​FOLLOW ME
Convergence
There's been many a young man who's run away to a life of adventure and piracy, but what if you're born into it and hate it? Where do you run away to without ending up in a jail cell?
On the edge of the Empire of Man, Conner grows up in a hidden pirate stronghold, doing his best to survive in an environment designed to corrupt even basically decent people like him. At the core of the empire, on Capitol itself, Stuart Cameron spends his time as a glorified taxi driver, shuttling people from one station dock to another and he's slowly going mad from the boredom. Events convince Stuart to take part in an expedition to the frontier.
When the transport is attacked by the pirates, Conner sees the opportunity he's been waiting for to break free from his life - and the two young men from opposite ends of experience and society find their destinies converging. Behind them an even bigger convergence of empires is slowly beginning as well...
The obvious start of a new series. Well written with good flow. It will be interesting to see how well the series is maintained.
***** JTK on amazon.com
Goodreads | Convergence (Edge of Empire Book 1) by J. Peter Charters — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
This is a pretty good tale, especially so considering it's the authors first. A tried and tested formula of space-opera, plucky protagonist and sticky situations means it's often un-put-downable! That said, there are enough new bits of science-y tech and ideas about space-faring politics that it doesn't mimic existing universes - including a type of space drive (STDS) that I've not read about in other novels.
In the same vein as Lois McMaster Bujold with a dash of Asimov politics (just a dash mind, it's not heavy politics and even my mediocre understanding of politics isn't stressed too much). Connor, Stuart and Magnus are characters that I'm looking forward to reading more about.
****
Edge of Empire
Edge of Empire is a new series set on the boundaries of a huge Human Empire consisting of a number of sectors of space separated from a central point by increasingly tricky wormholes. The story is set on the furthest of these, Sector 17, where two other human societies and two alien societies also exist, held in check - for now - by the fearful threat of the full might of the Emnpire one four-month wormhole transit away.
However, this is the wild frontier, and the lawless element of planet raiders and pirates is strong, and one of the other human governments is planning to work with them to cause trouble.
Convergence will be followed later this year by Edge of Empire: Divergence, where the story of Conner, Stuart and Maximillian Magnus will continue...