Collision Course (8th Wing #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

May 19, 2011 Alisha rated it really liked it

Shelves: ac-g

Quick Take:
A solid series-starter, this would make for a good first taste of sci-fi romance for fans of paranormal romance. Some very minor personal gripes couldn't keep me from loving this action-filled, steamy romp.

Review:
A new sci-fi romance series is born! This is a great bit of news, since this segment of the romance genre definitely deserves more love and attention, especially given the increased popularity of its sibling paranormal romance. In my view, Collision Course is sci-fi lite—in a Quick Take:
A solid series-starter, this would make for a good first taste of sci-fi romance for fans of paranormal romance. Some very minor personal gripes couldn't keep me from loving this action-filled, steamy romp.

Review:
A new sci-fi romance series is born! This is a great bit of news, since this segment of the romance genre definitely deserves more love and attention, especially given the increased popularity of its sibling paranormal romance. In my view, Collision Course is sci-fi lite—in a good way. It would be a decent segue into its genre from those used to PnR.

This book is aptly named, as it involves the clash between classes, ideologies, and—most specifically—the two main characters. The plot itself is straightforward, with not many asides. The set-up of an epic struggle between corporations 8th Wing and PRAXIS is fun, and carries much potential. It’s pure space opera to the max.

Though there is a good bit of legitimate world-building, the narrative definitely doesn’t hold your hand through visuals. The text is full of what I like to call “nothing words.” Those are science-fiction-sounding wording that ultimately carry no real meaning to the reader; comprehension instead comes from the rest of the sentence, as in “he was as sneaky as a Cormelian sea worm.” But this sometimes happens in science fiction writing, right? One must simply get used to working more actively with the descriptions provided.

I really enjoyed the hero, Kell Frayne. He was intriguing both when serving as the narrative voice, and when being described through the heroine’s head. There’s something rather attractive about the tough and practical yet honorable hero. ^_^ He’s definitely one of the strongest sources of my attachment to the book.

Zoe Archer is quite good at action sequences. My excitement for the book ratcheted up several notches in the third act, where most of the high-octane activity takes place. In that area, the author seems to have a great sense of pacing and tension building.

I must make a small note of one aspect that didn’t thrill me, though. A little bit of the later dialogue felt a bit too trite for my taste. It was discourse between the hero and heroine, too…oh well.

This story is definitely a solid series starter. I’d recommend it to those newer to or unfamiliar with the genre, since its themes are fairly universal and the world built thus far is not too complex. ...more

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Apr 26, 2011 chanceofbooks rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011-read, 2011-keepers, netgalley

Saturday Short Pick of the Week at Cloudy with a Chance of Books 4/30/20011 http://www.chanceofbooks.com

4.5 Stars. If you haven’t read Zoe Archer’s Blades of the Rose series, you are missing out on one of the most unique voices writing Romance today as she really defies genre classification. That particular series is a historical/fantasy/steam punk/paranormal/ultra-sexy blend of pure awesome. Collision Course is a category/long-novella length Sci-Fi Romance which channels the best of TV Space Op Saturday Short Pick of the Week at Cloudy with a Chance of Books 4/30/20011 http://www.chanceofbooks.com

4.5 Stars. If you haven’t read Zoe Archer’s Blades of the Rose series, you are missing out on one of the most unique voices writing Romance today as she really defies genre classification. That particular series is a historical/fantasy/steam punk/paranormal/ultra-sexy blend of pure awesome. Collision Course is a category/long-novella length Sci-Fi Romance which channels the best of TV Space Operas. If you are a fan of Firefly, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and the Star Wars Franchise, but really wish there was more focus on the relationship and some very NC-17 love scenes, then you will absolutely ADORE this book and wish it was three times as long.

Mara Skiren is a space scavenger, eeking out a solitary living on her beloved RV sized ship and trying to stay out of the conflict between the 8th Wing resistance fighters and the PRAXIS quasi-governmental forces. Kell Frayne is one of those pesky 8th Wing pilots who want to disturb Mara’s quiet black market living by drafting her to retrieve an 8th Wing pilot and her plane from the Smoke Quadrant—the hub of the blackmarket smugglers.

Now, one of the reasons why I love to watch Sci-Fi but rarely read it is because of all the vocabulary and strange terms—-it often feels like one needs to pick up a second language just to enjoy a story. A lot of Sci-fi writers seem to delight in giving everything a techy name and in extolling the gadgets and inventions of their imaginations while the story languishes and suffers. Archer avoids this pitfall by keeping a lot of details familiar enough to avoid confusion, using similar sounding names, and keeping the techy speak to a minimum. She’s definitely of the Ron Moore (Battlestar creator) school of Sci-Fi writing and focuses on creating a compelling drama that transcends the Sci-Fi setting.

Archer excels at creating kick-butt heroines of the self-rescuing variety who are skilled at what they do and supremely confident in those skills. Mara knows that she’s an ace pilot, and more importantly, Kell knows it too. His trust in her unique skills, goes against his usual MO, but he trusts his instincts where Mara is concerned, and she doesn’t let him down. She rescues him just as many times as he rescues her. They each get a turn being the hero of this particular tale, which makes the action sequences that much more fun and unpredictable. The two are trapped together on her tiny ship, and Kell also trusts his instincts where his attraction to Mara is concerned. Much hotness ensues. Like the majority of Archer’s heroines, Mara is unabashedly sexual and very much an equal partner in that arena. Both Kell and Mara, however, are blindsided by the emotions that go beyond lust. These emotions also color the action scenes, which are very well done with cinematic overtones. The penultimate fight scene played out like the best action movie climaxes.

If you haven’t read Archer, this quick but meaty tale is a great introduction to her talents, and if you are an Archer fan wondering if you should follow her into this genre, the answer is a resounding YES. The amount of action (not *that* kind, although there is plenty of that too) makes her writing appeal to men and those who don’t read a lot of romance. (I recommended both this and the Blades of the Rose to my father with a mumbled warning about the heat level.) I’m not sure if Archer plans on returning to the 8th Wing amid her other series obligations, but I’d love to see a story for Lieutenant Jur (the kidnapped pilot) and other stories set in this universe. It seems a darn shame to only visit it once. ...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Rachel-RN rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2013

I think this could have been even better if it had been longer and the world(s) more fleshed out. Still, I would recommend for those of us who like sci-fi romance (light). (This is heavy on the romance, light on the tech). I liked what I read and will check out more from this author.

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