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Silver Ships #1
The Silver Ships
An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to the derelict.
Alex discovers the ship was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered. The mysterious silver ship's attack was both instant and deadly.
What enfolds is a story of the descendants of two Earth colony ships, with very different histories, meeting 700 years after their founding and uniting to defend humanity from the silver ships.
Alex discovers the ship was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered. The mysterious silver ship's attack was both instant and deadly.
What enfolds is a story of the descendants of two Earth colony ships, with very different histories, meeting 700 years after their founding and uniting to defend humanity from the silver ships.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2015
About the author
S.H. Jucha
40 books447 followersFrom my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.
There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.
Life is rarely easy for these characters, who encounter aliens and calamities, but they persist and flourish. I revel in examining humankind’s will to survive. Not everyone plays fair or exhibits concern for other beings, but that’s another aspect of humans and aliens that I investigate.
My stories offer hope for humans today about what they might accomplish tomorrow far from our home world. Throughout my books, humans exhibit a will to persevere, without detriment to the vast majority of others.
Readers have been generous with their comments, which they’ve left on Amazon and Goodreads for others to review. I truly enjoy what I do, and I’m pleased to read how my stories have positively affected many readers’ lives.
If you’ve read my books, please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads for every book, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and are a great help to indie authors, such as me.
The Silver Ships novels have reached Amazon’s coveted #1 and #2 Best-Selling Sci-Fi book, multiple times, in the science fiction categories of first contact, space opera, and alien invasion.
There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.
Life is rarely easy for these characters, who encounter aliens and calamities, but they persist and flourish. I revel in examining humankind’s will to survive. Not everyone plays fair or exhibits concern for other beings, but that’s another aspect of humans and aliens that I investigate.
My stories offer hope for humans today about what they might accomplish tomorrow far from our home world. Throughout my books, humans exhibit a will to persevere, without detriment to the vast majority of others.
Readers have been generous with their comments, which they’ve left on Amazon and Goodreads for others to review. I truly enjoy what I do, and I’m pleased to read how my stories have positively affected many readers’ lives.
If you’ve read my books, please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads for every book, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and are a great help to indie authors, such as me.
The Silver Ships novels have reached Amazon’s coveted #1 and #2 Best-Selling Sci-Fi book, multiple times, in the science fiction categories of first contact, space opera, and alien invasion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
June 10, 2015
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Publisher: Smith
Publishing Date: June 2015
ISBN: 9780990594024
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 1.5/5
Publisher Description: An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to the derelict. Alex discovers the ship was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered. The mysterious silver ship’s attack was both instant and deadly. What enfolds is a story of the descendants of two Earth colony ships, with very different histories, meeting 700 years after their founding and uniting to defend humanity from the silver ships.
Review: This started out really, really, good. Young kid in space, snaring asteroids, flipping the bird at convention and snaring a derelict alien craft. Cool, eh? But nooooo, it all goes down hill from there as the writing turns clichéd’, patterned and smug. Alex goes from an interesting character to Mr. DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, whom can do no wrong and has seemingly super human mental abilities that astonish everyone but himself. Oh, did he forget to eat again? That scamp, he works more than 10 people while performing multiple tasks and calculations simultaneously. I have an idea! Lets make him Captain of our alien craft as he is the only one that understands us. He put his life and honor on the line and cried like bigfoot when he cleared the ship of dead bodies. WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Fug me. So almost immediately upon saving the drifting ship and enabling the AI to revive all the aliens from stasis, every chick wants to bang him and every dude swears undying loyalty to him. His home planet makes him an ambassador to the aliens (who are human) in hopes of a trade/technology exchange. While being vetted by the HOLY Government, his professors get nasty in defense of his greatness, honesty and genius.
Well see, Alex is a douche because he was written that way, so don’t fault his charismatic manliness because he is a manly space-man with manly mannerisms. His planet is rife with douchebags that cling to the idea that the Government is good, takes care of its people, has good socialized medicine (oxymoron?) and was voted to be in control by the lemmings….er people. Uh oh, sound familiar? It gets better as the insipid smugness creeps in at the edges of this disaster. See the huge big bad wolf on planet douche is, you guessed it, conservatives. Oh yeah, they represent not only buffoonery and egocentric tendencies but deadly mischief and guile in the form of stealing little alien secrets. CURSE THESE INDUSTRIALIST CONSERVATIVES!!….The jabs are endless and do the novel no favors but what is even more astonishing is that they would embrace the politics of their failed home world. The aliens (who are human) are super sexy and thin. They live in a world with advanced technology where there are no bad guns and only good people. They have shockers for beasties and incorrigibles but that’s about it.
So Planet Biden agrees to help these aliens that are humans (that are all super hot and sexy), to go fight real aliens in silver ships that may be threatening their home world based on a vision that Superma…..er, Alex had. Really? Much of the novel moves around the assemblage of BAD weapons to fight aliens and uncovering the nasty conservative plot to garner technology for themselves…MUHAHAHHA!!! There is a cloying insta-love affair between Alex and an alien (human) while all the aliens that are humans get banged by humans that are humans. Fug me. Even the Artificial Intelligence loves Alex because who the fuck doesn’t?
A good read while getting laser hemorrhoid surgery.
Publisher: Smith
Publishing Date: June 2015
ISBN: 9780990594024
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 1.5/5
Publisher Description: An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to the derelict. Alex discovers the ship was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered. The mysterious silver ship’s attack was both instant and deadly. What enfolds is a story of the descendants of two Earth colony ships, with very different histories, meeting 700 years after their founding and uniting to defend humanity from the silver ships.
Review: This started out really, really, good. Young kid in space, snaring asteroids, flipping the bird at convention and snaring a derelict alien craft. Cool, eh? But nooooo, it all goes down hill from there as the writing turns clichéd’, patterned and smug. Alex goes from an interesting character to Mr. DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, whom can do no wrong and has seemingly super human mental abilities that astonish everyone but himself. Oh, did he forget to eat again? That scamp, he works more than 10 people while performing multiple tasks and calculations simultaneously. I have an idea! Lets make him Captain of our alien craft as he is the only one that understands us. He put his life and honor on the line and cried like bigfoot when he cleared the ship of dead bodies. WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Fug me. So almost immediately upon saving the drifting ship and enabling the AI to revive all the aliens from stasis, every chick wants to bang him and every dude swears undying loyalty to him. His home planet makes him an ambassador to the aliens (who are human) in hopes of a trade/technology exchange. While being vetted by the HOLY Government, his professors get nasty in defense of his greatness, honesty and genius.
Well see, Alex is a douche because he was written that way, so don’t fault his charismatic manliness because he is a manly space-man with manly mannerisms. His planet is rife with douchebags that cling to the idea that the Government is good, takes care of its people, has good socialized medicine (oxymoron?) and was voted to be in control by the lemmings….er people. Uh oh, sound familiar? It gets better as the insipid smugness creeps in at the edges of this disaster. See the huge big bad wolf on planet douche is, you guessed it, conservatives. Oh yeah, they represent not only buffoonery and egocentric tendencies but deadly mischief and guile in the form of stealing little alien secrets. CURSE THESE INDUSTRIALIST CONSERVATIVES!!….The jabs are endless and do the novel no favors but what is even more astonishing is that they would embrace the politics of their failed home world. The aliens (who are human) are super sexy and thin. They live in a world with advanced technology where there are no bad guns and only good people. They have shockers for beasties and incorrigibles but that’s about it.
