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Lacuna #1
Demons of the Void
Lacuna: Demons of the Void is a near-future sci-fi epic which begins with the destruction of three major Earth cities (Beijing, Tehran and Sydney) by an unknown alien aggressor and details the subsequent efforts by mankind to investigate and pursue the "demons" who attacked Earth. It is told primarily from the perspective of one Captain Melissa Liao of the People's Navy, who is given command of one of three great warships built to fight the "demons", the TFR Beijing.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
441 people are currently reading
1384 people want to read
About the author
David Adams
54 books74 followersI've always been writing in my mind. I have way, way, way too many stories to tell and far too little time to tell them.
I've been involved in Star Trek roleplay-by-emails for a few years, where basically I learned my craft, but it's only last year that I actually started putting these thoughts to paper.
By day I'm a software engineer. But by night I write a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little humour and comedy, and a little erotica under pen names.
I've been involved in Star Trek roleplay-by-emails for a few years, where basically I learned my craft, but it's only last year that I actually started putting these thoughts to paper.
By day I'm a software engineer. But by night I write a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little humour and comedy, and a little erotica under pen names.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
August 17, 2013
I finished it, its OK. I can't give it more than that, but I tried to. David Adams writes this story with energy and conviction. Lacuna: Demons of the Void is space opera through and through.
Spoilers below!
Here's where things fall flat for me however. The main character makes decisions that commit the entire human race to a war of extinction with a powerful alliance of aliens. Let me set that up. At first they come and bloody our nose and say 'stop developing THAT technology' (they don't say what it is). To which we apparently say 'screw that noise' and build SPACE BATTLESHIPS! Earth makes a whopping 3 of them, none of which are any upgrade on what we already saw from the aliens. One her shakedown cruise, our intrepid captain spots an alien scout ship which makes absolutely NO hostile move. What does she do? She attacks full bore, damn the torpedoes. No hailing, no negotiations, no 'let us see what their intentions are first, we have them outgunned', nothing, just ATTAAAAAACK!
Her first officer begs her not to, he's a douchebag though--screw him, ATTAAAACK!
I kept waiting for something to be revealed that shows the reader that this was the best and only course of action, a bit of info that the captain knew that we just were not privy to yet. No, quite the opposite, she fishes out a surviving alien and hey, guess what? She's a sweetheart. Perfectly sane. Not a warmongering alien.
Now admittedly we can look at the initial attacks the aliens made on earth as murderous acts. They made no attempt at diplomacy or any of that stuff either. They caught us with our pants down and wiped out three major world cities to tell us to stop developing some technology and they were obscure about just what technology they meant. It's a stretch for me to believe we would take the fight to them at such an early stage of the game. We had provocation, but I would think we would have more sense than to attack when we had just barely gotten our feet wet. What would it have hurt to talk first now that we had slightly better footing than initially? Because the scout would get away? Ummm, so? Like an intelligent alien race isn't gonna no their scout ship didn't come back? Were they suppose to assume it got eaten by space pirates?
So our captain catapults us into full on war with alien race of which we have no clue of their size, full military might, or their technological level.
She captures an alien and talks to her, now she KNOWS that they are more advanced, more numerous and have an extensive empire. She also learns just what tech they didn't want us to develop and HEY guess what? They have a really good reason to make us cease and desist and it really is for our own good. The jump drive of the space ships to go from point A to B has a nasty tendency to make planet eating black holes. They actually wanted to stop us from killing ourselves. They just had no idea how to do that in a civilized manner. Wait. No, they tried it many times before and it never worked. I guess bombing three cities of a races homeworld must work to make them stop, right?
OK so now we know that the alien alliance is also horrible at diplomacy, but they have us so outgunned its not even funny. Maybe its not too late, we can talk to them about this, surely. No, screw that noise, lets take out three SPACE BATTLESHIPS, none of which are any better than any of the alien's ships, and attack their main fortified military base. Yeah let's do that, show them we mean business.
See where I am going with all this? Are we as humans that nasty, or that foolish?
Lastly I want to hit on something else that bugged me: The ships representing Earth are all made by and piloted by diverse races, nations, and cultures. Check, I love that idea. Wait. Never does this major piece of background ever affect the decisions, motivations, or any other characterizations of the players in this drama. They pay little more than lip service to their cultural backgrounds, to me they all read as just plain, white-bread Earthlings. I would go so far as to say they were just Americans for all that it made any difference to their characterizations.
And apparently, while we are not pulling triggers on nuclear launch devices, learning alien language, hacking alien tech, or repairing hull breeches, we just screw.
In the end we do get so see that the aliens are indeed horrible and savage and very nasty, but only in the end, and at that point, they are acting just like us.
Sorry I could not rate this any higher, I know the author wrote this with passion, but there are just too many motivational and strategic holes with the plot. Too many missed opportunities to take race, culture, and nation into consideration. I can't speak for the military discipline aboard ship, or lack thereof, but there sure seemed to be a lack. The biggest battles are told, not shown. I didn't put it down though, I read it through. He gives us that, its quite readable. So I ended up with just OK despite my laundry list of issues.
Spoilers below!
Here's where things fall flat for me however. The main character makes decisions that commit the entire human race to a war of extinction with a powerful alliance of aliens. Let me set that up. At first they come and bloody our nose and say 'stop developing THAT technology' (they don't say what it is). To which we apparently say 'screw that noise' and build SPACE BATTLESHIPS! Earth makes a whopping 3 of them, none of which are any upgrade on what we already saw from the aliens. One her shakedown cruise, our intrepid captain spots an alien scout ship which makes absolutely NO hostile move. What does she do? She attacks full bore, damn the torpedoes. No hailing, no negotiations, no 'let us see what their intentions are first, we have them outgunned', nothing, just ATTAAAAAACK!
Her first officer begs her not to, he's a douchebag though--screw him, ATTAAAACK!
I kept waiting for something to be revealed that shows the reader that this was the best and only course of action, a bit of info that the captain knew that we just were not privy to yet. No, quite the opposite, she fishes out a surviving alien and hey, guess what? She's a sweetheart. Perfectly sane. Not a warmongering alien.
Now admittedly we can look at the initial attacks the aliens made on earth as murderous acts. They made no attempt at diplomacy or any of that stuff either. They caught us with our pants down and wiped out three major world cities to tell us to stop developing some technology and they were obscure about just what technology they meant. It's a stretch for me to believe we would take the fight to them at such an early stage of the game. We had provocation, but I would think we would have more sense than to attack when we had just barely gotten our feet wet. What would it have hurt to talk first now that we had slightly better footing than initially? Because the scout would get away? Ummm, so? Like an intelligent alien race isn't gonna no their scout ship didn't come back? Were they suppose to assume it got eaten by space pirates?
So our captain catapults us into full on war with alien race of which we have no clue of their size, full military might, or their technological level.
She captures an alien and talks to her, now she KNOWS that they are more advanced, more numerous and have an extensive empire. She also learns just what tech they didn't want us to develop and HEY guess what? They have a really good reason to make us cease and desist and it really is for our own good. The jump drive of the space ships to go from point A to B has a nasty tendency to make planet eating black holes. They actually wanted to stop us from killing ourselves. They just had no idea how to do that in a civilized manner. Wait. No, they tried it many times before and it never worked. I guess bombing three cities of a races homeworld must work to make them stop, right?
OK so now we know that the alien alliance is also horrible at diplomacy, but they have us so outgunned its not even funny. Maybe its not too late, we can talk to them about this, surely. No, screw that noise, lets take out three SPACE BATTLESHIPS, none of which are any better than any of the alien's ships, and attack their main fortified military base. Yeah let's do that, show them we mean business.
See where I am going with all this? Are we as humans that nasty, or that foolish?
Lastly I want to hit on something else that bugged me: The ships representing Earth are all made by and piloted by diverse races, nations, and cultures. Check, I love that idea. Wait. Never does this major piece of background ever affect the decisions, motivations, or any other characterizations of the players in this drama. They pay little more than lip service to their cultural backgrounds, to me they all read as just plain, white-bread Earthlings. I would go so far as to say they were just Americans for all that it made any difference to their characterizations.
And apparently, while we are not pulling triggers on nuclear launch devices, learning alien language, hacking alien tech, or repairing hull breeches, we just screw.
In the end we do get so see that the aliens are indeed horrible and savage and very nasty, but only in the end, and at that point, they are acting just like us.
Sorry I could not rate this any higher, I know the author wrote this with passion, but there are just too many motivational and strategic holes with the plot. Too many missed opportunities to take race, culture, and nation into consideration. I can't speak for the military discipline aboard ship, or lack thereof, but there sure seemed to be a lack. The biggest battles are told, not shown. I didn't put it down though, I read it through. He gives us that, its quite readable. So I ended up with just OK despite my laundry list of issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2012
Lacuna: Demons of the Void by David Adams starts with a bang. Literally.
One day in the year 2029, three Earth cities -- Beijing, Tehran, and Sydney -- are destroyed in a sudden and vicious alien attack. Accompanying the attack is a brief transmission from the aliens: “Never again attempt to develop this kind of technology.”
Fast-forward eight years. Earth has ignored the alien threat and used its naughty technologies to build three massive starships, each armed to the teeth with nukes, rail guns, and blast cannons for close fighting. Each ship has anti-gravity technology that enables normal Earth gravity on board. And each has the ability to “jump” to any position in the universe. It's that jump technology that has the aliens so annoyed.
Chinese Navy Commander Melissa Liao captain's one of the starships, the Beijing. Her mission -- hit back at the aliens and make them sorry they kicked the human hornet's nest.
Adams has written an action-packed story that doesn't get bogged down in detailed descriptions of the science behind his contraptions. To many SF readers, that's a bug and not a feature. But I'm among the SF fans who feel story trumps gadgets, and Lacuna does that with just enough plausible science when it's appropriate to the story.
The tale is told exclusively from Melissa Liao's point of view, and her actions are consistent with her motivations throughout the novel. Among the other primary characters are James Gregoire, the Belgian captain of the Beijing's sister ship, Tehran, and Liao's love interest; Summer Rowe, an Aussie scientist with a nerdy (and typically foul-mouthed) rejoinder to any attempt to order her around; and Saara, a captured alien that adds insight into the Toralii, the aliens who attacked Earth.
While Lacuna is a solid first effort by Adams, it could have been better in a couple of ways.
First, it could've used another round of copy editing. The version I read had numerous places where words and periods were repeated and/or missing, a few instances of awkward phrasing, and inconsistent italicizing of the ship names.
Second, I was looking for a brief explanation on how the world could build three, 500-meter-long, interstellar warships in the year 2037 with an America in economic collapse. Now I can buy that, but I would've liked a quick paragraph on how the EU, China, and Australia survived the elimination of a quarter of the world's GDP, yet still had the resources to build these warships from scratch. It's not a huge deal in relation to the story, but it's something I wondered throughout the book.
Lacuna: Demons of the Void is a fast-paced, entertaining read that kept me hooked all the way to the end. Highly recommended for fans of straight-forward alien invasion stories.
One day in the year 2029, three Earth cities -- Beijing, Tehran, and Sydney -- are destroyed in a sudden and vicious alien attack. Accompanying the attack is a brief transmission from the aliens: “Never again attempt to develop this kind of technology.”
Fast-forward eight years. Earth has ignored the alien threat and used its naughty technologies to build three massive starships, each armed to the teeth with nukes, rail guns, and blast cannons for close fighting. Each ship has anti-gravity technology that enables normal Earth gravity on board. And each has the ability to “jump” to any position in the universe. It's that jump technology that has the aliens so annoyed.
Chinese Navy Commander Melissa Liao captain's one of the starships, the Beijing. Her mission -- hit back at the aliens and make them sorry they kicked the human hornet's nest.
Adams has written an action-packed story that doesn't get bogged down in detailed descriptions of the science behind his contraptions. To many SF readers, that's a bug and not a feature. But I'm among the SF fans who feel story trumps gadgets, and Lacuna does that with just enough plausible science when it's appropriate to the story.
