What do you think?
Rate this book
The Aryshan War #1
The Stars Entwined: An Epic Military Space Opera
Interstellar war is coming......is humanity prepared?Lieutenant Sean Barrows is on a special track in Earth's Interstellar Navy, investigating events of which the alien Aryshan Empire may have sabotaged Earth assets. But Earth needs more of him.Commodore V'Bosh recruits Sean into espionage, a task which will require genetic modification and intense mental reporgramming to be able to blend in with the Aryshans. No one else is willing to accept the assignment because of the danger of rumored low-key telepathic abilities among the aliens.Can Sean navigate the Aryshan military and survive? The situation becomes even more tenuous as Sean finds himself falling in love with Aryshan Commander Tamar. Fans of The Old Man's War by John Scalzi and The Ember War by Richard Fox will love this epic space opera. Read today!
360 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2018
116 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Jon Del Arroz
79 books439 followersJon Del Arroz is a powerhouse in speculative fiction and comics, celebrated as "the leading Hispanic voice in science fiction" by PJ Media, and a #1 Amazon bestselling author whose works resonate with fans craving bold, unapologetic storytelling. His novels, like the swashbuckling steampunk adventure For Steam And Country and the space opera The Stars Entwined, have earned accolades for their fast-paced plots and richly drawn characters. He is a Dragon Award finalist and 2018 CLFA Book of the Year Award winner, as well as N3F Speculative Fiction winner for best graphic novel.
Beyond the page, Jon Del Arroz is a prolific journalist and cultural commentator, with incisive pieces in outlets like The Federalist and Fandom Pulse that tackle the intersections of pop culture, gaming, and politics with fearless clarity. His investigative work and YouTube livestreams have built a loyal following, offering a sharp alternative to mainstream narratives.
Beyond the page, Jon Del Arroz is a prolific journalist and cultural commentator, with incisive pieces in outlets like The Federalist and Fandom Pulse that tackle the intersections of pop culture, gaming, and politics with fearless clarity. His investigative work and YouTube livestreams have built a loyal following, offering a sharp alternative to mainstream narratives.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 30, 2018
I was laughing out loud before I finished the prologue.
Unfortunately, I don't think the author really intended this to be satire.
Some may complain that my review focuses on factual errors and clunky writing rather than on the story itself. But here's the thing: it's impossible for a reader to suspend disbelief and get absorbed in a story when blatant errors in fact and clunky, distracting, and/or confusing writing keep making them stop and say something like "huh?" or "you must be joking!" Facts and writing quality ARE IMPORTANT.
Additionally, the word "science" in "science fiction" really does mean something. If you're going to write science fiction, you should at the very least get your most obvious and basic science elements correct! Wikipedia and Google are your friends!
-----------
Prologue
Here's the first thing that got me going. The setup is that the Sunflower, a small human space ship, is fleeing from a larger alien ship. We are specifically told: “We have an incoming ship gaining on us.”[....]“They’ll overtake us in five minutes.” The words "incoming", "gaining", and "overtake" clearly indicate that the Sunflower is running away, and the bigger ship is gaining on it. Also -- while the Sunflower is trying to escape, the big ship is telling it to reverse course.
Then we get this line: "The Sunflower jolted forward as if it had collided with something."
Ummmm, no, honey. If a vehicle is moving forward and hits something, it STOPS. "Collided with something" means that it hit something in FRONT of it. If, say, a torpedo had hit it from the rear, the construction would be "as if something had collided with it." See the difference? The contents INSIDE the vehicle may keep moving forward because of momentum, but the ship itself will most certainly not be jolting forward. That's Physics 101.
And then we get this howler: "The screen switched to a view of a massive Aryshan ship only just avoiding collision with the Sunflower. It would look to them as if the Sunflower had intentionally tried to hit them."
The first ridiculous element here is the thought that a space ship -- out in the immensity of space -- is tailgating so closely that a metaphorical tap on the brakes by the smaller ship would immediately put them in danger of collision. I had an instant vision of a big red pickup riding up some poor Honda's tailpipe on a highway. LOL.
The second ridiculous element will occur to you if you give it a little thought. Wait for it, wait for it.... okay, I'll tell you. The bigger ship has been TELLING the smaller ship to reverse course. So they should have been EXPECTING the Sunflower to turn around -- yet they're still running so close behind that they nearly run over it when it has to stop abruptly? Seriously, just how dumb are these aliens supposed to be???
Now, maybe all this confusion is because of bad editing rather than because of complete ignorance of physics and space. Maybe the author didn't really mean the words as they are written. But there's only three choices here: 1. this is a clever parody of terrible writing; 2. the author needs to go back to high school to learn how physics and the vast reaches of space work; or 3. the author couldn't be bothered to find a good editor.
Or all of the above.
-----------
Chapter 1: another howler.
“it sends out energy patterns in several directions with little to no dissipation since there's no friction in the vacuum.”
Physics 101 again.
A quick trip to Wikipedia would have told the author that "dissipation" of energy is caused not only by friction, but also by things such as diffusion, radiative cooling, and light absorption. "Energy patterns" would indeed dissipate quite a lot in space, with or without friction. If energy dissipation couldn't occur, after all, then nothing would ever freeze in space. Oops.
-----------
Chapters 2-4
I didn't find laugh-out-loud moments in these chapters. Aside from some really clunky writing, the main problem seems to be that both of the two alien species presented are (naturally) mentally inferior to humans in obvious ways. Because of course they are.
Inferiority of the Aryshans: "No good came from panicking. Those emotional reverberations were vestigial links from a time past when the Aryshan people didn't have technology to warn them of danger. They'd had to rely on each other for everything. Modern times made such abilities a nuisance rather than a help, in most situations.... Tendell finally broke the protracted silence... "thank you, Commander Intrei. ....You may recall the last Speaker was removed from this very vessel because his lack of self-control created a crisis for our people."
-- The Aryshans have a tendency to panic in groups, a sort of mass hysteria, and it is so pronounced that it has created at least one recent crisis for the entire species. Because of course Aryshans can't control themselves like humans can.
Inferiority of the Tralos: “If a Tralos detected subterfuge, they could explode into anger. The vibrations, as they called it, often caused by deceit, threw Tralos heads for a spin. Thankfully, Sean had never experienced much of the rage they'd become infamous for."
-- The Tralos are infamous for fits of rage, because of course they can't control themselves like humans can.
-----------
Chapter 5
Sadly, there were multiple problems with this chapter. Here are just a couple of highlights:
First, the author once again seems to have no concept of just how large space is. "A person in a pressure suit could have been a possibility. Depending on the size and their movements, objects that size wouldn't trip external station sensors, not with all the asteroids and debris floating around space."
— All the asteroids and debris floating around?? Seriously??? Does the author think that outer space is somehow like a dust storm, all filled with rocks and trash??
I loved this one. This guy, Sean, is doing an EVA. The narrator has just talked about everything Sean is seeing, and he has been talking through his radio to a person inside the ship. Yet he says: “The transmitter went silent, leaving Sean with a distinct lack of sound. Only his breathing kept him from a complete sensory deprivation.”
— Ummm, no. He can still see, touch, and smell (and hear) just fine. And this passage is so clunky, to boot!
This next one just put the icing on the cake for me. Please, please, PLEASE -- anybody who is thinking about writing science fiction, PLEASE at least know how to look things up on Wikipedia before setting your thoughts down on paper. The word "science" in science fiction really does mean something! -->
“The prospect of vacuum crushing his head made him gasp for air.”
— Gaaaaaaah! No, no, a thousand times no!
-- Remember, kiddies, that things get crushed from TOO MUCH pressure. And "vacuum" means the complete ABSENCE of pressure. So, no, his head will not be even a tiny bit crushed by vacuum. Sigh. Wikipedia and Google are your friends!
----------
Ch. 6-10
The main problem in these chapters is just incredibly clunky, wordy writing.
A few examples out of many:
“The woman yelled something in the Aryshan language. The words she used sounded angry, the language staccato, and hiss-like. She seemed as if she were protesting for her rights, gesturing wildly.”
-- How about simply "The woman yelled something in Aryshan, the staccato words angry and hissing. She seemed to be protesting for her rights as she gestured wildly."
-- And how are you supposed to know she's protesting for her rights when you don't speak the language?
