Format: Hardcover, 320
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: ROC
Source: Publisher
Genre: Science Fiction
He is the last to wake. The label on his sleeper pad identifies him as an admiral of the Evagardian Empire—a surprise as much to him as to the three recent recruits now under his command. He wears no uniform, and he is ignorant of military protocol, but the ship’s records confirm he is their superior officer.“I was on a dead ship on an unknown planet with three trainees freshly graduated into the Imperial Service. I tried to look on the bright side.”
Whether he is an Evagardian admiral or a spy will be of little consequence if the crew members all end up dead. They are marooned on a strange world, their ship’s systems are failing one by one—and they are not alone.
Admiral is the first
installment in author Sean Danker's Evagardian series. Admiral is a militaristic science fiction story that features the narrative of a lead character named Admiral. The story begins when "Admiral" wakes up in his sleeper pod to find that he has been stranded on a dead Ganrean trade ship with three others. He soon discovers that he has been given the label of Admiral, and that the other three survivors are all recent graduates of the Evagardian Academy headed for the Julian, the Empresses' own flagship.
The graduates are Lt. Deilani, who sees the Admiral as either a Spy, a fraud, or someone not to be trusted. She does almost everything in her powers to push his buttons and get to admit who he really is without any success. Ensign Nils, who mostly follows his orders and is the most brilliant engineer you will find. He skills are more than impressive. Private Salmagard is a negotiator who recognizes who recognizes the Admiral, but doesn't give away who she thinks he really is. She follows his lead all the way without much if any hesitation.
The one thing the crew can agree on, however, is that this unknown Admiral has some skills. He knows the ins and outs of the situation and has the leadership to put things into motion. He's not just a stationary subject that dictates to others while sitting around reading a book, or feeding his face with the short supply of food. Each of the characters brings their own goods along with them. Deilani knows her medical sciences, Nils is MacGyver in space, while Salmagard isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and is probably my favorite character. There might even be a bit of a romantic connection had the author leaned that way.
With the four facing life or death consequences from being stranded on a dead ship with no other surviving crew members, the mystery behind who the Admiral is remains something that will remain a secret until perhaps the sequel or mayhap a prequel? The four not only have to deal with a dead ship that is slowly tearing itself apart, but a planet that has a strange green atmosphere and alien life forms. They have to deal with the reality that they are putting their trust in someone they really don't know. They have to trust that he will somehow lead them to safety, and not leave them behind to the planet that is home to some very interesting alien life. They have to also deal with the fact that they are on a hostile planet where anyone could capture them and use them as cannon fodder to get what they want from the Evagardian's. Admiral is an intriguing book that reminds me of the original Aliens or the Martian. I shall definitely be reading the sequel called Free Space.
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