Review by NatRose -- Homecoming by Jude Austin
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NatRose
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Review by NatRose -- Homecoming by Jude Austin
[Following is a volunteer review of "Homecoming" by Jude Austin.]
Tau and Kata, having just escaped from the GenTech Lab, have a long way to go before they're safe. While it's a relief to Kata to be back in the outside world, it's a shock to Tau who's never seen rain, or grass, or walls that aren't white. Neither of them gets much time to settle into their new surroundings; GenTech are far from the only ones who want to use the Projects for their own benefit. Even Kata's home planet of Trandellia isn't safe. Will they ever find people they can trust? Will they ever find a way to gain their rights and independence?
I'm just going to say it upfront. I loved Project Tau, and I loved Homecoming, the sequel, even more. This scifi series by Jude Austin is becoming one of my new favorites. Homecoming picks up right where Project Tau left off, and our favorite Projects are far from out of harm's way. Whereas the first book took place almost entirely in one location, this novel involves almost constant travel, featuring several different planets.
There were quite a few things I liked about this book. First, I found it unpredictable, much more so than Project Tau, and I loved the bold plot decisions that Austin made. I'm glad that this novel didn't do what I expected it to. I might have been able to guess some aspects of the ending but certainly not how we got there.
Second, I appreciated how well this novel portrayed the PTSD that Tau and Kata are suffering from. It didn't dismiss everything they went through in the previous book but rather showed how those experiences affected their thought processes. The difficult parts were never glossed over or simply forgotten. You truly get the sense that their experiences at GenTech had a lasting impact on much more than just the physical level, which I found to be realistic.
Finally, I enjoyed the pacing of this book. It didn't seem to go by at quite the breakneck speed that the last one did, but it never dragged on either. We got longer chunks from each person's perspective to see inside their head and get to know them a little bit better. I also noticed that the speed of Kata's thoughts was reflected in the writing style. There are times in this book when Kata is very worn down and can hardly think straight, and his inner monologue at these times doesn't read as fast as it does when he is well-rested, which I see as a reflection of the author's skill.
It's hard to find something negative about this book, but I do have one nitpicky issue that bothered me a tiny bit. During this novel, we get to see some things from Tau's perspective. He would sometimes use words in his inner monologue that I had a hard time believing he would know, given his limited knowledge of the world. However, these sections were still written in the third person, so I can't decide whether this is a valid critique or not.
I happily give Homecoming 4 out of 4. It's an engaging, thought-provoking, and well-written novel. In fact, I was able to notice some ways in which Austin's writing improved from the previous book. I also found no typos or grammar errors throughout the whole book. If you haven't read Project Tau, I would recommend that you do so before jumping into Homecoming. Otherwise, I would recommend this book to almost anyone aside from a very young audience as it does contain profanity and deal with heavy themes such as abuse, slavery, and PTSD. Those who enjoy it most will likely be fans of scifi and books with relevant societal commentary.
******
Homecoming
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tau and Kata, having just escaped from the GenTech Lab, have a long way to go before they're safe. While it's a relief to Kata to be back in the outside world, it's a shock to Tau who's never seen rain, or grass, or walls that aren't white. Neither of them gets much time to settle into their new surroundings; GenTech are far from the only ones who want to use the Projects for their own benefit. Even Kata's home planet of Trandellia isn't safe. Will they ever find people they can trust? Will they ever find a way to gain their rights and independence?
I'm just going to say it upfront. I loved Project Tau, and I loved Homecoming, the sequel, even more. This scifi series by Jude Austin is becoming one of my new favorites. Homecoming picks up right where Project Tau left off, and our favorite Projects are far from out of harm's way. Whereas the first book took place almost entirely in one location, this novel involves almost constant travel, featuring several different planets.
There were quite a few things I liked about this book. First, I found it unpredictable, much more so than Project Tau, and I loved the bold plot decisions that Austin made. I'm glad that this novel didn't do what I expected it to. I might have been able to guess some aspects of the ending but certainly not how we got there.
Second, I appreciated how well this novel portrayed the PTSD that Tau and Kata are suffering from. It didn't dismiss everything they went through in the previous book but rather showed how those experiences affected their thought processes. The difficult parts were never glossed over or simply forgotten. You truly get the sense that their experiences at GenTech had a lasting impact on much more than just the physical level, which I found to be realistic.
Finally, I enjoyed the pacing of this book. It didn't seem to go by at quite the breakneck speed that the last one did, but it never dragged on either. We got longer chunks from each person's perspective to see inside their head and get to know them a little bit better. I also noticed that the speed of Kata's thoughts was reflected in the writing style. There are times in this book when Kata is very worn down and can hardly think straight, and his inner monologue at these times doesn't read as fast as it does when he is well-rested, which I see as a reflection of the author's skill.
It's hard to find something negative about this book, but I do have one nitpicky issue that bothered me a tiny bit. During this novel, we get to see some things from Tau's perspective. He would sometimes use words in his inner monologue that I had a hard time believing he would know, given his limited knowledge of the world. However, these sections were still written in the third person, so I can't decide whether this is a valid critique or not.
I happily give Homecoming 4 out of 4. It's an engaging, thought-provoking, and well-written novel. In fact, I was able to notice some ways in which Austin's writing improved from the previous book. I also found no typos or grammar errors throughout the whole book. If you haven't read Project Tau, I would recommend that you do so before jumping into Homecoming. Otherwise, I would recommend this book to almost anyone aside from a very young audience as it does contain profanity and deal with heavy themes such as abuse, slavery, and PTSD. Those who enjoy it most will likely be fans of scifi and books with relevant societal commentary.
******
Homecoming
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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