Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Self Published

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Tags:  Sci-Fi 

Length: 315 Pages

Reviewer: John 

Purchase At:  amazon

Synopsis:

Cyrus Konami is the Chief Inspector on the first colony vessel, Aotea, to leave Earth’s solar system. Deep within the machinery of the ship, a suspicious death upends the routine on board. Mysterious signals from deep space add to the confusion, along with a series of debilitating malfunctions.

Cy and Lieutenant Beatriz Mattoso dig into the deceased crewman’s background. The first signs point to a tragic accident. Ship scuttlebutt points to the deep-space signals — is a mysterious force trying to prevent humanity from spreading into deep space? Or are the radical pacifists and cultural separatists who funded the journey somehow involved?

With an increasingly uncooperative populace, a shocking assassination attempt, and a spaceship falling apart around them, Cy and Bea must unravel secrets that threaten the lives of thousands before it’s too late…

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Review: 
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Oh, what a tangled web we weave…
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What a “tangled web” is woven within this sci fi story, a small segment of humanity trying to create a Utopian society and seemingly having become, in the main, successful. But, unfortunately, all is never what it seems. Follow along with them in their journey in Spindown. The title of Spindown is indeed a fitting one for this work. We share their pain and disappointment, as this ‘idealistic’ society is spundown towards its own oblivion.

“Was he a good man?” asked Konami.
Mattoso raised an eyebrow.
Patil looked at him for a long time before responding. “He cared deeply about doing the right thing.”
Konami sensed something unsaid. “But…?” 
She looked away. “I’m not sure that he knew what the right thing was.

The naiveté of the characters within this story is expertly portrayed by the author. The world building, too, it’s of an excellent standard. Nothing within the body of the writing is out of place and the pace of the plot development is well metered. After the abrupt start, everything within the story fits together well and flows seamlessly.

So, why did I take off half a star? Well, only once during the read did the story make me feel like I wanted to smash my Kindle upon the corner of the desk (what can I say? I’m an Earther, over fifty years of age with homicidal tendencies and prone to emotional outbursts). Also, at the very outset of the read, I experienced the feeling that I had just been dumped right into the middle of this “thing” (the story). IMO, if the author had presented the “historical” material contained within the “Appendix: Historical Timeline” as a “Prologue: Historical Timeline”, i.e. at the very start of the book instead of at the very end of the book, then the whole work would have flowed right from the very beginning and I wouldn’t have experienced that feeling at the start.

Good value at AUS$0.99 cents, Spindown is made even more appealing. A recommended read.

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