ricparks's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly what I've been seeking. Exciting, fun, compelling space opera well-written without the purposely obscure approach so common in science fiction today.
lady_mair's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 STARS)
A fun, rollicking romp with 2 engaging POV characters. This was definitely “space opera candy” as a front cover review proclaims. I couldn’t clearly visualize a lot of the settings and tech, but I also couldn’t get enough of the rough-and-tumble Jaqi. This would actually be a 4-Star read for me if not for some adult bits, some wonky religion stuff, and the ending that dragged on just a bit too long.
A fun, rollicking romp with 2 engaging POV characters. This was definitely “space opera candy” as a front cover review proclaims. I couldn’t clearly visualize a lot of the settings and tech, but I also couldn’t get enough of the rough-and-tumble Jaqi. This would actually be a 4-Star read for me if not for some adult bits, some wonky religion stuff, and the ending that dragged on just a bit too long.
ferrisscottr's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book.
It is space opera cranked all the way up to 11.
I would be remiss if I also didn't point out things that might seem "Star Wars-esque" - we've got our young hero Jaqi (Luke) fleeing the evil Resistance (Empire) while she grapples with her rare ability to use the Starfire (Force). Of course she's pursued by the troops of John Starfire (the Emperor). The elite troops, the Vanguard (Stormtroopers) are armed with their soulswords (lightsabers).
For about the first 130 pages (remember it's only 204 pages long) I was confused as hell as to what this book was about and why I was spending my time reading it but around page 130 it all started to come together (the confusion factor is why this is a 4 star book and not a 5 star book).
If you've read any of my other sci-fi book reviews you know that I'm actually not a huge sci-fi fan and in order for me to enjoy the genre we've got to have reallly great characters and dialogue and this book has them. There are two main POV characters, very different but both equally captivating.
Too much more about the plot and we'll enter spoiler territory so let me just say this was a fun, kick-ass space opera. If you love the original Star Wars trilogy then you will love this book. There are similarities w/ Star Wars but it really doesn't take away from the book.
I will definitely be continuing with this series.
It is space opera cranked all the way up to 11.
I would be remiss if I also didn't point out things that might seem "Star Wars-esque" - we've got our young hero Jaqi (Luke) fleeing the evil Resistance (Empire) while she grapples with her rare ability to use the Starfire (Force). Of course she's pursued by the troops of John Starfire (the Emperor). The elite troops, the Vanguard (Stormtroopers) are armed with their soulswords (lightsabers).
For about the first 130 pages (remember it's only 204 pages long) I was confused as hell as to what this book was about and why I was spending my time reading it but around page 130 it all started to come together (the confusion factor is why this is a 4 star book and not a 5 star book).
If you've read any of my other sci-fi book reviews you know that I'm actually not a huge sci-fi fan and in order for me to enjoy the genre we've got to have reallly great characters and dialogue and this book has them. There are two main POV characters, very different but both equally captivating.
Too much more about the plot and we'll enter spoiler territory so let me just say this was a fun, kick-ass space opera. If you love the original Star Wars trilogy then you will love this book. There are similarities w/ Star Wars but it really doesn't take away from the book.
I will definitely be continuing with this series.
nghia's review against another edition
3.0
This is a competent and entertaining space fantasy novella in the vein of Star Wars. It's brevity (barely over 200 pages) harks back to the pulps and serials of yesteryear (like Buck Rogers) that the space fantasy genre was built on. That alone is a welcome change from the usual 500-600-and-more page monsters that have come to dominate the SF/F genre. I mean, I love The Expanse but of the 3 books I've read in it so far, the shortest is 539 pages.
This doesn't really do anything super-groundbreaking. An orphan with a secret lineage who turns out to be The Chosen One of Destiny and have special powers. Rogues with hearts of gold. An evil empire with a clone army they are on the run from. Etc etc. Like I said, it is very much Star Warsy. Not a ripoff but certainly many parallels. Not that that's entirely a bad thing; sometimes novelty is overrated and we just want a fun comfort read that hits all the familiar notes. And this does that.
It packs a lot into its 200 pages. An cage death match, a space fight, a gunfight, escapes, and more. One reason for its brevity is that it confines itself to just two POVs: Jaqi and Araskar. Jaqi is the one on the run the Araskar is the Evil Empire soldier tasked with tracking her down -- but he's beginning to have doubts, he never signed up for an Evil empire and his character is the real highlight of the series.
