Official Review: Masters and Bastards

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 24 Dec 2019, 10:55

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Masters and Bastards" by Christopher Penington.]

3 out of 4 stars

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17-year old Andreas Marset has completed his military training and is ready to serve in the Iberian army. As a lowborn Arpathian, there is no hope of becoming a commanding officer, but his telepathic abilities still set him apart. Charged with a crime he did not commit, Andreas must face a summons from the royal Iberian family. An unexpected end to his encounter with the royals leaves him drawn into the political intrigue of the palace. But what does the royal family want with an orphaned bastard? Andreas would rather return to his military duties but has no choice except to do what he is told, especially with an alien invasion on the horizon.

Masters and Bastards, by Christopher J. Penington, is a 447-page science fiction novel that follows the life of Andreas Marset. A young telepath with potential for other powers, Marset is a powerful piece in the Iberian Imperium’s plan. A story of politics, military planning, race discrimination, and planet exploration, Penington tells a compelling tale in vivid descriptions.

I highly enjoyed the dynamics between the races and the struggle to find a way to unite them despite years of oppression and division. I was also blown away by the suspense of traveling to a new planetary system and exploring the worlds within. The dangers felt real, and the battles were exhilarating even if a bit graphic. I was fascinated by the development of Andreas’s powers and the way they manifested. The abilities did not come all at once; instead, Andreas learned to manage them as the pressure of a situation allowed him to learn new ways to use his gifts.

This novel has its downfalls, however, in its lengthy discussions of politics and drama. I was also a bit put off by the terms of “studding” and “breeding” the women as if they were animals. I had to keep reminding myself that all the races in this novel were human (except for the Vulgarians who come into play later in the book). The biggest disappointment for me was a disturbing plot twist at the end. It changed my view of the book's romantic element, and I wish that Andreas had been allowed to pursue his first love interest unhindered.

With close to 50 errors throughout the book, the highest rating I could give would be a 3. The plot twist shed new light on the story as a whole and took a great deal of satisfaction out of the conclusion. I considered giving a rating of 2; however, I still enjoyed the story. The author’s fluid writing style and creative world-building are worthy of a rating of 3 out of 4. As a warning to sensitive readers, there is quite a bit of strong language, sensual sex scenes, and battle gore. The story overall is entertaining, the magic enthralling, and the new planets stunning. Readers of science fiction who also enjoy some political drama should like this book.

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Masters and Bastards
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 25 Dec 2019, 09:57

I would be put off with the use of studding for women, too. I love science fiction, but the long discussions of politics would put me off. Still, it might be worth trying. Thanks.

Kanda_theGreat · Post by **Kanda_theGreat** » 25 Dec 2019, 13:03

I was very excited about this book until towards the end of your review when I was put off by the large number of errors that you mentioned.

Fazzier · Post by **Fazzier** » 26 Dec 2019, 01:50

Sounds like an interesting read. I like the fact that the author’s writing style is fluid and that he's creative in world-building. However, I hope the errors you've mentioned are not too distracting since I want to give it a try. Thanks for this wonderful review!

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 26 Dec 2019, 09:23

@Kanda_theGreat

@Fazzier

I’ve seen some 4/4 star reviews for this one so the PDF copy I reviewed might have more errors than the kindle/mobi format. Some of the errors were homophones and missing hyphens that might not be as distracting. Thanks for the comments!

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 26 Dec 2019, 09:30

kandscreeley wrote: ↑25 Dec 2019, 09:57 I would be put off with the use of studding for women, too. I love science fiction, but the long discussions of politics would put me off. Still, it might be worth trying. Thanks.

Thanks for stopping to comment! I think you still might enjoy the book. I tend to emphasize the things I’m not a fan of in a book to give people a fair warning. I don’t like to get your expectations so high that you’re disappointed in a book and feel like you wasted time. Thanks again for your reply!

rumik · Post by **rumik** » 27 Dec 2019, 15:26

I would be upset reading those terms being used with women; I am a bit sensitive to topics like that. Thanks for the heads up! I don't know if I'll be checking this one out, but great review

Gabriel Merêncio · Post by **Gabriel Merêncio** » 28 Dec 2019, 11:57

I've heard good things about the novel, which should please sci-fi fans interested in epic battles and interesting abilities. It's definitely something to check out in the future. Thanks for the review!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 28 Dec 2019, 15:48

This does seem like an interesting book. I read one of Penington's other books, and he does have a lot of battle scenes, but I enjoyed that book. Therefore, I would probably enjoy this one, but I wish it had fewer errors. Thanks for the great review, as always!

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 29 Dec 2019, 04:43

Despite the pending alien invasion and inclusion of telepathic abilities, a multitude of lukewarm reviews and my own perusal of the first ten pages has convinced me to devotedly deviate away from this one. But great review, very helpful!

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 29 Dec 2019, 08:41

AvidBibliophile wrote: ↑29 Dec 2019, 04:43 Despite the pending alien invasion and inclusion of telepathic abilities, a multitude of lukewarm reviews and my own perusal of the first ten pages has convinced me to devotedly deviate away from this one. But great review, very helpful!

I understand. If the first ten pages didn’t get you interested, it takes about 100 for this one to get going. I really enjoyed the book after that for the most part but that’s a big commitment if you’re not really sold on the book in the first place. Thanks for stopping to leave a comment!

Aniza Butt · Post by **Aniza Butt** » 30 Dec 2019, 21:59

Premise sounds great but derogatory remarks about women are highly displeasing. Am glad the story was good otherwise. Thanks for an insightful review ☺.

djr6090 · Post by **djr6090** » 17 Jan 2020, 11:08

This was one of my more favorite books. I'm always ready to give Sci-Fi a chance. I liked your characterization of the book as "a story of politics, military planning, race discrimination, and planet exploration." I might have added "the failure of genetic engineering" as well. But loved your review.