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Lost Solace #1
Lost Solace
They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back.
And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance.
This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.
Note: this work is 100% human-created, crafted with love by the author. No generative AI has been used in the writing or editing.
And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance.
This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.
Note: this work is 100% human-created, crafted with love by the author. No generative AI has been used in the writing or editing.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2017
130 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Karl Drinkwater
28 books128 followersKarl Drinkwater is an author with a silly name and a thousand-mile stare. He writes dystopian space opera, dark suspense and diverse social fiction. If you want compelling stories and characters worth caring about, then you’re in the right place. Welcome!
Karl lives in Scotland and owns two kilts. He has degrees in librarianship, literature and classics, but also studied astronomy and philosophy. Dolly the cat helps him finish books by sleeping on his lap so he can’t leave the desk. When he isn’t writing he loves music, nature, games and vegan cake.
Go to karldrinkwater.uk to view all his books grouped by genre.
As well as crafting his own fictional worlds, Karl has supported other writers for years with his creative writing workshops, editorial services, articles on writing and publishing, and mentoring of new authors. He’s also judged writing competitions such as the international Bram Stoker Awards, which act as a snapshot of quality contemporary fiction.
DON’T MISS OUT!
Enter your email at karldrinkwater.substack.com to be notified about his new books. Fans mean a lot to him, and replies to the newsletter go straight to his inbox, where every email is read. There is also an option for paid subscribers to support his work: in exchange you receive additional posts and complimentary books.
PRAISE FOR KARL’S WORK
“Drinkwater creates fantastically believable characters.” —On The Shelf Reviews
“Each book remains in my mind for a long time after. Anything he writes is a must-read.” —Pink Quill Books
“Karl Drinkwater has the skill of making it near impossible to stop reading. Expect late nights. Simply outstanding.” —Jera’s Jamboree
“An intelligent and empathetic writer who has a clear understanding of the world around him and the truly horrific experiences life can bring. A literary gem.” —Cooking The Books
“Drinkwater is a dab hand at creating an air of dread.” —Altered Instinct
“A gifted writer. Each book brings its own uniqueness to the table, and a table Drinkwater sets is one I will visit every time." —Scintilla
Karl lives in Scotland and owns two kilts. He has degrees in librarianship, literature and classics, but also studied astronomy and philosophy. Dolly the cat helps him finish books by sleeping on his lap so he can’t leave the desk. When he isn’t writing he loves music, nature, games and vegan cake.
Go to karldrinkwater.uk to view all his books grouped by genre.
As well as crafting his own fictional worlds, Karl has supported other writers for years with his creative writing workshops, editorial services, articles on writing and publishing, and mentoring of new authors. He’s also judged writing competitions such as the international Bram Stoker Awards, which act as a snapshot of quality contemporary fiction.
DON’T MISS OUT!
Enter your email at karldrinkwater.substack.com to be notified about his new books. Fans mean a lot to him, and replies to the newsletter go straight to his inbox, where every email is read. There is also an option for paid subscribers to support his work: in exchange you receive additional posts and complimentary books.
PRAISE FOR KARL’S WORK
“Drinkwater creates fantastically believable characters.” —On The Shelf Reviews
“Each book remains in my mind for a long time after. Anything he writes is a must-read.” —Pink Quill Books
“Karl Drinkwater has the skill of making it near impossible to stop reading. Expect late nights. Simply outstanding.” —Jera’s Jamboree
“An intelligent and empathetic writer who has a clear understanding of the world around him and the truly horrific experiences life can bring. A literary gem.” —Cooking The Books
“Drinkwater is a dab hand at creating an air of dread.” —Altered Instinct
“A gifted writer. Each book brings its own uniqueness to the table, and a table Drinkwater sets is one I will visit every time." —Scintilla
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
December 31, 2017
Science fiction is an easy genre to botch. Too much techno-garble, too little research, too much world building or an overabundant cast of characters; I find most authors lose the core of their story within the infinite array of possibilities they're incapable of leaving alone.
Drinkwater's latest is a great reminder of what makes sci-fi so appealing. Take a strong yet flawed protagonist who needs to accomplish something and then set obstacles in her way. It's not rocket science but man does it make for a compelling story.
The set up here is great, with Opal coming upon a "lost ship" circling the outer rim of a potential black hole, a ship that is far from what it appears to be. It's obvious Drinkwater is a horror author as the tension and atmosphere really keep this novel moving at full speed. Add a lot of questions and intrigue and a dynamic relationship between our protagonist and the ship's AI and you've really got a unique story that's just exceptionally executed.
Part "Alien," part "Cast Away," part "Interstellar," this exceeded my expectations and came in as one of my top Sci-Fi reads for 2017. Definitely worth checking out.
Drinkwater's latest is a great reminder of what makes sci-fi so appealing. Take a strong yet flawed protagonist who needs to accomplish something and then set obstacles in her way. It's not rocket science but man does it make for a compelling story.
The set up here is great, with Opal coming upon a "lost ship" circling the outer rim of a potential black hole, a ship that is far from what it appears to be. It's obvious Drinkwater is a horror author as the tension and atmosphere really keep this novel moving at full speed. Add a lot of questions and intrigue and a dynamic relationship between our protagonist and the ship's AI and you've really got a unique story that's just exceptionally executed.
Part "Alien," part "Cast Away," part "Interstellar," this exceeded my expectations and came in as one of my top Sci-Fi reads for 2017. Definitely worth checking out.
October 22, 2018
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fast paced sci-fi military, the action taking place in space and featuring two main characters: one female ex-space marine, Opal, and her stolen ship’s AI, which she calls Clarissa. The characters quite well defined, and I especially loved their humor.
As for structure, it’s mainly written from the space-op’s PoV, but it also has a little of the AI’s vision. I liked the idea of countdown chapters, and also the graphics for delimiters.
As a downside, it bothered me that the novel focused mainly on action, neglecting the world building and the circumstances leading to the current situation; it does eventually explain some of the precursor events, but dispersed throughout the novel and not enough for my liking.
This is a fast paced sci-fi military, the action taking place in space and featuring two main characters: one female ex-space marine, Opal, and her stolen ship’s AI, which she calls Clarissa. The characters quite well defined, and I especially loved their humor.
You’ve believed in Lost Ships for a long time, haven’t you?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Gut feeling.” “Stomach bacteria have no correlation to mental activity. That makes no sense.”
==========
“What I have been thinking about is the hacking.” Shit. “I order you to forget that line of inquiry.” “What line?” asked Clarissa. Humour or honesty or subterfuge? Sometimes it felt like Opal had made a deal with the devil.
As for structure, it’s mainly written from the space-op’s PoV, but it also has a little of the AI’s vision. I liked the idea of countdown chapters, and also the graphics for delimiters.
"May I ask you a question before you reach the hull? Why do you call me Clarissa? My official designation is ViraUHX.” “It was your voice. Reminded me of someone.” “But I only spoke in this voice because you asked me to and played a sample for me to base myself on. And that was 165 seconds after you renamed me, so it is not possible that my voice was a cause for the naming. It must be the other way round.” “It must be.” “So the voice in the sample presumably belonged to a Clarissa?” “Presumably.” “I think you are being obtuse on purpose.”
As a downside, it bothered me that the novel focused mainly on action, neglecting the world building and the circumstances leading to the current situation; it does eventually explain some of the precursor events, but dispersed throughout the novel and not enough for my liking.
August 18, 2019
I am a sucker for action in a sci-fi thriller, and this book had it all. Karl Drinkwater gave me few hours of absolute bliss where my mind could traverse space and spend time with the main character Opal and her stolen spaceship with an intelligent AI, Clarissa.
Traversing in space, they suddenly came upon a ghost ship, ships which suddenly disappeared and sometimes made its appearance. Seeing one in front of them, Opal decided to aboard it. That started the story rolling. There were layers to the story as Opal's characterization and life history were revealed. Not only had she to deal with the lethal environment of the Ghost Ship, she had to fight the military too. She had stolen/hijacked her own ship after all.
My first book by author Karl Drinkwater gave me a kickass, bold, intelligent heroine who made me travel along with her to the ghost ship. I could feel her emotions and see her dread as she faced the alien environment. She was strong and yet had her weaknesses. She made the book come alive. There were twists to her story that I didn't expect. I liked the way she could think on her feet, when given difficult circumstances.
