5 stars in a 7 star system.
* * * * *
Daedalus (Interstellar Cargo Book 2) by Matt Verish
Plot: A space “pirate crew” of sorts, trying to get by in a hostile universe where enemies lurk everywhere.
An old theme but cleverly brought with believable characters. Clearly “Daedalus” by Matt Verish was a part two in a series, but it worked well enough as a stand alone not to frustrate the reader (me). There were enough mentions of previous events that were intriguing in such a way that curiosity is sparked to read what went on before. A definite plus in a series.
Pacing-wise, I would have liked to see a bit more speed at the beginning, and less haste at the end, though. I would have liked to read more about the alien planet described, and the ensuing race against time while the hero had to try to save the day, but it didn’t detract from the overall tale. I enjoyed it!
Protagonists: The fearless Captain Musgrave was funny and likeable, although he was hinted to being ruthless, which I didn’t really notice until I was a third into the story, and even then it was a single event. This seemed somewhat out of place to me, but this might be due to not knowing the previous story.
Camaraderie between the main character was there, and yet wasn’t. I was often left to wonder if they could co-exist...but again that might be due to the same problem of this being a sequel. There was definitely history there, which explained the friction. Regardless I rooted for them all, so apparently it didn’t matter as much as I would have thought.
Romance: There is some. Not as in ROMANTIC romance, but a love interest. Which was sweet, and added to the story, despite the “interest” being a bit too unreadable for her own good. I would have liked to discover more about her motivation and such, but that is the “romance reader” in me, I know, and perhaps not the thing for this kind of story.
Overall impression: A fun ride that kept my attention, entertained me, and made me want to turn the next page to see what would happen. All great ingredients for a good book, I would say. Definitely a “must-read” for space opera fans, but also an interesting diversion for the average reader.
