Ahoy there mateys! I remember readin’ a lot of this series when I was younger. I was a major fan of Ramona. I think there was even a television series that I watched back in the day. I enjoyed listening to this one in audiobook format but it didn’t completely re-capture me fancy like the Fudge books did. But the relationship between the sisters is ultimately sweet. I particularly loved Beezus’ imaginary lizard named Ralph. I don’t see meself listening to any more of the series but did enjoy the trip down memory lane.

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Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

I wanted to like this novel. I really did. But I just could not finish it and had to abandon ship. The ideas were awesome. The characters were fun. The writing style was great. The execution of it all – not so much.

The premise is great. Aliens are coming to attack a small planet that no one cares about. A small group of rag-tag pilots is determined to fight despite the impossible odds. The trope is common for a space opera but how it was set up was exciting.

I adored the way the book began. A pilot, Aleister Lanoe, is in pursuit of another runaway pilot who is wanted for murder. The chase involves almost crashing into a space hub and other craziness. How this resolves was fricken awesome. If only the remainder of what I read could have been that well done.

The characters were lovely. My favorites:

Aleister Lanoe – pilot, war hero, crafty planner, the leader

Tannis Valk – pilot, air traffic controller, super smart, quirky guy whose story made me want to finish the book, oh and was the enemy of Lanoe in the previous war

Ensign Caroline Ehta – pilot, lovely strong powerful woman, made mistakes but keeps on going

Bettina Zhang – pilot, former second-in-command for Lanoe, the ideas behind some of the space technology she used were unique

Aspirant Roan – young girl from beleaguered planet, impressionable, seemingly strong core, fun

The worldbuilding was well done. I thought the military aspects of the novel were particularly nice. I liked all the different types of ships, the structure of how the navy was used, the technology of the space suits, etc. The author seemed to have spent a lot of time developing the world and its backstory. The politics present were not overwhelming but did add a nice patina to the overall story.

Okay so far wonderful. The problem then? Pacing. So so so slow. Despite all the good things in the novel, it was just a slog. I was fighting through every page. The concepts made me happy. The execution did not. The action sequences were great. The stuff around them not so much. The potential of the story is there, I just wish it had been trimmed. A lot.

With so many books on the horizon, I just gave up. I want me reading to make time seem to disappear, not to accentuate every second passing. I am sad, but I couldn’t fight the tide.

If ye want to read another take on this novel that is more in depth, check out this review by drew @ TheTattooed Book Geek - https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/forsaken-skies-the-silence-book-1-book-review/

Side Note: D. Nolan Clark is a pseudonym for an acclaimed author who has previously published several novels in different genres. I wonder who it is!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Orbit Books!

If ye want to see me other reviews, visit https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

This novel is the first in the new Gold Seer Saga which is currently set up to be a trilogy. Now as a younger human I played Oregon Trail and had a wonderful time hunting bison, running a bare bones wagon train, and trying to avoid dysentery killing off my wagon party. This novel was like getting an inside glimpse of traveling the trail with a strong dose of reality that makes it anything but a game. The trail was hard, people die, and hope for the future is hard to maintain. But hope does remain throughout this novel in the strength of the main character, Lee, the friendships she makes on the trail, and how people can come together to form a bond and work together to achieve their dreams. The characters in this book struggle and change as a consequence of their surroundings.

That being said, even with the dose of reality, there is magic in the novel in the way that Lee can literally sense gold. This trait sets up the plot of the novel and it’s used throughout. Even though Lee can do magic, in some senses the magic is like a curse instead of a blessing. I like the dichotomy of that in the novel.

When I read this book, I failed to know that it was a trilogy so I was confused that the journey was so drawn out. Silly me. I should have guessed by the map. And the structure of the story. And maybe if I would have read the back cover if the novel. I didn’t. However the somewhat cliff hanger ending made me sad and want more. Then I laughed when I found out it was book one of three. I want to read the next book in this series. I loved the character of Lee and her cohort of trail survivors and I must know what happens next.

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