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Lakes of Mars
"Gritty, mysterious, and layered . . . An epic science fiction adventure, full of arresting action sequences and thoughtful meditations on aggression and leadership." --Foreword Reviews
"An emotionally charged Ender's Game." --For the Love of the Page
"Had one of the most suspenseful and well-written climaxes that I've read." --Rachel Barnard, author of Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams
Aaron Sheridan doesn’t want to live anymore. His entire family had just died in a shuttle crash and he’d been the one flying it. Unable to deal with the guilt, he signs up for the Fleet expecting a fatal deployment to the Rim War, but instead ends up at their most prestigious command school, Corinth Station.
Initially, he’s detached from the brutality of his instructors and the Machiavellian tactics of the other students there, but after he sticks up for his only friend he makes himself a target of the most feared cadet on the station, Caelus Erik. Unsure of whom to trust and worried that anything he does will make others on his flight team targets as well, Aaron retreats deeper and deeper inside himself. However, when he discovers that officer training is not the station’s only purpose, it becomes increasingly clear that risking everything is the safest thing he can do.
This is the first book in the Lakes of Mars series. It contains some graphic language/violence and also has an accompanying soundtrack that can be heard at: https://soundcloud.com/trapdoorsocial.... Stream it today and jump into the action.
What other reviewers are saying:
"Graves takes the time to build everybody complex, even the expected bullies. One could say, especially the bullies. Harrowing to the max." --Sherwood Smith, Author of the Crown Duel Series
"Brings raw emotion and inner demons to the shoot-‘em-up realm of military science fiction."--IndieReader
"Gripping science fiction . . . Graves does an incredible job of obliterating the well-known assumptions to make room in this fast-paced, ensemble based novel . . . Almost all of the characters you come in contact with become emotional attachments." --Rachel's Writing: Ramblings, Ravings, and Reviews
"Aaron is a great character, an introspective teenager who struggles with what is happening around him. The other characters . . . burst into the life as the story progresses, and the book goes from “meh!” to “Holy crap, Batman, I can’t put this down!” --Al Wrote A Book
"The plot is complex and very well thought-out . . . The pacing was impeccable . . ." --The Digressive Approach Blog
"Fascinating and suspenseful, with cinematic quality sequences." --Girl Who Reads Blog
"This blend of military description, sci-fi, and social inspection create a satisfyingly engrossing tale that fills its pages not with battle scenes and high-tech devices, but with ethical and personal conundrums . . . The result is a well-detailed, complex story that centers on destruction, rebirth, and the emergence of new threats in the face of stress and violence." --D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"The writing is rich and detailed . . . as well as flowing dialogue that moves the story quickly. 500+ pages and I STILL read it in a single day." --T.B.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2018
18 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Merritt Graves
5 books21 followersMerritt Graves lives in Los Angeles, CA where the alternative rock band he co-founded, Trapdoor Social, is based. The band collaborated with him on a soundtrack to his debut novel, Lakes of Mars, that can be heard here https://soundcloud.com/trapdoorsocial... In addition to playing music, Merritt enjoys reading, writing, hiking and gardening.
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November 25, 2020
I received this book from Net galley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is another Netgalley offering from an unknown-to-me author.
It felt rather reminiscent of Ender’s Game and Red Rising. There were some interesting elements such as the restriction of artificial intelligence due to human fear of possible consequences, but it is a little over written and there was also a few clichés such as being bullied by the top dog and then befriending the weaker but smarter classmate.
After a while the grimness and violence overwhelmed me a bit and then the story took a left-turn. The pace becomes a bit hectic with everyone constantly switching sides making it impossible to know who to trust or believe.
It is exciting and well plotted but I am not sure I will continue a series with yet more stories set in school/military academies where children are mean, vicious and violent towards one another.
This is another Netgalley offering from an unknown-to-me author.
It felt rather reminiscent of Ender’s Game and Red Rising. There were some interesting elements such as the restriction of artificial intelligence due to human fear of possible consequences, but it is a little over written and there was also a few clichés such as being bullied by the top dog and then befriending the weaker but smarter classmate.
After a while the grimness and violence overwhelmed me a bit and then the story took a left-turn. The pace becomes a bit hectic with everyone constantly switching sides making it impossible to know who to trust or believe.
It is exciting and well plotted but I am not sure I will continue a series with yet more stories set in school/military academies where children are mean, vicious and violent towards one another.
Read
June 25, 2018You don’t expect an elite war academy in the middle of a grim war to be fun, or if you do, this is not the book to read.
Aaron Sheridan, our first-person narrator, we can assume survived because he’s writing his history, narrating with the elegant, vivid, and ferociously intellectual insight that comes of decades of experience. But anyone else? We soon—very soon—discover that nobody is safe.
The tone is set when Aaron opens the story discovering himself sent to this academy, though he expected to be conscripted and sent as cannon fodder to the front, suicide by enemy fire.
But emotionally traumatized as he is, he slowly discovers that he wants to survive—further, in meeting Eve, a fellow cadet, he even has a reason for living. I really liked the way his attraction to Eve was handled, and the fact that these two teens courted via science lab caused me to halleluiah.
Graves takes the time to build the characters, everybody complex, even the expected bullies. One could almost say, especially the bullies. And in an atmosphere fraught with tension and sudden violence, in which no adults seem to be present and the classes don’t count as much as the competitions, everyone has the potential to be a bully. Many are lying, for more reasons than one might assume.
So Aaron, who has been training all his life until something happened that threw his life into a tailspin, doesn’t know whom to believe, whom to trust, as he tries to figure out the system.
Of course there are wheels within wheels, as this is the start of a series. But Graves flings the reader in right along with Aaron as the pacing accelerates. The battle tactics and strategies are exquisitely written, ship to ship conflicts with awareness of the calculus of space battles, mostly silent except for what isolated pilots feel as their bodies are torqued through massive G-forces, and ground conflicts with the inexorable pain and terror of fighting against an insanely alien and powerful enemy. Harrowing to the max.
I always read a page or two of a NetGalley book, mentally sorting them for how long it might take me to read and when I'll be in the right mood. This one sucked me right in and would not let me out again until the end very late last night. The only thing to be said about the end is that it throws everything open for what is to come, after a pulse-juddering climax.
The thing I liked best is that the book is not all blood and brawn. Big questions, including loyalty, friendship, love, decency, literature and what it says about human experience and what makes civilization all get examined as these smart, emotionally wrecked teens try to game a system that seems designed to make them lose, or come out monsters.
This is being marketed as YA, so be aware there is a lot of violence and violent language.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Aaron Sheridan, our first-person narrator, we can assume survived because he’s writing his history, narrating with the elegant, vivid, and ferociously intellectual insight that comes of decades of experience. But anyone else? We soon—very soon—discover that nobody is safe.
The tone is set when Aaron opens the story discovering himself sent to this academy, though he expected to be conscripted and sent as cannon fodder to the front, suicide by enemy fire.
But emotionally traumatized as he is, he slowly discovers that he wants to survive—further, in meeting Eve, a fellow cadet, he even has a reason for living. I really liked the way his attraction to Eve was handled, and the fact that these two teens courted via science lab caused me to halleluiah.
Graves takes the time to build the characters, everybody complex, even the expected bullies. One could almost say, especially the bullies. And in an atmosphere fraught with tension and sudden violence, in which no adults seem to be present and the classes don’t count as much as the competitions, everyone has the potential to be a bully. Many are lying, for more reasons than one might assume.
So Aaron, who has been training all his life until something happened that threw his life into a tailspin, doesn’t know whom to believe, whom to trust, as he tries to figure out the system.
Of course there are wheels within wheels, as this is the start of a series. But Graves flings the reader in right along with Aaron as the pacing accelerates. The battle tactics and strategies are exquisitely written, ship to ship conflicts with awareness of the calculus of space battles, mostly silent except for what isolated pilots feel as their bodies are torqued through massive G-forces, and ground conflicts with the inexorable pain and terror of fighting against an insanely alien and powerful enemy. Harrowing to the max.
I always read a page or two of a NetGalley book, mentally sorting them for how long it might take me to read and when I'll be in the right mood. This one sucked me right in and would not let me out again until the end very late last night. The only thing to be said about the end is that it throws everything open for what is to come, after a pulse-juddering climax.
The thing I liked best is that the book is not all blood and brawn. Big questions, including loyalty, friendship, love, decency, literature and what it says about human experience and what makes civilization all get examined as these smart, emotionally wrecked teens try to game a system that seems designed to make them lose, or come out monsters.
This is being marketed as YA, so be aware there is a lot of violence and violent language.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Read
October 7, 2018DNF at 53%
I enjoyed the beginning. And I really tried to finish it, even if the story became confusing and unclear after the first 30%.
It was probably a mistake to put this book aside for a while. When I picked it up again later, I realized that I simply lost my interest in the story completely. After struggling to get into it, I decided to give up.
I like the idea of the soundtrack to the book, very creative. I wish I could finish it.
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
I enjoyed the beginning. And I really tried to finish it, even if the story became confusing and unclear after the first 30%.
It was probably a mistake to put this book aside for a while. When I picked it up again later, I realized that I simply lost my interest in the story completely. After struggling to get into it, I decided to give up.
I like the idea of the soundtrack to the book, very creative. I wish I could finish it.
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
September 7, 2018
Many thanks to Netgalley and Merritt Graves for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving and advanced copy.
Rating 3.5 stars.
