Review of Taj's Sabbatical
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[Following is a volunteer review of "Taj's Sabbatical" by Artell Smith and Troy Smith.]
I found joy in reading Taj’s Sabbatical. The characters are well-rounded. The action is literally ‘out of this world,’ and the authors, Artell Smith and Troy Smith, take the time to pay homage to former science fiction writers.
Taj’s Sabbatical focuses on the familiar theme of family loyalty overcoming tremendous outside forces seeking to destroy it. The stakes are high as Taj, an elite warrior of the Enforcers group, the personal guardians of the King of the Sol System, struggles to save his family while simultaneously embracing the forces of loyalty and duty to the crown.
Taking his first vacation after years of guardianship, Taj is instantly hit with the abduction of his mate and imminent violence against his family. The stakes could not be higher as Fayzaan, the Crown Prince of a rival kingdom, seeks to destroy every member of Taj’s family. The result is a high-speed romp through the solar system, where danger and destruction wait at every turn. For some readers, the heart-pounding pace may be a bit much, but for me, the action, occasionally interrupted by flashbacks, was invigorating.
One of the most positive aspects of Taj’s Sabbatical is the mention of former science fiction writers, not by name but by their works. The ‘spires’ come from Arthur C. Clarke, and mentioning the moon as a ‘harsh mistress’ comes directly from one of Robert Heinlein’s best works, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Then there are the 'Three Laws of Robotics' proposed by Isaac Asimov in his I, Robot collection for the control of artificial beings, which Fayzaan somehow interrupts, much to the chagrin of Taj and his allies. Though these instances of referral do not rise to the height of allusion, I must give the authors credit for their acts of homage, which elevate Taj’s Sabbatical above many other science fiction works I have read.
Another contributing factor to my appreciation of this novel is the use of names. In Taj’s Sabbatical, names mean something. For instance, Fencer, Taj’s father’s name, is self-explanatory. Other names, however, are not so clear. The name given to Taj’s mother is Dyani, a Native American name meaning ‘deer,’ which every hunter will appreciate during Dyani’s chase scene. Taj is an Arabic name meaning ‘crown,’ as in the Taj Mahal. Jayce, Taj’s brother, has a Greek and Hebrew origin name that translates to ‘healer,’ appropriate for the hero who rescues Taddy, Taj’s husband, from the clutches of Fayzaan. Taddy, a male name of Aramaic origin, indicates the wearer as ‘the prized one’ or ‘the gift.’ The antagonist, Fayzaan’s name, means ‘great grace’ or ‘great beneficence,’ which is an appropriate designation for an ego-driven sociopath. While most readers will not recognize the significance of names given to characters by authors, many literary giants have used the technique to magnificent effect. For instance, Charles Dickens uses the name Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol to accent a miserly character that evolves into a stone of hope.
Other aspects of this novel that drive a reader’s imagination are the incredible diversity in artificial beings, including synthetic constructs called synths, clones, cyborgs, and stored consciousnesses that can act on an ethereal plane to investigate, advise, and interact with computer systems. The possibilities are highly intriguing and essential when considering that Taj’s Sabbatical is the foundational novel of a series where all these new ideas create a firm footing for the series’ future novels.
There are, however, some fundamental writing errors that appear throughout the book. One of the most important is the seeming lack of understanding by authors Artell and Troy Smith of the rules for writing numbers in fiction. Beginning on page one and resurfacing throughout the novel, the authors violate several fundamental rules of fiction by using numerals instead of writing out numbers as the Chicago Manual of Style requires. The three most important rules for writing numbers in a work of fiction include:
1. All numbers from one to one hundred must be written out.
2. Even numbers above one hundred must be spelled out.
3. All numbers inside the dialogue must be written out.
I attempted to find any writing authority that counters these rules but found none. Unfortunately, in Taj’s Sabbatical, the first time the authors violate these rules is on page one. I gave up counting these numerical errors when I reached one hundred. I understand that following the rules is sometimes awkward. Still, while browsing Taj’s Sabbatical, I noticed that the authors often followed the rules before or after violating them.
Another issue with this novel is the lack of literary devices to enhance the tone and structure of the tale; valuable tools such as symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, simile, and foreshadowing do not exist in this book. It is an exciting tale without the depth that raises significant works to the highest levels.
While profanity often occurs in Taj’s Sabbatical, sexual themes remain hidden behind the action. Though I am not allergic to the inclusion of explicit sex when used for a purpose, I believe that in this novel, the few instances of sexual implication are enough.
Ultimately, considering the intriguing themes and fast-paced action, without the presence of literary devices, I would typically give Taj’s Sabbatical a rating of four out of five. However, with the numerous numerical presentation errors, I feel it is essential to remove another star and award a rating of three out of five.
