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Sliding Void #4
Anomalous Thrust
Captain Lana Fiveworlds might be flying with the same motley crew of misfits, but her problems are all-new.
Lana believes that a demanding and difficult client on board her beloved starship - the Gravity Rose - is the sum of her woes. But that was until she has to emergency ditch inside a star system which holds a full range of deadly secrets.
There are the murderous intentions of the local government with its slave-owning aristocracy to contend with, not to mention the ruthless rebels trying to overthrow the regime. And then there's the moon-sized unknown alien vessel that jumps into the system every few centuries, along with the chance to claim untold riches. Or the chance to die, well, really quite horribly.
With Calder, Zeno, Skrat, Polter and the chief still helping Lana, there's the smallest of chances the crew might survive. But as every spacer knows, it's not where you jump into hyperspace that counts. It's only ever where you end up!
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ABOUT THE BOOK
'Anomalous Thrust' is the 4th book in Sliding Void series. It's a completely stand-alone adventure, not directly linked to the first three books (although 'Anomalous Thrust' is set chronologically a year after the end of the previous books).
Book 1 - Sliding Void
Book 2 - Transference Station
Book 3 - Red Sun Bleeding
Book 4 - Anomalous Thrust
Book 5 - Hell Fleet
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved 'Far-called' fantasy series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the 'Jackelian' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist and C.S. Lewis.
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REVIEWS
Praise for Stephen Hunt's novels:
'Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.'
- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Hunt's imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.'
- TOM HOLT
'All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.'
- DAILY MAIL
'Compulsive reading for all ages.'
- GUARDIAN
'Studded with invention.'
-THE INDEPENDENT
'To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement... a wonderful escapist yarn!'
- INTERZONE
'Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks... affecting and original.'
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.'
-RT BOOK REVIEWS
'A curious part-future blend.'
- KIRKUS REVIEWS
'An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.'
- THE TIMES
'Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.'
- TIME OUT
'A ripping yarn ... the story pounds along... constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked... the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.'
- SFX MAGAZINE
'Put on your seatbelts for a frenetic cat and mouse encounter... an exciting tale.'
- SF REVU
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AGE ADVISORY
Age 13+ - mild violence and language.
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READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE THESE AUTHORS...
Douglas Adams
Neal Asher
Iain M. Banks
Jack Campbell
David Drake
Orson Scott Card
James S.A. Corey
Evan Currie
Peter F. Hamilton
Ric Locke
Dan Simmons
Charles Stross
David Weber
Lana believes that a demanding and difficult client on board her beloved starship - the Gravity Rose - is the sum of her woes. But that was until she has to emergency ditch inside a star system which holds a full range of deadly secrets.
There are the murderous intentions of the local government with its slave-owning aristocracy to contend with, not to mention the ruthless rebels trying to overthrow the regime. And then there's the moon-sized unknown alien vessel that jumps into the system every few centuries, along with the chance to claim untold riches. Or the chance to die, well, really quite horribly.
With Calder, Zeno, Skrat, Polter and the chief still helping Lana, there's the smallest of chances the crew might survive. But as every spacer knows, it's not where you jump into hyperspace that counts. It's only ever where you end up!
------------------
ABOUT THE BOOK
'Anomalous Thrust' is the 4th book in Sliding Void series. It's a completely stand-alone adventure, not directly linked to the first three books (although 'Anomalous Thrust' is set chronologically a year after the end of the previous books).
Book 1 - Sliding Void
Book 2 - Transference Station
Book 3 - Red Sun Bleeding
Book 4 - Anomalous Thrust
Book 5 - Hell Fleet
------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved 'Far-called' fantasy series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the 'Jackelian' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist and C.S. Lewis.
------------------
REVIEWS
Praise for Stephen Hunt's novels:
'Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.'
- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Hunt's imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.'
- TOM HOLT
'All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.'
- DAILY MAIL
'Compulsive reading for all ages.'
- GUARDIAN
'Studded with invention.'
-THE INDEPENDENT
'To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement... a wonderful escapist yarn!'
- INTERZONE
'Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks... affecting and original.'
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.'
-RT BOOK REVIEWS
'A curious part-future blend.'
- KIRKUS REVIEWS
'An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.'
- THE TIMES
'Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.'
- TIME OUT
'A ripping yarn ... the story pounds along... constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked... the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.'
- SFX MAGAZINE
'Put on your seatbelts for a frenetic cat and mouse encounter... an exciting tale.'
- SF REVU
------------------
AGE ADVISORY
Age 13+ - mild violence and language.
------------------
READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE THESE AUTHORS...
