This was a pleasant surprise! Very like one of my favorite sci fi series, Admiral John Geary by Jack Campbell.

Earth, devastated by a plague, is crawling out of a dark age, and just returning to the stars. A young man is assigned to the Aurora, a prototype spacecraft built to protect Earth from an expected invasion of other humans. Things do not go as planned, and the ship, with a skeleton crew and a lot of systems not even installed yet, finds itself in a battle with an unknown enemy very very far from home. ( )

This was not a novel of great writing or intricate, clever plots. I listen to audiobooks often though and sometimes I’m just too tired for a complex tale and I want something easy to listen to. This fits the requirements exactly, it’s full of tropes, the plot is obvious from a mile off but it’s like watching your favourite old cheesy SF show. It’s like comfort listening, sometimes I just want space battles. ( )

Huh. I picked up [b:Aurora: CV-01|13504505|Aurora CV-01 (The Frontiers Saga #1)|Ryk Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1334812795l/13504505._SX50_.jpg|19054364] based on the recommendation of Steve Gibson of the Security Now podcast. Other than a glowing review and knowing it was sci-fi, I didn't really know anything else about the series.

Turns out, it feels an awful lot like a Star Trek series with the labels filed off. Which isn't actually a bad thing, I've seen all of the Star Trek series and movies. What's more, I'm one of the weird ones who started with and actually prefers Voyager to all the others, which when we find out the Aurora is a thousand light years from home intrigued me somewhat.

It's nothing new or deep (especially coming off Octavia Butler's [b:Lilith's Brood|60926|Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis, #1-3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439247785l/60926._SY75_.jpg|3739] and Ben Bova's Grand Tour...), but it's fun. The writing is a bit rough at times and the characters are just this side of ridiculous. Take as a given that it feels a lot like Star Trek and just enjoy the ride. They're quick light reads.

My largest complain perhaps is that the first book ends right where things really take off. It's not a deal breaker with 15 books out thus far, just a bit annoying.

Onward! ( )

Ender's game anyone?

Of course, not nearly as well written.

Bad boy (who is chronologically mature, but written like a teenager) who turns out to be just enough of a rebel that he makes an outstanding leader (i.e. can save the world by thinking outside the box while everyone else (mostly females) are still arguing over what they should do).

If women weren't needed for the males in this story to oogle and have sex (or think about having sex) with, there'd be no women at all in this story.

Or... maybe a more accurate analogy would be a Star Trek episode where Wesley Crusher becomes captain at age 14 but has Kirk's libido. Yes, that sums up the "child-prodigy with chip on his shoulder + let's drool over how hot all the women are in their tight uniforms" tone.

And, other than that... it's a standard, unoriginal sci-fi story that feels like it stole its storyline from a hodgepodge of nearly all the classic sci-fi books written by good authors... minus the part that includes good writing. (i.e. space battles won by dint of boy (err, I mean man) being super talented and lucky, space ships with new tech being sent off on maiden voyage, transluminal spaceship flight to uncharted areas of space, first contact with another planet's inhabitants, etc).

And the farther I get into it, the worse it becomes. I think I read somewhere that this is a first novel... and I hope that is true, because it certainly sounds like a newbie wrote this, fresh after watching a 4 day Star Trek marathon on the Space channel.

It's the unoriginal storyline and tell-not-show approach that makes this story un-enjoyable. (Oh, and the author jumps from inside one character's thoughts to inside another characters thoughts without any pauses- so we get to see this unoriginal story from everyone's point of view.). Unfortunately, I have the next book in the series already, but I won't be reading it. ( )

I am starting to understand the third one better now. I enjoyed that one more than this one, but I can see the potential in the series in this one. Looks like I need to move on to the second to fill in the gaps and see if the writing is better. I am hopeful about the rest of the series. ( )