Masters and Bastards

by Christopher J. Penington

With life on Earth long extinct, human DNA is cultivated to life in a solar system far from home. Human history begins to repeat itself on the new world of Poltervaut. Hundreds of years beyond their industrial revolution, the resurrected human race faces its greatest peril. Greater telepathy--found in a tiny percentage of human beings--has become the most valuable resource in the galaxy. An expansionistic alien empire has launched a mighty armada and invasion force to enslave the human race and harvest human minds. With the aid of telepathy, an empire can communicate at the speed of instantaneous thought, greatly surpassing the speed of light. The clock is ticking for the divided human nations to prepare their defenses. Old nationalistic rivalries flare between the superpowers of Iberia and Scythia even as the alien Vulgari move closer with a seemingly insurmountable force.

Andreas Marset, a young unsuspecting legionary in the Iberian army, must discover his role in the wars to come. As an Arpathian, the conquered people living within the Iberian Empire's borders, Marset belongs to a lower caste of Iberia's residents. Inexplicitly, he is called before the Iberian Imperium and mated to Isabella Caravingian, the bastard daughter of Iberia's Emperor Constantine. Andreas knows only that this apparent break in imperial protocol is the result of years of secret telepathic breeding. Questions abound as to Marset's true identity. Exiled to obscurity in the wars of the colonial worlds in the Rubicon System, Marset begins to unlock the secrets of his gifted mind as he rises in the ranks of the army. Hannah Comzatava, a captured Scythian assassin sent to kill Andreas, may hold the keys to uniting mankind and helping Andreas discover his true destiny in the looming war with the Vulgari.

448 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2017

Reviews

[Petru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masters and Bastards was a power read! Awesome plot! Great characters! Intelligent writing with lots of humor. The scenes we're not overdone and kept the story rolling forward with beautiful imagery. Loved it! Being born and raised in Romania, I found The Hand Bringer riveting. This is a sci-fi- horror story that takes place (mostly) in Transylvania. I'm a big fan of this author's other published book, Masters and Bastards and The Hand Bringer lived up to all of my expectations about C. Penington's somewhat eccentric (crazy-good) writing style. Again: characters, plot, imagery, action, authenticity were all superb! Dialogue- better than Game of Thrones. Action and suspense- heart pounding. I loved his portrayal of my homeland during the medieval period. Except vampires aren't real... or are they? I wonder after reading this joy ride.

[Centfie Valrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book for sci-fi lovers. It comprises of galactic wars, colonial planets, people with supernatural powers and humorous twists. Themes include power, politics, romance, betrayal, war and aliens among others. The book is long but the plot never gets confused. It's a smooth read although some parts are slow.

[Alesia Kempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read !

This is an epic style book that leaves you wanting to explore the worlds and lives of these characters. Perfect for Star Wars fans and those who enjoy tales of a future Earth. Definitely big screen bound.

[Victory (DKB) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andreas Marset, a lowborn arpathian, and a psionipath gets summoned to the Iberian imperium to be interrogated for a crime he didn't commit. He finds himself at the centre of different political machinations and doesn't know who to trust. With his special gifts, he must fight to bring together powerful enemies, to become allies if there's hope of beating an alien invasion. Time is short.

Masters and Bastards is a very entertaining and magic enthralling read. Awesome plot. The author's writing style is very vivid and admirable. Themes of war, survival, betrayal, and politics were explored as the story progressed. What I disliked about the book were the lengthy political discussions. It was a little boring at first but I got used to it as I went deep into the story. My favourite part was the exploration of planets Gideon and Rubicon. It was so real that I imagined myself in the planets' atmosphere. Another favourite part of mine was the military strategies employed by Andreas Marset during the war with the Vulgari alien army.

I would recommend this awesome work of SciFi to adults, lovers of fantasy and adventures, and political drama. There are few strong languages and sexual scenes, so I wouldn't recommend to teenagers and sensitive readers.

[Damis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masters and bastards is an amazing recreation of the power games that we see in our everyday life, but wonderfully describing a whole new universe where the future and the past merge into a single reality. Granted, there are themes that i wouldn't consider fit for all readers, but i personally don't regret the time i spent on it. My only complaint about it (and the reason why i didn't give it five stars) is the way the story seems to be abruptly interrupted in the final chapter, but with no cliffhanger whatsoever, or any further explanation.
I don't know if there's a second part to it, but i wholeheartedly hope so, because with such a wonderful story, it would be a shame not to read it's conclusion.

[Kurisu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was breather for me from the usual genre I am interested in. I don’t typically read fantasy/sci-fi novels, but, surprisingly, I enjoy this one. I can only compare Masters and Bastards to sci-fi movies, so I recommend these to the fans of Star Wars. Also, if you are into tactical warfare like Ender’s Game, this book is for you. I also like that it has a romantic element which I prefer as a reader because it adds up spice to my reading experience. 

View my full review on this link: https://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by...

[Bernaditte G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book by Christopher J. Penington that I have read, and he delivered. The plot is interesting, the twists are surprising, the perspective used is brilliant, and the characters are well-rounded. 

For my complete review, please visit this link: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Cheryl Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted on Amazon.

[Hermania · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's my original review from Online Book Club: Review by Sarpande -- Masters and Bastards.