Review by Lord0fwolves -- Steel Reign: Flight of The Sta...
-
Lord0fwolves
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 08 Jul 2018, 19:18
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 2
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lord0fwolves.html
- Latest Review: The King of May by Matthew Tysz
Review by Lord0fwolves -- Steel Reign: Flight of The Sta...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord" by Braxton Cosby.]
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord is a science-fiction novel written by Braxton A. Cosby. It is a standalone story within Cosby’s series, ‘The Red Gemini-Chronicles’ which ties into a number of other instalments in the series.
The story revolves around Steel Reign, an old and brash rogue with a heart of gold, on a mission to rescue his half-sister from servitude for a notorious pirate lord. Along the way, Reign will join forces with allies both new and familiar as he pulls off dangerous heists, fights tense space battles, and searches for a cure to the deadly virus that has infected his body.
Cosby does an excellent job in relaying the various aspects of the worlds of Proxima Centauri in this addition to The Red Gemini-Chronicles. This is done through exposition provided by the main characters at various points in the story. While a more recent entry to the other series of novels set in the same universe, Steel Reign holds itself up well as a standalone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge to the series.
One thing I enjoyed about the book was how well the story was crafted without relying too heavily on past instalments to provide context. The story has a linear plot that accomplishes what the first few chapters set out for it. In this way, Steel Reign can act as a starting point for new readers into Cosby’s writing style and fictional world, acting as a self-contained story with potential for future follow-ups.
Something I disliked about the book was the various instances of forced humour during character interactions, as much of it felt forced and inappropriate for its setting. Throughout the story, I found that Steel Reign struggled to identify itself as either a military-fiction or a comedic parody of spy fiction and its various tropes. This often resulted in clumsy, poorly timed dialogue that came off more irritating than funny.
Additionally, I also disliked the narrow characterisation of most of its female characters, often boiling down to being defined by their physical attributes and sexual appeal. The intent of this is obviously to present the perspective of the main protagonist through the lens of the male gaze, but if often comes off as being shallow and pretentious. Whether this was intended as comic relief is unclear, but it made the image of the main protagonist as a lecherous, older man persist throughout the book.
While the main characters were also characterised well and had their own distinct personality, it often felt like their moods would change spontaneously where the plot demanded it. Examples of this can be found throughout the story, where the main protagonist will speak coyly or flirtatiously one moment, then take on an aggressive, hostile tone in the next. If these rapid mood swings were intentional, Cosby gave no explanation or indication as to why.
On top of this, I also noticed numerous basic spelling and grammatical errors throughout the that, while not major, disrupt the overall flow of the story. The impression that this gave me was that Steel Reign did not undergo a professional editing.
Finally, while I did enjoy the various twists and turns in the plot as the story progressed, I could not help but feel like the climax of the story was rushed and ended in an unsatisfying manner. Despite the clever twists and tense build up to the conclusion of the story, I find the last four chapters do not do it justice, lacking any sort of tension or finality.
I would recommend this book to a target audience of 16 to 20 years old, particularly those fond of James Bond and space operas. The reason I give this recommendation and would not recommend it to a younger audience is because of the implicit profanity throughout the story, which shares recognisable similarities and pronunciation to real-world vulgarity that could impress poorly on the youth. This book may also be better suited for a mature audience because of explicit scenes of violence and sexual content at various points in the story.
On the whole, I would give this book a 2 out of 4, as while I did not enjoy the crude dialogue and would not recommend it to others, I still found it enjoyable enough to read. I also recognise the merit in a space opera novel and understand that while I did not enjoy it strongly, others with an interest in this genre might.
******
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord is a science-fiction novel written by Braxton A. Cosby. It is a standalone story within Cosby’s series, ‘The Red Gemini-Chronicles’ which ties into a number of other instalments in the series.
The story revolves around Steel Reign, an old and brash rogue with a heart of gold, on a mission to rescue his half-sister from servitude for a notorious pirate lord. Along the way, Reign will join forces with allies both new and familiar as he pulls off dangerous heists, fights tense space battles, and searches for a cure to the deadly virus that has infected his body.
Cosby does an excellent job in relaying the various aspects of the worlds of Proxima Centauri in this addition to The Red Gemini-Chronicles. This is done through exposition provided by the main characters at various points in the story. While a more recent entry to the other series of novels set in the same universe, Steel Reign holds itself up well as a standalone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge to the series.
One thing I enjoyed about the book was how well the story was crafted without relying too heavily on past instalments to provide context. The story has a linear plot that accomplishes what the first few chapters set out for it. In this way, Steel Reign can act as a starting point for new readers into Cosby’s writing style and fictional world, acting as a self-contained story with potential for future follow-ups.
Something I disliked about the book was the various instances of forced humour during character interactions, as much of it felt forced and inappropriate for its setting. Throughout the story, I found that Steel Reign struggled to identify itself as either a military-fiction or a comedic parody of spy fiction and its various tropes. This often resulted in clumsy, poorly timed dialogue that came off more irritating than funny.
Additionally, I also disliked the narrow characterisation of most of its female characters, often boiling down to being defined by their physical attributes and sexual appeal. The intent of this is obviously to present the perspective of the main protagonist through the lens of the male gaze, but if often comes off as being shallow and pretentious. Whether this was intended as comic relief is unclear, but it made the image of the main protagonist as a lecherous, older man persist throughout the book.
While the main characters were also characterised well and had their own distinct personality, it often felt like their moods would change spontaneously where the plot demanded it. Examples of this can be found throughout the story, where the main protagonist will speak coyly or flirtatiously one moment, then take on an aggressive, hostile tone in the next. If these rapid mood swings were intentional, Cosby gave no explanation or indication as to why.
On top of this, I also noticed numerous basic spelling and grammatical errors throughout the that, while not major, disrupt the overall flow of the story. The impression that this gave me was that Steel Reign did not undergo a professional editing.
Finally, while I did enjoy the various twists and turns in the plot as the story progressed, I could not help but feel like the climax of the story was rushed and ended in an unsatisfying manner. Despite the clever twists and tense build up to the conclusion of the story, I find the last four chapters do not do it justice, lacking any sort of tension or finality.
I would recommend this book to a target audience of 16 to 20 years old, particularly those fond of James Bond and space operas. The reason I give this recommendation and would not recommend it to a younger audience is because of the implicit profanity throughout the story, which shares recognisable similarities and pronunciation to real-world vulgarity that could impress poorly on the youth. This book may also be better suited for a mature audience because of explicit scenes of violence and sexual content at various points in the story.
On the whole, I would give this book a 2 out of 4, as while I did not enjoy the crude dialogue and would not recommend it to others, I still found it enjoyable enough to read. I also recognise the merit in a space opera novel and understand that while I did not enjoy it strongly, others with an interest in this genre might.
******
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The King of May by Matthew Tysz