“It doesn’t do much good to get scared out here, I think. Everything is scary. You have to get used to it.”
This doesn't really do anything super-groundbreaking. An orphan with a secret lineage who turns out to be The Chosen One of Destiny and have special powers. Rogues with hearts of gold. An evil empire with a clone army they are on the run from. Etc etc. Like I said, it is very much Star Warsy. Not a ripoff but certainly many parallels. Not that that's entirely a bad thing; sometimes novelty is overrated and we just want a fun comfort read that hits all the familiar notes. And this does that.
“I—I died.”
“Not enough blood and honor,” I say, and it’s hard to talk around that big thing in my throat. “Had to bring you back.”
It packs a lot into its 200 pages. An cage death match, a space fight, a gunfight, escapes, and more. One reason for its brevity is that it confines itself to just two POVs: Jaqi and Araskar. Jaqi is the one on the run the Araskar is the Evil Empire soldier tasked with tracking her down -- but he's beginning to have doubts, he never signed up for an Evil empire and his character is the real highlight of the series.
mr_mouse's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I read this book when it came out, and now I’m rereading it with my girlfriend and it totally held up!
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received A Red Peace from Net Galley in exchange for a fair an honest review.
A Red Peace is the first in the Starfire Trilogy written by Spencer Ellsworth, and along with an interesting plot (more on that in a minute) it comes with an utterly stunning cover. Please take a minute to appreciate the artwork, detail and color palette of the cover. I’m in love with it. As far as the plot is concerned, it’s a bit like space opera meets the Wild West. It’s full of aliens, giant space bugs (who doesn’t love giant space bugs?) and psychic weapons galore.
A Red Peace starts off with the end of a war; which is unexpected, despite the name of the title. The Resistance (a group of Jorians seeking their freedom from the humans) have won, but their job doesn’t appear to be over yet (yay for plot continuation!). There’s more going on in the Resistance than there appears to be at first glance; and there’s certainly more to their motives than the lower ranks are allowed to know.
Jaqi (a name I had a lot of fun imagining how it was pronounced) is a half-breed Jorian girl looking to find her place in the world; especially if that place involves tomatoes, but really any actual food will do. I was immediately drawn into liking Jaqi’s character, her motivations are very straight forward and human (yes, I see the irony in that statement, but you know what I mean). Despite knowing better, Jaqi constantly finds herself doing the right thing, even if it means putter herself at risk (for little to no payout to boot). It’s hard not to like and even respect a character like that.
Araskar is a perfect foil for Jaqi’s character – he’s been through hell (I think being on the Resistance during the war probably counts as such) and has completely lost his hope. He’s content with the idea of dying; especially if that means none of his slugs (lower ranking soldiers he’s in charge of) die in his stead. While that sounds honorable, to me it read mostly as him looking for a way out, an escape. Just like his drug addiction. While Jaqi is looking for hope, Araskar is all but lost to the concept. It makes their meeting so much more intense and meaningful.
Earlier I mentioned Jaqi’s love of tomatoes because it’s basically the reason she gets pulled into this whole mess (and thus the plot) in the first place. I personally loved that part; that something so little ended up spinning out into something so massive and unanticipated.
What I particularly loved about Ellsworth’s work was the way he blended his imagery with music and color. It was exceptionally evocative, and didn’t even have to be subtle in some cases – such as when Araskar was directly interpreting it for us. The most poignant moment (for me at least) was later in the novel (I promise this isn’t a crazy huge spoiler) where Jaqi gives Araskar a guitar and tells him to learn how to play. To me this not only connected the musical element to the characters (again), but represented Araskar physically being handed a chance at hope. It was beautifully done.
I really enjoyed reading A Red Peace, and am greatly looking forward to the next installation. Unfortunately I have a bit of time before that happens, and patience is not one of my virtues.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
A Red Peace is the first in the Starfire Trilogy written by Spencer Ellsworth, and along with an interesting plot (more on that in a minute) it comes with an utterly stunning cover. Please take a minute to appreciate the artwork, detail and color palette of the cover. I’m in love with it. As far as the plot is concerned, it’s a bit like space opera meets the Wild West. It’s full of aliens, giant space bugs (who doesn’t love giant space bugs?) and psychic weapons galore.
