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Starfire by Stuart Vaughn Stockton
Prose: 1
Written with quality and skill, in a difficult setting with tricky descriptions (describing saurian creatures without messing it up is very hard). Immersive, without being pedantic. Well paced with good flow, with a knack for making complex action scenes understandable. Not exactly enough to make me drool with awe, but good enough to make me excited about reading it again.
Characters: 2
All the characters were unique without resorting to stereotypes. He handled the AI personality of Karey Or marvelously, as well. You were connected with each character in their own way, differentiating between them nicely. The villains as well as heroes had depth of motive. The premise of the character arc is a stunner.
Theme: 2
Hard to explain my reaction to the theme without giving away the ending, but it seriously impacted my way of thinking about his subject. Preaching was handled in an acceptable, tactful way, in the same manner as the background exposition: out of the way, and you wanted it before he gave it to you. Powerful and thrilling, as well as deeply thought provoking at the same time.
Plot: 2
Yes, another two. The plot was one thing that really struck me about this book. It was intricately and masterfully weaved, with a clear structure that was very satisfying. He wove in some plot twists that surprised even me, but which were consistent with the whole story. Much more than a page-turner.
Content: 2
Hard to have indecency in a book about reptiles, but this is a war story, and as such does have have a great deal of combat in it, with the accompanying gore. It was handled in a mature, matter of fact way, without a hint of the horrorist's lingering and exposition. It went with the theme and audience, without compromising your expectations.
Setting: 2
I love this world. It melds with the story perfectly, each growing out of the other, and is intrinsically linked to the MC's internal and external arcs. It is beautifully elaborated on without taking away from the story, and left me wanting more, just for its own sake.
I would give an extra bonus point for the unique concept and premise that the whole theme, character arc, and world is built off of. It is a powerful twist on the age-old tropes of save-the-world heroism. I would also like to give an extra bonus point for how unique this book is in its having all the sapient creatures being Saurians (dinosaurs). Unique, and powerfully done, in the vein of Richard Adams's incredible epics. I am glad to see this kind of book being able to be published again.
Total: 13
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. Now I want to 
it myself.