“The human moved through the crowd, and Tamar followed, though she did her best to make sure he didn't pay attention to her. He entered a liftcar, and she moved after him, standing far enough away as to appear as another passenger. He didn't seem to notice her, but she kept her head facing away so her Aryshan features wouldn't single her out. After the car reached its destination, the man traveled down a corridor. Tamar kept with him, but as she did, her anger subsided to her better senses.”
— Tamar is an alien with silver skin, black hair, and a crown (like a crest, not like a queen’s crown), and he’s supposed to not notice her in an elevator??
— and the writing, the writing!
“What she should do would be to contact the Ruling Committee”
— Why not simply “She should contact”???
“Receiving orders was a much better alternative to reacting on one's own initiative out of emotion.”
— Why not simply “Following orders was much better than acting out of emotion.”???
Well, I hope you have the idea by now. This book is filled with mind-numbingly dumb factual errors and mind-numbingly clunky writing. This is, unfortunately, what can happen when a writer is surrounded by yes-men instead of being guided by a real publisher and a real editor. Let this be a lesson to baby authors out there -- you need to find people who will honestly critique your work, not just friends and family who tell you how marvelous and perfect you are!
I *may* add more later, but most likely not for at least a day or two.
Unfortunately, I don't think the author really intended this to be satire.
Some may complain that my review focuses on factual errors and clunky writing rather than on the story itself. But here's the thing: it's impossible for a reader to suspend disbelief and get absorbed in a story when blatant errors in fact and clunky, distracting, and/or confusing writing keep making them stop and say something like "huh?" or "you must be joking!" Facts and writing quality ARE IMPORTANT.
Additionally, the word "science" in "science fiction" really does mean something. If you're going to write science fiction, you should at the very least get your most obvious and basic science elements correct! Wikipedia and Google are your friends!
-----------
Prologue
Here's the first thing that got me going. The setup is that the Sunflower, a small human space ship, is fleeing from a larger alien ship. We are specifically told: “We have an incoming ship gaining on us.”[....]“They’ll overtake us in five minutes.” The words "incoming", "gaining", and "overtake" clearly indicate that the Sunflower is running away, and the bigger ship is gaining on it. Also -- while the Sunflower is trying to escape, the big ship is telling it to reverse course.
Then we get this line: "The Sunflower jolted forward as if it had collided with something."
Ummmm, no, honey. If a vehicle is moving forward and hits something, it STOPS. "Collided with something" means that it hit something in FRONT of it. If, say, a torpedo had hit it from the rear, the construction would be "as if something had collided with it." See the difference? The contents INSIDE the vehicle may keep moving forward because of momentum, but the ship itself will most certainly not be jolting forward. That's Physics 101.
And then we get this howler: "The screen switched to a view of a massive Aryshan ship only just avoiding collision with the Sunflower. It would look to them as if the Sunflower had intentionally tried to hit them."
The first ridiculous element here is the thought that a space ship -- out in the immensity of space -- is tailgating so closely that a metaphorical tap on the brakes by the smaller ship would immediately put them in danger of collision. I had an instant vision of a big red pickup riding up some poor Honda's tailpipe on a highway. LOL.
The second ridiculous element will occur to you if you give it a little thought. Wait for it, wait for it.... okay, I'll tell you. The bigger ship has been TELLING the smaller ship to reverse course. So they should have been EXPECTING the Sunflower to turn around -- yet they're still running so close behind that they nearly run over it when it has to stop abruptly? Seriously, just how dumb are these aliens supposed to be???
Now, maybe all this confusion is because of bad editing rather than because of complete ignorance of physics and space. Maybe the author didn't really mean the words as they are written. But there's only three choices here: 1. this is a clever parody of terrible writing; 2. the author needs to go back to high school to learn how physics and the vast reaches of space work; or 3. the author couldn't be bothered to find a good editor.
Or all of the above.
-----------
Chapter 1: another howler.
“it sends out energy patterns in several directions with little to no dissipation since there's no friction in the vacuum.”
Physics 101 again.
A quick trip to Wikipedia would have told the author that "dissipation" of energy is caused not only by friction, but also by things such as diffusion, radiative cooling, and light absorption. "Energy patterns" would indeed dissipate quite a lot in space, with or without friction. If energy dissipation couldn't occur, after all, then nothing would ever freeze in space. Oops.
-----------
Chapters 2-4
I didn't find laugh-out-loud moments in these chapters. Aside from some really clunky writing, the main problem seems to be that both of the two alien species presented are (naturally) mentally inferior to humans in obvious ways. Because of course they are.
Inferiority of the Aryshans: "No good came from panicking. Those emotional reverberations were vestigial links from a time past when the Aryshan people didn't have technology to warn them of danger. They'd had to rely on each other for everything. Modern times made such abilities a nuisance rather than a help, in most situations.... Tendell finally broke the protracted silence... "thank you, Commander Intrei. ....You may recall the last Speaker was removed from this very vessel because his lack of self-control created a crisis for our people."
-- The Aryshans have a tendency to panic in groups, a sort of mass hysteria, and it is so pronounced that it has created at least one recent crisis for the entire species. Because of course Aryshans can't control themselves like humans can.
Inferiority of the Tralos: “If a Tralos detected subterfuge, they could explode into anger. The vibrations, as they called it, often caused by deceit, threw Tralos heads for a spin. Thankfully, Sean had never experienced much of the rage they'd become infamous for."
-- The Tralos are infamous for fits of rage, because of course they can't control themselves like humans can.
-----------
Chapter 5
Sadly, there were multiple problems with this chapter. Here are just a couple of highlights:
First, the author once again seems to have no concept of just how large space is. "A person in a pressure suit could have been a possibility. Depending on the size and their movements, objects that size wouldn't trip external station sensors, not with all the asteroids and debris floating around space."
— All the asteroids and debris floating around?? Seriously??? Does the author think that outer space is somehow like a dust storm, all filled with rocks and trash??
I loved this one. This guy, Sean, is doing an EVA. The narrator has just talked about everything Sean is seeing, and he has been talking through his radio to a person inside the ship. Yet he says: “The transmitter went silent, leaving Sean with a distinct lack of sound. Only his breathing kept him from a complete sensory deprivation.”
— Ummm, no. He can still see, touch, and smell (and hear) just fine. And this passage is so clunky, to boot!
This next one just put the icing on the cake for me. Please, please, PLEASE -- anybody who is thinking about writing science fiction, PLEASE at least know how to look things up on Wikipedia before setting your thoughts down on paper. The word "science" in science fiction really does mean something! -->
“The prospect of vacuum crushing his head made him gasp for air.”
— Gaaaaaaah! No, no, a thousand times no!
-- Remember, kiddies, that things get crushed from TOO MUCH pressure. And "vacuum" means the complete ABSENCE of pressure. So, no, his head will not be even a tiny bit crushed by vacuum. Sigh. Wikipedia and Google are your friends!
----------
Ch. 6-10
The main problem in these chapters is just incredibly clunky, wordy writing.
A few examples out of many:
“The woman yelled something in the Aryshan language. The words she used sounded angry, the language staccato, and hiss-like. She seemed as if she were protesting for her rights, gesturing wildly.”
-- How about simply "The woman yelled something in Aryshan, the staccato words angry and hissing. She seemed to be protesting for her rights as she gestured wildly."
-- And how are you supposed to know she's protesting for her rights when you don't speak the language?
“The human moved through the crowd, and Tamar followed, though she did her best to make sure he didn't pay attention to her. He entered a liftcar, and she moved after him, standing far enough away as to appear as another passenger. He didn't seem to notice her, but she kept her head facing away so her Aryshan features wouldn't single her out. After the car reached its destination, the man traveled down a corridor. Tamar kept with him, but as she did, her anger subsided to her better senses.”
— Tamar is an alien with silver skin, black hair, and a crown (like a crest, not like a queen’s crown), and he’s supposed to not notice her in an elevator??
— and the writing, the writing!
“What she should do would be to contact the Ruling Committee”
— Why not simply “She should contact”???
“Receiving orders was a much better alternative to reacting on one's own initiative out of emotion.”
— Why not simply “Following orders was much better than acting out of emotion.”???
Well, I hope you have the idea by now. This book is filled with mind-numbingly dumb factual errors and mind-numbingly clunky writing. This is, unfortunately, what can happen when a writer is surrounded by yes-men instead of being guided by a real publisher and a real editor. Let this be a lesson to baby authors out there -- you need to find people who will honestly critique your work, not just friends and family who tell you how marvelous and perfect you are!
I *may* add more later, but most likely not for at least a day or two.
