This is a summer blockbuster of a novel. Or maybe it’s a top grossing video game? Anyway, it most definitely is action packed (boy is it action packed), with larger than life characters (some non-human) and despite a very high death count it’s a lot of fun.

Set in space, this is another book I read recently where the physical book as an object (see also my review of House of Leaves) is an important part of the narrative. The book itself is written in epistolary style. That is the story is told using a dossier prepared that includes emails, surveillance footage, ship diagrams, some information hacked from the ships Artificial Intelligence, letters, interviews, journal entries, “post it” notes and lots more. Some of the pages of the Dossier are coffee stained and other’s look like they might possibly be stained with blood...

Character wise there is a lot going on. We have a couple of cool hackers, one or two military types, some scientists, a couple of star ship captains and an intriguing AI (Artificial Intelligence) called AIDAN. Characters do not necessarily follow gender stereotypes, which makes them more interesting in my book. However, it’s a shame perhaps that the death toll is so high that we don’t get to know many of the characters well before their untimely demises?

The (compulsory in YA) romance is well drawn and one of the better ones I have seen in the genre.

Is there flaws? Well yes but this is pure entertainment and not literally fiction. Overall this book is fast paced and well fun and I am looking forward to the sequel.

I buddy red this with Christine. Thanks buddy.