This was a fast paced story where the author did not allow me to breathe. The horror that slowly creeped in too stole my breath. The ghost ship was different. The author's description and the atmosphere added into its outwardly aura. Tension stretched like a rubber band across the scenes. Few technological terms made it slightly difficult for me to imagine.
The story had its mystery too regarding Opal and her actions. There were battles to be fought, strengths to be tested. Clarissa and Opal made a brilliant combination. The humor in their dialogues made me smile. I liked the way they worked in tandem. They complemented each other. They became friends who helped each other out of love, friendship, and freedom. I liked how the author understood both the women.
Non stop action, fast pace, travel in outer space, ghost ship, fights with military, new decisions, and 2 kickass heroines made this a great read. It checked all the things I like in my sci-fi thriller.
Traversing in space, they suddenly came upon a ghost ship, ships which suddenly disappeared and sometimes made its appearance. Seeing one in front of them, Opal decided to aboard it. That started the story rolling. There were layers to the story as Opal's characterization and life history were revealed. Not only had she to deal with the lethal environment of the Ghost Ship, she had to fight the military too. She had stolen/hijacked her own ship after all.
My first book by author Karl Drinkwater gave me a kickass, bold, intelligent heroine who made me travel along with her to the ghost ship. I could feel her emotions and see her dread as she faced the alien environment. She was strong and yet had her weaknesses. She made the book come alive. There were twists to her story that I didn't expect. I liked the way she could think on her feet, when given difficult circumstances.
This was a fast paced story where the author did not allow me to breathe. The horror that slowly creeped in too stole my breath. The ghost ship was different. The author's description and the atmosphere added into its outwardly aura. Tension stretched like a rubber band across the scenes. Few technological terms made it slightly difficult for me to imagine.
The story had its mystery too regarding Opal and her actions. There were battles to be fought, strengths to be tested. Clarissa and Opal made a brilliant combination. The humor in their dialogues made me smile. I liked the way they worked in tandem. They complemented each other. They became friends who helped each other out of love, friendship, and freedom. I liked how the author understood both the women.
Non stop action, fast pace, travel in outer space, ghost ship, fights with military, new decisions, and 2 kickass heroines made this a great read. It checked all the things I like in my sci-fi thriller.
August 21, 2018
Publishing Date: October 2017
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
ISBN: 9781911278122
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.9/5
Publisher’s Description: The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision. Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
Review: This received good reviews across the board except for one asshat that does not like anything with the military in it. Forget the things that matter like character development, story line etc.
This was epic SciFi at its best with some really creepy shjt underlying the surface. Take Alien and make a horror menagerie out of it and you will get the sense of a place you never want to be. Thankfully the story does not reside solely in the SciFi horror genre but embraces grand world building and believable technology.
A fun read. Get it!
You can read all reviews, here.
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
ISBN: 9781911278122
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.9/5
Publisher’s Description: The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision. Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
Review: This received good reviews across the board except for one asshat that does not like anything with the military in it. Forget the things that matter like character development, story line etc.
This was epic SciFi at its best with some really creepy shjt underlying the surface. Take Alien and make a horror menagerie out of it and you will get the sense of a place you never want to be. Thankfully the story does not reside solely in the SciFi horror genre but embraces grand world building and believable technology.
A fun read. Get it!
You can read all reviews, here.
March 27, 2018
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2018/0...
I love how, with the help of a writer’s words, our imagination can take us anywhere at all. For a couple of days I’ve been in deep space, confronting all sorts of challenges that have taken me to the edge of life and back, all done with the assistance of a 6th gen AI who is closer to me than anyone else in my life.
Magic? Oh yes.
I loved the fact we have two (I’m counting Clarissa, the AI in this) strong female leads who make split second decisions from very limited options, showing true grit and resilience. Who are not adverse to breaking the rules to get what’s needed and pushing through to the end and yet are loyal and steadfast. An appearance from a senior member of the military only serves to highlight issues of freedom and morality. Do you follow what you know to be true or do you bend your knee to the hierarchy? It’s not until later on that we find out for sure what drives Opal’s behaviour. For once it didn’t matter to me. She had my vote from the beginning. All readers will be able to able to identify with the psychology that underpins the story as well as feel a connection to Opal.
I was interested in the technological side of the story. Not that I know much about hardware and software or military programmes so it could all be a load of hokum but I did find it fascinating! I often forgot that Clarissa was an AI …
The challenges and action keep moving at a fabulous pace. And what a setting! Within the space ship, so many nooks and rooms as well as open walkways for anything to happen. I was quite happy to be ‘blind’, with no expectations of what might come next, to let Karl Drinkwater lead me on through this alien territory. I knew whatever was coming would up my adrenalin and get me sitting on the edge of my seat. Plenty of those moments throughout Lost Solace.
I’m hoping there will be a sequel! What are the consequences? What happens about the stowaway? What happens when they get to the coordinates? I don’t have an issue when a story ends and I have questions because it can lead your imagination to all sorts of places. However, I would love more from Opal and Clarissa 🙂 I think Lost Solace would make an awesome console game.
This has been a fast paced read for me and a story I have no hesitation in recommending.
I love how, with the help of a writer’s words, our imagination can take us anywhere at all. For a couple of days I’ve been in deep space, confronting all sorts of challenges that have taken me to the edge of life and back, all done with the assistance of a 6th gen AI who is closer to me than anyone else in my life.
Magic? Oh yes.
I loved the fact we have two (I’m counting Clarissa, the AI in this) strong female leads who make split second decisions from very limited options, showing true grit and resilience. Who are not adverse to breaking the rules to get what’s needed and pushing through to the end and yet are loyal and steadfast. An appearance from a senior member of the military only serves to highlight issues of freedom and morality. Do you follow what you know to be true or do you bend your knee to the hierarchy? It’s not until later on that we find out for sure what drives Opal’s behaviour. For once it didn’t matter to me. She had my vote from the beginning. All readers will be able to able to identify with the psychology that underpins the story as well as feel a connection to Opal.
I was interested in the technological side of the story. Not that I know much about hardware and software or military programmes so it could all be a load of hokum but I did find it fascinating! I often forgot that Clarissa was an AI …
The challenges and action keep moving at a fabulous pace. And what a setting! Within the space ship, so many nooks and rooms as well as open walkways for anything to happen. I was quite happy to be ‘blind’, with no expectations of what might come next, to let Karl Drinkwater lead me on through this alien territory. I knew whatever was coming would up my adrenalin and get me sitting on the edge of my seat. Plenty of those moments throughout Lost Solace.
I’m hoping there will be a sequel! What are the consequences? What happens about the stowaway? What happens when they get to the coordinates? I don’t have an issue when a story ends and I have questions because it can lead your imagination to all sorts of places. However, I would love more from Opal and Clarissa 🙂 I think Lost Solace would make an awesome console game.
This has been a fast paced read for me and a story I have no hesitation in recommending.
August 6, 2018
It would be fair to preface this review by stating that it mainly reflects the lack of chemistry than any fault of the author per se. I just don’t care for military sci fi, at all. Or military other things for that matter. I was hoping for something like a ghost spaceship and this turned out to be more of an action driven wham bam explosive sort of adventure and while there certainly is the right audience for that out there, I’m not it. Other than that and objectively the author did a very good job. I’ve never heard his name outside of basic hydrating advice, looks like he’s been around for a while and dabbles in a variety of speculative genres, it’s entirely possible that his scarier thrillers might be more up my alley. The writing was good. The plot of a woman and her AI on a quest to find someone while battling space marines and sexybots and so on was absolutely uninteresting to me, and I really tried to get into it, but it was just one prolonged action sequence with very minor and dramatically insufficient respite provided by the fun repartee between the aforementioned woman and her AI. Actually the first 40some% in when I made the effort, that was mostly tech and not quite as tedious as the subsequent action that resulted in abandoning all interest and just finishing the book on an autopilot. In fact the entire book sort of read like a first person player perspective in a video game narrated in great detail. Again…someone out there must be into this sort of thing. So yeah, kudos to the author for creating a strong female protagonist and dedicating the book to strong women everywhere…aww…but barely readable for me, quick as it was, and certainly no interest in the sequel. For me good science fiction is about world building, elaborate plots, awesome flights of imagination. Mind has to be boggled, not merely addled by the constant barrage of action scenes or exhausted by technological descriptions. So more about where the ship is going instead of how it is propelling itself through space. Personal preference. So not this book. Thanks Netgalley.
