Siege of Titan (Star Crusades Book 1)
by
, 11-14-2011 at 02:35 AM (24773 Views)
Allow me to start by saying that I used to rarely give reviews for books, but now I'm going through and sampling science fiction books of the Independent variety to formulate a list of Premium SF novels to help readers know what to buy.
When I judge a Science Fiction work I do so using the Campbellian model.
That model being the kinds of science fiction that John Woods Campbell of Astounding magazine published and/or wrote.
In short, I determine whether it's Hard SF or not and will rate it accordingly.
I dislike Soft SF (unless it is exceptionally done), and have a personal preference for Military Science Fiction, thus I give my rating based on how close a novel/story is to Hard SF verses Soft.
Michael G. Thomas' Seige of Titan is a novel that meets ALL of the criteria for a Campbellian SF novel in my opinion.
It deserves the 5 stars I gave it.
This book went beyond my expectations for a military SF novel.
In short, I loved it.
Here's a basic overview (no spoilers):
The story takes place in a future where a Confederacy controls the nearby star systems around Sol. In this interstellar society there is a war between the ordered government of the Confederacy and the mysterious religious order known as Zealots. One man finds himself caught up in this conflict due to a debt to society he incurred after being arrested for partaking in the violent bloodsports of the underworld. Gladitorial games that feed the bloodlust of a decadent future society. Spartan, a walking killing machine, finds himself prisoner of his destiny as he is forced to choose between life in prison and military service. His choice to serve the Confederacy as a space marine leads him down a path he would never have imagined possible.
My critique:
The Good.
Everything.
The spelling, grammar, and punctuation are superb.
The action is well defined and detailed.
The technology is scientific enough to be believable, but not so scientific as to be boring.
Seige of Titan is what science fiction is supposed to look like.
Action packed with massive spacecraft, intricate battles, a sinister secret on an alien world, and characters that are well developed and likeable.
I cannot praise this book enough.
The Bad.
Captain Thomas, I couldn't help but imagine this was the author projecting himself into his story.
If you didn't mean it that way Mr. Thomas, then I apologize.
Other than that I didn't find anything I'd call bad.
The Ugly.
The book is too short.
I wanted more DAMN IT! ^_^
Therefore, I will have to check out the sequels.
Congrats to you Mr. Thomas, your book is going on my list of Premium SF novels.
It certainly has earned a place there.
Available at the following fine retailers:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Siege-Titan-St...pr_product_top
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/47346