First of all, a story and full disclosure. When this first came out and my friend, Charles, announced it, I bookmarked it and kept meaning to get it. Just like I keep meaning to try the Talera books. But it sat there. I think it was on my Amazon wishlist for a while, and then moved to my cart. And then I got a Kindle and thought, "Yeah! Now I'll get it!" So, I did. But it just sat there, downloaded on my Kindle. I wasn't sure I was in the mood for a scifi adventure story. Sometimes I was, but mostly not. Last year or so I've been cozying up to cozy mysteries and fantasies. And I even started it a couple of times, but never got into it.
But then, it was weird. It was a year later, and it was like it was time. I had been reading a cute little chick lit cozy and a middle grade princess story, and enjoying them. But suddenly they just were too too for me. They were bugging me. I just was not in the mood suddenly for girls or women who were getting themselves into trouble or were being railroaded or cajoled (and passively accepting) the adventure.
So, yesterday, on a whim, I clicked those stories shut and paged over to Under the Ember Star, which is a story that is completely the opposite of those others. I had it half read by last night and finished up the rest of it today. And I loved it! I don't know why it took me so long to read it!
Ginn Hollis has been on her own for the last 10 years or so, since she was about 14 years old, when her father died. She's been living on the streets, by her wits, surviving day-to-day, on a dying planet where the humans only get along grudgingly with the Kelmerians, or Kelms as the humans refer to them. The Kelmerians are an ancient people who used to have a vast civilization, before the sun started dying.
The ember star, or dying sun, has a cycle of rotating about the planet of 28 earth days for every Day/Night. So there are 14 days of Day and 14 days of Night. The sun itself is a red dwarf and doesn't give off enough energy to really keep the planet warm, and water is scarce. It's a mineral poor planet that is now mostly cold desert. About 20-30 above zero when the sun is up. If it weren't for the Collectors, ancient technology orbiting the planet and harvesting some of the heat to keep the planet going, it would have died a long time ago.
These are the basics.
But the story begins with our heroine, or maybe anti-heroine is a better term, breaking into a bar and stealing drugs from a criminal who's basically a drug lord so she can feed her addiction. Shortly after she meets the character who will help propel her on her adventure.
Unlike the cozy or the middle grade princess story, however, Ginn is not being cajoled or railroaded passively into an adventure. She's being kicked, shot at, punched and pulled. And she is kicking, shooting, punching and pulling right back. She knows and accepts who she is. And she might not trust some of the beings she meets, but if they prove trustworthy (or not) she adjusts. She's smart, experienced, thinks on her feet. She's constantly having to balance between the demands of different characters, all with their own agendas. Even the "good" and honorable characters have their own agendas that could get her into trouble.
This wasn't some romance dressed up as scifi adventure. This was romance in the purest term. An adventure story. An adventure story like Lawrence of Arabia, but with a faulty female hero at its heart fleeing through the desert to aid a Kelmerian in helping to find out about himself and his planet. It was also a little bit like a twisted Wizard of Oz in some parts, especially toward the end. But I didn't realize that until I'd already read past that part. At the end. It was cool (I don't want to give it away. "Spoilers, sweetie.").
One of the refreshing parts was that the only time I knew what she looked like was when she was taping the drugs to her chest for safe keeping, and that was just to tell me she was wearing a black tshirt and BDUs. Oh, and the times she was being shot at and had gotten hit with a laser gun, so she had burns on her body. Or when she was throwing up and had to wipe her hair back from her face. No, this wasn't about being pretty or getting the guy. It was about adventure.
One of the other refreshing parts is that, generally, when I'm reading a story a friend has written, I can "see" them in the story. They kind of bleed through. I kept forgetting who'd written this story. I kept forgetting it was my friend Charles. And then I would remember and I could see it, because he is a masterful storyteller of adventures. But mostly, I was just immersed in the story.
Oh, and the "guys"? Cuz there were guys, for people who think there need to be guys in a story. Well, there were some guys. And some people who were not guys. And then there was Ginn. And she was like the gem of the story.
Seriously. I really liked this story. Last I checked, the Kindle version was only $2.51. If you're looking for an adventure, one that's gritty and dirty, intelligent and sharp, but not dumpy and depressing, just fast moving and action pumping, then I suggest you download this one.
P.S. - The only thing I didn't like about this story was that I wanted more and there wasn't more. Not sure if there are more stories on this world, but I think I would like it if there were.
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