June 14, 2018
The story arc of this book did not go as I expected. The start was familiar territory enough, but as it advanced it went into a different direction. My favorite of his books so far, and the others were quite strong.
April 16, 2018
Conflicted on this one. The second half of the book is reasonably fun, but the first half is bogged down in a pile of boring that offers no insight on the characters and probably could have been cut with no harm to remaining story. Basic premise, human goes undercover as spy in military of neighboring humanoid species, and things happen. Sadly, lots of those things are so ridiculously implausible that I suspect most readers will nope right out of the book. That said, it was mildly diverting and I could see this idea potentially developing into an interesting series, but I'm not sure I'll be continuing with it.
Read
April 23, 2018Being a huge sci-fi junkie I really enjoyed this book. It's a true pleasure to find an author that can successfully combine sci-fi and romance but that's what Jon Del Arroz has done with this book. Great characters that you can get behind a very good storyline makes this a pleasure to read. Can't wait to see what else this author has in store for the readers. If you are a fan of stories such as Star Trek then you must check this book out!
July 31, 2022
This book is as if the author wanted to write a Star Trek universe story, but couldn't get the rights to do so, so he just renamed some things, and did it anyway. The science is soft, the rubber forehead quotient is high, and for some reason there's midichlorians in here, too.
Still, it's an enjoyable story. The pacing is good, there's no filler. Good conservation of detail, too.
Still, it's an enjoyable story. The pacing is good, there's no filler. Good conservation of detail, too.
Read
March 22, 2025Rating; minus 4 on a scale of -5 to +5. This is another review moved up the list for a more complete, honest rewrite though no one will read this.
First off, Julian Arrange is free courtesy of shame in the British Judiciary, not because of the Australian government, I am sure.
Jeremy Corbyn won election as an independent. I think that delivers a nice message to Starmer.
The Conservative Party have just taken the most dramatic drubbing in two centuries. On the off chance that Labour actually begin the long overdue re-nationalisation of all basic services and certain essential industries, the Tories will disappear in the next general election to never rise again. Yay !!!
Suella Cruella has been roaming the US seeking MAGA contacts. Farage has been chastised by Musk as not being openly Nazi enough.
Jacob Rees Mogg, we will hardly miss you. The nineteenth century dropped a note that it would like return of its fashion. The July 4 result did not inspire an armed insurrection by Conservative or Reform, so it seems Britain have not yet become fully Americanized. If only the nation could begin the re-acquisition of the many British companies bought by Americans.
Starmer developed a pair of ovaries enough to follow Germany's example of warning against travel to the USA. Canadians have also been detained by the US ICE agency. The population by and large seems accepting this descent and are the dominant segment of Goodreads membership.
Before I continue this rewrite I am prepping on the YouTube. This was made possible by the channels - Doctor Who/They Break My Heart - RecklessGirl100, The Authentic Observer, Mia Mulder, Mothcub, Red Glasgow, Hoots, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, NFKRZ, Council of Geeks, Red Glasgow, Keffals, Tardis Tales, Owen Jones, Supertanskiii, What Rae Reads, Prose and Petticoats, Raw News and Politics, ScaredKetchup -Project 2025, Emma Thorne, Puddles Pity Party, Ukraine Matters, ATP Geopolitics, AllShorts, Ben and Emily, Veritas et Caritas, Bobbing Along, Sailing Melody, Dr Fatima physicist, Gutsick Gibbon, Trae Crowder, Well Deck Diaries, Books and Things, The Whovian Pokefan, Professor Gerdes Explains, Ukraine Calling, Northern Narrowboaters, May, Times Radio, Sian RL, Cafe Crashdown, Jane Elliott, The Great War, Jay Exci, Outlaw Bookseller, Amadeus Quartet, Fit 2B Read, Reads with Rachel, Cosy Creative, Mynameismarines, With Olivia, Bobby Broccoli, Truth to Power, Peter Stefanovic, JammiDodger, Boat Time, Hardy's Books, Biz, HBomberGuy, Zoe Baker, Bayraktar Song, Matriarchetype, Kyiv Independent, Lily Simpson, It's Black Friday, Fundie Fridays, Nini Music - Sound of Silence, Sabby Sabs, Think That Through, Jean's Thoughts, Little Wars TV, Board Game Nation, Hoots, Red Plateaus, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Radio Retrofuture, World War Two, Star Wreck, DUST, Sarah Z, Reedsy, With Cindy, Munecat, Verilybitchie, Cats N Books, Philosophy Tube, May Moon Narrowboat, Nomadic Crobot, Cruising Crafts, UNTV, Ana Fern, Anna from Ukraine, TIKHistory, Historia Civilis, Kyiv Independent, Invicta, Josh Martin Jones, Leftist Cooks, Trek Yards, Novara Media, Emilie's LIbrary Corner, University Quick Course, Kat Blacque, Vlad Vexler, Bitchuation Room, Jessie Gender, Kazachka, Historia Civilis, AuroraTrek, Amie's Literary Empire, Geography by Geoff, Table Top Minions, Table Top Turtle, Andreeism, Lynn Saga, EZBoardgames, AllShorts.
Recently a member off the Village Idiot Movement who whilst insulting a favourite essayist, complained to her that I mention other trans creators. The disease which produces the proudly ignorant, vicious US man-child runs rampant still. A trigger warning to that idiot and his fellows. My reviews and channels I list include archaeologist, cis, socialist, tall, bi, French, economist, het, mathematician, autist, military historian, legal expert, gay, brunette, married, intersex, communist, trans, essayist, WOC, Canadian, rural, primatologist, philosopher, Scandinavian, queer, biologist and other female creators, known to the less mentally challenged as Women. Almost as threatening to carefully cultivated ignorance are the other BIPOC, anarchist, other LGBTQI+, ginger, fashion historian, Celtic, book reviewer, other Neurodivergent, hobbyist, modeller, Danish, boater, wargamer and others known to the more healthily socialised as Human Beings.. Should the voices still insist that you visit my reviews or listed channels, I recommend emergency therapy, immediate adoption of a hobby not to include assaulting women (which is mental illness) or Catholic exorcism. My feelings towards these unfortunates parallel those of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake when ordered to surrender by the Russian navy. Their only response was "Russian warship, go f@ck yourself." Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!
To the book. The human characters fail, have no personalities or histories only reactions. The science of the universe is not clear nor applied consistently. The technology is thin, inconsistent and dominated by the element "Handwavium". The societies described are pale, misunderstood and simplistic recreations of the present failing capitalist models. The militaries both Naval and Ground forces are gamer visions of war fighters. The prosecution of war is badly portrayed and the economics and logistics of war are never addressed.
Human navies are exclusively US organisations. The reasons and strategic options are the worst of game backgrounds, which are often sketchy at best. The impact of a war on the society does not occur to the writer. There is nothing new in the universe created, the aliens or human society.
Prose barely fit for purpose. No worldbuilding. No character development. No real plot.
No editing. No new ideas. This book met the current US/Amazon standards of Low Effort, Insulting or Abhorrent.
This book makes some attempt at describing alien cultures, which a number of these books do. The attempts made by these writers are usually incomplete and neither new nor interesting. With a bit of editorial push some of them might do a good job but that is not available nor is it desired by the publisher. Blandness is the order of the day.The human culture is a US hegemonic fantasy, populated by white males for certain values of white. This is typical Kindle Unlimited fare not fit for purpose.
I need another pause with TV and YouTube both.
Outer Range, Monolith, Mr & Mrs Smith, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Bodkin. Role Play, Alien Intervention and Asteroid City were entertaining.
