention this fact.
Whatever criticisms can be leveled at Avengers of the Moon, everyone should be able to agree Allen Steele has done a wonderful job rebooting Captain Future. From outdated pulp hero of old to a modern sci-fi pulp star, this scientist and his sidekicks will delight any admirers of Golden Age science fiction or lovers of fast-paced, pulp inspired stories. Nope, Avengers isn’t a serious, deep science fiction saga, but it isn’t meant to be. Rather, it is exactly what Allen Steele dreamed it would be: FUN!
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
April 18, 2017
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/04/09/...
Whatever can be said about Avengers of the Moon, Allen Steele has accomplished something rare and remarkable here. In his afterword, he suggests that this novel can be viewed as a reboot of Captain Future—a character I was not initially familiar with, though pulp lovers will no doubt recognize this science fiction hero who appeared primarily in a series of adventure stories written by Edmond Hamilton in the 40s. Steele goes on to explain, however, that he did not mean for this book to be a homage or a parody; rather, his intent was to revive the character for modern times and introduce him to a new generation of readers. Avengers of the Moon is therefore the hero’s updated “origin story” following the journey of protagonist Curtis Newton to become Captain Future.
Curt was just a baby when his mother and father were murdered in cold blood. The boy then fell into the care of a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright, a good scientist friend of the family. Together, this unlikely trio raised Curt in a secret underground bunker on the moon in order to hide his presence from Victor Corvo, the corrupt businessman who killed his parents.
Twenty years later though, Curt emerges from hiding, determined to bring Corvo to justice. In that time, the businessman has risen far on the ladder of power, becoming a Lunar senator. To take down his prominent quarry, Curt must adopt the persona of Captain Future and uncover the full extent of Corvo’s conspiracy, which even goes as far as to include a plot to assassinate the president of the Solar Coalition. Together with his three guardians Otho, Crag, and Simon, as well as the help of beautiful Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force, our hero embarks on his first “troubleshooting” assignment.
The pulp influence is obvious; even with the updates to bring Captain Future more in line with the technology and culture of our times, the writing here feels like an attempt to imitate the style from the sci-fi and fantasy pulp magazines of the 40s. Naturally, coming from Steele’s last novel Arkwright, this was a considerable change for me. The writing in Avengers of the Moon feels less formal and “sophisticated” in comparison, with practically non-existent character development, playing instead on the pulp tradition to convey the idea of larger-than-life heroes, over-the-top villains, and voluptuous femme fatales. All this is of course by design, a nod to the source material which will no doubt delight Sci-fi Golden Age enthusiasts, but even as someone unfamiliar with the original Captain Future, I have to say I found this whole effort to recreate the retro atmosphere quite charming.
That said, this is clearly a novel written for fans, by a fan. I hadn’t expected to get as much out of Avengers of the Moon as someone already familiar with Captain Future, for example, and I was right. Does that mean I thought the book was bad? No, absolutely not. It’s just that I was not the ideal audience. In spite of this, the book is still pretty solid for what it’s meant to be, combining the modern with a bit of throwback nostalgia. Steele deserves a huge pat on the back for the ideas behind this ambitious project; I have a feeling he has just made a lot of his fellow Captain Future geeks very happy.
Bottom line, it’s probably safe to say that Avengers of the Moon should not, must not be missed by fans of Captain Future. As a reboot, I’m not sure how effective it is at winning new fans, but I also can’t deny I had a good time learning more about the character. This may be a book intended for a niche audience, but I would say if you enjoy the pulps or are even remotely interested in the style, it is worth a look. While it’s nothing too serious or deep, the story is a fun and snappy read.
Whatever can be said about Avengers of the Moon, Allen Steele has accomplished something rare and remarkable here. In his afterword, he suggests that this novel can be viewed as a reboot of Captain Future—a character I was not initially familiar with, though pulp lovers will no doubt recognize this science fiction hero who appeared primarily in a series of adventure stories written by Edmond Hamilton in the 40s. Steele goes on to explain, however, that he did not mean for this book to be a homage or a parody; rather, his intent was to revive the character for modern times and introduce him to a new generation of readers. Avengers of the Moon is therefore the hero’s updated “origin story” following the journey of protagonist Curtis Newton to become Captain Future.
Curt was just a baby when his mother and father were murdered in cold blood. The boy then fell into the care of a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright, a good scientist friend of the family. Together, this unlikely trio raised Curt in a secret underground bunker on the moon in order to hide his presence from Victor Corvo, the corrupt businessman who killed his parents.
Twenty years later though, Curt emerges from hiding, determined to bring Corvo to justice. In that time, the businessman has risen far on the ladder of power, becoming a Lunar senator. To take down his prominent quarry, Curt must adopt the persona of Captain Future and uncover the full extent of Corvo’s conspiracy, which even goes as far as to include a plot to assassinate the president of the Solar Coalition. Together with his three guardians Otho, Crag, and Simon, as well as the help of beautiful Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force, our hero embarks on his first “troubleshooting” assignment.
The pulp influence is obvious; even with the updates to bring Captain Future more in line with the technology and culture of our times, the writing here feels like an attempt to imitate the style from the sci-fi and fantasy pulp magazines of the 40s. Naturally, coming from Steele’s last novel Arkwright, this was a considerable change for me. The writing in Avengers of the Moon feels less formal and “sophisticated” in comparison, with practically non-existent character development, playing instead on the pulp tradition to convey the idea of larger-than-life heroes, over-the-top villains, and voluptuous femme fatales. All this is of course by design, a nod to the source material which will no doubt delight Sci-fi Golden Age enthusiasts, but even as someone unfamiliar with the original Captain Future, I have to say I found this whole effort to recreate the retro atmosphere quite charming.
That said, this is clearly a novel written for fans, by a fan. I hadn’t expected to get as much out of Avengers of the Moon as someone already familiar with Captain Future, for example, and I was right. Does that mean I thought the book was bad? No, absolutely not. It’s just that I was not the ideal audience. In spite of this, the book is still pretty solid for what it’s meant to be, combining the modern with a bit of throwback nostalgia. Steele deserves a huge pat on the back for the ideas behind this ambitious project; I have a feeling he has just made a lot of his fellow Captain Future geeks very happy.
Bottom line, it’s probably safe to say that Avengers of the Moon should not, must not be missed by fans of Captain Future. As a reboot, I’m not sure how effective it is at winning new fans, but I also can’t deny I had a good time learning more about the character. This may be a book intended for a niche audience, but I would say if you enjoy the pulps or are even remotely interested in the style, it is worth a look. While it’s nothing too serious or deep, the story is a fun and snappy read.
August 6, 2017
3.5
Fun, past paced revival of some old pulp fiction SF. It won't blow you away, but it's a good time.
Fun, past paced revival of some old pulp fiction SF. It won't blow you away, but it's a good time.
March 28, 2017
In the world of pulp fiction superheroes, most modern readers can name a few – Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, and Perry Rhodan, for example.
With such a long history there is however a host of once famous, now less well known characters sadly forgotten on the whole. For every Flash Gordon there’s a Tom Corbett, for example. In this list I’d include the hero of this particular novel: Captain Future. Here Allen Steele resurrects an old hero to blast into the future again. The result is as exciting as you might expect.
In the original series, begun in 1940’s until the 1950’s, Captain Future is actually Curtis (Curt) Newton, a brilliant scientist who, with his faithful side-kicks, righted wrongs and fought enemies across the populated Solar System. These days he’s perhaps best remembered for being an iconic magazine-cover poster on the wall in one of the apartments in The Big Bang Theory.
According to Wikipedia, “The series begins when scientist Roger Newton, his wife Elaine, and his brilliant fellow scientist Simon Wright leave planet Earth to do research in an isolated laboratory on the moon. Simon’s body is old and diseased and Roger enables him to continue doing research by transplanting his healthy brain into an artificial case (originally immobile—carried around by Grag—later equipped with lifter units). Working together, the two scientists create an intelligent robot called Grag, and an android with shape-shifting abilities called Otho. The criminal scientist Victor Corvo (originally: Victor Kaslan) arrives on the moon and murders the Newtons.
