Shattermoon

The Long Game #1

by Dominic Dulley

A shattered moon. A secret plan. Last girl standing.

Orry and her family are the best conmen in the Quadrant, running elaborate heists to target the ruling families of the Ascendancy.

This time should be no different . . . but then Orry goes off-script and everything falls apart. Less than an hour later her mark is dead and she's on the run, accused of a murder she didn't commit.

Turns out, the pendant Orry stole is more valuable than even she guessed - and a lot of powerful people want it. When she's unexpectedly rescued by loner spaceship captain Jurgen Mender, Orry knows there's only one thing to do.

Even Orry can see the madness of pitting an inexperienced grifter, a space-dog well past his prime and an obsolete spaceship against the Imperial Fleet, the worst of the space pirates and the alien Kadiran, who are getting bored with their uneasy truce with humankind . . .

But what other choice does she have?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2018

About the author

Dominic Dulley is a British science fiction writer who lives and writes in the shadow of Warwick Castle. He is represented by Ian Drury at Sheil Land Associates.

His debut novel, Shattermoon, is published by Jo Fletcher Books.

His short fiction has appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, Far Orbit: Apogee, The Novel Fox SF Anthology I and Bastion Science Fiction Magazine among others

He tweets as @DominicDulley.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an exciting sci-fi thriller in which the author does some great world building and provides some memorable characters that endeavour to fight some extremely dangerous forces. Aurelia 'Orry' Kent is a young and naive grifter, helping her father, Eion, and `14 year old brother, Ethan, pull off heists that targeting the privileged and over entitled aristocratic families of the Ascendancy. Only to have it all go to hell in a handcart when a con aimed at the heir apparent, Konstantin, who reluctantly hands over a green pendant to Orry that is more important than he knows in his febrile efforts to feed his folio fever. Konstantin is tortured and brutally murdered and unfortunately Orry is the prime suspect.

The killer and his robotic sidekick, Jericho, find their way to the Kent space ship, the Bonaventure, in search of the much desired pendant, leading to family tragedy and Orry endangered in space. Luckily, a grizzled older loner, Jurgen Mender, is in just the right place to rescue her on his ancient rickety old ship, the Dainty Jane, but only because he was after the killer. Orry proves to be a wily, resourceful and courageous young woman, who with her coterie of friends, finds herself involved in intergalactic conflict, facing Kadirons, basically aliens up to no good on a grand scale and confronted by a planet facing destruction. This is a entertaining space opera which was enjoyable to read, the only thing that really bothered me was Dominic Dulley's pacing of the narrative, it was too fast, with too much happening, with crisis followed by crisis. For me, it was too relentless for a story that otherwise was fabulous, other readers might not find this to be any issue whatsoever. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an edge-of-your-seat, exciting science fiction adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed. It mixed two of my favourite genres - thrillers and scifi.

I was drawn in almost immediately when I started due to the clever, complex plot, and wonderful characters.
Orry is an admirable heroine and is clever and resourceful, I found myself rooting for her throughout the novel.

We readers tend to complain a lot about slow paced books but the one issue I had with this was it was very fast paced. This pacing may have worked well for SHATTERMOON had there not been an awful lot of things going on, it was rather relentless, in that respect. The author sure knows how to write and this is impressive for a debut novel, all Dulley needs to do to cater for more readers is to not make them as frantic in the future. It is also worth considering that others may find the pace perfect, that's the subjectivity of books!

All in all, a great space opera debut from Dulley. He is definitely worth looking out for in the future, I will be doing so. I feel he has a long career ahead of him, a competent composer of science fiction, I look forward to entering this world once again when book two of THE LONG GAME series, MORHELION, is published in April 2019.

I would like to thank Dominic Dulley, Quercus Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Page Grey (Editor) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did. I'm not really into sci-fi that much but when I saw this one on Netgalley I was intrigued. I instantly thought that reading it would be an action-packed adventure.

And I was right...

