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Delphi in Space #1
Starship Sakira
What would you do if you found a spaceship? Would you call the government, would you pretend you never saw it, or would you keep it a secret? What would you do with it? Use it to gallivant around the galaxy, conquer Earth, get filthy rich, or try to improve life on Earth? Read along and find out how Marc tries to convert Earth into a spacefaring world capable of defending itself and of being united as it meets the other civilizations in the galaxy.
Marc and his crew need to accomplish all this without tipping off the U.S. government and before the Paraxeans come looking for their spaceship. But they have help, the ship's AI is on their side and she's smart. Starship Sakira is the first book in the exciting new adventure series Delphi in Space.
Marc and his crew need to accomplish all this without tipping off the U.S. government and before the Paraxeans come looking for their spaceship. But they have help, the ship's AI is on their side and she's smart. Starship Sakira is the first book in the exciting new adventure series Delphi in Space.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
1986 people are currently reading
3352 people want to read
About the author
Bob Blanton
55 books318 followersBob Blanton has been an avid reader ever since his mother first took him to a library at age five. He has toyed with writing for years since college but was always too busy to start a novel. The "stone series" developed almost by itself as he was trying to sleep on long flights to Asia and Europe. He managed to write it and two follow-on novels while he was working, but never had the time to polish them. After he retired to the beach in Mexico, the only thing that competes with writing is the sound of the ocean and sunsets over the water. Now that he has published his series, he hopes you enjoy reading them as much as he has had writing them. Check back for other books as he continues to ply his new trade.
Now that he has published his series, he hopes you enjoy reading about Matthew and his developing powers as much as he has enjoyed writing about them.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
October 27, 2025
Too much exposition (aka talking)
I like the concept but nothing happens in the book without it being said aloud by a character... Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, that happens is explained through dialogue (with occasional internal monologue). There's no world building, the characters are cliche, going fast beyond the usual YA troupes. What this book desperately needs is a professional editor and a rewrite. I never wrote bad reviews but I slogged through a quarter of this book and I could go no further. It's clunky to the point of unreadable. I'm not sure why this is getting such high reviews. Like I said, good concept but it's a concept that's been done before and much better.
I like the concept but nothing happens in the book without it being said aloud by a character... Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, that happens is explained through dialogue (with occasional internal monologue). There's no world building, the characters are cliche, going fast beyond the usual YA troupes. What this book desperately needs is a professional editor and a rewrite. I never wrote bad reviews but I slogged through a quarter of this book and I could go no further. It's clunky to the point of unreadable. I'm not sure why this is getting such high reviews. Like I said, good concept but it's a concept that's been done before and much better.
July 31, 2020
Legitimately one of the worst books I've ever read. They find a spaceship, then nothing happens. They spent more time cheating at paintball with super advanced alien tech than anything else. Fucking paintball. All they do is talk to each other about nothing that matters, there is no character development, no plot progression, just slice of life about wasting time and risking exposure instead of using the ship that can conquer the earth to establish a foothold. I honestly don't understand how this book has such high ratings, it's like all of the reviewers have only ever read 100 year old documentaries and found this fictional doc with a space ship at the start to be the height of entertainment.
December 14, 2020
Sexist, juvenile, and boring.
We have to wait many pages to discover that one of the major male characters is missing an eye, but every female character is immediately described by her height, weight and age. This book doesn't even attempt to describe meaningful dialog between the female characters. The dialog
fails the Bechdel test in every single regard. Like Hindenburg level failure. I'm a man and I can't stand it, and cannot believe any self respecting woman would be able to suffer more than a few pages.
The military descriptions are as unbelievable as they are pedestrian. The author seems to be more familiar with paintball than with actual small unit tactics. Naval jargon and terminology is laughably wrong in places.
The author needs to spend more time considering character development, such as who the interesting and important character actually are, or should be, than in the endless internal dialog of the most uninteresting characters.
If you have an actual alien in your book you should probably do more to describe them than simply saying they look kind of like a race from Star Trek. You might also consider making such a potentially interesting character more than a poor substitute for a Shakespearean Chorus dialog.
We have to wait many pages to discover that one of the major male characters is missing an eye, but every female character is immediately described by her height, weight and age. This book doesn't even attempt to describe meaningful dialog between the female characters. The dialog
fails the Bechdel test in every single regard. Like Hindenburg level failure. I'm a man and I can't stand it, and cannot believe any self respecting woman would be able to suffer more than a few pages.
