The Bookwyrm's Review of The Lost Planet by Henry Vogel

Author: Henry Vogel

Length: 306 Pages

Publisher: Rampant Loon Press

Release Date: October 21, 2019

Rating: 9/10 Stars

Amazon Link

I am always on the lookout for new sci-fi reads. I especially love finding new space opera reads. When I got the chance to review The Lost Planet, I jumped, since the premise had everything I love about space opera: Great characters in far flung adventures with lots of alien races and big stakes on the line. So now its time to get this review going.

PLOT SUMMARY

He doesn't know how to be human. She has never been out on her own. But they're the last hope for humanity. 

Within the vast and alien Regency, starship pilot Glen Susa knows only the life of a slave. Raised by his master and forced into a life of crime, he dreams of freedom, visiting the Terran Republic, and meeting a girl. With human space ripe for invasion, Glen breaks the chains of slavery and flies off to warn his people.

The daughter of a xenoarchaeologist, Elise dreams of a normal life. Instead, she assists with her father's research into the fate of the Progenitors, who founded the Regency and then vanished. When her father discovers evidence of a Regency invasion of the Terran Republic, Elise goes on the run to take the news back to humanity.

Chance brings Glen and Elise together, but their warning comes too late. Certain the Terran Republic cannot defeat the alien armada, they set themselves a daunting task--solve the thousand-year-old mystery of the Progenitor's fate and discover their lost homeworld...

Can Glen and Elise do the impossible before humanity falls to the Regency?

FURTHER THOUGHTS

When I finished The Lost Planet, my immediate thought was that this had such a classic space opera feel to it, even though it had lots of modern elements. I loved the two main characters, Glen and Elise. They're  backgrounds developed such differing personalities, which end up having them play off so well against each other. Glens being basically raised by an alien smuggler, and never being around other humans has left him as alien to humans as the aliens are. Elise, while a bit sheltered, was raised by academic parents specializing in alien studies, so is intelligent and actually has a clue how to interact with Glen without overwhelming him. It does lead to some hilarious moments, though, as their world views clash and and they have to figure ways to find common ground. It makes for a fun dynamic. 

The secondary characters are such a diverse bunch, and they really play well against Glen and Elise. We get a good idea of their thoughts and feelings, and how their relationships with Glen and Elise Helps them grow as people. They have agency and backstories of their own, and they really add color to the story. The antagonists, the Elders, are a bit tragic, having been uplifted and basically abandoned by the Progenitors, the race that brought most other races to sentience over many millennia, who disappeared and left the Elders to keep things just how they left them. The Elders, being created with no imagination, took this quite literally, and its led to some tragic results for the Regency they rule, and possible tragic results for the separate human worlds.

The world building definitely shines. It kind of reminded me of David Brin's Startide Rising, with a bunch of alien races uplifted by by a Progenitor race that has disappeared into history, although in this case, instead of a bunch of vicious competing races, there is the Regency, where the Children (younger races) are led by the Elders, who were left in charge by the Progenitors. These are in opposition and competition with humanity, which was not an uplifted race, and who the Elders feel must be brought under their umbrella of care. The world building helps to create some of the scenarios of the plot, and really helps create the feeling of adventure the author is going for.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is one of those books that will appeal to a wide range of fans. It has an old school feeling, but is very much at home with modern sci-fi and space operas as well. It also doesn't suffer from being overly graphic, so that shouldn't push readers away either. If you like space opera, or just books with great characters and lots of adventure, this is a book you should check out.