Sunsworn: A New Hope For Sci-Fi

Hello Geeks & Gamers!  Are you tired of Far-Left identity politics infesting your entertainment?  Have you walked away from Star Wars because of the absolute joke it has become?  Well good news everyone I have found an alternative!  In this day and age it seems more people are flooding to crowdfunding sites to get their escapism fix.  I have done the same and found many projects I’m interested in but there is one I chose to purchase first.

Sunsworn is a new sci-fi/fantasy space opera series created by Red Gaze Studios (who happens to have an account on G&G.com!).  So far there’s only the first book Edge of Annihilation but this 535 page epic tells a great story!  Action, suspense, drama, a hint of romance, political intrigue, this book has everything you need without it’s characters preaching their sexual orientation at you!  It took me five days to finish the book because I was so immersed in the story and the various arcs for it’s wide range of characters.  Here’s a brief review with some mild spoilers.

The story takes place in a galaxy overseen by the Astral Union, a government comprised of many star systems and races.  It’s military is led by the Astral Templars, warriors with nanotech armor and weapons that are more than a match for any rogue elements within their peaceful society.  Recording the history of the Union from afar are the Uul’Thar, emerald wielding mystics who are pacifists despite commanding incredible power.  Disaster strikes when the Astral Union is invaded by the Violet Circle, a governing body from a foreign galaxy.  It’s Overlord and high ranking ministers wield amethyst crystals to channel their awesome power.  Despite being the antagonists their reason for invading is somewhat justified.  Unbeknownst to most of the Union, it’s political and military leaders have been invading foreign galaxies for years with a bunch of rogue Templars from a separate governing body called the Dominion.  The devastation from the Circle’s invasion leads to the formation of a ragtag band of heroes with the intent of liberating their home.

Leading these heroes is Aztur Sunsworn, an Astral Templar of the highest honor wielding a lightsaber-like weapon called a sol-blade.  The blade, Dayflame, has been the signature weapon of the Sunsworn family once wielded by Aztur’s father and older brother.  Aztur and all Astral Templars are duty bound to defend the Union and it’s citizens with their dying breaths.  Despite his reputation, Aztur cannot retake the Union alone and forms a team as the story progresses.  Chief among this team is Tryp Venjice, an Uul’Thar who breaks away from their pacifist nature to aide in the war effort.  Tryp’s story is equally as important because their is another rising evil in the background that he’ll have to confront in the future.

There are many incredible characters, heroes and villains alike, whose arcs are explored as the novel progresses.  Some characters’ “stories” end sooner than others but that’s the price of a war setting.  Though I have no doubt many of these characters backstories will be explored in future content.

The only negative things I have to say about the book is that there are many grammatical errors.  A few misspelled words, sentences structured weird, inconsistent use of Italics, and places where I think ellipsis should have been used to indicate a scene change.  There are many scene changes in the book and they’re used well but there are spots where the flow of the narrative is jarred by a sudden scene change.  Usually the names of important items or the names of space/naval vessels are represented in Italics.  There are many times throughout the book that these items/vessels where in standard font.  If anything grammatical errors are nothing more than a nitpick in what I’d call a great book.

While I highly recommend reading Edge of Annihilation the campaign on Indiegogo has unfortunately ended.  But don’t despair, Red Gaze has the next chapter of the Sunsworn series planned out.  It’s a comic called Wings of <i>Vengeance</i> that takes place after the first novel.  The campaign hasn’t launched as of the date of this post but I am excited for the next Sunsworn story!  I hope Red Gaze offers a second chance to get Edge of Annihilation as a perk or bundle with the comic for those who missed out.  The end of the book also has the first chapter of the next novel March of the Dominion as a sneak peek and a list of all the backers from the initial funding phase.  Notable backers include Ryan Kinel, Lethal Lightning, Drunk 3pO, Jade Shadow (Mara), and Ethan van Sciver!

Before I leave, what are some indie creators/content that you have supported and would like to recommend?  Comment down below with your suggestion and whether or not you’ve read Sunsworn.  Supporting indie creators is one of many ways at striking back at companies that are stuck up their own asses!  Have a great day everyone!