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CITY OF DREAMS AND DUST: thoughtful, exciting, relevant space opera - an epic, centuries-spanning science fiction adventure (The Seed Book 1)

Author: Genre: (, , , ) Length: Epic

Free on 1st - 2nd Aug 23
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Ideal for readers of Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky or James S. A. Corey.

THERE’S A STRANGER in the one-city desert world of Renascido. Absurdly rich, yet hidden amongst the city?s teeming billions, he’s planning something big. Jin Liú, a tech whizz on the run from his ruthless employers, doesn’t know what that something is. Only that the offer he?s made because of it is one he can?t refuse. There?s just one problem: the offer comes at a cost, and if Liú had known what that would be, he might have chosen death instead.

Joint State Security Service officer Aral Nikumi is given a dream undercover assignment: captain of one of the most powerful warships of the Interplanetary Economic Confederation. His orders, however, are puzzling and contradictory. What should have been a routine mission deep in the territory of the loathed Lancers leads to a discovery destined to change not just his own life, but everything his society thinks it knows about itself.

For there?s a dark secret festering at the core of Renascido and the Interplanetary Economic Confederation. A secret which may threaten the existence of humanity itself.

Meanwhile, far away, a young whistle-blower finds himself trapped in a lethal solar system. Enslaved under the most dangerous conditions imaginable, he finds an unexpected ally in his fight for survival.

Only one being in the universe is aware that these seemingly disparate players are set on a collision course that will shape the future of everything.

(Contains adult situations and strong language)

To see more, scroll back up and click the ‘Look Inside’ feature at the top left side of the page.

Praise for Ru Pringle

‘One of the most interesting and exciting new writers to emerge north of the border since Iain Banks.’ – Gary Gibson, award-nominated author of Angel Stations and Stealing Light.

‘An engrossing read that I?d recommend for any fans of classic sci fi or fantasy.’ – Adjective+Noun

What readers are saying about City of Dreams and Dust

* * * * * ‘This author has become a favorite of mine. This story is exciting and compelling with awesome characters.’ – Dr. Patricia Eroh, Amazon US, July 2020.

* * * * * ‘Brings to mind echos of Banks, Reynolds and, Flynn. […] Engaging, fun with enough cerebral content to elevate the quality to must-read in the genre.’ Mark Russell, Amazon US, July 2020.

Categories & keywords:
Colonization
Dystopian
Space Exploration
Metaphysical & Visionary
Galactic Empire
Thriller
Starship
Dark
Environment
Nature & Ecology

Free on 1st - 2nd Aug 23
View on Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

Ideal for readers of Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky or James S. A. Corey. THERE’S A STRANGER in the one-city desert world of Renascido. Absurdly rich, yet hidden amongst the city?s teeming billions, he’s planning something big. Jin Liú, a tech whizz on the run from his ruthless employers, doesn’t know what that […]

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Reviewer: .


On the planet of Renascido, a mysterious stranger hires out of work computer genius Jin Liú to break into some very high security communications channels to discover some top secret information. Jin Liu doesn't really have any option but to accept and begins the next years of his life in secrecy. But Jin is just one of several people work for the this mysterious stranger who is gathering data from many areas to discover a secret that could result in the extinction of humanity itself. While this is in motion, Captain Aral Nikumi finds his latest mission going from bad to worse when he encounters an unidentified object during his latest mission. When he reports it and locks down the ship, there is a mutiny and his superiors have to decide what to do with him and now the knowledge he possesses. There are several other stories that go on intertwined with these as the stakes begin to escalate.

This is a difficult book to review. While I understand that Space Opera can be about many different themes and stories that can seem disparate until all the threads pull together and provide an overarching story, this is still fragmented at the end of the novel, with little to nothing being resolved. It is the first in a two part series, but that doesn't mean as if it should feel incomplete. There are several sections of the plot that seem there either to provide a bit of background or perhaps to add a character in for later, but don't seem to provide any purpose to drive forward the story. Towards the end some of the questions are answered, but there are still several plots left to be wrapped up or even joined together in some ways.

It is a shame as the writing is quite excellent, delightfully descriptive and giving life to the city and planet of Renascido, from the highest of the high and the luxuries of their lives to the lowest of the low and the hardships they face. The majority of the characters are well fleshed out, even those who only appear for a little while and it is not afraid to put them through their highs and lows and how they respond and grow because of it. But as the stories being told are very different, I found myself paying less attention to some parts of the story to catch up with the next chapter involved in the characters I wanted to know about. Reading it was easy enough, the book is well laid out and in general reads fine, although there are a few typos which are distracting such as "very nation" instead of "every nation" on the first page of the story.

Overall, while it certainly attempts to grandiose in it's scope, it's the lack of cohesion that really plays against it. It feels like four or five very distinct stories playing out in the same universe with very little to tie it together. Perhaps the second and concluding part will accomplish this, which is a shame because if this book perhaps narrowed it's focus, it could have been far more persuasive to recommend.

If you enjoy grandiose stories in the far future, this is likely to be for you, but the lack of focus left me a little cold.

Rating: TBC


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