February 9, 2019
My review of Lost Solace can be found at High Fever Books.
Sometimes ships mysteriously disappear in space, marooned amongst the stars, cut off from all forms of communication, their whereabouts unknown. But sometimes…sometimes, these lost ships come back.
Such is the premise of Karl Drinkwater’s Lost Solace, which finds former military grunt, Opal, hijacking an experimental ship and hacking its AI in order to recover one of these lost vessels. What she finds, though, is not entirely what she expects. The lost ship has been altered in odd ways, an alien fungus clinging to its interior walls, and the odd feeling of…something…a presence inhuman. Finding herself aboard an otherwise desolate ghost ship is one thing; being pursued by the military looking to recover their stolen ship and court martial her on all kinds of various charges is another, a particular complication she doesn’t need but must contend with. Or die trying.
Drinkwater layers Lost Solace with a number of mysteries, first and foremost being the secrets behind the derelict cruise liner, both its disappearance and its transformation. But there’s also the question of why Opal stole the specific ship she did, why the military is so desperate to get it back, and why she has reprogrammed the ship’s AI to model a woman named Clarissa.
Surrounding all these mysteries is plenty of action. Every step of Opal’s journey is complicated further and further by outside forces, and it’s always interesting to see what the author has up his sleeve to force his protagonist into a position of struggle. Drinkwater excels at making Opal struggle, wrinkling every one of her plans with unexpected dangers and opposition.
Thankfully, Opal is up to these challenges. She’s an intelligent and resourceful heroine, one who relies on her brains just as much as, if not more-so than, her brawn. She’s smart and bold, and Drinkwater constantly keeps you guessing how she’s going to get out of whatever particular corner she’s been boxed into. Clarissa is an excellent counterpart, both friend and ally, to Opal, and their relationship develops a richness the more it deepens, borne initially out of a fight for survival, but also a mutual admiration and respect. As an artificial intelligence, Clarissa is clearly smarter than Opal thanks to raw processing power, but both find ways to complement each other in both skills and brains.
Complementing the material nicely is Marisha Tapera, who reads Lost Solace with solid efficiency. She has a good vocal range, giving Opal, Clarissa, Clarissa’s unhacked default AI mode, and the various tertiary characters that weave in and out of the story their own distinct voices and characteristics. There’s no mistaking one character for another. Her Opal has a confident authority befitting her skills and military tenure, whereas her Clarissa is very young, almost childish in tone, which helps to emphasize the relationship between these two figures marvelously.
Lost Solace is an intelligent work of science fiction, one that is quite literally built around the brain of its smart, highly adept female (or female-identifying in the case of the AI) protagonists. It’s packed with plenty of action, to be sure, but it’s much, much smarter than your typical run-and-gun sci-fi romp.
Sometimes ships mysteriously disappear in space, marooned amongst the stars, cut off from all forms of communication, their whereabouts unknown. But sometimes…sometimes, these lost ships come back.
Such is the premise of Karl Drinkwater’s Lost Solace, which finds former military grunt, Opal, hijacking an experimental ship and hacking its AI in order to recover one of these lost vessels. What she finds, though, is not entirely what she expects. The lost ship has been altered in odd ways, an alien fungus clinging to its interior walls, and the odd feeling of…something…a presence inhuman. Finding herself aboard an otherwise desolate ghost ship is one thing; being pursued by the military looking to recover their stolen ship and court martial her on all kinds of various charges is another, a particular complication she doesn’t need but must contend with. Or die trying.
Drinkwater layers Lost Solace with a number of mysteries, first and foremost being the secrets behind the derelict cruise liner, both its disappearance and its transformation. But there’s also the question of why Opal stole the specific ship she did, why the military is so desperate to get it back, and why she has reprogrammed the ship’s AI to model a woman named Clarissa.
Surrounding all these mysteries is plenty of action. Every step of Opal’s journey is complicated further and further by outside forces, and it’s always interesting to see what the author has up his sleeve to force his protagonist into a position of struggle. Drinkwater excels at making Opal struggle, wrinkling every one of her plans with unexpected dangers and opposition.
Thankfully, Opal is up to these challenges. She’s an intelligent and resourceful heroine, one who relies on her brains just as much as, if not more-so than, her brawn. She’s smart and bold, and Drinkwater constantly keeps you guessing how she’s going to get out of whatever particular corner she’s been boxed into. Clarissa is an excellent counterpart, both friend and ally, to Opal, and their relationship develops a richness the more it deepens, borne initially out of a fight for survival, but also a mutual admiration and respect. As an artificial intelligence, Clarissa is clearly smarter than Opal thanks to raw processing power, but both find ways to complement each other in both skills and brains.
Complementing the material nicely is Marisha Tapera, who reads Lost Solace with solid efficiency. She has a good vocal range, giving Opal, Clarissa, Clarissa’s unhacked default AI mode, and the various tertiary characters that weave in and out of the story their own distinct voices and characteristics. There’s no mistaking one character for another. Her Opal has a confident authority befitting her skills and military tenure, whereas her Clarissa is very young, almost childish in tone, which helps to emphasize the relationship between these two figures marvelously.
Lost Solace is an intelligent work of science fiction, one that is quite literally built around the brain of its smart, highly adept female (or female-identifying in the case of the AI) protagonists. It’s packed with plenty of action, to be sure, but it’s much, much smarter than your typical run-and-gun sci-fi romp.
May 10, 2020
Well, after reading Helene, I wanted to know what happened to Opal and Via . . . . and now I know what happened next - though the story continues on in Chasing Solace and I'm looking forward to reading that, too!
This is a superbly crafted science fiction adventure with a feisty, resilient heroine, Opal, who is on a mission and has stolen an experimental AI controlled spaceship to help her in her quest. The AI controlling the ship Opal calls Clarissa and together they've escaped the military and journeyed to a Lost Ship. As Opal endeavours to board the ship, she'll need all the support she can get as nothing can prepare her for what she'll find in this action packed adventure!
Opal is a strong protagonist but, as in the best of stories, she has her unique flaws which make her more realistic. Her interactions with 'Clarissa' are great - their banter entertaining and the humour had me laughing out loud at times. The plot has believable world building, the events and characters are superbly portrayed and the whole story flows but is so packed with surprising twists and turns it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The first book in this series, Helene, gives the background to the AI's development. I suspect you could read this without having read that one but I enjoyed that one so highly recommend you read both!
Although I was gifted a copy of this book, this is still my honest review after choosing to read it and finding it absolutely fascinating - I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in this series soon!
This is a superbly crafted science fiction adventure with a feisty, resilient heroine, Opal, who is on a mission and has stolen an experimental AI controlled spaceship to help her in her quest. The AI controlling the ship Opal calls Clarissa and together they've escaped the military and journeyed to a Lost Ship. As Opal endeavours to board the ship, she'll need all the support she can get as nothing can prepare her for what she'll find in this action packed adventure!
Opal is a strong protagonist but, as in the best of stories, she has her unique flaws which make her more realistic. Her interactions with 'Clarissa' are great - their banter entertaining and the humour had me laughing out loud at times. The plot has believable world building, the events and characters are superbly portrayed and the whole story flows but is so packed with surprising twists and turns it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The first book in this series, Helene, gives the background to the AI's development. I suspect you could read this without having read that one but I enjoyed that one so highly recommend you read both!
Although I was gifted a copy of this book, this is still my honest review after choosing to read it and finding it absolutely fascinating - I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in this series soon!
January 25, 2019
As I read this book, I could not help but be reminded of two cautionary tales by Stephen King: "Sometimes They Come Back" and "Sometimes They Come Back Again."
I thought of these in terms of their titles, because LOST SOLACE is a captivating science fiction novel whose premise is just that:
Sometimes they come back.
In this case, "they" refers to missing spaceships, those who entered Null space and then never exited--or at least not in the known universe. Nobody knows where these ships went, where they are, or if they will ever return. Except sometimes they do return. Sometimes they are recoverable for salvage. Sometimes they don't return uninhabited.
LOST SOLACE stars two delightfully strong female protagonists. One is human (Opal); one is AI (Clarissa). Clarissa herself is part of a ship Opal has acquired. The dialogues and interaction between these two is priceless: sometimes snarky, sometimes comforting, all times entertaining. Opal has just located a Lost Ship; unfortunately, said vessel is now trapped in the gravity well of a Neutron Star, so it is close to falling into oblivion, permanently lost. But Opal is determined to board it; this Lost Ship may carry what she's spent a lifetime searching. Now, she just has to board, search, and leave before this Lost Ship is lost forever, and Opal with it.
I thought of these in terms of their titles, because LOST SOLACE is a captivating science fiction novel whose premise is just that:
Sometimes they come back.
In this case, "they" refers to missing spaceships, those who entered Null space and then never exited--or at least not in the known universe. Nobody knows where these ships went, where they are, or if they will ever return. Except sometimes they do return. Sometimes they are recoverable for salvage. Sometimes they don't return uninhabited.
LOST SOLACE stars two delightfully strong female protagonists. One is human (Opal); one is AI (Clarissa). Clarissa herself is part of a ship Opal has acquired. The dialogues and interaction between these two is priceless: sometimes snarky, sometimes comforting, all times entertaining. Opal has just located a Lost Ship; unfortunately, said vessel is now trapped in the gravity well of a Neutron Star, so it is close to falling into oblivion, permanently lost. But Opal is determined to board it; this Lost Ship may carry what she's spent a lifetime searching. Now, she just has to board, search, and leave before this Lost Ship is lost forever, and Opal with it.
November 5, 2017
There was a time when you would be hard pushed to find a science fiction novel with a female main character. As I noted when re-reading Asimov's Foundation, in 189 pages, women appear on just five pages - and they're very much supporting cast. But the majority of new SF novels I've read this year have had female main characters, including The Real Town Murders, Austral and Andy Weir's upcoming Artemis.
That's certainly the case in Karl Drinkwater's engaging Lost Solace. It's really a two hander between military renegade Opal and her ship's AI, Clarissa. There are a few male characters, but they are either non-speaking troops she battles or a major with whom she has a couple of short video conversations. That summary gives an unfair military flavour to the whole thing - in practice, the majority of the action, which is practically non-stop throughout the book, involves Opal trying to survive as she explores a mysterious, apparently abandoned liner in a decaying orbit around a neutron star.
The whole book takes place in real time, which adds to the claustrophobic tension of Opal's adventures, mostly while cooped up in an armoured space suit. It's pretty well impossible not to relate to Opal's character, even though she is apparently enough of a psychopath to be unfazed by killing hundreds of people to achieve her goal. The ship she explores is distinctly weird with some elegantly nasty touches thrown in by Drinkwater - and Clarissa brings in a really interesting AI side to the whole thing.
The only real downside with the setting and the real time action is that Opal has very little interaction with other people, which is usually the central core of a novel. There are also a few oddities - she (and Clarissa) take an awfully long time to realise what's pretty obvious about the abandoned liner, and the ending feels a little rushed and too much like a lead on to the next book, rather than giving much sense of conclusion.
Despite that, it was a book which I read with enthusiasm, wanting to find out what comes next, involving a good deal of atmosphere, particularly on the liner, plus some satisfying David vs Goliath work. Assuming this is the first of a series, I await the next with interest.
That's certainly the case in Karl Drinkwater's engaging Lost Solace. It's really a two hander between military renegade Opal and her ship's AI, Clarissa. There are a few male characters, but they are either non-speaking troops she battles or a major with whom she has a couple of short video conversations. That summary gives an unfair military flavour to the whole thing - in practice, the majority of the action, which is practically non-stop throughout the book, involves Opal trying to survive as she explores a mysterious, apparently abandoned liner in a decaying orbit around a neutron star.
The whole book takes place in real time, which adds to the claustrophobic tension of Opal's adventures, mostly while cooped up in an armoured space suit. It's pretty well impossible not to relate to Opal's character, even though she is apparently enough of a psychopath to be unfazed by killing hundreds of people to achieve her goal. The ship she explores is distinctly weird with some elegantly nasty touches thrown in by Drinkwater - and Clarissa brings in a really interesting AI side to the whole thing.
The only real downside with the setting and the real time action is that Opal has very little interaction with other people, which is usually the central core of a novel. There are also a few oddities - she (and Clarissa) take an awfully long time to realise what's pretty obvious about the abandoned liner, and the ending feels a little rushed and too much like a lead on to the next book, rather than giving much sense of conclusion.
Despite that, it was a book which I read with enthusiasm, wanting to find out what comes next, involving a good deal of atmosphere, particularly on the liner, plus some satisfying David vs Goliath work. Assuming this is the first of a series, I await the next with interest.
April 4, 2024
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Lost Solace' by Karl Drinkwater and Narrated by Marisha Tapera
Read and reviewed via Spotify for Karl Drinkwater, Marisha Tapera, Organic Apocalypse and Rachel's Random resources Tours.
Publication dates: paperback: 15th October 2017. Kindle: 31st October 2017. Audiobook: 25th April 2022.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in Karl's 'Lost Solace' series.
This novel consists of 27 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is very well written and narrated and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.
The first thing I want to point out is that although this is a science fiction book, if you are not a fan of science fiction PLEASE DO NOT LET THIS PUT YOU OFF!! I am not a fan of science fiction at all but when I seen in the synopsis there was horror involved, well I am a HUGE horror fan so just had to give it a read!! I must say I was very was pleasantly surprised that I really got sucked into the storyline from beginning to end and I would actually read or listen to the rest of the books in this series!!! In this book we meet Opal who is a futuristic treasure hunter and her loyal AI Clarissa, named so after Opal's sister Clarissa. Opal and Clarissa are travelling through space searching for something important to her. They come across a Lost Ship which Clarissa believes that it may give her the answers to clues that she needs. When they board the ship Opal and Clarissa quickly discover that they are not alone. This is one of those books that I cant say much more about the storyline itself as it is too risky that I will give something away. What I will say is that when you pick up a copy of 'Lost Solace' get ready to go on an adventure ram packed with action, humour, science fiction, conflict, aliens, space, deadly creatures, mystery, horror, suspense, danger, military, horror, military, tension, loneliness, fights, friendship and much more!! Opal is a fantastic flawed, determined and strong female protagonist and although Clarissa is AI she begins to show more personality as you turn the pages with humour and banter between Clarissa and Opal. Although Clarissa is AI it is clear to see that Opal and Clarissa have developed a sort of protective bond with each other, looking out for each other, bantering at times and making witty comments and they both work great together as a team. Thanks to Karl's brilliant descriptions and Marisha's clear narration they both ensure the reader feels the fear, tension, comfort, friendship, horror and humour that Clarissa is going through as you traverse the pages. This is a truly unique storyline which is hard to come by after reading hundreds of books so congratulations Karl. I am intrigued with several of his other book look more horror based and Im looking forward to reading more books in this series as well as some of his horror work being a huge horror fan myself!! i also think that this would make an absolutely incredible movie!
This is one of those few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but for the second time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Marisha Tapera who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Marisha did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Karl but also to listening to more books narrated by Marisha!
Overall a unique science fiction filled with action, horror and more that will keep you hooked from beginning to end
232 pages/ 6 hours 59 minutes.
This book is just £2.49 to purchase on kindle, £10.50 in paperback and £13.12 for the audiobook via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
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Review for 'Lost Solace' by Karl Drinkwater and Narrated by Marisha Tapera
Read and reviewed via Spotify for Karl Drinkwater, Marisha Tapera, Organic Apocalypse and Rachel's Random resources Tours.
Publication dates: paperback: 15th October 2017. Kindle: 31st October 2017. Audiobook: 25th April 2022.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in Karl's 'Lost Solace' series.
This novel consists of 27 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is very well written and narrated and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.
