List of Christian Science Fiction Novels

Alpha Redemption by P. A. Baines (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! Can I say it again? Wow! Alpha Redemption is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Brett Denton, a man who has experienced the greatest tragedy in life, is now on his way as the first pioneer to the Alpha Centauri star system. His only companion on the voyage is a learning on-board computer and his own memories. What will Brett find at Alpha Centauri? What will he find within himself?

Paul Baines’ writing is realistic, detailed, witty, and insightful. I felt like I was actually reading the history of Brett Denton’s life. There are a lot of humorous moments as “jay” the computer tries to figure out his human counterpart. And the Christian message in the book is unmistakable.

Another major plus for the book is the fact that the ending is so unexpected. It’s very appropriate and yet completely unpredictable.

I recommend Alpha Redemption to any reader, whether you’re a lover of sci-fi or not. It will be one of the best reading experiences you’ve ever had. It is, indeed, an Excellent novel. 

 

 

Aquasynthesis Edited by Grace Bridges (Good) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some great stories by some of the best Christian sci-fi and fantasy authors working today!

Aquasynthesis is a collection of short stories with an added twist. We are reading each story through the eyes of a young girl whose parents have been murdered and her teacher is showing her these stories to help her cope with her desire for revenge.

As with any collection of short stories, some will stand out to you more than others. Some are humorous, some serious; some are excellent stories with simply fantastic writing, others leave you wanting as incomplete stories or wondering what they have to do with the theme of the young girl and her teacher.

That being said, let me tell you give some of the highlights of why you should read this collection:

• A very poetic look at life in “Bob”, an artificial intelligence computer program that gains consciousness, by P. A. Baines
• Grace Bridges’ “Second Site”, a humorous story that any video game or computer game lover is sure to enjoy
• “Between the Pages” and “The Artist” by Kat Heckenbach, two very enjoyable stories of young girls learning how to use magic
• Caprice Hokstad’s realistic and moving tale of a young girl being sold into slavery, “Fettered Soul”
• A woman who learned how to get more than twenty-four hours in a day in “A Stretch of Time” by Grace Bridges
• P. A. Baines’ Twilight Zone-reminiscent story of a man who becomes fixated with “Ears” or “The Field Trip”, in which a couple of aliens make a big mistake
• Travis Perry’s “Gravity”, which explores the unique perspective of the Alzheimer’s patient
• “Your Average Ordinary Alien” by Adam Graham in which loser fan-boy Kirk Picard Skywalker finally meets a real-life alien, but the experience isn’t exactly what he was hoping for

Over all, I’m giving Aquasynthesis a recommendation of Good. You won’t love every story, but the ones you do are well worth the read.

 

Dark Side of the Moon by Terri Lynn Main (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A solid landing for this lunar murder mystery!

Humanity has finally colonized the moon…but the people of the moon may not want to remain as colonists. When the leader of the Lunar Independence movement is murdered, two very different college professors are suddenly tasked with finding the culprit.

The story is told entirely from the point of view of Professor Carolyn Masters, a widely-experienced, middle-aged bachelorette in seek of a change. But when she takes a job teaching at Armstrong University on the moon, she soon finds that her new location has actually brought her closer to her past than she would have liked as she is soon thrown into the middle of a murder investigation.

Terri Main’s story-telling is imaginative and realistic. Her characters are varied, profound, and easy to relate to. And the manner in which faith intersects with life in this novel is superbly natural.

With plenty of twists, turns, romance, and intrigue, this is a book that will appeal to both sci-fi enthusiasts and mystery lovers alike. I give it a recommendation of Excellent and will certainly look forward to Terri’s next offering. 

 

The Dark Trench Saga by Kerry Nietz (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a riddle for you. What is A-not-A cubed?

Have an answer? No?

Okay, how about a simple question, then? How would you like to be able to talk to machines? I mean, really talk to them. Speak their language and command them telepathically. Or what if you could connect to the internet instantly and download information all in your mind? Sandfly can do just that, but it’s not as great as it sounds. Sandfly is a slave, as are all persons who have been given such an ability. The Muslim rulers of the world have implanted a computer chip into Sandfly’s brain to give him special access to machinery, but also to control what he thinks about and what he does. Now they want him to solve the most challenging technical problem of his career. Muslims have just taken their first, secret voyage into deep space. While there, one of their robots committed suicide. The crew is also acting strangely. Now tt’s Sandfly’s job to find out why.

