Exile by Glynn Stewart
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
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From the blurb:
"A shackled Earth, ruled by an unstoppable tyrant
An exiled son, and a one-way trip across the galaxy
A perfect world, their last hope for survival
Vice Admiral Isaac Gallant is the heir apparent to the First Admiral, the dictator of the Confederacy of Humanity. Unwilling to let his mother’s tyranny stand, he joins the rebellion and leads his ships into war against the might of his own nation.
Betrayal and failure, however, see Isaac Gallant and his allies captured. Rather than execute her only son, the First Admiral instead decides to exile them, flinging four million dissidents and rebels through a one-shot wormhole to the other end of the galaxy.
There, Isaac finds himself forced to keep order and peace as they seek out a new home without becoming the very dictator he fought against—and when that new home turns out to be too perfect to be true, he and his fellow exiles must decide how hard they are prepared to fight for paradise…against the very people who built it."
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Glynn Stewart has written a science fiction novel that has almost everything - space battles, a decent plot, indepth characters, strange new species, politicking, rebellion, civilization building, adventuring and new worlds.
The writing style is direct and makes the reader feel they are in the midst of the adventure. The main characters have depth, though a few of the more minor characters could have done with more personality. Even the aliens have their own fully-fleshed personality and oddities. I also haven't enjoyed a space battle this much in ages. The pacing was just right - fast but not rushed or too bogged down - especially for short book like this. I have no idea if the author is planning sequels or not, but this novel can be read as a standalone. This novel would also make a great movie or TV series. This story makes for a fun and exciting read, with tense, nail-biting moments.
4