The deaths of the Newtons leave their son, Curtis, to be raised by the unlikely trio of Otho, Grag, and Simon Wright. Under their tutelage, Curtis grows up to be a brilliant scientist and as strong and fast as any champion athlete. He also grows up with a strong sense of responsibility and hopes to use his scientific skills to help people. In the first adventure, he offers his services to the President of the System. The publicity-shy Curtis takes the alias Captain Future. Simon, Otho and Grag are referred to as the Futuremen in subsequent stories.”
Allen’s take on the story is similar, and may explain his title. Although much of the book sets up the characters of Curt and his mentors and tells us the backstory of his parents, this is really a story of vengeance, with Curtis determined to retaliate for the death of his parents (think Batman) and all those who were killed by super-villain Victor Corvo (think Superman’s Lex Luthor.)
As this is being written by someone brought up on SF pulp (Arkwright showed us how much, not to mention The Death of Captain Future, which won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novella) and an experienced writer with multiple genre awards, Avengers is a novel that combines pulp-novel enthusiasm with a genuine sense of wonder and an engaging narrative.
There are slight differences between the older 1940’s version and the 21st century one – on the whole Allen has the skill to realise what will work and won’t in a less forgiving, more cynical age – but I did feel that the book was as close to a modern pulp SF novel as you can get. There are good guys to root for, bad guys to hate and worlds beyond our own to explore, all delivered with zest and enthusiasm:
“It was an age of miracles. It was an era of wonder. It was a time of new frontiers.”
It was a golden age. From the sky city of Venus to the desert settlements of Mars, from the craterhabs of the Moon to the underground burrows of Titan and Ganymede, from the mining stations of Ceres and Vesta to Pluto’s prisons and Sedna’s border outposts, there were politicians and poets, scientists and wanderers, dancers and soldiers, savants and holy fools, the powerful and the destitute, those who fought the good fight and those whose intentions were selfish, if not downright evil.” (Prologue)
Unlike the original, even in the 24th century not all planets of the Solar System are habitable – Mars is taking longer to terraform than expected, Venus “has always been Hell in real life”, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn are “cold and hostile places that could kill a careless person in seconds.”
Much of the novel focusses on introducing the lead characters – thus allowing sequels, should there be a market for them – and the revenge tale. The places visited are appropriately imaginative, with a secret base on the Moon and the beginnings of a civilisation on a terraforming Mars.
At times the book reflects its pulp origins, which, despite the author’s best efforts, can feel a little forced. The arrival of a moonpuppy (designed to live in lower gravities) named Eek and a shape-shifting creature named Oog (both from the original Hamilton series) is as winsome (or even wincesome) as you can get, but there’s no denying that Allen can tell an entertaining tale.
Great fun, if not to be taken too seriously. I’d like to read more.
With such a long history there is however a host of once famous, now less well known characters sadly forgotten on the whole. For every Flash Gordon there’s a Tom Corbett, for example. In this list I’d include the hero of this particular novel: Captain Future. Here Allen Steele resurrects an old hero to blast into the future again. The result is as exciting as you might expect.
In the original series, begun in 1940’s until the 1950’s, Captain Future is actually Curtis (Curt) Newton, a brilliant scientist who, with his faithful side-kicks, righted wrongs and fought enemies across the populated Solar System. These days he’s perhaps best remembered for being an iconic magazine-cover poster on the wall in one of the apartments in The Big Bang Theory.
According to Wikipedia, “The series begins when scientist Roger Newton, his wife Elaine, and his brilliant fellow scientist Simon Wright leave planet Earth to do research in an isolated laboratory on the moon. Simon’s body is old and diseased and Roger enables him to continue doing research by transplanting his healthy brain into an artificial case (originally immobile—carried around by Grag—later equipped with lifter units). Working together, the two scientists create an intelligent robot called Grag, and an android with shape-shifting abilities called Otho. The criminal scientist Victor Corvo (originally: Victor Kaslan) arrives on the moon and murders the Newtons.
The deaths of the Newtons leave their son, Curtis, to be raised by the unlikely trio of Otho, Grag, and Simon Wright. Under their tutelage, Curtis grows up to be a brilliant scientist and as strong and fast as any champion athlete. He also grows up with a strong sense of responsibility and hopes to use his scientific skills to help people. In the first adventure, he offers his services to the President of the System. The publicity-shy Curtis takes the alias Captain Future. Simon, Otho and Grag are referred to as the Futuremen in subsequent stories.”
Allen’s take on the story is similar, and may explain his title. Although much of the book sets up the characters of Curt and his mentors and tells us the backstory of his parents, this is really a story of vengeance, with Curtis determined to retaliate for the death of his parents (think Batman) and all those who were killed by super-villain Victor Corvo (think Superman’s Lex Luthor.)
As this is being written by someone brought up on SF pulp (Arkwright showed us how much, not to mention The Death of Captain Future, which won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novella) and an experienced writer with multiple genre awards, Avengers is a novel that combines pulp-novel enthusiasm with a genuine sense of wonder and an engaging narrative.
There are slight differences between the older 1940’s version and the 21st century one – on the whole Allen has the skill to realise what will work and won’t in a less forgiving, more cynical age – but I did feel that the book was as close to a modern pulp SF novel as you can get. There are good guys to root for, bad guys to hate and worlds beyond our own to explore, all delivered with zest and enthusiasm:
“It was an age of miracles. It was an era of wonder. It was a time of new frontiers.”
It was a golden age. From the sky city of Venus to the desert settlements of Mars, from the craterhabs of the Moon to the underground burrows of Titan and Ganymede, from the mining stations of Ceres and Vesta to Pluto’s prisons and Sedna’s border outposts, there were politicians and poets, scientists and wanderers, dancers and soldiers, savants and holy fools, the powerful and the destitute, those who fought the good fight and those whose intentions were selfish, if not downright evil.” (Prologue)
Unlike the original, even in the 24th century not all planets of the Solar System are habitable – Mars is taking longer to terraform than expected, Venus “has always been Hell in real life”, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn are “cold and hostile places that could kill a careless person in seconds.”
Much of the novel focusses on introducing the lead characters – thus allowing sequels, should there be a market for them – and the revenge tale. The places visited are appropriately imaginative, with a secret base on the Moon and the beginnings of a civilisation on a terraforming Mars.
At times the book reflects its pulp origins, which, despite the author’s best efforts, can feel a little forced. The arrival of a moonpuppy (designed to live in lower gravities) named Eek and a shape-shifting creature named Oog (both from the original Hamilton series) is as winsome (or even wincesome) as you can get, but there’s no denying that Allen can tell an entertaining tale.
Great fun, if not to be taken too seriously. I’d like to read more.
April 2, 2017
In 1940, a new pulp science-fiction series debuted: Curt Newton - known as Captain Future - was a young, handsome adventurer as well as a brilliant scientist and intrepid inventor. From 1940 to 1951, Captain Future swashbuckled his way across the solar system, solving problems, righting wrongs and vanquishing foes mainly via the talents of veteran Weird Tales writer Edmond Hamilton.
In 1969, eleven year old Allen Steele came across a paperback featuring Captain Future, and, even though the stories were already outdated scientifically, a lifelong fan was born. Years later, Allen became a prolific science fiction writer, and his award winning 1996 novella (The Death of Captain Future - which actually was about "the way a fan's devotion can be carried to the extreme") had him looking to jump start the hero of his childhood.
Finally in April 2017 we will get the first of what will surely be a series of books chronicling the adventures of Captain Future.
"Avengers of the Moon" introduces readers to Curt Newton as a young man, not yet Captain Future but years past the trauma that came from his parents' murder and subsequent sequestering on a hidden laboratory on the moon. All of the original players are present in this updated story: the robot Grag, android Othos, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright (known as, intuitively, as the Brain), who are Curt's only companions and helpmeets from infancy to adulthood; Marshal Ezra Gurney of the Interplanetary Police Force (IPF) and the beautiful (of course!) yet efficient (of course!) IPF Intelligence officer Joan Randall; politician and bad guy Victor Corvo, and Captain Future's nemesis Ul Quorn - the Magician of Mars.