Aaron, a seventeen year old kid, carries a lot of guilt for a shuttlecraft accident that killed his family. He was driving. He decides to enlist and figures he will get sent to the Rim to fight, which he knows almost means certain death. But he instead makes it onto the Corinth Station which houses the most elite military training school. Aaron quickly discovers that this school’s philosophy of survival of the fittest has bred cruel students and Aaron doesn’t know who to trust. Aaron quickly stands up for Sebastian, when becomes his best friend, and joins a unit who seems to want to protect him from a cruel leader, Caelus. But when Caelus reaches out to Aaron, telling him how he has been portrayed as a cruel leader for the benefit of others, Aaron is no longer sure whom to trust. Aaron learns of a sinister plot that may cause destruction to the planet below and all the people that inhabit the planet, unless he and a small group of friend can put a stop to what’s happening.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I loved Aaron as the conflicted hero and there were lots of memorable characters that I was rooting for like Sebastian and Eve, just to name a few. Not all the characters survive which is always refreshing because it keeps the reader on their toes. One of the tricks that the great George R.R. Martin uses (which he learned from the even greater J.R.R. Tolkien), is to kill favourite characters and kill them often. I enjoyed the world that was created, especially the school with all the military fighting, being in “The Box”, all of that was very cool and exciting. The story moved along at a good pace and I was interested to get to the end and see what would happen. The tension was well maintained, with nicely planned lulls where the author could build back stories, a budding romance and other good stuff.
My only issue that kept if from being 4 stars or higher was that I personally needed more world building and more explanation, especially at the beginning. I was really confused for a long time because I just didn’t know what was going on. I go the basic story, but I didn’t understand the construct of the world they were living in. I wanted to know more about how Aaron got there. It took me a while before I understood “The Box” and other aspects of the story. I still maintained my interest and never felt like not finishing the book. It, honestly, could just be me, that I couldn’t grasp what was happening, I mean, I didn’t really know if the Verex were aliens, or created by man for quite a while. I was well over 50% and still confused about certain things and I would have appreciated more detail about the construct of the world they were living in. The italicized parts were also never consistent. Sometime it was memories and sometimes it was dreams, so that didn’t help either. It didn’t detract from the story and like I said, I still was interested, wanted to keep reading and was invested in finding out what was going on.
For those that are interested, there is a soundtrack that goes along with the story. There are 12 tracks and it is worth having a listen to. Now, I am invested in the characters and storyline and can’t wait to see what happens next, now that they have landed down on the planet.
Rating 3.5 stars.
Aaron, a seventeen year old kid, carries a lot of guilt for a shuttlecraft accident that killed his family. He was driving. He decides to enlist and figures he will get sent to the Rim to fight, which he knows almost means certain death. But he instead makes it onto the Corinth Station which houses the most elite military training school. Aaron quickly discovers that this school’s philosophy of survival of the fittest has bred cruel students and Aaron doesn’t know who to trust. Aaron quickly stands up for Sebastian, when becomes his best friend, and joins a unit who seems to want to protect him from a cruel leader, Caelus. But when Caelus reaches out to Aaron, telling him how he has been portrayed as a cruel leader for the benefit of others, Aaron is no longer sure whom to trust. Aaron learns of a sinister plot that may cause destruction to the planet below and all the people that inhabit the planet, unless he and a small group of friend can put a stop to what’s happening.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I loved Aaron as the conflicted hero and there were lots of memorable characters that I was rooting for like Sebastian and Eve, just to name a few. Not all the characters survive which is always refreshing because it keeps the reader on their toes. One of the tricks that the great George R.R. Martin uses (which he learned from the even greater J.R.R. Tolkien), is to kill favourite characters and kill them often. I enjoyed the world that was created, especially the school with all the military fighting, being in “The Box”, all of that was very cool and exciting. The story moved along at a good pace and I was interested to get to the end and see what would happen. The tension was well maintained, with nicely planned lulls where the author could build back stories, a budding romance and other good stuff.
My only issue that kept if from being 4 stars or higher was that I personally needed more world building and more explanation, especially at the beginning. I was really confused for a long time because I just didn’t know what was going on. I go the basic story, but I didn’t understand the construct of the world they were living in. I wanted to know more about how Aaron got there. It took me a while before I understood “The Box” and other aspects of the story. I still maintained my interest and never felt like not finishing the book. It, honestly, could just be me, that I couldn’t grasp what was happening, I mean, I didn’t really know if the Verex were aliens, or created by man for quite a while. I was well over 50% and still confused about certain things and I would have appreciated more detail about the construct of the world they were living in. The italicized parts were also never consistent. Sometime it was memories and sometimes it was dreams, so that didn’t help either. It didn’t detract from the story and like I said, I still was interested, wanted to keep reading and was invested in finding out what was going on.
For those that are interested, there is a soundtrack that goes along with the story. There are 12 tracks and it is worth having a listen to. Now, I am invested in the characters and storyline and can’t wait to see what happens next, now that they have landed down on the planet.
August 23, 2018
Aaron Sheridan lives in a future that closely resembles our own. Escalating tensions between superpowers, in this case not countries, but rather worlds, Earth and Mars.
Earth felt threatened by Athens, Mars' artificial superintelligence, so Earth began developing their own, called Socrates, which culminated in Athens forecasting that there was a 99.385% chance that humanity would destroy itself.
On the cusp of possible extinction, a de-tech agreement was concluded with Athens and Socrates being dismantled and each human being implanted with a Mylan chip that inhibits creative thought.
Enter Aaron Sheridan, finding himself in a maelstrom of danger and distrust after being deployed to Corinth Station.
Lakes of Mars is well written from a first-person perspective as we share the pain and confusion from Aaron's point of view.
There is definitely a strong Ender's Game influence in the Corinth Station setting, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
There are some pacing issues in the middle segment of Lakes of Mars, but it cranks up towards the end with white-knuckle, heart pumping action scenes leading up the an open-ended conclusion for the next novel in this series to follow.
A solid debut novel by a new author and I am looking forward to continuing the journey.
Earth felt threatened by Athens, Mars' artificial superintelligence, so Earth began developing their own, called Socrates, which culminated in Athens forecasting that there was a 99.385% chance that humanity would destroy itself.
On the cusp of possible extinction, a de-tech agreement was concluded with Athens and Socrates being dismantled and each human being implanted with a Mylan chip that inhibits creative thought.
Enter Aaron Sheridan, finding himself in a maelstrom of danger and distrust after being deployed to Corinth Station.
Lakes of Mars is well written from a first-person perspective as we share the pain and confusion from Aaron's point of view.
There is definitely a strong Ender's Game influence in the Corinth Station setting, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
There are some pacing issues in the middle segment of Lakes of Mars, but it cranks up towards the end with white-knuckle, heart pumping action scenes leading up the an open-ended conclusion for the next novel in this series to follow.
A solid debut novel by a new author and I am looking forward to continuing the journey.
August 8, 2018
Publishing Date: September 2018
Publisher: M. Graves
ISBN: 9781949272000
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.5/5
Publisher’s Description: Aaron Sheridan doesn’t want to live anymore. His entire family had just died in a shuttle crash and he’d been the one flying it. Unable to deal with the guilt, he signs up for the Fleet expecting a fatal deployment to the Rim War, but instead ends up at their most prestigious command school, Corinth Station.
Review: Like a few of the reviews out there, the story line has been done and echoes “Ender’s Game” and “Star Ship Troopers”. There are many not as popular novels that this one traces with alacrity but I think you get the gist.
So what stands out about this novel and sets it apart from the rest while maintaining entertainment value? Characters baby! Wow, the interleaving of personal development with movement was superb. Aaron moves from a suicidal teen into someone that looks beyond himself while maintaining a core of integrity. Seb begins a transition from stunted social misfit into an accepted member of a group while retaining a sense of innocence. All characters morph under the hot cauldron of daily military strife.
The world building lacked expansion which was not expected where Corinth was stationed. There was not any space sex, which would be an integral part of the story line structure. Thousands of young adults under a pressure cooker military school would be banging each other like fruit flies in a punch bowl.
A good start for a new writing talent. Just make up your own shjt next time.
More of my reviews, here.
Publisher: M. Graves
ISBN: 9781949272000
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.5/5
Publisher’s Description: Aaron Sheridan doesn’t want to live anymore. His entire family had just died in a shuttle crash and he’d been the one flying it. Unable to deal with the guilt, he signs up for the Fleet expecting a fatal deployment to the Rim War, but instead ends up at their most prestigious command school, Corinth Station.
Review: Like a few of the reviews out there, the story line has been done and echoes “Ender’s Game” and “Star Ship Troopers”. There are many not as popular novels that this one traces with alacrity but I think you get the gist.
So what stands out about this novel and sets it apart from the rest while maintaining entertainment value? Characters baby! Wow, the interleaving of personal development with movement was superb. Aaron moves from a suicidal teen into someone that looks beyond himself while maintaining a core of integrity. Seb begins a transition from stunted social misfit into an accepted member of a group while retaining a sense of innocence. All characters morph under the hot cauldron of daily military strife.
The world building lacked expansion which was not expected where Corinth was stationed. There was not any space sex, which would be an integral part of the story line structure. Thousands of young adults under a pressure cooker military school would be banging each other like fruit flies in a punch bowl.
A good start for a new writing talent. Just make up your own shjt next time.
More of my reviews, here.
October 16, 2018
Lakes of Mars by Merritt Graves is a sci-fi book, that upon reading the synopsis reminded me of Ernest Cline's Armada or Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (Which I have not had the pleasure of reading, only watched the movie), so I was intrigued!
Aaron Sheridan signs up for Fleet expecting to be deployed to The Rim wars, but is sent to the most prestigious command school instead - Corinth Station. Right from the start, he does not get along with the other students, expect for Sebastian, and he has trouble keeping up with the course load and all the training. When he discovers what the stations true purpose is used for, he must gather the help of some people he may not fully trust to help safe themselves and a nearby planet.
