Crossline by Russ Colchamiro
Description:
Perfect for fans of Firefly, Flash Gordon, Stargate, and Escape from New York...
Hotdog pilot Marcus Powell has been selected to test Taurus Enterprises' Crossline prototype craft and its newly developed warp thrusters, which, if successful, will revolutionize space travel as we know it.
But during his jaunt across the stars, Powell is forced into a parallel universe -- including a parallel Earth -- where he finds himself at the center of an epic battle he may have been destined for all along.
Meanwhile, back home, reclusive oil tycoon and Taurus CEO Buddy Rheams Jr. -- who sent Powell on that very mission -- has a mysterious past and a secret agenda, one that could prevent Powell from ever making it back to his wife and little girl. From author Russ Colchamiro, Crossline is a psychedelic, action-packed romp across time, space, and dimension that asks the question: once you cross the line, can you ever really go back?
My Review:
Crossline attempts to tackle the complexities of time, space, and alternate dimensions. Neither of the two Earths are our own, so the author takes liberties with both, imagining the what-ifs and throwing not one, but two dimension travelers into the mix.
The story starts off strong from a sci-fi perspective by launching us into space along with Powell, but for me, I didn’t really get engaged until we shift to Buddy’s story, and oh, what a story that is! It’s one of those cases where I develop a favorite character early on, and then whenever time is spent on someone else, I’m on edge until the story goes back.
I also very much enjoyed Jesse and Chandra’s story, though Jesse would be my favorite if I had to pick between them. She’s sort of the bridge that holds everything together, and the fact that she’s basically a preschooler makes it all the better. She really shines in the finale.
Oddly enough, what should have been the main draw, what happens to Powell, was where I had issues. I found certain scenes confusing and others lacking the emotion that I think they were meant to convey. Despite some intriguing and exciting parts, too many scenes in Powell’s story hop from one to the other or progress only through deus ex machina (the muffins being one example).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story, particularly the parts featuring Buddy and Powell’s wife and daughter, Chandra and Jesse. The unique blend of mystical, scientific, and hypothetical make it an interesting read.
I’d recommend this to folks who dig sci-fi with a bit of paranormal/tribal fused in. It’s a good length and worth a read!
I received the review copy of this book from the author via Lola’s Blog Tours.
About the Author:
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the new SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and crazy dog Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Camelot 13, and Brave New Girls.
He is now working on the first novel in a new series featuring his hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke, and the first of three collaborative novella projects.
Russ is repped by The Zack Compnay.
For more on and Russ’s books, you can visit www.russcolchamiro.com, follow him on Twitter @AuthorDudeRuss, and ‘like’ his Facebook author page www.facebook.com/RussColchamiroAuthor.
You can find and contact Russ Colchamiro here:
No comments:
Post a Comment