The tale is told exclusively from Melissa Liao's point of view, and her actions are consistent with her motivations throughout the novel. Among the other primary characters are James Gregoire, the Belgian captain of the Beijing's sister ship, Tehran, and Liao's love interest; Summer Rowe, an Aussie scientist with a nerdy (and typically foul-mouthed) rejoinder to any attempt to order her around; and Saara, a captured alien that adds insight into the Toralii, the aliens who attacked Earth.
While Lacuna is a solid first effort by Adams, it could have been better in a couple of ways.
First, it could've used another round of copy editing. The version I read had numerous places where words and periods were repeated and/or missing, a few instances of awkward phrasing, and inconsistent italicizing of the ship names.
Second, I was looking for a brief explanation on how the world could build three, 500-meter-long, interstellar warships in the year 2037 with an America in economic collapse. Now I can buy that, but I would've liked a quick paragraph on how the EU, China, and Australia survived the elimination of a quarter of the world's GDP, yet still had the resources to build these warships from scratch. It's not a huge deal in relation to the story, but it's something I wondered throughout the book.
Lacuna: Demons of the Void is a fast-paced, entertaining read that kept me hooked all the way to the end. Highly recommended for fans of straight-forward alien invasion stories.
July 16, 2014
I chose a half dozen new releases by unknown (to me any way) authors who had recently released ebooks in the SF genre, mostly with a lean towards military/space opera, and this was one. I read the prologue and had a doubt or two because in this world the three most top=level research sites are Sydney, Beijing, and Tehran... Uh, what? Somehow, the US, Russia, and all of Europe have dropped off the map - and who is funding this? I could believe Beijing (I guess) but Sydney and Tehran - don't be silly. So at this point I decided to stop and check a couple other reviews - and for the things I find important in a book - these areas were getting dinged by other readers. I returned to the book with trepidation.
Chapter one then flashes back to just before the prologue. This is bad writing technique for a novel. In fact, I would say that the author is confusing how to write a TV show with how to write a book. All the first chapter can do in this case is set up what we know the result of in TWO HOURS. It's no way to build tension in the story and can only serve as something of an info dump.
Having worked directly with a number of writers over the last four years on their works and from prior editing experience, this was not going well, and then half way through the first chapter I had the moment where I just had to stop. As the two main characters do their very unprofessional one-upsmanship (after just meeting), one claims to have taken down a US aircraft carrier in a way that is total, naive fantasy. You see, an aircraft carrier would never get near another ship faking being disabled to pick up prisoners (and then said faking ship rammed it?) - as the author apparently doesn't know, aircraft carriers are surrounded by what is called a carrier group which is a large collection of ships whose only job is really to keep all other ships away from the carrier. And some much smaller and less valuable ship would deal with a lone 'disabled' enemy. OK, look, the author can't write about anything military apparently because he doesn't seem to know anything about it - that is OK in some books but not if the military is central to the book and not if you are writing to a specific audience that expects a minimum level of knowledge or at least logic. Add to that the entire world has it hidden from them that a carrier got sank - oh please! The US cannot suppress what an enemy does and this would be the biggest of news stories. The military is handled wrong, international politics makes no sense, and the characters in just a few pages don't make much sense.
As a reader, I gave up at this point. I have a host of other books to read.
Mr. Adams, ask yourself the following - Who are you writing for? Who is the intended audience? What does that audience expect and demand in a story if you want them to pay you for it?
Giving this a two was generous. The writing is not technically bad, its quite readable, but the story and setting are very weak. The talent is there but the focus on the needs of the reader isn't.
Chapter one then flashes back to just before the prologue. This is bad writing technique for a novel. In fact, I would say that the author is confusing how to write a TV show with how to write a book. All the first chapter can do in this case is set up what we know the result of in TWO HOURS. It's no way to build tension in the story and can only serve as something of an info dump.
Having worked directly with a number of writers over the last four years on their works and from prior editing experience, this was not going well, and then half way through the first chapter I had the moment where I just had to stop. As the two main characters do their very unprofessional one-upsmanship (after just meeting), one claims to have taken down a US aircraft carrier in a way that is total, naive fantasy. You see, an aircraft carrier would never get near another ship faking being disabled to pick up prisoners (and then said faking ship rammed it?) - as the author apparently doesn't know, aircraft carriers are surrounded by what is called a carrier group which is a large collection of ships whose only job is really to keep all other ships away from the carrier. And some much smaller and less valuable ship would deal with a lone 'disabled' enemy. OK, look, the author can't write about anything military apparently because he doesn't seem to know anything about it - that is OK in some books but not if the military is central to the book and not if you are writing to a specific audience that expects a minimum level of knowledge or at least logic. Add to that the entire world has it hidden from them that a carrier got sank - oh please! The US cannot suppress what an enemy does and this would be the biggest of news stories. The military is handled wrong, international politics makes no sense, and the characters in just a few pages don't make much sense.
As a reader, I gave up at this point. I have a host of other books to read.
Mr. Adams, ask yourself the following - Who are you writing for? Who is the intended audience? What does that audience expect and demand in a story if you want them to pay you for it?
Giving this a two was generous. The writing is not technically bad, its quite readable, but the story and setting are very weak. The talent is there but the focus on the needs of the reader isn't.
February 2, 2012
This book isn't the usual genre for me, but I still enjoyed it. That says something. I'm anxious to read the sequel since the book ends abruptly and leaves you hanging (a la Lord of the Rings). It does contain some swearing and sex, so be warned (for those of you that don't appreciate that sort of thing.) Typical space-age story.
August 13, 2014
Overall, I found the book alright. I love sci-fi and I thought it would be interesting. The description of the appearance of the aliens was interesting and I did like reading about the technology. I liked it, but I didn't love it. There were so many plot issues that I had with this book. The big one being that I did not like the main character at all. In fact, I found I could not care about her at all. I found her personality incredibly abrasive and really immature. For me, it's a bad sign when I can't even find it in myself to care about the main character and in fact hate them. She was just constantly rude, arrogant, and brash. There wasn't a single redeeming quality about her, which was unfortunate. I also did not like the engineer and found myself irritated with her constant swearing.
I also had issue with the reasoning behind the alien invasion. It did not make sense, because why wouldn't they try and communicate first instead of just attacking? That's a glaring plot hole for me, followed by some of the battle sequences on the main character's end of shoot first ask questions later. I also could not get behind the lack of research on military protocol. Let's face it, with some of the actions the main character pulled, they would be facing a court martial and possibly a dishonorable discharge. It really makes me wonder if the writer even did the proper research about military protocols and tactics. I still have the other books in the series to read and I am hoping they are better than this first attempt because more often than not, I found myself annoyed with this story and annoyed with the main character often. I'm relieved that this was a free book and that I did not spend money on it because it's just not up to snuff.
I also had issue with the reasoning behind the alien invasion. It did not make sense, because why wouldn't they try and communicate first instead of just attacking? That's a glaring plot hole for me, followed by some of the battle sequences on the main character's end of shoot first ask questions later. I also could not get behind the lack of research on military protocol. Let's face it, with some of the actions the main character pulled, they would be facing a court martial and possibly a dishonorable discharge. It really makes me wonder if the writer even did the proper research about military protocols and tactics. I still have the other books in the series to read and I am hoping they are better than this first attempt because more often than not, I found myself annoyed with this story and annoyed with the main character often. I'm relieved that this was a free book and that I did not spend money on it because it's just not up to snuff.
February 26, 2014
I picked this up cause the blurb pulled me in. The book started out so slowly that I almost put it down and walked away from it several times. I am glad that I stuck with it though because the story did eventually find its legs. However, it did take half the book to get there. A few other things that bothered me was the constant use of underlining certain words throughout the book tended to take away from the story. At first I thought it was to apply emphasis but after the first twenty times it quickly became apparent that wasn't the case. The second thing that bothered me was the time setting the year was 2036 and while I like the background I find it hard to believe in twenty years the events in the book will take place. Lastly some events are so blatantly obvious that you can see them coming before they happen.
Despite these issues the overall plot of the book was well done. The characters are believable and well defined. The relationships are realistic and comparable with the story arc. The ending leaves you wanting to get the next book in the series so that you can see what happens next. I would recommend this to any sci-fi fans out there but it might not be for everyone.
Despite these issues the overall plot of the book was well done. The characters are believable and well defined. The relationships are realistic and comparable with the story arc. The ending leaves you wanting to get the next book in the series so that you can see what happens next. I would recommend this to any sci-fi fans out there but it might not be for everyone.
September 16, 2012
Have no idea how this got on my kindle, it was probably a free download. Any way I was having lazy Sunday and started reading at about 11am this morning. I finished reading it about 6pm this evening. I thought it was really good, I loved the layout and the formatting though there was a change in font size at one point but it didn't really matter. The story flowed nicely and I really enjoyed it. It brought to mind old movies set in space and the author did a great job of setting the scene. With aliens, spaceships and intergalactic travel I think I've just found the current cure for boredom :)
Cassandra DeBrown
Author of Legitimate Issues and Our Urban Utopia
Cassandra DeBrown
Author of Legitimate Issues and Our Urban Utopia
November 29, 2012
I couldn't put it down. It started with international 'war games', continued by introducing some 'new' technology, then locked me in with the unwarranted and unexpected destruction of three major cities by aliens. Why did they do it? Why can't we use the technology? How did they even know we had it?
This author has certainly got my attention and will be added to my reading list.
This author has certainly got my attention and will be added to my reading list.
January 8, 2020
Standard sci-fi war novel
Invaders attack earth. Earth develops weapons to fight back. Another attack with mass carnage; indecisive results and two ships disappear. Some character development. Story pacing is good. I just wish there was more reason for me to want to read the next novel in the series.
Invaders attack earth. Earth develops weapons to fight back. Another attack with mass carnage; indecisive results and two ships disappear. Some character development. Story pacing is good. I just wish there was more reason for me to want to read the next novel in the series.
September 29, 2018
Great first book in a series I hope will go far. I am partial to space operas, especially ones with believable female leads, and Melissa Liao is one. She's strong, determined, yet still female. The other characters are a bit less developed, but I will see what happens in the next book.
Although the plot is standard fare, it opens with a bang, literally, as humans are given a very destructive message by a previously unknown superior alien race to never use a technology they have just come up with.
Well, you are human, I presume. What are you going to do next?
You got it. They do. Hijinx ensue.
The only time I really had a problem with the book was when the aliens were giving Ming the Merciless style ultimatums. Would beings from another culture really call us worthless insects?
Although the plot is standard fare, it opens with a bang, literally, as humans are given a very destructive message by a previously unknown superior alien race to never use a technology they have just come up with.
Well, you are human, I presume. What are you going to do next?
You got it. They do. Hijinx ensue.
The only time I really had a problem with the book was when the aliens were giving Ming the Merciless style ultimatums. Would beings from another culture really call us worthless insects?
May 29, 2014
This is the third book I've read by David Adams, and to be honest, I found both Magnet and Faith to be better books.
Whilst there is an interesting premise here, there are too many detracting factors and technical problems that irritated the factual and scientificky side of me to make me want to rate it higher, and worse still, maybe make me not want to read the rest of the series. Even if I did pick this one up as a freebie.
First thing that bugged me: the story is way, wayyyy, too compressed to reach its full potential in so few words. Again, an interesting premise with an interesting spin on future politics, pinch of salt here, and global standing in general. But the story feels as it was meant to be longer, then the author grew frustrated and hacked the flesh from its bones in order to get it out there. This comes across as inplausable jumps in the arc, with things happening too quickly to be feasible.
Second thing: *Spoilers* Melisa Lao, I think she's a Lieutenant, I can't remember. How does the navigator of a submarine become the Captain of a space battleship with nothing in between? This had me shouting, oh come on, more than once. Try going from being a navigator on a navy mine sweeper to being an air force captain with no in between and see how far you get.
Third thing: *Spoilers* Melisa Lao is an alcoholic and a nymphomaniac. Every time she enters her cabin, she either pops a bottle or flirts with\screws someone. I shook my head at this behavior so often I almost unhinged myself, and it happened so often as to have me skipping pages. Once, maybe twice, is enough for such a short story. Not every time she is alone with someone she fancies.