I struggled with this one a little bit. I felt a bit like the main character in thinking "what is going on" and "what does that mean". I felt like the author just expected the reader to know what certain terms meant, or what certain things were called. Once I got past that, the story was pretty good and very in-depth. Merritt Graves takes his time painting a picture of the surroundings or explaining the reasoning behind the main characters thinking.
I felt very attached to some of the side characters. Sebastian and Eve were by far my favourite characters, however if I had any complaint about them.. I'd have to say that Sebastian felt like a push over and I didn't really get the romantic relationship between Eve and Aaron. It felt a little superficial to me. I think you'd get what I mean if you read the book - I don't want to give too much away.
I also liked that it had a soundtrack link with the book, however all the songs felt slower to me and I was definitely thinking there should have been some more fast-paced/action-y songs included.
And lastly, it definitely ends on a cliff hanger, so we know there will be more in the series to come! Rated: 3/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book for my honest review.
Aaron Sheridan signs up for Fleet expecting to be deployed to The Rim wars, but is sent to the most prestigious command school instead - Corinth Station. Right from the start, he does not get along with the other students, expect for Sebastian, and he has trouble keeping up with the course load and all the training. When he discovers what the stations true purpose is used for, he must gather the help of some people he may not fully trust to help safe themselves and a nearby planet.
I struggled with this one a little bit. I felt a bit like the main character in thinking "what is going on" and "what does that mean". I felt like the author just expected the reader to know what certain terms meant, or what certain things were called. Once I got past that, the story was pretty good and very in-depth. Merritt Graves takes his time painting a picture of the surroundings or explaining the reasoning behind the main characters thinking.
I felt very attached to some of the side characters. Sebastian and Eve were by far my favourite characters, however if I had any complaint about them.. I'd have to say that Sebastian felt like a push over and I didn't really get the romantic relationship between Eve and Aaron. It felt a little superficial to me. I think you'd get what I mean if you read the book - I don't want to give too much away.
I also liked that it had a soundtrack link with the book, however all the songs felt slower to me and I was definitely thinking there should have been some more fast-paced/action-y songs included.
And lastly, it definitely ends on a cliff hanger, so we know there will be more in the series to come! Rated: 3/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book for my honest review.
October 13, 2018
“When your world’s small, everything that moves in it matters; but when it’s larger, you get to pick out the important parts.”
Aaron’s small world has been obliterated, he’s lost everything, and rather than end up on the front line of suicidal war mission, he is transferred to a prestigious military school and discovers that the world is much larger, and more sinister, than he originally thought.
I’m a big fan of space related science fiction and Lakes of Mars did not disappoint! It started well; you’re immediately thrown into the story, and it sets up a list of questions and a lot of intrigue. I quite enjoyed Aaron’s narration and the cast of characters were well-developed. The writing was easy to read and very engaging.
The story slows and deviates just a little during the middle, but the ship rights itself in the end. And what an ending! Fast-paced, intense, eyes-glued-to-the-page and do-not-disturb!
Good science fiction lies within the realm of possibility, Lakes of Mars is science fiction done well, and has a little of everything thrown into the mix. I loved this book and I cannot wait to see how the events unfold in this series!
Many thanks to Merritt Graves and NetGalley for an ARC of this exciting book in exchange for an honest review.
Aaron’s small world has been obliterated, he’s lost everything, and rather than end up on the front line of suicidal war mission, he is transferred to a prestigious military school and discovers that the world is much larger, and more sinister, than he originally thought.
I’m a big fan of space related science fiction and Lakes of Mars did not disappoint! It started well; you’re immediately thrown into the story, and it sets up a list of questions and a lot of intrigue. I quite enjoyed Aaron’s narration and the cast of characters were well-developed. The writing was easy to read and very engaging.
The story slows and deviates just a little during the middle, but the ship rights itself in the end. And what an ending! Fast-paced, intense, eyes-glued-to-the-page and do-not-disturb!
Good science fiction lies within the realm of possibility, Lakes of Mars is science fiction done well, and has a little of everything thrown into the mix. I loved this book and I cannot wait to see how the events unfold in this series!
Many thanks to Merritt Graves and NetGalley for an ARC of this exciting book in exchange for an honest review.
August 19, 2018
3.5?
Things I Liked:
- The world. Even though this exclusively takes place at Cardiff station, we get plenty of knowledge on how everything came about and where everyone stands politically. We got history of the terraforming of Mars and the rest of the colonies, the technological advancements, how Earth is doing now and how all the colonies are holding up.
- Most of the characters. Or I guess I like the characters just not one aspect of them, which I'll talk about later. They were at least all well fleshed out and with their own stories.
- The execution of it. So I had a love hate/relationship with this. The part I did love was Caelus character. He is so morally gray and I just love those types of characters, not to mention the whole atmosphere of the station. It was a perfect social experiment set up by the higher ups, and it was fascinating how all the students ended up responding to being thrown in there.
- The ending. Can I get a holy shit? Because I wasn't expecting things to go quite like that. At one point I'm skimming along trying to read faster and just thinking, holy shit can't believe this is actually going on. I don't get that feeling too often so it was great!
Things I Didn't Like:
- Writing/Characters. So, these are all supposed to be teenagers still and young adults, but the way they talk/ed in flashbacks and currently is just so pretentious. It read like they were being filmed and graded in their use of SAT words, and everything became this big philosophical discussion. I'm not saying teenagers can't have these types of discussion, it's that they don't happen very often, and when every single one of them kept talking as such, it was just a bit unbelievable.
- The execution of it. I'm not sure how to go about explaining this one because I'm pretty sure it was the intention of the author to make you feel just as confused/pissed as Aaron was but I sure as hell didn't have to like it. You didn't know who you could root for, was there even someone to root for?! New chapter came along and suddenly you switched teams, you no longer liked that character, then a few pages in and it's like, they aren't that bad, then BAM, wtf is wrong with these people?! It was such a constant roller coaster that I ended up exhausted *almost* to the point of not caring. When you dangle the carrot out for too long at one point you just end up not giving a shit anymore. Gotta have those breadcrumbs.
- The romance. or more appropriately, what romance. It was romance at first sight and Aaron just jumps all in with eyes closed and it was just wrong! Why was he so given to this girl when he knows how fucked up this place is! He never once doubted her or anything about this girl. She basically shit rainbows and puked butterflies. It was off putting how completely Aaron was into this girl from the start. Was there anything wrong with Eve? Not really no, she was a cool enough lady, I just didn't like how the romance was handled.
All in all, looking forward to this series and more from this author!
Things I Liked:
- The world. Even though this exclusively takes place at Cardiff station, we get plenty of knowledge on how everything came about and where everyone stands politically. We got history of the terraforming of Mars and the rest of the colonies, the technological advancements, how Earth is doing now and how all the colonies are holding up.
- Most of the characters. Or I guess I like the characters just not one aspect of them, which I'll talk about later. They were at least all well fleshed out and with their own stories.
- The execution of it. So I had a love hate/relationship with this. The part I did love was Caelus character. He is so morally gray and I just love those types of characters, not to mention the whole atmosphere of the station. It was a perfect social experiment set up by the higher ups, and it was fascinating how all the students ended up responding to being thrown in there.
- The ending. Can I get a holy shit? Because I wasn't expecting things to go quite like that. At one point I'm skimming along trying to read faster and just thinking, holy shit can't believe this is actually going on. I don't get that feeling too often so it was great!
Things I Didn't Like:
- Writing/Characters. So, these are all supposed to be teenagers still and young adults, but the way they talk/ed in flashbacks and currently is just so pretentious. It read like they were being filmed and graded in their use of SAT words, and everything became this big philosophical discussion. I'm not saying teenagers can't have these types of discussion, it's that they don't happen very often, and when every single one of them kept talking as such, it was just a bit unbelievable.
- The execution of it. I'm not sure how to go about explaining this one because I'm pretty sure it was the intention of the author to make you feel just as confused/pissed as Aaron was but I sure as hell didn't have to like it. You didn't know who you could root for, was there even someone to root for?! New chapter came along and suddenly you switched teams, you no longer liked that character, then a few pages in and it's like, they aren't that bad, then BAM, wtf is wrong with these people?! It was such a constant roller coaster that I ended up exhausted *almost* to the point of not caring. When you dangle the carrot out for too long at one point you just end up not giving a shit anymore. Gotta have those breadcrumbs.
- The romance. or more appropriately, what romance. It was romance at first sight and Aaron just jumps all in with eyes closed and it was just wrong! Why was he so given to this girl when he knows how fucked up this place is! He never once doubted her or anything about this girl. She basically shit rainbows and puked butterflies. It was off putting how completely Aaron was into this girl from the start. Was there anything wrong with Eve? Not really no, she was a cool enough lady, I just didn't like how the romance was handled.
All in all, looking forward to this series and more from this author!
August 13, 2018
This author has a wonderful way of telling an intriguing story. Normally not my cup of tea, this book managed to capture me in such a captivating tale, it left me wanting more. Highly recommend this book and all those to come. This author is worth it, folks!
July 26, 2018
♥I got a copy from NetGalley and this is my most honest uninfluenced review♥
Rating: 6 of 7; 5 of 5; 9 of 10
General view: Trust no one. That should be the motto of this book. A lot of times someone said something and I was "you're not going to believe it, right?" but then a few chapters later "oh shit that was real" and guess what a few more chapter later "oh no that wasn't true anyway" and that goes on and on and on. It's just so wild! Everything about that school is fucked up. Everybody is fucked up - or at least looks like it. So many plot twists. honestly, I love it so badly. You can't trust anyone. You'll spend the whole time wondering about everyone. I don't even like sci-fi! No, seriously. The only reason I request it on NetGalley was basically "oh I liked Red Rising and Illuminae and Heart of iron, I mean, I don't dislike sci-fi and it sounds interesting - and it's Mars! I mean, RR right?" and that's the point when I honestly think I do like sci-fi to be honest.