Seriously from page 1 till the end, there is something happening that I forgot the word Boredom. LOL. Though the plot is a little complex, the author did a great job constructing every part of it, it ended up one entertaining story.But I must admit, though I like the pacing, it was TOO fast, I think this will be a problem to others.. (and when I check the other reviews, I learned that I'm not the only one who noticed it)... It was literally non-stop. But for me, it was an advantage, since my reading time is between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. so I need something as entertaining as this.

Needless to say, I love the characters. From the moment Orry, our MC, partnered with Mender, my life was made. I mean, who on earth thought that to have an elder loner MC company is awesome? Dominic Dulley, the author, did. There's even a sidekick robot, sadly, it's the antagonist's sidekick, but I love it all the same. By the way, Orry annoyed me at first and actually the reason why I couldn't give this book a perfect five stars.. I can't get past the fact that she started it all. But she proved to be one courageous, smart young girl through the whole book. I really saw her development.

Overall, I like this book a lot and highly recommend it.

Huge thanks to the author and Publishers for granting me a copy thru Netgalley.

[Nima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Az ember nyírja ki a legfőbb ellenségét, amíg teheti. Mondjuk ha kinyírja, oda a történet meg a folytatás, de na, nem szeretem, ha feleslegesen tökölődnek.
Nagyon jó kis akció-sci-fi. Értelme talán nincs túl sok, szóval inkább akció, de van benne mechanikus izé, meg beszélő űrhajó, meg idegháló kapcsolat, meg sok-sok lövöldözős jelenet, és abszolút ki lehet vele kapcsolódni.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say, I think this one would work so well in audio (yes yes you all know I love audio these days ;) But seriously, the action kept coming so I am sure I would have enjoyed it a lot in audio for that reason. But back to the actual book now!

Space, new worlds. One ruler, and some aliens on the fringe. Orry is a con artist together with her dad and brother. She is smart and good at it.

Also there are some secrets we learn at the end that made me go all whaaat! Intriguing.

But before that she has to go on the run when accused of a crime. There is a mysterious pendant that many want and will kill to get. Which takes us to other planets, space and the underbelly of society.

Other characters are Mender, this old grumpy captain. And you know what I shall say no more. There are good guys, bad guys. People I want to hit in the face and people that step up.

The book has an ending, yay. More books are to come, but I was happy where I left her at the moment. Of course things are about to get bad, for sure, but for now all is good.

I shall read more and see what she gets up to. I want her to confront X...

Nice beginning.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful rip-roaring space opera! This book has it all for science fiction fans - a brave and resourceful heroine, a sentient space ship, evil aliens, and a long-dead powerful and mysterious race. Presiding over it all by means of military might, a decadent ruling class with a vice-like stranglehold over a vast human empire.

I was drawn in from the start by the rich, complex plot, the interesting characters, hair-raising situations and astonishingly inventive technology. The Shattermoon of the title was fascinating, although it did not feature in the story for very long. I would have liked to find out more about the original inhabitants and am hoping we will in future adventures of Orry and her companions.

The action was non-stop - perhaps a bit too much so! It would have been nice to get some indication of time passing between the incessant disasters and relentless crises facing our little group. However, the quick-thinking and resourceful Orry specialised in getting out of sticky situations in a way which was clever, inventive and fun for the reader. All in all, a great read and I was surprised to hear that this is the author's debut novel as it is so sophisticated and polished.

[Mamalovestoread · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://mamalovestoread.co.uk/2018/06...

They say never judge a book by its cover, but come on, let’s be honest who buys ugly books these days? I have all the cover love for Shattermoon, the deeply intense milky way style back-drop, the detail of the moon, the dreamy shades of purple. This is a book I would buy based on its cover, no questions asked! But it wouldn’t be a regrettable purchase, the plot within is certainly a welcome continuation of the inviting first impression and a relentless, fast-paced narrative right to the very end – for the adrenaline junkie reader – this will be an intense ride.

