Ghost Star, by Roger Eschbacher

So, Ghost Star, yeah… I really enjoyed this book. It’s tough to nail down why exactly. The story isn’t original in any way. The villain is so clichéd – let’s kill all the people different from us because they might give us cooties and I’m just a really scary individual. Every single part of the story has been done before. Some have done it worse, and some have done it better.

I know, I know, it sounds like I’m bagging on Eschbacher’s first book in the Ghost Star Adventures trilogy, and I am, kind of, but I really liked Ghost Star. It’s a short read – three or four hours. Makes sense since it was a Kindle Scout entry. Probably just above 50k words. Nothing pulls you out of the story, and there are no complex political or socioeconomical themes that you need to understand: The bad guy wants to kill Galen Bray, and exterminate his people. Bray wants to save his sister and their people from the megalomaniacal villain. We cheer for Bray, and jeer the villain.

I think that the best thing about Ghost Star is that it’s an utterly simple story with a straightforward telling that doesn’t require a lot of deep thinking. In today’s politically charged climate, we’re inundated with hate and malice, and have to wade through levels of crap to find the truth. It’s nice to just get lost in the narrative. And Eschbacher does a great job leading the reader from point A to B to C, etc. The ending is satisfying, and sets up more adventures, more books in the trilogy. I love it.

Roger Eschbacher writes in a varied spectrum of genres and even has a children’s book. This has no bearing on this story, but as a multi-genre author, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that hasn’t figured it all out. Anyway, Ghost Star is an easy read. It’s a four-star read. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Since he’s a Kindle Scout winner, and published by Kindle Press, I expect Ghost Star to be included in Kindle Unlimited when it comes out in a month. Get it. Read it. Preorder it if you want. However you get it, turn you brain off for a few hours and enjoy this popcorn sci-fi romp.