While attending the public dedication of the Straight Wall System Monument, built to protect the moon's mysterious Denebian petroglyphs, Curt learns that one of the leading proponents of the monument, Lunar Republic Senator Victor Corvo, was responsible for the death of his parents. A vow of justice - or is it revenge? - moves the story forward and introduces us to all the major players, but like with most stories that seem straightforward, complications soon arise that not only muddy the ethical waters, but also unveil a far larger conspiracy that should - but not necessarily will - supersede Curt's personal vengeance.
Author Allen Steele does a good job of balancing a past-era pulp fiction vibe with today's expanded knowledge of science and the solar system. While the story moves at the slick pace of an old school space rodeo, and while for the most part, the characters are pretty stock and trade, the action has plenty of twists and turns and reveals, keeping it fresh and interesting. The futuristic gadgets and deus ex machina, especially those that Curt & Co develop internally, may be somewhat simplistic and overtly convenient, but they fit in far better and more cohesively into our modern sensibilities than notions of little green men from Mars. And the way that all the pieces of the puzzle hold together are far more, well, cognitive than with the original series, without sacrificing the naiveté of an earlier time. Mr. Steele indeed has done an admirable job in updating the sensibilities of Captain Future from his laughable 1940s origins.
The only stumbling block I saw in this newly upgraded version of Captain Future was the continued subligation of women, with only four female characters of any note; men continue to hold positions of power and authority in "Avengers of the Moon". Additionally, all four of these female characters are specifically noted as being good looking, with the main two - Joan Randal and Ul Quorn's cohort N'Rala - described as strikingly beautiful. Like, pull-the-attention-of-the-room-when-they-walk-in beautiful. Over and over again. Yes, efficient and smart, but gosh darn, mighty good looking gals - and don't they know how to use it! Sigh.
However, in fairness to Mr. Steele, to deviate from 1940s gender roles would have merited a seismic departure from his source material. I can accept that he might have been unwilling to bridge this gap in this first "origin" novel. I do hope, though, that in any subsequent books, gender and societal "norms" will be given a more enlightened treatment. Much was made in "Avengers of the Moon" about not judging a robot, an android and an disembodied brain in ignorant, insensitive ways; let's hope the author includes women in that caveat in future volumes.
In 1969, eleven year old Allen Steele came across a paperback featuring Captain Future, and, even though the stories were already outdated scientifically, a lifelong fan was born. Years later, Allen became a prolific science fiction writer, and his award winning 1996 novella (The Death of Captain Future - which actually was about "the way a fan's devotion can be carried to the extreme") had him looking to jump start the hero of his childhood.
Finally in April 2017 we will get the first of what will surely be a series of books chronicling the adventures of Captain Future.
"Avengers of the Moon" introduces readers to Curt Newton as a young man, not yet Captain Future but years past the trauma that came from his parents' murder and subsequent sequestering on a hidden laboratory on the moon. All of the original players are present in this updated story: the robot Grag, android Othos, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright (known as, intuitively, as the Brain), who are Curt's only companions and helpmeets from infancy to adulthood; Marshal Ezra Gurney of the Interplanetary Police Force (IPF) and the beautiful (of course!) yet efficient (of course!) IPF Intelligence officer Joan Randall; politician and bad guy Victor Corvo, and Captain Future's nemesis Ul Quorn - the Magician of Mars.
While attending the public dedication of the Straight Wall System Monument, built to protect the moon's mysterious Denebian petroglyphs, Curt learns that one of the leading proponents of the monument, Lunar Republic Senator Victor Corvo, was responsible for the death of his parents. A vow of justice - or is it revenge? - moves the story forward and introduces us to all the major players, but like with most stories that seem straightforward, complications soon arise that not only muddy the ethical waters, but also unveil a far larger conspiracy that should - but not necessarily will - supersede Curt's personal vengeance.
Author Allen Steele does a good job of balancing a past-era pulp fiction vibe with today's expanded knowledge of science and the solar system. While the story moves at the slick pace of an old school space rodeo, and while for the most part, the characters are pretty stock and trade, the action has plenty of twists and turns and reveals, keeping it fresh and interesting. The futuristic gadgets and deus ex machina, especially those that Curt & Co develop internally, may be somewhat simplistic and overtly convenient, but they fit in far better and more cohesively into our modern sensibilities than notions of little green men from Mars. And the way that all the pieces of the puzzle hold together are far more, well, cognitive than with the original series, without sacrificing the naiveté of an earlier time. Mr. Steele indeed has done an admirable job in updating the sensibilities of Captain Future from his laughable 1940s origins.
The only stumbling block I saw in this newly upgraded version of Captain Future was the continued subligation of women, with only four female characters of any note; men continue to hold positions of power and authority in "Avengers of the Moon". Additionally, all four of these female characters are specifically noted as being good looking, with the main two - Joan Randal and Ul Quorn's cohort N'Rala - described as strikingly beautiful. Like, pull-the-attention-of-the-room-when-they-walk-in beautiful. Over and over again. Yes, efficient and smart, but gosh darn, mighty good looking gals - and don't they know how to use it! Sigh.
However, in fairness to Mr. Steele, to deviate from 1940s gender roles would have merited a seismic departure from his source material. I can accept that he might have been unwilling to bridge this gap in this first "origin" novel. I do hope, though, that in any subsequent books, gender and societal "norms" will be given a more enlightened treatment. Much was made in "Avengers of the Moon" about not judging a robot, an android and an disembodied brain in ignorant, insensitive ways; let's hope the author includes women in that caveat in future volumes.
August 13, 2017
Avengers of the Moon is a good Captain Future novel as well as a good Allen Steele novel. I was a little undecided for a while as to whether or not his re-booting Curt and the gang was a good idea, but the book is fun to read and was apparently fun for him to write, so I decided that it was all good. My first thought was that if Heinlein had done a Buck Rogers re-boot fifty years ago instead of writing The Moon is a Harsh Mistress we would be the poorer for it, or if Asimov had written a Flash Gordon novel instead of The Gods Themselves then that would have been a loss, but John Scalzi wrote a delightful Fuzzy re-boot a while back, and I decided to look at this one in that vein. After reading this one I went back and read one of the original Edmond Hamilton novels from 1941 for comparison. The originals were much less sophisticated both from a scientific and literary standpoint, and directed at a much younger audience. Steele does a good job of updating the story so that it makes sense, is appealing to a more critical and mature reader, but also holds the charm of the pulp enthusiasm and optimism. Twenty years or so ago Steele wrote an award-winning story called The Death of Captain Future (which receives a brief but fun nod in the current book as part of a dream sequence), so I re-read that one, too, as well as the not-as-good sequel, The Exile of Evening Star. I always thought he should have done a book-length work featuring those characters, and enjoyed reading them in conjunction with the current novel and with one of Hamilton's originals. The book has a very nice retro-styled cover with a color and style that probably has a good name I can't quite recall. Fans of old-fashioned space opera will like this one: The Futuremen are in good hands!
April 17, 2017
2.5 out of 5 stars -- see this review and others at Avengers of the Moon.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Allen Steele’s Arkwright popped up on many “Best of” lists in 2016 and I gave it shot, but it was not to my liking. Steele’s writing style was tough to engage with. Luckily, I found Avengers of the Moon to be much more palatable. I was coming in blind to Steele’s previous work as well as the source material for which this novel is based — Captain Future, a 1940s pulp sci-fi hero made famous by Edmond Hamilton.
Captain Future is an orphaned renegade who seeks revenge for the death of his parents along with his trusty android sidekick, a disembodied brain, and a hulking robot. It is a fun group, but there’s not a great deal of nuance to these characters. I understand that Steele was operating within the confines of a previously established cast, so I do think he does well with what he’s given.