Shattermoon is a sci-fi thriller. If you like books that go deep on complex world-building and character development this will be one for you. I personally do and I was sucked right in by Orry, an inspiring character that I’m sure my daughter would admire if she were she old enough to read yet!

Where the book fell shy of 4 skulls for me was in the pacing. It’s a complex and detailed narrative and at times I felt that my brain couldn’t keep up. I would be processing the last few pages while wanting to hammer on through the rest of the book. This isn’t a negative, but for me, it in part removed some of the relaxed enjoyment for a book this long. I felt it almost needed to be a novella length to balance the intensity or to have more “down-time” in the story to help naturally keep up.

Please don’t mistake by 3 skulls as being in any way a reason not to read this book. There is A LOT to enjoy here and even non-purist sci-fi fans will love the journey. You should pick it up, you should read it and you will enjoy it! But pace yourself. I will certainly be buying book 2 of this series and look forward to seeing where Dominic takes us next.

Thank you to Jo Fletcher books for giving me this proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shattermoon is the first in a series featuring Aurelia (Orry) Kent, and it definitely packs a punch as a series opener. Orry and her brother Ethan help their conman father run his plays but when a young member of the Ascendency is killed and a pendant is stolen, Orry becomes the number one suspect. What follows is a high-octane chase through space with plenty of action and intrigue.

I found Shattermoon to be a really easy read. There is something happening constantly so the reader is flung into the drama right from the off. When Orry meets a space pirate called Mender, that’s when the fun really begins as the quest for the pendant takes precedence over everything else!

I don’t want to go into the plot, partly because there is a hell of a lot going on, but also because I don’t want to give away anything of the story. It weaves through space and time at breakneck speed and it will definitely take the reader on a thrill ride.

I really enjoyed Shattermon. It has great characters, and I really liked the world that has been created in the book. The action never lets up, and I found myself racing towards the end to find out what was going on.

Highly recommended for a fun space-opera read!

[Guy T. Martland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC by the author himself at Bristolcon, hence why I am in the privileged position of reading this fabulous book early, before it explodes onto the SF scene next year. Having enjoyed this so much, I felt the least I could do was write a few words about it.

This is Dominic Dulley’s debut, and what a book it is… I won’t divulge much of the plot, except to say that despite the age of the protagonist, I’d class this as a proper ‘broad spectrum’ SF novel, rather than narrowing its appeal to YA. The book involves many of the usual constructs one has come to expect in space opera: massive spacecraft, glorious villains, repulsive aliens and exotic habitats – but there are also some wonderful new concepts, like the eponymous Shattermoon itself. Nods to the tropes of the genre grace the text - not obtrusively, but instead helping create a sense of familiarity. The usual ticks of a debut aren’t to be seen – Dom’s prose lifts you up and carries you along for the ride.

The books’s blurb states that this is aimed at the audiences of Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross and Peter Hamilton. I’d wholeheartedly agree with this statement and in fact, throw Neal Asher into the mix as well. In writing this book, Dom has immediately placed himself up there alongside these greats of the space opera scene.

To conclude, this book is both intelligent SF and a lot of fun – a rare combination. I was hooked from the intro, the pages whirring past in a blur. It is, without doubt, a cracking read. Many thanks, Dom!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot to like in this debut novel. It captures some of the caper style of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books, as well as the deep space gothic of Alastair Reynolds' Revenger, which are all Good Things round here. It starts with a simple con job, and soon escalates to inter species space conflict and the threat of planetary annihilation. It's a fun space romp to begin with, with gradually increasing amounts of grimdark fantasy style violence before ending with a genuinely exciting atmospheric climax. The characterisation is serviceable, and I did find myself rooting for the super-resourceful Orry, while the worldbuilding is interesting, with plenty of tantalising background details dropped in.
Somehow though, it just didn't quite click for me. Ultimately, it's the fast pace which is the book's undoing. It's a big book, and it is so relentlessly slam-bang that it just left me feeling exhausted. Orry spins from one crisis to the next with barely a moment to draw breath. At half the length I would have loved it, or maybe even longer if the author had taken advantage of the extra space to build in some downtime, but as it stands it's a bit too wearing. I'll read the next one, but I'll probably have to have a nice sit down afterwards.