A Star Curiously Singing is an intriguing mystery, love story, Asimovian sci-fi tale, and Gospel presentation all perfectly blended into one adventure. The main character, Sandfly, is not a particularly likeable character, but he is a believable character given his circumstances. The author makes it easy to relate to him as the entire story is told from Sandfly’s perspective and the predicaments he finds himself in will definitely keep your interest.

I will caution you, though, that if you’re like me, you may feel a little lost with all the new terms and concepts that the author introduces in the first few pages. But don’t worry. Everything will eventually become clear, including that riddle at the beginning, so just keep reading.

A Star Curiously Singing is an absolutely clean read that gets to the heart of the Christian Gospel. What does it mean to have a God who is so glorious and beyond anything that we can deserve or imagine, but who yet wants to communicate and commune with us?

A Star Curiously Singing is every bit an Excellent novel. The great thing about it is that Nietz makes it clear that this is just the beginning for Sandfly and I, for one, am certainly looking forward to reading more of The Dark Trench Saga in the sequel, The Superlative Stream. 

 

Dauntless Homecoming by Peter Koziar (Good) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spaceships. Angels. Demons. Mythical creatures. Adventure. Redemption.

Imagine you’ve been away from earth for hundreds of years on a space mission and when you came back, you found that Jesus had returned in your absence and was now reigning as King over the entire planet. How would the world be different? How would you react? What would happen to you if you had been a believer before you left? What would happen if you had been an atheist or believer in a religion other than Christianity? Would everyone in the world now be perfect Christians? Would everyone be believers at all?

These are the questions pastor/rabbi Pete Koziar poses in his debut novel, Dauntless Homecoming. It is a Biblically imaginative tale with non-stop adventure and illuminating characters.  The writing is clear and natural and the message of hope is unmistakable. Any Christian reader will be pleased with this novel.

There were a couple of small problems with the novel, though. One is that the end is somewhat predictable. I mean we’re talking about Jesus here. We know that no matter what our characters do, nothing is ever going to dethrone Him or His governors from power. Secondly, I found Cliff Harper, captain of the returning spacecraft and main instigator of the problems in this novel, to be somewhat of a shallow character. We’re never really told why he reacts so strongly or holds so tenaciously to his wrong-headed ideals. Also, there are a few places where the editing and proofreading of this novel could have been better. Some of the punctuation is a bit awkward. Finally, the cover is just not that impressive. It would have been very nice if it were not for the rather amateurish-looking spaceship on the front.

All that being said, I did enjoy the novel and am giving Dauntless Homecoming an overall recommendation of Good. 

 

Discovery in the Desert: It Will Shake the Nations by Tom Thiele (Average)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What if we discovered another book of the Bible? What if one of us had to go back in time to write it?

David Hart did just that. He’s been working on NASA’s time travel project and now he gets to meet Jesus Himself! What would Jesus say to someone from our generation?

Discovery in the Desert is an interesting idea, filled with great theology and poignant messages for today’s world.

The problem comes with the plot. Tom summarizes and glosses over some of the most potentially exciting scenes in the book and problems that the characters face are dealt with too quickly and easily. We don’t really see the characters being put into any real danger or having to deal with difficult problems. Everything is taken care of in the tidiest way possible, which makes for a rather unclimactic read.

The message of the book is one of its strongest points, but all of the theological discussions seem to come in big, long chunks. There’s no pacing so it reads more like a sermon than a sci-fi story at those points.

There is also a bit of needless cursing in the book. I’m not sure why such an edifying book would include swearing, but there it is.

All in all, if you’re looking for a book with a great message set against an interesting idea, Discovery in the Desert is it. Just don’t expect too much of the plot. I give this book a recommendation of Average. 

 

Eric's War: The Cougar and the Lamb by Kenneth Bliss (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Satan tempting regular people is bad enough, but what happens when he starts to use those with super powers?

