Space Junque, An Apocapunk Fantasy (Apocalypto 1) [NOOK Book]

Interesting novella

Space Junque is the first book in the Apocalypto series. It's a short read - a novella set in the future. I've never read science fiction before, but this was pretty interesting. It's basically the end of the world and Char has to leave Earth. Since all of this is set off by the oil spill that happened in 2010, a real event, I think that makes this story that much more interesting. It's crazy to think about people actually living in space. It's a very imaginative story.

I really liked the character of Char. Her fiance was killed and she may never see her twin sister again. She has gone through a lot, her life is in danger, but she stays strong. She is rescued from this impending doom, and pushed into this crazy world of space. The story is quick paced, which I like, but I was a little overwhelmed with everything that was going on. I liked the little romance that falls into Char's lap. I thought Jake was a great character - I liked his sense of humor and thought he was good for Char.

This is definitely an action-packed book. It has some paranormal elements, a lot of danger, and some sad moments. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good story. Even if you're not a sci-fi fan, I'd still give this book a try. It's a short book, and will give you a preview of the author's writing style.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Good Book Alert Review: Space Junque

Space Junque
Author: L.K. Rigel
Genre: Science Fiction novella with Fantasy elements
Rating: 4 Stars
Summary:

The world is dying. Ecological destruction and mutation run rampant. Many of the wealthy have fled the planet and live in orbital stations, aloof from the concerns of the suffering people below them. All the while, the genocidal Defenders of Gaia continue their plan to save the planet by eliminating all humans. When Char Meadowlark, a scientist, attempts to flee into orbit to escape a Gaian attack, she gets caught up in an adventure both terrifying and thrilling.


Review:

Though the above summary is accurate in terms of describing what happens in Space Junque, it does not perhaps get across the true tone of this story. While this is most definitely not a comedy, it does maintain a light enough atmosphere at many points that the rather dark events permeating the plot don't overwhelm the story and turn it into some sort of depressing mess. In that way, the atmosphere and a story defined by both a wounded world and emotionally wounded characters first brought to my mind not other books, but instead shows like Firefly and Cowboy Bebop. In addition, at the center of much of the darkness is the hint of hope that helps prevent a total emotional disengagement from the storyline.

With only a brief introduction to the main character before throwing her into the middle of action, Space Junque sets its tempo right away. While the entire book isn't defined only by breathless action, this is definitely not a story anyone would accuse of being slow. There was a lot going on and a lot of characters weaving in and out of the narrative. By the time I reached the end, I was rather surprised by just how much had occurred in the span of only 28,000 words. Both the reader and Char Meadowlark don't get much of a chance to catch their breath between crises.

Despite the often furious pacing, the author manages to craft a compelling, developed world. What I found particularly interesting were the various small background details she often employed instead of pace-killing exposition to give us a very clear insight into the kind of place the Earth had become. This novella actually packed more world building in its short length than many full-length novels I've read recently.

The importance of the world crafting was made obvious by the inclusion of fantasy elements in the story. In a less well-developed and actualized world, the introduction of such elements might have seemed forced or unnatural, but in this story they came off as a natural outgrowth of the themes and setting that were already being explored. They also turn what appears to be a mere dystopia science fiction story into something a bit more unusual.

A large and diverse cast of characters made their way in and out of the story. Sometimes, however, the cast was perhaps too large. The same pacing that kept the story from ever dragging also limited the amount of time available for character development and engagement. I felt a strong connection to Char while reading the story. She is a woman who is forced to deal with many emotional scars and new wounds to her heart, but all the while manages to keep from collapsing into complete self-pity. On the other hand, many of the secondary characters danced in and out of the story quickly enough that it was hard for me to really develop a

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very creative future world.

This is a solid intro for a series. I am glad I didn't start reading it before Spiderwork came out, I would have been very impatient waiting for more of the story.

I really have to commend the author on writing a romance story without the formulaic seduction premise. I like books with strong women and authors who realize women can want sex as much as men (without it leading to Laurel k. Hamilton like porn er... erotica).