The military descriptions are as unbelievable as they are pedestrian. The author seems to be more familiar with paintball than with actual small unit tactics. Naval jargon and terminology is laughably wrong in places.
The author needs to spend more time considering character development, such as who the interesting and important character actually are, or should be, than in the endless internal dialog of the most uninteresting characters.
If you have an actual alien in your book you should probably do more to describe them than simply saying they look kind of like a race from Star Trek. You might also consider making such a potentially interesting character more than a poor substitute for a Shakespearean Chorus dialog.
December 28, 2019
The author has potential if he would bother to learn to write properly. The story has potential but is ruined by the bad writing.
Don't buy the book if you like we'll written prose with good world building. A perfect example of what is wrong with self publishing.
You can't see or imagine the world as the author tells you what is going on. The only saving grace is that it is set in our world so he doesn't need to do much but fails at that.
Don't buy the book if you like we'll written prose with good world building. A perfect example of what is wrong with self publishing.
You can't see or imagine the world as the author tells you what is going on. The only saving grace is that it is set in our world so he doesn't need to do much but fails at that.
January 6, 2020
This is one of those books which was sci-fi and kept my interest throughout so I found it quite interesting. I liked Caite - She was my favourite character in the book! I enjoyed her scenes a lot. I however felt there were way too many dialogues - which could work for other readers.
I also like the storyline - it was very well developed! I would have preferred an element of emotional connection with someone but it’s ok. The plot was good to keep me invested!
I also like the storyline - it was very well developed! I would have preferred an element of emotional connection with someone but it’s ok. The plot was good to keep me invested!
September 15, 2020
Waste of time
If I start something I will finish it if at all possible. That's the only reason I finished this. This book may be a good read for someone 15 years old but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
If I start something I will finish it if at all possible. That's the only reason I finished this. This book may be a good read for someone 15 years old but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
December 26, 2019
Starship Sakira poses a question that may sound simple but whose implications reach deep into the core of human existentialism: What would you do if you found a spaceship?
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! The story was interesting to follow, and I liked the quirky characters. However, the writing was quite dialogue-heavy and did tell more than it showed, and the ending came too abruptly to allow for adequate closure. I will, nonetheless, check out the next book in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! The story was interesting to follow, and I liked the quirky characters. However, the writing was quite dialogue-heavy and did tell more than it showed, and the ending came too abruptly to allow for adequate closure. I will, nonetheless, check out the next book in the series.
April 9, 2020
I think this was a 3 star series, but out of respect of fellow authors I don't like rating below a 4.
I have read the whole series 1-5 up to this point.
The series overall so far 1-5 has been mildly interesting and has held my attention. My fav person in the series is Catie - hands down.
If I had to boil this books down to as few words as possible. I'd say : Lazy River
- Its cool, its different, and mildly entertaining.
There are some technical issues with known physics in the writing such as going Mach 5 at sea level and not burning up to a crisp as the hull would be about 1500 degrees c. But its sci fi right gotta just go with it. Can only go those speeds where the air is much thinner, without a plasma trail flowing behind you.
My real issue with the series are two things.
#1 - You can tell the writer has never read a book on how to write great books, because almost nothing bad ever happens to the main people in the story. You'll never think to your self, how are they going to make it? There are some books in this series where I asked myself...where is the action in this thing? Is the whole book going to be like this? When it FINALLY does happen, its over so.. so quickly. Great books are about overcoming the impossible - Lord Valdermort, Aliens, Surviving the un-survivable.
These books are about overcoming 'building' challenges, engineers will love it. Normal ppl not so much.
Book 1 - Earning money and Technology development.
Book 2 - Building a floating city in international waters
Book 3 - Building an airport, tech and recruitment
Book 4 - Nation building and more infrastructure
Book 5 - Building the space station, and a wee bit of action.
We know there is going to be a confrontation with ... other ppl in the future. ( Trying not to spoil) but that could be several books away at this pace.
#2 I'd say... over half of the words in books four and five are simply.. Meetings and tours. - Yawn. Character development took a back seat in book 3 moving forward. There's no interpersonal drama, or issues. Everyone is happy, perfect and working at the best job and with the best bosses and best coworkers. Might as well write about Cinderella and get it over with.
There's a tremendous amount of potential in the series. I wish we were neighbors, we could bounce ideas off each other and cook BBQ, not in the stars I suppose.
In conclusion - The series has played with my imagination. Also, I was able to put myself in the series and not many writers can do that. In the words of the oracle "You've got the gift, but it seems like your waiting for something." If I met someone who loves to read, I'd suggest this series. If I met someone who likes to read two books a year. Keep looking and if your still reading this review, you might as well read the series, its much more entertaining.
