Natalie Kelda

I entered this book only knowing 3 things:
1) Wooden sail boats travel through space into faraway galaxies (coolio!)
2) The protagonist is battling depression and it will be an important theme in the story, take it or leave it.
3) Uhhh... did I already mention we have wooden ships traveling through outer space?

In a nutshell, River in the Galaxy delivers what is promised. If you just want a story where there is action, fight, win!, then this is not the book for you. A good chunk of the story focuses on the insurmountable task being levied on Captain Merlon Ricosta who is still suffering from bereavement from the death of his best friend Lanier. The mission? Someone locates a map that gives a hint one of Merlon's parents might still be alive... somewhere in space. A sufficient incentive to make him quit his S-V drug addiction and ask the merchant bureau in his home city of Amule for funds.

The problem? Well, Merlon needs to travel to unchartered territory and the trip could take several years. Worse, everyone important in town has a beef against him (Merlon doesn't like to pay bribes), and so they give him a offer he can't refuse: 6 months funds to find a new profitable trading partner or valuable jewels or they take his ship Lucia away... and he goes to a debtor's prison.

Ouch!

To worsen the deal, the merchant bureau wants to force him to bring on board two female trainees: a healer he hasn't met before named Patrice and a navigator he has an... ahem... complicated past named Tara. A prospect Merlon is adamantly against because facing Tara's wrath is only going to complicate his life problems and he doesn't exactly have the legal permit to train them in the first place.

So what does our odd hero do? He runs outside, straight to the pier and tells his 1st mate Adrien to set the sails and get the hell out of there before the trainees show up! Aaaaannnd, he forgets to lock the door of his captain quarter's teleportation portal. Which will ensue a neverending chain reaction in the plot.

One thing I noticed early on in this book was how amazingly similar River in the Galaxy is to the 1990's hit anime Outlaw Star. Both protagonists have lost their parents under suspicious cirumstances (except Gene Starwind knows from the start his father was murdered), they both inherit a nifty space ship alongside their trusty 1st mate (Adrien and Jim Hawking are loyal to their captain but don't hestitate to yell at him when they mess things up)... and in both series they lack funds and have 3 new female crewmates added to the team seemingly against their will.

Milly exudes Melfina's soft spoken personality, Tara reminds me a lot of Aisha Clan-Clan (just a lot more rude and confrontational) and Patrice doesn't resemble Suzuka at all except perhaps they tend to be quiet and don't usually stir trouble among the crew.

Both stores exude tons of adventure as the cast travel through space trying to get along, make money, try not to get themselves killed by pirates, discover what happened to the captain's father, and solve a mystery that is hiding somewhere.

Other than that, both stories handle things in completely opposite directions. Whereas Gene Starwind is patient and positive, Merlon is short-tempered and assumes the worst. I got the vibe somewhere along the middle of the story Merlon was quite similar to Ryoga Hibiki from the Ranma 1/2 anime. Both characters have had a rough past (some of it caused by their poor decisions), and unlike Ranma, they only see the negatives in life and can't let go of the past.

Some readers might grow fed up with Merlon snapping at his crew when one passenger gets killed out of the blue and spends his time hunched in his cabin feeling angry Tara kicked Lanier's old chair around (there is a reason for this, she is actually a pretty cool person). Detouring the story for several chapters exploring Merlon's anguish was a huge risk in a world where readers just want to get to the action, but the execution is quite brilliant. The way Merlon's untreated depression and addiction issues is done masterfully. To top it off, we get to enjoy a story about invisible disability because Merlon's eyesight has become permanently damaged when his chamber's teleportation portal exploded in front of his face. Merlon is too cognizant about his public appearance to wear a captain hat or tinted glasses (which sucks because he would look so awesome wearing them).

The final arc of the story felt a bit predictable in the sense you know something fishy is going on (pun intended). While the steps to get there were a series of nonstop surprises, I knew around the 70% point of the story how the book would inevitably end with the promise of more action in the sequel. I also felt real bad for poor Dachan, he deserved better! :'(

In a nutshell, this book was a thrill to read from start to finish. I never expected to enjoy it so much. Despite being scant, the humorous scenes made me laugh really hard. If you like Outlaw Star but preferred the darker initial episodes instead of the more ecchi lightfared direction of the show, this book will be up your alley.… (más)

I wish to thank Netgalley for kindly giving me a digital ARC copy.

Given I read & enjoyed River in the galaxy (but haven't read books 2 & 3 yet), I wish to mention this book is certainly a sufficient standalone that doesn't require to read any previous books in the whole galaxy universe.

I also dare say being able to keep things fresh and interesting after several other books in the same world universe is not the easiest feat, and even more when you try to use completely new characters.

This story begins with a surprisingly short prologue. Dead body, screams, self-hatred. The reader discovers in page one Balfour murdered a teenage boy who wasn't doing anything particularly heinious. Instead of getting the death penalty, his adoptive grandfather pulled some strings and he is given a slap in the wrist 2 year sentence as an unpaid sailor.

Only a few months into his punishment, and everything goes from bad to worse. Before we know it, Balfour is trapped in a strange planet in the farthest reaches of the Inner Universe where slavery is legal, he can't speak the language and is about to be sold into slavery through no fault of his own.

With a cuddly face and shy demeanor, a city filled with ruthless mobsters and thieves that will gut their closest friend with a dagger is no place for him. But with no other means to escape in a ship or a portal, Balfour has to use his wits to put his captain combat training to good use, stay alive, and make new friends. Oh, and don't let these friends know he's also friendly to his other friends because apparently everyone in this planet hates everyone else, and it can get a tad bit tiring making up lies to avoid seeing his peers gut each other (or him).

We get to meet all sorts of shady folk, from the dangerous (but likeable) Skye, the vicious thief with a chip of his shoulder named Callum, the kind thieves Keefer & Brig, the psychopath mobster executioner Charlie, sweet Martha & Livia, and a whole other cast of shady folk that mostly become Balfour's friends because he's all too likeable.

The author's English skills have shown a remarkable improvement in this novel, with fewer instances of unusual grammar. I also didn't spot noticeable typos, just maybe a period missing here and there. There are a few chapters where it can be hard to know if Skye or Balfour are talking (only inferred by Skye's occasional viciousness). But none of these issues detract from the enjoyment of the book. The story advances a bit slow at first while we get to meet this new city called Magrath, but things pick up and continue at a medium speed from the 50% mark when Balfour's friends start to discover he's friends with their sworn enemies (cue dramatic scenes where he gets punched in the face for the sole crime of being a genuine nice and decent guy).

The book doesn't end in a particularly large cresecendo. It actually feels like it ends in the middle of a larger story with very few loose ends tied up. Obviously this is a book where we will need a sequel to wrap things up. So, readers who feel too impatient for a true conclusion might be better off reading the prior books in the series to get better acquainted. Other than that, I had tons of fun reading this story and will continue to reccomend this author's work to other readers.

4.5 stars!… (más)