YouTube continued my reset by way of - History Calling, Tanya Fiona, Verilybitchie, Think Ukraine, ThePrimeChronus, Patrick(H)Willems, Jane Elliott, Holly the Cafe Boat, Cruising Alba, Ship Happens, Cruising on the Border, Verilybitchie, Alex Fleev, Kyiv Post, Eugenia from Ukraine, Depressed Russian, History of Everything, The Darkeyed Musician, Alt Shift X, Princess Weekes, Hailey in Bookland, Books and Lala, Perun, Psychobitches, Kirkpattiecake, 3 Minute Board Games, Brigette Empire, The Leftist Books, Lily Simpson, Aid Thompsin, KernowDamo, Travelling K, Jess Owens, Roisin's Reading, league of Steam, It ain't half hot mum, Jay Exci, Bitchuation Room, Weirdo Book Club, Truth or Myth, Halfling Hobbies, United 24, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, Princes Weekes, Novara Media, SK Media, Red Viburnam Song, Texas Paul, Anya Turnbull, Josh Johnson, Ash L G, Ro Ramdin, Jesse Dollemore, What Vivi did next, Alysotherlife, May, Puddles Pity Party, AuroraTrek, Avalon Fan Films, Viva La Dirt League, Dungeon Dad, Discourse Minis, Science Fiction With Damien Walker, Shitty Book Club, The Book Leo, Essence of Thought, Autumn's Boutique, Bernadette Banner, Rachel Oates, Rebecca Watson, Ukraine Calling Me, Tara Mooknee, Shades of Orange, Hardy's Books, Brittany Paige, Fun Size Reader, EarleWrites, Ula and Josh, A Lil Bit Mads, Lily Simpson, Tennessee Brando, Brittany Page, The Snake Charmer, D'Angelo, Faun, Hardy's Books, SciFi Odyssey.
If new to the Kindle/Goodreads universe or returning to science fiction/fantasy after a hiatus, the best recommendations are to be found in BooKTube. 😍 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction site was suggested by several BookTubers as an excellent resource. Kindle Unlimited selections are not to be recommended for any reader who demands writing above the eleven years old. I was stunned to discover recently that more than 50% of US readers between 16 and 7?, read below the level of 11-12 years old. This should colour your judgement of Goodreads recommendations, ratings and reviews, as well as Kindle recommendations and Unlimited. I ended my Unlimited sub despite my partner's questioning and have ended that pairing.
Consider treating Amazon/Kindle/Goodreads not only as a poor value but as a potentially hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads do not encourage and it could be argued do not Allow discourse. As example let me describe the last and most extreme reaction to one of my reviews. I wrote a very short review of a book whose theme, plot and message was glorification of the attempt by a twat having recently inherited wealth enlisting the military to overthrow the US government in order that he not pay taxes. This is a common storyline in Kindle Unlimited. It almost resembles the Neoliberal political victory most starkly exampled by the rise of President Musk in the US. I considered the book dangerous and unhealthy.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian and advocate for the return of chattel slavery, veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency and admirer of Putin's Russia. There is legislation in a southern state submitted to legalise slavery again, only four years after the last state struck slavery from their legal code. Every federal agency regulating corporate behaviour is being abolished. Veteran, Education and other agencies are being dismantled. Putin the war criminal is now considered a US ally. I imagine that Travis is quite satisfied with the current regime.
Goodreads had directly added a stylus delivered Ha! Ha! after having masked all
commenter names from all of my reviews. The stylus bypasses the system log of operator intervention. A hacking attempt also occurred which might or not have been Kindle launched.
The Corcoran and six fellow patriots spent close to a year demanding that I respond to their increasingly unhinged comments, declaring I was a narcissist. The last comment originated with Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now known as Clayton R Jesse Jr, in which he proudly declared that They had "won" (?). After the Australian intervention, all comments to my reviews have been masked.
I discovered that They had launched a year long (which continues still) tsunami of vile sexual, anti-working class, anti-LGBTQ I+ and racist comments against apparently every channel which I listed in my reviews. The physicist, midteen boater and her mother, wargamer and other women were not tempted to romantic involvement. Despite that failure, these patriots did needlessly increase the world's overabundance of unpleasantness and delivered an accurate self-portrait of the needy, vicious, arrogant, poorly educated US man-child (snowflake) to a multinational audience. I now realise that this was acceptable behaviour in freedom circles and this was considered a Victory. US Kindle/Goodreads are truly a wonder ??
I wish these freedom lovers appreciated irony.
I deserve and will take another step away to YouTube. This next was made possible by channels - DUST, Mandy, Dark Brandon, Political Custard, ScaredKetchup, The Ritual Kitchen with Laura May, LuckyBlackCat, Mercado Media, The Juice Media, Players Aid, Growing Up Fundie, Whimsically Meghan, Another Scifi Guy, People Profiles, Then & Now, V Birchwood, Shannon Makes, Bernadette Banner, J Draper, The Activist Witch, The Diary of a Ditch Witch, Lily Alexandre, Snappy Dragonn, Cruising the Cut, Omeleto, SandRhoman History, Real Time History, Invicta, Emperor Tigerrstar, ConeofArc, Central Crossing, Riverboat Jack, Oceanliner Designs, Military Aviation History, The Great War, Kings and Generals, TIKHistory, Red Wrench Films, Matriarchetype, Chess Vibes, Anna Cramling, Linguoer Mechanic, Steve Shives, Jessie Gender, Amanda the Jedi, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, MSI - Songs Sped Up, Puddles Pity Party, Mia Mulder, Ukraine The Latest, Belle of the Ranch, Historia Civilis, Apostolic Majesty, Petrik Leo, Jack Edwards, Crecganford, Dan Davis History, History with Kayleigh, Gutsick Gibbon, Megalithhunter, Leftist Cooks, Austin McConnell, The Kavernacle, Kathy's Flog in France, Skip Intro, SK Media, Anna from Ukraine, Raw News and Politics, Silicon Curtain, Michael Lambert.
Ominous music begins. 😊 When I began writing reviews for myself on this site, I expected no one to read nor care. I was after months finally not forced to post to Amazon. I was relieved but the comment streams continued. Goodreads were not what I had imagined.
I did not understand realise how acceptance of vitriol was normalised until I saw book tubers addressing doxxing, stalking and more against one and two star reviewers of romantasy and romance titles. Goodreads shape consensus and an acceptable range of opinion. Writer's sometimes lead these attacks with Kindle/Goodreads support. Book tubers mention Goodreads in passing may be a part of their job but more turns me away. This is the product of a fragmented, brutal society fuelled by contempt for anyone thought to be an outsider or socially inferior and worship for the superior.
Kindle/Goodreads gave over my limited message history to these mental members. A request was made through Pine Gap Centre that Australian security interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. They failed to discover my personal history. Two customers were left outraged. Only after we shared this incident did Amazon become concerned. Harassment was reversed, all lurkers disappeared, etc. Perhaps Amazon should review customer service protocols. 🙂
Recently the seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple received millions in compensation and that ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such. Now that Heritage Foundation control the US government, corporations will hardly become more sane.
I recommend a few precautions while using Amazon/Goodreads. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid the messaging function. Remove all lurkers and vet friend requests. Those friends who never post are not admirers nor harmless but monitors instead. With Goodreads' cavalier attitude towards customer data and privacy, the screenshot of the odd and the ugly are invaluable. if using only Goodreads, this should be sufficient. Consult book tubers for a list of the half dozen+ alternatives to this site.
You have bought the Kindle or consider it. Do Not use Kindle Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email. While all the data corporations record, use and sell every bit available, the dangers of Kindle include employees allowed and/or encouraged to intrusion, major harassment and petty attacks against Goodreads customer/members. These are dangerous and to me stunning. Do Not "purchase" Kindle ebooks which are a lease which can be terminated at Amazon whim. There are other options. Sadly there are book tubers who shill for Amazon. I made the mistake of purchasing several hundreds of Kindle ebooks before discovering much about Amazon.
Better to not forget that Amazon only operate Goodreads as leverage for favourable negotiations with the "Big Five" publishers, which advantage the corporation have successfully leveraged. It is comfortable but dangerous to ignore the reality of site employees and members lacking morality, healthy socialisation or corporate controls. These US patriots include a man whose wife was spirited away on return from their honeymoon, farmers and ranchers who lost their workforce because of deportation fears, veterans whose support agency is being abolished, federal workers who were fired in the tens of thousands, benefits recipients who've lost their benefits and healthcare. They all still support Trump actions and they did not to expect these affect whites. Ominous music ends. 😊
Be safe and may we all find Good Reading. 🤗
Some favourite channels.