I have read the whole series 1-5 up to this point.
The series overall so far 1-5 has been mildly interesting and has held my attention. My fav person in the series is Catie - hands down.
If I had to boil this books down to as few words as possible. I'd say : Lazy River
- Its cool, its different, and mildly entertaining.
There are some technical issues with known physics in the writing such as going Mach 5 at sea level and not burning up to a crisp as the hull would be about 1500 degrees c. But its sci fi right gotta just go with it. Can only go those speeds where the air is much thinner, without a plasma trail flowing behind you.
My real issue with the series are two things.
#1 - You can tell the writer has never read a book on how to write great books, because almost nothing bad ever happens to the main people in the story. You'll never think to your self, how are they going to make it? There are some books in this series where I asked myself...where is the action in this thing? Is the whole book going to be like this? When it FINALLY does happen, its over so.. so quickly. Great books are about overcoming the impossible - Lord Valdermort, Aliens, Surviving the un-survivable.
These books are about overcoming 'building' challenges, engineers will love it. Normal ppl not so much.
Book 1 - Earning money and Technology development.
Book 2 - Building a floating city in international waters
Book 3 - Building an airport, tech and recruitment
Book 4 - Nation building and more infrastructure
Book 5 - Building the space station, and a wee bit of action.
We know there is going to be a confrontation with ... other ppl in the future. ( Trying not to spoil) but that could be several books away at this pace.
#2 I'd say... over half of the words in books four and five are simply.. Meetings and tours. - Yawn. Character development took a back seat in book 3 moving forward. There's no interpersonal drama, or issues. Everyone is happy, perfect and working at the best job and with the best bosses and best coworkers. Might as well write about Cinderella and get it over with.
There's a tremendous amount of potential in the series. I wish we were neighbors, we could bounce ideas off each other and cook BBQ, not in the stars I suppose.
In conclusion - The series has played with my imagination. Also, I was able to put myself in the series and not many writers can do that. In the words of the oracle "You've got the gift, but it seems like your waiting for something." If I met someone who loves to read, I'd suggest this series. If I met someone who likes to read two books a year. Keep looking and if your still reading this review, you might as well read the series, its much more entertaining.
January 4, 2020
Wish fulfillment story
This is an example of what I've taken to calling 'wish fulfillment writing.' The characters are gifted a metaphorical magic want for solving all their problems. The writing flowed, but it's not the kind of story I enjoy. If you do, have at.
Two brothers, one of them a genius, the other a war hero, find an alien starship while out diving. Evidently the Captain was assassinated by a First Mate intending nefarious deeds, and everyone was put into quarantine suspended animation and the system declared off limits by the ship's doctor, who somehow engineers it so that one of the brothers becomes the ship's captain, able to command the genie aka ship's computer. To say this strained my suspension of disbelief would be an understatement - did the ship's builders imagine a scenario where the Captain goes off the deep end - but not one where the ship's doctor does? I'm aware of real world procedures whereby a ship's doctor can remove someone from command as medically unfit, but not one where the ship's doctor can bestow command on someone who's not even an official crew member, nor even a member of that civilization. And those procedures can be applied in case the doctor goes off the rails, as well.
Once given the magic technology from the ship, no technological challenge is not defeated by it. There's even a Wesley Crusher-type character. An easy read, but I found it unsatisfying.
This is an example of what I've taken to calling 'wish fulfillment writing.' The characters are gifted a metaphorical magic want for solving all their problems. The writing flowed, but it's not the kind of story I enjoy. If you do, have at.
Two brothers, one of them a genius, the other a war hero, find an alien starship while out diving. Evidently the Captain was assassinated by a First Mate intending nefarious deeds, and everyone was put into quarantine suspended animation and the system declared off limits by the ship's doctor, who somehow engineers it so that one of the brothers becomes the ship's captain, able to command the genie aka ship's computer. To say this strained my suspension of disbelief would be an understatement - did the ship's builders imagine a scenario where the Captain goes off the deep end - but not one where the ship's doctor does? I'm aware of real world procedures whereby a ship's doctor can remove someone from command as medically unfit, but not one where the ship's doctor can bestow command on someone who's not even an official crew member, nor even a member of that civilization. And those procedures can be applied in case the doctor goes off the rails, as well.
Once given the magic technology from the ship, no technological challenge is not defeated by it. There's even a Wesley Crusher-type character. An easy read, but I found it unsatisfying.
April 26, 2022
A very good read, in a really enjoyable series.
January 24, 2022
Adventure! And problem solving.
ie, you have a bit of money, and need to acquire an ungodly amount in a couple of months. Legally.
How would you go about it? Find out here.
These books are addictive. I just the first 4 back to back.
ie, you have a bit of money, and need to acquire an ungodly amount in a couple of months. Legally.
How would you go about it? Find out here.
These books are addictive. I just the first 4 back to back.
December 30, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A scientist discovers a spaceship, and is chosen to take command. He's got to prepare the Earth for the coming of the aliens. He and his family have to figure out how to do this without being taken over by governments or corporations.
Not bad, although the genius twelve year old girl gets to be a little much.
A scientist discovers a spaceship, and is chosen to take command. He's got to prepare the Earth for the coming of the aliens. He and his family have to figure out how to do this without being taken over by governments or corporations.
Not bad, although the genius twelve year old girl gets to be a little much.
January 3, 2020
Starship Sakira is an excellently written Sci-Fi about a man, Marc, who finds a spaceship while testing out a sonar technology he was hoping to commercialize. Obviously, finding a spaceship changes his plans a little and he ends up putting together a team to help him use the spaceship's technology. It was so refreshing to see the focus being placed on using this alien tech to better humanity and trying to find ways to do that. I also found the inclusion of his (very clever!) 12 year-old daughter a refreshing and excellent choice. She adds a great dynamic to the team and stops it from being all blazing guns and espionage all the time. She's a very well-written character along with her father Marc and his brother.
The story went into a lot of detail on almost every step of their journey and at the beginning I found this good, but then eventually there were a few very lengthy and drawn-out situations like a very long chapter about a few paintball games and a few lengthy battles which I personally didn't need to see so much detail on! However, someone who's more a fan of action movies/books and thrillers and millitary-type stuff will probably really appreciate them. And even though those battles dragged a bit for me personally I still found them very well-written and the strategy in them well-thought-out.
This is the first book in a long series which I am very interested in reading the rest of. It's still it's own complete story with its own focus and a satisfying resolution to that mini-problem so even if you don't think you want to get into a whole long series I still highly recommend checking out this book!
A couple of other reviewers mentioned that this was not a character driven book or that it lacked good characterization somehow. I don't agree. I think, especially with Catie, that there were emotional stakes and character moments in the book. It doesn't focus on emotions, really, doesn't show us the characters' inner thoughts. It's not that kind of book. And I don't think it has to be. If I was writing an action scene or a book like this I would certainly focus more on the emotion, because that's the kind of style and focus that I'm interested in exploring, but I certainly don't think every book has to do that. The author sets out to tell a certain story and show us the events and strategies involved and he does so successfully in his own style.
I highly recommend this book. I'm giving it a 4 - maybe more of a 4.5 star - rating for now, but I suspect that once I read the rest of the series this rating might go up to a solid 5. So go read it and enjoy!
The story went into a lot of detail on almost every step of their journey and at the beginning I found this good, but then eventually there were a few very lengthy and drawn-out situations like a very long chapter about a few paintball games and a few lengthy battles which I personally didn't need to see so much detail on! However, someone who's more a fan of action movies/books and thrillers and millitary-type stuff will probably really appreciate them. And even though those battles dragged a bit for me personally I still found them very well-written and the strategy in them well-thought-out.
This is the first book in a long series which I am very interested in reading the rest of. It's still it's own complete story with its own focus and a satisfying resolution to that mini-problem so even if you don't think you want to get into a whole long series I still highly recommend checking out this book!
A couple of other reviewers mentioned that this was not a character driven book or that it lacked good characterization somehow. I don't agree. I think, especially with Catie, that there were emotional stakes and character moments in the book. It doesn't focus on emotions, really, doesn't show us the characters' inner thoughts. It's not that kind of book. And I don't think it has to be. If I was writing an action scene or a book like this I would certainly focus more on the emotion, because that's the kind of style and focus that I'm interested in exploring, but I certainly don't think every book has to do that. The author sets out to tell a certain story and show us the events and strategies involved and he does so successfully in his own style.
I highly recommend this book. I'm giving it a 4 - maybe more of a 4.5 star - rating for now, but I suspect that once I read the rest of the series this rating might go up to a solid 5. So go read it and enjoy!
January 6, 2020
This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook.