[Matthew Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the end of this book, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more of the characters introduced in Shattermoon. It's Space Opera but doesn't feel too spread out or expansive, the plot is set over a small number of locations but leaves plenty of scope for much more exploration in future novels, and much more political plotlines as well. Instead of focusing on the locations or the wider political concerns, Shattermoon very much concentrates on the characters, and this is a brilliant strategy to open what could become a wide range of stories.

After a great start, I will admit that my attention wandered a little in the middle, as I was not sure where the story was going, and some of the characters seemed a little cliched and two dimensional. But the last 3rd of the book completely changed my opinion. It was almost as if the author was lulling readers into a false sense of familiarity and safety, but then turns everything on it's head. The story pulls no punches and gets pretty brutal with some it's events. No one makes it through the book unscathed physically, or more importantly, mentally. Every character who I thought was a cliche has their story completely rewritten by the end, and the author has been very brave to make some of the decisions they did character wise. There is emotional punch after emotional punch, and it all works extremely effectively. It also never seems forced, the actions of all characters fit with their personalities and feel 'right'.

When I have read a book like this, it's always a good sign when you genuinely feel for the characters. From loving the 'good guys' to absolutely detesting the 'bad guys', this book pulled me into the world it created and I can't wait to read more.

[Linda Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no! I've found another really great sci writer to put on my list. What a good story, didn't want it to end. Roll on the next book.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't venture into sci-fi all that often, and I think this might be the first time I've ever read a space opera. I've definitely had my eyes opened and I'm so glad that 'Shattermoon' drew my eye. The beautiful cover mixed with a female heroine, a mysterious pendant and a talking spaceship. I'm all for this! I got some serious Ann Leckie vibes during some parts of this book and that's probably one of the biggest compliments I can give! Dulley has some serious writing power and I was sucked into the book from pretty much the first page.

Orry travels across many different worlds with a whole variety of people, and thats what I loved. The absolute variety, Dulley made the various planets all seem so unique and I loved finding out things about each planet, and pretty much all of them were of epic proportions. Especially the Shattermoon itself! The people were also so varied, from aristocrats to space pirates, some of whom had some seriously strange characteristics and I enjoyed trying to picture each new addition. Dulley has made an amazing universe and I can't wait to explore more of it as the series continues.

Our main character Orry is wonderful. There's hardly any romance in the book and it's actually refreshing, I didn't at all miss it. Orry forms deep relationships with many of the characters in the book, and I loved the different ways she thinks about them. She's a deep and complex character with her own agenda. Dulley also creates a wonderful cast of characters, all of whom you care about in one way or another.

This is an epic masterpiece. I can't recommend it highly enough!

[Gemma McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]


Orry has grown up to be a con woman, her father is the best Con man in the quadrant. There marks are the rich and ruling family of the Ascendancy, between Orry, her father and brother Ethan they run elaborate heist and con, than they disappear without a trace.
Normally they disappear without a trace, but Orry goes off script and takes pendant as part payment for an item. Than the buyer who happened to be the Counts Grandson ends up murdered, and everyone thinks she is the murderer. It turns out the pendant was crafted by an ancient race of "people" who disappeared aeons aeon taking all their knowledge with them.
But several people are after this pendant and this places Orry in a very dangerous situation. Now with the reluctant help of Jurgen Mender and his ageing spaceship, Orry will have to put he all her skills to the test, and make some hard decisions that could help prove her innocence and maybe even save some lives.

It took me a little bit for me to understand the world of Shattermoon, as they is a lot going on, but a couple fo chapter in everything clicked and I was hooked. This book builds and builds with so much action that it kept me entertained to the very end.
The relationship of the character reminded me a bit of Supernatural, Orry and her brother are brought into the family business, by the father after the mother died. Orry is the natural con women, where Ethan is the techy smart one. Mender is a smart, grumpy and resourceful which reminds me a little of bobby.
Orry is a con-woman but she is very honest, she is a person that talks before she thinks, although to try hard to think before speaking when on a con.. I like the blunt honesty between Orry and Mender especially  towards the end half of the book  as the hash word hide the fact they like each other.
I LOVE the Dainty Jane, think of KITT the car in Knightrider but a thousand times better, I would love to have a prequel about the Danity Jane.
This book has;
Cons
Talking Space Ship
Romance (a little)
Space Pirates
Epic Space fight
Strong Female lead
Great banter between characters
If you like any of these elements, I would pick up Shattermoon.
I can't wait to see what happens next.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5

Thank to Jo Fletcher Books for sending me a copy of the book for a fair and honest review, and letting me on the blog tour.


[L. Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is crazy.

The copy I read is only 433 pages long, yet enough seemed to happen to fill a book twice that long. Though a faster-than-light pace can just as easily overwhelm a reader as it can excite them, Shattermoon just about pulls this feat off, and twisted in so many unexpected directions it was impossible to get bored.

The plot begins with Orry Kent, her brother Ethan, and their father engaged in a covert mission to sell an expensive book to an aristocrat. When the aristocrat fails to deliver full payment, Orry demands a necklace that’s piqued her interest. It turns out, of course, that this necklace is actually something else entirely; a powerful artefact of unknown quality that is coveted by a number of violent, criminal factions. Now that Orry has it in her possession, she’s drawn the focus of these factions onto herself and her family.

Aside from this, Orry also has to contend with being at the centre of a manhunt after the aristocrat she dealt with is violently murdered and she’s considered the prime suspect. There’s also the involvement of an aggressive alien race and a couple of encounters with the overseer of a vast criminal network, both of whom are interested in Orry’s necklace, as well as a couple of visits to the titular Shattermoon itself.

What stood out most to me were the characters and the way they interacted with one another. The unlikely friendship forged between Orry and Jurgen Mender, an old loner mercenary-type who reluctantly takes the girl in, is a particular highlight. The unconventional father-figure is a trope I’ve seen plenty of times before, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Also along for the ride is Harry, who is set-up as a foppish, clueless aristocrat, but who soon shows himself to be far more capable and courageous. Mender’s ship, Dainty Jane, also features as a character and establishes herself as, of all things, a pacifist.

The only real issue I had with the book was in regards to its frenetic pace. I feel like it might have benefited from being a bit longer—to allow for time between the action—or for reserving certain plot points for later books, if only to explore them in more detail and dedicate more time to them.

Needless to say, though, I’ll definitely be reading the sequel, and any future books Dulley writes.

[WyrmbergSabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining ride through space, filled with great world building, entertaining characters, moments of real peril and a huge intergalactic war looming.
Orry is a fun character to lead us into this new world, spunky, bright and yet flawed and still learning. She works with her father and brother pulling cons on the rich people in this world, only this time, they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she finds herself hunted and also the hunter.
The supporting characters are nicely fleshed out with Mender and Jane getting the lion's share of the attention, making you feel for them and when moments of peril do crop up, and this is not a nice universes, I felt for their safety.
Shattermoon is a place in this universe that has links to another race and some seriously superior tech, and considering some of he first aid going on, that's saying something. I'm not certain why it's the focus of the title, but it's a very cool place.
This is the first in a series, with the next one due out April 2019, so I haven't long to wait.
Very enjoyable, good scifi space opera drama and some seriously fun characters.

[Ben Jeapes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, this is space opera like mum used to write. The wit, exuberance and moral laxity of the Stainless Steel Rat; the scale, variety, consistent physics and civilisation-threatening perils of Alastair Reynolds. Golden Age sf updated for the modern reader. The opening chapter could have been the setting for one of Slippery Jim diGriz’s little ventures: the (female) hero is at a high society ball on a Ruritanian galactic empire type planet, planning a heist along with her dad and brother. It goes at first distractingly, then horribly wrong, and by the end of the book she is preventing a xenocidal war between species. She got there by a non-stop stream of events which, in a lesser book, would have dried up long ago as the author decided okay, she’s had enough. Not here.

