Free ebooks are awesome! And this one starts out strong. Okay, it's a bit campily over-the-top, but I write for videogames and approve of such things. Our protagonist is Craze, a guy who's fuzzy and large and has just been betrayed by his con-artist-esque father (who has also stolen his long-time gf).Craze goes on an unplanned trip to another planet and tries to make his way with new acquaintances and con-artist talent.I was actually super-into this until the last, oh, 10% of the book. At this point, the sense of place and character falls apart a bit. A chapter begins with Craze waking up, and the reader thinks, "Did he get knocked out by his sketchy enemies? Did he go to bed? What? Where are we?" The answer was: "In exactly the same place as the last chapter ended, and only a few minutes later." But you don't figure THAT out for a few screen flicks (depending on the size of your screen).Also, the newly introduced character, a cybernetic woman only seems to have one talent: screaming. Like, can she do something else? Oh, crying. That's a good one. Pretty much, the last 10% of the book mystified me. I tried flipping through quickly (since it looked more like I was at 70% on my Kindle reader), but the book ended before the action/characterization/descriptions started back up again.Honestly, if the novel had ended before the "actual ending", I would've been hooked into buying the next one. But I think I'm done with this series now. This is my first sci-fi read and... wow! I must say that I'm impressed.This novella-length prequel made for quick reading, introducing an amazing galactic civilisation, a rich universe (it had my imagination running riot...) filled with a host of places (what great names such as Mortua, Wism, Danysovia...) and a variety of interesting and vividly-portrayed, colourful bio-engineered beings from old "fabled earth" like the Verkinn, Jix, and the aviarmen, all with their own distinct set of physical/character traits.I really liked the main character Craze, whose main goal is to own his own bar, and to have one up on his father, Bast, who has cut him off from family and friends and run him out of town. He is a roguish type of character, but still appealing, strong and resilient when needs be, yet also naive at the same time.I'm looking forward to reading part two of this story.
What do You think about The Backworlds (Book 1) (2012)?
Interesting characters in an original setting. Proper science fiction and an absorbing read.
—vampire_anni