Fourth thing: *Spoilers* All the other Chinese senior ranks were apparently killed in some devastating event and this is how Melisa got the job. What about all the senior officers on active duty at the time? Was every sub, ship, and aircraft recalled so they could all be in one convenient place at the same time?
Fifth thing: *Spoilers* The actions of Melisa as a command officer, and the rest of the command staff themselves, is just so wrong as to be laughable. It is clear that the author did little to no investigation as to how command structures work on a real day to day basis, with an XO who fired, fired!, his own captain and the captain of a completely different ship(????) because he was not happy with her decisions. And there's the Captain of another ship who seems to spend more time off his own ship screwing Melisa than he does on it, even during tense situations.
Sixth thing: *spoilers* The alien prisoner changing sides so fast and to become so loyal to the enemy as to fight for them. Really?
Seventh thing: *Spoilers* The technology. How does a ship meant to fight in three dimensional battles leave port with no point defense weaponry??? Yeah, you heard me. It left dock with no AA protection. I know it was added later, but it smacks of trying to make plot points for the story, rather than making believable technology that could possibly exist and that would help the story along for free. And the, what was it called, 'Indestructium', armour. The first time it got a little hot it failed! These ships can fight just fine as long as they don't meet a welding torch.
Eighth thing: *Maybe spoilers* The battle scenes. I guess the ships performed as well as their limited armaments and inept crews allowed them to, but they were kind of stale and having the alien boss come aboard the Beijing during the final battle was just plain daft. He\she\it would have come across as far more malevolent if they had not been seen at this time. And what stopped more alien ships arriving almost immediately when the first ship never reported back?
Two more techy things: rail gun projectiles with such a velocity would do far more damage than you propose. There is no armor anywhere that could resist such kinetic energy, and even if they punched right through, the enemy ships would certainly be compromised with decompressing decks and affected magazines\fuel storage, etc. Oh, and nukes don't work like that in space.
And nukes kind of seem like the generic be all and end all of space battle final solutions. Be more imaginative. Try to think of some other form of exotic weaponry to use in future battles. Maybe the Adams kinetic driver :)
There are more things but it's not my intention to reduce Mr Adams to sobbing over a bottle of whiskey, if I haven't already. I really did want to rate this higher, but the above facts all weighed against my decision.
Will I read the next in the series? Maybe, but they'll need to be longer, not so compressed, have believable facts and figures and situations as my disbelief can only be suspended so far, not removed entirely.
Whilst there is an interesting premise here, there are too many detracting factors and technical problems that irritated the factual and scientificky side of me to make me want to rate it higher, and worse still, maybe make me not want to read the rest of the series. Even if I did pick this one up as a freebie.
First thing that bugged me: the story is way, wayyyy, too compressed to reach its full potential in so few words. Again, an interesting premise with an interesting spin on future politics, pinch of salt here, and global standing in general. But the story feels as it was meant to be longer, then the author grew frustrated and hacked the flesh from its bones in order to get it out there. This comes across as inplausable jumps in the arc, with things happening too quickly to be feasible.
Second thing: *Spoilers* Melisa Lao, I think she's a Lieutenant, I can't remember. How does the navigator of a submarine become the Captain of a space battleship with nothing in between? This had me shouting, oh come on, more than once. Try going from being a navigator on a navy mine sweeper to being an air force captain with no in between and see how far you get.
Third thing: *Spoilers* Melisa Lao is an alcoholic and a nymphomaniac. Every time she enters her cabin, she either pops a bottle or flirts with\screws someone. I shook my head at this behavior so often I almost unhinged myself, and it happened so often as to have me skipping pages. Once, maybe twice, is enough for such a short story. Not every time she is alone with someone she fancies.
Fourth thing: *Spoilers* All the other Chinese senior ranks were apparently killed in some devastating event and this is how Melisa got the job. What about all the senior officers on active duty at the time? Was every sub, ship, and aircraft recalled so they could all be in one convenient place at the same time?
Fifth thing: *Spoilers* The actions of Melisa as a command officer, and the rest of the command staff themselves, is just so wrong as to be laughable. It is clear that the author did little to no investigation as to how command structures work on a real day to day basis, with an XO who fired, fired!, his own captain and the captain of a completely different ship(????) because he was not happy with her decisions. And there's the Captain of another ship who seems to spend more time off his own ship screwing Melisa than he does on it, even during tense situations.
Sixth thing: *spoilers* The alien prisoner changing sides so fast and to become so loyal to the enemy as to fight for them. Really?
Seventh thing: *Spoilers* The technology. How does a ship meant to fight in three dimensional battles leave port with no point defense weaponry??? Yeah, you heard me. It left dock with no AA protection. I know it was added later, but it smacks of trying to make plot points for the story, rather than making believable technology that could possibly exist and that would help the story along for free. And the, what was it called, 'Indestructium', armour. The first time it got a little hot it failed! These ships can fight just fine as long as they don't meet a welding torch.
Eighth thing: *Maybe spoilers* The battle scenes. I guess the ships performed as well as their limited armaments and inept crews allowed them to, but they were kind of stale and having the alien boss come aboard the Beijing during the final battle was just plain daft. He\she\it would have come across as far more malevolent if they had not been seen at this time. And what stopped more alien ships arriving almost immediately when the first ship never reported back?
Two more techy things: rail gun projectiles with such a velocity would do far more damage than you propose. There is no armor anywhere that could resist such kinetic energy, and even if they punched right through, the enemy ships would certainly be compromised with decompressing decks and affected magazines\fuel storage, etc. Oh, and nukes don't work like that in space.
And nukes kind of seem like the generic be all and end all of space battle final solutions. Be more imaginative. Try to think of some other form of exotic weaponry to use in future battles. Maybe the Adams kinetic driver :)
There are more things but it's not my intention to reduce Mr Adams to sobbing over a bottle of whiskey, if I haven't already. I really did want to rate this higher, but the above facts all weighed against my decision.
Will I read the next in the series? Maybe, but they'll need to be longer, not so compressed, have believable facts and figures and situations as my disbelief can only be suspended so far, not removed entirely.