It’s a war for technology, but it’s also a war for Eric’s soul. Eric isn’t a Christian right now, but can his girlfriend, Michelle, prevent him from slipping further into Satan’s clutches? God has given her a vision of what the future will hold for Eric if she doesn’t stop him.

Kenneth Bliss brings us into a very believable world where select people have begun to use their mind in incredible ways. Every power that these individuals have is based on mental capability. For these elite heroes, killing and bloodshed is no longer necessary.

Of course, the villains still enjoy killing their enemies, even if they don’t have to, and one foreign agent in particular has a special grudge against Eric.

With lots of action, sleek characters, and a multiple enemies, this is one super hero series you’ll want to jump on board with. I have a feeling that it’s going to get better from here.

 

Ethereal Worlds by R. L. Copple (Average)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mixed bag of good story-telling and bad jokes.

Ethereal Worlds is a collection of 25 short stories by Rick Copple, about half of which are sci-fi and half are fantasy.

On the positive side, I especially enjoyed “Weapons of War”, a story in which a space-fighter pilot gets stuck in a time loop and has to fight his way back, “Justice in the Balance”, an action story about government corruption and the people who stand up against it, “Dragon Stew”, in which a knight dragon-slayer falls in love with a dragon, “Lady of the Lake Employment Office”, a tale about King Arthur’s mystical benefactress handing out new jobs, “The Peasant’s Rule”, in which a teenager magically swaps bodies with the aged king and gets his chance at making the laws, and “Clever Love”, in which an elf becomes very creative in his quest to win the king’s daughter as his bride.

Other notable themes include spy stories, rebel priests, knights voluntarily being eaten by dragons, magical body-swaps with insects and symbiotic relationships with space-worms, and a boy who learns what it means to be a real super-hero.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the stories read more like a joke rather than a classic sci-fi or fantasy tale. Have you ever heard someone tell kind of a corny joke, and even though you knew it wasn’t funny, it made you smile a little anyway? These humor stories are kind of like that. They’re slightly amusing, but nothing really exceptional. You’ve got super-hero parodies, toilet humor, monkey terrorists, laser shots to the crotch, delusionals and schizophrenics, tame zombies, a movie buff who somehow uses real props, and a new theory on where babies come from. Like I said, entertaining ideas, but not quite on par with everything else Rick has done.

On a whole, it seemed like most of these stories were strong on concept and plot/punchline, but lacking in character depth.

Overall, I’m giving Ethereal Worlds a recommendation of Average.

 

Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you could do life over again, what would you do differently? If you could design your life from the very beginning, what would you come up with?

Faith Awakened is a very fast-moving sci-fi novel that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which the greed of the elite has finally succeeded in producing a world-wide plague that wipes out all of humanity, except for a few immune survivors. But as futuristic as it is and as much as it uses virtual reality and cryogenics and other now-classic sci-fi elements, the biggest strength of the book for me was its realism in dealing with everyday life and faith issues.

Faith, a girl living in present day, presents questions like, How does someone feel when they sense that God is ignoring them? How do they react when they aren’t getting a ‘calling’ or being spiritually moved when they think they should be? What is it that God is really wanting from us? (Hint: It’s not just for us to all answer some Divine mission in life.)

Mariah, a woman living after the disease has swept the earth like a second Noah’s Flood, has to deal with things like, How do you find hope in the midst of tragedy? How do you accept the gift of life when all you want to do is die? How long can we wait on God to finally fulfill His purposes in this world?

Faith Awakened is sci-fi laced with some very real spiritual struggles, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a neat concept and a fondness for in-depth characters.

Anyone who reads it won’t easily forget Faith Awakened.

 

Fighting with Angels by Jonathan Lehnerz (Good)

 

An adolescent girl who’s a scientific genius, a crippled military man, and a failed preacher don armored, robotic suits and enter the spiritual realm to fight demons alongside their guardian angels. Sound like the beginning of a joke? Think again! It’s actually a very fun and interesting idea that the talented Mr. Lehnerz pulls off with great skill.

On the negative side, the book is a little slow getting to the actual action. Most of the story revolves around conversations that the various characters are having concerning themselves and the discoveries that they’re making. There’s also a bit of repetition as different characters are informed of certain developments. Finally, it seems that there are times when certain technical details could have been left out or explained more briefly, perhaps in the midst of an action sequence when that bit of information was being used.

