Saturday, January 21, 2012

Book Review: CassaStar

Before you read this review, I should warn you, I don’t read much science fiction. I read memoir, romance, commercial women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers, suspense, the list could go on, but, well, not much sci/fi. Not my thing, whatever a “thing” is. Anyway, just telling ya up front. But I know the author, Alex J. Cavanaugh, online and for a short time he was letting folks download CassaStar for free, so I did. So, since I’m being upfront with you about how I don’t read much sci/fi, I’ll be upfront about what I thought of CassaStar. I can’t say I liked it.

I can say I really liked it.

Cavanaugh creates a fully developed world with believable characters. You take our world and plop it down in the midst of a war where fighter pilots and their navigators go up against the baddest Star Trek soldiers and you got CassaStar. But it’s not all fighting. Bryon, the main character, is dealing with the loss of his former navigator and not particularly happy about having to work with someone new at a new station. But war is war and he’s one of the best pilots and one of only a very few Cosbolt pilots who can teleport.

Of course, CassaStar is not all war and fighting. There are down times where we get to see the world outside of the war. And there, too, Cavanaugh creates believable, although other-worldly, scenes.

AMAZON
AMAZON UK
AMAZON DE
BARNES AND NOBLE
BOOKS A MILLION
AMAZON’s KINDLE
NOOK

I give CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh a rating of Hel-of-a-Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: I saw all the Star Wars movies. That did not influence my review. I’ve seen some other sci/fi shows on TV, although not recently. Frankly, I can’t get cable out where I live and, unfortunately, regular TV seems to be all cop or lawyer shows or what might be deemed “reality” shows like American Idol or one of its fifteen copycat shows. So I think CassaStar should become either a movie or a TV series. Yeah, you heard me, bring science fiction back to television. We need a new Spock. Okay, Byron doesn’t have pointy ears but he’d be the one girls swoon over. Wait a minute, I can’t be the only one who loved Spock over Captain Kirk or Dr. McCoy, right? Come on! He could mind meld, for heaven’s sakes. Kind of like Byron can do things with his mind. Swoon.

19 comments:

  1. Another awesome disclaimer! I preferred Spock too. :)
    Cassastar is unique. It has a sci/fi background but would appeal to anyone who likes character-growth stories as well. The sequel comes out next month too!

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  2. I agree CassaStar would make a great sci/fi TV show. Although, I don't have TV either (islands).

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  3. It sounds fascinating, must get a copy,and a sequel, where does he get the energy from!

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  4. I think the ultimate compliment is a reader saying the books should be a movie or a TV show. I also think SciFi should be brought back to TV in a big way. Reality TV and cops and lawyers and other cookie cutter shows have zero draw for me.

    Thanks for the review! And good luck to Alex with CassaStar and CassaFire!

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  5. I like to visit this nice post. That's give a new looks of Books photo.You yield our apple and bang it down in the bosom of a war area fighter pilots and their navigators go up adjoin the baddest Star Trek soldiers and you got CassaStar.

    photo books

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  6. I'm glad you were willing to give my science fiction book a try! I would be thrilled to see it as a movie.
    And I never knew my publisher was offering it as a free download - I'll have to ask when they did that.

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  7. Great review- from a non-sci-fi reader!

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  8. I'm sure Alex is pleased with that review.

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  9. I don't read much scifi either, at least not of the space battles kind, but I loved this too. Can't wait for the next one.

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  10. Alex, I may have paid for it. It was last month, so I could have forgotten.

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  11. Spock was already my favourite too! :)

    Loved CassaFire, can't wait to read CassaStar!

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  12. Jemi, I suspect we went for the smart quiet one.

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  13. Hi Helen .. like you - knowing Alex - it's a way into Sci-Fi .. as it's a world I could never get my head into .. so looking forward to reading his book - thanks for the review, glad to know more about Cassa Star ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  14. Glad to see Cap'n Alex get a boffo review. I'd buy it too, but, damn it, Helen, I'm an author, not a reader.

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  15. Christopher! You kill me with your humor. I should hire you to write my disclaimers.

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  16. Wandered over from Alex's place. I really enjoyed your review. I got CassaStaR for my hubby for Christmas, and we read it together and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to CassaFirE.

    And I totally crushed on Mr. Spock over Cap'n Kirk.

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  17. What a cool book review, Ginger. I'm a sci-fi fan, and Alex rocks. I hope he sells tons of books and that would be so cool if it became a movie or TV series.

    I wanted to let you know that I posted your parenting memory on today's Parenting Plights & Delights. It's titled "Heart-Stopping Moments." Thanks for sharing that with us!

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  18. Wonder when another Star Trek movie will come out?

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