Bobbing Along, Ben and Emily, Tom Nicholas, Munecat, Some More News, Owen Jones, JimmyTheGiant, Philosophy Tube, Lilly's Expat Life, Kelly loves Physics and History, Riverboat Jack, Kathy's Flog on France, AllShorts, Eileen, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Fundie Fridays, NerdForge, Ember Green, Matriarchetype, Jen the Librarian, Prime of Midlife, Wednesday - Paint it Black, Nerdy Kathi, Jabzy, Veritas et Caritas, Kiko1006 - Empire of Angels, Haropones, The Shades of Orange, Reads with Rachel. That is Yulia, Acollierastro, Elina charatsidou, Living Anachronism, Mia Mulder, The Great War, Nini Music, Real Time History, Kings and Generals, Battle Order, Heverson gameplays, Steven Dolges, Tabithaspeakspolitics, Tale Foundry, Reese Waters, Silicon Curtain, Inside Russia, Vasya in the Hay, Book Chats with Shelley, Times Radio, The Welsh Viking, Your True Shelf, Words Unravelled, Operator Starsky, Fiona Hill, Boat Time, I Draper, Karolina Zebrowska, Abby Cox, Shannon MAkes, Break N Remake, Narrowboat Pirate, Amie's Literary Empire, LouiseSavidgeMuses, OrangeRIver, Leena Norms. Rachel Oates, Maggie Mae Fish, LydLoves, Soggyrice3 , kgb detected, Sanctioned Ivan, Tanya Fiona, Yanis Varoufakis, Britta Bohler, Books with Zara, Scallydandling About the Books, Lucy Huxley, Ellie Dashwood, Upon Reflection, Business Basics, PPR Global, Anti-Social Studies, Charlie Angus, Frazetta Girls, Model Paint Whatever, Between the Lines, Alina, Suris, Political Custard, Hannah's Books, Outlaw Bookseller, Knitting Cult Lady, Feminist Cat Lady Spinster, Offizier Amira, Bren Booth-Jones, Romaboo Rambling, Carl Duncan, Living Swedish, Library of a Viking, Claire Fenby-Warren, Simply Resilient Me, Chris Norlund, TheDiceKeep, Carl Walmsley, Irregular Magazine, Letterkenny, Hayley Alexis, Anka Daily News, Books & Hearth, Caelan Conrad, Seeds 4 Hobbies, The Tale Tinkerer, Cecilia Blomdahl, Lazy Pirate Painting, Movies in My Closet, The HatHistorian, The Book Thing, Big Wargames.
I wish you a glorious morning, a relaxing afternoon, a lovely evening, a splendid night and may we all continue learning.
The Dead do not feel the pain their Death causes. The same is true of the Stupid and Stupidity.
First off, Julian Arrange is free courtesy of shame in the British Judiciary, not because of the Australian government, I am sure.
Jeremy Corbyn won election as an independent. I think that delivers a nice message to Starmer.
The Conservative Party have just taken the most dramatic drubbing in two centuries. On the off chance that Labour actually begin the long overdue re-nationalisation of all basic services and certain essential industries, the Tories will disappear in the next general election to never rise again. Yay !!!
Suella Cruella has been roaming the US seeking MAGA contacts. Farage has been chastised by Musk as not being openly Nazi enough.
Jacob Rees Mogg, we will hardly miss you. The nineteenth century dropped a note that it would like return of its fashion. The July 4 result did not inspire an armed insurrection by Conservative or Reform, so it seems Britain have not yet become fully Americanized. If only the nation could begin the re-acquisition of the many British companies bought by Americans.
Starmer developed a pair of ovaries enough to follow Germany's example of warning against travel to the USA. Canadians have also been detained by the US ICE agency. The population by and large seems accepting this descent and are the dominant segment of Goodreads membership.
Before I continue this rewrite I am prepping on the YouTube. This was made possible by the channels - Doctor Who/They Break My Heart - RecklessGirl100, The Authentic Observer, Mia Mulder, Mothcub, Red Glasgow, Hoots, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, NFKRZ, Council of Geeks, Red Glasgow, Keffals, Tardis Tales, Owen Jones, Supertanskiii, What Rae Reads, Prose and Petticoats, Raw News and Politics, ScaredKetchup -Project 2025, Emma Thorne, Puddles Pity Party, Ukraine Matters, ATP Geopolitics, AllShorts, Ben and Emily, Veritas et Caritas, Bobbing Along, Sailing Melody, Dr Fatima physicist, Gutsick Gibbon, Trae Crowder, Well Deck Diaries, Books and Things, The Whovian Pokefan, Professor Gerdes Explains, Ukraine Calling, Northern Narrowboaters, May, Times Radio, Sian RL, Cafe Crashdown, Jane Elliott, The Great War, Jay Exci, Outlaw Bookseller, Amadeus Quartet, Fit 2B Read, Reads with Rachel, Cosy Creative, Mynameismarines, With Olivia, Bobby Broccoli, Truth to Power, Peter Stefanovic, JammiDodger, Boat Time, Hardy's Books, Biz, HBomberGuy, Zoe Baker, Bayraktar Song, Matriarchetype, Kyiv Independent, Lily Simpson, It's Black Friday, Fundie Fridays, Nini Music - Sound of Silence, Sabby Sabs, Think That Through, Jean's Thoughts, Little Wars TV, Board Game Nation, Hoots, Red Plateaus, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Radio Retrofuture, World War Two, Star Wreck, DUST, Sarah Z, Reedsy, With Cindy, Munecat, Verilybitchie, Cats N Books, Philosophy Tube, May Moon Narrowboat, Nomadic Crobot, Cruising Crafts, UNTV, Ana Fern, Anna from Ukraine, TIKHistory, Historia Civilis, Kyiv Independent, Invicta, Josh Martin Jones, Leftist Cooks, Trek Yards, Novara Media, Emilie's LIbrary Corner, University Quick Course, Kat Blacque, Vlad Vexler, Bitchuation Room, Jessie Gender, Kazachka, Historia Civilis, AuroraTrek, Amie's Literary Empire, Geography by Geoff, Table Top Minions, Table Top Turtle, Andreeism, Lynn Saga, EZBoardgames, AllShorts.
Recently a member off the Village Idiot Movement who whilst insulting a favourite essayist, complained to her that I mention other trans creators. The disease which produces the proudly ignorant, vicious US man-child runs rampant still. A trigger warning to that idiot and his fellows. My reviews and channels I list include archaeologist, cis, socialist, tall, bi, French, economist, het, mathematician, autist, military historian, legal expert, gay, brunette, married, intersex, communist, trans, essayist, WOC, Canadian, rural, primatologist, philosopher, Scandinavian, queer, biologist and other female creators, known to the less mentally challenged as Women. Almost as threatening to carefully cultivated ignorance are the other BIPOC, anarchist, other LGBTQI+, ginger, fashion historian, Celtic, book reviewer, other Neurodivergent, hobbyist, modeller, Danish, boater, wargamer and others known to the more healthily socialised as Human Beings.. Should the voices still insist that you visit my reviews or listed channels, I recommend emergency therapy, immediate adoption of a hobby not to include assaulting women (which is mental illness) or Catholic exorcism. My feelings towards these unfortunates parallel those of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake when ordered to surrender by the Russian navy. Their only response was "Russian warship, go f@ck yourself." Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!
To the book. The human characters fail, have no personalities or histories only reactions. The science of the universe is not clear nor applied consistently. The technology is thin, inconsistent and dominated by the element "Handwavium". The societies described are pale, misunderstood and simplistic recreations of the present failing capitalist models. The militaries both Naval and Ground forces are gamer visions of war fighters. The prosecution of war is badly portrayed and the economics and logistics of war are never addressed.
Human navies are exclusively US organisations. The reasons and strategic options are the worst of game backgrounds, which are often sketchy at best. The impact of a war on the society does not occur to the writer. There is nothing new in the universe created, the aliens or human society.
Prose barely fit for purpose. No worldbuilding. No character development. No real plot.
No editing. No new ideas. This book met the current US/Amazon standards of Low Effort, Insulting or Abhorrent.
This book makes some attempt at describing alien cultures, which a number of these books do. The attempts made by these writers are usually incomplete and neither new nor interesting. With a bit of editorial push some of them might do a good job but that is not available nor is it desired by the publisher. Blandness is the order of the day.The human culture is a US hegemonic fantasy, populated by white males for certain values of white. This is typical Kindle Unlimited fare not fit for purpose.
I need another pause with TV and YouTube both.
Outer Range, Monolith, Mr & Mrs Smith, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Bodkin. Role Play, Alien Intervention and Asteroid City were entertaining.
