Starlite


Fiction - Science Fiction
331 Pages
Reviewed on 02/20/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Scott Cahan for Readers' Favorite

Starlite, by Jonathan Latt, is a space opera science fiction novel with a healthy dose of humor. The tone is closer to Guardians of the Galaxy than Star Wars. The story centers around Bevil Cyrex, a young man from a good family who spends more time flying through space in his beloved spaceship than staying at home with his loving family whose main concern is to find him a mate. On one of his space adventures, he stumbles upon an old space station hotel called The Starlite. It’s been abandoned but Bevil is amazed to find it in great shape. He decides to make The Starlite his new home. This new project brings Bevil lots of joy, new friends, and a newfound purpose in life. It also brings trouble in the form of killer space pirates and military troops that see the strategic value of owning such a place. Becoming the owner of The Starlite was the easy part. Now, Bevil has to keep everyone else from stealing it from him or, even worse, blasting the place to smithereens.

Starlite is an absolute joy to read. Author Jonathan Latt has the special ability to combine exciting action with intelligent science and pepper it all with humor. Not only is the story fun from start to finish, but it's also unpredictable. It’s full of twists and turns that kept me guessing and anxious to see what would happen next. As much as I loved the unique storyline, I’d have to say the shining achievement in Starlite is its colorful and very creative cast of characters. There were no cookie-cutter characters in this story at all. Everyone from the main cast to supporting characters was well fleshed out with distinct personalities and quirks. There is even a love story squeezed into the proceedings that avoids the typical traps found in most action-adventure novels. This one, between Bevil and Tess, felt fresh and it added another layer of depth to the plot. I highly recommend Starlite for a fun, action-packed, sci-fi tale that’s unlike anything else out there.

Keith Mbuya

After his mission to rob an Earth Alliance re-supply station had backfired, Bevil Cyrex was forced to kill a Simrun Collective member and take over his spaceship. However, the ship’s former owner had programmed the ship to drift away into deep space and leave anyone who claimed it dead. After days of drifting in space, Bevil finds himself at an old and abandoned Starlite station. It’s then that he meets a nanite - an artificial intelligence robot - which takes on the form of his grandmother. Bevil plans to get the station back into full operation with the help of Nan the nanite. Unknown to Bevil, a member of the Simrun Collective is coming to kill him. With a vengeful outlaw on his trail and a powerful but volatile AI by his side, what will happen to Bevil? Get yourself Jonathan Latt’s Starlite to discover more.

Jonathan Latt’s Starlite is a must-read for lovers of science fiction with a touch of suspense, thrills action, adventure, and drama. Jonathan bases his intriguing plot on an unfolding tale of survival, loyalty, blood, money, vengeance, love, pirates, outlaws, criminals, and space explorers. The action scenes are intense and dramatic. He wrapped me in a magnificent world of imagination with vivid depictions that transported me into space. Jonathan brings out the qualities and emotions of his wonderfully crafted and exciting cast. Bevil is that shrewd, intelligent, bold, ambitious, risk-taking, good-humored character you can’t get enough of. I always looked forward to Stitch’s scenes. His unusual way of thinking, which was greatly affected by his profound dumbness and short temper, always made for an amusing scene.

K.C. Finn

Starlite by Jonathan Latt is a science fiction adventure for adults owing to some scenes of violence. In this chilling and highly enjoyable sci-fi tale, we find ourselves following the disaster-laden trail of protagonist Bevil Cyrex. Cyrex leaps out of the frying pan and into the fire when he leaves a ship that’s trying to kill him to investigate the Starlite, an abandoned space station hiding more than one deadly secret in its ancient chambers. It seems that everywhere he goes, Cyrex ends up with someone out to kill him, and the story soon becomes an all-out race for survival packed with drama, action, and dry humor.

Jonathan Latt delivers a slick, amusing, and action-packed space adventure that will grip you right off the bat with its charming characterization. Bevil Cyrex is instantly likable for his roguish ways, taking on the mantle of a gung-ho hero in a way that keenly reminded me of Die Hard’s John McClane. The dialogue is an absolute triumph, with a lot of sharp banter and witty back-and-forth to add levity to the danger of the plot. I also enjoyed the inventiveness which Latt brings to the different problems and threats which Cyrex encounters, from the concept and execution of a nanite swarm with a personality to the sudden horrors of marriage that made me giggle and roll my eyes at the same time. Overall, I recommend Starlite for fans of intelligent, witty, and action-packed science fiction.