Quirky Cat
Written on Mar 4, 2019
Creation Machine is a fast-paced and chaotic space opera of epic proportions. It’s quirky and full of personality, and was pretty much everything I had hoped it would be. It’s the first novel in a new series called The Spin Trilogy, which is an appropriate title when you think about it.
The series covers the aftermath of a civil war that took over dozens of planets and systems. The people are still reeling from the impact of it all, still hurting from the loss and even failure in some cases. Some are still resisting, while others have given up.
Creation Machine was a fun and unpredictable read. The characters were so full of personality and quirks that it was impossible to guess what they were going to do next. The series itself truly is a space opera, but it’s brought to epic proportions thanks to the healthy dose of chaos thrown into the mix.
I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I really enjoyed the characters, even if it did take me a little bit of time to get used to them. Fleare is not your typical rich girl. Or rather, she could be, if you throw the ‘rebellious daughter’ description into the mix. But she takes it several steps farther – actively joining her father’s opposition in the war. That one fact alone is enough to show how determined she is, and just how strongly she feels about her father’s morals (or lack thereof).
The plot is a little chaotic at times. Both in the good sense, and in the confusing sense. That would probably be my one major complaint of the novel. There are dramatic time shifts all over the place, and it takes a little getting used to in order to really figure out what is happening. Once I got into the swing of things I was fine.
Though I have to say that I also kind of love the shifts in time. Most of it was split between two points in time; before everything happened, and after. The before was obviously leading up to whatever Fleare did to get herself arrested, and the after followed her escape and ensuing escapades.
I will say that I do think this novel/series would be best suited to those that love space operas. I think it falls strongly enough into that niche genre where it may be considered odd or off-putting to anyone not actively looking for something like it.
I’m looking forward to the next two novels in this series. While this novel was focused mostly on the points I mentioned above, I did get a sense of strong worldbuilding going on in the background. I’m really hoping we can see more of the world that Andrew Bannister created (no pun intended) in the next couple of books.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks