szeththeassassin's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
When I first saw the title of Parasites, my mind immediately went to alien like horror. But this could not be farther from the truth. It is based on a society that goes through discovered portals called "thinnings" to discover what they can bring back to help their dying world to continue to exist until a solution can be found. In essence, they become the "parasites" of the universe. It follows a small group of characters as they go on a special mission to discover a possible long term solution.
This is a quick and fun read. The worlds that are introduced through this world are what really stand out to me. Each one was unique and different, making each discovery satisfying. I felt like the discovery was great and that it could be what we might have to do if we were looking for a solution to the end of our world.
The characters are individual, but we do not get a lot of information about the society where they come from, other than hints. I would have loved to know more of their history and how they ended up in the situation that we see them in. It is intriguing and leaves a lot for us to discover.
The technology is described in great detail, showing advancements in technology and such, without being over the top. I really enjoyed that the society that it focuses on might not be the most advanced in these universes.
I look forward to discovering more in this series and to find out where it is all headed. A great sci-fi debut.
Thank you for reading my review and I wish you the best of reading!!
When I first saw the title of Parasites, my mind immediately went to alien like horror. But this could not be farther from the truth. It is based on a society that goes through discovered portals called "thinnings" to discover what they can bring back to help their dying world to continue to exist until a solution can be found. In essence, they become the "parasites" of the universe. It follows a small group of characters as they go on a special mission to discover a possible long term solution.
This is a quick and fun read. The worlds that are introduced through this world are what really stand out to me. Each one was unique and different, making each discovery satisfying. I felt like the discovery was great and that it could be what we might have to do if we were looking for a solution to the end of our world.
The characters are individual, but we do not get a lot of information about the society where they come from, other than hints. I would have loved to know more of their history and how they ended up in the situation that we see them in. It is intriguing and leaves a lot for us to discover.
The technology is described in great detail, showing advancements in technology and such, without being over the top. I really enjoyed that the society that it focuses on might not be the most advanced in these universes.
I look forward to discovering more in this series and to find out where it is all headed. A great sci-fi debut.
Thank you for reading my review and I wish you the best of reading!!
cassidee_omnilegent's review against another edition
4.0
“I’m so sick of this. Sick of scavenging and proves and scouting and caution and harvesting. I don’t care that we’re amazing at it. I don’t care that we can just dampen down every part of our curiousity which make us human. I’m sick of just wandering around and taking what we can find. I’m sick of being parasites.”
I started this book this morning and I easily finished in a couple of hours. Parasites by Matthew Samuels is an easily devourable YA science fiction and space odyssey novel. Our home-world is Lyra, which is rapidly declining. Our main characters, Alessia and Kael are best friends that explore other worlds to scavenge objects, food, and other means to keep their home and people from crumbling at an even faster rate. Alessia sets out on a mission with Kael and their friend/bodyguard/father figure, Basteel, to find a solution to the imminent danger to their planet. It happens to be that this is the same mission her father was on when he disappeared.
What I loved most about this book was the friendship between Lessie and Kael. I think it makes it easier to face dangers over and over when you have someone to trust. Eventually, they acquire a good little group of trusted individuals that make their mission easier. Also, Alessia was conflicted about her feelings towards her father when he disappeared and I think Samuels was very wise in doing that. I think it made her more human and relatable. Sometimes people die and you have unresolved feelings or you feel bad about the conflicted feelings you had. Part of this story was about finding peace within herself after her father disappeared.
I think that this is an especially fabulous introduction to the majesty that is science fiction and solar punk for YA. I felt like I was learning new things while reading an entertaining story and this is the type of story that you feel smarter after reading. At the same time, it’s completely marketable to readers of all ages. If you’re looking for an indie author to support, give Samuels a try. You’ll hardly believe this is an independent publication. Thank you, Matthew for sending me this delightful story.
I started this book this morning and I easily finished in a couple of hours. Parasites by Matthew Samuels is an easily devourable YA science fiction and space odyssey novel. Our home-world is Lyra, which is rapidly declining. Our main characters, Alessia and Kael are best friends that explore other worlds to scavenge objects, food, and other means to keep their home and people from crumbling at an even faster rate. Alessia sets out on a mission with Kael and their friend/bodyguard/father figure, Basteel, to find a solution to the imminent danger to their planet. It happens to be that this is the same mission her father was on when he disappeared.
