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Past the Redline
Entirely sane space-racer Diana Slowbane pushes her ship past its limits in order to bag first place, and in doing so, breaks the laws of causality and sends herself, her ship, and her AI companion ChaOS hurtling across the Milky way and into Federation space, where she is the first human to ever meet any of the locals, and the first to demand that they race.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2023
13 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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RavensDagger
49 books237 followersA bird that likes comfy and happy things, and also knives. Once ate a god’s eye and awakened the ability to see all that is good in the world. Known to steal shiny ideas and baubles. Currently forbidden from writing his own bios.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 30, 2024
I want to give this 5* - I really do. 4.5* if I could. Minor spoilers ahead.
Clearly inspired by the movie Redline. Which I don't mind as that's my favourite movie ever.
OTT and illegal or quasi-legal racing in space with a wide cast of eccentric alien species and characters. A hyperactive race commentator. Illegal racing on a tyrannical planet. A few other homages and details I won't add here because of spoilers. A couple of lines are even taken verbatim from the (movie) Redline.
1.
Redline: " 'JPs pulled the trigger on his nitro in the final stretch! He's making a break for the lead on a rocket ride as he pulls away from the second group!' "
Past The Redline: " “ [...] Dancer-In-Blue-Flame is roaring ahead on a nitro burst! There’s no way they’ll catch up to our first placers, but they might make a grab for second at this rate!” "
2.
Redline: " 'Someone's having doubt's huh? Hell, I'm just trying to keep this thing interesting. Can't write me off like that. You're just a voice pal, you don't know a damn thing about racing!' "
Past The Redline: " “I have no idea what that thing is!” the announcer screamed, “but it’s not the first ship I don’t recognize today! That’s a mean-looking vessel! But we’re going to have to see if it has the guns and power to justify that size. That is one hefty frigate!”
[...] “You don’t know the first thing about my ship,” she said. “I’m just trying to make things interesting.” "
If you've watched the movie recently and read those scenes in context, you'll see what I mean.
But just a couple of little things drag it down. I feel it needs a little more editing polish and a pass-over with a thesaurus. For example you'll have a sentence such as "The little person moved into the little doorway and walked to the little ship to get into the little cockpit." Just an overuse of of the same verb and when you notice it, the entire passage feels clunky.
The ending is unsatisfying (imo) and I think this book could definitely benefit from becoming a series (or at least a duology to tie up loose ends and get Diana back home to Earth).
Clearly inspired by the movie Redline. Which I don't mind as that's my favourite movie ever.
OTT and illegal or quasi-legal racing in space with a wide cast of eccentric alien species and characters. A hyperactive race commentator. Illegal racing on a tyrannical planet. A few other homages and details I won't add here because of spoilers. A couple of lines are even taken verbatim from the (movie) Redline.
1.
Redline: " 'JPs pulled the trigger on his nitro in the final stretch! He's making a break for the lead on a rocket ride as he pulls away from the second group!' "
Past The Redline: " “ [...] Dancer-In-Blue-Flame is roaring ahead on a nitro burst! There’s no way they’ll catch up to our first placers, but they might make a grab for second at this rate!” "
2.
Redline: " 'Someone's having doubt's huh? Hell, I'm just trying to keep this thing interesting. Can't write me off like that. You're just a voice pal, you don't know a damn thing about racing!' "
Past The Redline: " “I have no idea what that thing is!” the announcer screamed, “but it’s not the first ship I don’t recognize today! That’s a mean-looking vessel! But we’re going to have to see if it has the guns and power to justify that size. That is one hefty frigate!”
[...] “You don’t know the first thing about my ship,” she said. “I’m just trying to make things interesting.” "
If you've watched the movie recently and read those scenes in context, you'll see what I mean.
But just a couple of little things drag it down. I feel it needs a little more editing polish and a pass-over with a thesaurus. For example you'll have a sentence such as "The little person moved into the little doorway and walked to the little ship to get into the little cockpit." Just an overuse of of the same verb and when you notice it, the entire passage feels clunky.
The ending is unsatisfying (imo) and I think this book could definitely benefit from becoming a series (or at least a duology to tie up loose ends and get Diana back home to Earth).
January 30, 2023
Star Trek TNG, out of all of the Star Trek series, really stressed one specific thing: a couple of words here, a couple of words there ("we don't use money" spoken with great disdain over using money) and indications that poverty had been conquered and no one did a job just to make enough to support themselves - they did whatever they did. Implication being that they all decided to be golden little Federation citizens and work for the greater good (i.e., go into space exploration and joining Star Fleet); spoken by a star fleet captain, you'd expect a certain amount of cocky "we're the best" kind of language like that.
What's all the above about? Well, the earth in this book has also overcome poverty, and allowed people, freed people to work on whatever they want to work on. Do whatever they want to do. Here that involves the main POV character (and the POV does minorly shift every few hundred pages), Diane, finding their joy, their purpose in live not in space exploration but in winning. Winning running races, space races, plane races, etc. Which is how the book opens - them near the end of a space race, pushing their ship every faster, faster than they should and . . . they won! But they are also half way across the galaxy in unexplored by human space.
She found herself in a solar system unknown to her, near an inhabited world, near space stations, and needing to make repairs. Oh, and, apparently, people are asking her to pay them. Which was/is an unfamiliar concept to her. Money? Naturally ... she enters another race to make money to pay for stuff. Then moves on to another race. Oh, and she's on the edge of Federation space, a different federation than the one that has a Star Fleet and stuff.
Quite an interesting concept and story. Not sure what all else to say.
Rating: 4.28
January 30 2023
What's all the above about? Well, the earth in this book has also overcome poverty, and allowed people, freed people to work on whatever they want to work on. Do whatever they want to do. Here that involves the main POV character (and the POV does minorly shift every few hundred pages), Diane, finding their joy, their purpose in live not in space exploration but in winning. Winning running races, space races, plane races, etc. Which is how the book opens - them near the end of a space race, pushing their ship every faster, faster than they should and . . . they won! But they are also half way across the galaxy in unexplored by human space.
She found herself in a solar system unknown to her, near an inhabited world, near space stations, and needing to make repairs. Oh, and, apparently, people are asking her to pay them. Which was/is an unfamiliar concept to her. Money? Naturally ... she enters another race to make money to pay for stuff. Then moves on to another race. Oh, and she's on the edge of Federation space, a different federation than the one that has a Star Fleet and stuff.
Quite an interesting concept and story. Not sure what all else to say.
Rating: 4.28
January 30 2023
February 10, 2023
An interesting story set in the far future involving a human women in a star ship built to win races, far off into space not explored by humans. She finds many different alien species there, and competes in races with a local and an artifical intelligence.
February 15, 2023
Very different from Ravensdagger's usual style of "cute girls get up to shenanigans", but very well done in execution and delivery.
February 1, 2024
Not my favorite subject, but for a favorite author? OK, I'm in.
May 3, 2024
It has its moments, but going from racing and "I want to be the fastest" to blowing shit up in a "race" that does not need speed is kinda weird.
Also she goes out of her way to try to not kill Federation dimwits, but is fine with literally being with an attack force and killing people defending their home.
I guess if you would call ww3 "race to world domination" she would be happy to participate...
Also she goes out of her way to try to not kill Federation dimwits, but is fine with literally being with an attack force and killing people defending their home.
I guess if you would call ww3 "race to world domination" she would be happy to participate...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews