“Welcome to Tecant. Nothing ever happens here. Until today. Ruabon Nadarl is just another low-ranking member of the scan crew, slaving away for the UFS which “liberated” his homeworld. To help pass the time during long shifts he builds secret personalities into the robots he controls. Despite his ingenuity, the UFS offers few opportunities for a better life. Then Ruabon detects an intruder on the surface of a vital communications tower. He could just report it and let the deadly UFS commandos take over, while Ruabon returns to obscurity. Or he could break UFS laws and try to capture the intruder himself. For the UFS, only the outcome matters, not the method. If his custom-programmed drones can save the day, he’ll be a hero. And if he fails, he’ll be dead. Lost Tales of Solace are short side-stories set in the Lost Solace universe.”
Review of Ruabon by Karl Drinkwater
I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge fan of short stories recently. There’s something immediate and lovely about them.
And while I still haven’t managed to read the main book in the Lost Solace universe series (I will soon!), I have been enjoying short stories accompanying the main narrative. Lost Tales of Solace can be read as standalones, and each concerns a different character – all different ages, backgrounds and with different goals. As a result, the reader can get a glimpse into various aspects of the Lost Solace universe, from many different perspectives.
If you want to have a look at different stories in the Lost Tales of Solace universe, I have reviewed Grubane and Clarissa earlier, and I have enjoyed both!
While in the recently reviewed Clarissa, I have enjoyed the vivid imagery and great descriptions, Ruabon felt much more down to earth, which suited the main character, Ruabon, very well. In this short novel, Ruabon, works for the UFS which ‘liberated’ his hometown. While he is a low-paid and low-ranking crew member, he’s smart and creative, building personalities into robots. I have enjoyed his character very much, and the story kept me entertained.
Who is the book for: I’d recommend this book to fans of sci-fi looking for a short and nice read during these summer weeks. You can get your copy here.
For those interested in knowing more about the author:
Karl Drinkwater is originally from Manchester but lived in Wales for twenty years, and now calls Scotland his home. He’s a full-time author, edits fiction for other writers, and was a professional librarian for over twenty-five years. He has degrees in English, Classics, and Information Science.
He writes in multiple genres: his aim is always just to tell a good story. Among his books you’ll find elements of literary and contemporary fiction, gritty urban, horror, suspense, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, romance, social commentary, and more. The end result is interesting and authentic characters, clever and compelling plots, and believable worlds.
When he isn’t writing he loves exercise, guitars, computer and board games, the natural environment, animals, social justice, cake, and zombies. Not necessarily in that order.
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