Tracing The Stars

This is a fast-paced science fiction mystery that includes alien abductions, mysterious technology, a small task force trying to figure it all out and an unlikely anti-hero.

I will point out briefly that my version of the book had some serious editing issues. I believe that a new edition (1.6 according to Amazon) has been released. Mine is marked as 1st edition. So, my score doesn't take into account editing. It does, however, take in to account style and characterization, both of which left me wanting.

First, the good - it's fast paced. Almost, too fast, but I know many readers enjoy break-neck paced books that leave little time for contemplation. My problem with this is that the fast-pace left little time for character development. I never got a good feel for the main character, Breaker. His side-kick, Garren, was actually a much more solidly fleshed-out character, while Breaker seemed to flounder a bit with inconsistency. One minute, he'd be smart, the next minute dumb, or a frightened guy one chapter then ready to bash in someone's head with a table leg the next. I did like Garren's wit and sarcasm, and it was a good match to Breaker's stiffness.

The style was a bit stiff, too, with more telling than showing going on, which made for a bit of a wooden read. It was also slightly confusing in places, jarring quickly from one scene to the next. Going from the prologue that was on an alien world, to the next chapter that was in the USA was confusing until it became understood that Mike (from the prologue) was an abducted human.

That aside, the mystery of the aliens, who they were, why they were abducting people and how it was all connected was interesting enough to keep my turning pages. I would recommend this book for science fiction abduction fans who would enjoy a bit of a buddy-cop relationship between Garren and Breaker.