Travel Documents 90: The Burning Son
Genre: Far Future, SF, Space Colonization, Social Change, Social Upheaval
The Dust Cover Copy
Five hundred years in the future, humanity has left the Earth behind and explored the stars. Humans colonized planets and encountered intelligent alien life in the vastness of space beyond our solar system. Some of the aliens are friendly. One of them is most definitely not.
Mark Martin is a fighter pilot defending his homeworld from an alien invasion. The Erethizon are a fanatical alien race bent on galactic domination. As his homeworld is overrun, Mark Martin escapes with the only ride off-planet - gun runners. Forced to leave their father behind, Mark and his sister Sophie vow to return to rescue him. But first, they’ll have to rescue themselves.
It's a race across the stars as Mark and Sophie try desperately to stay one step ahead of the alien menace. Can they find friends and allies before they suffer a fate worse than death: brainwashed pawns for religious zealots bent on galactic power.
The Scene
Worldbuilding
Run out of The Mandalorian? Gone through all your Firefly and don’t have anything to watch? Great. Grab this book for a classic, pulp-sci-fi inspired jaunt through space.
If you like your sci-fi classic, fun, and free of angst, this is the book for you. Harking back to the days when there were only three Star Wars movies and all of them were pulpy and good, with a touch of The Last Star Pilot and other such cinema cult classics, The Burning Son is a fun and uncomplicated romp. Now, I didn’t say boring; just uncomplicated. You’ll recognize everything in this story right away, with the smile of meeting old friends. There’s the Tensions Of Empires Across The Galaxy, but hey, that’s beyond our pay grade. There’s the Good Aliens, who are cheerful and friendly and ready to get to know you. There’s the Very Bad Aliens, who are no question The Bad Guys and bent on galactic subjugation. There’s The Plucky Pilot, who can be a bit cocky but is on the sweet, smart end of this archetype’s spectrum. That’s Mark. Oh, and did he mention that he might just be a prince?
Full of old, favorite tropes used well and turned in new directions, the worldbuilding is easy to slide into and as much fun to navigate as the rides at the amusement park you visited so many times as a kid.
The Crowd
Characterization
With clever banter and a solid sense of characterization, Leatherman brings to life what could have been cardboard carictures and makes them into interesting people. Mark’s smart, just this side of cocky, and a lot of fun. His sister is assertive, a genius, and deeply compassionate. The cast of characters around them have all kinds of fun quirks and curious ways of being that draw you in and hold your attention. While the bad guys were a little too Spanish Inquisition In Space for me, they were a lot of fun and well designed. All around, the cast is solid.
The Lingo
Writing Style
A snappy, steadily moving story, this is a solid entry in its genre.
The Moves
Plot
I really enjoyed the book, but as the pages flipped I did get the occasional sense that I’d seen this movie before. It wasn’t anything blatant, and all the pieces fit together very nicely. It just had a slightly procedural feeling towards the end; you know the beats of this story, you know when this happens, and then this. There’s no great excitement when it comes, just a general sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, that does make it a perfect Sunday read, with no angst and no nerves involved. I recommend this book with a nice glass of iced tea on a summer day.
Overall Rating
A fun read in a vintage mold, it’s an old form but a good one. Grab your Saturday beverage, head to your tree fort, and start reading!