CassaStar – BOOK REVIEW

 

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all having a great day. I’m reviewing Book One of the Cassa Series (as promised), CassaStar, by Alex J. Cavanaugh. I mentioned in my earlier review of CassaFire that I’d inadvertently bought the second book by accident thinking it was the first. My bad! 🙂 Glad I picked it up!

Book Title:   CassaStar 

Author: Alex J. Cavanaugh

Genre:  Space Opera            

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

What a great read!

Byron is a young, arrogant, and troubled young Cassan man who has issues with authority. He is sent to Guaard for Cosbolt fighter pilot training with a young man named Tindel as his navigator.

It seems to Byron that nothing his team does is good enough for his Senior Officer Bassa, though he and Tindel score remarkably well on their training missions. Some of his maneuvers are seen as reckless, but he and his navigator always come away unscathed. His special ‘gift’ plays a part also, but must be kept secret per the Commander’s orders. Some of the other trainees dislike him and he is fine with that. He is not at Guaard to make friends.

Towards the end of training, Byron feels betrayed when Tindel reveals that he no longer wants to be a navigator on a fighter after performing an exercise that haunts him. Their relationship remains mostly strained for what’s left in training. Senior Officer Bassa informs Byron that if he passes, a suitable navigator would be found for him.

Byron does pass his training and when he checks for his assignment, shock overwhelms him when he discovers he will be on the Cassan’s flagship, The Sorenthia. Only high-ranking officers and senior staff are given assignments on this ship. Needless to say, he wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms.

Byron is annoyed and flabbergasted the following day when he learns that is new navigator is none other than his former Senior Officer Bassa. He grudgingly accepts his ‘fate’, but soon realizes how well they work together as a team. After years of self-doubt and loneliness, Byron is finally able to make some connections, as well as a friendship or two.

Unfortunately, there is war in the air. Vindicarn fighters have infiltrated Cassan airspace and are getting bolder. The Cosbolt fighters mission train daily. After several skirmishes with the Vindicarn fighters, a large one ensues when it is discovered that the Vindicarn’s main ship has a weapon in its core that can take out the entire ship. In the end, only Byron can save the day.

I can’t give away much more without giving away a ton of spoilers. The story was interesting and the writing tight. I like how the characters were fleshed out and had their own distinct personalities. I prefer lighter science fiction reads rather than the hard-core, technically and physics based ones. That being said, there was still a good amount of action to propel the story forward. I also liked the emotional and social aspects of the story, too.

The only negative I found was that it took Byron so long to appreciate his friendships and the kindnesses of others. I guess that would be expected from someone who’s never had it and had to learn, I suppose. I’d recommend this book if you’d like to try something out of your normal genre.

Until next post…

 

 

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

PS:  #whatarethekargrandes