What I loved most about this book was the friendship between Lessie and Kael. I think it makes it easier to face dangers over and over when you have someone to trust. Eventually, they acquire a good little group of trusted individuals that make their mission easier. Also, Alessia was conflicted about her feelings towards her father when he disappeared and I think Samuels was very wise in doing that. I think it made her more human and relatable. Sometimes people die and you have unresolved feelings or you feel bad about the conflicted feelings you had. Part of this story was about finding peace within herself after her father disappeared.
I think that this is an especially fabulous introduction to the majesty that is science fiction and solar punk for YA. I felt like I was learning new things while reading an entertaining story and this is the type of story that you feel smarter after reading. At the same time, it’s completely marketable to readers of all ages. If you’re looking for an indie author to support, give Samuels a try. You’ll hardly believe this is an independent publication. Thank you, Matthew for sending me this delightful story.
szeththeassassin's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
When I first saw the title of Parasites, my mind immediately went to alien like horror. But this could not be farther from the truth. It is based on a society that goes through discovered portals called "thinnings" to discover what they can bring back to help their dying world to continue to exist until a solution can be found. In essence, they become the "parasites" of the universe. It follows a small group of characters as they go on a special mission to discover a possible long term solution.
This is a quick and fun read. The worlds that are introduced through this world are what really stand out to me. Each one was unique and different, making each discovery satisfying. I felt like the discovery was great and that it could be what we might have to do if we were looking for a solution to the end of our world.
The characters are individual, but we do not get a lot of information about the society where they come from, other than hints. I would have loved to know more of their history and how they ended up in the situation that we see them in. It is intriguing and leaves a lot for us to discover.
The technology is described in great detail, showing advancements in technology and such, without being over the top. I really enjoyed that the society that it focuses on might not be the most advanced in these universes.
I look forward to discovering more in this series and to find out where it is all headed. A great sci-fi debut.
Thank you for reading my review and I wish you the best of reading!!
When I first saw the title of Parasites, my mind immediately went to alien like horror. But this could not be farther from the truth. It is based on a society that goes through discovered portals called "thinnings" to discover what they can bring back to help their dying world to continue to exist until a solution can be found. In essence, they become the "parasites" of the universe. It follows a small group of characters as they go on a special mission to discover a possible long term solution.
This is a quick and fun read. The worlds that are introduced through this world are what really stand out to me. Each one was unique and different, making each discovery satisfying. I felt like the discovery was great and that it could be what we might have to do if we were looking for a solution to the end of our world.
The characters are individual, but we do not get a lot of information about the society where they come from, other than hints. I would have loved to know more of their history and how they ended up in the situation that we see them in. It is intriguing and leaves a lot for us to discover.
The technology is described in great detail, showing advancements in technology and such, without being over the top. I really enjoyed that the society that it focuses on might not be the most advanced in these universes.
I look forward to discovering more in this series and to find out where it is all headed. A great sci-fi debut.
Thank you for reading my review and I wish you the best of reading!!
wittyandsarcasticbookclub's review
4.0
Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.
When it comes to sci-fi writing, I’m pretty picky. It’s very easy for me to lose interest, or just give up because I get confused by the “sciencey stuff” (don’t mind me, I’m just over here making up new phrases). There was never any danger of that with Parasites, however. It was a unique book and kept me entertained from beginning to end.
I think the biggest strength the author displayed in this book was the world (worlds) building. It was excellent. He managed to somehow make things utterly alien, while keeping it believable and with enough of a grounding in reality that it made sense. I was never bored by overly-complicated scientific mumbo-jumbo: even the explanations were easy to understand, without speaking down to the reader.
All of the characters were enjoyable, although Basteel (the bodyguard/father figure) was by far my favorite. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I can’t stand overly dramatic love stories, and this book didn’t have any. It was fabulous. The relationships were important, but they were never over the top, or melodramatic. The interactions between the characters was based more on friendship and respect, than on the gushy stuff (ha!).