Ending: guess what? Plot twist lol huge cliffhanger, can't explain for obvious reasons, but it changes everything you knew so far. I have no idea when the next book is coming out, but I'll definitely buy it asap.
Downsides: I have two complains about this book. Firstly, the first 20% are extremely confuse. I get that Aaron doesn't know shit so we should not know it, but it was kind of annoying. Secondly, I was expecting the "when he discovers that officer training is not the station’s only purpose, it becomes increasingly clear that risking everything is the safest thing he can do" to show up way sooner. I mean, it's not like it happened in the last 10% of the book, but still I was at least 50% before everything changes.
Side note: I didn't found more about book two or even an author's website or even a twitter (which let's be honest is the best way to get in touch with authors) and that makes me truly sad.
Rating: 6 of 7; 5 of 5; 9 of 10
General view: Trust no one. That should be the motto of this book. A lot of times someone said something and I was "you're not going to believe it, right?" but then a few chapters later "oh shit that was real" and guess what a few more chapter later "oh no that wasn't true anyway" and that goes on and on and on. It's just so wild! Everything about that school is fucked up. Everybody is fucked up - or at least looks like it. So many plot twists. honestly, I love it so badly. You can't trust anyone. You'll spend the whole time wondering about everyone. I don't even like sci-fi! No, seriously. The only reason I request it on NetGalley was basically "oh I liked Red Rising and Illuminae and Heart of iron, I mean, I don't dislike sci-fi and it sounds interesting - and it's Mars! I mean, RR right?" and that's the point when I honestly think I do like sci-fi to be honest.
Ending: guess what? Plot twist lol huge cliffhanger, can't explain for obvious reasons, but it changes everything you knew so far. I have no idea when the next book is coming out, but I'll definitely buy it asap.
Downsides: I have two complains about this book. Firstly, the first 20% are extremely confuse. I get that Aaron doesn't know shit so we should not know it, but it was kind of annoying. Secondly, I was expecting the "when he discovers that officer training is not the station’s only purpose, it becomes increasingly clear that risking everything is the safest thing he can do" to show up way sooner. I mean, it's not like it happened in the last 10% of the book, but still I was at least 50% before everything changes.
Side note: I didn't found more about book two or even an author's website or even a twitter (which let's be honest is the best way to get in touch with authors) and that makes me truly sad.
August 8, 2018
This story is reminiscent of Ender’s Game where a young man enlists in the service during a war with fearsome aliens. Aaron Sheridan is a hotshot pilot. But after an accident that killed his family, he enlists with a death wish to go to the front and die. Instead, he’s sent to officer training school where brutal things happen to students. The confederation’s top scientists have collected here, too, ostensibly to research an antidote to the deadly Verex venom. But is that really why they’re here? And why do the instructors allow fatal accidents to occur and students to hurt each other? This book is a page-turner that will keep you up at night. The author could have trimmed the long introspective passages that rambled on since I tended to skim over these sections. But I liked the hero, despite his flaws and self-doubt, and wanted to keep reading to see what was real and what was merely in his mind. Was he a mental mess, or were the instructors playing with the student’s minds? And when he finds out the truth, will he have the conviction to do something about it? You’ll want to get the sequel after the surprises at the end. I received an advance reading copy from the author and willingly give this honest review.
July 23, 2018
This is a complex and tightly plotted sci-fi 'space opera' told from the point of view of teenager Aaron Sheridan. Ace pilot Aaron is grieving and guilt-ridden in the immediate aftermath of a shuttle crash which kills his parents and sister. Aaron enlists in the military and is sent to an isolated cadet training space station, orbiting a lonely and seemingly uninhabitable planet. Aaron soon realises that things are not what they seem, either with the training programme, the space station, the planet below them or the war for which they are being trained to fight.
The large cast of characters is well-fleshed out and many of the students are highly competitive, devious and self-interested, with a minimum of adult supervision and support to guide or control them. Bullying, cheating and taking artificial stimulants seemed to be actively encouraged. However there are also friendships formed and alliances made.
Four stars because I thought the middle section of the book was a bit too long, with not enough action or progression of the story. However the last 25-30% of the book really does ratchet up the action and there are some excellent battle scenes including an escape via flooded tunnels (on a space station!) Lots of fighting, shooting and running, if you like that sort of thing. It's quite violent at times and the target audience I'd say is definitely young male.
The large cast of characters is well-fleshed out and many of the students are highly competitive, devious and self-interested, with a minimum of adult supervision and support to guide or control them. Bullying, cheating and taking artificial stimulants seemed to be actively encouraged. However there are also friendships formed and alliances made.
Four stars because I thought the middle section of the book was a bit too long, with not enough action or progression of the story. However the last 25-30% of the book really does ratchet up the action and there are some excellent battle scenes including an escape via flooded tunnels (on a space station!) Lots of fighting, shooting and running, if you like that sort of thing. It's quite violent at times and the target audience I'd say is definitely young male.
August 21, 2018
I do not typically enjoy reading science fiction, but I did not want to put Lakes of Mars down once I began reading it.
In addition to being astonished by my fervent engagement with a book classified as science fiction and fantasy, and in addition to being impressed by the literary quality of author Merritt Grave's writing, I was thoroughly amazed to find that I - a middle-aged woman - connected so deeply with the teenage-boy protagonist, Aaron. I winced, feeling his pain; was flummoxed alongside him as he attempted to discover the truths of the space station where he'd been sent for high-level military training; had my values tested at every turn, just as he did; and shared his crush.
The plot and themes of the book remind me a bit of Lord of the Flies, though Lakes of Mars does not include any rescue by English naval forces. Or a rescue by any outside forces, full-stop.
I want to write that "this is a book for our time," but quite frankly, given what we know of world history and the state of current affairs worldwide this very moment, I think it's more accurate to write that this is a book for ALL time.
In addition to being astonished by my fervent engagement with a book classified as science fiction and fantasy, and in addition to being impressed by the literary quality of author Merritt Grave's writing, I was thoroughly amazed to find that I - a middle-aged woman - connected so deeply with the teenage-boy protagonist, Aaron. I winced, feeling his pain; was flummoxed alongside him as he attempted to discover the truths of the space station where he'd been sent for high-level military training; had my values tested at every turn, just as he did; and shared his crush.
The plot and themes of the book remind me a bit of Lord of the Flies, though Lakes of Mars does not include any rescue by English naval forces. Or a rescue by any outside forces, full-stop.
I want to write that "this is a book for our time," but quite frankly, given what we know of world history and the state of current affairs worldwide this very moment, I think it's more accurate to write that this is a book for ALL time.
Read
February 23, 2019Lakes of Mars starts out super strong with the guilt-riddled Aaron Sheridan, our protagonist, heading on what appears to be a suicide mission. Feeling like he has nothing to lose, the story unfolds and begins to make it clear that he was meant for more and that the universe is not done with him yet.
This book contained all the things that sci-fic readers like myself love most – space battles, shady government dealings, aliens and spaceships! There is a lot of heart to Grave’s work as well, as we really get inside the main characters head and you get an overwhelming feeling of transitioning from grief to hope.
There were a few slow moments during the book, where my mind started to wonder a little bit and I was hoping to return to the action, but it soon rectified itself with a heart in your throat conclusion. There were some violent scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend this to really young readers, more the 16+ age range.
I decided to give Lakes of Mars a 4 out of 5. If you like Enders Game then this book will be a perfect addition to your bookshelf.
I received a copy of this ARC thanks to Netgalley in trade for a fair and honest review.
This book contained all the things that sci-fic readers like myself love most – space battles, shady government dealings, aliens and spaceships! There is a lot of heart to Grave’s work as well, as we really get inside the main characters head and you get an overwhelming feeling of transitioning from grief to hope.
There were a few slow moments during the book, where my mind started to wonder a little bit and I was hoping to return to the action, but it soon rectified itself with a heart in your throat conclusion. There were some violent scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend this to really young readers, more the 16+ age range.
I decided to give Lakes of Mars a 4 out of 5. If you like Enders Game then this book will be a perfect addition to your bookshelf.
I received a copy of this ARC thanks to Netgalley in trade for a fair and honest review.
July 29, 2018
I loved reading Lake of Mars.
It is reminiscent of Ender's Game, set in an elite military command school in space. I enjoyed the world building with the depth of politics that come with a dispersed human kind. There was great pace and plenty of action.
The points holding me from giving this a higher rating were small, but fairly continuous niggles. An explanation that did not quite hold up, a subject called space maths, and sometimes the gap between two chapters was jarring.
I did enjoy reading this though, and would recommend it to others. I will definitely give the next book a go when it is available (yes this is the first in a series)
It is reminiscent of Ender's Game, set in an elite military command school in space. I enjoyed the world building with the depth of politics that come with a dispersed human kind. There was great pace and plenty of action.
The points holding me from giving this a higher rating were small, but fairly continuous niggles. An explanation that did not quite hold up, a subject called space maths, and sometimes the gap between two chapters was jarring.
I did enjoy reading this though, and would recommend it to others. I will definitely give the next book a go when it is available (yes this is the first in a series)
January 30, 2019
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This book left me confused.
I found the story highly entertaining and then equally boring in places.
If I could cut out the boring parts then I would have been more than happy.
For me this was just too up and down.
This book left me confused.
I found the story highly entertaining and then equally boring in places.
If I could cut out the boring parts then I would have been more than happy.
For me this was just too up and down.
July 23, 2024
Very much like Ender’s Game and The Hunger Games. I’m starting to thinks that academia novels are just not my thing. The plot sounded interesting, but the story just wasn’t doing it for me.
