Lost Solace begins well and crafts us some great characters with a human and her AI/spaceship. Their interception of the Lost Ship exposes them to a slew of alien interactions and the action takes off from there, though it meandered a bit after the initial exposure. It picked up with the human authorities chasing the thief and their stolen AI. Add some tension to the timeline with the neutron star dragging them all in, and you have a solid sci-fi story.

Received from the author as part of blog tour.

Absolutely gripped by this novel, read in 3 hours. Great characters and action.

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Overall Thoughts
This story starts out on high-octane all the way from the beginning to the end. From a stolen ship with an experimental AI, to unknown aliens from maybe another reality, to high-stakes battles, this book has everything. Well, most of it. My main issue being: that was all of the book. There is a mystery set up at the beginning with the main character’s sister, and with some very interesting worldbuilding mentioned with ships that get lost and come back…different, but neither one really played out in the end, and I was left waiting for the rest of the plot. There are follow-up books in this series, which I assume will look into those questions deeper, but I really would have liked at least some more hints in this first book.

Plot
The plot is a rollercoaster, starting very in media res with our protagonist Opal talking to her stolen spaceship and the reprogrammed AI, Clarissa, making sure it doesn’t turn on her and kill her. Then there’s a lost ship with some really cool and scary aliens, and a military ship from the organization Opal used to belong to. One part of the plot transitions to the next with little time to breathe between, and more importantly, little time to answer the questions it brings up. By the end, I was a little confused on what had actually happened and whether Opal’s original objective with the lost ship was achieved or not. Way back in the beginning, it was never really explained why and how Opal had stolen the ship or come to be in this particular part of space. There is a bit of sum up in the last chapter, but by that point, my attention was drifting, unfortunately.

Setting
There are some really cool settings here, and I wish I knew more about them. There are hints of extraplanar aliens, or maybe they’re from another dimension? Or a twisted reality? There seem to be multiple kinds, and some aren’t even corporeal, but only a little bit of explanation is spared on each. They also all seem to be inhabiting the same ship, and even the ship itself seems to be trying to trap or kill Opal. For what purpose? I’m not entirely sure. There’s a military presence later as well, and once again, I’m not certain what they are looking for, or how they found Opal. Devoting just a few sentences or paragraphs per chapter would be enough to give some explanation.

Character
Opal and Clarisse make a great team, barging through all the obstacles against them, and throwing out really cool tricks. They’re both resourceful, and intelligent, and Clarisse seems to have some background in the military and was court martialed. And that’s really about all I know about them, except that there is some connection between Opal giving the AI her sister’s name and voice (Clarisse). Just as in the other sections, there were great action scenes, lots of running and shooting, but after about half the book I really wanted to know more of the world and of the characters. I felt like neither was ever really fully explained.

Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
A great set of action scenes on a spooky and alien ship, though lacking much needed worldbuilding and backstory to bring it all together. 6.75/10.

Review originally published at: https://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookreviews/book-review-lost-solace-by-karl-drinkwater/

Opal has escaped and stolen a military ship. She is a woman on a mission, and her destiny is a lost ship that suddenly reappeared close to a neutron star, to which it is being dangerously attracted. Opal has hacked the ship’s AI, and will risk her life in discovering the secrets of the returned ship.

This book had such interesting premises that I got very excited about when I started listening to it. The mystery about the returned ship picked my attention, and the fact that the AI seemed to have a more interesting personality than expected was a very good point. But there were things lacking in this book that could have made it a great one. For once, I missed some more plot. I felt that there was much action, which was exciting, but lack of a story and also a backstory. I would also have liked some more worldbuilding and descriptions. We discover too late why Opal is so interested in this lost ship. I am not against delayed information, but I would have appreciated some hints here and there to keep me going.

I have the feeling that with the story we got, a novella would have sufficed. The book felt long-winded, and there was much action without real storytelling. The ending was quite good though, and it got me interested enough to maybe continue with this series and see what happens.

Marisha Tapera’s narration was outstanding, not only interpreting Opal, but also bringing Clarissa, the AI to life, transmitting her quirks and changing personality. Both characters’ personalities are very different, and Tapera did a good job in showing this, making the dialogs flow and easy to follow.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lost Solace is a hugely enjoyable book, and the narrator is absolutely fabulous. She brings wonderful warmth to our main character, and also our AI companion. I don't read a huge amount of sci-fi these days, but decided to take a chance on it, and I'm really pleased I did.

The story itself is fast-paced and well-plotted. Opal is an intriguing main character, determined to achieve her objective no matter what obstacles try to stop her, and there are a lot of obstacles. The action is pretty non-stop.

The story is sure to appeal to sci-fi fans (and those who've perhaps not sampled the genre much recently) and the narrator makes the storyline pop. Really enjoyable. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I plan on enjoying the rest of the books in the series.

Karl's one of a kind when it comes to delivering characters.

The only question I ask myself is, Why didn't I read it before? Why?

Light space opera with a touch of horror

I found this title to be an entertaining read, but there were elements that kept me from loving the story. Sometimes the adjectives used didn't fit the sentence well for me. Or a scene didn't flow well. I think the author could of benefited from a writing group that could have helped to polish the book. But overall I found the story enjoyable. I'll keep reading the series, to see if the writing improves.

Excellent space opera, great feel and a thrilling read. The whole story takes place in a very short space and yet so much is conveyed about the main character and the universe that she inhabits. There's a very real feel to it, and at the same time a weirdness from the setting. But weird in a good way.

Lost Solace refers to the ship that Opal, the protagonist, is looking for. Sometimes spaceships just disappear. Sometimes they come back. When they come back they're full of secrets and treasure that can make you rich. But they aren't safe.

Opal has hacked an AI driven spaceship. She's using it to help her board and explore a Lost Ship, in the hope that it is the Solace, or that it can give Opal clues on how to find the lost Solace.

Slowly the backstory is leaked out to us like air from a damaged spacesuit. As Opal ponders the situation and tries to work out what is weird about the apparently abandoned hulk she's exploring. She's not alone. Her ship is sentient, and there are intelligences on the hulk too. She also has human hunters, chasing her down to recover their stolen ship with its experimental AI.

Every obstacle and challenge builds the suspense. It also explores both the strange hulk and Opal's life story. We find out how she developed the skills that keep her alive and why she's here looking for lost ships. None of it seems contrived, there are no info dumps. It's just really well written and immaculately edited story.

Intriguing read

Lost Solace is a very different type of science fiction. I enjoyed the way the story was put together, leading the reader to discover pieces of information without divulging the whole.