I found Father’s Day by Austin Dragon to be a good and entertaining read from beginning to end. I enjoyed following the main character, Halley, as he navigated his way from one crisis to the next with flawless expertise. So having set the pace at the beginning of who the main character in the story was and that we would be following him, there was a moment of puzzlement where we remained on the Tyson with the rest of the crew for a while after Halley left but in hindsight it was understandable in that it set the scene for the idea that the Tyson was not alone using tech that was a bit more advanced. Another thought was that Halley was a perfect soldier who did not make any mistakes as he negotiated these challenges set before him but the author did well in putting Halley in a situation which did not work out entirely in his favor (needless to say he recovered from the situation nicely). In the end, the book left me wondering about all the players that Halley met and what part they will play in the race to terraform Titan. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what happens next. ( )

Very poor. Starts out just about ok, but then becomes rushed and loses whatever charm or skill it had. Also badly needs a least another (Probably) several rounds of editing - there are repeated phrases, wrong or missing verb and tense choices, changes in voice that need complete re-writing and too much telling rather than showing.

The basic confused plot is something along the lines of a competition between factions to be the first to terraform Titan way out in deep solar system. Our Hero Halley only knows about the US perspective on this as part of his ordinary mission. However when he rushes off into space he encounters all sorts of other contenders.

As a basic theme it's probably the backbone to a good story, I'm always a fan of characters finding the world is more complex than they thought. But this is a badly executed version of it. The author has at best a superficial understanding of physics, invents technology with a free hand, and is unware of just how big space actually is, despite referencing this several times. For some reason the Army Navy distinction has survived into the space age, but the Navy appear to be entirely poorly stereotyped scientists rather than having any military tradition as established as the Army's.

Just confused and poor. do not read. ( )

Father’s Day is written like a 1950s-era science fiction adventure story with military action and extended explanations of the prevailing social and political situation and how things work. Novels by Isaac Asimov, Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Poul Anderson represent the best examples of this approach. This book represents one of the poorest examples. It is puzzling how such a poorly written, haphazardly plotted novel came to be published.

The plot is implausible, and at times it is opaque. Halley, commanding officer of an Army company, learns his father and other crewmembers of space station Uroboros are missing. He spews an unbelievable tirade to the Admiral commanding his mission and abandons his post to search for his father. From that point on, it is seldom evident where Halley is or the relationship between the places he goes and the Uroboros.

The writing is clunky and lacks a feel for military vernacular and protocol. For example, the commanding officer of a Navy detachment jumps up and runs to the door. What is she, a schoolgirl? A commanding officer would remain seated and say, “Come,” or “Enter.” Attempts at informal patter among crew members are stilted as if written by an outsider who has never served in nor watched movies about military men. Long, back-and-forth conversations make it difficult to know which character is speaking. Repeated phrases (e.g., “as to whether a ship as to whether a ship” page 63) and back-to-back sentence fragments (page 90) reveal the lack of careful editing.

Detailed descriptions of the setting, military training routines, capabilities of military weapons, and other incidentals interrupt the forward plot movement. Detached lectures occur frequently. At one critical junction, the action is interrupted by a five-page treatise on the current political situation.

Characters like Savior and political players like the Homesteaders, the Foundation, and the asteroid belt miners are introduced willy-nilly without foundation. More troublesome is the magical way Halley, flying through space in a supersuit, defeats enemy after enemy. For example, Halley encounters a cosmoship while flying through space and announces his intention to board. The commanding officer refuses permission and turns to find Halley next to him in his control room with a gauntlet gun pointed between his eyes (page 199).

Skip this one. ( )