Review of Nowhere to Hide
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Kirstin Kanani
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Review of Nowhere to Hide
[Following is a volunteer review of "Nowhere to Hide" by Jude Austin.]
Kata's life has been filled with betrayal and danger since he escaped GenTech with Tau. After overcoming their terrors and avoiding the corrupt leader, Adrianne, Kata wants nothing more than to rebuild his life. Unfortunately, his quiet rehabilitation is swiftly thwarted when General Barret gets word that Adrianne has mobilized a force of hol to capture and return someone last seen on Atthiras. He sends Kata with Alan, the only person the former trusts, on a mission to a distant space station to hide him. On Atthiras, Tau and the Akkhenians stationed at the field hospital attempt to withstand the forces surrounding them. One such member, Diran, questions why Adrianne would send a substantial force for one man. Despite their distance, both Diran and Kata uncover the same secret. Will they be able to keep it hidden, or will they stand by as the knowledge plunges the five worlds into chaos? Nowhere to Hide by Jude Austin answers this question and more on an epic journey across the known universe.
This is the third book in the series and should be read after finishing the other two. Similarly to previous installments, Nowhere to Hide uses profanity frequently, and violence is vaguely described without becoming too graphic. This book sets itself apart with its longer length, which is necessary because it is much more in-depth. Character's experiences, feelings, and motivations--mainly Kata's--are explored more thoroughly. These inner explorations blended perfectly with the outer conflicts and discoveries, which impressed me. The character explorations are entertaining, but the plot twists and action helped speed up the book's pacing.
In addition, I also immensely enjoyed how the characters' relationships were developed. Kata is understandably dealing with trauma, and seeing how that affects how he interacts with people is incredibly interesting. It also added a level of realism to his interactions. He trusts Alan, but the relationship still isn't easy because of everything he has to overcome. As for Tau, he has yet to have much experience interacting with people in general. So, I particularly enjoyed his experiences meeting new people and learning how he fits into his new environment. However, the best relationship development is between Tau and Kata. Their relationship seemed very straightforward initially, but this book does a fantastic job of putting that into question and showcasing how their expectations differed.
Despite generally enjoying the book, there are a few areas where it could be improved. My biggest issue is with Diran. He was a fascinating character with a lot of depth; however, his arc could have had more conflict. He always seemed to be several steps in front of everyone around him, which made his storyline feel predictable. I was also expecting a previous plot point to be resolved in this book. However, there was barely any mention of it, which I felt was odd because the last book made it seem like it would really influence Tau's actions.
Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5. There was a lot of action, and seeing how the characters responded to it was very entertaining. Kata's development was particularly satisfying; seeing his relationships and abilities grow was one of my favorite parts of the book. In addition, Nowhere to Hide is very well edited, as I found minimal errors.
This book is excellent for those who enjoy realist science fiction focusing on character development. Readers should also be comfortable with frequent mature language as it is featured prominently throughout.
******
Nowhere to Hide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Kata's life has been filled with betrayal and danger since he escaped GenTech with Tau. After overcoming their terrors and avoiding the corrupt leader, Adrianne, Kata wants nothing more than to rebuild his life. Unfortunately, his quiet rehabilitation is swiftly thwarted when General Barret gets word that Adrianne has mobilized a force of hol to capture and return someone last seen on Atthiras. He sends Kata with Alan, the only person the former trusts, on a mission to a distant space station to hide him. On Atthiras, Tau and the Akkhenians stationed at the field hospital attempt to withstand the forces surrounding them. One such member, Diran, questions why Adrianne would send a substantial force for one man. Despite their distance, both Diran and Kata uncover the same secret. Will they be able to keep it hidden, or will they stand by as the knowledge plunges the five worlds into chaos? Nowhere to Hide by Jude Austin answers this question and more on an epic journey across the known universe.
This is the third book in the series and should be read after finishing the other two. Similarly to previous installments, Nowhere to Hide uses profanity frequently, and violence is vaguely described without becoming too graphic. This book sets itself apart with its longer length, which is necessary because it is much more in-depth. Character's experiences, feelings, and motivations--mainly Kata's--are explored more thoroughly. These inner explorations blended perfectly with the outer conflicts and discoveries, which impressed me. The character explorations are entertaining, but the plot twists and action helped speed up the book's pacing.
In addition, I also immensely enjoyed how the characters' relationships were developed. Kata is understandably dealing with trauma, and seeing how that affects how he interacts with people is incredibly interesting. It also added a level of realism to his interactions. He trusts Alan, but the relationship still isn't easy because of everything he has to overcome. As for Tau, he has yet to have much experience interacting with people in general. So, I particularly enjoyed his experiences meeting new people and learning how he fits into his new environment. However, the best relationship development is between Tau and Kata. Their relationship seemed very straightforward initially, but this book does a fantastic job of putting that into question and showcasing how their expectations differed.
Despite generally enjoying the book, there are a few areas where it could be improved. My biggest issue is with Diran. He was a fascinating character with a lot of depth; however, his arc could have had more conflict. He always seemed to be several steps in front of everyone around him, which made his storyline feel predictable. I was also expecting a previous plot point to be resolved in this book. However, there was barely any mention of it, which I felt was odd because the last book made it seem like it would really influence Tau's actions.
Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5. There was a lot of action, and seeing how the characters responded to it was very entertaining. Kata's development was particularly satisfying; seeing his relationships and abilities grow was one of my favorite parts of the book. In addition, Nowhere to Hide is very well edited, as I found minimal errors.
This book is excellent for those who enjoy realist science fiction focusing on character development. Readers should also be comfortable with frequent mature language as it is featured prominently throughout.
******
Nowhere to Hide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The Date Farm by Jack Winnick
