Dan’s a friend and colleague. He does my covers and we’re negotiating on having him produce some audio for me. In spite of that, I’m going to review this book. He’ll laugh because he knows I hate it.

Yeah. You read that correctly. I hate this book. More precisely I hate Rob. Rob’s a jerk. Ego-centric. Stupidly self-absorbed. Dan calls Rob a magnificent bastard. I just call him aggravating. Complete and total schmuck.

To be clear, I read the whole book – not just because Dan’s a friend – but because I wanted to see what stupidity would result from this twerp’s efforts at being a post modern, deep-space Evil Knieval. I read it all the way through, detesting this character and the problems he brought on himself. I still think about this book, years later.

And that’s why I’m reviewing it. Dan’s a master. He set out to make a thoroughly unlikable character as protagonist of an engaging story. He succeeded. There’s a lesson there and maybe I’m just not the right audience for this kind of anti-hero. Maybe there’s an audience for something this aggravating.

So, grab a sample and see if you hate it as much as I do.

About the reviewer:

Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

[Transparency disclaimer: I’ve known Dan personally for years. We’ve collaborated on many projects. This isn’t one of those projects.]

I’ve long admired Dan Sawyer’s ability to craft a tale. His Resurrection Junket left me breathless. His Clarke Lantham series updates the old school noir detective trope and brings it into the twenty-first century. Hadrian’s Flight is his first attempt at YA and he hits it out of the park.

The tale is set in his Kabrakan Ascendancy universe and provides some interesting insights into the beginning of the first interplanetary war. Young Hadrian Jin gets caught up in a web of spies and must navigate his own course through the confusing – and often contradictory – paths defined by those around him. His biggest challenge is trying to figure out who’s telling him the truth – almost nobody – and whom he can trust – again, almost nobody. In spite of that, he finds his way and pays the price for his actions.

It’s a very tightly drawn story filled with intrigue, betrayal, challenge and ingenuity.

I really liked this book. Grab a sample and see what you think.

About the reviewer:

Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com