I very much enjoyed the classic sci-fi vibe of this world — plasma guns, rocket ships, and robot companions abound. In many ways it feels like a B-movie in book form, and as such, the story doesn’t take many creative risks. Throw in an over-the-top mustache-twirling villain and you have the makings of fun, but otherwise ephemeral story.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Allen Steele’s Arkwright popped up on many “Best of” lists in 2016 and I gave it shot, but it was not to my liking. Steele’s writing style was tough to engage with. Luckily, I found Avengers of the Moon to be much more palatable. I was coming in blind to Steele’s previous work as well as the source material for which this novel is based — Captain Future, a 1940s pulp sci-fi hero made famous by Edmond Hamilton.
Captain Future is an orphaned renegade who seeks revenge for the death of his parents along with his trusty android sidekick, a disembodied brain, and a hulking robot. It is a fun group, but there’s not a great deal of nuance to these characters. I understand that Steele was operating within the confines of a previously established cast, so I do think he does well with what he’s given.
I very much enjoyed the classic sci-fi vibe of this world — plasma guns, rocket ships, and robot companions abound. In many ways it feels like a B-movie in book form, and as such, the story doesn’t take many creative risks. Throw in an over-the-top mustache-twirling villain and you have the makings of fun, but otherwise ephemeral story.
May 29, 2017
https://lynns-books.com/2017/05/04/av...
To be honest, I don’t really know if I’ve read a lot of pulp fiction or not – although I think maybe Edgar Rice-Burroughs and even Ray Bradbury qualify? It sounds a little like a derogatory term doesn’t it but basically, pulp fiction was a cheap way of mass producing highly entertaining, fast paced adventure stories and in doing so bringing reading to the masses and allowing them to escape into any number of fantasy worlds – even delving into deepest space and beyond.
In Avengers of the Moon Allen Steele has managed to resurrect an action hero from the 1940s/50s, to give him a new injection of life with a new and original beginning and also coupled this with a slightly more modern feel. What Steele also manages to do is evoke a wonderfully nostalgic feeling when reading the book that makes you cast back into your mind to past television series. You know the ones I mean, the old tv sci fi series that always started with a voice over at the beginning. Yes, as I started Avengers of the Moon I couldn’t help reading the introduction with ‘that voice’ in my head and it simultaneously made me smile and hooked me. I’m not going to suggest that this is a great literary work but it is an entertaining story that made for a very easy and slightly, at times, crazy read. A popcorn book. A book of pulp fiction.
The story does have a little bit of setting up to do. We learn of Curt Newton, an orphan raised by a robot, an android and a disembodied brain (that of a renowned scientist). It may have been a somewhat lonely existence until this point and maybe Curt lacks a few social graces but nobody can deny that it has been interesting. Curt’s parents were murdered when he was still a baby. Their murderer has never been brought to justice and in fact has become a powerful figure in society. You could say that Curt has been almost in training for the moment when he would be able to go after his parents’ murderer (even if he wasn’t aware that was the case until this point). He’s had the benefit of much attention, education and training during his early life and all of these aspects are about to be brought into sharp focus as he embarks on a mission of revenge – or justice. Of course, things don’t go completely to plan and before Curt can say ‘reverse the particle flow of he flux capacitor and beam me up’ he’s tangled up in a plot of assassination and Captain Future is born.
If you want a fairly fast paced adventure story from deepest space, a bunch of laughs that arise from the strangest situations involving robots, androids and disembodied brains and all the awkward moments and odd conversations that they bring to the story, plus gadgets galore and updated sci fi then look no further. I guess the first half of the story had something of a set up feel but I think that’s to be expected. We’re pretty soon thrown into chaos as Captain Future gets to work. There are some very comical situations courtesy of his companions – not least Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force – who it seems Curt has something of a crush on – if only he knew what a crush was! I think this aspect was well handled. Pulp fiction of old did tend to portray women as pure mind candy (not to mention the women were usually draped, very scantily clad across the covers). In this potential situation for romance, Joan is certainly very easy on the eye (as is Curt for that matter), but I didn’t find Joan’s portrayal dismissive at all or purely ornamental – she had a real role to play, she is a respected member of the IPF and on top of that she makes Curt nervous and embarassed (not to mention saving his ass on occasion). That being said this is the Captain Future’s story and so you would expect Curt to shine through more strongly.
In terms of criticisms. Not much to write about really. I think there was an element of cheesiness going on – but I actually liked it and thought it added to the story to be honest. I think there was definitely a set up type feel, I think the story lulled a little bit towards the middle and then in contrary fashion had a very speedy ending and I would have liked the ‘baddies’ to be a bit more down right bad.
Other than that, this was a fun read. Easy to engage with and even though I’d never heard of Captain Future before I would definitely read more of his adventures if those were in the offing.
I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
To be honest, I don’t really know if I’ve read a lot of pulp fiction or not – although I think maybe Edgar Rice-Burroughs and even Ray Bradbury qualify? It sounds a little like a derogatory term doesn’t it but basically, pulp fiction was a cheap way of mass producing highly entertaining, fast paced adventure stories and in doing so bringing reading to the masses and allowing them to escape into any number of fantasy worlds – even delving into deepest space and beyond.
In Avengers of the Moon Allen Steele has managed to resurrect an action hero from the 1940s/50s, to give him a new injection of life with a new and original beginning and also coupled this with a slightly more modern feel. What Steele also manages to do is evoke a wonderfully nostalgic feeling when reading the book that makes you cast back into your mind to past television series. You know the ones I mean, the old tv sci fi series that always started with a voice over at the beginning. Yes, as I started Avengers of the Moon I couldn’t help reading the introduction with ‘that voice’ in my head and it simultaneously made me smile and hooked me. I’m not going to suggest that this is a great literary work but it is an entertaining story that made for a very easy and slightly, at times, crazy read. A popcorn book. A book of pulp fiction.
The story does have a little bit of setting up to do. We learn of Curt Newton, an orphan raised by a robot, an android and a disembodied brain (that of a renowned scientist). It may have been a somewhat lonely existence until this point and maybe Curt lacks a few social graces but nobody can deny that it has been interesting. Curt’s parents were murdered when he was still a baby. Their murderer has never been brought to justice and in fact has become a powerful figure in society. You could say that Curt has been almost in training for the moment when he would be able to go after his parents’ murderer (even if he wasn’t aware that was the case until this point). He’s had the benefit of much attention, education and training during his early life and all of these aspects are about to be brought into sharp focus as he embarks on a mission of revenge – or justice. Of course, things don’t go completely to plan and before Curt can say ‘reverse the particle flow of he flux capacitor and beam me up’ he’s tangled up in a plot of assassination and Captain Future is born.
If you want a fairly fast paced adventure story from deepest space, a bunch of laughs that arise from the strangest situations involving robots, androids and disembodied brains and all the awkward moments and odd conversations that they bring to the story, plus gadgets galore and updated sci fi then look no further. I guess the first half of the story had something of a set up feel but I think that’s to be expected. We’re pretty soon thrown into chaos as Captain Future gets to work. There are some very comical situations courtesy of his companions – not least Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force – who it seems Curt has something of a crush on – if only he knew what a crush was! I think this aspect was well handled. Pulp fiction of old did tend to portray women as pure mind candy (not to mention the women were usually draped, very scantily clad across the covers). In this potential situation for romance, Joan is certainly very easy on the eye (as is Curt for that matter), but I didn’t find Joan’s portrayal dismissive at all or purely ornamental – she had a real role to play, she is a respected member of the IPF and on top of that she makes Curt nervous and embarassed (not to mention saving his ass on occasion). That being said this is the Captain Future’s story and so you would expect Curt to shine through more strongly.
In terms of criticisms. Not much to write about really. I think there was an element of cheesiness going on – but I actually liked it and thought it added to the story to be honest. I think there was definitely a set up type feel, I think the story lulled a little bit towards the middle and then in contrary fashion had a very speedy ending and I would have liked the ‘baddies’ to be a bit more down right bad.
Other than that, this was a fun read. Easy to engage with and even though I’d never heard of Captain Future before I would definitely read more of his adventures if those were in the offing.
I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
February 8, 2019
Über 70 Jahre nach dem Ende der von Edmond Hamilton verfassten Romanreihe CAPTAIN FUTURE erscheint wieder ein Werk mit den damals so populären Protagonisten, die allen Kindern der 80er wahrscheinlich eher aus der Anime-Zeichentrickserie bekannt sein dürften.
Allen Steele merkt in seinem Nachwort an, keine Hommage an das Original, sondern eine Überarbeitung für eine zeitgenössische Leserschaft geschaffen zu haben. Das ist ihm meiner Ansicht nach ganz und gar nicht gelungen.
Der Plot ist derart platt und banal, dass man zwischen blankem Entsetzen und Respekt vor der so treffenden Emulation der Qualität des Original-40er-Pulps schwankt. Ich bin ja ein Freund von Trivial-Literatur, aber in diesem Fall greife ich dann doch lieber auf das Original zurück, das ist dann noch eine Spur schlechter, aber wenigstens mit Original-Patina.
Selbst permanentes Abspielen des genialen Captain-Future-Soundtracks von Christian Bruhn beim Lesen hat nicht geholfen, die Lesefreude zu steigern.
Allen Steele merkt in seinem Nachwort an, keine Hommage an das Original, sondern eine Überarbeitung für eine zeitgenössische Leserschaft geschaffen zu haben. Das ist ihm meiner Ansicht nach ganz und gar nicht gelungen.
Der Plot ist derart platt und banal, dass man zwischen blankem Entsetzen und Respekt vor der so treffenden Emulation der Qualität des Original-40er-Pulps schwankt. Ich bin ja ein Freund von Trivial-Literatur, aber in diesem Fall greife ich dann doch lieber auf das Original zurück, das ist dann noch eine Spur schlechter, aber wenigstens mit Original-Patina.
Selbst permanentes Abspielen des genialen Captain-Future-Soundtracks von Christian Bruhn beim Lesen hat nicht geholfen, die Lesefreude zu steigern.
August 27, 2018
Aimed at 12 year olds of all ages, this is a delightful, fun homage to the kind of SF that everyone thinks of when they think Golden Age. Steele has "updated" Captain Future, making him fit somewhat more contemporary sensibilities, but not so much that the pulp foundations can't be seen and the action-adventure origins of later planetary sagas can breathe again. Tremendous fun.
September 20, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this space adventure. It is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Sci if and was written in the same style as the original Edmond Hamilton stories of Catain Future. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light fun space adventure.
May 28, 2020
Excellent reworking of the Captain Future pulp hero.
April 11, 2017
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
It was the amazing old-fashioned looking cover that initially drew me eye.
Obviously sci-fi. Retro look. Had to check it out. This is the story of a human guy named Curtis who lives on Earth’s moon and was raised by an unlikely trio – a robot, an android, and a disembodied brain in a drone. Once he is grown, he finally learns the secret of who murdered his parents and sets out to get revenge.
Now the author hearkens back to the day of sci-fi pulp with modern sensibilities. I have to admit that me knowledge of what constituted pulp was very small and practically non-existent. What I did know was blatantly stereotypical and not worth mentioning here. Oh and I didn’t even really understand what this novel was based on. But the concept was fascinating and I was excited to give it a whirl.
This was fun. The main draw for me was of course the characters. Curt, a.k.a. Captain Future, was intelligent, loyal, honorable and a little bumbling. Ye can’t help but like him. His guardians were super awesome as well. The drone holds the brain of a scientist who was friends with Curt’s parents. He is the father-figure and defacto leader. The smart-talking android, Otho, and the higher-than-average intelligent robot, Gage, are his friends and some-time teachers. And then there is the smart cute girl-cop who they meet along the way. All of them quirky in their own rights and all of them lovely to get to know. Add in space pets and what more could ye ask for?
The plot was a little predictable but not overly so. It wasn’t super fast paced but proceeded well. The first part was seemingly geared to set up the world and characters and the second part to really advance the story. The ending whizzed by. I enjoyed the world building and the use of technology. It was silly and dare I say slightly cheesy but so entertaining.
If this is what pulp is now . . . give me some more please.
Also I loved the author’s afterword where he explained how he was influenced to write the story. In 1969 he read a work featuring Captain Future that was originally written in 1942. This led me down the rabbit’s hole into the history of science fiction pulp magazines and the list of the most popular pulp writers of the various decades. That was also enjoyable. I didn’t even know there were that many sci-fi magazines around.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me ship's log at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
It was the amazing old-fashioned looking cover that initially drew me eye.
Obviously sci-fi. Retro look. Had to check it out. This is the story of a human guy named Curtis who lives on Earth’s moon and was raised by an unlikely trio – a robot, an android, and a disembodied brain in a drone. Once he is grown, he finally learns the secret of who murdered his parents and sets out to get revenge.
Now the author hearkens back to the day of sci-fi pulp with modern sensibilities. I have to admit that me knowledge of what constituted pulp was very small and practically non-existent. What I did know was blatantly stereotypical and not worth mentioning here. Oh and I didn’t even really understand what this novel was based on. But the concept was fascinating and I was excited to give it a whirl.
This was fun. The main draw for me was of course the characters. Curt, a.k.a. Captain Future, was intelligent, loyal, honorable and a little bumbling. Ye can’t help but like him. His guardians were super awesome as well. The drone holds the brain of a scientist who was friends with Curt’s parents. He is the father-figure and defacto leader. The smart-talking android, Otho, and the higher-than-average intelligent robot, Gage, are his friends and some-time teachers. And then there is the smart cute girl-cop who they meet along the way. All of them quirky in their own rights and all of them lovely to get to know. Add in space pets and what more could ye ask for?
The plot was a little predictable but not overly so. It wasn’t super fast paced but proceeded well. The first part was seemingly geared to set up the world and characters and the second part to really advance the story. The ending whizzed by. I enjoyed the world building and the use of technology. It was silly and dare I say slightly cheesy but so entertaining.
If this is what pulp is now . . . give me some more please.
Also I loved the author’s afterword where he explained how he was influenced to write the story. In 1969 he read a work featuring Captain Future that was originally written in 1942. This led me down the rabbit’s hole into the history of science fiction pulp magazines and the list of the most popular pulp writers of the various decades. That was also enjoyable. I didn’t even know there were that many sci-fi magazines around.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me ship's log at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
April 19, 2017
Curt Newton, aka Captain Future, has led a sheltered life tucked away underground in an isolated secret hideout with his friends, a robot, an android and the disembodied brain of a great scientist.
But when Curt’s curiosity gets the better of him he becomes embroiled in saving the solar system from the machinations of an evil mastermind.
Avengers of the Moon does have the feel of the type of book that would have been written in the 1950s/early1960s, except that the women are more Cathy Gale and Emma Peel, than shrinking violets, and relevant science is slipped in unobtrusively for a modern audience.
Curt is your archetypal, clean cut, clean living hero. Although he does get somewhat hot under the collar when Joan Randall (inspector third class of the Interplanetary Police Force), is in close proximity. There is quite a bit of exposition, but it actually works really well, and in parts gives the sense of a fascinating travelogue of the Moon and Mars.
Make no mistake there is violence, but you do not get description just for the sake of ramping up the sense of horror, but more because in an attack people get hurt. You have organisations with the classic sci-fi monikers of the Interplanetary Police Force (the good guys) and Sons of the Two Moons (the bad guys).
At first Curt behaves like an idiot, albeit a brave idiot. However guided by his good friend the robot Grag, the android Otho and the Brain (the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright) you see Curt mature very quickly to be a worthy commander.
This is a very entertaining read about the good guys going after the bad guys, with a wonderful sense of something old fashioned about it and is refreshing change from the hard paced texts so favoured by modern thrillers or the complicated philosophical demands of many modern sci-fi books. In other words this is a relaxing, comfort read.
Avengers of the Moon was courtesy of Tor Books via NetGalley
But when Curt’s curiosity gets the better of him he becomes embroiled in saving the solar system from the machinations of an evil mastermind.
