Aurora: CV-01: Frontiers Saga, Book 1

I am an avid reader and I usually limit myself to bestsellers and classics. I rarely feel compelled to write a review because authors in those catagories don't really need my reviews, or are long dead. I have tried a handfull of indie-authored books in the past but have been largely unimpressed. I decided to read this one because of a blog post, and was handsomely rewarded. So I figure that if the author is willing to let me read his book for free, I should give him a review. This book is somewhat formulaic, but there is a reason that so much of science fiction is, and that is that if it is well written, it usually works well. And this is a well written book. It is also well edited with good grammer, puctuation, and formatting. Nothing glaring jumped out at me while reading it. The plot and pacing are both good. It follows a fairly standard story arc. It has been a long time since I have read a book in one day, but this one I did. One reviewer complained about changing POV. I did not notice this but I will pay closer attention in the next book of the series. I had the impression that the author stayed consistently in the third-person subjective POV, meaning that the narrator is not a participant but he is able to "get into the heads" of a few of the key characters. I suspected that what the reviewer meant was that the locus of narration skips around quite a lot. I think that this is a reasonable style choice for the author to make, especially when considering that during the battle scenes, many important events are happening simultaneously in different parts of the ship. I really thought it enhanced the pace of the story rather than detracting from it. Bottom line...If you enjoy science fiction, you should give this book a try. Now I know that a lot of shenanigans go on with reviews from friends and families or even competitors of (especially) indie authors. I don't know this guy from Adam. Never even heard his name till I saw the blog review. The only thing that I owe him is this honest review in return for me letting him try the first title in this series for free. Now he starts getting some of my money.

I'm going to start with the cons, mostly because I want any prospective readers to come away with a positive impression of the book/s. Firstly, too much happens too fast. I understand the author's need to keep a frantic pace to keep the tension up, but it can come off as unrealistic. Secondly, (trying to avoid spoilers here) I don't feel like the inexperience of the characters would allow for some of their decisions. Again, I understand what the author is going for here, and I can appreciate how he is setting them up for growth... it just comes off as slightly unrealistic. Now, with the cons out of the way, here are the pros: Each main character is distinctive and fully fleshed out. You get a strong idea of the personality of each character quickly and none of them come off as "cookie-cutter" characters. IMO, well thought out characters are a larger factor in making a story good than the overall plot. The "universe" created by the author is both familiar and fresh, taking a futuristic setting and presenting it in a way I've never seen before. The battle scenes are filled with tension and a sense of real consequence. The technology is not so far beyond current theoretical possibilities as to require a bunch of Star Trekish technobabble, which keeps the pace of the book from getting bogged down in details that don't really add anything to the story. I'm currently working on book 6 of the series, and the author is definitely getting better at presenting the story in a realistic way. The first couple books can be a bit rough at times, but I firmly believe that this series will continue to get better as it goes. In conclusion, if you like your Sci-fi with a militaristic focus and enough action to keep things interesting, this series is genuinely worth a read. Compelling characters, a real sense of urgency and importance to the mission, a setting that is at once both familiar and fresh, and a clear and concise writing style (that gets better with each book) has made this a series that I am truly enjoying. Even if you have a hard time getting through the first book, keep reading. By the end of the third book I was completely hooked. Ok, now stop reading this review and go buy the book.

I picked this book up because I wanted something lightweight and escapist and, yes, it only cost $3. A few pages in I was regretting my choice as the cliches were running hot. A chapter or so down and I started warming to the author's style and his storytelling ability. In no time, I had read the lot and downloaded episode two. I am presently on the seventh book and enjoying the saga immensely. As far as the tale itself, it has similarities to Star Wars: A New Hope, Battlestar Gallactica and Star Trek Voyager, but maintains enough originality of its own to hold the reader's interest. The Aurora of the title is a starship with a revolutionary type of propulsion system, and this alone, kept me fascinated throughout the series. Mr Brown is also a talented writer of battle scenes which are taut, suspenseful and very authentic in their scope. His grasp of physics isn't bad either. The action has quite a cinematic feel . The characters are fairly well written and I cared greatly for their ultimate fate. In the end, I've enjoyed about 3000 pages and paid only $20 for the privilege. I hope there's more to come.

While this started a touch slowly, it soon exploded into action. Good characters and believable tech, this book was a pleasure to read. Definitely a page turner!

After a slowish start, this book rocks into tense, exciting non-stop action with likeable characters braving dangers on every side to try to forestall the final destruction of humanity. A real page-turner and a great read!

A very enjoyable read, great characters, story, and worldbuilding. Only criticism is the characters feeling like they should be split up more. Some were at less a few that were two or three combined. Characters 5/5 Story 5/5 Worldbuilding 5/5

Well crafted characters and an interesting world. I really enjoyed this and can't wait for the next installment of the series

I was really pleased to find this series extremely readable. The writing is good, the plot moves along at a cracking pace, and you do feel something for the characters. Perhaps what makes this series stand out is that both the good guys and the bad guys are human. We don't have to have the whole alien species thing, although "human" in this case does encompass a pretty broad spectrum. You do need to read them in sequence, but as someone else says, at this price, they are pretty good value for money. It might also be helpful for new readers to have a bit of an intro that can be skipped to recap the plot. I read the first four one after another so not an issue, but by the time 5,6 and 7 come out there might be a bit of a pause. I wish for them to be a tad longer because I read fast, but am sure that most readers who like space opera will find them very satisfying and a great holiday read. Keep em coming!!!!