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Starship Castaways

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Starship Castaways
Nina M. Osier

Attacked by rogue Clan pirates, the surviviors of the damaged starship Archangel, take refuge on an alien built space station in the middle of dangerous "Clan Space."

The station seems to have been empty for years, but suitable for
human habitation, if a little on the large side. Who were the mysterious builders and why was the station abandoned?

At first all the surviviors want to do is get home, but gradually
as time goes by and no sign of rescue emerges, they begin to wonder.

Captain Mitch Dufrain falls in love here, thinking it was impossible after losing his first family twenty years ago. Rilla Lansing was fleeing retirement and her long dead marriage. Thalia Eriknova is stranded among the "unchanged" humans and she definitely wants to go home. Ari Merchant wants the surviviors to colonise the planet that the station orbits, and then he discovers something about the space station that he is reluctant to share...

A real page turner of a book, Starship Castaways is a science-fiction book that deals more with the characters and human emotions involved, rather than the technology of the future.

Opening on the space battle the reader is drawn straight into the action and gradually the pace slows as the crew first of all find the space station and then eventually become a colony on it.

The interplay between the characters is deftly handled, everyone seems to have their own distinct personality, no cardboard cutouts here.

The twist at the end is good too, when a so-called rescue mission
sails straight into an ambush when the builders return. Anymore than that I don't want to give away! A great read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Shadows of the Rose.

The spaceship Archangel had been escorting a freighter through Clan space when they were attacked. Only a few of its crew survived. Refuge was found on board an alien-built space station deep within enemy territory. Each surviving sole wondered if they would ever be rescued. Most dreamed of returning home to loved ones. A few found life on the space station to their liking and hoped no one would ever locate them. One wanted to found a new colony on the planet in which they orbited.

One lone (Clan) man lived from the battle with Archangel. The Commonwealth had him in custody. He waited for the day to come that he could hunt down the ones who had gotten away.

***** A space age soap opera set in the distant future. Several characters to keep events moving, each with unique concerns and problems.

Like her other novel, Conduct Unbecoming, the author has again created a believable cast in what could easily someday be a believable setting. Don't expect a bunch of pull-out-the-alien-looking-weapon-and-blast-the-army-of-monsters-away-before-they-destroy-the-Earth type of [stuff]. No, this author made her book realistic! Now don't get me wrong, those constant gunfire, laser wars, and non-stop action stories are wonderful. I love them too. However, I found it VERY refreshing to read a space story that concentrated on the people, like Star Trek: The Next Generation does. I am proud to recommend this novel to everyone! *****