Review – Lakes of Mars by Merritt Graves

Another day, another review, and I’m nearly through my initial Netgalley binge. I had mixed feelings about this book, that went something along the lines of:

It’s Harry Potter…in space!

It’s Lord of the Flies…in space!

It’s Battle Royale…in space!

It’s Ender’s Game…in space! Oh, hang on a minute…

Ender’s Game is probably the best comparison, but it follows a different plot arc over the course of the story.

So, the tale is told from the perspective of Aaron Sheridan, a Martian (as in a colonist, not Uncle Martin in My Favourite Martian) with a tragic past, who gets sent to a deep space military academy. The cadets are split into different factions, and new people have to find a faction soon or suffer the consequences. After a slow beginning, things start to heat up, and Aaron starts to wonder if he can trust anybody. The “timing” of the book was kind of weird. At times the Aaron would mention that he was only there two days, but it felt more like two months, and it just never really sat well with me.

I had mixed feelings about this one. The first 30% or so was a bit run of the mill, and I found it hard to get into. It was basically just Harry getting to know Hogwarts, except it was dark and violent. The plot starts to kick in then, and  Aaron quickly wakes up to the harsh realities of his new life. And it can be harsh, as there are some dark moments in the book. Aaron is a great character, an introspective teenager who struggles with what is happening around him. The other characters, cardboard at first, burst into the life as the story progresses, and the book goes from “meh!” to “Holy crap, Batman, I can’t put this down!” as it reaches it’s climax. There is supposed to be a sequel, but I like how the story ends, and if it never materialises, I’ll be okay with it.

I’m giving it four stars due to the slow start and weird chronology, but it’s worth sitting through it for the stellar second half.

4/5 stars