A Great Review of Galen's Way - Richard Paolinelli

Got this gift today from Frank Luke, a reader, who left this 5-star review for Galen’s Way:

Political Intrigue among the Stars

April 20, 2021

Format : Kindle Edition | Verified Purchase

I know John Wright’s STAR QUEST setting is purposefully set up as a space opera, and this book hits all the marks. There’s a beautiful space princess (Rhiannon), the science fiction is soft (let’s not worry about explaining why we move faster than light, we just do), the stakes can’t get any higher (if they fail, the faltering republic becomes an empire).

I’m sure others will give plot summaries, so I will focus on the other aspects. I’ve read some of the author’s political intrigue before and been impressed. This one builds from that skill and goes up. Every time you turn around, there’s another twist to the plot. Galen D, our hero, doesn’t know what to believe any more than we do. However, he knows to expect a certain amount of dishonesty and that some characters require confirmation of any statements.

Some of the Things I Liked:

• Galen’s character arc from a man taking a job to a man embracing his destiny. This is huge. He started as a decent man in a job no sane man would want to a man determined to ensure peace for billions who will never know.
• Lir, Galen’s mentor who dreams of seeing the old knighthood reborn
• Rhiannon, the beautiful space princess at the center of a plot to control the alliance
• Harmool, whose side is he on? Is he the mastermind of the plot, a victim himself, or an aide
• Cassie, Galen’s wisecracking AI who can never understand the command “shut up”
• The ancient tech. The Armageddon Sphere and Batavan sabers were awesome to see in play
• The stakes keeping getting higher. What starts as a rescue mission of one becomes of four then the stakes become prevent a civil war, then finally, prevent the collapse of the alliance
• Ioducus. This man was just pure sleaze and it worked to make a great villain. He had just the right amount of screen time. Too much more and some surprises about him might have been given away early.
• The story unfolds logically. Each step and each raising of the stakes feels natural.

Thank you for the great review, Frank. And if you haven’t yet read Galen’s Way, now’s the time:

E-Book: https://amzn.to/39mcwok

Hardcover: http://bit.ly/37ln9Gu

Paperback: http://bit.ly/3u8GnZN

Galen’s Way is also 2021 Dragon Award Eligible. Please nominate here:

https://application.dragoncon.net/dc_fan_awards_nominations.php