July 24, 2023
Major plot holes
Commander is thrown into the brig and then later he is out without any explanation and the crew follows him and not the captain for no reason.
Commander is thrown into the brig and then later he is out without any explanation and the crew follows him and not the captain for no reason.
February 7, 2017
Who the heck is David Adams? I didn't have a clue. "Lacuna: Demons of the Void" was sent by Amazon via algorithmic email encouraging me to buy and read. "Hmm. OK." I clicked the one-click purchase option and let the title sit in my Kindle queue for several weeks. Then I started reading. Lacuna means "unfilled space or gap," but the book doesn't go overboard explaining the connection or the reason why by author Adams. He's a right there kind of writer. He doesn't bandy about with irrelevant story lines to build color and character. He lets the story speak for itself. And does it. The hero is somewhat different for a sci-fi title. She's a hotshot from the Peoples Republic of China, a woman who expects the best from herself and those around her. She's an up and comer in the PRC's Army Navy (weird concept, I know) who finds herself in charge of a starship after some unknown but extremely powerful force from beyond the universe obliterates many of the world's biggest cities. They leave 50 million dead and the message to "never again develop this technology." Those developing the technology know exactly what the message refers to but most see only death and destruction. Being human, collectively, our first reaction is one of defiance. And the world's debilitated but freaked out governments join together to produce the Pillars of Earth, three starships meant to discover and hopefully disarm the threat that means earth's destruction. It's a noble goal and one that Melissa Liao means to achieve at all costs. Interesting, certainly. Yet, Adams begins his yarn slowly, working his way into the story. Earth soon loses its relevance as Liao and her crew uncover one clue after another and finally unveil the source of the threat. The pace picks up about midway and never lets up. And then it ends on a cliffhanger. And that's when I decided to ship Adams an email and accuse him of mind control. I started the book one Sunday night. Something to lull me to sleep. It did the opposite. I finished the damn thing at lunch during work the next day. And damned if I wasn't determined to finish the next. I read all six books in the series back to back in a little more than a week. Great cover art too. The guy's a natural in the genre, and I've read a lot in my 56 years.
May 22, 2013
I just whipped through this near-future military SF space opera book so fast, the heat sinks cooling my Kobo are still radiating into space.
Look, it's lightweight stuff. But a really fast, thrilling, funny, yet terrifying ride. It is the first of a series, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger both large and small-scale. Yet reasonably self-contained, at least enough so that I feel ok about switching to one of my many other to-read books next. Though likely to buy the next 2 installments soon.
If you like near-future, "what we we do if the aliens attacked us right now?" SF, this may be perfect. It's set (very minor spoilers)about 15 years from now. Boeing 747s are still in use on long-haul intercontinental flights. We humans have come up with 2 or 3 fascinating pieces of advanced tech, but have not yet applied any of them. Everything else is pretty much as it is today. Except, the USA is utterly irrelevant after its economy and political functionality has pretty much collapsed. Like I said, pretty much as it is today :) China and Iran are the major global powers, Australia and the EU are strong secondary powers, and some of the others of the BRICs have some significance, but North America? Irrelevant. Even to the aliens, who proceed to arrive, and blow up the centers of research into the technology they forbid us to develop.
We humans react as humans typically do. We make weapons out of the tech they forbid us to use, and take the war to them.
If you like this humans-under-siege, current-day-tech style, such as if you're a fan of "Space: Above and Beyond", or "Stargate: SG-1", you'll feel this fits right in. Likewise new-BSG fans, where the Colonies were essentially current-Earth tech with FTL and slightly advanced cybernetics. Adams in fact borrows some tropes from them. While also happily and openly using many other tropes: "I'm not Montgomery-frakking-Scott, Captain!" (Didn't say "frakking"). Openly calling their unobtanium, "indestructium". XKCD even figures into the plot.
Also, do you like tough, effective, real-seeming female space officers? Let me just say that Susan Ivanova, Samantha Carter, Kara Thrace, and likely Honor Harrington (sad to say I haven't read that series yet) would fit right in with TFR Beijing Commanding Officer Melissa Liao. Including slugging any jerk in the nose, effectively, when required.
Look, it's lightweight stuff. But a really fast, thrilling, funny, yet terrifying ride. It is the first of a series, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger both large and small-scale. Yet reasonably self-contained, at least enough so that I feel ok about switching to one of my many other to-read books next. Though likely to buy the next 2 installments soon.
If you like near-future, "what we we do if the aliens attacked us right now?" SF, this may be perfect. It's set (very minor spoilers)about 15 years from now. Boeing 747s are still in use on long-haul intercontinental flights. We humans have come up with 2 or 3 fascinating pieces of advanced tech, but have not yet applied any of them. Everything else is pretty much as it is today. Except, the USA is utterly irrelevant after its economy and political functionality has pretty much collapsed. Like I said, pretty much as it is today :) China and Iran are the major global powers, Australia and the EU are strong secondary powers, and some of the others of the BRICs have some significance, but North America? Irrelevant. Even to the aliens, who proceed to arrive, and blow up the centers of research into the technology they forbid us to develop.
We humans react as humans typically do. We make weapons out of the tech they forbid us to use, and take the war to them.
If you like this humans-under-siege, current-day-tech style, such as if you're a fan of "Space: Above and Beyond", or "Stargate: SG-1", you'll feel this fits right in. Likewise new-BSG fans, where the Colonies were essentially current-Earth tech with FTL and slightly advanced cybernetics. Adams in fact borrows some tropes from them. While also happily and openly using many other tropes: "I'm not Montgomery-frakking-Scott, Captain!" (Didn't say "frakking"). Openly calling their unobtanium, "indestructium". XKCD even figures into the plot.
Also, do you like tough, effective, real-seeming female space officers? Let me just say that Susan Ivanova, Samantha Carter, Kara Thrace, and likely Honor Harrington (sad to say I haven't read that series yet) would fit right in with TFR Beijing Commanding Officer Melissa Liao. Including slugging any jerk in the nose, effectively, when required.
