Space Junque, by LK Rigel (40:00)

IOD-SpaceJunqueToday we see that even sub-genres that are not really my thing can survive the treadmill.

What I gleaned about the story: As human society slumps into chaos, spurred by corporate myopia and eco-terrorism, one woman manages to catch the last flight off Earth. But the world that awaits her in orbit is almost as confusing as the one she left behind, and before long, she finds herself thrust into the arms of a handsome rogue, with no clear idea whose side he’s on. Or for that matter, whose side she is on.

Find this book on Amazon.

Kudo #1: I like how this got moving right away.

Analysis: There was plenty of opportunity to go long and preachy on the exposition, but that temptation was avoided, and we got only the backstory we needed, as we needed it.

WTF #1: Surprise nooky.

Analysis: Maybe I don’t travel in the right crowd, but Char’s initial physical response to Jake felt unrealistic to me and a bit out of place. It’s too soon and somewhat awkward feeling to me. I was worried that it was about to become an “SF-romance crossover novel,” but it’s too soon to tell if that’s what’s happening here, or whether it was just a one-off incident.

Note: Having read the entire novella now, I can say that there is definitely a romance element at play here. Not my usual taste, but it isn’t all breathless and angst-ridden, which is my usual fear around romance themes, so I ended up enjoying the ride quite a bit. I encourage you to check it out.

The High King's Embalmer, by S. Copperstone (7:47)
Dark & Day, by Israel Grey (13:56)

About the author

Jefferson Smith is a Canadian fantasy author, as well as the founder, chief editor and resident proctologist of ImmerseOrDie. With a PhD in Computer Science and Creativity Systems compounded by a life spent exploring most art forms for fun and profit, he is underqualified in just about everything. That's why he writes.