Review of Endeavor’s Run

[kathleenking]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Endeavor’s Run" by Tobin Marks.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Endeavor’s Run by Tobin Marks, the first book in The Hope Prophecy series, blends sci-fi and fantasy into something wholly unique. This story follows a human expedition on the spaceship Endeavor to a deep-space planet called Aqueous, the location of a previous ship’s disappearance one thousand years ago. On Aqueous, we are introduced to a complicated web of politics between two human colonies, an advanced species of lizard people, ancient dragons, and a mysterious underwater species that may be controlling more than anyone realizes.

The author has done an excellent job of blending genres and has created interesting and real characters. The science involved in the story is kept digestible and does not interfere with the pacing of the novel while also not being too vague. The magic involved in the story is underdeveloped but this appears to be an intentional setup for book two in the series. For example, we are told that one character can use telekinesis because of his bloodline and that his bloodline was bioengineered but the extent and purpose of his powers remains undiscussed. However, the characters themselves are intricately crafted. Even the AI, Systematic Artificial Direct Intelligence (SADI), has a nuanced and entertaining personality. The relationships between characters aboard the Endeavor are strong and endearing.

The pacing of this book can be very frustrating at times. The author rapidly moves between a variety of locations, points-of-view, and sometimes large stretches of time. This keeps a fast pace for the narrative but heavily limits the amount of world-building accomplished in each vignette. Spending extra time in each chapter would have allowed for a deeper understanding of the planet and the political landscape, as well as several characters' motivations. Too much time was spent on plot points in this book that had no bearing on the current plot but are clearly going to become relevant in the next book. The resolution of those plot points in the sequel should be quite exciting but take focus away from the plot of the current book. Overall, the excellent character work and scientific finesse of the book vastly outweigh the pacing problems, earning it a 4 out of 5.

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Endeavor’s Run
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