A book review: Rattle Man
Title of the book: Rattle Man (The Ymiran Chronicles #1)
Author: E.H. Gaskins
Publisher: Self-published through Kickstarter
Publication Date: 29th of April 2022
Genre: Science-fiction, Young Adult, Space Fantasy
Why I picked up this book:
Generally speaking, reading, like many other of my hobbies, really comes in waves. I’ll have moments where I won’t touch a book (other than to stare at the gorgeous artwork on the cover) for months. Followed by periods during which I’ll tear through 4 books in a single week.
Recently I’d been on a downswing, which I guess wasn’t helped by the fact that I was ploughing my way through some non-fiction books to help with dog fostering. Don’t get me wrong it is absolutely amazing and I love doing it – however, after working my way through 5 textbooks on dog behaviour and training, I couldn’t’ stomach the idea of reading even more.
Luckily things seem to be settling down a little bit more on my end once more. Meaning I had time to pick up something new and exciting. Enter: Rattle Man.
About the author:
Raised on Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Dungeons & Dragons, it's no surprise that Ethan (E.H.) Gaskins adores everything science fiction and fantasy. He holds his M.F.A in Creative Writing from Western Colorado University and his B.A. in Philosophy from East Carolina University. Originally from the Carolinas, Ethan currently lives in Denver with his fiancée and four rambunctious pets. He's a jack of many trades, desperately trying to master at least one. That’s why, while he's worked in marketing, a retail pharmacy, and even spent several years as a tanker in the Marine Corps Reserve, his heart lies with creating the most wondrous fictional worlds and characters he can.
Synopsis:
In the cold, empty underbelly of an ODIN-class command station run by a tyrannical dictator, Mila has been sold by her deadbeat father for a fortune, with the promise that she can refine extremely rare and volatile starship fuel. The problem is, she can't. Not until the mysterious “Rattle Man” makes her a bargain, and Mila finds herself mixed in with much worse than tyrants.
Now, to escape the Rattle Man and the tyrant, Mila must put her humble roots behind her. But she can’t do it alone. She’ll have to enlist the help of new allies, including a biomechanical Berserker, a refugee Blademaster, and a vengeful Void Pirate, and discover a dormant, godlike power within herself. Then, she may just have a chance to challenge both dictators and deities alike.
Review of the book:
First and foremost – I am very glad I picked this book to be the one to pull me out of my reading slump. 2 days, at most, was all it took to fly through these pages. It is an engaging read at a continuous pace with interesting characters.
I don’t think I ever would have managed to weave Norse Mythology, the tale of Rumpelstiltskin and space travel together so skilfully. Nor would I have even thought to attempt it. However, the end result is something new, something different and, considering this is the author’s debut, hinting at bigger things to come next!
That being said, there are still points that could have been improved on. Considering the book was self-published perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I did notice a couple of mistakes in the book that could have been picked up during another round of editing. I’m yet to find a person who is able to ‘grind their ribs.’ Though I am sure their teeth could have gotten the job done.
Personally, I would have probably structured the book slightly different as well. Mila’s father wasn’t much of a compelling character until the final third of the book. When his motivations were laid bare. Perhaps some drunken flashbacks earlier in the story would have helped here and there. This in turn would have helped tell the story against a larger backdrop. No longer are we looking at the trials and tribulations of our characters in their ‘bubble’ all of a sudden we now invite the whole universe in.
Additionally, you run into the ‘issue’ so many Young Adult books struggle with. All of the main characters or at least a good portion thereof are teenagers or very young adults. Who, in this particular instance, seem to be at no real risk of injury or death. Of course, our vengeful Void Pirate gets put through the wringer, but then she survives against all odds and miraculously gets healed by someone of remarkable skill who just happens to live in this desolate village in the middle of nowhere. Then when we finally might see some consequences to her actions, she is saved again by Mila’s deity-like powers. It feels like the story would have had higher stakes, would have been tenser, had there been blowback from stupid mistakes and foolish behaviour.
However none of the above was enough to dampen my enthusiasm! When part 2 of the Ymiran Chronicles makes its appearance, I’ll be amongst the first in line to see where our heroes will end up next.