Review by Trini_fan -- Masters and Bastards
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Trini_fan
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Review by Trini_fan -- Masters and Bastards
[Following is a volunteer review of "Masters and Bastards" by Christopher J. Penington.]
Set on Poltervaut, a planet in a distant galaxy where humans have been cloned and left to populate and create a new world after the destruction of earth. Andreas Marset is an Arpathian soldier who is unexpectedly thrust into the middle of multiple political plots when he is chosen by the Emperor's daughter Isabella to father her child, who she expects will become the next emperor.
Despite being deeply embroiled in these political machinations, he is sent to go on the colonial planets of Rubicon and Gideon, in hopes that they can be conquered before the invasion of the Vulgari alien race. Here he climbs the ranks through his bravery and strategy all the while beset by assassins as the parliament and his other enemies try to get rid of him.
Unbeknownst to Andreas the Vulgari have been brought to the system through the help of the Crone, his greatest threat, and the emperor is thought to have been assassinated. He must now race the clock to save humanity with the single greatest battle strategy ever conceived, Political marriages and audacious uses of his telepathic powers.
Masters and Bastards is written by Christopher J. Penington. The author has produced a gripping tale filled with battles and great suspense. He also shows how little humanity learns from its history as despite the fact that humans had to be reborn on a new planet it still fell into war and inequality. He has done a wonderful job describing these new worlds as well as how humanity has both triumphed and failed to learn from its past.
What I disliked the most was that there is no accurate explanation of what the telepathic power of inseligence was and how it is manifested and affects the characters who weild it. There were also a few minor characteristics in the main character that seem contradictory, such as the way Andreas always seemed to be taken by surprise by all the plots against him even though his character was written to be intuitive and intelligent.
I thought the ending was anticlimactic as the entire novel built toward this huge war with Andreas in the lead using his powers and his intelligent and audacious strategy to out maneuver his enemies. However after his defeat of the Crone, there is a simple epilogue that says the war was won and that humanity colonized Gideon and Rubicon. I wished that more of the war could have been written so that the reader could better understand how humanity triumphed and how Andreas eventually succumbed to the telepathic illness.
Despite the above shortfalls in the book I greatly enjoyed this novel and I give this book 4 stars out of 4 for its great descriptive work and character building as well as the way the plot drew you in and kept your interest peeked throughout.
******
Masters and Bastards
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Set on Poltervaut, a planet in a distant galaxy where humans have been cloned and left to populate and create a new world after the destruction of earth. Andreas Marset is an Arpathian soldier who is unexpectedly thrust into the middle of multiple political plots when he is chosen by the Emperor's daughter Isabella to father her child, who she expects will become the next emperor.
Despite being deeply embroiled in these political machinations, he is sent to go on the colonial planets of Rubicon and Gideon, in hopes that they can be conquered before the invasion of the Vulgari alien race. Here he climbs the ranks through his bravery and strategy all the while beset by assassins as the parliament and his other enemies try to get rid of him.
Unbeknownst to Andreas the Vulgari have been brought to the system through the help of the Crone, his greatest threat, and the emperor is thought to have been assassinated. He must now race the clock to save humanity with the single greatest battle strategy ever conceived, Political marriages and audacious uses of his telepathic powers.
Masters and Bastards is written by Christopher J. Penington. The author has produced a gripping tale filled with battles and great suspense. He also shows how little humanity learns from its history as despite the fact that humans had to be reborn on a new planet it still fell into war and inequality. He has done a wonderful job describing these new worlds as well as how humanity has both triumphed and failed to learn from its past.
What I disliked the most was that there is no accurate explanation of what the telepathic power of inseligence was and how it is manifested and affects the characters who weild it. There were also a few minor characteristics in the main character that seem contradictory, such as the way Andreas always seemed to be taken by surprise by all the plots against him even though his character was written to be intuitive and intelligent.
I thought the ending was anticlimactic as the entire novel built toward this huge war with Andreas in the lead using his powers and his intelligent and audacious strategy to out maneuver his enemies. However after his defeat of the Crone, there is a simple epilogue that says the war was won and that humanity colonized Gideon and Rubicon. I wished that more of the war could have been written so that the reader could better understand how humanity triumphed and how Andreas eventually succumbed to the telepathic illness.
Despite the above shortfalls in the book I greatly enjoyed this novel and I give this book 4 stars out of 4 for its great descriptive work and character building as well as the way the plot drew you in and kept your interest peeked throughout.
******
Masters and Bastards
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Masters and Bastards by Christopher J. Penington
