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The Festival on Lyris Five
Former Ten Stars pilot Rick Barrett is having a bad day. Not only is he jobless and broke, in a seedy spaceport bar he has been forced into a winner-takes-all poker game with a homicidal cauliflower... Salvation is at hand in the shapely form of Irish redhead Julie Halloran. Julie has a proposition for Rick that could end his financial worries forever - but does she also have a secret agenda of her own? On their journey to the fabled Festival on Lyris Five, life-changing secrets will be revealed. The Festival on Lyris Five is a fast-moving, hilarious, science-fiction novella, where nothing is quite what it seems. The story by UK author Nick Daws is beautifully complemented by Louise Tolentino's wry illustrations. Festival On Lyris Five is a first class read. I was compelled to sit and read it from start to finish! Never having read this type of work before I was a bit wary but decided to go ahead and give it a try. I'm so glad I did! A very well written book indeed that holds your interest from start to finish. - Carol Arnall Seemingly drawing from a number of science fiction influences, The Festival On Lyris Five is an immensely enjoyable read. The protagonist Richard Barrett puts me very much in mind of Han Solo with possibly a dash of Lister. The characters have depth and the dialogue is quirky. One could almost imagine dining at the Zodiac Castle then stopping off at the Martian Arms for a Nortons Mindwarp or two. With its intriguing settings and seamless plot, The Festival On Lyris Five is a charming novella worthy of a sequel. Of special note is the surprising (but credible) twist in the tale which, of course, you will have to read for yourself. - Kate Boardman If you like a little bit of sci-fi, fast paced, could not drop until finished, then you will love this offering from Nick Daws. Reminded me of a glimpse of Star Wars and definitely on a par with George Lucas. Well done, Nick, would have loved more. - Lesley Galston Just scroll to the top of the page and click the Buy Now button!
Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 22, 2011
The Festival on Lyris 5 – Great Sci Fi at a Great Price!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Author: Nick Daws
Format: Kindle
Dishonorably discharged from the Ten Stars Space Fleet, Captain Richard Barrett spends his day drinking and womanizing. It’s an okay life but not entirely fulfilling until a telepath – Julie Halloran – enters his life or rather saves it. Grateful for feeding him information during a poker game where his life had been at stake, Richard listens to Julie’s proposition for him pilot a craft. The issue and the opportunity is that the ship will be filled with illegal drugs bound for the Festival on Lyris 5. The festival runs for three weeks and is held once every ten years. Given the lawless nature of Lyris 5, it offers the perfect opportunity for enterprising drug runners to make big money. Seeing the opportunity and looking to shake things up a bit, Richard agrees to take the job. What he doesn’t know is that the very balance of power in the Ten Star System is in his hands.
Nick Daws’ “The Festival on Lyris 5” is a fun and entertaining short story reminiscent in style to Joss Wheadon’s Firefly with a touch of Asimov’s classic Foundation’s Edge thrown in. Daws tells the story in first person which is perfect as the reader feels the same thing that troubles Barrett throughout – that something more may be going on than he is being told. This fun and sometimes quirky short story is paced perfectly and introduces us to what feels like a prologue to something much greater at the same time the main story arc is satisfactorily closed in climactic fashion. I especially enjoyed the story elements involving the issues of prejudice suffered by the telepaths and how they are “tracked” using mind sweepers.
I hope this is the beginning of future chapters in the Ten Star System. At $0.99 on Kindle, this is a great read!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Author: Nick Daws
Format: Kindle
Dishonorably discharged from the Ten Stars Space Fleet, Captain Richard Barrett spends his day drinking and womanizing. It’s an okay life but not entirely fulfilling until a telepath – Julie Halloran – enters his life or rather saves it. Grateful for feeding him information during a poker game where his life had been at stake, Richard listens to Julie’s proposition for him pilot a craft. The issue and the opportunity is that the ship will be filled with illegal drugs bound for the Festival on Lyris 5. The festival runs for three weeks and is held once every ten years. Given the lawless nature of Lyris 5, it offers the perfect opportunity for enterprising drug runners to make big money. Seeing the opportunity and looking to shake things up a bit, Richard agrees to take the job. What he doesn’t know is that the very balance of power in the Ten Star System is in his hands.
Nick Daws’ “The Festival on Lyris 5” is a fun and entertaining short story reminiscent in style to Joss Wheadon’s Firefly with a touch of Asimov’s classic Foundation’s Edge thrown in. Daws tells the story in first person which is perfect as the reader feels the same thing that troubles Barrett throughout – that something more may be going on than he is being told. This fun and sometimes quirky short story is paced perfectly and introduces us to what feels like a prologue to something much greater at the same time the main story arc is satisfactorily closed in climactic fashion. I especially enjoyed the story elements involving the issues of prejudice suffered by the telepaths and how they are “tracked” using mind sweepers.
I hope this is the beginning of future chapters in the Ten Star System. At $0.99 on Kindle, this is a great read!
June 30, 2011
Characters
Rick Barrett is believable as a world-weary former pilot, cashiered from the Ten Stars Space Fleet. The story is written in the first person and his sense of humour makes for a very entertaining read.
Presentation
Spelling, grammar and formatting are excellent. One of the big surprises of this novella as I started reading it were the illustrations. They are brilliant on kindle and added a rich dimension to the story which I liked very much.
Overall
When Nick Daws asked for a review of The Festival on Lyris 5 I was in the middle of reading another book, but once I started reading the sample I just couldn’t stop. It is a short read at around 10,000 words but story and laughs are packed in. As I burst out laughing at, “I’d never played poker with a homicidal cauliflower before, but there’s a first time for everything.” I knew this was going to be good. It does have some content relating to drugs which means it isn’t suitable for younger kids, but I would recommend it for teens and adults. Great fun!
(For the record, I bought a copy for review and do not know the author.)
Rick Barrett is believable as a world-weary former pilot, cashiered from the Ten Stars Space Fleet. The story is written in the first person and his sense of humour makes for a very entertaining read.
Presentation
Spelling, grammar and formatting are excellent. One of the big surprises of this novella as I started reading it were the illustrations. They are brilliant on kindle and added a rich dimension to the story which I liked very much.
Overall
When Nick Daws asked for a review of The Festival on Lyris 5 I was in the middle of reading another book, but once I started reading the sample I just couldn’t stop. It is a short read at around 10,000 words but story and laughs are packed in. As I burst out laughing at, “I’d never played poker with a homicidal cauliflower before, but there’s a first time for everything.” I knew this was going to be good. It does have some content relating to drugs which means it isn’t suitable for younger kids, but I would recommend it for teens and adults. Great fun!
(For the record, I bought a copy for review and do not know the author.)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews