OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Astronomical" by K. G. Bethlehem.]

Astronomical by K. G. Bethlehem is a science fiction novel set in an alternate timeline where the world has been consolidated into two separate provinces and intelligent life has been discovered on the other planets in our solar system, life which is hostile to Earth. In 2025, there are two main branches of military power on Earth, the X-Police who keep order and obedience on Earth, and the Space Core, which controls defense and exploration off planet.

There are two main plots in Astronomical. Colonel Harrison is given a very important mission by the Space Core: explore the outer reaches of space, seek out interstellar allies for the war against Jupiter, and discover what has become of his predecessor, Captain Delcid, whose spaceship was lost years before on a similar mission. He sets out with a crew of four consisting of his friend Lieutenant Greer, Doctor Tani Noguchi, and Sergeant Ernestine Crawford onboard the spaceship Amaco. They travel through a wormhole to another galaxy where they find themselves in the middle of an uprising against the ruling class, a perilous position that puts the crew, and those who help them, at great risk. The second plot, interspersed and unconnected to the first, follows a character Mury Te, who was once an X-Policeman and now fights against their tyranny and the imposition of martial law on the citizens of Earth. As things become steadily worse on Earth, Mury’s underground attempt to wake up those in charge before it is too late.

Astronomical reads like it was written by a non-native English speaker who watched a lot of Star Trek. It borrows heavily from the Star Trek canon, especially in terms of technology, referencing things like photon missiles, warp factor, tachyons, and “beaming down,” as well as a very Trekkie approach to exploring new planets. Bethlehem also makes use of Star Trek’s classification system of planets, where an M class planet is one compatible with human life. All of the characters’ encounters with intelligent life depict aliens as indistinguishable from humans, with Earth-like civilizations, cultures, and motivations. The animals mentioned are also ones found on Earth, which just emphasizes that there was no effort made to make these alien worlds feel unique aside from technological advances.

It is very clear that Astronomical received very little in the way of editing or proofreading. There are numerous errors in grammar and punctuation, as well as many places where Bethlehem has clearly mistaken one word for another, and not only in the case of homonyms. The most frustrating of these for me was the Space Core, which was used numerous times, instead of Space Corps. Shifts in tense are common and there are a number of baffling sentences which are nearly indecipherable. Some examples include:

• • The grayish skies marked a foreshadowing a decorated horizon of a gray blueish color with no absolute meaning but he knew his reward would come in the form of attainment.
  • Dead in the water would be the expressions of veteran soldiers but the contents of the living were still alive—barely.
  • It was a man who had begotten everything that likened a person to life.
  • He gave not credence to out of the book decisions; he finally realize he was a fool for negating that.

I have chosen to give Astronomical 1 out of 4 stars. The plot was disjointed, the editing was non-existent, and there was little in the way of character development. It’s possible that someone who is really into dark Star Trek fanfiction without happy endings would find this to their liking, but I would recommend just watching The Original Series instead.

******
Astronomical
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Doesn't sounds like a book I'd like but well done on the review.

Sounds like a lot more work is needed on this one. Good job on your breakdown, jhollan2.

Well written review! Sorry it wasn't up to par.

Good review. Too bad the book has so many problems. The premise actually sounds like it could be very interesting, but that might be because there's a lot in the book that's close to Star Trek.

That was a very honest review. I love sci-fi but this book seems to be wanting. Base on the weaknesses you pointed out, I think the rate is justified. Nice job on the review!

The story doesn't seem like my cup of tea, but I enjoyed reading your insightful review. It is always a challenge to read a book with a ton of grammatical errors and a disjointed plot.