July 19, 2018
LAKES OF MARS, the inaugural novel of Merritt Graves, has promise, though leans heavily on such modern science fiction classics as FOREVER WAR by Joe Haldeman (military training which is based at least partly on who survives the training); ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card (using game-type simulations to prepare to fight an alien menace); and STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein (a young man in a space corps training to be an officer).
It often takes a writer a long time to find his or her own voice, so it is natural to have influences show clearly in early work. In my mind, however, this story is raised above the ordinary because Graves adds another psychological element into the mix.
Corinth Station is a military officers academy. Presumably the students are the best of the best physically and/or mentally. When the cadets arrive, however, they are met with little or no oversight. The young people create their own cliques who bully and abuse other groups, even to the point of murder. The training itself causes pain and confusion. The result is chaos and paranoia. As in LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding, the veneer of civilization is stripped away.
It is hinted that the academy is intentionally set up this way to prepare the students for real battle. So it raises a number of serious questions about morality, military training, and war.
This part takes about two-thirds of the book. The last third becomes pure battle scenes; think of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN except in outer space. I have a problem with this structure because the parts seem to belong to different books. The story arc at the academy lacks a definitive conclusion, for example. The questions raised throughout are not clearly answered. The scenes of battle could easily have been the conclusion of another book.
With that being said, Graves writes in a crisp style, maintains an effective first person persona throughout, and has created a plausible world order in which Mars has been terraformed, Earth deteriorated, and Mars is the undisputed leader of the system.
Graves has much going for him in this novel, though it he might require more experience to reach his stride.
It often takes a writer a long time to find his or her own voice, so it is natural to have influences show clearly in early work. In my mind, however, this story is raised above the ordinary because Graves adds another psychological element into the mix.
Corinth Station is a military officers academy. Presumably the students are the best of the best physically and/or mentally. When the cadets arrive, however, they are met with little or no oversight. The young people create their own cliques who bully and abuse other groups, even to the point of murder. The training itself causes pain and confusion. The result is chaos and paranoia. As in LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding, the veneer of civilization is stripped away.
It is hinted that the academy is intentionally set up this way to prepare the students for real battle. So it raises a number of serious questions about morality, military training, and war.
This part takes about two-thirds of the book. The last third becomes pure battle scenes; think of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN except in outer space. I have a problem with this structure because the parts seem to belong to different books. The story arc at the academy lacks a definitive conclusion, for example. The questions raised throughout are not clearly answered. The scenes of battle could easily have been the conclusion of another book.
With that being said, Graves writes in a crisp style, maintains an effective first person persona throughout, and has created a plausible world order in which Mars has been terraformed, Earth deteriorated, and Mars is the undisputed leader of the system.
Graves has much going for him in this novel, though it he might require more experience to reach his stride.
June 19, 2018
ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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The blurb is what intrigued me but it only took me the first few chapters to realise that it was understating things a lot.
The story follows Aaron Sheridan, a young man haunted by the shuttle crash that had killed his family, which he feels responsible for as he was the shuttle pilot. In a suicidal bid he signs up for the Fleet, expecting to be sent to the Rim where the conflict between humans and the Verex is the heaviest. Instead he is assigned to the prestigious Corinth Station. It doesn't take long for him to sense that there is something very wrong with the command school, aside from the ruthless students.
I was expecting an average read, but I ended up finishing this in the span of 2 days while on the edge of my seat.
The setting is revealed slowly, with a distinct lack of info-dumps, seamlessly integrated into the dialogue and scenes. There was no jarring sense of being bombarded with too much information.
The plot is complex and very well thought-out. Any loopholes that I noticed were addressed almost immediately, resulting in a polished plot. The pacing was impeccable. We started with the first quarter or so of the book introducing us slowly to Corinth Station and its workings and the pace gradually picked up. It almost seemed to accelerate without notice, and by the time the climax rolled around the audience was at the edge of their seat and gritting their teeth for the final action. The 410 pages of my EPUB version were packed with events that were all given just the right amount of attention. The author also does not treat their readers like idiots. Clues are scattered throughout the novel and the reader's struggle to piece everything together is a large part of what makes this a fantastic read. Aaron's confusion is mirrored in the audience along with his desperate search for the truth in a place full of lies.
The writing was descriptive but quite beautiful at times and really helped me empathise with Aaron and the other characters' situations. Action scenes were also well-written, and I surprisingly found myself just as excited with the character discussions as I was with the actual action.
I liked how the relatively large cast of characters was handled and how, despite the first person narrative from Sheridan's perspective, I was able to understand the nature of the rest of the characters through his eyes. There was one thing I had trouble accepting and that was the romance element in this book. I understand that Aaron is suicidal and feels alone, but it still did not make sense to me that he became obsessed with Eve the moment he saw her. The way the romance was portrayed seemed to me like Aaron's desperation to find someone to attach to had been mistranslated as 'love'. This is what irked me but I did like how strong and motivated Eve was. One other issue I had was Aaron's near-perfect character. He has suicidal thoughts and is depressed, but he is also a great pilot, fighter, shooter, strategist and attractive on top of all that. A little too close to being Gary Stew, I'd say. I did enjoy seeing how naive he was during his time at Corinth Station. I really liked the rest of the cast of characters and how they were not merely sidekicks of Aaron's or inserted into the story just for a line or two. Everyone had a role to play and their development was handled quite well considering the fact that the whole story is told from Aaron's perspective.
Overall, I think this was an excellent story and the ending is an absolutely perfect setup for the next installment. I'll definitely be continuing this series and cannot wait for the next book.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
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Short review on Litsy:
Book is not available in Litsy's catalogue.
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The blurb is what intrigued me but it only took me the first few chapters to realise that it was understating things a lot.
The story follows Aaron Sheridan, a young man haunted by the shuttle crash that had killed his family, which he feels responsible for as he was the shuttle pilot. In a suicidal bid he signs up for the Fleet, expecting to be sent to the Rim where the conflict between humans and the Verex is the heaviest. Instead he is assigned to the prestigious Corinth Station. It doesn't take long for him to sense that there is something very wrong with the command school, aside from the ruthless students.
I was expecting an average read, but I ended up finishing this in the span of 2 days while on the edge of my seat.
The setting is revealed slowly, with a distinct lack of info-dumps, seamlessly integrated into the dialogue and scenes. There was no jarring sense of being bombarded with too much information.
The plot is complex and very well thought-out. Any loopholes that I noticed were addressed almost immediately, resulting in a polished plot. The pacing was impeccable. We started with the first quarter or so of the book introducing us slowly to Corinth Station and its workings and the pace gradually picked up. It almost seemed to accelerate without notice, and by the time the climax rolled around the audience was at the edge of their seat and gritting their teeth for the final action. The 410 pages of my EPUB version were packed with events that were all given just the right amount of attention. The author also does not treat their readers like idiots. Clues are scattered throughout the novel and the reader's struggle to piece everything together is a large part of what makes this a fantastic read. Aaron's confusion is mirrored in the audience along with his desperate search for the truth in a place full of lies.
The writing was descriptive but quite beautiful at times and really helped me empathise with Aaron and the other characters' situations. Action scenes were also well-written, and I surprisingly found myself just as excited with the character discussions as I was with the actual action.
I liked how the relatively large cast of characters was handled and how, despite the first person narrative from Sheridan's perspective, I was able to understand the nature of the rest of the characters through his eyes. There was one thing I had trouble accepting and that was the romance element in this book. I understand that Aaron is suicidal and feels alone, but it still did not make sense to me that he became obsessed with Eve the moment he saw her. The way the romance was portrayed seemed to me like Aaron's desperation to find someone to attach to had been mistranslated as 'love'. This is what irked me but I did like how strong and motivated Eve was. One other issue I had was Aaron's near-perfect character. He has suicidal thoughts and is depressed, but he is also a great pilot, fighter, shooter, strategist and attractive on top of all that. A little too close to being Gary Stew, I'd say. I did enjoy seeing how naive he was during his time at Corinth Station. I really liked the rest of the cast of characters and how they were not merely sidekicks of Aaron's or inserted into the story just for a line or two. Everyone had a role to play and their development was handled quite well considering the fact that the whole story is told from Aaron's perspective.
Overall, I think this was an excellent story and the ending is an absolutely perfect setup for the next installment. I'll definitely be continuing this series and cannot wait for the next book.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
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Short review on Litsy:
Book is not available in Litsy's catalogue.
June 19, 2018
A good YA read. Our main character is unexpectedly transferred to this prestigious trading acadamy in outer space. It's abit of a Lord of the Flies set in outer space. Enjoyable reading with a good cliff hanger which leaves you wanting to read the next book.
June 30, 2018
It starts well and ends well. Things do drag a little in the middle, but not enough to take it out of 5 star rating. The story is engaging with elements reminiscent to “Hunger Games,” and “Ender’s Game,” but this isn’t a knock off of those books. It follows its own plot. The story line reminds me of an updated “Red Planet,” by Robert A Heinlein. Again, this is not simply a knock off of that book, going its own way enough to be a unique tale. If you like military science fiction, then this is the book for you.
My only problem is the one I have with all YA novels, and that is children thinking and acting like adults. These people are supposed to be teenagers, but as I read I’m seeing characters in their mid-thirties to forties in my mind. They are simply too mature to be children.
*******************************************
Aaron Sheridan signs up expecting to be sent to “The Rim,” following the death of his family. He blames himself for their deaths and enlisting is his way of committing suicide. Instead he is sent to an elite military academy where he finds friends, love, and a reason to live. Just as he again embraces life, he discovers a terrible secret that will force him to risk everything he has just gained.
This is the first in a series, and I will definitely be waiting for the next installment.
My only problem is the one I have with all YA novels, and that is children thinking and acting like adults. These people are supposed to be teenagers, but as I read I’m seeing characters in their mid-thirties to forties in my mind. They are simply too mature to be children.