July 20, 2014
I started this book so long after I procured it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Since I only had the vaguest idea of what I was getting into, I was blown away by the fast-paced, action-filled adventure I got.
Adams dropped me straight into the action and kept me wanting to know what was next – even when things were relatively slow. Not that things ever got slow. Deep tensions permeated the quieter moments, preventing them from slowing down the story. That mix of action and tense moments of quiet is what's tempting me to buy Book 2.
The science made sense as far as my decidedly un-scientific mind understood the explanations – quite possibly because Adams had a character straight out admit when they were breaking the laws of physics, definitely also because – instead of simply hand-waving things – Adams still had characters explain (or attempt to explain) how things worked.
That said, I didn't absolute love any particular character. Did I become invested in a few of them? Oh, yeah! But at the same time, there were moments where I wanted to toss them out of airlock.Even especially the ones taking centre stage.
I hated Adams's constant use of "dark" as an adjective to describe one character's body parts or "dark-skinned man" to describe the character. After what felt like the twentieth reference, I thought I might scream if I had to read about his dark hands, his dark face, or his dark rump one more time; eventually, however, I was (mostly) able to pretend I wasn't seeing the word again.
Without that repeated reference, even getting annoyed by a few character personalities wouldn't have stopped me giving the book four stars. Here's hoping the reference is entirely missing from the next book.
Adams dropped me straight into the action and kept me wanting to know what was next – even when things were relatively slow. Not that things ever got slow. Deep tensions permeated the quieter moments, preventing them from slowing down the story. That mix of action and tense moments of quiet is what's tempting me to buy Book 2.
The science made sense as far as my decidedly un-scientific mind understood the explanations – quite possibly because Adams had a character straight out admit when they were breaking the laws of physics, definitely also because – instead of simply hand-waving things – Adams still had characters explain (or attempt to explain) how things worked.
That said, I didn't absolute love any particular character. Did I become invested in a few of them? Oh, yeah! But at the same time, there were moments where I wanted to toss them out of airlock.
I hated Adams's constant use of "dark" as an adjective to describe one character's body parts or "dark-skinned man" to describe the character. After what felt like the twentieth reference, I thought I might scream if I had to read about his dark hands, his dark face, or his dark rump one more time; eventually, however, I was (mostly) able to pretend I wasn't seeing the word again.
Without that repeated reference, even getting annoyed by a few character personalities wouldn't have stopped me giving the book four stars. Here's hoping the reference is entirely missing from the next book.
January 2, 2012
I became aware of this author after finding a slashdot posting a few months ago where he engaged in a shameless plug for the book (which was okay because the post was on subject). The first 3 chapters were available online and I read them that night. I was hooked, and put his website in my feed reader so I'd know when the book was released.
Fast forward to today, the book is available and I bought a copy for my kindle. It's not particularly long and the plot moves along quite well. The premise is the typical sci-fi staple, aliens attack and Earth must retaliate/defend itself. I liked the technology in the book, thought the main characters were well fleshed out, and overall liked the book. It's a first novel. The ending is a little abrupt, I would have liked to see a little more resolution but perhaps he's got a sequel planned.
I like to support first time authors, especially when I can read the first few chapters and know I'm getting a good book. Everyone can write a book but not everyone can write an engaging, entertaining book on their first attempt. There were some textual errors, typos, missing word or extremely awkward phrasing. But I only counted 5-10 of these. Another proofread would have been helpful. However, he's not charging $10 for the book like some other kindle editions that have these same issues so I can tolerate it. Give it a try, I liked it.
Fast forward to today, the book is available and I bought a copy for my kindle. It's not particularly long and the plot moves along quite well. The premise is the typical sci-fi staple, aliens attack and Earth must retaliate/defend itself. I liked the technology in the book, thought the main characters were well fleshed out, and overall liked the book. It's a first novel. The ending is a little abrupt, I would have liked to see a little more resolution but perhaps he's got a sequel planned.
I like to support first time authors, especially when I can read the first few chapters and know I'm getting a good book. Everyone can write a book but not everyone can write an engaging, entertaining book on their first attempt. There were some textual errors, typos, missing word or extremely awkward phrasing. But I only counted 5-10 of these. Another proofread would have been helpful. However, he's not charging $10 for the book like some other kindle editions that have these same issues so I can tolerate it. Give it a try, I liked it.
August 7, 2015
Lacuna is a well written and fast paced novel. I especially like the female protagonist, Melissa Liao, who is a strong, capable, intelligent woman. Best of all, she’s likable. I wouldn’t mind working under her command, because she is a determined and inspiring leader. In fact, most of the characters in this novel are people you can well relate to, even Summer Rowe, the intelligent yet foul mouthed (and often annoying) Engineer. They have their quirks, but when it comes right down to it, these characters have character and deliver.
The plot is also intriguing. The combination of new technology combined with an alien threat is a fascinating mixture that keeps you wondering if humanity will succeed in getting their ships launched before the aliens return – and holding your breath when they show up much sooner than expected. The book is fast paced, but not so fast that you get exhausted, or that it’s difficult to keep up. In fact, the pacing of the story is perfect. There’s plenty of suspense, mixed with slower parts that show plot and character development that prepare you for the next suspenseful moment.
The plot is also intriguing. The combination of new technology combined with an alien threat is a fascinating mixture that keeps you wondering if humanity will succeed in getting their ships launched before the aliens return – and holding your breath when they show up much sooner than expected. The book is fast paced, but not so fast that you get exhausted, or that it’s difficult to keep up. In fact, the pacing of the story is perfect. There’s plenty of suspense, mixed with slower parts that show plot and character development that prepare you for the next suspenseful moment.
June 14, 2018
I agree with all of the 5 star reviewers and all of the others. But no one mentioned the stuff that bothered me. First was her (the hero) summary execution of a mutineer. She had him flat out on disobeying orders and forgery of her signature on orders. However, she just shot him down without so much as the benefit of a drum-head court martial staffed with hanging judges. Then there was not so much as a Board of Inquiry. Second there was her hanky-panky with her nominal superior. That had to be, and seemed to be, prejudicial to good order and discipline. Third in the boarding action by the big bads they discover the helmet visor is a weak point that their bullets can penetrate. It isn't announced that "target the helmet visors" and everyone continues with "pray and spray". That I found immensely annoying.
