Reviews and Critical Notices
"Featuring
shattered characters whose souls are as dirtied as their deteriorated
surroundings,
Connell's novel boldly challenges the rigid moral conservatism so often
found in traditional
space opera, and is sure to both please and anger readers of this particular
subgenre."
--Publishers
Weekly
"Adam
Connell debuts with an excellent future-world tale in which business
rules and sabotage
and assassination are the order of the day. Counterfeit
Kings is a mesmerizing, action-packed
and riveting work of science
fiction."
--Midwest
Book Review
"Connell
has created a fascinating outer solar culture...an unmitigated success."
--Don
D'Ammassa, Chronicle
"Connell
writes in a deceptively simple, declarative style sparingly accented
with startling similes.
The well-constructed plot moves inexorably toward
an annihilating climax reminiscent of an
Elizabethan revenge tragedy. Counterfeit
Kings marks
the advent of a bold new talent, and I'll
be looking forward to seeing
where Connell
goes next."
--Victoria
Strauss, The SF Site
For
the entire review, click
here.
"Wonderfully gritty feel; detailed and memorable characterizations."
--SF Signal
"It
is one hell of a roller-coaster ride... No, I take that back. Roller
coasters have ups and
downs; this is pure acceleration, an adrenaline-injected,
pulse-pounding, no-holds-barred,
all-out adventure."
--Michael D. Pederson, Nth Degree
"Connell's
prose is often simultaneously hilariously funny and deadly sharp; like
a Quentin
Tarantino of the science fiction world, Connell brings the reader's
attention to details so
minute and yet so brutal that they burn
holes in the pages."
--Kilian
Melloy, Wigglefish.com
"A
down-and-dirty game of deep space hide-and-seek that is, in its own way,
the exact
antithesis of space opera. This distinguished first novel is a surprisingly
elaborate and
undeniably entertaining story with gritty characters that will
linger with readers for a long,
long time."
--Paul
Goat Allen,
Barnes and Noble's Explorations Newsletter
"If you're looking for the more gritty science fiction—where
you're not going to see gleaming
white starships flying through the cosmos, but something far more realistic—then
this is the
book to pick up."
--Lauren
Oboe, Sci-Fi
Overdrive
"Adam
Connell is a new writer with all the gifts you look for in a rising star:
imagination,
an eye and an ear for character and detail—and it doesn't hurt that his
book, Counterfeit
Kings, delivers a compelling combination of hard science-fiction adventure,
satirical
political observation, and a healthy dose of sex 'n' violence."
--Edge Boston
"Adam
Connell creates a realistic future in this darkly humorous and gritty
novel.
Against this
backdrop, Mr. Connell delivers us a group of multi-layered and vivid
characters... The science
is well integrated into the plot and Connell excels at writing both action
scenes and the more
intimate scenes between the characters. Adam Connell is clearly an author
to watch."
--Claire E. White, Writers Write
Click
here for the entire review.
Click here to read my interview with Writers
Write.
"Phobos
Books has been putting out some intriguing titles of late, and Counterfeit Kings
is no exception."
--Cindy Lynn Speer, Fantastica Daily
"Adam is making quite a name for himself in the science fiction
world with Counterfeit Kings."
--Michael
R. Mennenga and Evo Terra,
The Dragon Page
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