******
Taj's Sabbatical
View: on Bookshelves |
I found joy in reading Taj’s Sabbatical. The characters are well-rounded. The action is literally ‘out of this world,’ and the authors, Artell Smith and Troy Smith, take the time to pay homage to former science fiction writers.
Taj’s Sabbatical focuses on the familiar theme of family loyalty overcoming tremendous outside forces seeking to destroy it. The stakes are high as Taj, an elite warrior of the Enforcers group, the personal guardians of the King of the Sol System, struggles to save his family while simultaneously embracing the forces of loyalty and duty to the crown.
Taking his first vacation after years of guardianship, Taj is instantly hit with the abduction of his mate and imminent violence against his family. The stakes could not be higher as Fayzaan, the Crown Prince of a rival kingdom, seeks to destroy every member of Taj’s family. The result is a high-speed romp through the solar system, where danger and destruction wait at every turn. For some readers, the heart-pounding pace may be a bit much, but for me, the action, occasionally interrupted by flashbacks, was invigorating.
One of the most positive aspects of Taj’s Sabbatical is the mention of former science fiction writers, not by name but by their works. The ‘spires’ come from Arthur C. Clarke, and mentioning the moon as a ‘harsh mistress’ comes directly from one of Robert Heinlein’s best works, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Then there are the 'Three Laws of Robotics' proposed by Isaac Asimov in his I, Robot collection for the control of artificial beings, which Fayzaan somehow interrupts, much to the chagrin of Taj and his allies. Though these instances of referral do not rise to the height of allusion, I must give the authors credit for their acts of homage, which elevate Taj’s Sabbatical above many other science fiction works I have read.
Another contributing factor to my appreciation of this novel is the use of names. In Taj’s Sabbatical, names mean something. For instance, Fencer, Taj’s father’s name, is self-explanatory. Other names, however, are not so clear. The name given to Taj’s mother is Dyani, a Native American name meaning ‘deer,’ which every hunter will appreciate during Dyani’s chase scene. Taj is an Arabic name meaning ‘crown,’ as in the Taj Mahal. Jayce, Taj’s brother, has a Greek and Hebrew origin name that translates to ‘healer,’ appropriate for the hero who rescues Taddy, Taj’s husband, from the clutches of Fayzaan. Taddy, a male name of Aramaic origin, indicates the wearer as ‘the prized one’ or ‘the gift.’ The antagonist, Fayzaan’s name, means ‘great grace’ or ‘great beneficence,’ which is an appropriate designation for an ego-driven sociopath. While most readers will not recognize the significance of names given to characters by authors, many literary giants have used the technique to magnificent effect. For instance, Charles Dickens uses the name Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol to accent a miserly character that evolves into a stone of hope.
Other aspects of this novel that drive a reader’s imagination are the incredible diversity in artificial beings, including synthetic constructs called synths, clones, cyborgs, and stored consciousnesses that can act on an ethereal plane to investigate, advise, and interact with computer systems. The possibilities are highly intriguing and essential when considering that Taj’s Sabbatical is the foundational novel of a series where all these new ideas create a firm footing for the series’ future novels.
There are, however, some fundamental writing errors that appear throughout the book. One of the most important is the seeming lack of understanding by authors Artell and Troy Smith of the rules for writing numbers in fiction. Beginning on page one and resurfacing throughout the novel, the authors violate several fundamental rules of fiction by using numerals instead of writing out numbers as the Chicago Manual of Style requires. The three most important rules for writing numbers in a work of fiction include:
1. All numbers from one to one hundred must be written out.
2. Even numbers above one hundred must be spelled out.
3. All numbers inside the dialogue must be written out.
I attempted to find any writing authority that counters these rules but found none. Unfortunately, in Taj’s Sabbatical, the first time the authors violate these rules is on page one. I gave up counting these numerical errors when I reached one hundred. I understand that following the rules is sometimes awkward. Still, while browsing Taj’s Sabbatical, I noticed that the authors often followed the rules before or after violating them.
Another issue with this novel is the lack of literary devices to enhance the tone and structure of the tale; valuable tools such as symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, simile, and foreshadowing do not exist in this book. It is an exciting tale without the depth that raises significant works to the highest levels.
While profanity often occurs in Taj’s Sabbatical, sexual themes remain hidden behind the action. Though I am not allergic to the inclusion of explicit sex when used for a purpose, I believe that in this novel, the few instances of sexual implication are enough.
Ultimately, considering the intriguing themes and fast-paced action, without the presence of literary devices, I would typically give Taj’s Sabbatical a rating of four out of five. However, with the numerous numerical presentation errors, I feel it is essential to remove another star and award a rating of three out of five.
******
Taj's Sabbatical
View: on Bookshelves |
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