![]() It's been a while since I did one of these. I've been so focused on writing lately, I haven't taken the time to read for pleasure. That's a crying shame though, and I missed it. So I dug out a book I picked up almost a year ago earlier this month. C. L. and I had the good fortune to have a table next to Patricia Gilliam and her husband at Fanboy Expo Nashville Comic Con last year. Their company was one of the best parts of that convention for us, so I made sure to pick up Out of the Gray, the first book in her Hannaria series, before we headed home. I already had a few books lined up to review when I got the novel, so I put it in our living room bookcase when we unpacked from the convention. It had sat there and collected dust for months. To be quite honest, I'd almost forgotten about the collection of five or six books I have waiting to be read and reviewed. I was considering checking out some from the library the next time I carry my girls before I remembered all those books at home. Now that I've remembered, I'm going to try and get back in the swing of reading and reviewing the work of other authors out there writing today. That said, let's get into Out of the Gray. ![]() Premise What would humanity do if first contact with an alien species went well? Would we welcome them with open arms, act welcoming while watching their every move with suspicion, or would we declare all out war? Out of the Gray gives one possible outcome to such a first contact where most of humanity welcomed contact with the Hannarians, who seemed like rather friendly if long lived and highly advanced neighbors. Not everyone is so trusting though, and for them, every offer of help or exchange of any kind is seen as a means of soft invasion. Alex, the son of a politician bent on preventing such an invasion, and Rica, a Hannarian child adopted and raised by human parents until her heritage became clear, get caught in the crossfire as the Earth Independence Party attempts to insight all out war to end the “standoff” they’ve been stuck in for two centuries. Rating 5 Stars World Building Gilliam keeps the world building minimal, which makes sense given most of the story takes place on Earth in the year 2300. Aside from technological advancements and the fact humanity now knows it isn’t alone in the universe, not much has changed. The details she includes pack a punch though. Using Alex and Rica to tell the story allowed Gilliam to include bits and pieces of Hannarian culture and politics and the human side of things too in a way that’s organic and natural. Rating 4 Stars Deus Ex Machina As usual, here’s where things get a bit tricky, especially when trying to talk about them without giving spoilers. There’s this “bioweapon” and its antidote that becomes crucial in the last half of the book. For what it does for the story, it works, but it’s not the most plausible thing given how it’s explained. But this is the first novel of a series. Authors don’t spill all their secrets in the first book. There’s a good chance there are connections between humanity and the Hannarians that will make certain aspects of this “bioweapon,” its origins, and how it works make more sense. So I’m giving Gilliam the benefit of the doubt on this one. Rating 4 Stars Writing As a rule, I’m not a fan of first person in fiction because it’s easy for it to become confusing if the author ever changes perspectives. Gilliam works around this problem by sticking to the same perspective throughout each chapter and only two throughout the novel. She labels each chapter with the name of the character narrating it, so once you realize that, it’s easy to keep track, at least until both narrating characters are in scenes together toward the end. Aside from voice choice, Gilliam’s writing is concise and clear without being sparse. Rating 5 Stars Characters In a series like this where you have a lot of characters, it can be easy for all the characters to start sounding the same. They don’t in Out of the Gray though. Each character, human or hannarian are distinct. All have their flaws and good points, and Gilliam does a good job with portraying all the shades of gray characters, both good and bad, walk in all the time. The one problem I had wasn’t so much with the characters as it was the cover and a misunderstanding when listening to Gilliam explaining the story at Fanboy Expo Nashville Comic Con. Which really isn’t so surprising when you consider how busy and noisy those things can be. I could have sworn Gilliam talked about the girl smack dab in the middle of the cover of the version I have as the main character of the book. So I originally read Alex as being short for Alexandria versus Alexander until it became obvious that was wrong. Then I spent much of the rest of the book waiting for this quintessential “strong female protagonist” to show up. She and her husband did mention a cover change, and now I see why. The new cover fits the book a lot better and helps cut down on such confusion. It seems like a silly thing, but it also goes to show, while you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, they do matter. Rating 5 Stars Pacing The book is quick paced. It starts off with a couple bored adolescents meeting in a break room while their parents “duke it out” on the debate floor, but that’s the last appearance of the emotion throughout the story. Gilliam does a good job of moving from one plot point to another without letting the story get bogged down or become less interesting. In fact, I spent several days after reading the book busting my rear to catch up on work and chores because my twenty minute breaks to read turned into three or four hour chunks before I realized it. Normally it takes me a week or more to read a book of this length because I don’t allow myself more than a half hour or so a day for recreational reading. I finished Out of the Gray in two days. Rating 5 Stars Ending Gilliam ties up all the loose ends, at least with slipknots that can be tightened or undone in the next book. Then she serves up a twist in the last few pages and sets up the second novel in the series without making the first feel unfinished. Rating 5 Stars Overall Rating I plan to purchase the next book in the series whenever I get the chance, meaning I’ve chipped away at my to be read list a bit. If you know how I translate the usual star system, you already know my overall rating. 5 Stars
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A. B. England is a novelist, all around geek, avid crafter, and the home-schooling mother of two.
She is an autistic creator with a love of mythology, fantasy, and all flavors of science fiction. SubscribeCategories
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Planning Stages 23% Icarus Series Book 2 Sketched w/ Some Drafting Icarus Collection
Sketched Yekara Series Book 3
Sketched Myth & Science Collection 2
Intent Only at this Time Icarus Trilogy Book 3
Sketched Supers Collection 2
Intent Only at this Time Yekara Series Book 4
Sketched |