Spoiler
A Red Peace starts off with the end of a war; which is unexpected, despite the name of the title. The Resistance (a group of Jorians seeking their freedom from the humans) have won, but their job doesn’t appear to be over yet (yay for plot continuation!). There’s more going on in the Resistance than there appears to be at first glance; and there’s certainly more to their motives than the lower ranks are allowed to know.
Jaqi (a name I had a lot of fun imagining how it was pronounced) is a half-breed Jorian girl looking to find her place in the world; especially if that place involves tomatoes, but really any actual food will do. I was immediately drawn into liking Jaqi’s character, her motivations are very straight forward and human (yes, I see the irony in that statement, but you know what I mean). Despite knowing better, Jaqi constantly finds herself doing the right thing, even if it means putter herself at risk (for little to no payout to boot). It’s hard not to like and even respect a character like that.
Araskar is a perfect foil for Jaqi’s character – he’s been through hell (I think being on the Resistance during the war probably counts as such) and has completely lost his hope. He’s content with the idea of dying; especially if that means none of his slugs (lower ranking soldiers he’s in charge of) die in his stead. While that sounds honorable, to me it read mostly as him looking for a way out, an escape. Just like his drug addiction. While Jaqi is looking for hope, Araskar is all but lost to the concept. It makes their meeting so much more intense and meaningful.
Earlier I mentioned Jaqi’s love of tomatoes because it’s basically the reason she gets pulled into this whole mess (and thus the plot) in the first place. I personally loved that part; that something so little ended up spinning out into something so massive and unanticipated.
What I particularly loved about Ellsworth’s work was the way he blended his imagery with music and color. It was exceptionally evocative, and didn’t even have to be subtle in some cases – such as when Araskar was directly interpreting it for us. The most poignant moment (for me at least) was later in the novel (I promise this isn’t a crazy huge spoiler) where Jaqi gives Araskar a guitar and tells him to learn how to play. To me this not only connected the musical element to the characters (again), but represented Araskar physically being handed a chance at hope. It was beautifully done.
I really enjoyed reading A Red Peace, and am greatly looking forward to the next installation. Unfortunately I have a bit of time before that happens, and patience is not one of my virtues.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
alexanderpaez's review
4.0
Divertidísima space opera ambientada en una galaxia donde una guerra estelar ha terminado pero comienzan ciertas intrigas para levantar un imperio tiránico y eliminar a la especie humana. Espadas de alma (soulswords), bichos, razas híbridas, mucho (MUCHÍSIMO) humor y personajazos inolvidables. Ganas de poner ya con al segunda parte.
jvan's review
4.0
There's a lot going on in this little book, and you get hit by a huge amount right at the start. It feels a bit overwhelming but quickly enough you're past that hitch and the exciting, energetic story carries you along with it. This is a fun, well assembled tale with masses of aliens, cybernetic entities, bugs, psychic powers, star devouring monsters and hapless people who just want a bath and maybe a nice piece of fruit. Good stuff, and the next book will be out only a few months after this one.
judd's review
3.0
This was a fun read, nothing great but if you are looking for a novella with space opera swords go for it.
colossal's review
4.0
An interesting space opera in a familiar style that pits a victorious force of vat-grown clone warriors against their former masters, the human race.
Fleeing from the evilEmpire Resistance is young Luke Jaqi who is of the same human/alien hybrid stock as the clones and can use the rare ability of the Force the Starfire. She is pursued by the minions of the Emperor John Starfire led by Stormtroopers the Vanguard who all wield light sabres soulswords.
It's all actually a lot more complex than that, and it's far from a direct ripoff of Star Wars, but the parallels just jumped off the page at me. I will say that like the material it feels so similar to, it's a rollicking adventure story with an engaging set of characters. Jaqi is a delight throughout and the other characters feel rich as well, particularly the drug-addicted and war-weary Araskar.
Fleeing from the evil
It's all actually a lot more complex than that, and it's far from a direct ripoff of Star Wars, but the parallels just jumped off the page at me. I will say that like the material it feels so similar to, it's a rollicking adventure story with an engaging set of characters. Jaqi is a delight throughout and the other characters feel rich as well, particularly the drug-addicted and war-weary Araskar.