this one was interesting.
i liked it for its plot aspects muuuuuch more than i did for its romance. the plot is fast-paced, intriguing and keeps you glued to the book to know more about what will happen & more about the world. i really liked the characterization of both mcs, too, but their romance happened too fast & failed to really convincing me they should be a couple (kind of, as the story ends). i liked the writing well enough, though, so this is an author i'd love to read again in the future

My first foray into reading sci fi m/m romance - two great tastes that taste great together! I do wish there was more of an overt romance to the story, but it was still an enjoyable voyage to the inner workings and world of a space station. A light, fun read.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I thought the premise of this book sounded really good. It turned out to not really be what I was hoping for. It started off strong with the two main characters arriving at the plant , each for their own reasons, and having an immediate connection.

They quickly learn their missions overlap and they join forces to catch the bad guy. I liked the world this was set in and I thought the world building was pretty good. I was interested in it and in all of the different characters, human and alien. I also like both of the MC's.

As it unfolded though there wasn't much to it. The mystery plays out easily and there was no real tension or excitement. There was also very little done in regards to the romance between the two MC's. I thought everything had a bunch of potential but fell flat. I would have loved to see this be a full length novel but as it is the book was just ok for me.

An interesting tale about duty and betrayal. Two very different people join together to save the station. Along the way Hikaru Adachi puts duty before his job and Thane finds that he has more in common with Hikaru than he would have believed. This has action, tension, danger and betrayal as the two work to solve the mystery and stop the damage to the station. For both this is a life changing event.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

On Andross Station felt like reading sci-fi light. It was essentially a standard race-against-the-clock mystery with the set decorations of a sci-fi story. If it weren’t for the swearing and some violence, I would say that it would probably make a nice, palatable entry into the genre for a younger reader. As it was, there was strong language, violence, and enough sexual content to put it pretty firmly into the range of adult or new adult and to leave me wondering exactly who this novella would work for.

The plot itself was tepid and fairly predictable. Given that it was a novella, it might be tempting to want to let that slide a little bit. The author has a limited set of time and words to get across the plot, true, but I’ve read novellas with outstanding worldbuilding and even plot twists that managed to surprise me. I don’t want to give a pass to the lack-luster plot because of the length. Nothing about the plot of On Andross Station really stood out to me as memorable or noteworthy. The two main characters meet up, they do some basic detective work, they figure things out, they take a few naps… not really much else. Not every story needs to have action or shocking twists, but the lack of overall tension within the narrative made it really hard for me to get into.

On the plus side, I really liked both main characters, especially Hikaru the straight-laced and serious Inquisitor. He’s a mind-reader, but it’s an imperfect and occasionally debilitating skill that has largely forced him into social isolation since it makes people around him uncomfortable. That’s a really cool idea, but I didn’t think it was explored quite enough. I also would have liked to hear more about Hikaru’s backstory and his family life. The same goes for Thane, who was also an interesting character with a compelling-sounding backstory that was only tantalizingly hinted at. I never really felt like I got to know either character beyond a very shallow sense of what they were doing at this moment in their lives. On the plus side, I think it says something good about the writing that I really wanted to know more and I wish I would have gotten that!

In addition to some cool characters, there were also so really clever and creative world-building details that I really liked. I especially loved the inclusion of some alien linguistics, and I thought that the way the Iluxan language was described and then eventually used in dialog was really awesome. I loved that detail, and thought it was doled out in just the right amount. Too much of it probably would have gotten annoying quickly, but I loved what I saw.

As a standalone I didn’t think On Andross Station had enough of any one thing to really satisfy me. It felt a lot like setup to a larger story, and if it turns out that that’s what it is then I can see this eventually turning into a really interesting world and a great cast of characters. Otherwise, I was left kind of disappointed that there wasn’t a little bit more - either plot, character, or world-building - for me to latch on to.

I adore space stations. Like a lot. I don’t know why. I love writing about them and reading about them. Perhaps it’s the mingling of people in a tiny space that I find interesting or the fact that so much infrastructure has to go into an operation like that and I like teeny moving parts or something. Whatever the case, I went into On Andross Station by J.C. Long with high expectations. Throw in an “inquisitor” and a bounty hunter who might possibly fall in love? I’m SO there.

Unfortunately, the reality didn’t quite live up to my expectations. From the get-go, there was a lot of info dumping in order to tell the story which may work for some people, but is not my favorite thing. On Andross Station takes place on a space station in which a wanted criminal named Galen Horn is hiding out. Our two main characters, Hikaru (inquisitor) and Thane (bounty hunter) are each drawn to the station for their own reasons.

Hikaru was immediately my favorite character. He was a cold, cold man with badass sword skills and telepathy. I enjoyed his battle throughout the novella with himself over whether or not he should trust the Inquisition and remain with them, or if he should abandon their seemingly random orders and find out the whereabouts of his friend Katya for himself. Thane was a bit of a surprise for me. I didn’t expect him to be so upbeat (and jolly?) from the first introduction we had of him, but he ended up being an enjoyable character nonetheless.

