My rating: 4.3 out of 5
An exuberant space opera that dares us to lose ourselves in battle songs and nonstop action!
A woman who can wield a weapon like a song. A man who can out-think ancient death traps. A pilot who flies her ship like a second skin. To keep the Kettle out of hock, Lahra, Max, and Wheel flout border patrols, salvaging artifacts from dangerous galactic ruins.
But the power in those artifacts threatens the iron-fisted rule of the galaxy’s imperialist overlords, the Vsenk. To protect their dominion, the Vsenk have humbled entire civilizations. They eat ships like the Kettle and her found family for breakfast.
Lahra, Max, and Wheel are each just trying to get home to the lives they lost, but they’ll have to evade space fascists, kick-start a rebellion, and save the galaxy first.
Board the Kettle for a space opera like none you’ve ever read before: an adventure of galactic subterfuge, ancient alien lore, a secret resistance force, lost civilizations, and giant space turtles.
***** *** *******
DISCLAIMER: Review copy from NetGalley.
***** *** *******
While looking for the next book to read, I was quickly taken by this book's synopsis and fantastic cover art. To me, “exuberant space opera” sounded like just the thing, then they mentioned “salvaging artifacts from dangerous galactic ruins” and I was immediately curious. Painted on a huge canvas that spans light years, this story gallops across fantastic places, lifeforms and action. The plot is a typical yet original tale of uprising against a tyrannical empire, a rather horrid bunch who viciously subjugate all and deal with objectors most harshly. Throw into the mix a good measure of Guardians of the Galaxy and you get this cool space opera. I liken it to a modern pulp sci-fi romp, designed purely to entertain and delight. I reckon that the author achieved and delivered a book that will appeal to people who adore fun reads. I suggest that this book will rate quite well across a sizeable array of science fiction readers.
The idea of a galactic empire ruled by tough overlords with a struggling resistance fighting back is not new but it’s a formula that sure does work. Just check out the massive entertainment juggernaut that is Star Wars and you see the proof of this. Annihilation Aria stacks up pretty well, being packed with classic tropes that make this genre so enjoyable. There’s tyrannical galactic overlords (the Vsenk), rogue gangsters, various alien species and even a race of giant sentient turtle-like creatures which cruise space and are eminently wise. At the centre of the overall plot of the book is a massively modified being who has the power to destroy planets. Our main characters become pivotal players after discovering an artifact which can be used to control its powers and also shows the history of and balance of power within the galaxy are not what is commonly believed. What they find out will alter things dramatically.
The central characters are a likeable trio of humanoids who scratch a living as treasure hunters and scavengers. There is a very intelligent human (Max) who has somehow become separated from Earth and has ended up in another part of the universe. His wife (Lahra) is of a species which has a number of societal castes and she is of the soldier caste, made for battle. What I thought was pretty cool and unique is how she uses songs to fuel both herself and her weaponry in combat. Her entire species uses singing to affect various things in their environment and seem to derive a tangible energy from it. I’ve not come across this idea until I read it in this book, so that was refreshing. The third is a matter-of-fact, and practical woman (Wheel) who belongs to a species who are fond of heavy bodily augmentations which allow them to interface directly with machines. She is the owner and pilot of a really neat little ship called the Kettle which she pilots by becoming literally immersed within it. Each of these three are keen to find their way back to their homes, wherever they are. Another key player in the story is a huge Vsenk noble (Arek) who is one of the few of his kind who does not blindly accept their absolute right to rule over the galaxy. He has his own reasons for wanting peace and plays a pivotal role in events.
Each of the characters in this story, the main players as well as the supporting cast, are very good and it was fun getting to know them. The author’s excellent skills as a writer and storyteller are in no doubt and it is very easy to read, yet contains all the detail necessary. The world building is good, although I did find myself hankering and looking for some slightly more detailed descriptions of some of the locations and other elements of the story. Having said that, I’d imagine that these would be mostly superfluous and the book would end up to be quite long indeed if the author used too many more words. It’s already about as long as this sort of book should be. To be a little more specific about who I think this story is most suited to, I’d have to say that I perceived a slight “youthy” feel to it. This is fine by me and probably enhances the lively feel of the book. It was always easy to pick up the story again after a day or so away from it and I always found it a pleasure to return to. From an entertainment point of view, this book rates high and is perfect to kick back with a bit of not-so-serious distraction.
You’ve probably worked out that I really enjoyed this. The story is good, delivered well and is very entertaining. The story finishes up leaving a definite path open for further stories, even a prequel to this would be cool to find out more about how things ended up where they are. Some websites list this as the first in series called The Space Operas, so hopefully this is true. I checked out the publisher’s (Parvus Press) catalog and there are some impressive sounding sci-fi and fantasy titles listed there. If this book is any indication, then I’d wager that both the author and whoever publishes his subsequent work will do quite well.
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