The premise, essentially “Game of Thrones” meets space-opera, is an exciting one. Sadly, that is all this novel has going for it.

Look, I am not an author, I don’t write professionally, and I don’t particularly like critiquing something that I don’t do. If I hadn’t been given this book from NetGalley to review then I would just say nothing. But since I was given a copy for review, here we go. There is an info-dump prologue which is fine, get the major world-building out of the way. But it is riddled with grammatical errors. Literally, starting on the very first page, there are grammatical errors on every single page of this novel. There are repeatedly sentences that clearly should have started with “The” but they don’t, and other places where a possessive particle (‘s) is clearly needed but is not there. But, also, just simple subject-verb agreement problems. It literally feels like this has not been edited, as these grammatical problems are the kind that a student in high school would notice, and they really are distracting. It makes it really hard to get into a story when the sentences feel broken. In addition to that, the writing itself could really stand from good editing and a critical eye. You get sentences like (and I am paraphrasing from memory, this isn’t an exact quote but very, very close): “Every time he took a breath he felt the great pain in his lungs, which filled with smoke and burned every time he took a breath.” The semantics and syntax feel amateurish, again like there was no one willing to edit this. The dialogue feels like a mixture of bad Braveheart + Renaissance cosplay, trying to sound noble but coming off awkward. Plus, the setting is thousands of years in the future, after all the stars in the universe have gone out and there have been millennia of mixing with various alien races, why and how would this be the kind of language that survives? And why is there a weird, retrograde version of Christianity that sticks around and defines itself against Paganism, of all things? Utter nonsense. So, the writing is bad, both grammatically and stylistically. The world-building has a lot of promise but ultimately doesn’t make sense. And the characters are all flat, two-dimensional stereotypes. Nothing about them is interesting or anything other than what you might expect, and in fact they all lean so heavily on stereotypes that it is almost infuriating to read them, because they are written with a conviction that seems totally unaware of how boring and feckless they all are.

Look, I don’t like trashing someone’s work. I read a lot, including a lot of independent books and first-time authors. I am able to overcome “first novel-itis,” as well as the almost-guaranteed pitfalls of not being able to afford a good editor, and I give as much benefit of the doubt as I can. This novel has big, big ideas. I like the audacity with which it tackles its concepts. I also like that its characters seem genuine in their beliefs. When we get story from the antagonists’ perspectives they seem to believe the nonsense that they’re peddling to the masses, like they’re high on their own supply. That’s an interesting type of antagonist, the kind that actually does believe that what they are doing is the best and only way forward. Relocating court intrigue, prophetical folk-magic/fantasy, and feudal power-hungry melodrama into not just outer space but an outer space that is thousands upon thousands of years evolved from where we are now is an interesting premise and is a great jumping off point. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like the author’s skill in his craft has yet to meet how expansive his imagination is, and he doesn’t seem to have a team around him that can help shape his projects. There is a really good story in here, and an insightful, heavy-handed editor could probably shave at least 100 pages off and clean this up into something fun and exciting. As it is now, though, it is just hard to read, enough so that it wasn’t fun in any way for me. I give two starts because there is a lot of potential here, and big ideas, and I will always find that rewarding and meaningful, even when execution is lacking, but I can’t really recommend this novel as it stands now.


I want to thank the author and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This sci-fi adventure left me on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the mysteries that lie within. The story follows Captain Solomon and his family as they face a dire situation and form an unlikely alliance with the enigmatic Magnus Void and his alien crew. Together, they embark on a perilous mission to unlock the secrets of an Ancient Outpost and fulfill the prophecy that promises the return of light. The story challenged me to ponder the price of hope and the sacrifices one must make in the face of impending doom.

A gripping tale of survival, sacrifice, and the pursuit of redemption. The author skillfully weaves a complex narrative, immersing readers in a world where black holes devour everything in their path. With well-developed characters and a thrilling plot this story kept me engaged from beginning to end.