And it has a well worked out, logical, consistent ftl system whose constraints can be worked into the plot, as any good space opera should. The first thing to do before executing a jump is to go through the pre-jump checklist. How can you not like that touch?

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dominic Dulley’s SF thriller (the first in a series) is billed as HUSTLE meets FIREFLY but while the SF concepts are interesting (especially relating to spaceships and space warfare), the plot was far too predictable, I was unconvinced by the aristocratic societal structure and the dialogue lacks zing and while Orry is an inexperienced grifter, that doesn’t explain the daft choices she makes in the book or her naivety when convenient to the plot.

[Stephen Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fast-paced space-opera, with heists, rust bucket spaceships on dangerous missions chased by horrible government space navies, ancient alien artefacts, and a brutal wounding scene in it that will have every man crossing their legs. Really, this delivers what it says on the tin... Orry the no nonsense female lead spars and wins through. The first in a trilogy.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not bad. The plot was a little too convenient in places, and there was quite a bit of regurgitation of space opera tropes, but it kept moving, and kept me turning the page...

[Margaret Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this traditional sci-fi novel more than any I’ve read for years, will definitely search out the next one.

[Robert Harkess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent bit of space-opera, with great potential for expansion into a series. Look forward to seeing more from this person.

[Adam Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant fast paced constantly action packed book. highly reccomend to anyone. Could not put it down and will read the rest of the long game series

[Tim Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this. I'm not going to say it's high fiction, but it's fun, and fast - and I didn't stop reading quickly, to quick to spot any plot holes!

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This review is spoiler-free.

You all know I love a good heist novel, and while I’ve read a fair few fantasy heist books, I don’t think I’ve ever found a science fiction book that fits in this category.  You can only imagine how excited I was to hear about Shattermoon.

I really liked the world of Shattermoon.  I tend to prefer my sci-fi to be gritty and dark, with a clear indication that technology doesn’t make our lives shiny and perfect, and this is exactly what the world Dulley creates is like.  The setting reminded me in many ways of Firefly, a show I absolutely love.  We learn enough about the world to have a good understanding of what’s going on, but are left wanting to explore more.  For me, this is the best strategy for world-building because the reader’s imagination can run wild. The setting that stands out most to me is, unsurprisingly, Shattermoon itself.  What a cool concept! I really love the way Dulley creates his little area of occupied space. The colourful, inventive planets, cities, and ports, along with the startling difference between the wealthy aristocratic class and, well, everyone else, really stood out.  In fact, it is this class difference that really helped make sense of what fuels Orry’s actions and prejudices.

Shattermoon is very much a plot-driven novel rather than a character driven one, which tends to not be my preference.  This book is incredibly fast paced -- it move at breakneck speed and doesn’t let up. The plot is essentially action sequence after action sequence, and all the in-between bits have been trimmed from the novel.  I think this will work for some readers but not for others. The pace is truly relentless and there’s no breathing room. While this style took awhile to adjust to, I do appreciate the speed at which the plot moved.  It makes it a very fast and compelling read, however it does sacrifice some of the character building and world building you get in those ‘cooling off’ moments.

While there is a reasonably sized cast, our two main characters truly stand out.  We spend most of our time with Orry, the protagonist of the story, and I really enjoyed her character.  She’s smart and sassy, but also incredibly clever and good at what she does -- she’s not just a one-note heroine that we can sometimes get in these kinds of stories.  She proves again and again that she’s not only good at what she does, she’s an incredibly capable woman. She has depth and she is flawed, and you really can’t help but love her.  I particularly enjoyed her relationship with Mender and her brother.

Mender is the other character who really stands out in this book.  I love characters like him -- the gruff, grumpy, often older hermit-types who just want to be left alone but are dragged into other people’s messes.  It took me a little while to warm to Mender, which I think is the point, but I really ended up enjoying his story arc in the book.

