The Bookwyrm's Review of The Adventures of Kirk Rogers: Book 2 by C.J. Boyle

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Rating: 9/10 Stars

Plot Synopsis

Captain Rogers must stop a war and find a sleeping princess before finding any hope of returning home.

Several thousand years ago, the Newtonian people had to leave their dying planet in search of a suitable home. Most of the Newtonian people departed in a huge spaceship with wide open terrarium on the inside. They called this ship The Atlantis. Earthlings, however, called it The Moon. Another race of the Newtonians left in a different ship. It was much smaller than the Atlantis but still large enough to carry half a million people. They left on this different ship, not because everyone couldn’t fit in the same ship, but because they believed they were superior to the Newtonians and no longer wanted to associate with them. Those wonderfully misguided people were called Brenians. What do you suppose the chances are that Kirk and his friends would travel through a random wormhole and end up in the same galaxy as the Brenians?

Four months into their journey home they crash land on a planet and soon find themselves caught up in a quest to wake a sleeping beauty from stasis in exchange for a replacement part for their ship. During their quest, Kirk is captured by the Brenian people only to escape with the prince’s fiancé.

Somehow, someway, our heroes must stop a war before they all end up dead.

Review

As a lifelong fan of sci-fi, finding a series like Kirk Rogers is like finding gold. The first book, which detailed Kirk's, as well as his sister's and friend's adventures in the moon, was such a callback to golden age pulp sci-fi tales which got me into sci-fi in the first place. Kirk Rogers 2 keeps that momentum going, travelling to a far-flung planet for a new adventure with new alien races that tie in directly to the setup from book one. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got was just a fantastic adventure.

The world building is again such a great callback to old pulp sci-fi stories. The initial setting of a cramped spaceship lost in space is a great way to start. Moving it to the ship crash landing on an alien planet could have easily fallen into Lost in Space territory, but instead, the author deftly creates a fully realized world filled with wonders. Wonders like shape changing aliens, who find modern pop culture fascinating, as well as creatures that bear a frightening resemblance to dragons. Mixed into this is the offshoot of the aliens that founded Atlantis on the earth's moon, called the Brenians. It's a very interesting cultural dynamic the author creates, as a stagnated race is looking for a permanent home after their ancestors split off from the Newtonians due to the Newtonian's psychic abilities. With all these racial and cultural clashes, it adds a lot of depth and complexity to the overall world the author has created.

The characters again shine, as they did in the first book. The story centers again on Kirk Rogers, Air Force captain and and a Newtonian descendent.  He is an emotional kind of person, so he is quick to fly off the handle at people for their perceived faults, but is also quick to try and rectify it. He is also very empathetic to other's problems, so the issues the shape changing aliens, the Melkotians, are struggling with really effect him deeply. He is still struggling with his issues he was dealing with in book one, and it's interesting how he does get a bit of resolution to those issues here.

The secondary characters are a fun bunch. Colonel O'Neil is quite a bit like Kurt Russel's character in Stargate, although he obviously cares deeply for Kirk in more than just his role as Kirk's superior officer. He shows some new facets of his personality as well, including a sly sense of humor you don't expect to see. Kirk's friend Gene also goes through his own arc, as he is dealing with the guilt of getting them all stuck deep in space, as well as finding someone special in his life among the Melkotians, which was kind of a surprise. Sheldor the android was the biggest surprise. He own arc in the story involves discovering he has romantic feelings for someone, which shouldn't be possible since he's supposed to be emotionless, but it seems he's growing as well. 

The villains are an interesting bunch. They seem to be a bit of the stereotypical xenophobic types, but as the story goes, you get a deeper look into their culture. This deeper look reveals that villains might be a bit strong of a word, although one character definitely qualifies. Lust for power and control drive this character, as well as the desire to see his people rise in glory once again. Overall, they are well written and the way their arc is tied off is satisfying.

The audiobook is narrated by Jared Kedzia. He narrated the first audiobook, so he is familiar with the characters and brings the same strengths to this one. He does a great job injecting emotion into the various characters, bringing them to life. They each have their own voice, so you can always tell which character is speaking. His narrative pacing is excellent, and very fluid, really immersing the listener into the story.

There are just so many things to recommend this book, and the series in general. There is such a great mix of old school sci-fi, with humor and adventure mixed throughout. I can see this having appeal to anybody who like sci-fi, regardless of the subgenre. I highly recommend checking out this book today.