*******************************************
Aaron Sheridan signs up expecting to be sent to “The Rim,” following the death of his family. He blames himself for their deaths and enlisting is his way of committing suicide. Instead he is sent to an elite military academy where he finds friends, love, and a reason to live. Just as he again embraces life, he discovers a terrible secret that will force him to risk everything he has just gained.
This is the first in a series, and I will definitely be waiting for the next installment.
September 20, 2018
I loved this book. The characters are relatable and the action is very nearly non-stop.
This pulse-pounding sci-fi adventure takes place in a time when (as near as I can tell) humans have just barely begun to move out of our own solar system. They have begun to extend their colonizing efforts to a few planets nearest the solar system. But they have encountered some sort of opposition around the farthest reaches of where they have traveled, and there is currently a war going on at a place, or series of places, that they call the Rim. It’s unclear whether they are fighting humanoids or other humans, but the most often mentioned critters participating in the war are called Verex. They seem to look something like Manta rays, or at least one variety of them does, and they transmit some sort of plague. They are particularly dangerous in underground fighting, which is where the action of the war is now.
The real action of the story, however, does not take place at the Rim, but in a place called Corinth Station, an elite military academy run by the planet Mars. It is located in a stormy nebula above a planet that was supposedly once colonized, but that had its population destroyed by a storm a few years previously.
The main character, Aaron Sheridan, arrives on Corinth Station from Mars. He didn’t expect to be sent there having expected to be sent directly to the Rim instead. He recently lost his family in a shuttle crash where he was the pilot. Volunteering to join the fleet was his way of committing suicide.
On his way there, and shortly after he arrives, Aaron meets several other people, including Sebastian (we never learn just where he is from), who is kind of a nerd and doesn’t appear on the surface to be military academy material, and Eve (who is from Earth), with whom he promptly falls in love. He also tangles with a sadistic student officer named Taryn and Taryn’s superior, another student by the name of Caelus, who seems to be the most sinister of all. It’s possible, though, that in his case looks may be deceiving – or maybe not.
The faculty and administration of Corinth Station spend almost no time explaining what is going on or what the rules are, although there seems to be an obsessive concern with the rules. The students spend an incredible amount of time running in a huge treadmill room. They spend a lot of time practicing hand-to-hand combat and virtual weapons too. And they do a lot of tie-ins – which is where they inject themselves with some sort of fluid that, in combination with a computer feed, allows them to connect with soldiers in actual combat at the Rim and see, hear, and feel what the soldiers do, including when they die.
They also do flight simulations where they practice flying in battle groups and fighting each other, practicing strategy and flying. There are frequent challenges between various barracks for the top group. This seems to be the main concern of most of the students – becoming the top group, and in some cases becoming the leader of the top group. The flight simulations, known as “the box” are where Aaron’s friend, Sebastian excels.
Classes are kind of secondary for most of the students.
Something is very wrong at Corinth station. Aaron, Sebastian, and Eve begin to notice that there is a suspicious building program underway on the station. And about that time several of the students are killed, supposedly in ‘accidents.’ The administration never seems to so much as investigate any of the deaths or any of the inter-student violence although there is a lot of it.
About this time, the action speeds up to the point where it is hard to follow – but it will doubtless go over well in the movie version ;). The students in Aaron’s area think they have figured out what the station is really trying to do and make a mad dash to get away before it is too late.
Thanks to the author and Mason Street Productions for a free review copy of this book.
This pulse-pounding sci-fi adventure takes place in a time when (as near as I can tell) humans have just barely begun to move out of our own solar system. They have begun to extend their colonizing efforts to a few planets nearest the solar system. But they have encountered some sort of opposition around the farthest reaches of where they have traveled, and there is currently a war going on at a place, or series of places, that they call the Rim. It’s unclear whether they are fighting humanoids or other humans, but the most often mentioned critters participating in the war are called Verex. They seem to look something like Manta rays, or at least one variety of them does, and they transmit some sort of plague. They are particularly dangerous in underground fighting, which is where the action of the war is now.
The real action of the story, however, does not take place at the Rim, but in a place called Corinth Station, an elite military academy run by the planet Mars. It is located in a stormy nebula above a planet that was supposedly once colonized, but that had its population destroyed by a storm a few years previously.
The main character, Aaron Sheridan, arrives on Corinth Station from Mars. He didn’t expect to be sent there having expected to be sent directly to the Rim instead. He recently lost his family in a shuttle crash where he was the pilot. Volunteering to join the fleet was his way of committing suicide.
On his way there, and shortly after he arrives, Aaron meets several other people, including Sebastian (we never learn just where he is from), who is kind of a nerd and doesn’t appear on the surface to be military academy material, and Eve (who is from Earth), with whom he promptly falls in love. He also tangles with a sadistic student officer named Taryn and Taryn’s superior, another student by the name of Caelus, who seems to be the most sinister of all. It’s possible, though, that in his case looks may be deceiving – or maybe not.
The faculty and administration of Corinth Station spend almost no time explaining what is going on or what the rules are, although there seems to be an obsessive concern with the rules. The students spend an incredible amount of time running in a huge treadmill room. They spend a lot of time practicing hand-to-hand combat and virtual weapons too. And they do a lot of tie-ins – which is where they inject themselves with some sort of fluid that, in combination with a computer feed, allows them to connect with soldiers in actual combat at the Rim and see, hear, and feel what the soldiers do, including when they die.
They also do flight simulations where they practice flying in battle groups and fighting each other, practicing strategy and flying. There are frequent challenges between various barracks for the top group. This seems to be the main concern of most of the students – becoming the top group, and in some cases becoming the leader of the top group. The flight simulations, known as “the box” are where Aaron’s friend, Sebastian excels.
Classes are kind of secondary for most of the students.
Something is very wrong at Corinth station. Aaron, Sebastian, and Eve begin to notice that there is a suspicious building program underway on the station. And about that time several of the students are killed, supposedly in ‘accidents.’ The administration never seems to so much as investigate any of the deaths or any of the inter-student violence although there is a lot of it.
About this time, the action speeds up to the point where it is hard to follow – but it will doubtless go over well in the movie version ;). The students in Aaron’s area think they have figured out what the station is really trying to do and make a mad dash to get away before it is too late.
Thanks to the author and Mason Street Productions for a free review copy of this book.
November 5, 2018
I am not sure how this book ended up in my TBR. I couldn't find the email from the author/publisher requesting a review. I also couldn't find it on my NetGalley shelf. So mysterious. So very mysterious. But it ended up on my Kindle, I am glad that it did because it was a great read!!
Aaron is determined to kill himself. After a shuttle crash that killed his family (he was flying), he doesn't have a reason to live. He figures the best way to do that is to sign up for the Fleet and be deployed to the Rim War. That doesn't happen. Instead, he is sent to renown command school. The school was like nothing he had ever seen. Aaron is soon questioning everything as plots and schemes are uncovered. Unsure of who he can trust, he withdraws into himself. During that time, Aaron discovers that the station serves a double purpose. Gathering the few people he can trust, Aaron decides that he needs to risk everything to expose what is going on.
I felt bad for Aaron. The guilt he was living with was unbearable. He needed someone, other than his best friend, to tell him that the accident wasn't his fault. And therapy. He needed tons of that. As the book went on, I did question if he was reading into things wrong. The author did a fantastic job at making me, the reader, question Aaron's sanity. I did think that he was losing it at one point in the book. His dreams were creepy. It was after Sebastian's death that I stopped questioning Aaron's sanity. I then started questioning what the heck was going on at that station. I also felt that he showed true courage at the end of the book.
I loved the science fiction angle of the Lake of Mars. I had no issue imagining Mars being terraformed or people colonizing it. Same with Saturn. I was fascinated with what was going on in the station and where the other cadets were from. Even the lessons taught were fascinating. Why? Because I had no issue picturing it actually happening.
What I didn't care for was the violence exhibited in the book. Aaron and the other cadet whaled on each other. That played a big part of Aaron's distrust of everyone. How can you trust people who turn on you? Even the instructors were in on it.
There is drug use in this book also. I was a little disturbed at how easily the kids in the book were able to get drugs and use them. The adults running the station turned their heads or contributed to it. There was an explanation about why the adults didn't do anything and it disgusted me. Talk about self-serving.
The end of the book was insane and bloody. I wasn't expecting what happened to happen when the shuttle landed. I also wasn't expecting what was revealed when things were out in the open. My mouth dropped. Talk about a plot twist. It came out of nowhere. I was as stunned as Aaron was. I am hoping that the author will be writing a book 2. The end of the book made me think that.
I gave Lake of Mars a 4-star rating. This was a well-written book with relatable characters. I did have an issue with the violence in the book as well as the drug use. But other than that, I enjoyed reading the book.
I would give Lake of Mars an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is some quick kissing scenes but nothing that raised my eyebrows. There is violence. Some of it graphic. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They are drug use, extreme violence, the death of parents. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.
I would reread Lake of Mars. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a mention of the triggers.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Aaron is determined to kill himself. After a shuttle crash that killed his family (he was flying), he doesn't have a reason to live. He figures the best way to do that is to sign up for the Fleet and be deployed to the Rim War. That doesn't happen. Instead, he is sent to renown command school. The school was like nothing he had ever seen. Aaron is soon questioning everything as plots and schemes are uncovered. Unsure of who he can trust, he withdraws into himself. During that time, Aaron discovers that the station serves a double purpose. Gathering the few people he can trust, Aaron decides that he needs to risk everything to expose what is going on.
I felt bad for Aaron. The guilt he was living with was unbearable. He needed someone, other than his best friend, to tell him that the accident wasn't his fault. And therapy. He needed tons of that. As the book went on, I did question if he was reading into things wrong. The author did a fantastic job at making me, the reader, question Aaron's sanity. I did think that he was losing it at one point in the book. His dreams were creepy. It was after Sebastian's death that I stopped questioning Aaron's sanity. I then started questioning what the heck was going on at that station. I also felt that he showed true courage at the end of the book.