Avengers of the Moon does have the feel of the type of book that would have been written in the 1950s/early1960s, except that the women are more Cathy Gale and Emma Peel, than shrinking violets, and relevant science is slipped in unobtrusively for a modern audience.
Curt is your archetypal, clean cut, clean living hero. Although he does get somewhat hot under the collar when Joan Randall (inspector third class of the Interplanetary Police Force), is in close proximity. There is quite a bit of exposition, but it actually works really well, and in parts gives the sense of a fascinating travelogue of the Moon and Mars.
Make no mistake there is violence, but you do not get description just for the sake of ramping up the sense of horror, but more because in an attack people get hurt. You have organisations with the classic sci-fi monikers of the Interplanetary Police Force (the good guys) and Sons of the Two Moons (the bad guys).
At first Curt behaves like an idiot, albeit a brave idiot. However guided by his good friend the robot Grag, the android Otho and the Brain (the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright) you see Curt mature very quickly to be a worthy commander.
This is a very entertaining read about the good guys going after the bad guys, with a wonderful sense of something old fashioned about it and is refreshing change from the hard paced texts so favoured by modern thrillers or the complicated philosophical demands of many modern sci-fi books. In other words this is a relaxing, comfort read.
Avengers of the Moon was courtesy of Tor Books via NetGalley
April 25, 2019
If you are looking for light fluffy sci-fi then this will fit the bill. A reboot of a 1950’s(?) character.
I enjoyed it but was hoping for more of a Captain Quasar (by Fowler) but it wasn’t there. I alternate between “heavy” and “light” sci-fi. I had just finished Thin Air and The Abyss Beyond Dreams so was looking for light. It delivered on that end.
It is not a bad story and is well written for the type of story it is. It received 3 stars and not more because, despite knowing it was going to be a lighter read, there were still too many of the stereotypical coincidences, hero comes from nowhere but can done everything and save the day (and universe) elements for my liking.
Still, Captain Future and the, gasp, Futuremen is good if you are looking for a 1950s space faring hero type story (it was recommended to me for something along those lines).
I enjoyed it but was hoping for more of a Captain Quasar (by Fowler) but it wasn’t there. I alternate between “heavy” and “light” sci-fi. I had just finished Thin Air and The Abyss Beyond Dreams so was looking for light. It delivered on that end.
It is not a bad story and is well written for the type of story it is. It received 3 stars and not more because, despite knowing it was going to be a lighter read, there were still too many of the stereotypical coincidences, hero comes from nowhere but can done everything and save the day (and universe) elements for my liking.
Still, Captain Future and the, gasp, Futuremen is good if you are looking for a 1950s space faring hero type story (it was recommended to me for something along those lines).
November 3, 2020
A pretty good update of an old pulp character. Not to put too fine a point on it, those old books weren't...good. Considering the quality of the originals, this is really good. The biggest claw on the chalkboard left over for me was the bickering between the sentient robot and the android. That was just clumsy. It's a classic trope of pulp hero henchmen, Ham and Monk amongst Doc Savage's crew and the Spock McCoy dynamic in Original Trek. Here, it falls flat. But given that that was my biggest quibble and it's a small part of the book, well done.
July 29, 2017
I have come to understand now when I’m done that this book is an homage to the 1940’s pulp sci-fi story about Captain Future, a hero I didn't know about. Now it all makes sense.
Why I felt there was missing history lost on me and why it felt like fan fiction. Because it kind of was fan fiction, although not as badly written has fan fiction tends to be. The story was just so incredibly cliché and cheesy, and I was unmoved throughout.
I could at times appreciate the old school sci-fi and one liners, but not enough to really enjoy this book. I kept getting lost in other thoughts and had to backtrack myself several times while reading.
Not for me.
Why I felt there was missing history lost on me and why it felt like fan fiction. Because it kind of was fan fiction, although not as badly written has fan fiction tends to be. The story was just so incredibly cliché and cheesy, and I was unmoved throughout.
I could at times appreciate the old school sci-fi and one liners, but not enough to really enjoy this book. I kept getting lost in other thoughts and had to backtrack myself several times while reading.
Not for me.
January 16, 2018
This was a pretty good updating of some old pulp SciFi tropes... and, indeed, an old SciFi character and series. Mr. Steele clearly needs a better proofreader, however, as errors such as a character lowering his weapon, and then three paragraphs later lowering it again are common... but perhaps that, too, is an intended homage to the old pulps.
April 12, 2017
2.5 Stars
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
April 15, 2017
6'5-7/10
An entertaining new origin of a famous hero of the pulp magazines, Captain Future. The setting is very interesting, altough the story sometimes is naive. I'm interested in this universe if the author continues writing about it.
Review in english: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/201...
Reseña en español: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/201...
An entertaining new origin of a famous hero of the pulp magazines, Captain Future. The setting is very interesting, altough the story sometimes is naive. I'm interested in this universe if the author continues writing about it.
Review in english: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/201...
Reseña en español: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/201...
January 14, 2023
Needs more Grag the robot.
Want to Read
March 30, 2017I have no idea what this is about. I saw the cover and I wanted to read it.
June 13, 2022
Avengers of the Moon (2017) 295 pages by Allen Steele
Curt was raised by The Brain (Simon), Otho and Grag after his parents were murdered when he was an infant. He's had very little contact with the outside world, mostly staying in his home on the moon under Tycho crater. His parents were scientists and created some cutting edge technology, such as Otho, that they didn't want exploited. They had philosophical differences with their financial backer. Twenty years later Curt learns that Victor Corvo, now a high ranking senator in the Solar Coalition, was the killer. Curt immediately sets off for revenge, gets interrupted and ends up working with the IPF in order to bring Corvo to justice.
Fun space opera. Great set of characters. Humorous. I haven't read any Edward Hamilton, so I'm not sure if Steele is constrained by the Captain Future formula or not.4.5 stars. A James Bond type climax, i.e. villain explaining his plan while the hero is in an inescapable situation
Curt was raised by The Brain (Simon), Otho and Grag after his parents were murdered when he was an infant. He's had very little contact with the outside world, mostly staying in his home on the moon under Tycho crater. His parents were scientists and created some cutting edge technology, such as Otho, that they didn't want exploited. They had philosophical differences with their financial backer. Twenty years later Curt learns that Victor Corvo, now a high ranking senator in the Solar Coalition, was the killer. Curt immediately sets off for revenge, gets interrupted and ends up working with the IPF in order to bring Corvo to justice.
Fun space opera. Great set of characters. Humorous. I haven't read any Edward Hamilton, so I'm not sure if Steele is constrained by the Captain Future formula or not.4.5 stars. A James Bond type climax, i.e. villain explaining his plan while the hero is in an inescapable situation
May 29, 2017
Ah, the pulps. That is, the first magazines aimed at the masses, in the days before cinema. You couldn't go to the movies or watch TV (neither had been invented yet) but you could buy a cheap magazine (printed on wood pulp) with fiction stories meant to entertain. I discovered Doc Savage (written under the pen name Kenneth Robeson by several writers [the publisher owned this pen name]) in the 1970's in used bookstores and devoured as many as I could get my hands on (again, used paperback books were less expensive than new books, which fit my tiny budget just fine).
I had never heard of Edmond Hamilton but he was one of the key authors who brought the world Space Opera and for that I can't thank him enough! (Some have even called him the father of Space Opera.)
I was amazed, upon doing a little Internet research, to read this in the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia article on Mr. Hamilton: "With E E "Doc" Smith and Jack Williamson, he was one of the prime movers in the development of US sf,...." I had also totally enjoyed E. E. Smith's Lensmen series during the 1970's (also via used bookstore paperbacks). Somehow, though, I never read a Jack Williamson story until quite recently (although, as a reference librarian, I had definitely heard of him).
And I also missed Allan Steele's 1995 Hugo award-winning novella The Death of Captain Future, an homage to Hamilton's Captain Future character (no, Hamilton did not originally create this character but his tales made Captain Future popular).