So Planet Biden agrees to help these aliens that are humans (that are all super hot and sexy), to go fight real aliens in silver ships that may be threatening their home world based on a vision that Superma…..er, Alex had. Really? Much of the novel moves around the assemblage of BAD weapons to fight aliens and uncovering the nasty conservative plot to garner technology for themselves…MUHAHAHHA!!! There is a cloying insta-love affair between Alex and an alien (human) while all the aliens that are humans get banged by humans that are humans. Fug me. Even the Artificial Intelligence loves Alex because who the fuck doesn’t?
A good read while getting laser hemorrhoid surgery.
March 31, 2016
If you enjoy your sci-fi reads filled with lots and lots and lots of really polite conversation and not much happening, then this one is perfect for you. I listened to the audiobook and often skipped ahead 15 or 30 minutes without feeling that I had missed anything.
The main character is young, handsome, big and strong, selfless, and a genius. While described as an awkward loner, he steps right into the role of a leader without a glitch. It wasn't long before I was hoping for something bad to happen to him. Unfortunately, he endured nothing worse than smiles, compliments, honors, and pats on the back from a bunch of unbelievably nice people, who are all good looking too.
The main character is young, handsome, big and strong, selfless, and a genius. While described as an awkward loner, he steps right into the role of a leader without a glitch. It wasn't long before I was hoping for something bad to happen to him. Unfortunately, he endured nothing worse than smiles, compliments, honors, and pats on the back from a bunch of unbelievably nice people, who are all good looking too.
April 11, 2017
The Silver ships is a pretty solid soap opera, with three more books to come. It offers an interesting look at how humans could develop given different circumstances. And it spins a good tale of a positive, non-threatening first contact, which is a nice change.
I would consider this book light sci-fi, nothing too deep, with a fairly straight forward plot and likeable characters.
My favourite character was Julien, the self-aware digital entity. Here was some humour and snark, which I like very much. The other characters remained a little one-dimensional for me, there was not a lot of development there or growing depth to the personalities.
The bad aliens, aka silver ships, have a lot of potential and give off some creepy vibes.
I liked the first half of the book the best, with Alex discovering and catching the Reveur. It felt like a proper space adventure and there was quite a bit of action. The intrigue and conspiracy in the middle of the book was a nice idea and could have added some weight, but did not really go anywhere. I am assuming we will get back to that in whatever book we return to New Terra.
From the middle to about three chapters into the book I struggled a bit to maintain my interest and I confess to some light skimming. There was a lot of explanations and descriptions of what happens, instead of getting the story across by telling it through actions and experiences of the characters. It made the plot drag a bit for me. As soon as the story moved towards the final battle and the action picked up again, the suspense was back.
I really struggled, how many stars I should give this book. I leaned towards three starts for a long time -- good book, but nothing gripping. But with the direction the plot takes in the last few chapters, especially the last one, I do actually want to know how the story proceeds, so four stars it is.
If you like the tone and feel of the Solar Clipper series and like to read none too taxing space operas, this should work for you as well.
Free ARC by the author, thank you, Scott! Congratulations and I wish you sucess with this book and its sequels!
I would consider this book light sci-fi, nothing too deep, with a fairly straight forward plot and likeable characters.
My favourite character was Julien, the self-aware digital entity. Here was some humour and snark, which I like very much. The other characters remained a little one-dimensional for me, there was not a lot of development there or growing depth to the personalities.
The bad aliens, aka silver ships, have a lot of potential and give off some creepy vibes.
I liked the first half of the book the best, with Alex discovering and catching the Reveur. It felt like a proper space adventure and there was quite a bit of action. The intrigue and conspiracy in the middle of the book was a nice idea and could have added some weight, but did not really go anywhere. I am assuming we will get back to that in whatever book we return to New Terra.
From the middle to about three chapters into the book I struggled a bit to maintain my interest and I confess to some light skimming. There was a lot of explanations and descriptions of what happens, instead of getting the story across by telling it through actions and experiences of the characters. It made the plot drag a bit for me. As soon as the story moved towards the final battle and the action picked up again, the suspense was back.
I really struggled, how many stars I should give this book. I leaned towards three starts for a long time -- good book, but nothing gripping. But with the direction the plot takes in the last few chapters, especially the last one, I do actually want to know how the story proceeds, so four stars it is.
If you like the tone and feel of the Solar Clipper series and like to read none too taxing space operas, this should work for you as well.
Free ARC by the author, thank you, Scott! Congratulations and I wish you sucess with this book and its sequels!
February 1, 2018
Enjoyable space opera, with strong characterization and good world building. Culture clashes are always fun to read. There are multiple strong intelligent characters of both sexes, which is appreciated. I look forward to the sequel which is due out later this year.
This is a review of the eARC which came directly from the author, at no charge to me. The official release will be in February.
This is a review of the eARC which came directly from the author, at no charge to me. The official release will be in February.
August 21, 2015
Seven hundred years ago humans took to the stars after Earth's resources could no longer support the population. The colonist ships headed to different systems and lost communication with each other. Until one fateful day when tug captain Alex Racine discovers a derelict ship of unknown origin. He quickly learns that the ship is run by an AI, that some of the crew are in stasis...and that it came from a completely different system from his own. The superior technology fascinates him and he assumes it must be alien, until the crew are awakened by the AI computer and he discovers that they are descendants from another Earth colony ship.
And that the reason their ship was damaged and many of their crew dead is because aliens had attacked them.
THE SILVER SHIPS by S.H. Jucha is the first of a projected five-book series about Alex--from the New Terra colony--and his new friends the Méridiens, including the beautiful Renée, whose family owns the ship Reveur. Alex wants to make sure the Méridiens can not only return home safe and sound but also be able to protect themselves when they do. As a pacifist society, they were sorely unprepared for the silver ship that attacked them, and the rest of their people are at risk.
Alex takes it upon himself to be the intermediary between the New Terran government who sees the advanced technology as a godsend, and the Méridiens who are dependent on the goodwill of the New Terrans for the repair of their ship. As he works with the Méridiens, Alex comes to the conclusion that he's more comfortable with Renée and her people than he is with his own, and that when they return to Méridien, they will need someone who can help them fight the silver ships.
Despite an interesting premise and the believable technical aspects presented in the book, I had a hard time truly liking THE SILVER SHIPS. I could give you a veritable laundry list, but for the sake of brevity, I'll boil it down to two main problems: flat characters and boring plot.
Alex is a genius. He's a great mathematician and engineer. He's spent the better part of his adulthood (he's in his mid twenties) as a tug captain, hauling asteroids with water to needy planets. He's a loner with terrible social skills, no luck with the ladies, and a healthy disrespect for authority. So how would someone with these characteristics become an important player in the New Terran-Méridien exchanges? He solves every problem. Everyone likes him. He's handsome. He knows exactly what to do every time with everything. He's perfect. Too perfect. I daresay Alex is a Marty Stu character that the author tries to give flaws to, but which are conveniently waylaid as the story progresses. Even Renée is perfect in her ability to understand, appreciate, and anticipate the needs of Alex as he becomes integral to life on the Méridiens' ship. Needless to say theirs becomes a love story--unfortunately it's bland, which did not endear this hopeless romantic. The secondary characters don't fare well, either, more stock actors than anything. The antagonists have the most personality, but their inconvenient opinions and behavior are slapped down by our super smart Captain Alex who is apparently also perfect at handling naysayers.
