Space Junque - A Dystopian Fantasy (Apocalypto 1) [Kindle Edition]

Economic, ecological and political collapse are catching up with the Imperium.
Earth ruled from orbit by the emperor is becoming uninhabitable.

The orbital colonies may be the only cradle of hope left. A very fertile ground for apocalyptic sf, one that has infinite possibilities and significant emotional resonance with us given the current economic and ecological issues we have today.

This books eclectic mix of SF and fantasy fails to build any coherent plot or convincing narrative. The issues besetting the world are vaguely fleshed out and the worst threat seems to be from giant vultures which are somehow a n unstoppable threat to a space capable civilization.

Downloaded as a freebie on Kindle, I had no great expectations for this book. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained and the Kindle free collection has certainly broadened my reading.

I'm still in a little of two minds about this book. As literature, it is certainly lightweight. But in SF you could say the same for much of the product of the 'golden age' written for pulp magazines. What I look for is an interesting idea or concept that stretches the imagination a bit. This book has promise, although I'm not sure how it will develop in subsequent titles. The scene is really only half set here and needs a lot of development. The writing style is a bit messy and disjointed at times. I'm also a bit concerned at the apparent mixture of mysticism and SF. Sometimes it works and sometimes it merely descends into banal 'swords and sourcery' or fantasy. I'm not really sure either how it qualified for a 'Romance' award. Yes, there is relationship interest here but not more than many tales would have where there is an attempt to round out the characters.

I think the author has started out well but I really hope she has a good plan for developing both plot and characters as well as filling in the lightly sketched but potentially intriguing social and political background.

At any rate, I am sufficiently interested that I'll be trying out the second in the series. That will be the decider.

There were parts of Samael's Fire by L.K. Riguel that I absolutely loved - and other bits that I really didn't like at all. So, to make it easier, I'm going to break this review up into point form.

Also, this novel seems to have gone through a name change since I downloaded it in January. It is now recognised as Space Junque - A Dystopian Fantasy (Apocalypto 1). To be honest, this title makes more sense than the first one and while I was reading this book, I was wondering why it wasn't originally called Space Junque, so thank you L.K. Riguel for changing the title!

Likes

*The level of pseudoscience added was just perfect. Completely believable without using too much detail. I sometimes find the urge to drift off to sleep with large chunks of scientific explanation. This didn't occur with Samael's Fire, I'm so thankful for that.
*The start of this book was completely captivating. I haven't read true science-fiction for so long and I jumped in feet first, prepared to relish every word of this novel.
*Along with the science-fiction, there is a fair amount of sex. Most of the time this works deliciously.
*The author has managed to make this dystopian novel work without a noticeable apocalypse as the catalyst for the world within Samael's Fire. I can't believe how well this worked, but it did. Nice work Riguel!

Dislikes

*This novel is VERY short, as a result, while I could sense myself falling in love with the characters, the story ended too abruptly for me to say I was really invested in them.
*While, mostly, the large amounts of sex within this novel completely work with the storyline, there are times when it jumps right out in front of you like some sort of perverted flasher. You are neither prepared for it, nor do you find yourself believing the characters would do this.
*While the first half of the book is science-fiction, something strange happens with the second half and it turns into a fantasy novel. The religious undertones felt out of place as a result. Also, there are a few moments the reader finds themselves confused as to what is now real in the novel as a result in the shift in genre.

Overall, I loved the first half of the book, but it lost me after it turned into a fantasy novel. As a result, I am giving Samael's Fire (or Space Junque as it is now known) by L.K. Riguel 3 out of 5 stars.