Nathan

A By-the-Numbers Space Drama

Revisado: 09-20-23

A young man drops out of fleet academy and law school, then rises to Captain in a short time (weeks? Months? Years?) after enlisting, only to retire to a life of pro bono lawyering because he learns the power of contentment and friendship on Mars.

In all seriousness, this is a middling sci-fi drama that strained my ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy getting lost in the universe. Our protagonist is a major Marty Stu, seeming to excel at every task he sets himself to. In the few situations from which he cannot extract himself, someone else steps in and instantly resolves the tension. Despite the book’s repeated emphasis on discipline in the fleet, he routinely flaunts orders and takes action without the approval of senior officers, and rarely faces any reprimand for it, much less punishment.

This brings us to the heart of the issue in the book: the authors lack any sense of “show, don’t tell”. Everything we learn about the setting, characters, and events is narrated by the internal monologue of our protagonist or a handful of other characters. One too many times a character chooses to trust another because they “have an honorable look about him” or some such. For example, if it weren’t for the book’s insistence otherwise, I would have to conclude that Captain Franklin is an incompetent tyrant playing favorites, given her willingness to bend the rules and be overridden continually in the midst of battle.

As a brief comment, the story’s handling of the female characters is troubling, even as a staunch conservative. I struggle to recall a single monologue from the ladies of the cast that didn’t revolve around the men (much of this is due to everyone’s thoughts being focused on the protagonist at all times). All relationships are love at first sight, and due to the lack of emotional connection to the characters, I do not care about any of them.

While there are myriad other issues with the writing (illogical structures within the fleet, unclear universe building, victory through the power of friendship, etc.), the most dissatisfying was the handling of the villains. The antagonists are painfully obvious for a book trying to play on the suspense of a traitor, as the foreshadowing came with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The major villain really doesn’t come home, as again, he seems incompetent and cartoonish in comparison to the protagonist, so at no point do you feel tension. There is no explanation given as to why he has the power he possesses, and the only real threat he can offer is easily obliterated. Contrast him to a truly threatening space warlord such as The Mule from Asimov’s books, and you can begin to understand the flaws in this book perfectly.

The production quality was good, with dialogue that was clear and comprehensible. This is a bar that should be less difficult to clear than it often proves to be. The sound effects were at times distracting and unnecessary, though admittedly I prefer a straight reading and little dramatization. Ean’s accents were mostly decent, though it may serve well in future productions to focus more on nailing select accents than having a unique one for each character.

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