The characterization for the more secondary characters like Dyas, Harry, and Ethan felt a little flat.  I’d love to have seen more back story and personality from them, particularly Harry, but again that’s because I tend to prefer character driven books.  I think that they function well enough within the story, and I’m hoping to learn more about each of them as the series progresses.

Overall, I really enjoyed Shattermoon.  Although I wish we had stronger character arcs and more fleshed out secondary characters, this was balanced out by good world-building and main characters that you can’t help but root for.  Shattermoon is a fun and fast-paced heist novel with shades of Firefly that would be a perfect summer read.  I’ll definitely be continuing on with this series.

CW: some graphic violence and attempted/threatened sexual assault

[Abstractelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
Úgy gondolom, a legnagyobb átverés áldozata én lettem. Az első fejezetek alapján azt gondoltam, hogy végre itt egy olyan sci-fi kalandregény, ami okosabb, mint amiket eddig olvastam. Biztos voltam benne, hogy egy szórakoztató, izgalmas kötet lesz, ahol csak úgy repülnek az oldalak.

Legalább egy dologban igazam lett: valóban csak úgy repültek az oldalak.

De miért okozott akkora csalódást a Repeszhold?
A kezdeti lelkesedést követően olyan logikai hibák bukkantak elő (a fő történetszál részeként is), amiket nem lehetett nem észrevenni. De nem is ez volt a legnagyobb gondom, hiszen annyi minden beleszuszakolt a szerző a regénybe, hogy legalább egy dolognak lennie kellett volna, ami megmenti a kötetet.

Pontosan ez a túlzsúfoltság volt az egyik fő problémám. A mindösszesen 400 oldalas regényben nem volt egy olyan pillanat sem, amikor lehetőség lett volna feldolgozni az egyes történéseket vagy bepillantást nyerni egy-egy terv kigondolásának folyamatába. Csak el kellett fogadni, hogy a főszereplő kitalált valamit. Ennél már csak az volt fájdalmasabb, hogy ezzel a formulával teljes mértékben kiszámíthatóvá vált a cselekmény. (Mert amúgy a fordulatoknak is megvolt a maga helye.)

A túlzsúfoltság és repetitív jelleg mellett továbbra rontotta az élményt, hogy a főszereplő, Orry, végig úgy volt reklámozva, mint egy született tehetség, közben pedig teljes mértékben inkompetens volt. Hibát hibára halmozott, rossz döntéseket hozott, stb. Ettől számomra hiteltelenné vált a regény.

Ezek után két tényező mentette meg valamelyest a regény. Az egyik, hogy egy űropera, és legalább kikapcsolódhattam olvasás közben. (Bár jó lett volna kicsit jobban megismerni ezt a világot.) A másik pedig a szereplők, akik egyénileg kedvelhetők voltak. Komolyan, ha egyénileg dolgozott volna mindenki, remekül ellettem volna, mert nem kellett volna átélnem azt a sok-sok izzadtságszagú párbeszédet, indokolatlan kapcsolatokat és irracionális érzelmeket. Egyénileg mindenkinek izgalmas élettörténete volt, és annyira jó lett volna, ha több időt töltött volna az író ezeknek a kibontásával.

Mindent összevetve számomra csalódás volt ez a regény, s nem is fogom folytatni a sorozatot. Ugyanakkor azok számára, akik nálam jobban szeretik a nagyon pörgős, cselekményközpontú regényeket, lehet, hogy pozitívabb élmény lesz ez a kötet.

[Selby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun ride through space, with cons, heists, McGuffins, and space battles. Characters were entertaining, it’s pretty brutal to them, I winced more than once.

[Matthew Sampson]

I hoped to enjoy Shattermoon but couldn't get past the shock-value violence, meaningless profanity and casual amorality. It is legitimate to write about violence or profanity or amorality but after a few chapters I lost my trust in the story to deal with them critically and constructively.