Review by Abbie L -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
Posted: 09 May 2020, 18:39
[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]
Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty is the epitome of a fundamental science fiction novel. The novel takes place in a world where alien lifeforms and distant space travel is no longer a possibility but reality. The story follows Rynah, a security guard at a geo-lab on planet Lanyr. Her world is turned upside down when a crystal that controls her planet’s magnetic fields is stolen and her planet perishes without its power. In an attempt for her life, Rynah leaves her planet in a rocket, made by her late grandfather, named “Solaris”. Solaris is not your average rocket, she comes equipped with a very self aware, but feisty personality and a crucial mission. She teaches Rynah that there are six ancient crystals and the man who stole Lanyr’s crystal is on a mission to collect and combine all the crystals to make a galaxy-destroying machine. Rynah cannot face this mission alone, she has Solaris collect four heroes mentioned in the myth of the crystals; The warrior, The philosopher, The inventor, and The one who loves when all is lost. All four heroes come from the Terra Sector or Earth and lived during different time periods and locations throughout human history. The rest of the novel is filled with heart-pumping fight scenes, faraway planets, and constant surprises as the unlikely group races to fight for the universe’s future. I rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars on the grounds that it was very entertaining, but could use some changes in the storyline and characters.
One thing that I liked about the book was how entertaining it was. McNulty provided a really enjoyable experience in Solaris Seethes, I found myself losing track of the time while reading this book. There was never a point where I was bored in the storyline as it left me on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly come next. I also enjoyed that the author included not only themes of science fiction, but also history also. Each character was portrayed according to their culture and time period in the best possible way without making the book hard to follow or the characters hard to understand. The characters respond and act in accordance with their culture very accordingly. For example, on page 100, Tom ( from year 2099) asks Solon, “Want to see something cool?” and Solon (from year 751 B.C.) responds with, “ Cool?... I would say it is a bit warm in here.” That conversation not only reinforced the idea of different time periods, but also added a little humor to the passage.
One thing I did not like and thought could use some change in the book is the lack of a deeper look into Rynah and Klanor’s relationship. Had the reader been able to experience Rynah’s happy times with Klanor and been able to see him as a trustworthy character then that would’ve made the storyline all the more shocking. I think the audience should’ve been able to incorporate their own feelings into Rynah and Klanor’s love story but instead were left unphased and uninvested. Also, many action and fighting scenes, for me, were very confusing and jumbled. Especially with the destruction of Lanyr, I found myself very lost in what was happening or what the characters were doing. Although maybe it was the author’s purpose to make the scene very confusing for the reader (as it would’ve been for Rynah), I found myself very lost and having to reread those sections.
I would’ve liked to see more of a background into Tom and Solon’s lives as well. I feel as though they were treated more as background characters and would’ve liked to get to know them and their lives more. While Brie was very much highlighted throughout the book, I feel as though she was not steady in her character. She was seen as too cowardly to even be considered useful, but would have random bursts of bravery like charging a saber-toothed tiger. Her character didn’t seem very consistent to me.
I could see this book doing well in a high school library or targeting 13-18 year olds. There is only a couple instances foul language including “Sritor” (a Lanyrian curse word) and while there is violence there is nothing too detailed. As the novel covered a variety of personalities, I think just about anyone could find a character they relate to and it is highly entertaining so it could easily keep a teenager’s attention. It seemed to me as though the novel was not professionally edited as I noticed a few possible run ons, a lot of parenthesis where commas could’ve been used, and a possible plot hole. In conclusion, Solaris Seethes was a very entertaining and fun book. Although there were some changes I would like to have seen, my time was not wasted in reading this book.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty is the epitome of a fundamental science fiction novel. The novel takes place in a world where alien lifeforms and distant space travel is no longer a possibility but reality. The story follows Rynah, a security guard at a geo-lab on planet Lanyr. Her world is turned upside down when a crystal that controls her planet’s magnetic fields is stolen and her planet perishes without its power. In an attempt for her life, Rynah leaves her planet in a rocket, made by her late grandfather, named “Solaris”. Solaris is not your average rocket, she comes equipped with a very self aware, but feisty personality and a crucial mission. She teaches Rynah that there are six ancient crystals and the man who stole Lanyr’s crystal is on a mission to collect and combine all the crystals to make a galaxy-destroying machine. Rynah cannot face this mission alone, she has Solaris collect four heroes mentioned in the myth of the crystals; The warrior, The philosopher, The inventor, and The one who loves when all is lost. All four heroes come from the Terra Sector or Earth and lived during different time periods and locations throughout human history. The rest of the novel is filled with heart-pumping fight scenes, faraway planets, and constant surprises as the unlikely group races to fight for the universe’s future. I rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars on the grounds that it was very entertaining, but could use some changes in the storyline and characters.
One thing that I liked about the book was how entertaining it was. McNulty provided a really enjoyable experience in Solaris Seethes, I found myself losing track of the time while reading this book. There was never a point where I was bored in the storyline as it left me on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly come next. I also enjoyed that the author included not only themes of science fiction, but also history also. Each character was portrayed according to their culture and time period in the best possible way without making the book hard to follow or the characters hard to understand. The characters respond and act in accordance with their culture very accordingly. For example, on page 100, Tom ( from year 2099) asks Solon, “Want to see something cool?” and Solon (from year 751 B.C.) responds with, “ Cool?... I would say it is a bit warm in here.” That conversation not only reinforced the idea of different time periods, but also added a little humor to the passage.
One thing I did not like and thought could use some change in the book is the lack of a deeper look into Rynah and Klanor’s relationship. Had the reader been able to experience Rynah’s happy times with Klanor and been able to see him as a trustworthy character then that would’ve made the storyline all the more shocking. I think the audience should’ve been able to incorporate their own feelings into Rynah and Klanor’s love story but instead were left unphased and uninvested. Also, many action and fighting scenes, for me, were very confusing and jumbled. Especially with the destruction of Lanyr, I found myself very lost in what was happening or what the characters were doing. Although maybe it was the author’s purpose to make the scene very confusing for the reader (as it would’ve been for Rynah), I found myself very lost and having to reread those sections.
I would’ve liked to see more of a background into Tom and Solon’s lives as well. I feel as though they were treated more as background characters and would’ve liked to get to know them and their lives more. While Brie was very much highlighted throughout the book, I feel as though she was not steady in her character. She was seen as too cowardly to even be considered useful, but would have random bursts of bravery like charging a saber-toothed tiger. Her character didn’t seem very consistent to me.
I could see this book doing well in a high school library or targeting 13-18 year olds. There is only a couple instances foul language including “Sritor” (a Lanyrian curse word) and while there is violence there is nothing too detailed. As the novel covered a variety of personalities, I think just about anyone could find a character they relate to and it is highly entertaining so it could easily keep a teenager’s attention. It seemed to me as though the novel was not professionally edited as I noticed a few possible run ons, a lot of parenthesis where commas could’ve been used, and a possible plot hole. In conclusion, Solaris Seethes was a very entertaining and fun book. Although there were some changes I would like to have seen, my time was not wasted in reading this book.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords