Review of The Ghost Ships:Journey Into The Void

Post by **Kutloano Makhuvhela** » 28 Feb 2025, 17:18

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ghost Ships:Journey Into The Void" by Dawn Steinman & Cal Orey.]

4 out of 5 stars

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The Ghost Ships: Journey Into The Void by Dawn Steinman & Cal Orey is an action-packed science fiction novel that takes you into far distant galaxies where different sophisticated civilisations are thriving. It is set in the year 3025, and we meet a protagonist who is trying to find himself by learning about his past, where he comes from, who his parents are, and everything in between, while also trying to make a mission he’s been tasked with succeed. The book is good, poignant, and creatively different.

Lieutenant Alastar Kar is not a full human. He may share many characteristics with humans, but the truth is, he has feline genes in him. This gives him abilities that are much superior to a normal human being. Now and again, he has these intense, vivid dreams that almost feel too real. He dreams of a person called Captain Riker, who seems to be attacked on his ship called Jewel. The crew is missing, and everything seems to be pushed into the abyss of space. Waking up, he’s sweating and has a lot of questions. He decides to put this—a mere dream or premonition?—behind and focuses on his today’s task. Soon, he’s tasked with taking charge of a very legendary ship called the Zephyr.

This ship is every astronaut’s dream. It is everything amazing. It is superbly designed, and everything about it is just out of this world. Lieutenant Alastar Kar is prepared to give it his all and put all those bad dreams away from his mind. His mission? Simple, he has to fetch ambassadors from the planets around the galaxy using Zephyr and transport them to the peace conference. But it is not that simple because everyone from every planet is different. Some are led by men and don’t like being attended to by women; some are from planets that are full of greenery, while others don’t like bright lights. The crew of Zephyr, with Lieutenant Alastar Kar at the helm, must try to make it work. Will he be successful? Can anything go wrong? Is the outer galaxy a treacherous place? Where is Captain Riker?

Don’t waste time; read this book now! Not only are you going to get the answers to those questions, but you will learn more about this world the authors have crafted through their collaboration. Everything worked and seemed so real. I felt myself out there with Lieutenant Alastar Kar and his crew as they tried by all means to make a success of this delicate mission. The first thing that impressed me was the characterisation. Every character had a perfect role to play in this saga. Lieutenant Alastar Kar had to be my favourite, followed by Ensign Morgan. Both of them came from different backgrounds, but they were prepared to put their talents to use to keep everyone safe.

The writing was superb. I loved the authors’ proses. They blended seamlessly. By no means could I tell one’s writing from the other because of how they worked well together. I suspect, though, that one author wrote the chapters where Lieutenant Alastar Kar appeared, while the other wrote the chapters where the other characters, especially Ensign Morgan, appeared. I say this because the book mixed the first-person narration and the third-person narration. When it focused on Lieutenant Alastar Kar, it was told from his point of view. This made the reading interesting because I knew how Lieutenant Alastar Kar perceived the world while also seeing how other characters perceived him back. This made a delicate balance. The characters trusted each other and did everything in their power to assist.

The action sequences were amazingly portrayed. This was due to the descriptions infused in the narration of the story because it made sure the words used were revealing. The fight scenes were believable and realistic. They were consistent with physics laws. This shows the authors did thorough research approaching this book. The dialogue in the book balanced the book well because I didn’t feel like the story was told to me. I was shown everything.

The plot was thick enough to last until the last page of the book. The conclusion left me yearning for more because I wanted to find out where they had landed and what would be the way forward from there, and I was glad to find there is book two. What I disliked were the many errors I found. That’s the only thing that let the book down.

In conclusion, I rate this book four out of five stars, knocking one star off due to errors. I would strongly recommend it to people who love epic science fiction novels with compelling characters. Teenagers and young adults would be a suitable audience for the book.

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The Ghost Ships:Journey Into The Void
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Post by **Shaniz Tobiaz** » 02 Mar 2025, 05:15

I am a teenager then guess this the right book for me. Thank you for sharing

Naseeha Naseeha · Post by **Naseeha Naseeha** » 02 Mar 2025, 07:01

I appreciate the comprehensive assessment of The Ghost Ships: Journey Into The Void which you shared with us. Your thorough analysis of the plot as well as characters and style becomes even more valuable to me since you dedicated your time to such an in-depth study. Thanks for sharing your appreciation about the various aspects of The Ghost Ships: Journey Into The Void.

Darci Brainard · Post by **Darci Brainard** » 02 Mar 2025, 10:13

Wow, this review really pulled me in! This book sounds like a big adventure as well as a well-written mystery! Sounds like a great read! I can't wait to check it out. Thanks for the descriptive review.

Post by **Anu Anand** » 04 Mar 2025, 11:14

Thanks for the honest review! The blend of first and third-person narration sounds intriguing, especially how it helps understand Lieutenant Alastar Kar's perspective while keeping the broader view of the story. Too bad about the errors, but it sounds promising!

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 06 Mar 2025, 08:49

Science fiction is my favorite genre. I love thinking about how someone who seems human could actually be something else. The part about getting the leaders of different planets with different preferences to coexist seems really relevant to today’s society. I’m sorry that you found so many errors, though. Thanks!

Lene Lena · Post by **Lene Lena** » 07 Mar 2025, 08:28

Thank you for this well-detailed review! I appreciate your thoughts on the protagonist’s journey and the unique blend of human and feline traits. It’s great to hear that you found the narrative action-packed and creatively different, as these elements are central to the story’s appeal. Adding it to my bookshelf!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 12 Mar 2025, 15:51

I might be old for this novel but it seems well-constructed and engaging. I'm always looking for epics science fiction stories, so I'll look into this one but I hope the author does proper proofreading to make it excellent waiting for book 2 and 3. Thank you for your great review!