So Avengers of the Moon was my first introduction to the world of Captain Future.
On the subject of reboots, I was doubtful when I went to my first Star Trek reboot movie (the Chris Pine-Zachary Quinto-Karl Urban franchise) but was sold by the end of the first film. The new guys got the spirit of Star Trek right! (There have been a number of other classic shows rebooted in recent years but personally I think that the Star Trek reboot has been the most successful. And, no, I actually didn't see many of the other movie or TV reboots.)
Steele has rebooted Captain Future with the permission of the Edmond Hamilton estate and has brought Captain Future into the 21st century. I liked it a lot. I think you will too.
So I heartily recommend Avengers of the Moon to all who enjoy a good Space Opera story and also to those who just enjoy a good science fiction adventure reminiscent of the "Golden Age" of science fiction!
Personally, I'd be delighted if Mr. Steele continues and gives us more Captain Future novels in the future!
I had never heard of Edmond Hamilton but he was one of the key authors who brought the world Space Opera and for that I can't thank him enough! (Some have even called him the father of Space Opera.)
I was amazed, upon doing a little Internet research, to read this in the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia article on Mr. Hamilton: "With E E "Doc" Smith and Jack Williamson, he was one of the prime movers in the development of US sf,...." I had also totally enjoyed E. E. Smith's Lensmen series during the 1970's (also via used bookstore paperbacks). Somehow, though, I never read a Jack Williamson story until quite recently (although, as a reference librarian, I had definitely heard of him).
And I also missed Allan Steele's 1995 Hugo award-winning novella The Death of Captain Future, an homage to Hamilton's Captain Future character (no, Hamilton did not originally create this character but his tales made Captain Future popular).
So Avengers of the Moon was my first introduction to the world of Captain Future.
On the subject of reboots, I was doubtful when I went to my first Star Trek reboot movie (the Chris Pine-Zachary Quinto-Karl Urban franchise) but was sold by the end of the first film. The new guys got the spirit of Star Trek right! (There have been a number of other classic shows rebooted in recent years but personally I think that the Star Trek reboot has been the most successful. And, no, I actually didn't see many of the other movie or TV reboots.)
Steele has rebooted Captain Future with the permission of the Edmond Hamilton estate and has brought Captain Future into the 21st century. I liked it a lot. I think you will too.
So I heartily recommend Avengers of the Moon to all who enjoy a good Space Opera story and also to those who just enjoy a good science fiction adventure reminiscent of the "Golden Age" of science fiction!
Personally, I'd be delighted if Mr. Steele continues and gives us more Captain Future novels in the future!
June 2, 2017
Perhaps the rating is a little generous, but Steele accomplishes what he talks about in his afterward. This is an attempt at updating, and I personally think a bit of an homage, of Edmond Hamilton's Captain Future. For the most part the updating and homage works, and I think if Hamilton, or his spouse Leigh Brackett, were alive today they would approve.
The basic premise remains the same, except Curt Newton is not quite the super scientific genius of Hamilton's tales. There is the living brain Simon Wright, the robot Grag and the android Otho. IPF Officer Joan Randall is updated from her damsel in distress role to competent peace officer.
As this is both origin tale, and an effort to bring together multiple aspects of the Captain Future canon I wonder if Steele's and the publisher's intent is to try for a new space opera/pulp series? Some story points are left open enough to be revisited.
Curt himself is a babe in the woods as both hero and human, after all he was raised by a brain, robot and android, so from a character perspective a writer, and Steele does this to some degree, can play along with Curt learning how to be an adult. Grag and Otho are given a little more than their usual bickering, and Grag actually does come off as a character of his own.
This is a fun read with plenty of daring do, and yes I'm being sparse about the story. The story is a simple affair, and way too easy to give story points away for those who might want to read this.
This is a solid updating of a pulp character that stands alongside well other such updates as being successful (Chris Roberson's Doc Savage, Andy Helfer's Shadow and the Phantom 2040 show).
The basic premise remains the same, except Curt Newton is not quite the super scientific genius of Hamilton's tales. There is the living brain Simon Wright, the robot Grag and the android Otho. IPF Officer Joan Randall is updated from her damsel in distress role to competent peace officer.
As this is both origin tale, and an effort to bring together multiple aspects of the Captain Future canon I wonder if Steele's and the publisher's intent is to try for a new space opera/pulp series? Some story points are left open enough to be revisited.
Curt himself is a babe in the woods as both hero and human, after all he was raised by a brain, robot and android, so from a character perspective a writer, and Steele does this to some degree, can play along with Curt learning how to be an adult. Grag and Otho are given a little more than their usual bickering, and Grag actually does come off as a character of his own.
This is a fun read with plenty of daring do, and yes I'm being sparse about the story. The story is a simple affair, and way too easy to give story points away for those who might want to read this.
This is a solid updating of a pulp character that stands alongside well other such updates as being successful (Chris Roberson's Doc Savage, Andy Helfer's Shadow and the Phantom 2040 show).
February 21, 2018
I wanted to like this book, I really did. However, between the plot, the characters, and the dialogue I couldn't do it. There a holes large enough to fly spaceships sideways through. If you love the use of the Deus ex Machina, you'll love this book. More than once, they'd paint themselves in a corner and then somehow make it out. Every. Single. Time.
There are 3 females in the book. Not lead characters. In the whole book, and one of them is his mom who is dead before the start. The main female existed solely to give the lead something to pine for and ogle. That's about it. Their dialogue was painful at best, cringe inducing at worst. But that's how most of this book is. I fully expected there to be a few cheesy lines here or there. I almost wanted it to have them, being that type of sci-fi. But at times it reads like bad fanfic.
The only part of the book I enjoyed were the few chapters where you learn the backstory of the villain. Rather than explain it in a few paragraphs, you actually see the people involved and experience it first hand, which makes it far more interesting.
Skip this one. Maybe someone will make a movie of it and use the title, the description in the dust jacket, and the names of the characters and throw everything else out. It had so much potential, it just squandered all of it.
There are 3 females in the book. Not lead characters. In the whole book, and one of them is his mom who is dead before the start. The main female existed solely to give the lead something to pine for and ogle. That's about it. Their dialogue was painful at best, cringe inducing at worst. But that's how most of this book is. I fully expected there to be a few cheesy lines here or there. I almost wanted it to have them, being that type of sci-fi. But at times it reads like bad fanfic.
The only part of the book I enjoyed were the few chapters where you learn the backstory of the villain. Rather than explain it in a few paragraphs, you actually see the people involved and experience it first hand, which makes it far more interesting.
Skip this one. Maybe someone will make a movie of it and use the title, the description in the dust jacket, and the names of the characters and throw everything else out. It had so much potential, it just squandered all of it.
November 2, 2017
An interesting book about the (first) adventure of Curt Newton (who takes on the name Captain Future). Raised on the moon by a self-aware android, robot and a brain encased in a drone, he learns who murdered his parents and sets out to avenge them. But as he is about to get his act of revenge, he gets pulled into a plot to assassinate the President of the Solar System. And now he has a new mission: to discover who is behind the assassination attempt.
Using characters from the Edmond Hamilton version of Captain Future, while updating the people, technology and the physical aspects of the Solar System, Steele puts together a pretty good story. Some background information is dumped on to the reader but otherwise, the story flows pretty smooth, starting with how the Newtons get to the moon to the climactic finale on Mars, where Curt has to make some pretty big sacrifices to save his life and those of his companions from the clutches of the Magician of Mars, Ul Quorn.
There are enough left-over elements by the end to make up more stories about Captain Future. We'll just have to see if this is a one off or whether Steele plans to write more stores about the updated version of Captain Future.
Using characters from the Edmond Hamilton version of Captain Future, while updating the people, technology and the physical aspects of the Solar System, Steele puts together a pretty good story. Some background information is dumped on to the reader but otherwise, the story flows pretty smooth, starting with how the Newtons get to the moon to the climactic finale on Mars, where Curt has to make some pretty big sacrifices to save his life and those of his companions from the clutches of the Magician of Mars, Ul Quorn.