I am only a short ways into Spiderwork (2nd book), but at this point I am leaning to categorizing this as more sci-fi than romance. Of course that may change as I get further on in the series.



I will leave a review as soon as I get a chance. I will probably just cut and past a lot of this post.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful First book

I was totally sucked into the storyline. I could not put this book down until I finished it.Science fiction/Spaceopera/romance/precocious child.. it has it all. The character of Char and her story caught my attention and held tight. When the story ended I was SOO not ready for it. I wanted to keep reading, find out how things were after the apocalypse.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Novella

This is a great little SciFi novella. I like the different way of "cursing" and the interesting names and ideas. This book shows a lot of imagination and I really enjoyed reading it. Good job!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended - whets your appetite for what's to come in the next books

** spoiler alert ** I was really torn between giving this novella 3 stars or 4. If I could give half stars, this would definitely be a 3.5. I liked it, but it had the same problem that a lot of romance novellas have; the relationship development was rushed. I like Char, and I like Jake, but them feeling strongly about each other seemed rushed, and I would have liked to have seen it actually develop rather than just suddenly have them want to be with each other. In fact the first time they have sex, it took me totally off guard because there was no lead up. I can understand why it would happen - they both just escaped death, but it felt awkward reading it. For example: ********************************* ...Tyler, but he was in great shape. And definitely not engineered. Those were genuine, earned muscles under that tight-fitting hemp shirt. He swung her chair around and knelt in front of her, removing the straps from her arms and legs. Again without thinking, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. He looked up sharply. She expected anger, but she saw tears. It had all gotten to him too, then. She smoothed the furrow between his eyes. Did she want to comfort him? Or did she want him to comfort her? He lifted the harness off her chest, and she floated up from the seat. His hands almost surrounded her waist as he pulled her down. She wrapped her legs around his hips, anchoring herself. He searched her eyes, silently asking permission to keep going. She guided his hand to the single strap on her top. He pulled it down and kissed her neck, moving toward her breasts. In the weightlessness, she moved easily to give him access to anything he wanted. ********************************* OK...so we get that he's in shape, but she doesn't think about wanting him or being attracted to him or anything else to indicate that she's even remotely thinking about getting him naked. He unbuckles her, and suddenly she's touching his hair. He's crying, so she decides to have sex with him. As I said, I don't think it's unbelievable that it happened, but it would have worked better for me personally if she had been thinking about how she needed to feel alive, she needed to feel some human connection and he was there and convenient. She sort of thinks those things after, but, I feel like not having insight into those thoughts before it happens made me think, "Where the heck did that come from??" On the plus side, I felt all the sex scenes were handled well. They aren't exactly "closed door," but they aren't described as a blow-by-blow either. I like when the focus is more on the connection and the mood rather than "flowery or crude name for tab A" inserted into "ridiculous or crude name for slot B." The relationship aspect of the story aside, the story line pulled me in. I felt that just the right amount of background was given, and it was worked into the story subtly rather than obvious info dumps. There are definitely more things about this world to learn, but we're given enough to understand what's happening in the immediate story and what we're given was at least enough to whet my appetite for more. I'm looking forward to Spiderwork, the sequel to this novella, and the rest of the related stories.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

enjoyable

I bought this book after the author posted about it at nookboards forums. It was a very enjoyable read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just read Space Junque for the second time. I loved it the seco

Just read Space Junque for the second time. I loved it the second time around just as much as the first. There was a lot of politics, back story, and plot in a relatively short amount of space, but L.K. Rigel kept it interesting and flowing. There were a few paragraphs I had to read twice, wondering if I'd missed something, but with all the info contained in those pages I feel that is to be expected. I thought the characters had depth, and were utterly believable. Overall, a great story, and one I've recommended to my sci-fi and paranormal loving friends.

I started this book once and put it down because it was boring.

I started this book once and put it down because it was boring. Then picked it up again and about 20% though it became interesting and I had trouble putting it down. It didn't end like you think it would.

Loved tthis book.

I loved this book. It isn't what I usually read but after seeing the ratings I decided to give it a while. The main character is so likable and so is Jake. I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to read the next one.

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