In the Black

by Patrick S Tomlinson

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of In the Black in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Patrick S. Tomlinson is back once again, diving into the world of space operas and science fiction in his newest novel, In the Black.

Captain Susan Kamala have picked up a mystery in need of an immediate investigation. Satellites sent to the far reaches of human space are going silent – suspiciously so. One would be an oddity.

If only it was one. No, what is happening is anything but a coincidence or a strange happenstance. That is why the Captain and her crew must investigate, and in doing so, they're about to find themselves over their heads.

“So, someone is not only finding out recon drones, but picking them off.”

If there's one thing I knew I could count on with In the Black, it's that it would be full of science fiction splendors and mysteries. Tomlinson's writing always is. This is a space opera through and through, with a few additional elements (such as military science fiction) to truly mix things up.

If I'm being completely honest here, the time I spent reading In the Black seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Captain Susan Kamala and her crew faced an interesting journey here, made all the more complicated by diplomacy and human nature in general.

I think that's actually the part I loved the most about this book. It was a slow-building novel, not afraid to spend the first ten percent of the novel setting the scene. But so very quickly it seemed like it was subverting my expectations, and throwing in these delightful twists.

All of which made for a thrilling reading experience, naturally. I loved the twists, the implications, all of it. I even didn't mind the fact that In the Black essentially concluded on a cliffhanger, forcing readers to wait to find out the truth of what is really going on (naturally, it's more complicated than it appears, and I love it).

See more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks