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When describing a new book (OK, not that new, it dropped in September 2018) from an author you may not know, it’s often tempting to compare it to existing works in a mashup. I will lapse into that weak expedient – the Axiom series is a like a Firefly crew with the big, bad Alliance replaced by the secretive Axiom super-race spiced it up with an alien and augmented humans, and has the fate of the universe resting on the capable and endearing shoulders of Callie and her crew. [Full disclosure: I received a copy of The Dreaming Stars from Netgalley for an honest review].
The Dreaming Stars, book 2 of the Axiom series, takes all that we love about The Wrong Stars (read this first, if you haven’t already) and builds on it. All of the core characters are well developed and mostly likable so that you quickly come to care for them. The relationships seem organic and genuine, both those that are friendly and those that are less so. The world building is spot-on. Rather than populating the world with a thousand of planets full of humans and aliens, the Axiom series starts with a focus mostly on our solar system with politics dominated by Earth, the Jovian system and outer system (Uranus and vicinity) and one set of aliens with whom we have come into contact. While The Dreaming Stars expands that focus, it still is a relatively narrow one of a planet near a bridge (think artificial worm hole). This, too, seems like a natural organic progression to the stars. Tim Pratt’s dialog is crisp, sometimes snarky and evokes the perfect tone for the crew. One note: be prepared for a future where sexuality is quite fluid.
Mr. Pratt is adept at building out his characters, relationships and world through the storyline; he rarely falls back on mere exposition but drives the elements through the narrative nearly always showing us rather than telling us. He combines these intriguing characters and his intriguing world with a constantly moving and a clever storyline full of battles of wits, puzzles, subterfuge and an old fashioned mass uprising. I highly recommend Mr. Pratt’s The Dreaming Stars.
World: 4.5
Story: 4.5
Characters: 4
Relationships: 4
Joe's Geek Fest 