Debatable Space is an interesting book as
Phillip Palmer takes numerous liberties with the rules of writing, while
some work well, others don’t. But I do applaud the effort to give the
story, at times, more of visual feeling. The atmosphere created in
Debatable Space reminded me of the short lived TV show, Firefly. Pirates
bent on revenge that don’t necessarily get along but are held together
to fight a common cause. There is also some humor sprinkled through out
the story that either had me chuckling or groaning.
The novel essentially follows two story lines. The first involves a band of pirates kidnapping Lena, family to the Cheo (Emperor), which leads into a serious of plans within plans exploits and finally into a rebellion against the Cheo. The other story line is the life history of Lena, told in journal format and is essentially the history of the Empire itself.
Dust Jacket Summary: Flanagan (who is, for want of a better word, a pirate) has a plan. It seems relatively simple: kidnap Lena, the Cheo’s daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait.
Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn’t playing ball. Flanagan and his crew have seen this before, of course, but since they’ve learned a few tricks from the bad old days and since they know something about Lena that should make the plan foolproof, the Cheo’s defiance is a major setback. It is a situation that calls for extreme measures.
Luckily, Flanagan has considerable experience in this area . . .
What I liked: Phillip Palmer is a very fluid writer. Even though the book is 469 pages I was able to breeze through it pretty quickly. The novel switches view points frequently but I never felt lost or confused and that is a sign of a good writer.
Some of the ideas and science explained during the story are a little wonky but how planets become colonized is pure genius. The only problem is that people of Earth do not have a close relationship with their colonies and this leads to abuses. There is story told by another pirate about half way through the book that explains the ramifications of this disaffection that is just gut retching.
I also really enjoyed the relationship of Flanagan and Lena. They are the perfect couple as they distrust each other’s motivations and are constantly attempting to undercut one another, but deep down they know that they are made for each other.
What I didn’t like: At times, Lena goes to into deep explanations of the science behind her inventions and this brings the story to a grinding halt.
The space battles are over too quickly. There is a lot build up to the final battle between the rebels and the Empire that ends in a matter of minutes. Realistic, maybe, but the reader is left wanting more.
Last word: This is a highly enjoyable debut novel from Phillip Palmer and I look forward to more adventures in this universe.
The novel essentially follows two story lines. The first involves a band of pirates kidnapping Lena, family to the Cheo (Emperor), which leads into a serious of plans within plans exploits and finally into a rebellion against the Cheo. The other story line is the life history of Lena, told in journal format and is essentially the history of the Empire itself.
Dust Jacket Summary: Flanagan (who is, for want of a better word, a pirate) has a plan. It seems relatively simple: kidnap Lena, the Cheo’s daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait.
Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn’t playing ball. Flanagan and his crew have seen this before, of course, but since they’ve learned a few tricks from the bad old days and since they know something about Lena that should make the plan foolproof, the Cheo’s defiance is a major setback. It is a situation that calls for extreme measures.
Luckily, Flanagan has considerable experience in this area . . .
What I liked: Phillip Palmer is a very fluid writer. Even though the book is 469 pages I was able to breeze through it pretty quickly. The novel switches view points frequently but I never felt lost or confused and that is a sign of a good writer.
Some of the ideas and science explained during the story are a little wonky but how planets become colonized is pure genius. The only problem is that people of Earth do not have a close relationship with their colonies and this leads to abuses. There is story told by another pirate about half way through the book that explains the ramifications of this disaffection that is just gut retching.
I also really enjoyed the relationship of Flanagan and Lena. They are the perfect couple as they distrust each other’s motivations and are constantly attempting to undercut one another, but deep down they know that they are made for each other.
What I didn’t like: At times, Lena goes to into deep explanations of the science behind her inventions and this brings the story to a grinding halt.
The space battles are over too quickly. There is a lot build up to the final battle between the rebels and the Empire that ends in a matter of minutes. Realistic, maybe, but the reader is left wanting more.
Last word: This is a highly enjoyable debut novel from Phillip Palmer and I look forward to more adventures in this universe.
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