Review: Lost Souls by Ryan Skeffington
Blurb:
Living on the premier Ring, Maximus, a brilliant engineer, hungers for more than the monotony of daily existence mandated to him by those that control the Ring. The relentless pursuit of Infinite Existence is a collective purpose assigned to all, but for Maximus, it's a hollow dream that leaves his soul yearning for its own legacy.
Determined to escape his repetitive life, Maximus seeks out a destiny that will offer his life significance. When shocking revelations about the Ring’s underbelly intertwine with the hidden truths of his own lineage, he’s propelled into action.
Fueled by a spirit passed down to him by his indomitable father, he devotes his unshakable resolve to reshape the Ring. Maximus embarks on a mission to challenge the unassailable leadership of the Rings. He’s ready to wager everything, even his own life, on liberating all those that have lived below him from the ruthless grip of their oppressors.
In this high-stakes struggle for freedom and justice, Maximus must confront not only the forces of tyranny but also the threat of losing everyone that has built him up to the man he is now. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, he stands poised to start a revolution that will ignite every soul that’s been lost up to this point.
Review:
Note: I got a free copy of the book in a Twitter giveaway. I participated because I loved the cover art, and everything I read about the book made me want to pick it up. To be honest, I was not ready for the sensitive emotion-driven character arcs that comprise this book.
What I liked:
The book opens with an unnamed character waking up from cryosleep. They’ve arrived at an outer space ringworld kind of location where they are immediately engaged in labour. Sounds pretty standard and straightforward, right? Well, it wasn’t. Skeffington takes his time to craft a visceral experience of this scene. I felt the chill in my bones, the ache and soreness that would follow from unused muscles. The prologue alone is a very strongly written opening for what follows in the world of Infinite Existence.
I’ll admit, the scenes following that fantastic experience were a little dull and confusing. Yet, they introduced some very interesting characters. Maximus is your standard sci-fi protagonist from the get-go. He’s an idealist and a very intelligent one at that. Seeing him navigate the mundane of this majestic space station really struck a chord with me. It was an odd choice, but made realistic and relatable with the author’s careful treatment. The same goes for Kana and Arex, both of whom are handled with equal care and attention.
The concept of space gladiators was insane, and I wish Skeffington had explored more of that. The author managed to expertly tie in the gladiators with the main conflict at hand—the serum. Given the world we live in, and how a lot of us have complained about the inhuman conditions some are forced to work in, this entire plotline of the serum was an interesting—and horrifying—take. I can totally imagine big corporations incorporating such a solution that focuses on improving productivity with absolute negligence towards the workers’ health and well-being. All this brings me back to the highlight of this novel—the characters.
Seeing that cover, I was expecting an action-packed Star Wars kind of novel. What I got instead was a novel driven by poignant character moments, interesting character development, and an exploration of their philosophies and psyche in a warm and empathetic manner. As an author myself, I understand how deeply therapeutic writing can be, and it shows especially in the author’s treatment of Maximus and Pentalux’s relationship. It isn’t easy to explore such raw and real emotions, but Skeffington has nailed it.
The characters, their development, and their treatment are what make this book shine. Trust me, if you love character-driven stories, Lost Souls is THE book for you.
What I didn’t like:
Usually, books that are character-driven aren’t necessarily strong on plot. The strong character moments make up for the simpler plots. However, if the pacing has issues, it can hamper the reading experience overall.
I mentioned earlier how the first couple of scenes after the prologue were a little dull and confusing. To me, that was because of the time jumps and flashbacks. In isolation, each scene was fantastic. But strung together in a sequence, they sometimes had a clunky effect that broke my flow. Some of the flashbacks, although important to the plot, were distracting, bringing me out of the immersion of an otherwise intriguing world.
And lastly—my biggest complaint with the book—the ending. In isolation, the ending is as epic and visually majestic as you would expect from a book like this. But, with an insufficient build-up, it feels like a missed opportunity. The book has great character growth for the first 2/3rds of the book. But, all that works in a direction that’s opposite of the end. After such an empathetic and heartfelt read, the ending left me feeling disappointed and upset.
You could argue that’s a good thing because that’s how much I had come to care for the characters. But, I’m still left with this bitter feeling that I can’t seem to shake off.
Given the author’s skill at writing characters, I wouldn’t mind reading another 200 pages of these characters if it meant the ending could be set up appropriately. Sadly, it wasn’t, leading to a rushed and unsatisfactory experience, at least for me.
All in all, a good read which was somewhat soured by the ending. There are more than enough seeds planted in this book for sequels. The author’s character work alone is powerful enough to pick up the sequels. And from what I know, the author is working hard on finishing the next instalments. It’s going to be interesting to see what lies ahead in the world of Infinite Existence.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: emotional and sensitive treatment of character moments, interesting world-building.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: some pacing issues, inappropriately built-up the ending