Obviously the lead in / set up for a series. Not a lot of conflict resolution going on. A bit too much worry by the author on set up. I did not care for the young girl tie-in. No parent would approve. I usually dislike attempts to appeal to the YA by having a juvenile character that is fully an adult in behavioral maturity.
Overall, this book lacks sophistication. It needs a great deal of polishing to captivate me. There is no sense of reality. It is a total fantasy world. I was put off on the technology by the detailed specs on fighter speeds. This is a space ship. The speeds discussed are fine for our current limited technology, but a space fairing culture should be light years beyond what is offered here.
I don't think I will be continuing this series. Have a GoodReads.
Obviously the lead in / set up for a series. Not a lot of conflict resolution going on. A bit too much worry by the author on set up. I did not care for the young girl tie-in. No parent would approve. I usually dislike attempts to appeal to the YA by having a juvenile character that is fully an adult in behavioral maturity.
Overall, this book lacks sophistication. It needs a great deal of polishing to captivate me. There is no sense of reality. It is a total fantasy world. I was put off on the technology by the detailed specs on fighter speeds. This is a space ship. The speeds discussed are fine for our current limited technology, but a space fairing culture should be light years beyond what is offered here.
I don't think I will be continuing this series. Have a GoodReads.
February 3, 2020
Something missing
This should be a great book . Unfortunately, the author forgot Patton's maxim. " no plan survives contact with the enemy" Instead, everything always seems to go smoothly. Any issues not overcome for the heros by the exceptional artificial intelligence, is overcome by perfect teamwork. Sadly it is so lacking in grit that the outcome of an Encyclopedia Brown episode has more mystery. Too bad because it creates a paradox; if it were a little messier , a bit more fubar, it would be less fubar and more appealing because the plot line has direction. As it is, I don't feel compelled to travel with the characters.
This should be a great book . Unfortunately, the author forgot Patton's maxim. " no plan survives contact with the enemy" Instead, everything always seems to go smoothly. Any issues not overcome for the heros by the exceptional artificial intelligence, is overcome by perfect teamwork. Sadly it is so lacking in grit that the outcome of an Encyclopedia Brown episode has more mystery. Too bad because it creates a paradox; if it were a little messier , a bit more fubar, it would be less fubar and more appealing because the plot line has direction. As it is, I don't feel compelled to travel with the characters.
May 16, 2020
Excellent story
This is the first book in this series and boy am I glad I found it. The writing is excellent and the characters are very well written and the story Is so intriguing. ENJOY
This is the first book in this series and boy am I glad I found it. The writing is excellent and the characters are very well written and the story Is so intriguing. ENJOY
March 7, 2021
I just blew through all the books in this series (1-9 as I’m certain more are coming). As a result I am doing one review for all the books. The top item is: these books are significantly better than 95% of self-published books. Book one is by far the worst of the series and it is still okay. Book one’s main problem is that it lacks story resolution, something I hate and generally do not forgive. Here, however, the author tells a more character driven story which reduces the need for a firm resolution. In fact another review for book 9 caught my eye and it was complaining about a lack action, something I would typically complain about as well but did not even consider as the development of the characters was fascinating.
After book one the author uses a recipe: resolve main story but end on a teaser for the next book. Personally I find using teasers a bad idea as it distracts from the story just told. It also seems to me that a truly competent author would not require teasers as readers would come back for more without them. Oddly enough I am reminded of Lilian Jackson Braun’s “Cat Who” series. It was also character driven and yet she never felt the need to end one of her books with a teaser for the next book (and I read this entire series even though I am not a mystery reader).
Bottom line: good, enjoyable books.
After book one the author uses a recipe: resolve main story but end on a teaser for the next book. Personally I find using teasers a bad idea as it distracts from the story just told. It also seems to me that a truly competent author would not require teasers as readers would come back for more without them. Oddly enough I am reminded of Lilian Jackson Braun’s “Cat Who” series. It was also character driven and yet she never felt the need to end one of her books with a teaser for the next book (and I read this entire series even though I am not a mystery reader).
Bottom line: good, enjoyable books.
July 5, 2021
Human rubber head aliens and wish-fulfillment fantasy. And 12-year-old genius that is way too mature. I heard it's a more liberal version of A Learning Experience by Christopher G. Nuttall which I gave not so glowing review too, I don't agree. It's blandly apolitical which is why it gets one more star and benifit of the doubt it will get better.
August 5, 2021
Love the story, but….
