The author described this book as wanting to experience what Guardian’s of the Galaxy felt like. If he meant a wild ride with a fast-paced plot and a varied collection of aliens working together, then I think he succeeded.
The story is principally a story about a collection of three aliens who work on the same ship. One is a human from Earth (Max) who accidentally stepped on a portal and got teleported to a distant galaxy, and his long term goal is to get home, though no one has any idea how to do it. He’s been there long enough that he is married to a woman (Lahra) who is one of the last of her race who is a highly trained guardian. The pilot (Wheel) is a member of a very old race, with lots of cybernetic additions. The current rulers of the galaxy, the Vsenk, are giant creatures who basically try to maintain power and control, and they used a terrible weapon “the Annihilation,” on several worlds (including both Lahra’s and Wheel’s home worlds) about 1000 years ago.
The universe is very complicated, with lots of alien races. Lahra and her race of guardians use the power of song to charge their weapons and enhance their abilities. Max is an anthropologist or archaeologist in the spirit of Indiana Jones rather than as an academic. And Wheel refers to the two as “the Lovebirds.” It is a nickname that seems filled with derision but as the story goes on you sort of feel like Wheel really likes the two.
While trying to pay off debts, they collect and try to study artifacts, which is complicated by the regular mad dashes of escape they have to do while being pursued by the Vsenk or Imperial guards. But one relic they obtain seems to have a lot more power and importance than they bargained for.
The story moves between about 4 different characters in a close third person style. It was a relatively easy read, not a lot of depth, and it was an enjoyable style. I liked the world, and the use of song was not just stapled on but it felt like a deep description of the culture. The Vsenk at first seem one dimensional but there are layers and political intrigue going on behind the scenes. The book is no question space opera, with little regard for scientific principles. In other words, just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.
The book had a satisfying conclusion, but certainly left room for sequels. I definitely enjoyed this book, but I guess it felt a little too unrealistic for me at times. It is hard to critique SFF for being unrealistic, because, come on, but this book didn’t hit me as hard as some others I’ve read so that’s why I’m ranking it 4 stars. I also had a hard time keeping track of all the different alien races, but for the most part I don’t think that was necessary either.