Into the Black: Odyssey One by Evan Currie

Science Fiction

Into the Black: Odyssey One is a military science fiction book I received from Amazon Vine.  There are two editions of this book and I received an ARC of the remastered edition.  Apparently the first edition to come out needed a lot of editing.  That has been taken care of in the edition released at the end of March 2012.  I have had the book for a while and there is a reason I took so long to finish.  The book is over 500 pages long and in the ARC form it was very uncomfortable to hold and read.  As a result I would read a little, get tired of holding the book and go to something more comfortable to read.  The story was good so sooner or later I would go back and read a little more.

Here is what Goodreads says:

Beyond the confines of our small world, beyond the well of our star, lies a galaxy, and universe, larger and more varied than any of us can imagine. Assigned the task of blazing man's first trail into that great unknown, Captain Eric Weston and the crew of the NAC Odyssey launch on a mission destined to make history.

Past the bounds of comfort, they encounter horrors and wonders beyond their imagining, with people and monsters beyond reckoning.

Odyssey One is the first voyage of the NAC Odyssey and its crew, and the beginnings of a Military Science Fiction Epic that combines both old school space opera, and modern storytelling in one great, exhilarating adventure.

This is classic space opera/ military science fiction.  The Odyssey is on its first space journey and is the first ship of its kind.  On it’s maiden voyage it picks up what sounds like a distress signal and goes to answer.  The rest you can guess.  Even though it is a common theme there is something for almost everyone in the story.  There is a lot of technical explanation for the tech fan.  There is a lot of action for the action fan.  There are new worlds of the pure science fiction fan.  There is one element not to look for.  There is no romance in the book.

While the plot is predictable the action is interesting. The world building is good but the character development is a little thin.  It could be because there are so many characters and most play a major role in the action.  As a result more time is spent on the action each is involved in than on developing a well-rounded character. 

While the action came to an end there was not final solution to the problem.  In fact the last page of the book pointed to a much bigger problem facing everyone.  I do want to find out what will happen next so I will be looking for the next book.

47 North published Into the Black: Odyssey One by Evan Currie in 2012