On the positive side, Mr. Lehnerz does an excellent job of creating a sense of mystery from the very beginning. He definitely makes us want to read on.

On the spiritual and moral fronts, I can say that this is a very clean book and that there a lot of interesting spiritual discussions taking place throughout. You may not always agree with every opinion the characters hold (the minister in the story didn’t believe in angels nor does he believe in a literal six-day creation, etc.), but I enjoyed the point that Mr. Lehnerz made. These controversial subjects are not salvation issues. Christians don’t have to believe everything exactly right to be saved. (Thank God!)

As the appearance of the book goes, it is a very attractive volume. The cover elegantly illustrates a main theme of the book and Mr. Lehnerz himself provided the impressive interior illustrations. (The whole book isn’t illustrated, but there is a picture every so often to illustrate a key event.)

This book is probably most suitable for youth readers, but I certainly enjoyed it as well.

I’m giving Jonathan Lehnerz’s Fighting with Angels a recommendation of Good. If you want a fun read or are especially interested in the spiritual realm, check this one out. 

 

Gateway to Gannah by Yvonne Anderson (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The more I read, the more I liked!

Dassa is the last of her race. Her world has been destroyed by a plague and the only one who can save her is Doctor Pik, a man who would rather have her entire race die with her. In fact, it was Dr. Pik’s people who created the plague in the first place.

The Story in the Stars is a dynamic first novel. It’s a story of grace, it’s a story of obedience, it’s a treasure-hunting story, it’s a love story, and it’s a story with an absolutely perfect ending. 

Yvonne Anderson has created deep characters with an interesting back story. She tells her tale through rich descriptions, natural conversations, and a well-placed bit of humor every now and then.

The Story in the Stars is a poignant illustration of the Christian message. Most importantly, it delivers a fine example of how to offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us and what it means to sacrifice for the cause of Christ. It shows us what it means to struggle with our beliefs and how to handle our faith in the face of tragedy. If that weren’t enough, there’s even a guest appearance by the great American revivalist Jonathan Edwards!

As you read, you may find some things that seem odd, like the fact that the aliens often speak in King James English, but don’t worry – it will all make sense.

The cover is good – it depicts the main character very well when she’s in certain moods – I just wish it showed more action or included Dr. Pik along with her (a good six-fingered, non-facial-expressive alien image would have been a nice touch).

Overall, I feel very confident in recommending The Story in the Stars with a rating of Excellent. It will be interesting to see what Yvonne does with our very opposite characters next.

 

Infinite Space, Infinite God II edited by Robert and Karina Fabian (Average)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A disappointing mix.

ISIG 2 is a collection of twelve short sci-fi stories written by (for the most part) Catholic writers and positively portraying Catholic characters (such as nuns and priests). The editor, Karina Fabian, provides three of the stories herself.

On the positive side, four out of the twelve stories are amazing. Andrew M. Seddon’s “The Ghosts of Kourion”, the volume’s initial piece, is emotionally brilliant. It follows a time-traveling historian into the distant past, where he is forced to relive his own life’s tragedy through the circumstances of a different era. “Otherworld” by Karina Fabian is imaginative, edgy, and poignant, as it brings us into the captivating world of online virtual reality. Alex Lobdell’s “The Battle of the Narthex” features great characterization, speculation, and suspense as it follows an old soldier’s assignment in guarding the awkward and unwanted prince. The story’s supernatural ending is exceptionally chilling. Finally, “Tenniel” by Colleen Drippe is simply an example of fantastic story-telling. It is adventurous and provocative, showing us the hard decisions that a bishop has to make when he comes face to face with a brutal alien tyrant. Those are the positives and they are strong positives. Unfortunately, those four stories only represent a third of the book’s content.

On the negative side, seven of the remaining twelve stories range from decent to hokey and the last story is a down-right chore to read. The seven all contain good writing and were somewhat enjoyable to read, but are lacking a bit in plot. They’re not horrible. They’re just not that great either.

The last story, “Dyads”, by Ken Pick and Alan Loewen, has a fairly interesting story behind it, but has very little characterization and is so wordy, uses so much jargon, obscure language, and made-up terms, that it is actually difficult to read. The worst part about it is that this chore of a read makes up nearly twenty-five percent of the book’s length. Eesh!

