First Orbit (Soulship Book 1)

Soulship is arguably just an abridged version of the Challenger’s Call series, but there is enough unique about it that makes it stand out on its own. While not of the same vein, I sincerely believe that both series by Nathan Thompson stand out in a similar manner as CS Lewis or Tolkien when it comes to an expansive epic that is an epistle to morality, bravery, courage, and heroism. Few stories really show sacrifice and outstanding character so well, and even fewer could be argued to do it better. These books not only make you want to be a better, kinder person, but they also make you want to recognize, reward, and encourage the kindness of others. Honestly both series by Nathan Thompson are so good, and so deserving of recognition, it almost angers me that it does not have enough of it.

Jasper Cloud is about to be kicked out of his orphanage. He's living in a Dystopia known as the Grand republic that rules Earth and because his parents were condemned and executed for being education terrorist he is prevented from being granted citizenship and this means no food voucher. Best I can tell this world is a 1984-esque Dystopia with a pseudo Chinese bent. While contemplating what to do with himself and ignoring strange text messages that keep appearing before everyone's eyes his best friend and secret crush Nova shows up. She's an up and coming officer in the government who doesn't understand what the text messages mean since any knowledge of the old languages is forbidden. Knowing it will get him killed but has to tell her Jasper tells her what the messeges means and this awakens something in Nova. Racing to find a place the government can't watch them the arrive in alley only to confronted by a....DRAKE! A talking dragon reveals himself and explains it's a trap but with a tear in her eye Nova saves Jasper by teleporting Jasper in her stead to a space ship. I'll stop here to not spoil anything. I really found this story quite engaging with how it mixes sci-fi, survival and Eastern Cultivation aesthetics. The MC has a cheat ability but he spends most of his time at a severe disadvantage but through luck, fast thinking and a bit too much Deus Ex Machina he prevails. I take off one star because one of his cheat abilities is that even though he's basically a walking skeleton for more than half the story he somehow makes all the girls feeling tingly. Besides that I like how one of the female characters loses it on him for being so damn nice which I feel really gave her character dimension you don't see enough of in my opinion. There is violence and how the enemies, monsters in description and action, describe what the want to do to the main female character borders on Hannibal Lecter territory that makes my skin crawl in a way a cookie cutter bad guy doesn't.

I liked this book very much, the story was fast paced with hints of a well thought out backstory to all the characters. The text was well written with no noticeable grammatical or spelling errors(a wonderful exception for indie authors). I liked the main character very much. And the wuxia/cultivation elements are well done. There is even a hint of dungeon core possibilities brought about by the nature of some of the supporting characters. I will look forward to a sequel. The only 2 minor critiques I have are; first that the main character is a bit too blasé with the dramatic changes his life takes in a very short period of time. It can be reasonably explained if you examine the hints of the main characters back story and early life conditioning.. And let’s face it, most of us who read a cultivation style novel are happy to jump into the action and have the protagonist start advancing immediately instead of whining about what has happened to them. And second, the author uses slightly more formal language than you normally find. It fits with the characters, but it took about 5 to 10 % of the book to sink into the dialogue and stop noticing the differences in how the characters talked. Again, not something unexpected or unique in the genre. Neither of these points take away from this being a very fun and enjoyable read.

This is a review for the series (four books so far) and my advice is to stick with this series. It can be confusing in places. One of the main characters is multiple person/one entity character and it can lead to confusing dialogue where both the book and the reader have to think for a moment to realize exactly who’s talking. Also, this has one of the most complicated systems of magic that I have seen - three different “practices” with multiple stages, all with very different terminology. Sometimes, you can get confused in the details. Having said all that, stick with it. The story is worthwhile - certainly worth a little confusion up front. The characters are flawed, though powerful - some of their biggest challenges are the battles within - kind of like life. You will come to really root for them, though they can be frustrating. The author has really put together a creative universe here, worth spending some time with. It has a lot of action and a lot of introspection. No sex so far - but clear love on the way. Definitely worth a try. I read a lot on Kindle Unlimited, but buy less than 10% of the books I read. I have bought this series, and find its a series I can read and reread.

This was a very interesting, but most importantly, entertaining book. One one hand, we are given a strong base in the sci-fi genre. On the other, the author does a great job of incorporating a lite version of Wuxia/light novels. Mr. Thompson does a very good job of weaving his tale while providing some cool echoes to his first (ongoing) series, Challenger's Call. We're also given some glimpses of where the story will go from here, possibly incorporating some Gamelit elements that would tick all the boxes. Looking forward to either the next book in this series or the next CC.

Prácticamente me he leído el libro de una sola vez. La acción es constante y el mundo que construye muy interesante. No se para mucho en ninguna parte pero todo sigue fluyendo y siendo conexo. Una grata sorpresa.

Like the other series from the author this book is fantastically written and i could not stop for one second until i was finished. the only downside is that i have to wait for the next book ;) for every fan of Nathan Thompson i can only recommend this book and if you are new to the author try it you will love it :)

I picked up First Orbit quite some time ago, then life happened and I never actually got around to reading it. Now, having read book 1 of the Soulship series, I am happy I waited, because I can get directly on to bokks 2 to 6 and binge them all!

Great start to a new series!!