I really like the plot line and the way the story is going. Th writing is a little basic and very straight forward which is not something I love, but I want to see where this all goes
I really like the plot line and the way the story is going. Th writing is a little basic and very straight forward which is not something I love, but I want to see where this all goes
March 7, 2022
DNF at 60%. This is a highly-rated book and series, so obviously, I’m not seeing what others are. You say tomato; I say tomato. (huh?) I do think that Starship Sakira belongs in the “Young adult” category more than “Science fiction” because of the level of writing and content.
The unique thing about this book is the writing style. It’s almost all dialogue. There’s very little description of people, places, etc to go along with that dialogue. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad idea. But the problem: The content of the quoted discussions isn’t very interesting...in fact, it’s often really mundane. For example, there’s a chapter on the characters playing paintball. (shrug)
The cherry on top: Lead character Marc has a 12 year-old daughter who is a precocious “genius”. Man, that’s not good. I don't like 1 bill-star reviews. But there are too many scenes like the one below that, inexplicably, details every nuance of the characters ordering coffee. (ha, coffee emoji)
QOTD
“Anybody want some coffee?” Catie asked as she made her way into the lounge.
Everyone but Sally held their hand up.
“Espresso or just Kona roast?”
“Double espresso,” Faye said.
“Double espresso latte if you can,” Jackie said. Melinda seconded that.
“Coming up,” Catie replied. “Sally, we have orange juice, pineapple juice, and milk.”
“I’ll have milk,” Sally replied.
“Whole or skim?”
“Skim,” Melinda answered for Sally.
- ordering coffee, Starship Sakira
"Whole or skim?" Good lord. Not a good read.
thanks...yow, bill
April 25, 2022
I liked the premise but there's too much talking! I'm planning to read the next in the series!
May 3, 2020
I think my actual rating would be 4.5. For a rating of 5, for me, it would need a little something extra that I know what it is when I see it. It's not quite good enough or unique enough, to me. Then again, it's not trying to be. It's trying to be an entertaining read--and it succeeds brilliantly at that. I read this on Kindle Fire over time and finished yesterday. I bought the second book and expect to read them all. I was unfamiliar with this author and got the book on a whim because it sounded like it might be interesting. I had no idea of what to expect. Even so, I was very pleasantly delighted. Just before this I started a different book that I gave up on after a few pages because I found the writing to be too clumsy to be enjoyable. The writing in this book is excellent! Not from a literary point of view, but from the drag-you-into-the-story-and-make-you-want-keep-reading point of view. This take place on Earth and I prefer my sf to be set in space. Didn't bother me at all. The story was entertaining, I liked the characters. Be prepared, there is a 12 year old girl, daughter of another one of the main characters, who does not come across as a 12 year old. She's only 12 biologically. Brilliant, maybe genius, and advanced for her age in some ways, but not in others. She is a key player. The main protagonist develops a new sonar technology that he wants to market. The government declares it something they want to keep secret for national security and buys him out. While diving he stumbled onto a spaceship in a cave and its AI decides he should be its captain as all its crew are still in stasis and will be for years. He decides he could slowly release some of the advanced technology to better life on earth. It's because he thinks like that that the AI decides to make him captain. The story is about how he goes about trying to do that. He has to gather some people he can trust. He has to avoid governments and corporations that would steal the technology. Criminals who would do the same. The first book is about trying to get the money together to get started. The problems, situations, and people seem plausible to me. The actions and solutions to achieve the goals are not obvious or usual. I highly recommend this book, and eagerly look forward to reading the next book in the series.
December 27, 2019
If you enjoyed Clive Cussler’s early novels, you’ll love this one. Marc McCormick discovers a spaceship under the Pacific Ocean. The crew is in stasis due to an artificial quarantine, and the alien AI determines that Marc has the knowledge, skills, and disposition to become the new captain of the ship. Changes are coming to Earth, and Marc must prepare its inhabitants for contact.
The first 10% of the book is Marc’s exploration of the technical aspects of the space ship and its capabilities. Technical/scientific detail is one of the author’s strengths. Blanton applies it liberally throughout the read in a variety of topics, which increases the plausibility of the action. It may be more than most readers need, but it isn’t boring, and it makes sense that Marc would have a tech foundation based on the role the aliens intend him to play.
This is a plot-driven read more than a character-driven one. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t great characters. Marc assembles a diverse team, and the main characters are well-rounded, distinct, consistent, and engaging. The team includes Marc’s precocious/genius 12-year old daughter who basically runs the show in terms of solutions. Dialog is superb.