The first thing I want to point out is that although this is a science fiction book, if you are not a fan of science fiction PLEASE DO NOT LET THIS PUT YOU OFF!! I am not a fan of science fiction at all but when I seen in the synopsis there was horror involved, well I am a HUGE horror fan so just had to give it a read!! I must say I was very was pleasantly surprised that I really got sucked into the storyline from beginning to end and I would actually read or listen to the rest of the books in this series!!! In this book we meet Opal who is a futuristic treasure hunter and her loyal AI Clarissa, named so after Opal's sister Clarissa. Opal and Clarissa are travelling through space searching for something important to her. They come across a Lost Ship which Clarissa believes that it may give her the answers to clues that she needs. When they board the ship Opal and Clarissa quickly discover that they are not alone. This is one of those books that I cant say much more about the storyline itself as it is too risky that I will give something away. What I will say is that when you pick up a copy of 'Lost Solace' get ready to go on an adventure ram packed with action, humour, science fiction, conflict, aliens, space, deadly creatures, mystery, horror, suspense, danger, military, horror, military, tension, loneliness, fights, friendship and much more!! Opal is a fantastic flawed, determined and strong female protagonist and although Clarissa is AI she begins to show more personality as you turn the pages with humour and banter between Clarissa and Opal. Although Clarissa is AI it is clear to see that Opal and Clarissa have developed a sort of protective bond with each other, looking out for each other, bantering at times and making witty comments and they both work great together as a team. Thanks to Karl's brilliant descriptions and Marisha's clear narration they both ensure the reader feels the fear, tension, comfort, friendship, horror and humour that Clarissa is going through as you traverse the pages. This is a truly unique storyline which is hard to come by after reading hundreds of books so congratulations Karl. I am intrigued with several of his other book look more horror based and Im looking forward to reading more books in this series as well as some of his horror work being a huge horror fan myself!! i also think that this would make an absolutely incredible movie!
This is one of those few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but for the second time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Marisha Tapera who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Marisha did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Karl but also to listening to more books narrated by Marisha!
Overall a unique science fiction filled with action, horror and more that will keep you hooked from beginning to end
232 pages/ 6 hours 59 minutes.
This book is just £2.49 to purchase on kindle, £10.50 in paperback and £13.12 for the audiobook via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#LostSolace #LostSolaceBook1 #KarlDrinkwater #MarishaTapera #OrganicApocalypse #Spotify #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #Amazon #AmazonKindle #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #Audible #Audiobook
@LostSolace @LostSolaceBook1 @KarlDrinkwater @MarishaTapera @OrganicApocalypse @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @Audible @Audiobook @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger
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July 11, 2020
Lost Solace is a well written, thoughtful and fast-paced Sci-Fi thriller that was actually a lot more military-focussed and action heavy than I was expecting.
Our main character, Opal is a very capable soldier. At her aid is a specialised space suit, which I found really cool! She also has the assistance of the AI of her stolen ship, affectionately renamed ‘Clarissa’ – more on her later.
The battle suit, despite being pretty much pure sci-fi was very believable – its augmentations theoretically possible one day. It reminded me a little of when The Terminator is able to bring up diagnostics. The suit, with the help of the connected AI, serves a similar purpose and provides recycled water, oxygen, protection and increased strength and speed, etc.
We get our first hint that this is going to be quite an action packed book when Opal gets set to board the Lost Ship and the array of weaponry at her disposal is revealed (and what she chooses to equip).
This did give me as someone who used to game a lot a bit of a video game vibe (not intended as a criticism) which actually continued through much of the book. The story does play out very much like an action game in many respects, with intense bursts of conflict layered between exploration and discovering the next area. Most of the book sticks to this formula.
In doing so, the slow exposition and building of the world is sacrificed somewhat to cater for the tension, action and exploration scenes. This does work well though in giving us the same into the unknown feeling as Opal; we don’t really need to know anything else about planets, cultures etc. in this story when it’s focus is on Opal’s personal mission, not the introduction of a world.
I had seen this book a few times likened to Alien, though I wouldn’t say it has the sheer terror and suspense – if I had to liken it to that universe it would be Prometheus or possibly Covenant; space thrillers that aren’t intended to be pure horror like the original Alien, but still capture that exploration of the unknown and creepy alien biologies. There isn’t anything particularly nightmarish though and I think this book would be ok for teenagers providing a bit of swearing is ok. That’s not to say the suspense isn’t well done. I just didn’t feel there was anything to really haunt your dreams.
Something Lost Solace most definitely does have in common with all the Alien films is a strong female lead. It was refreshing to read a strong, dark skinned female as the sole lead and the character you are alongside all the way through. It’s easy to warm to Opal which is important when you don’t change character POVs throughout the book. What I also liked is that although she’s likeable, she is also human. One of my pet hates is when characters always manage to find themselves in a position where they don’t have to make the horrible decision. They can live without any regret or reflection on what they’ve done and maintain that air of undisputable moral authority. Opal makes tough decisions, she weighs up the advantages and the disadvantages. Although she’s obviously a person with a code of honour, she will do what she must to survive.
Clarissa, the onboard AI is also a shining light throughout the book. Her interactions with Opal are great, and it’s genuinely thought provoking to consider the value of AI consciousness. It’s something I’ve been thinking of when I’m daydreaming, having encountered sentient ships in Skyward and Embers of War and now a similar onboard AI in Clarissa.
Even if made up of a computer algorithm or pages of complex code, if an AI has self awareness, does that make their consciousness less important than a human’s, when they can think, question, desire to live? The main purpose of the AI through the story though is to give Opal an advantage against the enemies she faces – military space marines, mostly. She manages to outsmart them and put her training to good use too through her skill and intelligence, but you can only just manage to believe her survivability with the aid of the AI or the odds against her would just be too great to overcome. When does the hero of any similar story ever face even odds though?
I recently had to put a book on hold for a bit for being too slow. At this current moment in time I’m feeling quite a rushed reader and so this book’s pacing really suited my reading requirements. There are no boring lulls, the plot consistently interesting throughout.
I think the style of this book works well but future books could do with more depth if the author is intending it to be a multiple book series. I imagine this would inevitably be layered in organically though with a building of the wider story. If you are looking for a quick, fast paced and action heavy book it would still work as a standalone but you are left with most of the answers to be revealed in the next book! I think fans of Mass Effect and Lost in Space would enjoy it, as well as incorporating some of the curious unknown aspects of the Dead Space games & Alien films.
3.5/5
Our main character, Opal is a very capable soldier. At her aid is a specialised space suit, which I found really cool! She also has the assistance of the AI of her stolen ship, affectionately renamed ‘Clarissa’ – more on her later.
The battle suit, despite being pretty much pure sci-fi was very believable – its augmentations theoretically possible one day. It reminded me a little of when The Terminator is able to bring up diagnostics. The suit, with the help of the connected AI, serves a similar purpose and provides recycled water, oxygen, protection and increased strength and speed, etc.
We get our first hint that this is going to be quite an action packed book when Opal gets set to board the Lost Ship and the array of weaponry at her disposal is revealed (and what she chooses to equip).
This did give me as someone who used to game a lot a bit of a video game vibe (not intended as a criticism) which actually continued through much of the book. The story does play out very much like an action game in many respects, with intense bursts of conflict layered between exploration and discovering the next area. Most of the book sticks to this formula.
In doing so, the slow exposition and building of the world is sacrificed somewhat to cater for the tension, action and exploration scenes. This does work well though in giving us the same into the unknown feeling as Opal; we don’t really need to know anything else about planets, cultures etc. in this story when it’s focus is on Opal’s personal mission, not the introduction of a world.
I had seen this book a few times likened to Alien, though I wouldn’t say it has the sheer terror and suspense – if I had to liken it to that universe it would be Prometheus or possibly Covenant; space thrillers that aren’t intended to be pure horror like the original Alien, but still capture that exploration of the unknown and creepy alien biologies. There isn’t anything particularly nightmarish though and I think this book would be ok for teenagers providing a bit of swearing is ok. That’s not to say the suspense isn’t well done. I just didn’t feel there was anything to really haunt your dreams.
Something Lost Solace most definitely does have in common with all the Alien films is a strong female lead. It was refreshing to read a strong, dark skinned female as the sole lead and the character you are alongside all the way through. It’s easy to warm to Opal which is important when you don’t change character POVs throughout the book. What I also liked is that although she’s likeable, she is also human. One of my pet hates is when characters always manage to find themselves in a position where they don’t have to make the horrible decision. They can live without any regret or reflection on what they’ve done and maintain that air of undisputable moral authority. Opal makes tough decisions, she weighs up the advantages and the disadvantages. Although she’s obviously a person with a code of honour, she will do what she must to survive.
