xenoc_1 reviewed Lacuna by David Adams
Review of 'Lacuna' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I just whipped through this near-future military SF space opera book so fast, the heat sinks cooling my Kobo are still radiating into space.
Look, it's lightweight stuff. But a really fast, thrilling, funny, yet terrifying ride. It is the first of a series, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger both large and small-scale. Yet reasonably self-contained, at least enough so that I feel ok about switching to one of my many other to-read books next. Though likely to buy the next 2 installments soon.
If you like near-future, "what we we do if the aliens attacked us right now?" SF, this may be perfect. It's set (very minor spoilers)about 15 years from now. Boeing 747s are still in use on long-haul intercontinental flights. We humans have come up with 2 or 3 fascinating pieces of advanced tech, but have not yet applied any of them. Everything …
I just whipped through this near-future military SF space opera book so fast, the heat sinks cooling my Kobo are still radiating into space.
Look, it's lightweight stuff. But a really fast, thrilling, funny, yet terrifying ride. It is the first of a series, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger both large and small-scale. Yet reasonably self-contained, at least enough so that I feel ok about switching to one of my many other to-read books next. Though likely to buy the next 2 installments soon.
If you like near-future, "what we we do if the aliens attacked us right now?" SF, this may be perfect. It's set (very minor spoilers)about 15 years from now. Boeing 747s are still in use on long-haul intercontinental flights. We humans have come up with 2 or 3 fascinating pieces of advanced tech, but have not yet applied any of them. Everything else is pretty much as it is today. Except, the USA is utterly irrelevant after its economy and political functionality has pretty much collapsed. Like I said, pretty much as it is today :) China and Iran are the major global powers, Australia and the EU are strong secondary powers, and some of the others of the BRICs have some significance, but North America? Irrelevant. Even to the aliens, who proceed to arrive, and blow up the centers of research into the technology they forbid us to develop.
We humans react as humans typically do. We make weapons out of the tech they forbid us to use, and take the war to them.
If you like this humans-under-siege, current-day-tech style, such as if you're a fan of "Space: Above and Beyond", or "Stargate: SG-1", you'll feel this fits right in. Likewise new-BSG fans, where the Colonies were essentially current-Earth tech with FTL and slightly advanced cybernetics. Adams in fact borrows some tropes from them. While also happily and openly using many other tropes: "I'm not Montgomery-frakking-Scott, Captain!" (Didn't say "frakking"). Openly calling their unobtanium, "indestructium". XKCD even figures into the plot.
Also, do you like tough, effective, real-seeming female space officers? Let me just say that Susan Ivanova, Samantha Carter, Kara Thrace, and likely Honor Harrington (sad to say I haven't read that series yet) would fit right in with TFR Beijing Commanding Officer Melissa Liao. Including slugging any jerk in the nose, effectively, when required.