Matthew Samuels wrote with confidence and skill. Parasites is an excellent addition to the science fiction genre, and one I suggest picking up.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/03/22/parasites-by-matthew-samuels/
When it comes to sci-fi writing, I’m pretty picky. It’s very easy for me to lose interest, or just give up because I get confused by the “sciencey stuff” (don’t mind me, I’m just over here making up new phrases). There was never any danger of that with Parasites, however. It was a unique book and kept me entertained from beginning to end.
I think the biggest strength the author displayed in this book was the world (worlds) building. It was excellent. He managed to somehow make things utterly alien, while keeping it believable and with enough of a grounding in reality that it made sense. I was never bored by overly-complicated scientific mumbo-jumbo: even the explanations were easy to understand, without speaking down to the reader.
All of the characters were enjoyable, although Basteel (the bodyguard/father figure) was by far my favorite. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I can’t stand overly dramatic love stories, and this book didn’t have any. It was fabulous. The relationships were important, but they were never over the top, or melodramatic. The interactions between the characters was based more on friendship and respect, than on the gushy stuff (ha!).
Matthew Samuels wrote with confidence and skill. Parasites is an excellent addition to the science fiction genre, and one I suggest picking up.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/03/22/parasites-by-matthew-samuels/
avoraciousreader68's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Book source ~ Review copy. My review is honest and voluntary.
Kael and Alessia are from the planet Lyra. They’ve only ever known to conserve resources because they are scarce. When they develop space travel the Lyrans discover nearby planets are just as resource deprived as their own and of very little help. It takes a scientist discovering something called “thinnings” to give them hope. Thinnings are a means of traveling from one universe to another and the planets that are there. Sometimes they get lucky and find information and/or resources to use on their own planet. But in all their years of traveling they find no sentient life left on most of the planets they find. When Kael and Alessia find a clue to solving a major problem they are tasked to follow it, something that Alessia’s dad and crew tried two years before and never returned from. Will their fate be the same?
What a great space adventure this is! Completely alien, it still rings true for Earth. Lyrans are trying to scavenge other planets for resources because theirs is practically worthless. Many planets they discover are abandoned. Well, that’s never a good sign. Bringing back foodstuffs or other things that could be recycled is how Kael and Alessia make their money. It’s a dangerous job, but they are methodical and careful. That makes them one of the best teams around, but not always very profitable.
When they discover a clue on a frozen world, their leader gives them a grant to follow it. The thing is, well, Alessia’s dad and his crew, probably the best crew there ever was, set off to do the same thing two years previously and never returned. Kael and Alessia are apprehensive, but willing to try. They hire a bodyguard, Basteel, get as many supplies as they can safely carry, alter their car (technically spaceship), and upgrade their weapons then when all the lists are checked, double-checked, and triple-checked they take off.
The first couple of thinnings take them to places they’ve already been. One’s slightly dangerous and one that should not have been dangerous, but is? The space station they jump to has something very wrong with it and they have to see what that is. When they do, well. What the hell? Ok. So, this leg of the journey has proven to be very interesting. So they move on to a nice planet where there’s warehouses for explorers to restock, rest, and make repairs. Now it’s time to make the jump to the crystal planet that proved to be fatal (was it? who knows?) to Alessia’s dad and crew. They assume extreme danger and approach with as much caution as possible. Holy shit.
Each jump brings more things for them to overcome and one of them has folds in space and weird life forms that just make my brain hurt. It’s the only jump that I didn’t enjoy reading about. It is so confusing to me that even now, days later, I still don’t know what the fuck it’s all about. Anyway, that’s just a small disappointing blip in an otherwise fantastic tale of space adventuring. I love the characters, I love the world, and I love the plot. Except for that one jump to Carthusian and that’s just a personal thing of mine. I don’t do well with alternate universes, space folds/rifts, and stuff like that. My other slight complaint is the POV shifting tends to happen quickly. From one person and back again without warning. I got used to it, but it was a tad confusing at first. If you like your sci-fi filled with space travel, humor, danger, and excitement then I highly recommend you give Parasites a go.
paperbacksandpinot's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to extend my thanks first and foremost to Matthew Samuels for sending me a copy of Parasites for review, I truly appreciate the paperback copy and lovely accompanying note. Whilst I’ve certainly watched plenty of films around the concept of survival with a dying sun, this is the first book I’ve read and been introduced to a whole new genre in the term of Solar Punk. My thoughts were very much in a cinematic place which was added to by the use of 3rd person present tense which gave an almost screenplay feel to it.
Parasites mixes both character and story well, with a descriptive and captivating writing style that had me turning far more pages that I thought I had, so engrossed had I become when our characters began on their journey. The book is nicely spaced out sectioning each new journey with a little cliffhanger lead in to the new location. These locations really make the story, such imagination and creativity goes into each world, taking a nice amount of time to take into account the local fauna and flora, I particularly enjoyed the Crystal Planet and the idea behind it’s eco-system was great. The science throughout the book was well thought out and reasoned, from the car the travellers make their journey in, yes car – no cliched space travel here, to the layout of the space stations they pass through. Everything has a place and a purpose whose explanation is never bogged down with too much tech speak. I really enjoyed the first space station they reached and felt that the use of the symbiotic relationship between the plants and the travellers pretty genius. The one world I struggled with sadly was Carthusian, It’s again an amazing idea but there was just so much going on that it probably could do with it’s own origin story spin off. Hundreds of years of warring factions with religious and ideological backstory needed more than the few pages it was given and I did struggle to get my head round it all. It reminded me of the film The Cube with the way it moved which was nice as I really love that film.
Character wise we have a condensed cast, I enjoyed Kael and Alessia’s dynamic and it was actually a nice touch to not have them in a relationship, they work with perfect synchronicity until an element of chaos is introduced which needs time to adjust to. That adjustment is done thoughtfully and takes into account both sides well. I have to love Basteel though, he’s unshakeable and takes on each task with good humour and dedication, a real father figure of the piece I instantly warmed to him. I think I need to give the car a shout out as a character too, never failing and reliable and I’m glad it gets treated with the highest regard.
I found the ending a bit existential, but then why not given the subject matter. By that point it’s clear that the characters have run out of steam and the writing reflects that. I think on reflection it is an uplifting round off because it celebrates peoples limitations and that our best effort is good enough.
Parasites mixes both character and story well, with a descriptive and captivating writing style that had me turning far more pages that I thought I had, so engrossed had I become when our characters began on their journey. The book is nicely spaced out sectioning each new journey with a little cliffhanger lead in to the new location. These locations really make the story, such imagination and creativity goes into each world, taking a nice amount of time to take into account the local fauna and flora, I particularly enjoyed the Crystal Planet and the idea behind it’s eco-system was great. The science throughout the book was well thought out and reasoned, from the car the travellers make their journey in, yes car – no cliched space travel here, to the layout of the space stations they pass through. Everything has a place and a purpose whose explanation is never bogged down with too much tech speak. I really enjoyed the first space station they reached and felt that the use of the symbiotic relationship between the plants and the travellers pretty genius. The one world I struggled with sadly was Carthusian, It’s again an amazing idea but there was just so much going on that it probably could do with it’s own origin story spin off. Hundreds of years of warring factions with religious and ideological backstory needed more than the few pages it was given and I did struggle to get my head round it all. It reminded me of the film The Cube with the way it moved which was nice as I really love that film.
Character wise we have a condensed cast, I enjoyed Kael and Alessia’s dynamic and it was actually a nice touch to not have them in a relationship, they work with perfect synchronicity until an element of chaos is introduced which needs time to adjust to. That adjustment is done thoughtfully and takes into account both sides well. I have to love Basteel though, he’s unshakeable and takes on each task with good humour and dedication, a real father figure of the piece I instantly warmed to him. I think I need to give the car a shout out as a character too, never failing and reliable and I’m glad it gets treated with the highest regard.
I found the ending a bit existential, but then why not given the subject matter. By that point it’s clear that the characters have run out of steam and the writing reflects that. I think on reflection it is an uplifting round off because it celebrates peoples limitations and that our best effort is good enough.
armedwithabook's review against another edition
3.0
For the people on Lyra, the existence of thinnings make it possible to go to other planets without investing in space travel technology in the traditional sense. Taking advantage of these natural phenomenon that bend distances and work as tunnels between places that are not only far away but belong to different universes is a fascinating concept. I had never thought of that until I read Parasites.