The novel starts off with a bit of excitement as Alex discovers the ship and begins his exploration. We're introduced to the Méridiens and learn about their world, culture, and technology as well as about the origin story of the New Terrans (warning: infodumps). This isn't uninteresting. Unfortunately, as the story progresses the pacing suffers. Jucha feels the need to give us a detailed account of how the New Terrans and Méridiens interact, negotiate the transfer of technology and assistance, as well as societal concerns (New Terra is as close to a socialist utopia as I've seen--making the assumption that the government in power has only altruistic intensions) that would result from an influx of advanced technology. This makes the story soooo slooowwww. Nothing happens. If you like the nitty gritty of how an exchange of ideas would play out, then great, this book is for you. But for me this book felt like a technical manual, where everything works out because those in charge are perfect and know exactly how to run everything.
There are other issues such as the jumpy/telling omniscient narrative, high school level drama, politically correct commentary, copyediting errors, cliffhanger ending, complete lack of tension, etc. I'm not so interested in wasting my time with book two if there's going to be more of the same.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: None
Violence: Space battle and death, but bloodless
Sex: Referenced and a brief scene
Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com
And that the reason their ship was damaged and many of their crew dead is because aliens had attacked them.
THE SILVER SHIPS by S.H. Jucha is the first of a projected five-book series about Alex--from the New Terra colony--and his new friends the Méridiens, including the beautiful Renée, whose family owns the ship Reveur. Alex wants to make sure the Méridiens can not only return home safe and sound but also be able to protect themselves when they do. As a pacifist society, they were sorely unprepared for the silver ship that attacked them, and the rest of their people are at risk.
Alex takes it upon himself to be the intermediary between the New Terran government who sees the advanced technology as a godsend, and the Méridiens who are dependent on the goodwill of the New Terrans for the repair of their ship. As he works with the Méridiens, Alex comes to the conclusion that he's more comfortable with Renée and her people than he is with his own, and that when they return to Méridien, they will need someone who can help them fight the silver ships.
Despite an interesting premise and the believable technical aspects presented in the book, I had a hard time truly liking THE SILVER SHIPS. I could give you a veritable laundry list, but for the sake of brevity, I'll boil it down to two main problems: flat characters and boring plot.
Alex is a genius. He's a great mathematician and engineer. He's spent the better part of his adulthood (he's in his mid twenties) as a tug captain, hauling asteroids with water to needy planets. He's a loner with terrible social skills, no luck with the ladies, and a healthy disrespect for authority. So how would someone with these characteristics become an important player in the New Terran-Méridien exchanges? He solves every problem. Everyone likes him. He's handsome. He knows exactly what to do every time with everything. He's perfect. Too perfect. I daresay Alex is a Marty Stu character that the author tries to give flaws to, but which are conveniently waylaid as the story progresses. Even Renée is perfect in her ability to understand, appreciate, and anticipate the needs of Alex as he becomes integral to life on the Méridiens' ship. Needless to say theirs becomes a love story--unfortunately it's bland, which did not endear this hopeless romantic. The secondary characters don't fare well, either, more stock actors than anything. The antagonists have the most personality, but their inconvenient opinions and behavior are slapped down by our super smart Captain Alex who is apparently also perfect at handling naysayers.
The novel starts off with a bit of excitement as Alex discovers the ship and begins his exploration. We're introduced to the Méridiens and learn about their world, culture, and technology as well as about the origin story of the New Terrans (warning: infodumps). This isn't uninteresting. Unfortunately, as the story progresses the pacing suffers. Jucha feels the need to give us a detailed account of how the New Terrans and Méridiens interact, negotiate the transfer of technology and assistance, as well as societal concerns (New Terra is as close to a socialist utopia as I've seen--making the assumption that the government in power has only altruistic intensions) that would result from an influx of advanced technology. This makes the story soooo slooowwww. Nothing happens. If you like the nitty gritty of how an exchange of ideas would play out, then great, this book is for you. But for me this book felt like a technical manual, where everything works out because those in charge are perfect and know exactly how to run everything.
There are other issues such as the jumpy/telling omniscient narrative, high school level drama, politically correct commentary, copyediting errors, cliffhanger ending, complete lack of tension, etc. I'm not so interested in wasting my time with book two if there's going to be more of the same.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: None
Violence: Space battle and death, but bloodless
Sex: Referenced and a brief scene
Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com
June 25, 2017
I have been trying to expand the number of authors of science fiction I read. I noted that Grover Gardner narrated this book. I have enjoyed books he has narrated so I decided to give the book a try.
Our protagonist is Alex Racine a tug boat captain in a mining colony. While heading home to New Terran, Alex discovers a derelict ship. He acquires it and boards the ship to discover the AI (artificial intelligence) on the ship is still active and it asks him to help restore the ship. When Alex gets the power back on line, he discovers the crew and passengers in stasis. Apparently, they have been in stasis for 70 years. It turns out they came from Earth also but are more advanced than the people from New Terran. They work together to restore technology and the ship while preparing to fight the aliens that destroyed the ship.
The book is well written but there is little action. I get the feeling the author is building the background for the series. I was interested enough that I will try the next book in the series. I did enjoy the book and the great voice of Grover Gardner.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten and a half hours long. Grover Gardner does an excellent job narrating the book. Gardner is an award-winning audiobook narrator.
Our protagonist is Alex Racine a tug boat captain in a mining colony. While heading home to New Terran, Alex discovers a derelict ship. He acquires it and boards the ship to discover the AI (artificial intelligence) on the ship is still active and it asks him to help restore the ship. When Alex gets the power back on line, he discovers the crew and passengers in stasis. Apparently, they have been in stasis for 70 years. It turns out they came from Earth also but are more advanced than the people from New Terran. They work together to restore technology and the ship while preparing to fight the aliens that destroyed the ship.
The book is well written but there is little action. I get the feeling the author is building the background for the series. I was interested enough that I will try the next book in the series. I did enjoy the book and the great voice of Grover Gardner.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten and a half hours long. Grover Gardner does an excellent job narrating the book. Gardner is an award-winning audiobook narrator.
June 19, 2015
fairly simplistic (with boy wonder moving from ship captain to ...) and predictable but fast moving and keeping me interested and turning pages and I definitely plan to take a look at the sequel
January 10, 2023
Kinda on the fence about this one. On the one hand, it’s well-written and the first 1/3 or so is really engaging, but then it becomes a bit too clean and antiseptic to buy into. But like the Elizabeth Bear novel Hammered I also finished today, this is a debut novel, so it’s kind of hard to get angry at it. It’s not bad or anything, rather it’s just too simplistic.
This is very much in the mold of 2009 Star Trek by JJ Abrams, where he took the most unbelievable aspects of classic Trek and said, “Screw turning them up to 11, I’m turning them up to eleven-hundred!” In 1966 Kirk was a wunderkind, a perfect poster boy for Space Opera Superhero. He was the smartest, toughest, strategic-est dude to ever command a starship. In Trek canon, Kirk is the youngest Starfleet member to ever achieve command of his own starship: it took him a mere 12 years. In Abrams’ version he does it in 12 hours. Seriously. Plus he’s now a malcontent supergenius bad boy and everyone wants to get naked with him.
The main character here, Alex Racine, is cut from the Abrams school of ridiculous too-much-ness. He’s misunderstood by his classmates because he’s a supergenius who was homeschooled (on a spaceship), a math prodigy who has the physique of The Rock or Henry Cavill and is handsomer than either of them, who also happens to be aw-shucks humble. He’s also like Kirk in that he’s the youngest space captain in his planet’s history. By the time he gets the brain implant from a high-tech sister civilization, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that he will master it in no time. And he DOES, adopting the unfamiliar tech faster than anyone ever, learning to control it better in a month than the children who grow up with it. Which is seriously edging into Marty Stu territory, but then Jucha steps over the line and says Alex is using the implant at 102%.
Dude. Come on.
But at this point I’m 200 pages in, so I might as well finish. No surprise that Alex has brilliant strategic thinking and is the first person to ever win a space battle. It’s too much.
I mean, spread the wealth around, fer cry. I get it, there are over-achieving supermen among us, like Tom Cruise and supergenius astronaut Story Musgrave, but even they took years to accomplish their feats; they didn’t get it all by the age of 28, which is how old Alex is. Make someone else the best at brain implant games. Make another guy the most handsome. That reins it in from unbelievable to relatable.
One of my all time favorite books is the 1973 novel Protector by Larry Niven. The story is very similar, almost too much so: loner Brennan, on the way back from asteroid mining, spots an extrasolar starship entering the solar system and matches velocity to catch it. This is exactly Alex’s story here; loner, miner, on his way back. Turns out in both books that the ship is carrying a cousin/cousins to humans. In Protector it’s Phssthpok the Pak, a member of our species’ ancestors. In Silver Ships it’s a ship filled with folks from another Earth colony that the New Terrans don’t know about. This changes the course of history, because it turns out there’s an invading wave of extremely xenophobic Pak hot on Phssthpok’s heels, hell-bent on exterminating any and all mutations, which would include us, their human descendants — and in Silver Ships it’s because the Meridiens were attacked by the titular ships who are hell-bent on exterminating humanity, although for reasons unknown.
But the differences become clear in the second part of these books. In Protector, Brennan is kind of a good-natured dick. He’s a smuggler, which lots of asteroid miners are, but he’s a loner by choice due to being fairly antisocial. He’s not a genius. After meeting Phssthpok, Brennan gets his clock cleaned by the aggressive semi-alien, who is in every way smarter and tougher than any human. None of this charming wunderkind poster boy Cap’n Kirk stuff. To tell more would be a spoiler, but suffice it to say that Brennan is later revealed to be… complicated. He’s both a savior and a monster. He saves species and genocides others. But everything he does fits the premise.
Alex is just a real goody-goody who is doing his aw-shucks best by everyone.
The politics in Protector lead to some real complications, while the ones in Silver Ships don’t amount to much. I suspect there will be more said about that in the numerous sequels, but here it feels like a plot thread that’s snipped off and discarded. Jucha is more interested in kitting out the spaceship and getting into the war with the silver aliens.
Which would be fine if we got to see more than just the opening salvo against one scout ship, but we don’t. In Protector they only confront a few Pak scouts who have no way to alert the following Pak fleet due to the extreme distances involved, but in Silver Ships there seems to be no real reason why a lone scout couldn’t call for backup, really, not when the rest of them are in the same solar system.
I dunno, like I said, I don’t hate this book or anything, it’s just that the story is too pat, the characters too nice, the action too clean. The bad guys, such as they are, get dealt with easily, and the one arrogant character among the new mixed crew of Meridiens and New Terrans isn’t around long enough to be anything other than a trope.
This is very much in the mold of 2009 Star Trek by JJ Abrams, where he took the most unbelievable aspects of classic Trek and said, “Screw turning them up to 11, I’m turning them up to eleven-hundred!” In 1966 Kirk was a wunderkind, a perfect poster boy for Space Opera Superhero. He was the smartest, toughest, strategic-est dude to ever command a starship. In Trek canon, Kirk is the youngest Starfleet member to ever achieve command of his own starship: it took him a mere 12 years. In Abrams’ version he does it in 12 hours. Seriously. Plus he’s now a malcontent supergenius bad boy and everyone wants to get naked with him.
The main character here, Alex Racine, is cut from the Abrams school of ridiculous too-much-ness. He’s misunderstood by his classmates because he’s a supergenius who was homeschooled (on a spaceship), a math prodigy who has the physique of The Rock or Henry Cavill and is handsomer than either of them, who also happens to be aw-shucks humble. He’s also like Kirk in that he’s the youngest space captain in his planet’s history. By the time he gets the brain implant from a high-tech sister civilization, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that he will master it in no time. And he DOES, adopting the unfamiliar tech faster than anyone ever, learning to control it better in a month than the children who grow up with it. Which is seriously edging into Marty Stu territory, but then Jucha steps over the line and says Alex is using the implant at 102%.
Dude. Come on.
But at this point I’m 200 pages in, so I might as well finish. No surprise that Alex has brilliant strategic thinking and is the first person to ever win a space battle. It’s too much.
I mean, spread the wealth around, fer cry. I get it, there are over-achieving supermen among us, like Tom Cruise and supergenius astronaut Story Musgrave, but even they took years to accomplish their feats; they didn’t get it all by the age of 28, which is how old Alex is. Make someone else the best at brain implant games. Make another guy the most handsome. That reins it in from unbelievable to relatable.
One of my all time favorite books is the 1973 novel Protector by Larry Niven. The story is very similar, almost too much so: loner Brennan, on the way back from asteroid mining, spots an extrasolar starship entering the solar system and matches velocity to catch it. This is exactly Alex’s story here; loner, miner, on his way back. Turns out in both books that the ship is carrying a cousin/cousins to humans. In Protector it’s Phssthpok the Pak, a member of our species’ ancestors. In Silver Ships it’s a ship filled with folks from another Earth colony that the New Terrans don’t know about. This changes the course of history, because it turns out there’s an invading wave of extremely xenophobic Pak hot on Phssthpok’s heels, hell-bent on exterminating any and all mutations, which would include us, their human descendants — and in Silver Ships it’s because the Meridiens were attacked by the titular ships who are hell-bent on exterminating humanity, although for reasons unknown.
But the differences become clear in the second part of these books. In Protector, Brennan is kind of a good-natured dick. He’s a smuggler, which lots of asteroid miners are, but he’s a loner by choice due to being fairly antisocial. He’s not a genius. After meeting Phssthpok, Brennan gets his clock cleaned by the aggressive semi-alien, who is in every way smarter and tougher than any human. None of this charming wunderkind poster boy Cap’n Kirk stuff. To tell more would be a spoiler, but suffice it to say that Brennan is later revealed to be… complicated. He’s both a savior and a monster. He saves species and genocides others. But everything he does fits the premise.
Alex is just a real goody-goody who is doing his aw-shucks best by everyone.
The politics in Protector lead to some real complications, while the ones in Silver Ships don’t amount to much. I suspect there will be more said about that in the numerous sequels, but here it feels like a plot thread that’s snipped off and discarded. Jucha is more interested in kitting out the spaceship and getting into the war with the silver aliens.
Which would be fine if we got to see more than just the opening salvo against one scout ship, but we don’t. In Protector they only confront a few Pak scouts who have no way to alert the following Pak fleet due to the extreme distances involved, but in Silver Ships there seems to be no real reason why a lone scout couldn’t call for backup, really, not when the rest of them are in the same solar system.
I dunno, like I said, I don’t hate this book or anything, it’s just that the story is too pat, the characters too nice, the action too clean. The bad guys, such as they are, get dealt with easily, and the one arrogant character among the new mixed crew of Meridiens and New Terrans isn’t around long enough to be anything other than a trope.
