Indie Book of the Month: February 2018

Sixth Prime by Dan O'Brien

This is another book I feel had some pros and some cons. As always, I'll start with the positive.

The first chapter is a great "hook" chapter. It drew me in and made me want to find out more. I was fascinated by the famous painter working on his masterpiece, a painting he doesn't fully understand, but which somehow contains profound truths. 

There is some great sci-fi in this book. Foreign worlds, and all the political strife that exists on those worlds. Futuristic technology. Mysterious creatures no one fully understands. The search for an ancient power that may hold the key to everything.

I also found the characters believable and likeable. 

I did have some issues, however. First of all, it was the story of the artist that first drew me in. I wanted more about him. Unfortunately, after the first chapter he is little more than an afterthought. Yes, there is an investigation into his death, but that only makes up perhaps a third of the book. Maybe even less than that. I wanted to go deeper into that part of the story.

Also, things could have been explained a little better. Who are the Primes? What are they and why are they important? And why are they being killed off? And who are the good guys in this book? Who are the bad guys? I know not every story has to involve the great cosmic battle between good and evil, but this book very much presents itself as that kind of story. Only I couldn't tell which side I was supposed to be on. I was still confused even when I made it to the end, because it's left very open and nothing is really resolved. Again, I know open ended stories are a thing, and I like the occasional open ended story. But this is not the kind of story that is typically left open for interpretation. This book presents a mystery to the reader, but the truth about that mystery is not completely revealed. Perhaps this is the beginning of a series? That might offer the promise of a better explanation down the road. 

Overall an enjoyable read, but one that didn't provide me with the answers I was hoping for.

If you'd like to take a look at this book and make up your own mind about it, you can find in on Amazon.