Clarissa, the onboard AI is also a shining light throughout the book. Her interactions with Opal are great, and it’s genuinely thought provoking to consider the value of AI consciousness. It’s something I’ve been thinking of when I’m daydreaming, having encountered sentient ships in Skyward and Embers of War and now a similar onboard AI in Clarissa.
Even if made up of a computer algorithm or pages of complex code, if an AI has self awareness, does that make their consciousness less important than a human’s, when they can think, question, desire to live? The main purpose of the AI through the story though is to give Opal an advantage against the enemies she faces – military space marines, mostly. She manages to outsmart them and put her training to good use too through her skill and intelligence, but you can only just manage to believe her survivability with the aid of the AI or the odds against her would just be too great to overcome. When does the hero of any similar story ever face even odds though?
I recently had to put a book on hold for a bit for being too slow. At this current moment in time I’m feeling quite a rushed reader and so this book’s pacing really suited my reading requirements. There are no boring lulls, the plot consistently interesting throughout.
I think the style of this book works well but future books could do with more depth if the author is intending it to be a multiple book series. I imagine this would inevitably be layered in organically though with a building of the wider story. If you are looking for a quick, fast paced and action heavy book it would still work as a standalone but you are left with most of the answers to be revealed in the next book! I think fans of Mass Effect and Lost in Space would enjoy it, as well as incorporating some of the curious unknown aspects of the Dead Space games & Alien films.
3.5/5
November 15, 2017
Time taken to read - 1 day
Pages - 273
Publisher - Organic Apocalypse
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.
Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.
Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
Can she face her demons and survive?
My Review
Opal is a woman on a mission, she has stolen a ship and took off looking for one of the Lost Ships, many have gone missing and rumours of horror on those that come back altered, Opal is driven to find one specific ship. With an experimental artifical intelligence (AI) built in, that she calls Clarissa, Opal puts her very life at risk both from the military and what lies waiting in the Lost Ship.
Oooh think Event Horizon with a bit of "Mother" from the Alien movies and that was the overall feel when I first started this book. The AI is a brilliant character add as just one human in space would take a lot of work to make engaging. The story breaks down into a fair few parts, the journey to find the Lost Ship, the understanding and development of the AI as the story unfolds. The bad guys who are chasing her, what lies within the ship awaiting and everything that transpires after.
The action on the ship is creepy and you are left with questions, well I was and sought out the author to find out if there will be another visit to this story. Thankfully there will be as I hate being left with unanswered questions and we are going to get another two books woohoo!
Opal is a fantastic character, complex, a history we learn a bit more about as we read on, she is heroic, loyal, strong and long long overdue in fiction. I loved the AI too and the relationship that formed between the two, the balsy choices and bravery through frightening encounters and life and death situations.
Whilst the build up was slow in the very beginning it created a tense, claustrophic and eerie atmosphere, perfect for space and kept me flying through page after page. Where was it going, could I trust X,Y,Z or rather could Opal, her choices, was that right, what would happen! I love when a book keeps you on your toes and I think sci-fi is such a tough genre as fans can be hyper critical. I thought this was a great opening to new characters and definitely a foundation book, the origins are done now I can't wait for the meat of it all, the where, why, what are they, what is next! 4/5 for me this time, I have read this author before but not this particular genre from them, I very much look forward to the next installment and will be rooting on my fav character(s).
Pages - 273
Publisher - Organic Apocalypse
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.
Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.
Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
Can she face her demons and survive?
My Review
Opal is a woman on a mission, she has stolen a ship and took off looking for one of the Lost Ships, many have gone missing and rumours of horror on those that come back altered, Opal is driven to find one specific ship. With an experimental artifical intelligence (AI) built in, that she calls Clarissa, Opal puts her very life at risk both from the military and what lies waiting in the Lost Ship.
Oooh think Event Horizon with a bit of "Mother" from the Alien movies and that was the overall feel when I first started this book. The AI is a brilliant character add as just one human in space would take a lot of work to make engaging. The story breaks down into a fair few parts, the journey to find the Lost Ship, the understanding and development of the AI as the story unfolds. The bad guys who are chasing her, what lies within the ship awaiting and everything that transpires after.
The action on the ship is creepy and you are left with questions, well I was and sought out the author to find out if there will be another visit to this story. Thankfully there will be as I hate being left with unanswered questions and we are going to get another two books woohoo!
Opal is a fantastic character, complex, a history we learn a bit more about as we read on, she is heroic, loyal, strong and long long overdue in fiction. I loved the AI too and the relationship that formed between the two, the balsy choices and bravery through frightening encounters and life and death situations.
Whilst the build up was slow in the very beginning it created a tense, claustrophic and eerie atmosphere, perfect for space and kept me flying through page after page. Where was it going, could I trust X,Y,Z or rather could Opal, her choices, was that right, what would happen! I love when a book keeps you on your toes and I think sci-fi is such a tough genre as fans can be hyper critical. I thought this was a great opening to new characters and definitely a foundation book, the origins are done now I can't wait for the meat of it all, the where, why, what are they, what is next! 4/5 for me this time, I have read this author before but not this particular genre from them, I very much look forward to the next installment and will be rooting on my fav character(s).
October 21, 2017
I'm giving a spoiler away for my Twelve Books Of Christmas by saying that Lost Solace is 100% on that list! I absolutely loved this book. It's been a while since I read my last sci-fi (that isn't Star Wars related) novel and Lost Solace made me remember just how much I love the genre.
Opal is a kick ass protagonist and I instantly felt a connection with her. She knows she isn't perfect but she is determined and passionate. Over the course of the story we learn snippets about Opal and her life before Lost Solace, each bit makes me want to know even more and find out what she has gone through to get to this point.
I love Opal, but I have to say I think Clarissa, the AI, is my favourite character. She is intelligent, straight to the point and just a little bit sassy! Her personality develops over time and she becomes her own "person" instead of just a programmed robot and it is really good to see this process. I think the author has done an excellent job of representing female friendship (even if it is between a human and an AI) and I recognised things from my own friendships over the years.
The story is excellent and there is a perfect balance of sci-fi and horror. At one point not long after Opal boards the Lost Ship. I had to put the book down for a few minutes because I'd been so creeped out. It wasn't down for long though as I needed to know what happened next. Lost Solace is absolutely compulsive reading.
I enjoyed the fact that there is technical terminology and logical facts throughout, but not too much to take you out of the moment (to figure out what it meant haha) or to make any scenes drag. It's punchy and fast paced. The technology and armoured suit are incredibly thought out and intelligent. The armoured suit is definitely the kind of thing I would want if I was in that kind of situation.
I honestly cannot emphasise how much I loved this book. When I finished it my initial notes were as follows - Omgoodness ALL OF THE STARS! 5/5! It's creepy, it's action packed, it's awesome! - so I think that shows maybe just a hint of my feelings! Also I don't often think or say that books should be made into tv shows/movies, but I would love to see this as a movie on the big screen!
Opal is a kick ass protagonist and I instantly felt a connection with her. She knows she isn't perfect but she is determined and passionate. Over the course of the story we learn snippets about Opal and her life before Lost Solace, each bit makes me want to know even more and find out what she has gone through to get to this point.
I love Opal, but I have to say I think Clarissa, the AI, is my favourite character. She is intelligent, straight to the point and just a little bit sassy! Her personality develops over time and she becomes her own "person" instead of just a programmed robot and it is really good to see this process. I think the author has done an excellent job of representing female friendship (even if it is between a human and an AI) and I recognised things from my own friendships over the years.
The story is excellent and there is a perfect balance of sci-fi and horror. At one point not long after Opal boards the Lost Ship. I had to put the book down for a few minutes because I'd been so creeped out. It wasn't down for long though as I needed to know what happened next. Lost Solace is absolutely compulsive reading.
I enjoyed the fact that there is technical terminology and logical facts throughout, but not too much to take you out of the moment (to figure out what it meant haha) or to make any scenes drag. It's punchy and fast paced. The technology and armoured suit are incredibly thought out and intelligent. The armoured suit is definitely the kind of thing I would want if I was in that kind of situation.
I honestly cannot emphasise how much I loved this book. When I finished it my initial notes were as follows - Omgoodness ALL OF THE STARS! 5/5! It's creepy, it's action packed, it's awesome! - so I think that shows maybe just a hint of my feelings! Also I don't often think or say that books should be made into tv shows/movies, but I would love to see this as a movie on the big screen!