Douglas Adams
Neal Asher
Iain M. Banks
Jack Campbell
David Drake
Orson Scott Card
James S.A. Corey
Evan Currie
Peter F. Hamilton
Ric Locke
Dan Simmons
Charles Stross
David Weber
- GenresScience Fiction
298 pages, Paperback
Published May 24, 2016
About the author
Stephen Hunt
40 books348 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephen Hunt is a British writer living in London. His first fantasy novel, For the Crown and the Dragon, was published in 1994, and introduced a young officer, Taliesin, fighting for the Queen of England in a Napoleonic period alternative reality where the wars of Europe were being fought with sorcery and steampunk weapons (airships, clockwork machine guns, and steam-driven trucks called kettle-blacks). The novel won the 1994 WH Smith Award, and the book reviewer Andrew Darlington used Hunt's novel to coin the phrase Flintlock Fantasy to describe the sub-genre of fantasy set in a Regency or Napoleonic-era period.
Stephen Hunt is a British writer living in London. His first fantasy novel, For the Crown and the Dragon, was published in 1994, and introduced a young officer, Taliesin, fighting for the Queen of England in a Napoleonic period alternative reality where the wars of Europe were being fought with sorcery and steampunk weapons (airships, clockwork machine guns, and steam-driven trucks called kettle-blacks). The novel won the 1994 WH Smith Award, and the book reviewer Andrew Darlington used Hunt's novel to coin the phrase Flintlock Fantasy to describe the sub-genre of fantasy set in a Regency or Napoleonic-era period.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2017
This book continues from the Sliding Void trilogy of novellas. Here things aren't going well for Captain Lana Fiveworlds and the crew of the Granny Rose. There's a difficult client on board and the crew need to perform an emergency ditch into a star system. Not just any star system though but one which contains a murderous government and an enormous unknown alien vessel...
The action starts immediately and it carries through right to the end of the book. There's a massive threat, the crew overcome it only to face another massive threat. This happens about five times and it's exhausting.
In terms of plot Hunt does a good job at keeping the tension high, moving on the character's stories, inserting some great sci-fi ideas and remembering to keep a little humour within it. The final third dragged for me though with it taking ages for anything to actually happen and it's this that let the book down a little.
I liked the ending which teased more on the truth behind Lana and Calder with a neat twist. It wasn't at all what I expected and I'm intrigued to where the characters will go from here. I hope it means more Sliding Void books in the future!
Overall, an enjoyable space opera with some great ideas.
The action starts immediately and it carries through right to the end of the book. There's a massive threat, the crew overcome it only to face another massive threat. This happens about five times and it's exhausting.
In terms of plot Hunt does a good job at keeping the tension high, moving on the character's stories, inserting some great sci-fi ideas and remembering to keep a little humour within it. The final third dragged for me though with it taking ages for anything to actually happen and it's this that let the book down a little.
I liked the ending which teased more on the truth behind Lana and Calder with a neat twist. It wasn't at all what I expected and I'm intrigued to where the characters will go from here. I hope it means more Sliding Void books in the future!
Overall, an enjoyable space opera with some great ideas.
March 5, 2018
A great stand-alone novel in the series
The same favorite characters from the earlier books in the sliding void series show up in this book and find themselves in several dire circumstances all at once. This is one of the best science fiction series I've read. I hope another book in this series is in the works.
The same favorite characters from the earlier books in the sliding void series show up in this book and find themselves in several dire circumstances all at once. This is one of the best science fiction series I've read. I hope another book in this series is in the works.
February 8, 2018
Liked book 1, definitely liked books 2 and 3, but was disappointed by this one, it felt as if it was struggling, and I found myself skim-reading quite often. I like the characters but if there's a book 5, which seems likely, I might download a sample first.
April 29, 2020
It's been a while since I've read scifi that captured my interest like this series.
There's something to be said for fun scifi in the midst of quarantine.
Continues the story over the trilogy, but about a year or so after the previous book.
There's something to be said for fun scifi in the midst of quarantine.
Continues the story over the trilogy, but about a year or so after the previous book.
December 11, 2015
Action adventure in space - this starts with a jump into the action (I need to go back and read the previous two sections, I think) and barely pauses for breath. An intriguing plot-thread is carried on from previous books - and there is a teaser epilogue which reminds us again why one of the main characters is important. Further clues are dropped about the 'Gravity Rose' and her captain.
This was an 'free' book, read while checking for typo(e)s.
Reread May 11 - 19 2016 prior to paper publication.
This was an 'free' book, read while checking for typo(e)s.
Reread May 11 - 19 2016 prior to paper publication.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews