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sleepyboi2988's review
2.0
I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. My thanks to the author and publisher. :)
Sadly this one was a disappointment. At times it feels like certain novels get stretched out way too far in order to fit the term. In this case it was the opposite, this short story/novella felt like could have been much better with another hundred pages or more.
Book itself is told from two different perspectives Sola and Jay as I'm sure you got from the blurb. The perspectives themselves work fine but one doesn't have any real time to develop a relationship with either (Or any characters) before the climax hits. The big horror reveal was pretty obvious in coming but again with a hundred or 150 pages more I think this could have been emotionally gut punching.
Just too short for what it attempts to make you feel. The ending is fairly unsatisfactory as its abruptness feels like a CD skipping rather than a slow fade out.
Sadly this one was a disappointment. At times it feels like certain novels get stretched out way too far in order to fit the term. In this case it was the opposite, this short story/novella felt like could have been much better with another hundred pages or more.
Book itself is told from two different perspectives Sola and Jay as I'm sure you got from the blurb. The perspectives themselves work fine but one doesn't have any real time to develop a relationship with either (Or any characters) before the climax hits. The big horror reveal was pretty obvious in coming but again with a hundred or 150 pages more I think this could have been emotionally gut punching.
Just too short for what it attempts to make you feel. The ending is fairly unsatisfactory as its abruptness feels like a CD skipping rather than a slow fade out.
adam_tries_books's review
3.0
So I found this to be a fun read that was filled with many interesting ideas, which is impressive considering it’s only 78 pages! I thought that it highlighted a depressing possible future! Where humans are no longer the ones in control and even more of our social interactions are moved into cyberspace.
The reason I ended up giving this novella 3 stars is also because of all those amazing ideas and concepts. I personally felt that there wasn’t really enough time in the story to fully develop them all. What I would love would be to see this novella, or it’s universe, developed into a book or maybe even a series of books! Because I did really like a lot of the concepts, I just felt there wasn’t enough time to fully appreciate and develop them.
Overall a fun and quick read which I recommend checking out!
The reason I ended up giving this novella 3 stars is also because of all those amazing ideas and concepts. I personally felt that there wasn’t really enough time in the story to fully develop them all. What I would love would be to see this novella, or it’s universe, developed into a book or maybe even a series of books! Because I did really like a lot of the concepts, I just felt there wasn’t enough time to fully appreciate and develop them.
Overall a fun and quick read which I recommend checking out!
bubblewombat's review
5.0
I told myself I had to read at least one "themed" book on the last day of spooky month and it ended up being this gem. To say I was blown away would be an understatement.
It starts off pretty standard for sci-fi but then takes an unexpected turn that makes the reader hold their breath while turning page after page until there are none left.
Sola, and the crew she recently joined, got arrested while doing a not-so-nice job and were on a ship, ready to be transported to an off-world prison on a different planet when Kit, a kid who got bored of living in a virtual world, and who was looking for some real adventure, snuck aboard the ship, not knowing where it's heading.
The planet prison isn't ideal but it's far from horrible. There's lots of gardening and mechanics but no way home. Everybody's in for a life sentence on a barren planet. But what if it isn't as barren as they originally thought? What if there's different life forms hiding in the shadows?
Kit's brother Jay, who was powerless to stop him from leaving never gave up on finding him. Not even after years of everyone telling him Kit was gone for good. But can he make it in time if he doesn't even know where the ship was heading in the first place? Or will he be too late?
All the characters are flawed but not terribly so. There are some switches (characters believed to be good turn out to be bad and vice versa) but it's not their own fault. I think Jay was my favourite, because he stuck to what he believed until the very end and it paid off.
The writing was exactly as it should be, effective and gripping. I felt like I was there, experiencing it all right along with them.
The whole concept of this book is amazing, I mean it. I wish it was longer because I haven't had enough. I need to know what happens next.
*Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
It starts off pretty standard for sci-fi but then takes an unexpected turn that makes the reader hold their breath while turning page after page until there are none left.
Sola, and the crew she recently joined, got arrested while doing a not-so-nice job and were on a ship, ready to be transported to an off-world prison on a different planet when Kit, a kid who got bored of living in a virtual world, and who was looking for some real adventure, snuck aboard the ship, not knowing where it's heading.
The planet prison isn't ideal but it's far from horrible. There's lots of gardening and mechanics but no way home. Everybody's in for a life sentence on a barren planet. But what if it isn't as barren as they originally thought? What if there's different life forms hiding in the shadows?
Kit's brother Jay, who was powerless to stop him from leaving never gave up on finding him. Not even after years of everyone telling him Kit was gone for good. But can he make it in time if he doesn't even know where the ship was heading in the first place? Or will he be too late?
All the characters are flawed but not terribly so. There are some switches (characters believed to be good turn out to be bad and vice versa) but it's not their own fault. I think Jay was my favourite, because he stuck to what he believed until the very end and it paid off.
The writing was exactly as it should be, effective and gripping. I felt like I was there, experiencing it all right along with them.
The whole concept of this book is amazing, I mean it. I wish it was longer because I haven't had enough. I need to know what happens next.
*Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
miramanga's review
A long lost brother and a crew of ne'er do well space pirates discover just how dark things can get on a mysterious moon.
This fast paced novella explores a number of thrilling sci-fi ideas and action filled encounters. I am sure it will be a hit with the YA crowd.
I can see this working well as a film treatment with many climactic confrontations, action packed pieces and dramatic space vistas because the pacing was so fast, I found it hard to connect with the characters. Definitely an author to watch.
Thanks so much to Book Siren for the advance copy of this book.
This fast paced novella explores a number of thrilling sci-fi ideas and action filled encounters. I am sure it will be a hit with the YA crowd.
I can see this working well as a film treatment with many climactic confrontations, action packed pieces and dramatic space vistas because the pacing was so fast, I found it hard to connect with the characters. Definitely an author to watch.
Thanks so much to Book Siren for the advance copy of this book.
alli_the_bookaholic13's review
4.0
Thank you to Distant Shore Publishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars
I really liked the writing style of this one! It worked well with the story, and the descriptions really made everything better (or maybe worse because some of it was pretty gross). I did find that it was really slow to start. This is a short novella, and after the excitement in the prologue I felt like nothing happened until almost the end. It made it hard to focus and want to continue even though it was short.
I would have liked some more information about the characters, the events, and even the world. The world building was well-done though. I thought the imagining of the future society was well thought out, and it was explained pretty well.
Something I found confusing was following the two storylines. Jay’s seemed to progress a lot farther than Sola and Kit’s, and I kept getting confused about the timeline.
Overall, I thought this was a slow-burning creepy sci-fi thriller and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read!
3.5/5 stars
I really liked the writing style of this one! It worked well with the story, and the descriptions really made everything better (or maybe worse because some of it was pretty gross). I did find that it was really slow to start. This is a short novella, and after the excitement in the prologue I felt like nothing happened until almost the end. It made it hard to focus and want to continue even though it was short.
I would have liked some more information about the characters, the events, and even the world. The world building was well-done though. I thought the imagining of the future society was well thought out, and it was explained pretty well.
Something I found confusing was following the two storylines. Jay’s seemed to progress a lot farther than Sola and Kit’s, and I kept getting confused about the timeline.
Overall, I thought this was a slow-burning creepy sci-fi thriller and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read!
elpisgalaxy's review
4.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a novella which is a faster read than what I’m used to but still enjoyable all the same. The book alternates between Jay who is trying to reunite with his brother who escaped on a ship and Sola who is someone else on the ship.
I enjoyed the action the book had and I enjoyed the exploration that this Novella did of virtual spaces such as the Heron and a different take on robots (androids) than what I typically read in science fiction.
Even though this was action packed, at times it was hard to keep track of what was happening. and I would’ve liked more world building especially on the ship that Kit (Jay’s brother) was on.
This was a novella which is a faster read than what I’m used to but still enjoyable all the same. The book alternates between Jay who is trying to reunite with his brother who escaped on a ship and Sola who is someone else on the ship.
I enjoyed the action the book had and I enjoyed the exploration that this Novella did of virtual spaces such as the Heron and a different take on robots (androids) than what I typically read in science fiction.
Even though this was action packed, at times it was hard to keep track of what was happening. and I would’ve liked more world building especially on the ship that Kit (Jay’s brother) was on.
booknallnight's review
4.0
This is why I love sci-fi. It has all the elements to appease my nerdy side...droids, prison planet overrun with aliens hell bent on taking over, and of course the world-within-a-world social gathering for humans to get lost in.
This started fast & heavy and continued throughout. I only wish it was a tad longer...it's like potato chips and the inability to eat just one...I turned the page and wanted another one, and another one
This started fast & heavy and continued throughout. I only wish it was a tad longer...it's like potato chips and the inability to eat just one...I turned the page and wanted another one, and another one
nimbella's review
4.0
*Thank you to BookSirens and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book.*
This was a fun and spooky novella! The world-building walks the right line, being creative and novel but not too confusing or too trope-y. There are familiar sci-fi elements reminiscent of [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] and Lost In Space.
In Biosphere: Hazard, most of humanity live on giant spaceships and spend their time in a virtual reality world, governed by 'benevolent' robots. One of the main characters, Kit, decides to escape but ends up on a ship headed for an unexplored moon where he will be part of a prison labour workforce, terraforming the place for future habitation. But those in charge seem to know more than they are letting on and suspenseful mystery unfurls.
The plot-driven, novella format meant that a few parts felt rushed and some character choices were not fully explained. This felt particularly apparent whenLuper's backstory was revealed and his motives were due to his beef with a previously unknown character, Rigel. . But really this was the perfect length and a fun, quick read.
This was a fun and spooky novella! The world-building walks the right line, being creative and novel but not too confusing or too trope-y. There are familiar sci-fi elements reminiscent of [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] and Lost In Space.
In Biosphere: Hazard, most of humanity live on giant spaceships and spend their time in a virtual reality world, governed by 'benevolent' robots. One of the main characters, Kit, decides to escape but ends up on a ship headed for an unexplored moon where he will be part of a prison labour workforce, terraforming the place for future habitation. But those in charge seem to know more than they are letting on and suspenseful mystery unfurls.
The plot-driven, novella format meant that a few parts felt rushed and some character choices were not fully explained. This felt particularly apparent when
mesal's review
3.0
3.5 stars
A story that fits in just under a hundred pages, Biosphere: Hazard is a science fiction adventure following characters Jay, a devastated boy searching for the twin brother that ran away from home, and Sola, essentially the outer-space equivalent of a pirate that got caught and imprisoned.
While short, the plot is actually pretty well developed, with plenty of content to keep readers engaged and wondering what comes next. I was surprised by the amount of worldbuilding that went into this: the planet and the moon (our two settings) both have a solid society/hierarchy system very unlike that of Earth, with Droids supervising everything and humans happy and content to simply follow. Most humans, at least - Jay's brother Kit is one of the few exceptions.
I do think having a few more pages simply to expand on areas like the ending and give them the amount of screen time they deserved would not have hurt. However, considering that this was a novella, I understand that certain other things like characters' personalities had to be condensed in order to fit the length of story this was meant to be. All in all, an arresting read!
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A story that fits in just under a hundred pages, Biosphere: Hazard is a science fiction adventure following characters Jay, a devastated boy searching for the twin brother that ran away from home, and Sola, essentially the outer-space equivalent of a pirate that got caught and imprisoned.
While short, the plot is actually pretty well developed, with plenty of content to keep readers engaged and wondering what comes next. I was surprised by the amount of worldbuilding that went into this: the planet and the moon (our two settings) both have a solid society/hierarchy system very unlike that of Earth, with Droids supervising everything and humans happy and content to simply follow. Most humans, at least - Jay's brother Kit is one of the few exceptions.
I do think having a few more pages simply to expand on areas like the ending and give them the amount of screen time they deserved would not have hurt. However, considering that this was a novella, I understand that certain other things like characters' personalities had to be condensed in order to fit the length of story this was meant to be. All in all, an arresting read!
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
acranebetweenthepages's review
5.0
While this book is very short, it makes great use of the pages it does have. It is incredibly fast-paced but yet still includes great world-building and characters. My only complaint was that I felt like it could have been longer! I would have loved to get more background information on the characters and the world. It amazed me how much could be fit into 78 pages and when I reached the end I just wanted there to be more. Overall I HIGHLY recommend this to Sci-Fi fans who are looking for a quick but very intense read. I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am reviewing this voluntarily.
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