August 18, 2018
I often say that if you give me a motivated protagonist in a dynamic situation, as long as you don't make any serious craft blunders you'll hook my attention for the duration. Extra points if the protagonist is a competent, capable woman.
Well, this book ticks all those boxes with a big thick pen.
It's a thrill ride of a space opera, with a mysterious lost ship full of alien danger, a giant gravity well around a neutron star, and well-equipped ships from a fascist-sounding military, all threatening Opal, the protagonist, and the AI-equipped ship she has stolen. I don't normally read military space opera, but the main reason I don't is that so much of it is the same, and this was a very different take on the possibilities of the genre.
I appreciated the fact that she tried repeatedly to convince the military that she wouldn't harm them if they let her go peacefully, even though that never worked and she always had to fight. The fights were suspenseful and varied, and, while the backstory became evident from clues long before it was explicitly revealed, it gave her a good reason to do what she was doing. The degree to which she, a former low-level grunt, was able to defeat better-equipped and more experienced military officers through cleverness and the assistance of her unparalleled AI did strain my disbelief a little, but I was willing to play along because it was so well done.
I do hope her refusal to follow the rules becomes a liability at some point, rather than just a motivation and a character trait, but I will certainly look out for more in this series.
I received a copy via Netgalley for purposes of review.
Well, this book ticks all those boxes with a big thick pen.
It's a thrill ride of a space opera, with a mysterious lost ship full of alien danger, a giant gravity well around a neutron star, and well-equipped ships from a fascist-sounding military, all threatening Opal, the protagonist, and the AI-equipped ship she has stolen. I don't normally read military space opera, but the main reason I don't is that so much of it is the same, and this was a very different take on the possibilities of the genre.
I appreciated the fact that she tried repeatedly to convince the military that she wouldn't harm them if they let her go peacefully, even though that never worked and she always had to fight. The fights were suspenseful and varied, and, while the backstory became evident from clues long before it was explicitly revealed, it gave her a good reason to do what she was doing. The degree to which she, a former low-level grunt, was able to defeat better-equipped and more experienced military officers through cleverness and the assistance of her unparalleled AI did strain my disbelief a little, but I was willing to play along because it was so well done.
I do hope her refusal to follow the rules becomes a liability at some point, rather than just a motivation and a character trait, but I will certainly look out for more in this series.
I received a copy via Netgalley for purposes of review.
April 23, 2022
I read Lost Solace as part of the SPSFC Semi-Finals
When I read that this was lost ships in space that are rumoured to return and full of horrors I was fully on board. Then when I saw it was only 273 pages I knew I was in for quite the ride.
Lost Solace starts in the middle of the action, at some point in the past Opal has stolen a ship and hacked the AI so it is helping her. The backstory to this gets revealed slowly over the course of the book and it's so well woven into the narrative. We quickly find a lost ship and the story really goes from here.
The majority of the dialogue in the book is between Opal and the (very intelligent) AI, and it just works. We get the direct view of the lost ship through Opal and the AI helps to fill in the gaps about what is happening outside in space as well as giving a deeper glimpse into the lost ship itself. It helps build tension as you wonder why Opal is so interesting in the ship in the first place, and what the ship may be harbouring.
It's clear that Drinkwater is a great horror writer, there are moments of tension, moments of heart-pounding adrenaline and other moments where I felt such sadness for Opal. It's really a rollercoaster of emotions in what, for SFF, is quite a short book. Drinkwater really uses the short length to his advantage and there is never a dull moment.
One of the worst parts about SPSFC is that I can't immediately continue series. If I could I would have immediately picked up Chasing Solace as I need to know more.
When I read that this was lost ships in space that are rumoured to return and full of horrors I was fully on board. Then when I saw it was only 273 pages I knew I was in for quite the ride.
Lost Solace starts in the middle of the action, at some point in the past Opal has stolen a ship and hacked the AI so it is helping her. The backstory to this gets revealed slowly over the course of the book and it's so well woven into the narrative. We quickly find a lost ship and the story really goes from here.
The majority of the dialogue in the book is between Opal and the (very intelligent) AI, and it just works. We get the direct view of the lost ship through Opal and the AI helps to fill in the gaps about what is happening outside in space as well as giving a deeper glimpse into the lost ship itself. It helps build tension as you wonder why Opal is so interesting in the ship in the first place, and what the ship may be harbouring.
It's clear that Drinkwater is a great horror writer, there are moments of tension, moments of heart-pounding adrenaline and other moments where I felt such sadness for Opal. It's really a rollercoaster of emotions in what, for SFF, is quite a short book. Drinkwater really uses the short length to his advantage and there is never a dull moment.
One of the worst parts about SPSFC is that I can't immediately continue series. If I could I would have immediately picked up Chasing Solace as I need to know more.
August 5, 2018
"They were called the Lost Ships. And sometimes they came back."
Opal is serving her required military service when she goes AWOL, hacks into an experimental spaceship, steals the ship and takes off, following a rumor she heard in a bar.
When she wakes from cryosleep, she finds herself in a faraway section of outer space and believes she has found a Lost Ship - a ship lost in outer space with all its crew and passengers and then later found - changed.
She also finds that her hacking job has enhanced her AI that she named Clarissa.
This was a fun sci fi adventure story that brought back memories of THE SHIP WHO SANG by Anne McCaffrey. Opal is a strong female protagonist and I loved Clarissa.
I received this book from BooksGoSocial through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Opal is serving her required military service when she goes AWOL, hacks into an experimental spaceship, steals the ship and takes off, following a rumor she heard in a bar.
When she wakes from cryosleep, she finds herself in a faraway section of outer space and believes she has found a Lost Ship - a ship lost in outer space with all its crew and passengers and then later found - changed.
She also finds that her hacking job has enhanced her AI that she named Clarissa.
This was a fun sci fi adventure story that brought back memories of THE SHIP WHO SANG by Anne McCaffrey. Opal is a strong female protagonist and I loved Clarissa.
I received this book from BooksGoSocial through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
February 23, 2019
I listened to the audiobook version of this and very much enjoyed it. The story was not your average sci-fi, and I found myself really caring for both the human and AI characters even though they're so much different from me. The world its set in feels very rich and I got a good sense of Opal's backstory, which was very cool. Feels like it should be a series and that there could even be a prequel.
Content notes: there was some language, battle violence and slight horror aspects, aliens, some very creepy ...erm... dolls of a sort (my least favorite part of the story), some very bad dudes making threats, etc.
All in all, I very much enjoyed this story, and the narrator TOTALLY nailed it. Excellent acting, differentiating the AI voices and stuff. Super great job!
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Content notes: there was some language, battle violence and slight horror aspects, aliens, some very creepy ...erm... dolls of a sort (my least favorite part of the story), some very bad dudes making threats, etc.
All in all, I very much enjoyed this story, and the narrator TOTALLY nailed it. Excellent acting, differentiating the AI voices and stuff. Super great job!
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Read
October 29, 2017Great fun—a female-centred science fiction space adventure, with lots of action, creepy mystery, and satisfying emotional depth. I enjoyed it a lot.
November 3, 2018
Would definitely read a sequel.
November 5, 2018
AMAZING!! There were so many things to enjoy about this book, like creepy moments on the lost ship, military chase scenes, an AI developing a personality. I <3 this read!
April 5, 2023
This is well-written, which is what kept me going for a little while, but at 14% I'm frustrated with, of all things, lack of worldbuilding in the face of some substantial weirdness. Just when I think characters are the most important to me, this happens. I hope the author finds their audience, and I'm sorry I'm not it.
April 1, 2024
Karl Drinkwater is an author whose books I have read before. I chose to read Lost Solace based on that fact. I didn't read the blurb and just went in blind. All I knew was that I liked this authors books, and that was enough.
The first book in a series, Lost Solace, introduces the reader to Opal. A woman who is kick ass as she could be. Flawed and oh, so human, she has stolen a ship that's equipped with experimental AI. She names the AI, Clarissa. Opal is so vividly described, and Clarissa almost feels human.
I was swept into space with these characters and enjoyed the time it took me to read the book. I felt everything Opal felt during the journey. When she boards the lost ship, her fear seeps from the pages, and I was as nervous as her. I really liked how she wasn't straightforward and enjoyed the twists that came with her story.
Packed with action, tension, and adventure. Lost Solace with Opal and Clarissa was everything I love in a sc-fi thriller. Karl Drinkwater has created yet another excellently plotted story!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Karl Drinkwater for the gifted ebook to write my review.
The first book in a series, Lost Solace, introduces the reader to Opal. A woman who is kick ass as she could be. Flawed and oh, so human, she has stolen a ship that's equipped with experimental AI. She names the AI, Clarissa. Opal is so vividly described, and Clarissa almost feels human.
I was swept into space with these characters and enjoyed the time it took me to read the book. I felt everything Opal felt during the journey. When she boards the lost ship, her fear seeps from the pages, and I was as nervous as her. I really liked how she wasn't straightforward and enjoyed the twists that came with her story.
Packed with action, tension, and adventure. Lost Solace with Opal and Clarissa was everything I love in a sc-fi thriller. Karl Drinkwater has created yet another excellently plotted story!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Karl Drinkwater for the gifted ebook to write my review.
March 10, 2019
Review originally published at: https://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookr...
Opal has escaped and stolen a military ship. She is a woman on a mission, and her destiny is a lost ship that suddenly reappeared close to a neutron star, to which it is being dangerously attracted. Opal has hacked the ship’s AI, and will risk her life in discovering the secrets of the returned ship.
This book had such interesting premises that I got very excited about when I started listening to it. The mystery about the returned ship picked my attention, and the fact that the AI seemed to have a more interesting personality than expected was a very good point. But there were things lacking in this book that could have made it a great one. For once, I missed some more plot. I felt that there was much action, which was exciting, but lack of a story and also a backstory. I would also have liked some more worldbuilding and descriptions. We discover too late why Opal is so interested in this lost ship. I am not against delayed information, but I would have appreciated some hints here and there to keep me going.
I have the feeling that with the story we got, a novella would have sufficed. The book felt long-winded, and there was much action without real storytelling. The ending was quite good though, and it got me interested enough to maybe continue with this series and see what happens.
Marisha Tapera’s narration was outstanding, not only interpreting Opal, but also bringing Clarissa, the AI to life, transmitting her quirks and changing personality. Both characters’ personalities are very different, and Tapera did a good job in showing this, making the dialogs flow and easy to follow.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Opal has escaped and stolen a military ship. She is a woman on a mission, and her destiny is a lost ship that suddenly reappeared close to a neutron star, to which it is being dangerously attracted. Opal has hacked the ship’s AI, and will risk her life in discovering the secrets of the returned ship.
This book had such interesting premises that I got very excited about when I started listening to it. The mystery about the returned ship picked my attention, and the fact that the AI seemed to have a more interesting personality than expected was a very good point. But there were things lacking in this book that could have made it a great one. For once, I missed some more plot. I felt that there was much action, which was exciting, but lack of a story and also a backstory. I would also have liked some more worldbuilding and descriptions. We discover too late why Opal is so interested in this lost ship. I am not against delayed information, but I would have appreciated some hints here and there to keep me going.
I have the feeling that with the story we got, a novella would have sufficed. The book felt long-winded, and there was much action without real storytelling. The ending was quite good though, and it got me interested enough to maybe continue with this series and see what happens.
Marisha Tapera’s narration was outstanding, not only interpreting Opal, but also bringing Clarissa, the AI to life, transmitting her quirks and changing personality. Both characters’ personalities are very different, and Tapera did a good job in showing this, making the dialogs flow and easy to follow.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
January 28, 2019
I read this book when it first came out and decided to reread it because of the upcoming release of the sequel.
Karl Drinkwater gets the reader lost in a world set in deep space. At first, I expected the normal trajectory action SF novels tend to have, but this novel rose above my expectations because it sucked me into the story world and let me live there for a little while.
Opal is a strong female protagonist whose mind is set in completing her mission. Drinkwater made a perfect decision in making the coprotagonist a snarky AI. The story holds because of the relationship between human and machine.
I devoured this novel and like most books, it had its slow moments, but Drinkwater made the slow moments worth it by telling a compelling story. This is a great novel and worth the read.
Karl Drinkwater gets the reader lost in a world set in deep space. At first, I expected the normal trajectory action SF novels tend to have, but this novel rose above my expectations because it sucked me into the story world and let me live there for a little while.
Opal is a strong female protagonist whose mind is set in completing her mission. Drinkwater made a perfect decision in making the coprotagonist a snarky AI. The story holds because of the relationship between human and machine.
I devoured this novel and like most books, it had its slow moments, but Drinkwater made the slow moments worth it by telling a compelling story. This is a great novel and worth the read.
June 12, 2020
I've upped my rating of Lost Solace after finishing its sequel Chasing Solace since the two really should be read together. There are drawbacks in each book, but they wind up doing some remarkable things, especially with the friendship between the lone central character, Opal, and the AI who is always guiding her. Karl Drinkwater is also excellent at capturing strange states of mind and a completely alien environment. Here's part of my review from SciFi Mind.
Karl Drinkwater starts off his Lost Solace series in a daring way. A deserter named Opal has stolen a ship with an experimental AI, which she names Clarissa, and sets off to a location in deep space. There she finds a mystery ship, a luxury liner abandoned and strangely altered. Could it be the one? she asks, where she can find a treasure of incalculable value, the alien artifact known as the Oracle? Nothing unusual about that setup, except for one thing.
It turns out the Oracle is only a means to an end. We don’t find out Opal’s back story or the real motive or object of this quest until after the action is over, near the very end of the novel. It’s a tribute to Drinkwater’s writing skill that he keeps you involved in a riveting story even without the essential knowledge of what it is that Opal is really looking for.
Karl Drinkwater starts off his Lost Solace series in a daring way. A deserter named Opal has stolen a ship with an experimental AI, which she names Clarissa, and sets off to a location in deep space. There she finds a mystery ship, a luxury liner abandoned and strangely altered. Could it be the one? she asks, where she can find a treasure of incalculable value, the alien artifact known as the Oracle? Nothing unusual about that setup, except for one thing.
It turns out the Oracle is only a means to an end. We don’t find out Opal’s back story or the real motive or object of this quest until after the action is over, near the very end of the novel. It’s a tribute to Drinkwater’s writing skill that he keeps you involved in a riveting story even without the essential knowledge of what it is that Opal is really looking for.
January 26, 2019
****I received Lost Solace from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review****
I really like Sci-fi reads and Lost Solace was a great deal of fun, well paced, fast action, great characters and a solid story line. I found myself enjoying it as much as I did "Event Horizon" (movie), for how well the story was told, the pace and the characters (which in sci-fi I sadly find are all too often secondary to an "alien/monster/blood").
A solid recommendation, well worth a read for sci-fi and/or action fans ...
I really like Sci-fi reads and Lost Solace was a great deal of fun, well paced, fast action, great characters and a solid story line. I found myself enjoying it as much as I did "Event Horizon" (movie), for how well the story was told, the pace and the characters (which in sci-fi I sadly find are all too often secondary to an "alien/monster/blood").
A solid recommendation, well worth a read for sci-fi and/or action fans ...
January 25, 2019
Karl Drinkwater has been on my radar for awhile now so when I got a chance to review the audiobook I jumped on it and was glad I did
This was a great sci-fi thriller with a dash of horror with great characters both’ human and ai
Marisha did a great job with the narration each character had a unique voice
I’m all in looking forward to see how this series unfolds
Thanks to the author I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
This was a great sci-fi thriller with a dash of horror with great characters both’ human and ai
Marisha did a great job with the narration each character had a unique voice
I’m all in looking forward to see how this series unfolds
Thanks to the author I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
January 23, 2019
The book was a fun read. I like that the main character is a female. You don't see that in a lot of science fiction books. This was definitely a well-written space adventure with plenty of action and a lot of creepy mystery. I loved the friendship between Opal and her AI companion Clarissa. It's a very satisfying story and I enjoyed it very much!
May 16, 2019
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
An entertaining space opera with great characters and a super story line.
This was a very easy read and I was sorry when it was finished.
An entertaining space opera with great characters and a super story line.
This was a very easy read and I was sorry when it was finished.
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