Review - CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh (Dancing Lemur Press)

Cassasar by Alex J Cavanaugh

Published by Dancing Lemur Press

Paperback - 246 pages
Published October 2010
Personal copy of book

Byron is sent to train as a pilot with one of the best ships in the Cassan fleet – the cosbolt. His headstrong attitude puts him under scrutiny of officer Bassa, who eventually becomes his navigator. Under the shadow of war, both Byron and Bassa have to learn to trust each other in order to work together, and they soon find a friendship that neither of them thought possible. 

The strength of CassaStar is most definitely in the characters the Cavanaugh has created. At first, I found Byron to be rather generic in his attitude and personality (as a very gifted but very cocky person, his personality matched Chris Pine's rendition of James Kirk in the new Star Trek movie). His relationship with Bassa, however, gives him his own voice that works very well. Cavanaugh has invested a lot in giving the reader characters that you care about and root for above all else, and he has succeeded in doing so. Despite Byron's cockiness, I found myself wanting him to succeed at every turn, and the relationship he develops with Bassa is one in which the reader becomes fully immersed, making the emotional payoff at the climax all the more poignant.

As a 'space opera', CassaStar is relentless in its pacing. It's fast and exciting at every turn, and even the lulls in the story are filled with the frustration of the characters to be back into the action. With such emotional attachment to the characters the reader feels this also, though the pace quickly picks up again. The scenes of space combat are very well written, and every turn of the ship and blast of the laser quickens the blood. This is space opera at its very best; all of the wow's and none of the how's.

CassaStar is not a hard science fiction novel. This makes it a perfect entry point for the casual sci-fi reader such as myself, though I understand this isn't beneficial to all readers of the genre. Very little attention is paid to the ins and outs of Cassan space travel or the technological advancements in the story. This was a major plus to me, since I wasn't bogged down by terminology or info dumps on the intricacies of life aboard a space shuttle and I could enjoy the story and the characters instead.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a greater understanding of the antagonists of the novel, the Vindicarn. The motivations and history behind the Cassan/Vindican war is not covered at all, which ultimately makes the battles between them a little pointless.

In short, CassaStar is a fast paced, fun read with superb characters that the reader connects with and cares about. The fun of space travel and combat are brilliantly illustrated, as well as the emotional disturbances that come with it. Highly recommended for all sci-fi fans, though the more casual sci-fi readers will get an extra kick out of it.