I loved the science fiction angle of the Lake of Mars. I had no issue imagining Mars being terraformed or people colonizing it. Same with Saturn. I was fascinated with what was going on in the station and where the other cadets were from. Even the lessons taught were fascinating. Why? Because I had no issue picturing it actually happening.
What I didn't care for was the violence exhibited in the book. Aaron and the other cadet whaled on each other. That played a big part of Aaron's distrust of everyone. How can you trust people who turn on you? Even the instructors were in on it.
There is drug use in this book also. I was a little disturbed at how easily the kids in the book were able to get drugs and use them. The adults running the station turned their heads or contributed to it. There was an explanation about why the adults didn't do anything and it disgusted me. Talk about self-serving.
The end of the book was insane and bloody. I wasn't expecting what happened to happen when the shuttle landed. I also wasn't expecting what was revealed when things were out in the open. My mouth dropped. Talk about a plot twist. It came out of nowhere. I was as stunned as Aaron was. I am hoping that the author will be writing a book 2. The end of the book made me think that.
I gave Lake of Mars a 4-star rating. This was a well-written book with relatable characters. I did have an issue with the violence in the book as well as the drug use. But other than that, I enjoyed reading the book.
I would give Lake of Mars an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is some quick kissing scenes but nothing that raised my eyebrows. There is violence. Some of it graphic. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They are drug use, extreme violence, the death of parents. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.
I would reread Lake of Mars. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a mention of the triggers.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
May 21, 2020
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.0 of 5
Aaron Sheridan is angry and upset. A shuttle that he was piloting crashed and everyone in his family (except him) died. Now with a death wish, he signs up for Fleet service, expecting to be shipped off to the front line of the Rim War. Instead, he is sent to Corinth Station on Mars - an elite command school. He immediately stands up for a poor kid who is being picked on by one of the most feared cadets in the school, Caelus Erik, which immediately puts a target on his own back by Erik and his goons. But Sheridan is not the push-over that so many of the other young recruits are.
Aaron isn't too happy with the way things are run and are or are not being monitored by the administrators. Are the inmates running this asylum? But with each passing day he learns new things and he just doesn't know who to trust or what action to take. But when a discovery is made that suggests he's unwittingly a part of a devious plot, he knows it's time to take action.
This is a quite dense book. Nearly 500 pages with a lot of information being presented. Much of this reminded me of when I read Pierce Brown's Red Rising. We have the reluctant hero stepping up and pulling people together. We have an authoritative over-seeing body that is present mostly theoretically at this time, though when it does step in, it asserts its hand. We even have a caste system recognized often by color (here it is uniform color).
What we don't have is a cohesive story.
I felt like 90% of this book was character set-up. We go back and forth - who do we trust, who do we not trust, who do we trust. And who is really in charge here and are they controlling as much as the cadets think, or do they have more 'free will' than they suspect?
There's plenty of action, as Aaron steps up and proves himself over and over, in combat and in skills tests, but the plot action only comes at the very end of the book and I wondered ... where did this come from? It was frustrating to change stories at the end of the book (which is what it felt like, even if the story at the end was hinted at earlier, it was never very present).
I actually really liked the characters and the development of the characters and that really kept me reading. But the major plot twist, which ends in a cliff-hanger (to sell the next book) just comes out of left field and didn't feel connected to the rest of the book, so it ended as a real let-down.
Looking for a good book? Lakes of Mars by Merritt Graves has some nice character development but lacks a tight story that would want me to read more.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Aaron Sheridan is angry and upset. A shuttle that he was piloting crashed and everyone in his family (except him) died. Now with a death wish, he signs up for Fleet service, expecting to be shipped off to the front line of the Rim War. Instead, he is sent to Corinth Station on Mars - an elite command school. He immediately stands up for a poor kid who is being picked on by one of the most feared cadets in the school, Caelus Erik, which immediately puts a target on his own back by Erik and his goons. But Sheridan is not the push-over that so many of the other young recruits are.
Aaron isn't too happy with the way things are run and are or are not being monitored by the administrators. Are the inmates running this asylum? But with each passing day he learns new things and he just doesn't know who to trust or what action to take. But when a discovery is made that suggests he's unwittingly a part of a devious plot, he knows it's time to take action.
This is a quite dense book. Nearly 500 pages with a lot of information being presented. Much of this reminded me of when I read Pierce Brown's Red Rising. We have the reluctant hero stepping up and pulling people together. We have an authoritative over-seeing body that is present mostly theoretically at this time, though when it does step in, it asserts its hand. We even have a caste system recognized often by color (here it is uniform color).
What we don't have is a cohesive story.
I felt like 90% of this book was character set-up. We go back and forth - who do we trust, who do we not trust, who do we trust. And who is really in charge here and are they controlling as much as the cadets think, or do they have more 'free will' than they suspect?
There's plenty of action, as Aaron steps up and proves himself over and over, in combat and in skills tests, but the plot action only comes at the very end of the book and I wondered ... where did this come from? It was frustrating to change stories at the end of the book (which is what it felt like, even if the story at the end was hinted at earlier, it was never very present).
I actually really liked the characters and the development of the characters and that really kept me reading. But the major plot twist, which ends in a cliff-hanger (to sell the next book) just comes out of left field and didn't feel connected to the rest of the book, so it ended as a real let-down.
Looking for a good book? Lakes of Mars by Merritt Graves has some nice character development but lacks a tight story that would want me to read more.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2018
"There was so little I understood about this place. It all felt like I was teetering on the edge of a nightmare."
"What kind of worlds would there be if people invented monsters and no one tried to stop them?"
Aaron expected to be sent to the rim; he expected to die. Instead, Aaron is assigned to Corinth and some other luckless foot-soldier assigned to the rim as a fatality statistic. Corinth is a training ground for students and home to some of the most elite scientists. The first rule of Corinth is to not break the rules, but Aaron and the other new students don’t even know the first rule yet. The superiors look the other way when certain rules are broken, but come down hard on those in their way and it won’t take long for Aaron to stick his nose out too far.
I was instantly sympathy with the main character, Aaron. Even though he chose his fate to be a suicide, an act of intervention (that we learn the details about later), gives him a kick in the butt to do otherwise with his life. It's the camaraderie with the other students at Corinth and the sticking up for Sebastian that helps to show him that he wants to live. That he has something to fight for. Aaron spends a lot of time with his inner thoughts and turmoil regarding the morals in the choices he will make. I was right there with him, analysing the problem, and trying to find a solution where people wouldn’t die. It never felt black and white, I was torn about it as much as Aaron.
The lingo for the fights is above my head, but I could feel the excitement and follow the big picture. The specific tech lingo gave the scenes more authenticity, especially within the science fiction genre. My vocabulary; however, was challenged, in a good way. The writing style was smooth, yet complex. I was only confused by the time jumps with chapters.
The classes and the professors appeared authentic, and the information was delivered scientifically and logically. I felt like those classes truly exist somewhere in a universe somewhere. On that note, the world building was incredible.
The plot was built layer by layer into a flawless stack-up that slowly unraveled. Not everything was easy for the characters. They made mistakes. Wrenches were thrown in their plans. New developments arose. It was like watching a real life catastrophe unfold in slow motion. This book had one of the most suspenseful and well-written climaxes that I've read.
"What kind of worlds would there be if people invented monsters and no one tried to stop them?"
Aaron expected to be sent to the rim; he expected to die. Instead, Aaron is assigned to Corinth and some other luckless foot-soldier assigned to the rim as a fatality statistic. Corinth is a training ground for students and home to some of the most elite scientists. The first rule of Corinth is to not break the rules, but Aaron and the other new students don’t even know the first rule yet. The superiors look the other way when certain rules are broken, but come down hard on those in their way and it won’t take long for Aaron to stick his nose out too far.
I was instantly sympathy with the main character, Aaron. Even though he chose his fate to be a suicide, an act of intervention (that we learn the details about later), gives him a kick in the butt to do otherwise with his life. It's the camaraderie with the other students at Corinth and the sticking up for Sebastian that helps to show him that he wants to live. That he has something to fight for. Aaron spends a lot of time with his inner thoughts and turmoil regarding the morals in the choices he will make. I was right there with him, analysing the problem, and trying to find a solution where people wouldn’t die. It never felt black and white, I was torn about it as much as Aaron.
The lingo for the fights is above my head, but I could feel the excitement and follow the big picture. The specific tech lingo gave the scenes more authenticity, especially within the science fiction genre. My vocabulary; however, was challenged, in a good way. The writing style was smooth, yet complex. I was only confused by the time jumps with chapters.
The classes and the professors appeared authentic, and the information was delivered scientifically and logically. I felt like those classes truly exist somewhere in a universe somewhere. On that note, the world building was incredible.
The plot was built layer by layer into a flawless stack-up that slowly unraveled. Not everything was easy for the characters. They made mistakes. Wrenches were thrown in their plans. New developments arose. It was like watching a real life catastrophe unfold in slow motion. This book had one of the most suspenseful and well-written climaxes that I've read.
July 31, 2018
The story begins with our 17 year old protagonist Aaron Sheridan. Aaron finds himself in a distraught mental state after an accident, he believes he is responsible for, kills his parents and sister. Believing he isn’t worthy of existing anymore, Aaron signs up for active duty in the fleet militia. He sabotages his scores in the hopes that he will be sent to the Rim. A brutal, front line war zone where he is likely to be killed off quickly in the escalating war with an alien species known as Verex.
His plans are sent into a tail spin when he is chosen for the elite, and isolated command school known as Corinth Station. Upon his arrival at the station, Aaron meets a cast of characters who will test Aaron and his convictions to the fullest extent. Aaron also discovers that Corinth Station is a complicated place and it has secrets.
