THE FRACTURED VOID - Tim Pratt

'Dull' is serving aboard a vessel that patrols a remote sector of space where nothing ever happens. Captain Felix Duval and the crew of the Temerarious do just this, patrolling a remote colony system where nothing ever happens. But of course this is just when something happens.

Felix and crew respond to a distress call from a moon in the system that is under attack. There they rescue a scientist (Thales) who has developed a method for creating new wormholes. Having such an ability would put anyone who possesses it in a position of power. The Temerarious is ordered to protect and provide any assistance to Thales as necessary. This won't be easy given that there are at least two black-ops teams looking to grab Thales and his technology.

I've generally liked the previous Tim Pratt books that I've read, so I didn't hesitate to request an ARC of this book based on Pratt being the author. I should note that when I request an ARC I know as little about the book as possible.  I prefer going in to a book with a fresh, unbiased eye. But perhaps I need to rethink this.

The Fractured Void is a novel based on a board game. Had I known this before requesting the book I never would have made the ask. I recognize there is a large sub-genre of board game literature and it has its dedicated readers (I see entire bookshelves in my nearby B&N full of game-related fiction books) but I have never enjoyed this myself. First, I have rarely played that specific game (and I have a game collection of about 300 board or card games) so I don't know the back story or theme that the book is being set in.  

Then, I think that setting a book in a board game universe limits the author's ability to be creative with that story.  A board game is defined not just by its theme but very much by its rules - specifically in what you can NOT do in the course of playing.  A story set in that board game universe is also then bound by those rules of what can't be done.  I can think of three books I've read and reviewed in the last year that were based on board games and each of them were severely lacking.

Pratt manages to create some interesting characters but the story itself is almost simple. It's direct and quite honestly feels like so many other sci-fi space operas stories I've read over the years. In three years, if you started telling me the storyline, I wouldn't be able to identify which book/author it was from. But (in keeping with the space opera theme) if you described the storylines of John Scalzi's Interdependency series or James S.A. Corey's Expanse series, I'd know immediately which book/author you were describing.

Looking for a good book? If you know the game, Twilight Imperium, and want to experience it beyond the table, then you may enjoy The Fractured Void by Tim Pratt. If you don't know the game, this may have little interest to you.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

The Fractured Void

author: Tim Pratt

series: Twilight Imperium #1

publisher: Aconyte

ISBN: 9781839080463

paperback, 352 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VINYL RESTING PLACE - Olivia Blacke

Image
 Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.  But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.  Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life). Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni. As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my in...
Read more

THE WALLED CITY - Ryan Graudin

Image
  Jin and her sister, Mei Yee, were taken and sold and then sent to the lawless Walled City to serve as prostitutes or slaves to anyone willing to pay. Jin managed to escape her captivity, but not the Walled City and she now lurks about, disguised as a boy and is trying to track down the brothel where her sister is still captive. Jin will work odd delivery jobs to earn a small bit of money and hopefully have a legitimate means of coming in contact with her sister's captors.  This is how she meets up with Dai, a mysterious boy who has somehow managed to avoid running with any of the gangs in the city but he seems to have his own unusual connections, which Jon could desperately use if she has any hope of finding Mei Yee. But Dai has his own desperate needs.  The story is told from the different perspectives of each character and we do bounce around quite a bit as the chapters are generally short. This never bothered me, which is slightly unusual as often I find this techni...
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - ...
Read more