I give this book high marks for its interesting primary, secondary and even tertiary characters of the story. The author’s writing is also very good; albeit, a bit too repetitive at times. The narrator was also good but his tone came off with a bit too much empathy for my tastes. The beginning part of the novel was somewhat slow in its unfolding and took some patience to stick with it, however, the listener will be rewarded after that. At its core, the story is about a surprise downing of a friendly starship onto a hostile planet and the seemingly sole survivor’s quest to then make those who killed his loved one and all his friends pay for this atrocity. While on the planet, he discovers many more reasons to hate the pitiless rulers for their heinous assaults on the peaceful inhabitants.
Caveat: While tastefully written there are some intimate moments which some may feel are too revealing for adolescents.