Reading Experience:
Kael, Alessia and the rest of their crew are seasoned travelers and experts in what they do. Apart from the places that they traveled to and explored, it was interesting to learn about the kind of infrastructure that would need to be in place for making traveling through thinnings possible and reliable. This is world building at a new level and I felt that Matthew Samuels, the author, did an amazing job at it.
I loved how well thought out most of the stops on this journey were. I assumed that the thinnings would only be to planets but after learning that they can be anywhere – even old decaying space stations and moons – the possibilities are endless and the dangers of their exploration magnified. I loved the one space station that had other living species and their history!
Parasites presents a brilliant concept that I have not read before. Hopping between planets for scientific pursuit and intense problem solving in space - this was so much fun! I don't often say this but I wish it had been longer and allowed me to savour each of the planets on the way more. See full review on Armed with A Book as well as interview with the author.
Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reading Experience:
Kael, Alessia and the rest of their crew are seasoned travelers and experts in what they do. Apart from the places that they traveled to and explored, it was interesting to learn about the kind of infrastructure that would need to be in place for making traveling through thinnings possible and reliable. This is world building at a new level and I felt that Matthew Samuels, the author, did an amazing job at it.
I loved how well thought out most of the stops on this journey were. I assumed that the thinnings would only be to planets but after learning that they can be anywhere – even old decaying space stations and moons – the possibilities are endless and the dangers of their exploration magnified. I loved the one space station that had other living species and their history!
Parasites presents a brilliant concept that I have not read before. Hopping between planets for scientific pursuit and intense problem solving in space - this was so much fun! I don't often say this but I wish it had been longer and allowed me to savour each of the planets on the way more. See full review on Armed with A Book as well as interview with the author.
Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
ws_bookclub's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.
When it comes to sci-fi writing, I’m pretty picky. It’s very easy for me to lose interest, or just give up because I get confused by the “sciencey stuff” (don’t mind me, I’m just over here making up new phrases). There was never any danger of that with Parasites, however. It was a unique book and kept me entertained from beginning to end.
I think the biggest strength the author displayed in this book was the world (worlds) building. It was excellent. He managed to somehow make things utterly alien, while keeping it believable and with enough of a grounding in reality that it made sense. I was never bored by overly-complicated scientific mumbo-jumbo: even the explanations were easy to understand, without speaking down to the reader.
All of the characters were enjoyable, although Basteel (the bodyguard/father figure) was by far my favorite. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I can’t stand overly dramatic love stories, and this book didn’t have any. It was fabulous. The relationships were important, but they were never over the top, or melodramatic. The interactions between the characters was based more on friendship and respect, than on the gushy stuff (ha!).
Matthew Samuels wrote with confidence and skill. Parasites is an excellent addition to the science fiction genre, and one I suggest picking up.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/03/22/parasites-by-matthew-samuels/
When it comes to sci-fi writing, I’m pretty picky. It’s very easy for me to lose interest, or just give up because I get confused by the “sciencey stuff” (don’t mind me, I’m just over here making up new phrases). There was never any danger of that with Parasites, however. It was a unique book and kept me entertained from beginning to end.
I think the biggest strength the author displayed in this book was the world (worlds) building. It was excellent. He managed to somehow make things utterly alien, while keeping it believable and with enough of a grounding in reality that it made sense. I was never bored by overly-complicated scientific mumbo-jumbo: even the explanations were easy to understand, without speaking down to the reader.
All of the characters were enjoyable, although Basteel (the bodyguard/father figure) was by far my favorite. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I can’t stand overly dramatic love stories, and this book didn’t have any. It was fabulous. The relationships were important, but they were never over the top, or melodramatic. The interactions between the characters was based more on friendship and respect, than on the gushy stuff (ha!).
Matthew Samuels wrote with confidence and skill. Parasites is an excellent addition to the science fiction genre, and one I suggest picking up.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/03/22/parasites-by-matthew-samuels/
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