Review by Joe Hadithi -- Masters and Bastards

Joe Hadithi · Post by **Joe Hadithi** » 03 Nov 2019, 02:03

[Following is a volunteer review of "Masters and Bastards" by Christopher J. Penington.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Years into the future, humans have escaped Earth in an arc to the planet Poltervaut. The divisions amongst humans still exist. The Iberians rule the planet, and the rest, the Arparthians and the Scythians, are considered beneath them. Andreas Marset is an Aparthian and just a soldier. That is until he is accused of having an affair with a married Iberian woman.

Andreas is summoned to the Imperium for what he suspects is his execution, but he gets to meet the emperor Constantine and his beautiful daughter Isabella instead. It seems that everyone in the Imperium knows things about Andreas that he doesn’t know himself, and they all have plans to use him for their games.

When he is sent back to the army, Andreas steadily earns his promotions through daring, intelligence, and a little help from his telepathic powers. But with the invasion by the all-conquering aliens, the Vulgari, the human lives are under threat. Can they survive?

Masters and Bastards by Christopher J. Penington is a well-written book. The plot is clear, the action scenes are scintillating, and overall the story is very well told. The description of every minute thing is well brought out, transporting you to the heart of the story. You can see the planets Rubicon and Gideon with their twin suns. You can feel Andreas' hurt when he is betrayed by Hannah.

My only concern was that the book borrows a lot of its terms from history. If you are familiar with them, it might get a little confusing, but it hardly stops you from enjoying the book.

I would rate Masters And Bastards 3 out of 4 stars. It is very well written, and I enjoyed following the adventures of Andreas Marset. I felt it deserved the three-star rating. The book had some minor editorial mistakes, and that’s why I can’t give it the perfect rating. That I thought it was a good read is why I can’t rate it any lower.

Masters and Bastards by Christopher J. Penington is a thrilling, action-filled work of science fiction. The book has every little thing that a fan of the genre would like. The action on the planets Gideon and Rubicon, the romance between Andreas and Hannah, the military action against the aliens, are all sure to hook the reader. I would recommend this book not only to the reader who enjoys science fiction but to anyone looking for a good read.

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Masters and Bastards
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LeDiplomatique · Post by **LeDiplomatique** » 10 Nov 2019, 00:09

I am captivated by Andreas as a character. Your review is well written and very insightful. Thank you and congratulations.

Joe Hadithi · Post by **Joe Hadithi** » 11 Nov 2019, 22:23

LeDiplomatique wrote: ↑10 Nov 2019, 00:09 I am captivated by Andreas as a character. Your review is well written and very insightful. Thank you and congratulations.

Thank you so much!

Ekta Swarnkar · Post by **Ekta Swarnkar** » 11 Nov 2019, 22:24

I have recently started to read it. Your review is a blurb to me. Thanks for the review!

Magnify3 · Post by **Magnify3** » 12 Nov 2019, 03:03

Reading of the emperor Constantine reminded me of some episode on Star Wars (the old one). In it Captain Kirk and Spock end up on some planet that mirrors earth history. I am wondering if this could be the case. I guess to find the answer I have to read the book! Thanks for the review!

Joe Hadithi · Post by **Joe Hadithi** » 14 Nov 2019, 09:57

Ekta Swarnkar wrote: ↑11 Nov 2019, 22:24 I have recently started to read it. Your review is a blurb to me. Thanks for the review!

Hope you enjoy it! And thank you for reading as well

Joe Hadithi · Post by **Joe Hadithi** » 14 Nov 2019, 12:02

Magnify3 wrote: ↑12 Nov 2019, 03:03 Reading of the emperor Constantine reminded me of some episode on Star Wars (the old one). In it Captain Kirk and Spock end up on some planet that mirrors earth history. I am wondering if this could be the case. I guess to find the answer I have to read the book! Thanks for the review!

Here's a hint: It IS something like that, and yet... yeah, you'll just have to read the book

Thank you for reading!