Zero-Option

by Lindsay H.F. Brambles

The war between the Federation and the Unity rages on, and far out beyond the Fringes Fleet's newest ship, the Niagara, has gone missing after her last jump. Admiralty assigns Commander Nathan Imbrahim the task of finding out what happened to her. To Imbrahim it seems a straightforward mission. But the only ship available to take him where he needs to go is the Connie--and there is nothing straightforward about Lhara Jordel, the woman who commands her. Captain Jhordel does as she pleases, as Commander Nathan Imbrahim soon finds out. And what she pleases will take them all into the heart of darkness.

Read more: http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Zero...

Genres: Science Fiction

67 pages, ebook

Reviews

[Ray Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good characters but extremely poor "non-ending" that went nowhere.

[Eric Juneau · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a novella I had in my archives, released under CC, that I finished in two days. It was awful, such a Mary Sue. Here's the plot: some Space Navy Intelligence officer boards a ship with a "loose cannon" captain. The captain is a complete moron, taking unnecessary risks into deep space, enemy territory, and warp jumps, for no apparent reason. And in the end, they all die, because she was a moron. Here's the narrative.

"Loose Cannon" Captain: I'm a loose cannon. I'll do something stupid and unnecessarily risky.
Space Navy Officer: You're crazy! (to some other guy) She's crazy!
Some Other Guy: She's a genius, we'll do whatever she says.
"Loose Cannon" Captain: Now I've screwed us. But I'm a loose cannon. I'll do something else stupid and risky to get us out of this.
Space Navy Officer: You're crazy! (to some other guy) She's crazy!
Some Other Guy: She's a genius, we'll do whatever she says.
"Loose Cannon" Captain: Now I've screwed us again and we're going to die. But I'm a loose cannon. I'll do something even more stupid and risky to get us out of this. Because I'm a loose cannon.
Space Navy Officer: You're crazy! (to some other guy) She's crazy!
Some Other Guy: She's a genius. She'll get us out of this.
All: Crap, we died.

Thus we come to another end of Eric Juneau Theater.

I mean seriously, as a writer, can you not see that your main character is a moron? Or that your plot is the same formula, all based on ridiculous jumps to conclusions, none of which are character based? Some books intimidate you to be a writer. Others make you realize that 'you can do this'.

[Roberto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excruciating. And not in a good way.