June 26, 2015
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The Silver Ships is a rather heavy handed and fairly improbable Marty Stu type of story: everyone (male, female, even the computer AI) fall madly in love with our 20 something young super genius while he manages to save the universe not once but several times (through his superior intellect, of course). The fawning is nonstop here - he made his family millionaires, wows the women with his studly physique, makes every man want to be him, and even has the government issuing him carte blanche authority in their adulation of his prowess. Underpining (hindering? obfuscating? overpowering?) the somewhat silly characterizations is heavy handed soapboxing about right wing politics and various other viewpoints.Story: Alex reinvented a physics maneuver that allowed him to make his mining family millionaires. He still goes out mining by himself, though, in his small ship Outward Bound. One day, he finds a battle damaged alien ship, nearly dies trying to recover it, and then finds that it is populated with hypersleeping humans waking up after 70 years (he saves their AI and then their ship, of course). Separated from earth 700 years ago ('long lost cousins'), they all have French names but don't speak French. Together, Alex and the new humans debate about a new alien menace against the humans - the silver ships. Together with the Francofied lost cousins, Alex will rise to admiral, create his own house in the foreign culture, and woo the beautiful alien 'princess' into sleeping with him.
All Marty Stu aside, the writing wasn't well done here. POVs shift constantly, paragraph by paragraph, and action scenes are sketchy at best (glossed over at worst). Coupled with the improbability of the characterizations and it made for a very boring and flat read. E.g., our supergenius nearly dies from some maneuver to hook up with the alien ship (I can't even remember why he had to do it that way) - and he will be feted forever by the alien human crew for that feat of 'bravery' (wouldn't it have been smarter to signal back and wait for more ships to come help?). There were so many scenes, with jumping points right and left between character thoughts, that I just couldn't get into anything that was said or done. E.g., a character will die stupidly (the only casualty) because he's a right wing conservative hot head - and then we move on randomly after a quick eulogy - what was the point?) I started skimming.
What we have here has been done before - and somewhat better - in books like Evan Currie's Odyssey One series. I would have needed much more to remain invested and continuing in this series - certainly, though, one has to wonder if by the end of book 2, main character Alex will become King of the new world, then master of the universe, then a God by book 3. That's the trajectory set by book 1. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
January 26, 2015
Imaginative. Intelligent. Intense.
The Silver Ships weaves an imaginative futuristic tale set in the depths of space. Due to environmental disasters on Earth centuries ago, mankind was forced to flee to the stars. Intelligent in design, the story richly develops engaging characters. Once started, I was gripped by the intensity of the story and could not put it down due to a compelling plot, fascinating setting, smart style, and breathtaking universe.
For over 700 years since their colony’s founding, there has been no contact with others - human or alien. That is all about to change when Captain Alex Racine of the Outward Bound, an explorer-tug, detects an anomaly.
What he discovers is unexpected. What transpires is a tale of epic proportion. The fate of the known universe lies in the choices to be made.
Truly a riveting page turner that will leave you eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
The Silver Ships weaves an imaginative futuristic tale set in the depths of space. Due to environmental disasters on Earth centuries ago, mankind was forced to flee to the stars. Intelligent in design, the story richly develops engaging characters. Once started, I was gripped by the intensity of the story and could not put it down due to a compelling plot, fascinating setting, smart style, and breathtaking universe.
For over 700 years since their colony’s founding, there has been no contact with others - human or alien. That is all about to change when Captain Alex Racine of the Outward Bound, an explorer-tug, detects an anomaly.
What he discovers is unexpected. What transpires is a tale of epic proportion. The fate of the known universe lies in the choices to be made.
Truly a riveting page turner that will leave you eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
April 21, 2019
This was a solid story that was clever at times, but the characters lacked depth - even the lead just had a magical touch that wasn't explained or explored. The technologies didn't always make sense to me. Perhaps all will be revealed in the later stories.
I hope the divergent evolution aspect is explored more deeply as well.
I will probably read the next one.
I hope the divergent evolution aspect is explored more deeply as well.
I will probably read the next one.
December 8, 2020
Silver Ships is a fresh inventive futuristic story of the best science fiction kind. Jucha writes a fast-paced character driven space opera with a dash of mystery intriguing enough to entice even Holmes. Brimming with tantalizing technology and fabulous characters, it will keep anyone enthralled.
Humans escape to the stars as Earth finally collapses after resources have evaporated. Spreading out across the galaxies, seeking new planets to call home, the cold dark vacuum of space pushes the will of human survival to the limit. One group finds a potential planet and names it New Terra.
Fast-forward a few centuries and meet Alex Racine, captain of the space explorer-tug Outward Bound. A brilliant young introvert captivated by the beauty and challenges of the universe. Alex lives in space, preferring the company of his ship's computer to that of other Terrans. While mining an asteroid, Alex discovers an anomaly he cannot resist. Using the ship and computer of his own design, he risks his very life to catch it and finds much more than he bargained for when he captures it. Or has it captured Alex?
It is whole new adventure for Alex Racine, humanity, and his new found friends. From saving lives, new found AIs, and unknown deadly aliens, there is rarely a quiet moment in the life of this space-tug captain. I can't wait to see what the universe has in store next for Alex!
I adore SciFi and Adventure novels and the Silver Ships was truly a delight to read. Packed with great characters, tantalizing technology and thrilling adventure that gets your heart pumping. You won't want to put the book down. I didn't! If you enjoy all these things, then I recommend adding the Silver Ships to your 'to-read' list. You won't be disappointed.
A big thank you Scott Jucha for giving me the opportunity to read and review his eARC. I can't wait to see where you take Alex next!
Humans escape to the stars as Earth finally collapses after resources have evaporated. Spreading out across the galaxies, seeking new planets to call home, the cold dark vacuum of space pushes the will of human survival to the limit. One group finds a potential planet and names it New Terra.
Fast-forward a few centuries and meet Alex Racine, captain of the space explorer-tug Outward Bound. A brilliant young introvert captivated by the beauty and challenges of the universe. Alex lives in space, preferring the company of his ship's computer to that of other Terrans. While mining an asteroid, Alex discovers an anomaly he cannot resist. Using the ship and computer of his own design, he risks his very life to catch it and finds much more than he bargained for when he captures it. Or has it captured Alex?
It is whole new adventure for Alex Racine, humanity, and his new found friends. From saving lives, new found AIs, and unknown deadly aliens, there is rarely a quiet moment in the life of this space-tug captain. I can't wait to see what the universe has in store next for Alex!
I adore SciFi and Adventure novels and the Silver Ships was truly a delight to read. Packed with great characters, tantalizing technology and thrilling adventure that gets your heart pumping. You won't want to put the book down. I didn't! If you enjoy all these things, then I recommend adding the Silver Ships to your 'to-read' list. You won't be disappointed.
A big thank you Scott Jucha for giving me the opportunity to read and review his eARC. I can't wait to see where you take Alex next!
September 8, 2015
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Alex has been moving asteroids with his space ship for some time when he finds an alien craft in distress and decides to make contact with it.
This was an interesting space opera, mostly in the first half though. I enjoyed the part were Alex and the AI from the other craft are together the best. Once the rest of the surviving crew was revived the story became a lot more generic. However, it did have some interesting themes. In the novel two different civilization have arisen from different space ships that fled the earth. In the time that has passed, they grown into quite distinct civilizations, making the others feel 'alien' even though they are actually human.
The silver ships referenced in the title most likely refer to some actual non-human aliens, which we'll probably encounter in the next book. While this book was far from perfect and ended exactly like one would expect, I am curious enough to read at least the second book in the series as well.
The Silver Ships is the first book in the Silver Ships series. The second book Libre has just been released!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Alex has been moving asteroids with his space ship for some time when he finds an alien craft in distress and decides to make contact with it.
This was an interesting space opera, mostly in the first half though. I enjoyed the part were Alex and the AI from the other craft are together the best. Once the rest of the surviving crew was revived the story became a lot more generic. However, it did have some interesting themes. In the novel two different civilization have arisen from different space ships that fled the earth. In the time that has passed, they grown into quite distinct civilizations, making the others feel 'alien' even though they are actually human.
The silver ships referenced in the title most likely refer to some actual non-human aliens, which we'll probably encounter in the next book. While this book was far from perfect and ended exactly like one would expect, I am curious enough to read at least the second book in the series as well.
The Silver Ships is the first book in the Silver Ships series. The second book Libre has just been released!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
February 10, 2015
The author sent me a copy of this book for review and I’m very pleased he did :-)
The silver ships is a space opera set 700 years into a future where mankind have destroyed the Earth and headed off to find pastures new. The story has everything you need from likeable main characters to a feel-good-that-things-work-out type mantra. Add in the mysterious destructive aliens and you get exactly what you want from this genre.
The book is clearly the foundation for an expansive story to come as a lot of time is spent building relationships and setting the scene. It feels like the universe within the story will start opening up with more and more “humans” to be found out there. One of the things I like is the use of realistic physics for space travel at the start as it provides a sense of realism and also provides some great opportunities for improvement as we’ve already seen… you’ll have to read it to find out what I mean.
I’m keen to get my hands on the next book already as the story is compelling and I can’t wait to see how things move on. It may sound cliche but the story has the foundations to become epic… well done Scott.
The silver ships is a space opera set 700 years into a future where mankind have destroyed the Earth and headed off to find pastures new. The story has everything you need from likeable main characters to a feel-good-that-things-work-out type mantra. Add in the mysterious destructive aliens and you get exactly what you want from this genre.
The book is clearly the foundation for an expansive story to come as a lot of time is spent building relationships and setting the scene. It feels like the universe within the story will start opening up with more and more “humans” to be found out there. One of the things I like is the use of realistic physics for space travel at the start as it provides a sense of realism and also provides some great opportunities for improvement as we’ve already seen… you’ll have to read it to find out what I mean.
I’m keen to get my hands on the next book already as the story is compelling and I can’t wait to see how things move on. It may sound cliche but the story has the foundations to become epic… well done Scott.
March 5, 2022
Very enjoyable space opera. I look forward to the next book in this series.
January 15, 2019
About a year ago, I read a book about a self-righteous jerk named Alex. He started with a cool adventure, then devolved into garbage. I saw many similarities with this book. In fact, I think the author of last year's Alex book was heavily influenced in his writing by this one (so many parallels). The Silver Ships is another book with a cult to Alex. I wanted to like this story. The first twenty percent had me hooked, but then we took a sharp turn into Triteville. I realized all the characters were the same person. All were fully competent in their jobs, fearless, and virtuous. What about the medics, the engineers, the bodyguards? They were all competent, fearless, virtuous medics, engineers, and bodyguards. A bland vanilla throughout. The one character who was an arrogant bastard was the only guy to die. So much for diversity. The characters are in a fight against an enemy that slaughtered humans who were twenty times more advanced than the New Terrans. Is anyone concerned with fighting a force this powerful with a handful of ships? Nope. See the above note about fearlessness. PTSD is never an issues, despite the absolute slaughter around them.
The main character is Alex. He started awesome. He was a recluse. A loner. A strong introvert. He used guts to save a drifting ship. Then, he decides he loves all people. Granted they practically worshipped him for the rescue, but he fully embraced all the attention. It went against what his character was described as. Not only does he find a voice. He becomes insanely extroverted. His minions (because a cult doesn't have friends) practically pray to him. They beg him to be their captain (later Admiral). The Meridians make it a point to pride themselves on selecting the best people for a job. An introverted space salvager is literally the worst kind of person to place the fate of humanity on his shoulders. Yet, it's not only what they did, it's what they unanimously did. Nobody questioned the decision. They celebrated it. Even the recluse took great pride in the job. Of course, (remember, everyone is competent) he excelled in this job and didn't fret when the ship's loudmouthed got wasted.
Only one real military person was on the ship. The rest just pretended. I understand Alex did the Meridians a solid, but just because a firefighter saves my home doesn't mean I want him to run my bank. Alex didn't have the skills to be in charge. The president and the general would have known this if they hadn't all been clones of the same character. Fraternization would have been another concern, but all the characters are too busy bed hopping to notice.
There are eleven sequels and counting in this book series. That means no clear ending had been planned. That's always a red flag for me. I'm glad some people like this series, because it was written so poorly (in my opinion) that it's a hard pass on all the works by this author for me. Sigh.
The main character is Alex. He started awesome. He was a recluse. A loner. A strong introvert. He used guts to save a drifting ship. Then, he decides he loves all people. Granted they practically worshipped him for the rescue, but he fully embraced all the attention. It went against what his character was described as. Not only does he find a voice. He becomes insanely extroverted. His minions (because a cult doesn't have friends) practically pray to him. They beg him to be their captain (later Admiral). The Meridians make it a point to pride themselves on selecting the best people for a job. An introverted space salvager is literally the worst kind of person to place the fate of humanity on his shoulders. Yet, it's not only what they did, it's what they unanimously did. Nobody questioned the decision. They celebrated it. Even the recluse took great pride in the job. Of course, (remember, everyone is competent) he excelled in this job and didn't fret when the ship's loudmouthed got wasted.
Only one real military person was on the ship. The rest just pretended. I understand Alex did the Meridians a solid, but just because a firefighter saves my home doesn't mean I want him to run my bank. Alex didn't have the skills to be in charge. The president and the general would have known this if they hadn't all been clones of the same character. Fraternization would have been another concern, but all the characters are too busy bed hopping to notice.
There are eleven sequels and counting in this book series. That means no clear ending had been planned. That's always a red flag for me. I'm glad some people like this series, because it was written so poorly (in my opinion) that it's a hard pass on all the works by this author for me. Sigh.
September 6, 2015
I liked this one a great deal. Alex is a good hearted rogue character that likes to do things his own way. I have to admit I like the beginning of the book a little bit better than the later part of the book, simply because as Alex grows through the book he becomes a little bit to all knowing/powerful. Everything he does is right for the most part and I would have like to see him keep a few faults or trip ups.
I did like the stories premise of finding a lost ship with advance technologies and eventually encountering the occupants that need help. I liked how Alex helped Renne and her ship get the help they needed to get how and watch how he gradually entwined himself with them.
I did like the stories premise of finding a lost ship with advance technologies and eventually encountering the occupants that need help. I liked how Alex helped Renne and her ship get the help they needed to get how and watch how he gradually entwined himself with them.
July 8, 2018
There were so many twists and turns and the ending left me SHOOK
October 30, 2019
Enjoyed this interesting space opera. I think Julien is my favorite character, how can you not love a Self-aware digital entity.