YouTube continued my reset by way of - History Calling, Tanya Fiona, Verilybitchie, Think Ukraine, ThePrimeChronus, Patrick(H)Willems, Jane Elliott, Holly the Cafe Boat, Cruising Alba, Ship Happens, Cruising on the Border, Verilybitchie, Alex Fleev, Kyiv Post, Eugenia from Ukraine, Depressed Russian, History of Everything, The Darkeyed Musician, Alt Shift X, Princess Weekes, Hailey in Bookland, Books and Lala, Perun, Psychobitches, Kirkpattiecake, 3 Minute Board Games, Brigette Empire, The Leftist Books, Lily Simpson, Aid Thompsin, KernowDamo, Travelling K, Jess Owens, Roisin's Reading, league of Steam, It ain't half hot mum, Jay Exci, Bitchuation Room, Weirdo Book Club, Truth or Myth, Halfling Hobbies, United 24, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, Princes Weekes, Novara Media, SK Media, Red Viburnam Song, Texas Paul, Anya Turnbull, Josh Johnson, Ash L G, Ro Ramdin, Jesse Dollemore, What Vivi did next, Alysotherlife, May, Puddles Pity Party, AuroraTrek, Avalon Fan Films, Viva La Dirt League, Dungeon Dad, Discourse Minis, Science Fiction With Damien Walker, Shitty Book Club, The Book Leo, Essence of Thought, Autumn's Boutique, Bernadette Banner, Rachel Oates, Rebecca Watson, Ukraine Calling Me, Tara Mooknee, Shades of Orange, Hardy's Books, Brittany Paige, Fun Size Reader, EarleWrites, Ula and Josh, A Lil Bit Mads, Lily Simpson, Tennessee Brando, Brittany Page, The Snake Charmer, D'Angelo, Faun, Hardy's Books, SciFi Odyssey.
If new to the Kindle/Goodreads universe or returning to science fiction/fantasy after a hiatus, the best recommendations are to be found in BooKTube. 😍 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction site was suggested by several BookTubers as an excellent resource. Kindle Unlimited selections are not to be recommended for any reader who demands writing above the eleven years old. I was stunned to discover recently that more than 50% of US readers between 16 and 7?, read below the level of 11-12 years old. This should colour your judgement of Goodreads recommendations, ratings and reviews, as well as Kindle recommendations and Unlimited. I ended my Unlimited sub despite my partner's questioning and have ended that pairing.
Consider treating Amazon/Kindle/Goodreads not only as a poor value but as a potentially hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads do not encourage and it could be argued do not Allow discourse. As example let me describe the last and most extreme reaction to one of my reviews. I wrote a very short review of a book whose theme, plot and message was glorification of the attempt by a twat having recently inherited wealth enlisting the military to overthrow the US government in order that he not pay taxes. This is a common storyline in Kindle Unlimited. It almost resembles the Neoliberal political victory most starkly exampled by the rise of President Musk in the US. I considered the book dangerous and unhealthy.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian and advocate for the return of chattel slavery, veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency and admirer of Putin's Russia. There is legislation in a southern state submitted to legalise slavery again, only four years after the last state struck slavery from their legal code. Every federal agency regulating corporate behaviour is being abolished. Veteran, Education and other agencies are being dismantled. Putin the war criminal is now considered a US ally. I imagine that Travis is quite satisfied with the current regime.
Goodreads had directly added a stylus delivered Ha! Ha! after having masked all
commenter names from all of my reviews. The stylus bypasses the system log of operator intervention. A hacking attempt also occurred which might or not have been Kindle launched.
The Corcoran and six fellow patriots spent close to a year demanding that I respond to their increasingly unhinged comments, declaring I was a narcissist. The last comment originated with Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now known as Clayton R Jesse Jr, in which he proudly declared that They had "won" (?). After the Australian intervention, all comments to my reviews have been masked.
I discovered that They had launched a year long (which continues still) tsunami of vile sexual, anti-working class, anti-LGBTQ I+ and racist comments against apparently every channel which I listed in my reviews. The physicist, midteen boater and her mother, wargamer and other women were not tempted to romantic involvement. Despite that failure, these patriots did needlessly increase the world's overabundance of unpleasantness and delivered an accurate self-portrait of the needy, vicious, arrogant, poorly educated US man-child (snowflake) to a multinational audience. I now realise that this was acceptable behaviour in freedom circles and this was considered a Victory. US Kindle/Goodreads are truly a wonder ??
I wish these freedom lovers appreciated irony.
I deserve and will take another step away to YouTube. This next was made possible by channels - DUST, Mandy, Dark Brandon, Political Custard, ScaredKetchup, The Ritual Kitchen with Laura May, LuckyBlackCat, Mercado Media, The Juice Media, Players Aid, Growing Up Fundie, Whimsically Meghan, Another Scifi Guy, People Profiles, Then & Now, V Birchwood, Shannon Makes, Bernadette Banner, J Draper, The Activist Witch, The Diary of a Ditch Witch, Lily Alexandre, Snappy Dragonn, Cruising the Cut, Omeleto, SandRhoman History, Real Time History, Invicta, Emperor Tigerrstar, ConeofArc, Central Crossing, Riverboat Jack, Oceanliner Designs, Military Aviation History, The Great War, Kings and Generals, TIKHistory, Red Wrench Films, Matriarchetype, Chess Vibes, Anna Cramling, Linguoer Mechanic, Steve Shives, Jessie Gender, Amanda the Jedi, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, MSI - Songs Sped Up, Puddles Pity Party, Mia Mulder, Ukraine The Latest, Belle of the Ranch, Historia Civilis, Apostolic Majesty, Petrik Leo, Jack Edwards, Crecganford, Dan Davis History, History with Kayleigh, Gutsick Gibbon, Megalithhunter, Leftist Cooks, Austin McConnell, The Kavernacle, Kathy's Flog in France, Skip Intro, SK Media, Anna from Ukraine, Raw News and Politics, Silicon Curtain, Michael Lambert.
Ominous music begins. 😊 When I began writing reviews for myself on this site, I expected no one to read nor care. I was after months finally not forced to post to Amazon. I was relieved but the comment streams continued. Goodreads were not what I had imagined.
I did not understand realise how acceptance of vitriol was normalised until I saw book tubers addressing doxxing, stalking and more against one and two star reviewers of romantasy and romance titles. Goodreads shape consensus and an acceptable range of opinion. Writer's sometimes lead these attacks with Kindle/Goodreads support. Book tubers mention Goodreads in passing may be a part of their job but more turns me away. This is the product of a fragmented, brutal society fuelled by contempt for anyone thought to be an outsider or socially inferior and worship for the superior.
Kindle/Goodreads gave over my limited message history to these mental members. A request was made through Pine Gap Centre that Australian security interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. They failed to discover my personal history. Two customers were left outraged. Only after we shared this incident did Amazon become concerned. Harassment was reversed, all lurkers disappeared, etc. Perhaps Amazon should review customer service protocols. 🙂
Recently the seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple received millions in compensation and that ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such. Now that Heritage Foundation control the US government, corporations will hardly become more sane.
I recommend a few precautions while using Amazon/Goodreads. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid the messaging function. Remove all lurkers and vet friend requests. Those friends who never post are not admirers nor harmless but monitors instead. With Goodreads' cavalier attitude towards customer data and privacy, the screenshot of the odd and the ugly are invaluable. if using only Goodreads, this should be sufficient. Consult book tubers for a list of the half dozen+ alternatives to this site.
You have bought the Kindle or consider it. Do Not use Kindle Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email. While all the data corporations record, use and sell every bit available, the dangers of Kindle include employees allowed and/or encouraged to intrusion, major harassment and petty attacks against Goodreads customer/members. These are dangerous and to me stunning. Do Not "purchase" Kindle ebooks which are a lease which can be terminated at Amazon whim. There are other options. Sadly there are book tubers who shill for Amazon. I made the mistake of purchasing several hundreds of Kindle ebooks before discovering much about Amazon.
Better to not forget that Amazon only operate Goodreads as leverage for favourable negotiations with the "Big Five" publishers, which advantage the corporation have successfully leveraged. It is comfortable but dangerous to ignore the reality of site employees and members lacking morality, healthy socialisation or corporate controls. These US patriots include a man whose wife was spirited away on return from their honeymoon, farmers and ranchers who lost their workforce because of deportation fears, veterans whose support agency is being abolished, federal workers who were fired in the tens of thousands, benefits recipients who've lost their benefits and healthcare. They all still support Trump actions and they did not to expect these affect whites. Ominous music ends. 😊
Be safe and may we all find Good Reading. 🤗
Some favourite channels.
