Tor.Com novellas are becoming one of my favorite things. This one is an excellent addition to a growing number of first rate novellas. There is a lot packed into these pages. I found it a bit confusing at first and it's not for the faint of heart but if you just go with it it's a good ride.

I haven't read a lot of sci fi books so at first I was worried I would not understand. however, the action and intruguing characters sucked me in and I found myself finishing the book quickly and finishing the book with an audible "awh". Ellsworth knows his characters through and through and I felt like it added a lot to the story.

An book that starts out fast and a little bit confusing, but quickly falls into place and grows into its own. The combination of interesting characters and creative, layered storytelling have me looking forward to the next installment, Shadow Sun Seven, due to be published in November 2017.

I really loved this story. It's told primarily from two points of view, Jaqi's and Araskar's, with only the prelude or opening or whatever (it's the "Overture") being told from John Starfire's POV. Interestingly, I think John Starfire (the Starfire of the series name?) is the antagonist in this series. All three POV characters are what's known as a Jorian Cross. Araskar came from a vat, while Jaqi was born to her parents, who were vat aberrations that escaped before they could be re-assimilated

An interesting space opera in a familiar style that pits a victorious force of vat-grown clone warriors against their former masters, the human race. Fleeing from the evil Empire Resistance is young Luke Jaqi who is of the same human/alien hybrid stock as the clones and can use the rare ability of the Force the Starfire. She is pursued by the minions of the Emperor John Starfire led by Stormtroopers the Vanguard who all wield light sabres soulswords.It's all actually a lot more complex than that...

A quick read, very entertaining.

I really liked this book.It is space opera cranked all the way up to 11. I would be remiss if I also didn't point out things that might seem "Star Wars-esque" - we've got our young hero Jaqi (Luke) fleeing the evil Resistance (Empire) while she grapples with her rare ability to use the Starfire (Force). Of course she's pursued by the troops of John Starfire (the Emperor). The elite troops, the Vanguard (Stormtroopers) are armed with their soulswords (lightsabers).For about the first 130 pages (r...

This is a pretty good book for only being 3 stars. It actually would've been higher if I was more into hard sci-fi (that's the equivalent to high fantasy, right?). Anyways, fans of sci-fi would enjoy this so much more than I did.ARC graciously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Full review to come when I get more time to write one.

3.5 stars. A bit confusing, as the author throws you into a large conflict. Interesting and weird, the tale switches between two PoVs, Jaqi and Alaskar, one a navigator on leave, the other a vat-grown soldier. There are a variety of aliens in this story with one type, Jorian, having been bred years earlier with some humans to form soldiers, led in this story by John Starfire, Alaskar's leader. There is an earthiness to the imagery in this story, and a mystery regarding a number of star systems i...

Some cool concepts and ideas but the confusing plot doesnt belp much

The overwhelming feeling I received from reading this was that it was merely set-up for the next book(s) in the trilogy. In spite of all the running and gunning, the chase between the stars, and a brush with what may have been a literal manifestation of evil, it sadly didn't feel like anything of consequence happened in this story. Even the deaths along the way, and there were more than a few, failed to get any response from me other than an "oh! ... Who were they again?"None of the events were

Starfire: A Red Peace is an intense read set in outer space with a plethora of characters that will either surprise you with their hidden badassery or shock you with their sudden demise. This isn't for the faint-hearted which is surprising when compared to other grimdark books.Starting off this book, I was lost. And then just when I think the young female protagonist got good things going (she met a boy), everything goes suddenly dark. Turns out, there's no romance after all. If Starfire were a

Disclaimer: I received A Red Peace from Net Galley in exchange for a fair an honest review. A Red Peace is the first in the Starfire Trilogy written by Spencer Ellsworth, and along with an interesting plot (more on that in a minute) it comes with an utterly stunning cover. Please take a minute to appreciate the artwork, detail and color palette of the cover. I’m in love with it. As far as the plot is concerned, it’s a bit like space opera meets the Wild West. It’s full of aliens, giant space bu

This first book in the Starfire Trilogy is either a short novel or a really long novella. It feels like a throwback to the pulp age: we have a galaxy-spanning war, lots of oft-squicky biotech, a horror aside that absolutely gave me the shivers (seriously, that brief sojourn into the Dark Zone, with its planet-sized telepathic spiders consuming all life, is enough to give anyone nightmares), soulswords that vacuum up their victims' memories, one vat-grown supersoldier with PTSD, and a half-human

Starfire: A Red Peace does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s a rollicking, fun adventure with a group of relatable three-dimensional characters against the backdrop of a unique and enthralling universe. This is a quick read and a great introduction to the worlds of the Starfire series. There are unique bits of eye candy like soulswords, moth carapaces used as vehicles, and planet-sized spiders. And even though the book is fast and full of adventure, the story also delves into tough topics lik...

This book was hella fun. Violent and sometimes dark, but fun nonetheless.The characters are one of the high points. Jaqi is awesome. She's also a type of character that I haven't seen much of, because she's...not very smart. She's brave and worth rooting for, but she'll only think a step ahead. It's refreshing in a genre with a lot of "canny" or analytical protagonists.The book also manages to have small children as main characters who felt real but weren't annoying, which is hard! I was less in...

The first installation in the Starfire series is a space opera that's bursting with squicky biotech, funky worlds and rich story-telling that almost manages to be supercharged and surprisingly character-driven. New ideas are tossed out on every other page like so much candy, but the story never loses focus of the fact that the characters are the beating heart of this story. The jargon and made-up vernacular could have been cut back a bit, and the opening chapters could have swapped it's relentle...

I saw this title on an issue of the Barnes and Noble sci-fi and fantasy blog and I thought it would be a good chance to read an author I had never read before. I like space opera, but often I balk at delving into a lot of titles as some can be quite long and extensive, and while this one is a trilogy, each book is manageable. This one was only 210 pages, so it was an easy read and very enjoyable. Looking forward to starting the second one when I get back from Comic-Con.

Publisher's Weekly review:https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-..."Elsworth’s debut is a capable, if familiar, take on revolution in space and what comes after an empire falls. ... This first volume primarily sets up the narrative that is to come, and leaves too many threads dangling for the conclusion to be satisfying. "So, probably not for me. Cool cover art, though.

Technically, at 50k, this book is a short novel. But it's not, not really: it's a long novella. It has the focus, the energy and the freedom of weirdness that Tor.com novellas excel at. It's a novel with the padding stripped out, and a novella with the awesomeness given space to run.It's a space opera with soulswords, with giant bugs as spaceships, with light devouring spiders the size of suns, creepy cyborg human/millipedes and half-human crosses and weird aliens and everything your 12-year sel...