Book Reviews – “Starfire: Shadow Sun Seven” eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Spencer Ellsworth (http://spencerellsworth.com). Mr. Ellsworth has published seven novels. This is the second book in his “Starfire Trilogy”.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set in the far future.
Genetic half-breeds between Humans and Jorians have been created, and now they have risen up as rebels. Their forces have just won their revolution. The primary character of this story is Jaqi, a navigator who is trying to just stay off everyone’s radar and survive. Araskar is a soldier who was with the Rebels, but is now with Jaqi. Both are half-breeds.
Jaqi, Araskar and a small group are on the run from everyone. They hear about a secret being held in the Shadow Sun Seven penal colony and concoct a wild plan to breach the colony, find the secret and spirit it away. Araaskar died during the story told in the prior book, but Jaqi was apparently able to revive him. Now there are several who consider her a savior foretold of in the bible.
The plan is good and holds together for a while, then everything falls apart. Jaqi and those that followed her to Shadow Sun Seven must fight for their lives.
I enjoyed the 6.5 hours I spent reading this 336 page science fiction tale. This sort of reads OK as a standalone book, but it was a big help that I had read the first volume of the trilogy Starfire: A Red Peace. The action with the various characters gets a little chaotic, though overall I like the characters and the plot. I like the cover art. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
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