There are enough left-over elements by the end to make up more stories about Captain Future. We'll just have to see if this is a one off or whether Steele plans to write more stores about the updated version of Captain Future.
May 8, 2018
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
More than once I have written that I'm a fan of old-fashioned pulp fiction so I knew this would likely be right up my alley. I was familiar only with the basic premise of Captain Future and that it was generally written by Edmond Hamilton. What author Allen Steele has done is provided the reader with back story - or the origin story, if you will.
Curt Newton's mother and father were murdered when he was a child. He has been raised in a hidden bunker on the moon by a robot, an android, and the brain of Professor Simon Wright - a family friend. These three oddities teach and train Curt so that he is the best possible human. He is also raised with a strong moral code to do what is right and protect the innocent.
When Curt learns that his parents' killer is a corrupt businessman and current Senator, he makes it his mission to get out and avenge his parents and to bring down the politician. He creates the persona of 'Captain Future' and with the help of his three unique friends (the robot, android, and disembodied brain) begins his adventure. Along the way, he meets Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force. He's never met another human before this, and the fact that she's quite beautiful has him feeling awkward and tongue-tied around her, though he tries valiantly to play up his Captain Future do-gooder persona. Joan finds him silly, but charming and attractive with his innocence and as she's also trying to right wrongs in the galaxy, she teams up with him. Together they discover that there's a web of conspiracy that runs deep surrounding the Senator and bringing him down won't be an easy task.
Author Allen Steele is clearly knowledgeable of the pulp genre and has taken on this story with the skill of a practiced writer and the enthusiasm of a fan.. He has written the 'origin story' of Captain Future (which lines up with his origins as described in Wikipedia).
Writing pulp fiction for the modern reader is no easy task, and taking a hero from the 1940's pulps and making him interesting and relevant to today's reader is a challenge. But it's a challenge that Steele has taken on and done very well.
I've only read a small amount of Edmond Hamilton (the author of Captain Future books in the 1940's) and nothing of this particular hero, so I can't really compare, but this book has encouraged me to seek out some of the original Captain Future stories and that alone speaks highly of how interesting and exciting this book was. I hope that this will lead to more Captain Future volumes with Steele at the helm.
Looking for a good book? Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele is a modern story of a classic pulp hero and has all the excitement and adventure of the classic pulps but will engage the modern reader well.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
More than once I have written that I'm a fan of old-fashioned pulp fiction so I knew this would likely be right up my alley. I was familiar only with the basic premise of Captain Future and that it was generally written by Edmond Hamilton. What author Allen Steele has done is provided the reader with back story - or the origin story, if you will.
Curt Newton's mother and father were murdered when he was a child. He has been raised in a hidden bunker on the moon by a robot, an android, and the brain of Professor Simon Wright - a family friend. These three oddities teach and train Curt so that he is the best possible human. He is also raised with a strong moral code to do what is right and protect the innocent.
When Curt learns that his parents' killer is a corrupt businessman and current Senator, he makes it his mission to get out and avenge his parents and to bring down the politician. He creates the persona of 'Captain Future' and with the help of his three unique friends (the robot, android, and disembodied brain) begins his adventure. Along the way, he meets Inspector Joan Randall of the Interplanetary Police Force. He's never met another human before this, and the fact that she's quite beautiful has him feeling awkward and tongue-tied around her, though he tries valiantly to play up his Captain Future do-gooder persona. Joan finds him silly, but charming and attractive with his innocence and as she's also trying to right wrongs in the galaxy, she teams up with him. Together they discover that there's a web of conspiracy that runs deep surrounding the Senator and bringing him down won't be an easy task.
Author Allen Steele is clearly knowledgeable of the pulp genre and has taken on this story with the skill of a practiced writer and the enthusiasm of a fan.. He has written the 'origin story' of Captain Future (which lines up with his origins as described in Wikipedia).
Writing pulp fiction for the modern reader is no easy task, and taking a hero from the 1940's pulps and making him interesting and relevant to today's reader is a challenge. But it's a challenge that Steele has taken on and done very well.
I've only read a small amount of Edmond Hamilton (the author of Captain Future books in the 1940's) and nothing of this particular hero, so I can't really compare, but this book has encouraged me to seek out some of the original Captain Future stories and that alone speaks highly of how interesting and exciting this book was. I hope that this will lead to more Captain Future volumes with Steele at the helm.
Looking for a good book? Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele is a modern story of a classic pulp hero and has all the excitement and adventure of the classic pulps but will engage the modern reader well.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2018
It lost points cause all the women who have names is 'beautiful' in this. I don't get why he had to repeatedly bring up beauty. I mean I get Curt hasn't met many women in his life but even the Commander on the spaceship who doesn't even met Curt is mentioned as a beauty.
Anyway, I digress.
This was through and through a classic adventure story.
You have the main character who has a sad origin and trains repeatedly to have revenge.
You have a bad guy who seemingly is in the darkness and nothing much is known about him until he monologues.
You have the female, who is a love interest but she can handle herself.
Then you have the main character's squad of fine personalities.
They all go off on adventures of space and action.
Anyway, this book hinges on the balance of being a bit too short and under-developed. There are some character who are funand you get to know them and the ones who are less fun but you don't get to know them much. I mean even with our Joan, the female lead, you don't know much about her. Granted, I do hope Steele writes a sequel to flesh out these characters he revamped for the modern era. If he does that and starts a five book series, I wouldn't mind the lack of development from characters if they are simply supporting and will be more flesh out as the series goes on.
If this is a one-off, then I wish they had more compelling characters. Granted they did what they needed to do but sometimes they just show up and did their thing and left so it was a bit too convenient and doesn't have much impact character wise rather than narrative wise. Characters just showed up here and then to help move the plot along but it was just too coincidental that it makes you think he just added them in to solve problems cause he couldn't think of a better way to solve them.
On the other hand, It keeps you wanting more. It's not bloated and overstuffed with backstory of characters though Joan really could have been more developed.
Action wise it was nice. Really clear picture of what is going on while fighting in zero-gravity and the such. Though the descriptiveness of the locations were lost on my from time to time despite the fact that I feel like it was important but then it wasn't oo important to know the history of the locations or its people. At times, it felt like he was bringing the history and culture up for the sake of it.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters who were developed and the overall arc. Again, it did end pretty neatly but that's just on me. I do look forward to a sequel from Steele or anybody.
Anyway, I digress.
This was through and through a classic adventure story.
You have the main character who has a sad origin and trains repeatedly to have revenge.
You have a bad guy who seemingly is in the darkness and nothing much is known about him until he monologues.
You have the female, who is a love interest but she can handle herself.
Then you have the main character's squad of fine personalities.
They all go off on adventures of space and action.
Anyway, this book hinges on the balance of being a bit too short and under-developed. There are some character who are funand you get to know them and the ones who are less fun but you don't get to know them much. I mean even with our Joan, the female lead, you don't know much about her. Granted, I do hope Steele writes a sequel to flesh out these characters he revamped for the modern era. If he does that and starts a five book series, I wouldn't mind the lack of development from characters if they are simply supporting and will be more flesh out as the series goes on.
If this is a one-off, then I wish they had more compelling characters. Granted they did what they needed to do but sometimes they just show up and did their thing and left so it was a bit too convenient and doesn't have much impact character wise rather than narrative wise. Characters just showed up here and then to help move the plot along but it was just too coincidental that it makes you think he just added them in to solve problems cause he couldn't think of a better way to solve them.
On the other hand, It keeps you wanting more. It's not bloated and overstuffed with backstory of characters though Joan really could have been more developed.
Action wise it was nice. Really clear picture of what is going on while fighting in zero-gravity and the such. Though the descriptiveness of the locations were lost on my from time to time despite the fact that I feel like it was important but then it wasn't oo important to know the history of the locations or its people. At times, it felt like he was bringing the history and culture up for the sake of it.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters who were developed and the overall arc. Again, it did end pretty neatly but that's just on me. I do look forward to a sequel from Steele or anybody.
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