3 out of 4 stars
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On his final space voyage into retirement, Professor (and ex-space marine) Peter Blackwood's ship is captured by a mysterious red cloud. He finds himself shepherded to an unknown planet on which some of the inhabitants are immortal and possess special powers. The rest of the colonists of this planet are under the rule of these overlords, but Blackwood quickly discovers everyone on the planet was ushered here by the red cloud and that no one is allowed to leave.
Planet of Gods Book 1 of Enigma by David Crane follows Professor Blackwood's discovery of this planet and his interactions with its inhabitants. His life is complicated further when he notices there is a distinct political divide between the mortal inhabitants of the planet and the overlords. There has been a long-standing prophecy that a savior would arrive to remove these ordinary humans out from the oppressive hold of the overlords, and whether he likes it or not, everyone thinks that this messiah is Blackwood himself. Will Peter get off of Planet Enigma? Will tensions between the mortals and the overlords erupt? Why has the red cloud brought everyone here and what does it want? Pick up your copy of Planet of Gods Book 1 of Enigma to find out.
I've always loved books that transport the reader to far away and unknown places. This book definitely doesn't disappoint on delivering exactly this. Crane paints a beautiful picture of both its landscape and the various creatures found all over the planet. I thoroughly enjoyed how there were two distinct parts of this story intertwined together, but never really a part of one another until near the end. Crane lets the story of political unrest unravel without focussing on the red cloud. While this is happening, however, the reader has an eerie feeling that something more is brewing. What I enjoyed the most was how there were interesting sprinklings of philosophy, religion, and mysticism from current and historical aspects of human history alluded to within the rest of the story. Allegorically, this keeps the reader reflecting about how the characters relate morally and ethically, despite being a science-fiction novel on a fictional plant, to humanity in general.
There were a couple of things that I didn't enjoy in this book. First, the language employed in this book felt a bit awkward at times. Although technically correct, there were certain phrases that the author used that just didn't sound natural. One example of this was when discussing his fitness routine, the protagonist states that he "climbed from the muscle-building exercise machine." Presumably, there is a more natural way of talking about workout equipment. What I disliked the most was the ending. As you likely noticed from the title of this book, it is the first in a series. When concluding this one, although at a relatively logical stopping point, the reader finished with nearly as many questions unanswered as when they began. I would be much more receptive to reading a longer book if it meant that I got the satisfaction of a proper conclusion. Finally, although not in excess, I did find a few spelling and grammatical errors.
Based on the author's ability to paint a vivid picture of an alien planet, the intriguing story that kept me engaged, and the subtle philosophical nuances, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. Predominantly based on the ending, but also due to the awkward phrasing at times, I was forced to take away one star. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy science-fiction tales that take place on distant planets and those that don't mind a bit of fantasy mixed in. If you genuinely don't like space exploration in your books, or science-fiction at all, this one won't be for you.
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Planet of Gods Book 1 of Enigma
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