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The Caphenon (Chronicles of Alsea, #1)

Fletcher DeLancey

Start date: March 24, 2015

Finish date: August 11, 2015

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Dec 28, 2015 Geo (rain) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-english, lgbt, love, netgalley, fa, science-fiction

"Whatever happened next, Alsea would never be the same. The import of the moment was so immense that she still couldn’t grasp it, and yet she had to. She was the Lancer, and the whole world expected her to lead."

I don't know where to even begin... I just... Wow. I don't think there's anything I didn't like about this book. As someone new to the universe this is set in, I fell in love with the characters, the world, the story and the way it was written. It's so engaging and richly detailed. I didn't want it to end (good to know the other books are already published!).

The story begins when an astrophysicist discovers a very large rocky body close enough to impact his planet, Alsea. As if that wasn't bad enough, imagine his surprise when after close study he realizes it's actually an alien ship. Andira Tal, Lancer of Alsea, in other words: the world's leader, is immediately informed of this and after overcoming her initial shock and realization that they're not alone in the universe, leads a team of Guards to the expected landing site.

There we meet the aliens, led by Captain Ekatya Serrado, who serves the Protectorate, a confederation of planets technologically advanced with common politics. As it turns out, they've actually just saved, though temporarily, Alsea from an attack (sacrificing their own ship, the Caphenon, in the process) and now require the Alsean's help. Even though Alsea is incapable of FTL (faster-than-light) travel and is not seen as technologically advanced, it has something others want and for which they're willing to do anything to conquer, while Lancer Tal will do whatever it takes to protect her planet from that fate.

"We're creating a future where some of us become virtual gods, while others are stuck in the mud."

I really loved the world-building, and getting to know about the politics and the differences in culture and beliefs. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one character: sometimes it's Lancer Tal, others is Captain Serrado, Micah (Tal's most closest ally), and some background characters. I loved this, as it helped me understand each character's motivations and role within the story.

"The warmth shining out of those light eyes made Ekatya think that perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing having her emotions read. It was nice being able to leave things unsaid and know they weren’t unheard."

And I thought it was very interesting that Alseans are emphatic beings (meaning they can feel other people's emotions) and can also temporarily change their sex so either partner can carry and nurse a baby. Also interesting is the fact that they're so reserved about physical touch, even though feeling other people's emotions is pretty intimate to me. :>

Most of the aliens we get to know, such as the lovely Ekatya Serrado, are from Gaia and as the name might imply, are more like 'us': no face ridges, they're non-emphatic, 'gender-locked' and actually speak in terms of hours and years, instead of hanticks, pipticks, tenticks, cycles and so on. :3

"In her confidence that she could see through this sonsales alien all the way to her innermost motivations, it had never occurred to her that the captain might be able to see through her. But they were both warriors, both leaders, both carrying the weight of their decisions."

Speaking of Ekatya, I love that she and Andira are so much alike. They're such complex and interesting characters. Both are strong, smart and put honor and duty above all else. And because of that they aren't afraid to make the hard decisions if it is for the greater good, even if it's not morally just. I loved their friendship and understanding of each other.

There was also a bit of romance, though not between the people I'd have preferred. But it was cute and added a wonderfully emotional feel to the story and the characters. :) (view spoiler)

It's such an entertaining and interesting book that I, as a fan of science fiction, really enjoyed. There's just so much to love for me. Can I consider myself a fan of Ms. DeLancey after just one book? I don't know, but that's how much I liked it!

Book provided by Ylva Publishing (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2017 Lauren rated it it was ok

Shelves: unfinished-abandoned, ff, female-protagonist, series

I really want to like this book. There are a lot of cool ideas here--but that's about it. I'm 30% in, and DeLancey has so far committed two sins of science fiction I consider most egregious:

1) Endless exposition detailing the world she has built, also known as "info dumping". Nearly every aspect of this universe is relayed to the reader through dialogue between characters. So. Much. Dialogue. Now, building entire worlds is hard; a certain amount of exposition is necessary and usually forgivable ...more

1 like · Like · see review