Pilot Mark Martin must flee his home world of Yale when the Erethizon theocracy overwhelms the defenses. His father, an influential senator, is captured. Now Mark must find a way to save his dad before the resistance is crushed, and with it, all hope of ending the occupation. A chance encounter with a smuggler captain may be his only hope. Will they help, or will the crew sell him to the alien … invaders?
The Burning Son the first book in a new is a classic space opera series set in a dark future. Yale was a thriving colony until the aliens showed up. Their demand, join our religion and serve our theocracy.
Mark Martin was a pilot in Yale’s space navy. When the stalemate crumbles, he was forced to leave the military and join a band of pirates. The smugglers were not the marines he’s used to serving with. With them he will explore a galaxy full of adventure.
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Fasten your seatbelts for the action-packed space odyssey, “The Burning Sun,” by T. H. Leatherman. The story starts in breakneck speed over Yale’s night sky where navigator Mark Martin witnesses the Erethizon forces (known as the “procu-bears”) ambushing his home settlement. Mark helps his sister, Sophie escape, but he can’t save his senatorial father who’s been captured by the enemy. To flee their desperate situation, the brother-sister team hooks up with a female captain in need of a medic and navigator on her pirate spaceship called the Leonard Fox. And with an “aye, arrr,” they burst through the enemy blockade. Escaping danger, at least for the moment, Sarah and Mark become acquainted with the motley crew, including the foxlike Muscats who oversee the engineering bay. To his dismay, Mark learns his homeland’s republic has been transformed into a monarchy under the control of the Erethizons. He is determined to find a way to free his father and his home planet, but he faces threats from unknown forces lurking among the crew. The twists are unexpected in this riveting odyssey, and the ending will make you hunger for the next adventure in the series.
Author Leatherman’s space odyssey is told from first person point of view of Mark Martin. The story effectively captures the humor in his voice to make this a fun read. The story is fast-pace and the dialogue is snappy. The narrative is lean but adequately describes the characters and the interstellar worlds. The competing races of the humans (the Terran Confederation), the engineering-minded Muscat, and the amphibian, psychic Dru are unique and intriguing. They must join forces to defeat the Erethizon, whose crusade is to seize control over every world and to spread their fanatical religious beliefs. Action dominates the beginning of the story. It is not until later that I feel grounded in the interstellar worlds and can fully understand the stakes.
“The Burning Sun” is recommended for science fictions readers who love their tales fast-paced and full of action. The additional bonus of a spaceship full of quirky characters makes this book a fun and entertaining read.
4.5 stars
A great sci-fi adventure in a wonderfully detailed universe. If you love space opera, you should definitely check out The Burning Son.
While it took me a while to warm up to the main character, astro-navigator Mark Martin, the world building and uniquely developed alien races kept me engaged. The story kicks off with the fall of Martin’s home world to an invasive race of religious zealots. Martin and his sister flee the planet aboard, basically, a pirate ship. The story lost a little bit of focus as the crew took on various jobs, but we got a good look at some of Leatherman’s alien cultures that made up for it. Then the pacing in the second half of the book really picks up as Leatherman shifts the focus back to the main plot.
This story had a lot of action, unique settings, excellent species creation, and while some of the reveals were easily anticipated there were enough twists that I couldn’t be *quite* sure I knew where everyone stood until near the end. The one place where it fell down a bit for me was in the development of the main character. It’s not that he wasn’t likable… for me he just felt a little flat. Maybe it’s because he always seemed unfazed even when everything was going to hell around him. The more pronounced personalities of some of the secondary characters made up for that however.
Fair warning: this book is very much a cliffhanger, so don’t expect a tidy resolution at the end. That said, the second, and even third, book in this series is available.