Melissa’s Review: Tethered Worlds: Unwelcome Star by Gregory Faccone

Tethered Worlds: Unwelcome Star 
written by Gregory Faccone
published by Createspace, 2012

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

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

Did I enjoy this book: It’s dense, and I’ll be honest—I picked it up and put it back down again several times. The story is pretty neat—magic plus tech is always fun—but it was slow going to get to the good bits. I’m not typically one to shy away from a beefy storyline, but this one was just missing something. I can’t fault the writing—it was above average, and the characters and worlds are certainly well developed, so I don’t have an easy answer to why it wasn’t my favorite. You know how sometimes you just can’t get your brain to jive with a book and you’re not sure why? Well, that’s what this was for me. YMMV.

 

Would I recommend it: This book is more of an investment than I was ready for, but if you’re up for a big, complex sci-fi series, I’d give it a whirl.

About the book – from Goodreads:  Jordahk Wilkrest doesn’t think he’s special. The backwater world of his birth has only known peace in his lifetime, and the war is bygone history. Far from its centuries-old stalemate line, Jordahk’s interest is collecting war era technology called “mystic.”

Suddenly, political corruption and the people’s own complacency opens a dreadful door, literally. Their way of life will be no more as the enemy assembles their giant transporting machine in orbit. The Wilkrests valiantly resist, but are unable to thwart the enemy’s designs on land or in orbit. Jordahk is forced to leave his wounded parents and go off-world with his stiff grandfather. They venture far into the dustbin of human space looking for war-era help.

Now Jordahk finds out his family line is a lot more special than he ever knew. Their quest leads to dangerous mystic technology– controllable only by a select few. It’s a wild ride for Jordahk, who has to come to terms with abilities he never knew he had… and their consequences. Can his new shady crewmates stop fighting amongst themselves long enough to overcome the enemy? They must if Jordahk’s parents and his homeworld are to stand any chance.