Review by kjd1783 -- Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship...
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kjd1783
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Review by kjd1783 -- Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord" by Braxton Cosby.]
In Braxton A. Cosby’s Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord, the reader follows Reign—an ex-spy and bounty hunter—as he travels across the galaxy to save his sister Olia from the space pirate Forge's deadly tournament known as The Gauntlet. Stubborn, hot tempered, and used to working alone, Reign struggles with his emotions as he learns to trust in those who have come to his aid, and faces the truth of his intentions behind his quest. With a bounty on his head and a terminal illness in his veins, Reign and his comrades face the obstacles in their way with feigned confidence and, at times, a whole lot of hydrogen blasts. I rate this book three out of four stars.
The two main reasons I didn't give this book a four out four stars were the poor physical descriptions of some of the creatures Reign mentions throughout the story, and the inconsistencies with details, such as Reign describing his sister's skin as blue in one instance when it was established that her skin was purple. Grammatical errors such as missing words and misplaced commas were a few of the other issues that contributed to my score.
As a story that takes place in outer space, I expected to read about alien races that I've never heard of before. This story failed to provide the physical descriptions I was anticipating for these creatures on several occasions. A Cardack, for example, comes up a number of times as the story progresses, but not once is it properly described. Only vague descriptions of its mannerisms are given. While I appreciate the idea of leaving the appearance of alien creatures up to the reader's imagination, I would have liked a little more guidance as to what I should be imagining.
Similar to Reign's sister's skin changing color, there were various moments when a detail would be contradicted or overlooked. There are at least two moments Reign refers to his sister and himself as orphans in foster care, for example, when he previously mentioned that they lived with their father before they were sent to live out the rest of their adolescence with their cousin. Since it was never elaborated on further, it is unclear whether Reign's mention of being an orphan was intentional. This resulted in a moment of confusion that I experienced with other inconsistencies I encountered as well.
With that being said, Cosby's portrayal of Reign’s comrades and inner turmoil kept me interested enough to continue reading. There are several moments in the story—whenever Reign’s group find themselves under attack, for example—where Reign's reactions are juxtaposed to the reactions of his comrades. These instances often result in a moment of comedic relief while also painting a clear picture of each character’s personality. The gradual reveal of Reign's true intentions behind his journey to save his sister as well as the banter and interactions between Reign and the other characters made my previously mentioned issues much more tolerable, and allowed me to greatly enjoy the story as it unfolded.
Besides sci fi fans who love a good adventure into outer space, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves complex characters and entertaining character dynamics. I can honestly say that I look forward to seeing what Braxton Cosby and his character Reign have to offer in the future.
******
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Braxton A. Cosby’s Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord, the reader follows Reign—an ex-spy and bounty hunter—as he travels across the galaxy to save his sister Olia from the space pirate Forge's deadly tournament known as The Gauntlet. Stubborn, hot tempered, and used to working alone, Reign struggles with his emotions as he learns to trust in those who have come to his aid, and faces the truth of his intentions behind his quest. With a bounty on his head and a terminal illness in his veins, Reign and his comrades face the obstacles in their way with feigned confidence and, at times, a whole lot of hydrogen blasts. I rate this book three out of four stars.
The two main reasons I didn't give this book a four out four stars were the poor physical descriptions of some of the creatures Reign mentions throughout the story, and the inconsistencies with details, such as Reign describing his sister's skin as blue in one instance when it was established that her skin was purple. Grammatical errors such as missing words and misplaced commas were a few of the other issues that contributed to my score.
As a story that takes place in outer space, I expected to read about alien races that I've never heard of before. This story failed to provide the physical descriptions I was anticipating for these creatures on several occasions. A Cardack, for example, comes up a number of times as the story progresses, but not once is it properly described. Only vague descriptions of its mannerisms are given. While I appreciate the idea of leaving the appearance of alien creatures up to the reader's imagination, I would have liked a little more guidance as to what I should be imagining.
Similar to Reign's sister's skin changing color, there were various moments when a detail would be contradicted or overlooked. There are at least two moments Reign refers to his sister and himself as orphans in foster care, for example, when he previously mentioned that they lived with their father before they were sent to live out the rest of their adolescence with their cousin. Since it was never elaborated on further, it is unclear whether Reign's mention of being an orphan was intentional. This resulted in a moment of confusion that I experienced with other inconsistencies I encountered as well.
With that being said, Cosby's portrayal of Reign’s comrades and inner turmoil kept me interested enough to continue reading. There are several moments in the story—whenever Reign’s group find themselves under attack, for example—where Reign's reactions are juxtaposed to the reactions of his comrades. These instances often result in a moment of comedic relief while also painting a clear picture of each character’s personality. The gradual reveal of Reign's true intentions behind his journey to save his sister as well as the banter and interactions between Reign and the other characters made my previously mentioned issues much more tolerable, and allowed me to greatly enjoy the story as it unfolded.
Besides sci fi fans who love a good adventure into outer space, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves complex characters and entertaining character dynamics. I can honestly say that I look forward to seeing what Braxton Cosby and his character Reign have to offer in the future.
******
Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Duplicity by Fin C Gray
