Scott J. Robinson

This rousing and entertaining adventure begins at a renaissance fair and it ends in space. (Although as the first of a series, the ending remains inconclusive.) Ancient spaceships, snobby elves, a confused dwarf, weird aliens, and portals to strange and distant worlds are all rolled into a coherent story that's just a bit more sci-fi than fantasy. It's lighthearted and not overly 'serious' sci-fi. After all, in addition to elves, it makes a brief nod to Area 51 and Roswell. But it's different. It's fun. I like it.

The world building and pacing are excellent, the prose and dialogue are good, the characters aren't too unbelievable, and the editing, well…. I noticed about a dozen typos in the Kindle edition that I read. There weren't enough to detract from enjoying the story, and since this is a DIY published novel, I expect they'll be corrected in later editions. Indie authors tend to be quite conscientious about such things.

I can recommend this one to all readers of light speculative fiction looking for something with a little meat to it. Of the new books I've read recently (both indie and traditionally published), I'd have to judge this one among the most enjoyable. There is a lot of potential here.

Full Disclosure: I received a free digital edition of this book during an open promotion on Amazon. I haven't read the other books in the series, although I may at some point.
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I loved this book. Fantasy worlds and contemporary science are blended in a way that just works amazingly well. This isn't set in a world combining both, it is a story of the two different types of worlds meeting. People, of various types, travel through gateways between their own worlds and others that are very different. Throw in a some hints of science well beyond our own and you have a brilliant mix.

All that wouldn't work without believable characters though, and this book doesn't disapoint. The primary viewpoints are those of a dwarf, an elf, a contemporary human and a... well, a character that doesn't really fit into any of the fantasy stereotypes. The elf and the dwarf are far from fantasy cutouts though. While many of the standard traits are in evidence, the reasoning behind some of them is unusual and well thought through, and other traits they show are a real surprise.

This book is highly recommended. Give it a try.
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