Bobbing Along, Ben and Emily, Tom Nicholas, Munecat, Some More News, Owen Jones, JimmyTheGiant, Philosophy Tube, Lilly's Expat Life, Kelly loves Physics and History, Riverboat Jack, Kathy's Flog on France, AllShorts, Eileen, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Fundie Fridays, NerdForge, Ember Green, Matriarchetype, Jen the Librarian, Prime of Midlife, Wednesday - Paint it Black, Nerdy Kathi, Jabzy, Veritas et Caritas, Kiko1006 - Empire of Angels, Haropones, The Shades of Orange, Reads with Rachel. That is Yulia, Acollierastro, Elina charatsidou, Living Anachronism, Mia Mulder, The Great War, Nini Music, Real Time History, Kings and Generals, Battle Order, Heverson gameplays, Steven Dolges, Tabithaspeakspolitics, Tale Foundry, Reese Waters, Silicon Curtain, Inside Russia, Vasya in the Hay, Book Chats with Shelley, Times Radio, The Welsh Viking, Your True Shelf, Words Unravelled, Operator Starsky, Fiona Hill, Boat Time, I Draper, Karolina Zebrowska, Abby Cox, Shannon MAkes, Break N Remake, Narrowboat Pirate, Amie's Literary Empire, LouiseSavidgeMuses, OrangeRIver, Leena Norms. Rachel Oates, Maggie Mae Fish, LydLoves, Soggyrice3 , kgb detected, Sanctioned Ivan, Tanya Fiona, Yanis Varoufakis, Britta Bohler, Books with Zara, Scallydandling About the Books, Lucy Huxley, Ellie Dashwood, Upon Reflection, Business Basics, PPR Global, Anti-Social Studies, Charlie Angus, Frazetta Girls, Model Paint Whatever, Between the Lines, Alina, Suris, Political Custard, Hannah's Books, Outlaw Bookseller, Knitting Cult Lady, Feminist Cat Lady Spinster, Offizier Amira, Bren Booth-Jones, Romaboo Rambling, Carl Duncan, Living Swedish, Library of a Viking, Claire Fenby-Warren, Simply Resilient Me, Chris Norlund, TheDiceKeep, Carl Walmsley, Irregular Magazine, Letterkenny, Hayley Alexis, Anka Daily News, Books & Hearth, Caelan Conrad, Seeds 4 Hobbies, The Tale Tinkerer, Cecilia Blomdahl, Lazy Pirate Painting, Movies in My Closet, The HatHistorian, The Book Thing, Big Wargames.
I wish you a glorious morning, a relaxing afternoon, a lovely evening, a splendid night and may we all continue learning.
The Dead do not feel the pain their Death causes. The same is true of the Stupid and Stupidity.
September 4, 2025
Great Start, Pretty Cool Concept.
Sean has to infiltrate an alien ship, where the aliens can read each other's feelings, to gather intelligence on their capabilities and plans. Can he keep them from finding out he's human?
I had a good time with this book. The beginning dragged a little but picked up around the time the MC was inserted onto the Aryshan ship. After that, it really hit its stride, and it was over before I knew it.
The Aryshans I think could best be described as a mix between a Betazed and a Klingon. Which really made for some fun and interesting situations for the MC.
The MC i would say is the weakest part of the book. He's kind of bland, and despite being the MC, he's not very fleshed out. It's possible that's what JDA was going for, someone you could easily just fill in whatever back story you had in mind. A few times later in the book, when he's thinking about getting with the alien lady, the answer is obvious because nothing, besides the mission, really gives him a good reason to go back to the humans. He admits his previous job was boring, he's focused on his career so doesn't have any real personal attachments and never mentions his family until later, and even then, they aren't a big deal. Why wouldn't you choose to stay with a smoking hot alien. Also, the mission itself is generic enough that it basically goes by the wayside while everything else happens and is forgotten about. It might have been better to have a more specific CRITICAL mission for the MC to carry out and give him something to be a bit more conflicted about before throwing in with the lady.
The format was something I'd never really encountered. There are 74 chapters in this book despite only being 357 pages on my Kindle. So the chapters are super short, like 5 minutes each. It makes for a pretty quick pace. The downside of that is when the book drags, it's easy to find a place to stop, which happens in the beginning.
It would be nice if JDA could have any one of the comic book artists he knows to do some sketches of the Aryshans just so readers can know what they look like, with the description given I imaging OG Star Trek Klingon
JDA doesn't spend a lot of time on description, which for the most part is nice. The Human space station looks like whatever I imagine it looks like. It works and saves us both time, but a few sketches in the beginning for the major races would be nice to ground my imagination in.
Great book, would recommend. 88/100
Sean has to infiltrate an alien ship, where the aliens can read each other's feelings, to gather intelligence on their capabilities and plans. Can he keep them from finding out he's human?
I had a good time with this book. The beginning dragged a little but picked up around the time the MC was inserted onto the Aryshan ship. After that, it really hit its stride, and it was over before I knew it.
The Aryshans I think could best be described as a mix between a Betazed and a Klingon. Which really made for some fun and interesting situations for the MC.
The MC i would say is the weakest part of the book. He's kind of bland, and despite being the MC, he's not very fleshed out. It's possible that's what JDA was going for, someone you could easily just fill in whatever back story you had in mind. A few times later in the book, when he's thinking about getting with the alien lady, the answer is obvious because nothing, besides the mission, really gives him a good reason to go back to the humans. He admits his previous job was boring, he's focused on his career so doesn't have any real personal attachments and never mentions his family until later, and even then, they aren't a big deal. Why wouldn't you choose to stay with a smoking hot alien. Also, the mission itself is generic enough that it basically goes by the wayside while everything else happens and is forgotten about. It might have been better to have a more specific CRITICAL mission for the MC to carry out and give him something to be a bit more conflicted about before throwing in with the lady.
The format was something I'd never really encountered. There are 74 chapters in this book despite only being 357 pages on my Kindle. So the chapters are super short, like 5 minutes each. It makes for a pretty quick pace. The downside of that is when the book drags, it's easy to find a place to stop, which happens in the beginning.
It would be nice if JDA could have any one of the comic book artists he knows to do some sketches of the Aryshans just so readers can know what they look like, with the description given I imaging OG Star Trek Klingon
JDA doesn't spend a lot of time on description, which for the most part is nice. The Human space station looks like whatever I imagine it looks like. It works and saves us both time, but a few sketches in the beginning for the major races would be nice to ground my imagination in.
Great book, would recommend. 88/100
June 19, 2018
The stars are more than just crossed in this one.
The author tries his hand at space opera romance, with some impressive results and one caveat.
In brief: Earth’s spacefaring empire is clashing with the Ashyrans, a race of empathic beings who experience each other’s emotions, with some odd implications for their biology and culture. Earth needs intel and Sean Barrows undergoes cosmetic surgery to pass as one of the enemy. He’s inserted into one of their ships, but soon the matter is complicated when he becomes smitten, then more than smitten, with Tamar, a warship commander nursing some doubts about the direction her rulers are steering their people.
Getting romantically entangled isn’t the best decision for Sean, but with the Ashyran empathic sharing, this may be unavoidable. Loyalties will be tested, plots unmasked, and our heroes could save two empires if they don’t get killed in the process.
The story and especially the aliens have a very Star Trek feel, particularly the Ashyrans, with their cranial accoutrements reminiscent of Trek aliens, and their compatibility with humans. As a species, their empathic bondsense is also an interesting source of strength that also renders them vulnerable. The author also had some evident fun playing with and validating the tropes of love at first sight and fated mates so prevalent among fantastical romances, and there’s even a dash of super-science to get the characters out of some scrapes.
However, I’ve got to voice one criticism, and a minor spoiler: while there are alternating points of view, the hero and heroine don’t directly interact until nearly halfway through the book, and the romance is the big selling point.
That said, I’m interested in reading the next installment, but the best parts of this book comes in the back half.
The author tries his hand at space opera romance, with some impressive results and one caveat.
In brief: Earth’s spacefaring empire is clashing with the Ashyrans, a race of empathic beings who experience each other’s emotions, with some odd implications for their biology and culture. Earth needs intel and Sean Barrows undergoes cosmetic surgery to pass as one of the enemy. He’s inserted into one of their ships, but soon the matter is complicated when he becomes smitten, then more than smitten, with Tamar, a warship commander nursing some doubts about the direction her rulers are steering their people.
Getting romantically entangled isn’t the best decision for Sean, but with the Ashyran empathic sharing, this may be unavoidable. Loyalties will be tested, plots unmasked, and our heroes could save two empires if they don’t get killed in the process.
