4,0 de 5 estrellas
Entertaining first novel, and a much-needed dose of humor in an overly serious genre
Revisado en los Estados Unidos 🇺🇸 el 25 de septiembre de 2018
I've read and loved just about everything Tony James Slater has written up to this point, and he's rapidly become one of my favorite writers. The catch here is that up to this point, everything he's written has been either a memoir or a travel book (or some combination of the two). Still, there's no denying that he's a great writer with a wicked sense of humor and an ability to find something to laugh at in just about any situation. So when I learned that he was releasing a sci-fi novel, I was surprised but curious, and given that I love sci-fi and had enough faith in Tony's writing skills to believe he could pull it off, I knew I had to read it.
Having read it, I have to say that... for a first foray into fiction (say that three times fast...), this is a decent book. It has its flaws, but despite said flaws it's a wildly entertaining ride, and I'm eager to see more of this series.
Tristan is a young man trying to eke out a living in Great Britain, having lost his parents when he was young and resorting to burglary to survive. His life changes forever, though, when he's abducted by a mysterious man named Kreon, who tells him a startling truth -- his father was a Warden, one of the legendary warriors who safeguard worlds, including Earth, from destruction and exploitation. But the Wardens have grown corrupt, and one in particular wants to see Earth stripped and exploited for his own gain. Tristan, as the heir to an incredible legacy, must help Kreon and his allies -- the chipper yet deadly assassin Kyra and the trigger-happy weapons specialist Blas -- stop them... if he can come to grips with this strange new galaxy and his family legacy first, and if he can trust Kreon to tell him the full truth...
Tony's writing is always entertaining, but there's a huge difference between writing fiction and non-fiction. Thankfully, Tony proves he can handle both, and his first foray into fiction is well-written. He keeps the pace steady but not rushed, and gives the reader the necessary information to understand the world and setting without massive info-dumps. And he deftly sprinkles generous amounts of humor in the book, which I found a welcome breath of fresh air. Science fiction is a genre that too often takes itself deadly serious, and it's nice to see that leaving Earth doesn't mean having to leave your sense of humor behind.
The plot does have some predictable elements to it, and follows some of the usual cliches of sci-fi -- the Wardens function about the same here as the Jedi in "Star Wars" but without superpowers, for example. But I'm a firm believer in the idea that even old ideas can be executed well if given a fresh twist, and Tony brings enough new to the table that the more well-worn concepts he uses can be forgiven. Also, there are a few bits that I felt weren't explained quite well enough -- why are the bad guys so focused on exploiting the Earth above all other planets, for example -- but I hope these are answered in the next novel.
The characters are probably the best part of this book, however. Tristan is the everyman thrust into an incredible situation, and despite having been trained in combat he feels quite out of his element and reacts pretty much as you'd expect -- confused, terrified, yet insanely curious as well. Kreon can be a real jerk at times, but was still enjoyable as a drill-sergeant mentor figure. Kyra is an interesting mix of bubbly shopping-happy young woman and collected assassin, and while one might not think those two elements go together at all, I enjoyed the juxtaposition. Not every action girl has to be a stoic and "strong" tomboy, after all... Other characters are more minor, but many are still enjoyable, especially the gun-happy Blas and the surprisingly friendly assassin Ella.
A commendable first novel, "Earth Warden" may not be perfect, but it's still enjoyable and entertaining... and really, that's all I expected out of this book. Tony has made a decent start here to his novel-writing career, and I hope he only improves his game from here on out. I know that I'm eager to read the sequel, whenever it may appear...
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