As a plot-driven novel, there isn’t a focus on the feelings of the pov characters, so readers looking for emotional realism won’t find it. Some pretty intense stuff happens – finding a spaceship, a suspected drowning, a kidnapping, etc. – and the characters are quite “ho-hum” about it. The action reflects their urgency, but not their feelings.
That said, the action is non-stop, visual, and well-written. The pace is flawless. The writing is well-edited and clean. The plot is coherent with tantalizing teasers about challenges to come in the rest of the series. The end of this book is satisfying, but also leaves the reader with a giant hook for the next book. Clearly this story is going to take the readers on a developing adventure. Highly recommended for sci-fi and action/adventure fans.
The first 10% of the book is Marc’s exploration of the technical aspects of the space ship and its capabilities. Technical/scientific detail is one of the author’s strengths. Blanton applies it liberally throughout the read in a variety of topics, which increases the plausibility of the action. It may be more than most readers need, but it isn’t boring, and it makes sense that Marc would have a tech foundation based on the role the aliens intend him to play.
This is a plot-driven read more than a character-driven one. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t great characters. Marc assembles a diverse team, and the main characters are well-rounded, distinct, consistent, and engaging. The team includes Marc’s precocious/genius 12-year old daughter who basically runs the show in terms of solutions. Dialog is superb.
As a plot-driven novel, there isn’t a focus on the feelings of the pov characters, so readers looking for emotional realism won’t find it. Some pretty intense stuff happens – finding a spaceship, a suspected drowning, a kidnapping, etc. – and the characters are quite “ho-hum” about it. The action reflects their urgency, but not their feelings.
That said, the action is non-stop, visual, and well-written. The pace is flawless. The writing is well-edited and clean. The plot is coherent with tantalizing teasers about challenges to come in the rest of the series. The end of this book is satisfying, but also leaves the reader with a giant hook for the next book. Clearly this story is going to take the readers on a developing adventure. Highly recommended for sci-fi and action/adventure fans.
February 19, 2020
This is one of the rare DID NOT FINISH for me. I gave it a try for over 25%, but it was slow and boring and simply not realistic to me. A scientist discovers a spaceship hidden in an underwater cave. He is chosen based on his responses as being a good guy to be the captain, by an AI. His ex-pilot brother is excited by the fighters it carries, and his 12 year old daughter discovers the big secret. The AI conversation in regards to the specifics of the fighter took up pages and bored me. A parent bringing their 12-year old daughter who sounds like she is 20 into the big secret is unbelievable. The medical doctor has left a series of messages for the new captain on a time released basis. The story hadn't moved past this point and I was a quarter of the way through with many more book listed in the series.
All are KU, which is why I borrowed the 1st one, to see if I liked it enough to want to read the series. I have 1 more month of free KU on my account and there are many books I know I want to read, so couldn't see wasting my time on this one.
All are KU, which is why I borrowed the 1st one, to see if I liked it enough to want to read the series. I have 1 more month of free KU on my account and there are many books I know I want to read, so couldn't see wasting my time on this one.
April 11, 2020
Blanton has a clear vision of what could happen if a pair of super stud brothers, who happen to both be geniuses and military gods, found a spaceship. While sifting through his views on how this could proceed and the goals that they would set to save humanity, I was left with boredom because the main characters were all Superman. They were too smart, too tough, too tactically competent and when you throw in his obsession with having a 12-year old daughter outperform everyone else all the time....well, I got bored. I finished the book and I tried to decide if trying the next book would be worth the effort.....but as an Adult I was really not interested in reading about a 12 year old learning to fly a G6.
Blanton's editors should be scolded. A good idea with no tension/excitement because everything is going to be Awesome!
Blanton's editors should be scolded. A good idea with no tension/excitement because everything is going to be Awesome!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2020
It's entirely unclear to me what this story is supposed to be about. We have a bunch of disconnected scenes that don't really advance the plot much, or coalesce into much of a story. I assume they are supposed to demonstrate our character development, but they just seem to provide an opportunity for lots of stilted and awkward dialog. The alien ship is set up as some sort of central plotline with an underlying mystery that could be interesting, but doesn't really play any role other than supporting some overpowered main characters.
I was disappointed given the large number of positive reviews... maybe I'm just the wrong audience (in a plot filled with unrealism and fantasy, I found the Disney World interlude the most unrealistic... it's basically impossible to buy a day-of ticket and get fast passes to all of the things they claim to have done).
I was disappointed given the large number of positive reviews... maybe I'm just the wrong audience (in a plot filled with unrealism and fantasy, I found the Disney World interlude the most unrealistic... it's basically impossible to buy a day-of ticket and get fast passes to all of the things they claim to have done).