July 9, 2015
Alex Racine operates an asteroid tug boat, Outward Bound, in the asteroid belt of human colony system of New Terra. It's been over seven hundred years since their ancestors arrived fleeing a badly damaged Earth, and had a rough arrival that cost them many of their original colonists. It's been a hundred years since they recovered enough technology to get back into space. They've colonized another world in their system, and are exploiting the asteroid belt.
What they haven't had is any contact with Earth or anyone else since they arrived. It's quite a surprise when Racine sees an unfamiliar ship coming from, apparently, outside the system. This strange ship is badly damaged and doesn't respond to his radio calls, so he captures it with the tools he uses to capture asteroids, and investigates.
The Reveur is from Meridien, a human colony founded at about the same time as New Terra, but they didn't have the rough arrival of the New Terrans, and retained their technology, which has since advanced. They have, for instance, FTL drive, highly developed nanite technology, and real artificial intelligence. They have thriving colony worlds of their own.
The bad news is, the Reveur was attacked, at one of their colonies, by a completely unfamiliar ship, a sliver ovoid that didn't respond to any attempts at contact and did major damage with energy weapons unlike anything either Meridien or New Terra has. They were able to escape into FTL, but in an arbitrary direction and with major crew casualties. All the survivors are in stasis, while Juilien, the ship's SADE (Self Actualizing Digital Entity) controls the ship.
The New Terrans and the Meridiens, with very different cultures separated by seven centuries, face a major threat and need to come together to protect the only parts of the human race they can be sure still exist.
The first few pages aren't too compelling, as our introduction to Alex Racine is more than a bit Mary Sue-ish. He's really smart, he's really handsome, he invented an amazing new technique for getting asteroids to where they're needed while he was barely more than a kid. But then the story really starts, and things move along nicely. I very much liked the fact that neither New Terra nor Meridien is portrayed as a utopia or as obviously superior to the other. They both have real strengths and real weaknesses, and confronting the common enemy is going to depend on blending their resources, technology, and abilities together. The characters are individuals, too, good and bad, weak and strong, and there's a basic assumption that gender is just one more personal characteristic.
Overall, this is a well-written, enjoyable story. It is the first of a series, so there's more to come. While Hugo eligible for 2016, I wouldn't say it's award worthy--but I do hope to see more from Jucha. It's a promising start, and we can hope to see even better in the future.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
What they haven't had is any contact with Earth or anyone else since they arrived. It's quite a surprise when Racine sees an unfamiliar ship coming from, apparently, outside the system. This strange ship is badly damaged and doesn't respond to his radio calls, so he captures it with the tools he uses to capture asteroids, and investigates.
The Reveur is from Meridien, a human colony founded at about the same time as New Terra, but they didn't have the rough arrival of the New Terrans, and retained their technology, which has since advanced. They have, for instance, FTL drive, highly developed nanite technology, and real artificial intelligence. They have thriving colony worlds of their own.
The bad news is, the Reveur was attacked, at one of their colonies, by a completely unfamiliar ship, a sliver ovoid that didn't respond to any attempts at contact and did major damage with energy weapons unlike anything either Meridien or New Terra has. They were able to escape into FTL, but in an arbitrary direction and with major crew casualties. All the survivors are in stasis, while Juilien, the ship's SADE (Self Actualizing Digital Entity) controls the ship.
The New Terrans and the Meridiens, with very different cultures separated by seven centuries, face a major threat and need to come together to protect the only parts of the human race they can be sure still exist.
The first few pages aren't too compelling, as our introduction to Alex Racine is more than a bit Mary Sue-ish. He's really smart, he's really handsome, he invented an amazing new technique for getting asteroids to where they're needed while he was barely more than a kid. But then the story really starts, and things move along nicely. I very much liked the fact that neither New Terra nor Meridien is portrayed as a utopia or as obviously superior to the other. They both have real strengths and real weaknesses, and confronting the common enemy is going to depend on blending their resources, technology, and abilities together. The characters are individuals, too, good and bad, weak and strong, and there's a basic assumption that gender is just one more personal characteristic.
Overall, this is a well-written, enjoyable story. It is the first of a series, so there's more to come. While Hugo eligible for 2016, I wouldn't say it's award worthy--but I do hope to see more from Jucha. It's a promising start, and we can hope to see even better in the future.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
September 2, 2015
*Originally completed for Audiobookreviewer.com*
The Silver Ships by S.H. Jucha centers around a young mining captain named Alex Racine. Alex became sort of a minor celebrity for being the first to calculate a complex equation that allowed for the ‘slingshotting’ of ice asteroids that made them easier and quicker to retrieve.
While heading back to his home on New Terran, Alex detects a derelict alien craft on a course through the system and decides to recon it. Once aboard, he discovers that the AI on the ship is still active and asks Alex to help restore the ship. While bringing the power systems back online, Alex soon finds out that another race, similar to humans, has been on this ship for 70 years and he has helped bring them out of their stasis. Come to find out, these creatures are descendants from another Earth colony ship who were attacked by an unknown alien ship, resulting in their stasis.
An alliance between the ship’s survivors, who are one hundred years more advanced, and the New Terrans is created. The ship’s AI and survivors promise to provide the New Terrans with the technology they possess, including nanotechnology, in exchange for the repair and arming of their passenger ship. And, of course, help with fighting and defeating this new enemy. But will it be that easy of a task? Will these survivors and the New Terrans be able to cooperate?
There are a couple of issues I found with the novel. Number one is that none of the main characters have flaws, not a single one. They all get along just fine, never once do they come to separate conclusions or have differing opinions. Number two is that, after a very intriguing beginning to the story, it becomes slightly boring and no action ever seems to take place. The novel feels like too much of a set up for the other three novels and it begins to downplay the enjoyment you should have while reading/listening.
All in all, this is a good edition to the SciFi genre, unless you are looking for something action packed or fast paced. Grover Gardner does a great job with the audio and I would expect that he will continue doing so through the rest of the series. Not sure if I will pick up the next in the series, but don’t let that detract you.
The Silver Ships by S.H. Jucha centers around a young mining captain named Alex Racine. Alex became sort of a minor celebrity for being the first to calculate a complex equation that allowed for the ‘slingshotting’ of ice asteroids that made them easier and quicker to retrieve.
While heading back to his home on New Terran, Alex detects a derelict alien craft on a course through the system and decides to recon it. Once aboard, he discovers that the AI on the ship is still active and asks Alex to help restore the ship. While bringing the power systems back online, Alex soon finds out that another race, similar to humans, has been on this ship for 70 years and he has helped bring them out of their stasis. Come to find out, these creatures are descendants from another Earth colony ship who were attacked by an unknown alien ship, resulting in their stasis.
An alliance between the ship’s survivors, who are one hundred years more advanced, and the New Terrans is created. The ship’s AI and survivors promise to provide the New Terrans with the technology they possess, including nanotechnology, in exchange for the repair and arming of their passenger ship. And, of course, help with fighting and defeating this new enemy. But will it be that easy of a task? Will these survivors and the New Terrans be able to cooperate?
There are a couple of issues I found with the novel. Number one is that none of the main characters have flaws, not a single one. They all get along just fine, never once do they come to separate conclusions or have differing opinions. Number two is that, after a very intriguing beginning to the story, it becomes slightly boring and no action ever seems to take place. The novel feels like too much of a set up for the other three novels and it begins to downplay the enjoyment you should have while reading/listening.
All in all, this is a good edition to the SciFi genre, unless you are looking for something action packed or fast paced. Grover Gardner does a great job with the audio and I would expect that he will continue doing so through the rest of the series. Not sure if I will pick up the next in the series, but don’t let that detract you.
