3 out of 4 stars
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Sunspots is a futuristic suspense novel that follows the life of John Farrow, one of two shift managers aboard the cargo starship Sunspot 2, whose mission is to transport Earth's garbage to the Sun to be incinerated. The job is rather tedious, and John spends most of his time reading, doing paperwork, and assigning tasks to his four-man team. This predictable routine is shattered when John wakes up for his shift to find the ship sabotaged and half of the crew missing. With time running out, John and his less-than-harmonious team must fix the ship and discover who--or what--has caused the rest of the crew to vanish.
Sunspots is a well-crafted story that keeps the reader fully engaged and curious to know more. The story is told from John's perspective in the first person, and jumps back and forth between the dilemma aboard the Sunspot 2 and flashbacks to John's interactions with his two best friends, Jacob and Terrell, and his girlfriend, Ez. The transitions between John's time aboard the Sunspot 2 and his personal life on Earth are done smoothly, and I can only recall one instance when the change had me momentarily confused.
The writing within this novel is top-notch and almost devoid of errors. The author provides enough detail for the reader to get a clear picture of the settings without being too heavy-handed, which is a common problem in the science-fiction drama. The plot moves swiftly, the loose ends are neatly tied together, and the ending is anything but predictable.
But although the story is well-written, I do feel obligated to warn potential readers about a couple of things. First, this book follows the dystopian future trope that is so common these days, which for me was a personal disappointment, as the book was described as being similar to Star Trek (which portrays a largely utopian future). So, if you're looking for something bright and optimistic, then this probably isn't the book for you.
My second warning to readers is that this is an adults-only story. There is an enormous amount of swearing in the dialogue, which was at times over the top and distracting. Additionally, there are numerous references to drug use, including the description of a pregnant woman drinking alcohol and using opioids. Readers who might take offense to this type of material are advised to avoid this book.
Even though I did not enjoy some of the aforementioned elements of this novel, I am giving Sunspots 3 out of 4 stars for its engrossing plot and superb writing. The author is very talented, and I believe that there is a large enough audience out there that would appreciate his work.
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Sunspots
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