September 23, 2020
This is not a book. This is the first draft of a script for a TV show. And oh gawd does it need work.
I love the idea behind this book, but the cringe-worthy and believe-beggaring dialog ("Oh brother, you have "; and yes, I paraphrase, though it is not much better in the original) made me stop in disgust after less than half of the book.
And do not get me started on the physics. Mach 5.6 in the lower atmosphere? Maybe the handwavium in the craft's hull can withstand it, but talk about a sight to die from ...
Oh, and as an aside: there is such a thing as a geosynchronous orbit. And there is such a thing as a 500 km orbit. But they are decidedly not the same thing!
I love the idea behind this book, but the cringe-worthy and believe-beggaring dialog ("Oh brother, you have "; and yes, I paraphrase, though it is not much better in the original) made me stop in disgust after less than half of the book.
And do not get me started on the physics. Mach 5.6 in the lower atmosphere? Maybe the handwavium in the craft's hull can withstand it, but talk about a sight to die from ...
Oh, and as an aside: there is such a thing as a geosynchronous orbit. And there is such a thing as a 500 km orbit. But they are decidedly not the same thing!
August 1, 2020
I gave up after 100 pages.
The story begins with the discovery of a huge spaceship in an underwater cave. Really?
Then it proceeds sluggishly with boring technology and irritating writing, for example, it talks about the speed of a spaceship, which is meaningless unless you specify the reference frame; he talks about the famous book "Rise(sic) and Fall of the Roman Empire"; and he uses the ugly ungrammatical phrase "off of". So it is irritating as well as boring. I wonder if the author is scientifically literate, because you should not write SF if you are not.
Another problem is that the central character is 12 years old, making this is a young adult/teenager book as far as I am concerned.
There is much more imaginative and well-written SF than this on the market.
The story begins with the discovery of a huge spaceship in an underwater cave. Really?
Then it proceeds sluggishly with boring technology and irritating writing, for example, it talks about the speed of a spaceship, which is meaningless unless you specify the reference frame; he talks about the famous book "Rise(sic) and Fall of the Roman Empire"; and he uses the ugly ungrammatical phrase "off of". So it is irritating as well as boring. I wonder if the author is scientifically literate, because you should not write SF if you are not.
Another problem is that the central character is 12 years old, making this is a young adult/teenager book as far as I am concerned.
There is much more imaginative and well-written SF than this on the market.
January 3, 2020
Starts out interesting
The story starts out interesting, then a twelve year old child show up and it just started getting weird. Like the ship should have chosen the child instead, but didn’t so why is a child telling the adults what needs to be done. Also, no one would ask the ship, what, about a million questions about it, the people, etc, etc...The characters were not very bright about the tech they were seeing,but the all knowing preteen said it so they needed not ask question. Most of the story was about boat rides and rescuing the preteen. The book was a drama with a space ship and BS climate change tossed in.
The story starts out interesting, then a twelve year old child show up and it just started getting weird. Like the ship should have chosen the child instead, but didn’t so why is a child telling the adults what needs to be done. Also, no one would ask the ship, what, about a million questions about it, the people, etc, etc...The characters were not very bright about the tech they were seeing,but the all knowing preteen said it so they needed not ask question. Most of the story was about boat rides and rescuing the preteen. The book was a drama with a space ship and BS climate change tossed in.
January 3, 2023
1 Star - just… don’t.
DNF at page 74.
Too much unnecessary information, it seems like the author is trying to reach the word count. Examples: full dialogue on how to sign a paper which allows the kid to travel without parents.
Full dialogue ordering coffees.
Also, the whole thing happens via dialogue, there is no ambient description, almost nothing.
So you find a gargantuan spaceship with an IA, what do you do?
You explore it, make questions about the owners, fly it… right? RIGHT? NOOOO! You learn it’s technology to improve human technology and save the earth…. IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE.
Also there is a 13 year old genius…
DNF at page 74.
Too much unnecessary information, it seems like the author is trying to reach the word count. Examples: full dialogue on how to sign a paper which allows the kid to travel without parents.
Full dialogue ordering coffees.
Also, the whole thing happens via dialogue, there is no ambient description, almost nothing.
So you find a gargantuan spaceship with an IA, what do you do?
You explore it, make questions about the owners, fly it… right? RIGHT? NOOOO! You learn it’s technology to improve human technology and save the earth…. IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE.
Also there is a 13 year old genius…
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