Naval Officer Jack Samson thought a posting to the frontier of human inhabited space was the death blow to his career. He couldn’t have been more wrong. A routine inspection of a small merchant vessel leads to devastating loss and the discovery of strange, fascinating objects. As astonishing discoveries unfold, a mysterious and hostile ship proves that Samson has a competitor in unlocking the secrets of an ancient alien civilisation, and that humanity might not be alone in the galaxy after all.
This is one of those rare times that Amazon Kindle recommends something to me that ends up being good. Written by Duncan M. Hamilton, this appears to be his first science fiction book. The antagonist, Jack Samson, and his crewmates make for an interesting hodgepodge of characters as they are thrust in a series of crisis. The book bears some similarities to the TV show Firefly. Primarily that you are on the edge of space colonization and things are a lot more cowboy than lawful. Although Jack being part of the Terran Union places him on the other side of where we would often see the characters from that show. The major plot components are completely different.
This book is in third person past tense, the same thing you essentially experience in Harry Potter, you are only privy to the narrative through the viewpoint of Jack Samson. There are times I wish we could get a glimpse into the thoughts and motivations of some of the other characters. Hopefully this series will enjoy the same level of success that his Fantasy book series enjoy (of which I have read none) and these characters will receive more development.
I recommend this book as a good read. I can only think of one thing that really seemed a little off towards the end, but it was a minor thing. Overall I was eager to finish the book and I’m looking forward to more in the future.
Hi Jack, I’m glad I came across your post here. Hamilton’s book came across my recommended reading, too, when it first published in February, but I kept scanning by. After reading your feedback, I regret not having read it already. It currently has almost 600 reviews with a rating of 4.3 of 5 on Amazon, so I’m convinced it’s worth a read. Especially if it’s a fast-paced read! I’ve been powering through The Stand but need a break from it. The Alpha Protocol sounds like the perfect book to squeeze in right now.
Thanks!