Today’s team review is from Lilyn, she blogs at http://www.scifiandscary.com/
Lilyn has been reading Skyjacked by Shirley Golden
Skyjacked was a good effort by Shirley Golden. It was an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t an exciting one. I never got swept up in it. Actually, I felt on a few occasions like I had to force myself to finish it. And that’s not really the reaction this book deserved. But like I said: It was okay. It never thrilled me, but it was competently told.
I think maybe I was expecting too much. “Motley band” “ultimate adventure”, etc, had me expecting something filled to the bursting with wise-cracking wit, impression-leaving characters, and tons of action. There was a good bit of action, but the only character that really stood out to me as interesting was the robot. It took about 65% of the book (Kindle format) before I became adequately invested enough to care about what was going on. I feel like, at that point, no matter how interesting the rest of it is, it’s just a bit lacking.
I do give Shirley Golden props for fleshing out her story with believable bits of history and side notes. I’m ashamed to admit it took me a little too long to realize the Niaz/Nazi thing. On the other hand, that made it into a delightful surprise when I did see it. Like an Easter Egg hidden in the book. I also did enjoy how she was able to pull in a few threads I thought were unconnected in ways I wasn’t expecting. I also enjoyed watching one of the characters get what was coming to him and seeing the other come into herself. I can’t say that I bought all of it, but I bought enough.
I was happy with the ending. I do think she did a great job of picking the perfect ending for this book. Most of the time I’m the person who argues against the type of ending Skyjacked had. However (probably partly because it was unexpected), it worked really well for this book. Actually, the ending was the strongest part of the book. If more of the book had been as well-written as that ending was, I’d have been much happier. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil anything!
Overall, not a bad book, but not an outstanding one. Still, I think most sci-fi readers would enjoy it.
Book Description
Separated from his son, only a galaxy stands between him and home… The year is 2154, and Corvus Ranger, space pilot and captain of the Soliton, embarks on a penal run to Jupiter’s prison moon, Europa. It should be another routine drop, but a motley band of escaped convicts have other ideas. When Soliton is hijacked, Corvus is forced to set a new destination, one which is far from Earth and his son. Unable to fight (or smooth talk) his way to freedom, Corvus finds himself tied to the plans of the escapees, including their leader Isidore and a gifted young boy who seems to possess strange abilities. Desperate to return to Earth and the son he left behind, Corvus is thrown into the ultimate adventure, a star-strewn odyssey where the greatest enemy in the universe may very well be himself.
About the author
Shirley Golden has fiction publications in anthologies and magazines. Some of her stories have won prizes, and many have been shortlisted in competitions. She is a novelist who writes historical fiction and fantasy. Her debut novel, ‘Skyjacked’, a space fantasy, will be published by Urbane Publications in the spring of 2016.
Rosie Amber 