Finally, you also have to be careful about reading the editors’ introductions to the stories. I found that these intros, while well-written and informative, often gave away the most surprising aspects of the story.

Over all, I’d say skip this volume were it not the four stories mentioned above. Recommendation: Average. 

 

Journals of the Peregrine: Dictates of Conscience by Carol Parsons (Average) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siph Gaillon, governor of the Imperium planet, Vedra Epsilon, wants to limit the Believer population. He has issued a decree stating that persons wanting to have a child must apply for a birthing permit. He then denies the applications brought to him by Believers.

The Believers, however, continue to have children without the permits and without the aid of medical professionals. They then must hide their children from the authorities and often entrust them to Guardians who will keep and protect their children.

One of these Guardians is a woman named Brietta. She will soon be joined in her efforts by Patriots, Kynan and Ganet. Can they keep the children safe from Gaillon? Will they have to evacuate Vedra Epsilon, or will the Patriots and Guardians join forces to overthrow the governor?

Dictates of Conscience certainly has a lot going on and it’s loaded with action. Unfortunately, I felt lost most of the time while I was reading it. The characters and problems weren’t very well defined. Why is the Imperium so against Believers? How did the Imperium rise to power? Who are Kynan and Ganet? The author introduces all of these concepts, but fails to give sufficient background for the reader to appreciate them.

The action and ideas are all a bit cliché, as well. The Patriots and Imperium smack a bit too heavily of the Star Wars’ Empire and Rebels. The action revolves around characters breaking into or out of jail, impersonating officials, and uncovering traitors, all of which has been done. In the end, though, it isn’t even the heroes who save the day. Rather, they become somewhat of a side story for the final sequence.

I did like, however, the frustrated love scene at the end.

Dictates doesn’t have anything objectionable in it and does present some very strong examples of characters placing their faith in God.

Over all, I give Dictates of Conscience a recommendation of Average. It’s a fun read with some good action, but it’s not for the most discerning reader. 

 

 

The Queen's Martian Rifles by M. E. Brines (Excellent) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19^th century Europeans on Mars. Nephilim. Noah’s Ark. Creation vs. Evolution. Occultists. Hi-jacked moons. Atlantis. Mystery.

Need I go on?

This is the second novel by M. E. Brines that I’ve read and I’ve loved both of them because I never know what to expect. It’s great!

Brines writes loose historical fiction and as such, The Queen’s Martian Rifles features occultist Aleister Crowley, inventor Nicola Tesla, and archaeologist Rebecca Bryce – daughter of Sir James Bryce.

Junior officer David McLaughlin arrives on Mars with the desire to snap England’s troops back into shape. But what he finds while doing so is much more than he bargained for. Can McLaughlin and Bryce save Earth from its secret Martian enemies?

The Queen’s Martian Rifles reads like a classic sci-fi adventure novel in the vein of Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or H. G. Welles, and is just as imaginative (maybe even more so!)

Brines’ use of the Bible and Christianity are to be respected. Whereas his reimagination of events  is not always completely factual, believers should have no problem with its fictional nature.

 

Running Black by Patrick Todoroff (Good) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An R-rated, Christian, corporate espionage thriller. Sound like an oxymoron? Maybe not.

In age of clones and corporate domination, Eshu International is an elite black ops team, complete with all the best weapons and technology money can buy. And they will do anything for anyone who has the money. Things get a little complicated, however, when one of their highest-paying missions yet turns out to be not just stealing some company’s newest technology, but kidnapping a human child as well.

The action is fast-paced, the story intriguing, and the characters well-developed. There are also some very significant spiritual, Christ-honoring moments at the end. Any reader will be well-pleased with the story over-all.

Now for a few warning notes: The main characters are all likeable, but they’re not the sort of people you really want to root for. This is not a good-guy versus bad-guy kind of book. It’s a bad-guy versus bad-guy kind of book. The main characters, while not being totally evil, are, for the most part, ruthless killers who swear worse than sailors. Let me stress that point for a moment. If you are offended by profanity, think twice before picking up this novel because there is a LOT of profanity.

