Kyle Parker

Smashwords book reviews by Kyle Parker

  • Artifact on Feb. 02, 2011

    For your first sci-fi bit, not a tad bad. Really, it seemed less like a stand-alone short story and more of a little chunk of something larger. I think it relied a little too heavily on generic sci-fi elements, and there wasn't really enough time to explore any of the characters past their general archetypes. The resolution seemed rushed. I ended up with a lot of questions about the setting, primarily about the places mentioned and the nature of the Arterians--past the like-us-but-blue feature. It was also clear by the end that the Balec artifact was important past its value and as a symbol of Vena and Dickson's falling out, but we never got to see why. Despite all that, the conversations flowed very well. The writing itself is fairly clever in places, and it kept me hooked until the very end. The story, on the whole, was entertaining, and a good first step into the genre. Looking forward to future stories!