Aaron is also introduced to a new, budding romance with Eve. Eve is also a complicated individual who pushes Aaron and his comfort zones, and helps him grow. All Aaron knows and has come to hold near and dear is challenged when a devastating conspiracy is revealed.
We aren’t told exactly when in time the story is set, but it is evidently far ahead in the future, in a time where humanity has colonized multiple planets, but the wars of Earth have bled into this new world. The author has a gift for descriptive narrative. I got sucked into the story and blew through the book quickly. The last third of the book is fast paced and intense with vivid battle sequences. Story ends on a cliffhanger, leaving open all possibilities for the remainder of the series. Storyline is well conceived and easy to follow despite it being based in the distant future, with technology not available to us now. I did get a little lost when heavy space, nautical lingo was in use, but it wasn’t too bad. There are also some flashback sequences and some imbedded virtual reality sequences that threw me a little, but overall the book flows well and is easy to read. I enjoyed it and look forward to the remaining books in the series.
His plans are sent into a tail spin when he is chosen for the elite, and isolated command school known as Corinth Station. Upon his arrival at the station, Aaron meets a cast of characters who will test Aaron and his convictions to the fullest extent. Aaron also discovers that Corinth Station is a complicated place and it has secrets.
Aaron is also introduced to a new, budding romance with Eve. Eve is also a complicated individual who pushes Aaron and his comfort zones, and helps him grow. All Aaron knows and has come to hold near and dear is challenged when a devastating conspiracy is revealed.
We aren’t told exactly when in time the story is set, but it is evidently far ahead in the future, in a time where humanity has colonized multiple planets, but the wars of Earth have bled into this new world. The author has a gift for descriptive narrative. I got sucked into the story and blew through the book quickly. The last third of the book is fast paced and intense with vivid battle sequences. Story ends on a cliffhanger, leaving open all possibilities for the remainder of the series. Storyline is well conceived and easy to follow despite it being based in the distant future, with technology not available to us now. I did get a little lost when heavy space, nautical lingo was in use, but it wasn’t too bad. There are also some flashback sequences and some imbedded virtual reality sequences that threw me a little, but overall the book flows well and is easy to read. I enjoyed it and look forward to the remaining books in the series.
September 20, 2018
"Lakes of Mars" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Merritt Graves. Mr. Graves has published two novels.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the future. Mars and other locations in the Solar System have been colonized. The primary character is 17-year-old Aaron Sheridan.
Sheridan has joined the Fleet after a crash killed his family while he was piloting their shuttle. He had hoped to be assigned to the war out on the Rim and die. Unexpectedly he is assigned to Corinth Station, the premier Fleet academy run by the United Fleet of Mars. The academy is nothing like he had expected. Life there is brutal and cutthroat. The young officers in training learn more through survival than from their instructors.
The cadets are broken into different groups and there is a battle going on between groups. Sheridan gets drawn into this and finds that it is not clear which side he should be on. Sheridan just tries to survive, then he meets the brilliant Eve. He dedicates most of his time to help her research a cure for her brother.
Before long though he and some of the other students begin to suspect that the United Fleet of Mars is hiding something at Corinth Station. The more they investigate, the stronger they feel that they have to do something.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this young adult science fiction novel. There is action and a touch of romance in the book. There is action and a touch of romance in the book. I liked the overall plot, but I am not a fan of the Sheridan character. I understand having a flawed hero, but to me, he has a few too many flaws. The cover art is OK, though I think something closer to the plot line would have been better. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the future. Mars and other locations in the Solar System have been colonized. The primary character is 17-year-old Aaron Sheridan.
Sheridan has joined the Fleet after a crash killed his family while he was piloting their shuttle. He had hoped to be assigned to the war out on the Rim and die. Unexpectedly he is assigned to Corinth Station, the premier Fleet academy run by the United Fleet of Mars. The academy is nothing like he had expected. Life there is brutal and cutthroat. The young officers in training learn more through survival than from their instructors.
The cadets are broken into different groups and there is a battle going on between groups. Sheridan gets drawn into this and finds that it is not clear which side he should be on. Sheridan just tries to survive, then he meets the brilliant Eve. He dedicates most of his time to help her research a cure for her brother.
Before long though he and some of the other students begin to suspect that the United Fleet of Mars is hiding something at Corinth Station. The more they investigate, the stronger they feel that they have to do something.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this young adult science fiction novel. There is action and a touch of romance in the book. There is action and a touch of romance in the book. I liked the overall plot, but I am not a fan of the Sheridan character. I understand having a flawed hero, but to me, he has a few too many flaws. The cover art is OK, though I think something closer to the plot line would have been better. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
August 24, 2018
*I received this book free via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.*
My opinion of this book fluctuated quite a bit as i progressed through the story.
At first I couldn't help but feel it was a little derivative of Ender's Game, but that feeling didn't last too long. As the book fleshed out a bit, it went in its own direction but just as it had started to come into its own, it became a brainless action book.
Certain elements, I thought were done quite well;
The protagonist had a traumatic backstory which resulted in him being a genuinely flawed person.
There was a greater battle happening on an impersonal scale and this added to the world building element and furthered the plot without detracting from the personal struggles of the characters.
Characters had similar goals and vastly different methods of achieving them and it resulted in some interesting conflict.
What I felt a little let down by was;
There wasn't depth to most of the characters.
There were a lot of underutilised opportunities.
Finally, as mentioned above, while I felt a lot of thought went into the beginning of the novel, the ending read like something out of a B movie action flick. .
Clearly some effort was put into making this an interesting world and I would consider reading the sequel if another is written, but I would love to see more thoughtful conflict resolution and stronger investment in the characters.
3/5
My opinion of this book fluctuated quite a bit as i progressed through the story.
At first I couldn't help but feel it was a little derivative of Ender's Game, but that feeling didn't last too long. As the book fleshed out a bit, it went in its own direction but just as it had started to come into its own, it became a brainless action book.
Certain elements, I thought were done quite well;
The protagonist had a traumatic backstory which resulted in him being a genuinely flawed person.
There was a greater battle happening on an impersonal scale and this added to the world building element and furthered the plot without detracting from the personal struggles of the characters.
Characters had similar goals and vastly different methods of achieving them and it resulted in some interesting conflict.
What I felt a little let down by was;
There wasn't depth to most of the characters.
There were a lot of underutilised opportunities.
Finally, as mentioned above, while I felt a lot of thought went into the beginning of the novel, the ending read like something out of a B movie action flick. .
Clearly some effort was put into making this an interesting world and I would consider reading the sequel if another is written, but I would love to see more thoughtful conflict resolution and stronger investment in the characters.
3/5
April 16, 2019
A super long book, longer than I expected… worth every minute, even though the story was left on a cliff hanger. 4.5 stars.
Plot: In a distant future, out in space, there’s something going on at the borders, called The Rim… a war with some terrifying creatures. But, is it real?
Characters: Aaron, the M.C., is sent to Corinth, a brutal, jail-like training center for teens. It’s not where he wanted to be, but he ends up finding a calling within the conspiracies. The government is training these youths for the war, using questionable tactics and oversights where you just can’t help but feel sorry for these kids. There’s a lot of different characters in here, boys & girls, some more (character) developed than others, but each one has a purpose and their own different struggles with the life they’ve found themselves in.
The Writing: The writing is rich and detailed, written from Aaron’s 1st person POV. There is plenty of imaginative and technical jargon mixed in, as well as flowing dialogue that moves the story quickly. 500+ pages and I STILL read it in a single day.
In Case You Wanted to Know: There is SOooo MUCH FOUL language in here. Could it have been avoided? Sure, but I think it was almost necessary, because (hear me out) have you heard YA/ teenage boys when they’re playing a heated video game? Or when they’re about to fight? Testosterone definitely plays its role in this one, for sure.
Overall: My ONLY disappointment was that the story ended with a cliff hanger. I DO want to know what happens next, and I’m sure I’ll gladly get Book #2. There was an element of conspiracy throughout, and that alone kept me HOOKED. Something was off, right from the start, but full of understanding (or actually, a clearer picture) didn’t come until near the end. Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was delightfully surprised. 4.5 stars.
*I received a FREE copy of this story, in exchange for my honest review.
Plot: In a distant future, out in space, there’s something going on at the borders, called The Rim… a war with some terrifying creatures. But, is it real?
Characters: Aaron, the M.C., is sent to Corinth, a brutal, jail-like training center for teens. It’s not where he wanted to be, but he ends up finding a calling within the conspiracies. The government is training these youths for the war, using questionable tactics and oversights where you just can’t help but feel sorry for these kids. There’s a lot of different characters in here, boys & girls, some more (character) developed than others, but each one has a purpose and their own different struggles with the life they’ve found themselves in.
The Writing: The writing is rich and detailed, written from Aaron’s 1st person POV. There is plenty of imaginative and technical jargon mixed in, as well as flowing dialogue that moves the story quickly. 500+ pages and I STILL read it in a single day.
In Case You Wanted to Know: There is SOooo MUCH FOUL language in here. Could it have been avoided? Sure, but I think it was almost necessary, because (hear me out) have you heard YA/ teenage boys when they’re playing a heated video game? Or when they’re about to fight? Testosterone definitely plays its role in this one, for sure.
Overall: My ONLY disappointment was that the story ended with a cliff hanger. I DO want to know what happens next, and I’m sure I’ll gladly get Book #2. There was an element of conspiracy throughout, and that alone kept me HOOKED. Something was off, right from the start, but full of understanding (or actually, a clearer picture) didn’t come until near the end. Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was delightfully surprised. 4.5 stars.
*I received a FREE copy of this story, in exchange for my honest review.
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