Book Review: Oblivion Threshold by J.R. Mabry and B.J. West

I love a good space opera, from Star Trek to Star Wars, and everything in between. Space opera is a sub genre of science fiction that is constantly evolving, is it a good thing? Only time will tell.

As a fan of this sub genre I was really eager to read this novel. And despite some minor problems, it really didn't disappoint.

First thing that has to be said is that this novel is first in the Oblivion Saga, which contains the following novels:

1. Oblivion Threshold
2. Oblivion Flight
3. Oblivion Quest
4. Oblivion Gambit.

This novel follows captain Jeff Bowers, who suffers from PTSD, after he lost his whole platoon on a mission he lead. As a side effect he retreated to his introvert nature. So much so that he is labeled as "difficult to work with".

When humanity is threatened by an unknown alien race, and a colony on the far side of the Galaxy is destroyed, the Navy has a perfect mission for him. They send him on a scout mission that will last for whole year, alone. After a long journey he finally starts his mission, but his cover didn't last long and he is discovered. Crash landing on a planets moon. He is then miraculously transported back to Earth. Where he finds out he now posses the power that can save the human race.

Right of the bat, this book was good, it sucked me in easily. The authors did a great job keeping my attention and they certainly kept me entertained. This novel is chock filled with relatable and lovable, sometimes even awesome, characters. From officers to scientists, you can relate to all of them.

The main advantage of this book is that it's fast paced. Events and action flow freely on the pages. It's worth noting that this book has some curse language, but nothing to write home about. I liked the main character, especially because he's introvert. You can't find many main characters like that every day.

The authors did a great job with world-building. I especially liked their depiction of alien races. I enjoyed reading every moment of it. Especially, about the Ulim.

But, the thing I liked best, is that this novel asks one important question: Is the survival of the human race more important than the survival of the entire Universe?

The only thing I didn't like is that this book is too conscious of today political climate, and that has lead to some small discrepancies in the main character. Nothing big just small details you can spot a mile away. So, if you are apolitical like me, it will get on your nerves a little. Thankfully it doesn't hurt the impression of the whole book. Mainly because they stopped it somewhere around half book mark.

This novel didn't bring anything new to this sub genre, except introvert main character. But, that doesn't really matter, simply because it's a light read aimed to entertain and get you into the story. You can call this whole novel prologue to the story. And it is certainly worth your time. Hopefully the next chapters in this story will be more complex and mind boggling. Until then happy reading.