The story and especially the aliens have a very Star Trek feel, particularly the Ashyrans, with their cranial accoutrements reminiscent of Trek aliens, and their compatibility with humans. As a species, their empathic bondsense is also an interesting source of strength that also renders them vulnerable. The author also had some evident fun playing with and validating the tropes of love at first sight and fated mates so prevalent among fantastical romances, and there’s even a dash of super-science to get the characters out of some scrapes.
However, I’ve got to voice one criticism, and a minor spoiler: while there are alternating points of view, the hero and heroine don’t directly interact until nearly halfway through the book, and the romance is the big selling point.
That said, I’m interested in reading the next installment, but the best parts of this book comes in the back half.
February 16, 2025
Good engaging book with just the themes and details others have mentioned: old-style sci-fi, Babylon-5 themes and characters, and just great action and character development.
Pretty clean, for those who look for that sort of thing, with extensive french kissing being as explicit as the sexual scenes get. A bit more explicit than I usually want, as well, but the book kept my attention despite a little issue like that. It is obvious in the passages that these characters are having sex, but they are characters who are committed to each other according to the social standards of various alien societies. So, in short, they're married.
As for violence, it's fist fights and laser shots with someone getting a gaping hole in them. That is the level of gore.
Good themes of kindness, loyalty, war vs. peace, creative problem solving, cultural differences between races, individual and the group. And mirror themes that I won't detail because they were fun for me to discover in there. This last one actually depends on you reading the next book. Battleships and politics as well.
The quick pacing is lightly done, not heavy handed with intensity and gore. I gave up on sci-fi years ago. But this is fresh and real sci-fi, not p0rno with a spacey background. Kudos to Del Arroz.
Pretty clean, for those who look for that sort of thing, with extensive french kissing being as explicit as the sexual scenes get. A bit more explicit than I usually want, as well, but the book kept my attention despite a little issue like that. It is obvious in the passages that these characters are having sex, but they are characters who are committed to each other according to the social standards of various alien societies. So, in short, they're married.
As for violence, it's fist fights and laser shots with someone getting a gaping hole in them. That is the level of gore.
Good themes of kindness, loyalty, war vs. peace, creative problem solving, cultural differences between races, individual and the group. And mirror themes that I won't detail because they were fun for me to discover in there. This last one actually depends on you reading the next book. Battleships and politics as well.
The quick pacing is lightly done, not heavy handed with intensity and gore. I gave up on sci-fi years ago. But this is fresh and real sci-fi, not p0rno with a spacey background. Kudos to Del Arroz.
May 17, 2018
I had a bit of trouble slotting this one into subgenres. I mean, The Stars Entwined is kind of Science Fiction, but it's kind of Science Fantasy (I'll get into that in a bit.) It starts out looking like it's going to be a police procedural, then it turns into a spy novel. You can never get comfortable with this thing because it changes in an instant. There are lots of twists and turns, but they all make sense in the story.
Seriously, if I should ever have the good fortune to meet Mr. Del Arroz at a con I will, after having bought him a drink and congratulated him on writing such an awesome book, stick my tongue ALL the way out at him for making me chase my tail like this. I like to slot books into sub-genres and this one doesn't freaking fit. I guess I'll get over it. I mean, it was a good book.
Despite my problems fitting works into little boxes The Stars Entwined is, at its core, a story about learning and functioning in a foreign society. Our protagonist, Lieutenant Sean Barrows, first encounters a species of beings called the Aryshans in his space station. Barrows is a security officer and runs into a stunningly beautiful Aryshan named Tamar.
April 10, 2018
My husband is the one who likes the sci-fi stuff, for a while now he has been trying to talk me into watching and/or reading, which is why I thought I would give this book a go.
I enjoyed reading this book; I’m looking forward to reading more. If you like sci-fi, action, suspense and romance then you will love this – or if like me, you are looking for something different then I recommend this book.
Pretty early on I took a liking to both Sean and Tamar. Good, well developed characters. Good storyline that kept me gripped. A twist too – I thought I was following along well enough to ‘predict’ where the story was going to go. Nope, didn’t happen, which is what I like, so bonus points.
Would recommend.
I enjoyed reading this book; I’m looking forward to reading more. If you like sci-fi, action, suspense and romance then you will love this – or if like me, you are looking for something different then I recommend this book.
Pretty early on I took a liking to both Sean and Tamar. Good, well developed characters. Good storyline that kept me gripped. A twist too – I thought I was following along well enough to ‘predict’ where the story was going to go. Nope, didn’t happen, which is what I like, so bonus points.
Would recommend.
March 30, 2025
Authentic science fiction, a fun space fantasy, and a damn good love story!
I enjoyed this far more than I expected. I grew up on Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Battle Star Galactica. I spent hours acting out my own space adventures in my backyard. I didn’t realize how much I missed that feeling until I read The Stars Entwined. By the way, the title does have meaning as you read the book, so pay attention!
Humans and the Aryshans are on the brink of war. A lowly internal affairs officer may be the only hope for humanity. Through training, cosmetic surgery, and nanotechnology microviruses reprograming his brain, Lieutenant Sean Barrows is transformed into Retai Aeveron and is installed as a spy on an Aryshan battleship. But the one thing he was not prepared for was falling in love with the enemy commander!
Jon Del Arroz does a great job entwining classic sci-fi tropes with grounded technology and imaginative fantasy elements. The fight scenes are riveting, especially the one in open space during a spacewalk! I liked that he gave perspective to both sides of the conflict. It’s an interesting contrast between Aryshan collectivism and human individualism.
The Stars Entwined is a promising start to the Aryshan War Trilogy. The end will certainly make you want to pick up the next book. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take my plasma pistol and play The Star’s Entwined in my backyard.
I enjoyed this far more than I expected. I grew up on Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Battle Star Galactica. I spent hours acting out my own space adventures in my backyard. I didn’t realize how much I missed that feeling until I read The Stars Entwined. By the way, the title does have meaning as you read the book, so pay attention!
Humans and the Aryshans are on the brink of war. A lowly internal affairs officer may be the only hope for humanity. Through training, cosmetic surgery, and nanotechnology microviruses reprograming his brain, Lieutenant Sean Barrows is transformed into Retai Aeveron and is installed as a spy on an Aryshan battleship. But the one thing he was not prepared for was falling in love with the enemy commander!
Jon Del Arroz does a great job entwining classic sci-fi tropes with grounded technology and imaginative fantasy elements. The fight scenes are riveting, especially the one in open space during a spacewalk! I liked that he gave perspective to both sides of the conflict. It’s an interesting contrast between Aryshan collectivism and human individualism.
The Stars Entwined is a promising start to the Aryshan War Trilogy. The end will certainly make you want to pick up the next book. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take my plasma pistol and play The Star’s Entwined in my backyard.
April 14, 2018
Wonderful Aliens
Just human-like enough to be comprehensible while being different enough to be indisputably alien, with enough world building to hang the story on without drowning us in details. I look forward to the next installment.
Just human-like enough to be comprehensible while being different enough to be indisputably alien, with enough world building to hang the story on without drowning us in details. I look forward to the next installment.
January 16, 2021
Enjoyed it, but a couple things bothered me.
I would hope some future human space navy would be better at choosing spies. And, would it really be that easy to insert a spy in an enemy military?
I would hope some future human space navy would be better at choosing spies. And, would it really be that easy to insert a spy in an enemy military?
April 5, 2025
My favorite jda book. As with many of his stories romance, relationships and the interpersonal are important elements.
The premise seems very silly initially but its well explained and i found myself sucked in and wanting to read the rest of the series.
The premise seems very silly initially but its well explained and i found myself sucked in and wanting to read the rest of the series.
April 14, 2018
Great read!
Really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and sucked you in to the story. Great start to what I am sure will be a great series. Can't wait for the next.
Really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and sucked you in to the story. Great start to what I am sure will be a great series. Can't wait for the next.
May 14, 2022
accidental touch lead the book to be open
20% in ,I get the impression of an imbedding interspecies love thing going to go on
a quick search confirmed it
I fucked right of
20% in ,I get the impression of an imbedding interspecies love thing going to go on
a quick search confirmed it
I fucked right of
March 12, 2024
Excellent and a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down, so I had to read it all in one sitting.
December 29, 2024
Really good and well written loved the story reminds me of old trek a little bit
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews