Tracer: A Thriller Set in Space (Outer Earth) Kindle Edition

I feel like this book is the platonic ideal of a 2-star novel. Its not awful. I mean, I finished it, even if a bit grudgingly after a point. There are even some really neat ideas here, but they are so underwhelmingly executed that I can't even rate it as mediocre. In a way, the suggestion of promise made it even more disappointing to me.

That promise is on full display in the early going. The writing is propulsive, perfectly befitting the somewhat gimmicky parkour premise. As the book reaches the climax of its first major set piece, I was totally sold on this world and its characters and eager to learn more, turning each page with the intensity of the novel's protagonist hurling herself forward through the space station setting. The crux of the book's flaws is that we kind of never really do learn more. Both character development and world-building just never take hold. The seeds are there and you can get the sense that the author sees a much more expansive universe these characters inhabit but it just doesn't make it to the page. Eventually it devolves into a series of utterly unearned twists that become increasingly absurd and often insulting. I frequently found myself more curious about some of the stories the book wasn't telling, but it started to feel like each of those alternate directions would get aggressively cauterized off, as if the book knew I was restlessly looking away from its main narrative. That's not even touching on the book's succession of cartoonishly broad villains who telegraphed their every fiendishly evil deed. The most disappointing thing is had the causes of the lead antagonists been treated with respect rather than as the machinations of one-note monsters, the book might have been a good deal better.Read more ›

I received this book as part of a promotion. I wasn't sure I would read it as science fiction really isn't my cup of tea but I had some downtime so I figured, why not?

I'm SO glad I didn't just throw this on a shelf and forget about it. The characters are strong and the writing has a driving pulse that made me continue to flip pages. The book is written from the perspective of three different characters, in the present tense and, in Riley's sections, the first person. Generally that would drive me crazy but it worked here.

Riley, our heroine, has a mixed bag past. Her family is gone and her friends/co-workers are all she has left. In a place where there's nowhere to go but around and around (spaceship near Earth, post nuclear war), all she can do is run - run from that past and her feelings.

Darnell is our big baddy. Is he pulling the strings? He reminds me of Bane in Batman, though I couldn't say exactly why. Large of body, crazy in head, perhaps. You know his job and what he'll do to accomplish his destructive goals.

Parkesh is a man in love with a woman who barely acknowledges he exists. There are sections in which he's juvenile and a bit of a jerk about it in his inner dialogue, I thought, considering his past with her. Parkesh is the reason I went 4 stars instead of 4.5. The romance portion of it felt awkward, especially a sex scene after the couple has both gotten their butts kicked repeatedly over a multiple hour/day period but they're good to go for sex and then, with no sleep or anything, off and running to the next stage. That drew me out of the story but it was only temporary.

Again, I really enjoyed the fast paced writing and short chapters. My only request would be to add a touch of humor.Read more ›

The space station Outer Earth is a ring, divided into six sectors, 18 miles around and sitting 300 miles above Earth. The last million humans are what's left from Earth, evacuated in 2234, and have been living on the station for over a century.

Riley Hale is a tracer - a courier on the space station, getting packages to their destination while dodging gangs, and taking items in barter that will help her group of tracers, the Devil Dancers.

This is one fast moving story, full of action and intrigue. I know there will be gasps of disbelief from some but it reminds me in many ways of Hugh Howey's Silo series.

South African author Boffard has created believable characters - some very likeable and some dastardly. And some that you change your opinion of partway through the story.

Boffard has also done a fine job in world building. I was able to visualize the Outer Earth easily although I'm claustrophobic and don't think I'd do well stuck in space.

This is the first book in a series. ZERO-G is the second book and is due out in January 2016 and the third book, IMPACT, is due out in July 2016.

If you like space thrillers, post-apocalyptic science fiction or even just straight-up action tales, try TRACER. I sure wasn't disappointed.

NOTE: I received this book from Redhook Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

My experience with novels set in space is limited to one or two Star Wars books--I think--so I came to Tracer with pretty much a blank slate. While I may have been unsure about what to expect, I wasn't given much time to contemplate this as the story takes off from page one. The first third or so is non-stop and the fast pace makes for a fun ride. Again, I don't have much to compare it to, but I think readers looking for that sort of thing will be pleased by what they find here.

I very much enjoyed the depiction of Outer Earth as a decrepit, rusty, run-down place that has disintegrated from the shining example of human ingenuity it was probably envisioned and built to be. Though my experience with futuristic space stations is limited, my impression is that they are often portrayed as clean, sterile, well-maintained models of efficiency, and this was refreshingly not. I think it's a much more realistic vision of what an overpopulated space station would turn into despite the best intentions and design in the world.

I did struggle a bit with the villainous characters, who came across as a little flat and cartoon-ish (one in particular, though I appreciated getting a glimpse of his backstory through memories), and there was a middle section that didn't exactly slow down so much as go in circles, but I enjoyed the twisty-turny plot at the end.

As a novice space sci-fi reader, I had difficulty picturing Outer Earth. I think this is largely my own fault! Since finishing the book, I've been to the author's website and discovered art depicting Outer Earth from a bird's eye view. I'd love to see some interior cross-sections and other drawings to better wrap my head around Boffard's verbal descriptions.

Overall, Tracer was a fun, fast-paced read that was great exposure to a genre I'm unfamiliar with.