Random. review - Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This is my first semi-regular review thing where I will randomly drop an interesting bit of prose from the book I am currently reading and discuss or muse - generally just wax lyrical in an attempt to be reasonably smart - ish. 

My guiding principles for reviewing books are:
Be kind.
Dump some uninvited insight in the most entertaining way possible. 
Just have fun with it to draw your fickle attention to a writer(s) that's put their heart and soul into this, their creative endeavor(s).

Today's book is:

Aurora Rising

"Everything it's touched. 

 Absorbed.

 Embraced

 I'm everything.

 I'm nothing. 

 I'm me.

 I'm ...  "                                           

In a nutshell..

Near Future Girl gets flung into the Far Future, complicates some lives while acclimating to Aliens, new rules and warrior Space Elves! 

Uninvited Insight

Aurora Rising is an adventure filled drop into the future.
Aurora our titular character is a young woman from the future catapulted into the further future by a space anomaly, which in turn triggers a vast conspiracy that plunks her into a rollicking space opera adventure that reminds me so much of Mass Effect, Farscape with echoes of Valerian and a hint of David Weber's Honor Harrington style of Military Science Fiction.

So to unpack some of the above references:

The Mass Effect of it.

A squad of interplanetary universal peace keepers led by Tyler and Scarlett - twin siblings, with Ace pilot Cat, and the bottom of the barrel crew of wonderfully rendered misfits Zila (Mad Science Support), Kal (Warrior Space Elf!) and the wonderfully complicated Finn (Tech Support and Sarcasm) - they are the Z-list squad given the mundane task of dropping off some medical supplies - in other words "a simple job".

Side note: "Simple Job" should be added to the genre lexicon of things not to say while out on business, or buying eggs. 
A simple job, is rarely simple, however a simple job in space - an environment designed to suck your insides out - is just asking for adventure or death, possibly adventurous death.

Farscape - Trouble and then some.

The shifting character perspective in each chapter gives us good insight into character motivations and their unique alien perspectives of future humanity - we are walking-talking hopeless causes, tilting at windmills as we blunder through space armed with limited knowledge, well meaning intent and the survival instincts of fruit flies.
Aurora's disrupt intro Tyler's carefully prepared strategy for squad selection so he can be the kick ass hero of the Legion, is when the characters start to shed their various boxes defined by their military roles.
When they finally realize their importance in helping Aurora, the story picks up speed and tension as relationships start to strain between the squad members.

Honor Harrington - Kicking ass in the name of the Legion

The world-building is solid science fiction and presents a universe that is still mired in political intrigue and (surprise-surprise) war. A peace keeping force (The Legion) keeps everything from sliding into entropy - this is Tyler and his crew. Each member has their own reason for joining and that is slowly revealed as the novel rockets along - the comfort of regulations and rules offers some solace for all and their various issues but the wildcard Aurora shakes loose the personal issues for all us dear readers to see, and it's wonderful.

So do read this fun first book of the Aurora series. If you looking for hard science fiction, go read Asimov, if you looking for a ripping story that is a YA, science fiction, action/adventure, with added Space Elf - Aurora Rising is the book you're looking for.

Librarian's Final Word

If you're in the library and you've blown through the Heist Society series but want something different yet with the same free-wheeling adventure with some high stakes action - this librarian says take it for a week loan, because you're bringing it back in two days.