I disagree with the reviewer who found the civilian loose canon unbelievable. A genius civilian supercargo in their situation is totally believable Civilian Tech Reps have been standard for a long time. We even have embedded reporters. So no big deal. I even found her quirky geeky-ness endearing.
I disagree with the reviewer who found the civilian loose canon unbelievable. A genius civilian supercargo in their situation is totally believable Civilian Tech Reps have been standard for a long time. We even have embedded reporters. So no big deal. I even found her quirky geeky-ness endearing.
May 5, 2014
I wish I could like this book more...
'Lacuna: Demons of the void' Reminds me in some ways of the old pulp fiction novels of John W. Campbell. Alas, the book has many failings, the most serious of which is a lack of editing. David, (may I call you David?) If you're unwilling to pay an editor, AT LEAST have a couple of close friends proofread the book before you publish!
Another problem I had with this book was the inappropriate use of profanity. I'm not offended, but most of the characters are supposed to be naval officers. Never in my life have I encountered professionals who speak like college underclassmen. It was a distraction, and did nothing to enhance the narrative.
The science wasn't offensive, but it could have been better. In particular, the author leaned heavily on a few pieces of fictional tech, while missing some obvious application of existing tech.
That said, their ARE some interesting applications of the fictional tech. I also liked the combat scenes.
'Lacuna: Demons of the void' Reminds me in some ways of the old pulp fiction novels of John W. Campbell. Alas, the book has many failings, the most serious of which is a lack of editing. David, (may I call you David?) If you're unwilling to pay an editor, AT LEAST have a couple of close friends proofread the book before you publish!
Another problem I had with this book was the inappropriate use of profanity. I'm not offended, but most of the characters are supposed to be naval officers. Never in my life have I encountered professionals who speak like college underclassmen. It was a distraction, and did nothing to enhance the narrative.
The science wasn't offensive, but it could have been better. In particular, the author leaned heavily on a few pieces of fictional tech, while missing some obvious application of existing tech.
That said, their ARE some interesting applications of the fictional tech. I also liked the combat scenes.
January 18, 2012
This is an interesting account of a alien attack and the Earth's response in 2037. While it was a quick read, along the lines of a good summer beach book, I though it only rated 3 stars. The character development was superficial and some of the situations a bit unlikely, such as placing the civilian scientist on board the starship. Also the continual references to contemporary cultural references such as movie quotes seems to be a bit out of lime given that this is more than 25 years in the future. If you ar looking for a quick easy SF read at the beach or on spring break this may be the book for you. If you want more depth and realistic situations you might want to look elsewhere.
July 7, 2013
True rating would be 3.5 stars. II was not sure what to expect when I started this except another space opera. It turned out to be a little more than that. The protagonist is a woman, Melissa Liao, who has dedicated her life to the Chinese Navy. When the earth is attacked and multiple cities destroyed and millions killed she is tapped to command one of three new warships being built on the moon. She takes to this mission and goes to face the enemy with an iron will.
This story also has a romance element which is surprising considering the fact that it is about military might. But it fits with what is going on around them.
What's not to like, aliens, romance, space battles, and loss.
This story also has a romance element which is surprising considering the fact that it is about military might. But it fits with what is going on around them.
What's not to like, aliens, romance, space battles, and loss.
January 3, 2013
For me, this was not a very compelling read, with weakness across the board in character development, story, use of language, and (IMO) an unrealistic portrayal of military culture. I was never tempted to give up on the book, but it never really grabbed me.
October 21, 2017
I don't recommend this book or series.
The plot was far too predictable. I could virtually always tell what was coming next. This is rare for me, because the way I read I don't TRY to anticipate. The characters tended to annoy me, another bad sigh. Enough.
The plot was far too predictable. I could virtually always tell what was coming next. This is rare for me, because the way I read I don't TRY to anticipate. The characters tended to annoy me, another bad sigh. Enough.
May 23, 2012
Looking forward to te next installment
June 6, 2012
little slow to begin, but great book overall!
October 14, 2012
Pretty good story, and great characters. Ends in a real cliffhanger. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 4, 2014
I got this book free. I understand why it was free. Meh. One of the few times I've read the first in a series of books and not cared to read the follow on books.
October 29, 2016
hipster military sci-fi
December 30, 2017
“Lacuna: Demons of the Void” is a very entertaining Space Opera. You Don’t want to stop reading this Tale. It Starts out with the Destruction of Sydney, Bejing, and Tehran. Then all the survivors of these cities are killed. Then a voice warns the world to never again attempt some kind of Development. Survivor of this attack Chinese Naval Commander Mellissa Liao is put in command of one of three Space battleships that have been built since the Disaster. Her Comrades, life and Career are what makes this story so good. They discover the “Demons” as many refer to the Enemy Race. And this starts off the Adventure!! As usual, this is all you get so as not to ruin your enjoyment of this book. Dave Adams has written a very Good Read. And even better it is Series. Enjoy your Read, Santa Mike.
February 7, 2019
This is a very daft, lightweight, naive, and implausible piece of military sci-fi.
Some good ideas, such as jump drives being too dangerous to use as they are prone to catastrophic malfunction, but none are exploited to even the narrowest extent they could be. Some decent strategic ideas concerning Lagrange points, amongst all the gung-ho nonsense.
However, the whole thing is spoilt by all the main characters shagging, falling out, and generally behaving like randy teenagers in a hot tub without two brain cells to rub together. Much of it is skimmable, all of it is forgettable.
I won’t be bothering with the rest of the series.
Some good ideas, such as jump drives being too dangerous to use as they are prone to catastrophic malfunction, but none are exploited to even the narrowest extent they could be. Some decent strategic ideas concerning Lagrange points, amongst all the gung-ho nonsense.
However, the whole thing is spoilt by all the main characters shagging, falling out, and generally behaving like randy teenagers in a hot tub without two brain cells to rub together. Much of it is skimmable, all of it is forgettable.
I won’t be bothering with the rest of the series.
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