September 24, 2018
What an original sci-fi novel!
I've read plenty of sci-fi that quickly fits into a predictable "Oh, it's one of those" category, but The Silver Ships has a premise that I had not encountered before.
Here we have two civilizations, originating from Earth at basically the same time, when its resources were drained beyond repair. The peoples were equipped with the same technology of the time, but brought different cultures with them as they escaped to worlds unknown. The differing peoples were unaware of other survivors, and focused on surviving and growing (apart) as their situations dictated.
Fast forward a millenia, and they find each other. Marvelling at how differently they have evolved is only part of how this story will excite and surprise you. I won't give anything away, but yeah, it's worth a read to find out what happens and what may be in store as the series progresses.
I've read plenty of sci-fi that quickly fits into a predictable "Oh, it's one of those" category, but The Silver Ships has a premise that I had not encountered before.
Here we have two civilizations, originating from Earth at basically the same time, when its resources were drained beyond repair. The peoples were equipped with the same technology of the time, but brought different cultures with them as they escaped to worlds unknown. The differing peoples were unaware of other survivors, and focused on surviving and growing (apart) as their situations dictated.
Fast forward a millenia, and they find each other. Marvelling at how differently they have evolved is only part of how this story will excite and surprise you. I won't give anything away, but yeah, it's worth a read to find out what happens and what may be in store as the series progresses.
March 31, 2016
ETA: (I don't normally put an edited to add (eta) at the beginning but . . .): Considering so many reviews of this book seem to include a line about how the book was acquired I note: I did not receive this book as an ARC.
Back story: Earth dying, colony ships sent out in various directions, fewer than planned. Book opens roughly 732 years later.
A single system ... um, country? Whatever the entity should be called, the single system entity has a ice tug captain floating around in space gathering ice asteroids. He spots a drifting spaceship of unknown design and investigates. And thus begins the reuniting of humanity. At least the descendents of two separate colony ships.
The book had an intriguing concept, an interesting concept. Progressed logically. Book ended somewhat abruptly though.
Back story: Earth dying, colony ships sent out in various directions, fewer than planned. Book opens roughly 732 years later.
A single system ... um, country? Whatever the entity should be called, the single system entity has a ice tug captain floating around in space gathering ice asteroids. He spots a drifting spaceship of unknown design and investigates. And thus begins the reuniting of humanity. At least the descendents of two separate colony ships.
The book had an intriguing concept, an interesting concept. Progressed logically. Book ended somewhat abruptly though.
February 18, 2015
The author sent me a review copy on the basis of our shared love of Nathan Lowell's Trader's Tales series, and I have to say that was an apt targeting. I enjoyed this book very much, with strong character voices and touches of humor. I highlighted many of the funny and poignant parts on my Kindle. Readers who prefer hairpin turns and a crisis every three pages will find the plot slow for the most part, but it's a treat for readers who enjoy watching strangers quietly become friends and build a community that may help them survive an unknown but very real threat. It ends on something of a cliffhanger, naturally, so I'm looking forward to book two (of four), coming this summer.
March 10, 2017
Childish, Boring, Shallow
It's like a children's book. Everybody thinks the same, everybody gets along. Everybody's good. There is no conflict, no tension, no thrill. There is no gray. Hell, there isn't even any black. Only white.
All the characters are the same. Even the AI. So there is no character development. Main hero is the epitome of juvenile fantasy. Big, muscular, genius, handsome. All ladies like him. Even though the author claims that he is antisocial and a loner, he is surprisingly good at meeting new people, manage negotiations etc. Very shallow character.
There is no action, thrill or adventure. There is no new idea or any thought provoking moment or dialog.
It's like a children's book. Everybody thinks the same, everybody gets along. Everybody's good. There is no conflict, no tension, no thrill. There is no gray. Hell, there isn't even any black. Only white.
All the characters are the same. Even the AI. So there is no character development. Main hero is the epitome of juvenile fantasy. Big, muscular, genius, handsome. All ladies like him. Even though the author claims that he is antisocial and a loner, he is surprisingly good at meeting new people, manage negotiations etc. Very shallow character.
There is no action, thrill or adventure. There is no new idea or any thought provoking moment or dialog.
February 22, 2015
This book captured my imagination in a way that few books do. Having enjoyed rollicking good space adventures from an early age, I now find them, few and far between. I read this book late into the night because I couldn't put it down.
"The Silver Ships" took me back to my youth where I explored the stars with with great stories. I was very impressed however with the depth of characterisation in this book, and I am eager to follow the story further.
I won't go into great depth because I hate spoilers, but this book has combined the best of traditional Space Opera with a sense of visual storytelling that video has made us accustomed to.
I am eagerly awaiting the sequels to come.
"The Silver Ships" took me back to my youth where I explored the stars with with great stories. I was very impressed however with the depth of characterisation in this book, and I am eager to follow the story further.
I won't go into great depth because I hate spoilers, but this book has combined the best of traditional Space Opera with a sense of visual storytelling that video has made us accustomed to.
I am eagerly awaiting the sequels to come.
June 24, 2015
With good reads I find that lately I have been reading books just for the book count to reach my goal. Yes I've enjoyed them, but I was always just trying to get to the next book in my queue.
With Silver Ships, I was wrapped in this new world and universe. Enjoying every character. Scott Jucha had me slow down and enjoy this story. After finishing this book I couldn't wait to see what would happen next book.
Will most likely pre-order.
With Silver Ships, I was wrapped in this new world and universe. Enjoying every character. Scott Jucha had me slow down and enjoy this story. After finishing this book I couldn't wait to see what would happen next book.
Will most likely pre-order.
February 1, 2015
I really liked this story. It is original, has wonderfully developed characters, very interesting takes on different possibilities of human evolution. Julien reminds me a bit of Star Trek's Data!
I'm very much looking forward to the following books in this series - ah, to have to wait till summer!
Congratulations, Scott, for this fantastic first! And thank you for giving me the chance to read this as an ARC!
I'm very much looking forward to the following books in this series - ah, to have to wait till summer!
Congratulations, Scott, for this fantastic first! And thank you for giving me the chance to read this as an ARC!
February 12, 2015
I got a free copy of the book for writing a review.
I am pretty happy that I did. I might've never stumbled across it.
It's a compelling space opera. Great writing quality, the characters are interesting and don't look flat, the plot is captvating, and the setting is interesting.
How do human colonies with vastly different technology levels work together? How will the contact work?
I enjoyed this book very much. 4 stars out of 5 (5 stars reserved for classics).
I am pretty happy that I did. I might've never stumbled across it.
It's a compelling space opera. Great writing quality, the characters are interesting and don't look flat, the plot is captvating, and the setting is interesting.
How do human colonies with vastly different technology levels work together? How will the contact work?
I enjoyed this book very much. 4 stars out of 5 (5 stars reserved for classics).
February 27, 2015
Review based on an Advance Reader's Copy
An old-fashioned straight up space opera with an intriguing take on the classic first contact story. Poses problems for it's characters to solve and watches them do just that. Easy and enjoyable, never second-guesses itself, content to tell a good, interesting story.
Looking forward to the next book.
An old-fashioned straight up space opera with an intriguing take on the classic first contact story. Poses problems for it's characters to solve and watches them do just that. Easy and enjoyable, never second-guesses itself, content to tell a good, interesting story.
Looking forward to the next book.
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