Jigsaw [Kindle Edition]

This is a short novella which can be easily read in around 30 minutes.

Having recently discovered three abandoned Wormer spaceships at the edge of the solar system, humans waste little time in using them to explore the distant reaches of far-away galaxies.

However an accident aboard one of the ships necessitates a hastily planned away mission to a nearby planet in an effort to extract a rare mineral that will save the ship and the many thousands of crew aboard.

The mission doesn't go as planned and we follow the main character, Cassie, as she finds herself with just 19 hours to save both the ship, the away team and the man she loves.

As with all of the Douglas Smith books I have read to date, this one is well crafted with a plausible plot and a realistic main character. Smith brings the planet Griphus to life and gives us a brief insight into its indigenous population. But, because it is a short story I was left feeling that I wanted more detail, more imagery and more background to this world and its people.

At the end of the book Mr Smith notes that he might revisit this book in the future; I really hope that he does because it is crying out to be developed into something more substantial. With a more detailed plot it is easy to see how this could become the basis of a great film.

Having said all that, I have still given this book five stars because I thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent reading it - I just wanted more of it!

Orbiting a distant planet, around a distant star, geologist Cassie Morant has 19 hours to solve a desperate puzzle.

Using alien "Wormer" technology that they barely understand, humans have begun to explore the galaxy, but now the alien ship they are aboard has lost power and is in a decaying orbit and the planetary exploration team sent to try to find fuel for the ship have been captured by natives. Can Cassie work out the answer to the puzzle that connects these things together?

This is my favourite Douglas Smith story that I have read to date. The characters and plotline could easily have supported a full length novel. As it is, this is a thoroughly enjoyable half an hour read that is well worth downloading.

Overall; 5 stars - Douglas Smith says in the afterword to this book that "I may return to the Wormers one day." - I really hope he does as there is a cracking space opera waiting to be written of which this short story is just a tiny taster.

I very much enjoyed that the main character of this story is female, a capable character to carry the story and me along with it. Cassie is a scientist who believes this new-found alien technology is not for humans to adopt. What the Wormers left behind never seems to fit just right, with Man too eagerly grasping a Wormer puzzle piece and making it fit the picture according to the limited amount we know and think, and Cassie likes when things fit right into place, with no pushing or prodding to make an easy fit. Soon, Cassie is called on to solve a life or death puzzle, which also serves as a test set by the Wormers.

Who are the Wormers, and why does it seem these ancient people have led us to this particular planet with this particular puzzle to solve? These questions kept me turning the pages, waiting to see what was in store for Cassie and her crew. This story delivers a very good science fiction read, keeping me involved with just enough science that I am familiar with, yet at the same time, building on that science in an imaginative way, with a real story about the human need to explore and to figure things out.

This author was new to me until recently, when kindle freebies allowed me to get to know his work. I've since read a few of his stories and have come to appreciate how well he constructs a sentence and how well he crafts a story. He makes it look easy. With this story, he pulled me in and took me someplace interesting, reminding me of what I love about science fiction, that idea of an alien world and the mystery of an unknown people. A very enjoyable way to spend thirty minutes of my day.

A well written short story read in about 20 minutes.

Like its title this puzzle is missing more than that last elusive piece, it is missing several thousand.

I for one would like to see more expansion and back story into the plot and characters involved in the discovery of 'wormer' technology, that the ape descended tree dwellers discovered at the edge of their solar system, and can just about operate with fingers crossed.

Team geologist Cassie Morant has the task of saving the survey team from death due to them trespassing onto alien religious ground whilst looking for urgently required Berkelium due to a shipboard accident(monkey push wrong button).

All in all a good story that ends far too soon.

After reading this story I must admit I kept thinking about it for days afterwards. The first few pages I found a little too jumpy for my liking. But saying that, the story was interesting, so I read on. And boy does this turn around. With visits to faraway planets, mystery objects, wormers (love that concept) and ancient craft was fantastic. The type of fantastic I'd love to read as a full novel fantastic.