Spark, who is an elite pilot with the Space Academy, barely makes it through a battle alive. His co-pilot was not so fortunate. Waking from a coma that lasted years, he remembers little and is in no physical shape to resume his duties. But Earth is under threat and he must. Returned by his superiors to the space station, he finds himself amid a last ditch attempt to save humanity - and not just from the alien threats against it, but also from its own sins against itself. This is a corrupted world, of debt collectors and drug runners, of pilots operating on their last shreds of nerves.
| Galaxy by Mark Lingane | |
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| Category: Science Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Galaxy is set in a future where Earth is under attack, but who is Spark's true enemy? This is a tale of sex-fuelled and bloodsoaked revenge that isn't quite what you think it is, told in two back-to-front halves. Fantastically unpredictable read as ever from Lingane. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 192 | Date: March 2022 |
| Publisher: Insync Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0645353211 | |
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But Spark isn't exactly welcomed with open arms. He's mocked and shunned and his commander is certainly not pleased to see him. Why is this? Spark has been told his stats were the best on record; his kills more spectacular. But his fractured memory won't let him understand. He meets a girl, Aurora, and with her sets out to recover the memories he's lost and the conspiracy on the base. But all the time, there's that tap-tap-tap in his head....
One of the most enjoyable aspects to anything written by Mark Lingane is that he refuses to stick to a script. You never know quite what you're going to get. His books rarely follow established ways of structuring and yet they are carefully structured. The narrative runs wild - very wild, often! - but there's always a purpose. This is true of Galaxy in which the prologue forms the second part of the book - but it's not an anti-climax. You think you already know the end but you don't. And that's all I'll say about that for fear of spoilers. The whole thing is an extended metaphor and you'll need to read it all before you properly get it.
There are copious amounts of blood, gore, death and sex in Galaxy so it's not for the fainthearted reader. But it does speak to the very nature of being human. Set in the future, in a world of space monsters and advanced technology, it does ask the question - are we really any different to the men of pre-history, fighting their own existential battles with the same existential motivators? Probably not.
One for readers with a strong constitution and a hankering for the unexpected. It's a thrilling read and one you won't put down in a hurry.
If Galaxy sounds up your alley, you could also look at other work by Lingane that we've enjoyed. Try Beyond Belief or The Rose, the Night, and the Mirror.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Galaxy by Mark Lingane at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Galaxy by Mark Lingane at Amazon.com.
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