And whereas there are a couple of Christian characters who talk a good game, they are somewhat unbelievable in that they are still willing to hide and aid these brutal mercenaries and even want their son to join them! I understand that these two Christians are old friends of our main characters and that they also used to be involved in the same sorts of things before their conversion. Nevertheless, their actions in the book make them seem rather hypocritical.

Finally, Patrick Todoroff’s has a very natural writing style, but unfortunately, the proofreading on this book leaves something to be desired. Every once in a while you’ll come a cross a missing or misplaced word or punctuation mark. It doesn’t distract from the story, but you will notice it.

Overall, I’m giving Running Black a recommendation of Good and will be looking forward to the sequel, Shift Tense (hopefully without so much foul language), coming out soon. 

 

Star Chosen by Joe Chiappetta (Excellent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic!

This book comes with a rich backstory, believable characters, zany humor, and a lot of good spiritual stuff to chew on.

Imagine a future where every religion is outlawed and every work of literature, including the Bible, has been virtually eradicated. Could such a thing ever happen? Could such a thing ever stop the true believers from spreading the message of God’s love?

Joe Chiappetta has delivered a truly thought-provoking and adventurous tale of courage, faith, church conflict, hypocrisy, forgiveness, and redemption. Joe’s writing is natural and it is clear that he is writing from the experience of a deep faith.

The only “problem” is that the story does feature quite a bit Baptist theology when it comes to the meaning of baptism and the role of women. This isn’t a problem per se, but be warned that if you are a Christian of non-Baptist flavoring, you may find yourself at odds with the author at some points.

Still, there is plenty here for every Christian to agree with and I would heartily recommend this novel to any Christian reader, whether you normally enjoy science-fiction or not. It is well-worth the read.

I give Star Chosen a well-deserved recommendation of Excellent and will be eagerly looking forward to the follow-up volume.

 

 

Synthetic Soul by Melissa Levi (Excellent)

 

 

Interesting concept!

Imagine if someone found Jesus’ tomb. He wouldn’t be there, of course, but would His grave clothes still be there? Could you get a sample of DNA from His blood stains or a skin particle? What if you could make a clone of Jesus’ body? What would Satan do with that cloned body?

Melissa Levi explores these questions in her supernatural suspense novel, Synthetic Soul. Besides the cloning concept, you’ll find some pretty big surprises, absolutely great human characters, and a strong message of conversion and total reliance on God.

There were a few trouble spots with the book, including a couple of situations where the Christian characters in the story are shown to be doing wrong things (destroying human embryos and setting off bombs) in order to achieve a right end. And as with any book of this nature, there is a good bit of speculative theology that you may not agree with. Just remember that this is a work of fiction and don’t get too hung up on the theological stuff. Finally, Melissa’s writing is often very poignant and artistic, but unfortunately, whoever edited and proofread her work did an incredibly horrible job. There are typos, spelling mistakes, and awkward punctuation on every page that really bring down the book’s professional appeal.

Still, Synthetic Soul is a brilliant concept and an enjoyable read that fully deserves a recommendation of Excellent. I will look forward to the sequel and to any other works Melissa may have planned for us.

 

The Worker Prince by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Average)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A really good story…because it’s been told before.

The best way I can describe this book is that it’s Moses meets Star Wars, minus the plagues and the lightsabers.

Prince Davi was born to a slave family, was ordered to be executed, had to be sent away as a baby, and was adopted by the Princess of the Empire, etc. Battle eventually ensues. Now, some people might really get into this idea of a Space-Age Moses. For me, it was too predictable. I like it when an author can keep me guessing, and the themes in The Worker Prince are just too recognizable for that.

I really like the foot-soldier baddie, Bordox, and the political arrogance of the main villain, Xalivar. Unfortunately, we’re not given enough characterization on these two to really understand what their problem is. Why are they being so antagonistic and uncompromising? (Note: There is a short companion story available detailing the history between Bordox and Davi, entitled Rivalry on a Sky Course.)

Perhaps the best part of the book is the relationships that Prince Davi has with his friends and new romantic interest. The dialogue and interplay between these characters displays genuine depth and humor.

Overall, The Worker Prince isn’t a bad read if you don’t mind knowing where you’re going ahead of time, but isn’t quite my can of root beer.