However, some positives aside, this book could have done with a more thorough edit. There were lots of teeny mistakes that should have been caught (mostly wording issues where an article was missing or thing like that). As well, the info dumping is a real problem for me. I suppose I prefer the “show don’t tell” method for delivering information in a story. And the most painful aspect of the book for me was the fact that it all just felt painfully generic. And not in a good way.

I won’t say too much, because I don’t like putting spoilers in my reviews, but just know that the story was very predictable without any real innovation on scifi tropes or anything new. But, if you’re looking for a non-explicit (which I appreciate) scifi bromance (I’m not convinced it was a true romance) that takes place in space, you may enjoy On Andross Station.

On Andross Station is a fast-paced sci-fi novella about a search for a missing person and a hunt for a terrorist. One of the things I liked best about this novella is the world-building. It’s easy to picture out a universe of varied life-forms, busy, thriving space stations, and galactic governments with hidden agendas. J.C. Long was able to conjure these images without dumping too much information. His concise but informative descriptions of alien life-forms made me want to know more about the various species scattered throughout and the Tracers universe as a whole.

The main characters were Hikaru Adachi, an Inquisitor tasked to find out what happened to Inquisitor Katya, and Thane, a Tracer and half-Alooran. Hikaru is a telepath and has a Virtual Intelligence implant which he uses to get information and hack systems. As an Inquisitor, he is pretty deadly but the moments when he talks to the VI or when he uses his telepathy, he seems distracted and I couldn’t help thinking that might be a good moment to take him out. Thane is out to catch Galen Horn, a known terrorist with a huge bounty on his head. Thane was curious about the Inquisitor so he checked him out and felt the pull of mutual attraction.

One big plus about this story is that it is mission-centric and not romance-centric. While I am 100% OK if there was no romantic sub-plot at all and the novella is purely sci-fi with the characters who just happened to be gay, I feel I really didn’t get to know Hikaru and Thane well. I think the author barely scratched the surface and I would have wanted a better development of their characters as well as their relationship. More background information about them would be appreciated.

The mission is what it’s all about. It’s what kept me glued. Going on what felt like a covert tour of the space station while chasing bad guys and avoiding getting caught was exhilarating. Hikaru and Thane went from gambling dens to restricted areas on their search for Katya and Galen Horn. Hikaru showed his bad-ass martial arts skills and scary telepathic powers. Thane wasn’t a slouch either. That revenge against the sadistic psycho Happy was very satisfying. They make a good team.

It’s stated that On Andross Station is part of Tracers universe so I thought I might need to read other books in the series. However, I didn’t have any problems piecing together everything and the novella as a whole could be read as a standalone. It also felt like a prequel and if it is indeed one, I would be delighted to read the rest of the series.

P.S.

I received a copy of On Andross Station from Ninestar Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating
3.5 Stars - that place between like and love

Soundtrack: Hunted Down
Artist: Soundgarden
Album: Screaming Life/Fopp

An Inquisitor named Hikaru, the watchdogs to the Unity of Planets, is sent on mission to find what happened to a previous Inquisitor on a space station. He learns that a notorious terrorist is involved and must find out what happens quickly. Hikaru engages a Tracer, a half human bounty hunter, Thane to help him. Sparks fly between Than and Hiraru. It's a novella, not quite my cup of tea.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

I love sci-fi and it surprised me how good it was.

Hikaru is an Inquisitor working for the Unity of Planets. Inquisitors are powerful, each one has a special power and Hikaru is a telepath. He is sent to Andross Station to find Katya, an Inquisitor as well, who was assigned to find Galen Horn. But she disappeared. Galen Horn is a terrorist and has done a lot of bad in the past but for some reason he has not been caught.

Thane is a Tracer, a person that goes after bounties and Galen Horn has a big bounty of twenty-seven million nuyen if someone catches him. He also arrives in Andross Station knowing that he is there. This is the first time for Thane to see an Inquisitor and when their eyes meet, there is a connection. Thane is half Terran, half-Alooran and that half Alooran gives him some extra things.

Each one goes after clues to where their respective missions take them but at one point they end up looking for the same person. After that they start working together.

The author does a great job in describing technological things and every species, and let me tell you, they are plenty and I really liked knowing about them. There are feline looking species called Felinoid, humanoid species called Iluxan who have a close resemblance to Terrans. Iluxans were so interesting to read! I would have loved to have read more about the species. And then there are the Drahke, who have scales and are big.

The story focuses mostly in their missions. There is the mention that an attraction between them excists but nothing happens and the romance is in the background. I had no issue at all with that since the story flowed smoothly and I don't think it was needed.

I would have loved to know more about the Alooran and some more background on the characters families.
Overall, I liked it! I'd have loved to read more. And I'd enjoy reading more of them. I hope there is more!

Hikaru Adachi boards Andross Station to investigate the whereabouts of his colleague when he joins forces with Thane, a tracer, to track down one of the most wanted men to the Unity of Planets. On their investigation they uncover plans that threaten the lives of everyone on the station.

This was a short and quick science fiction read. There is not much world building, but there are enough details to visualize the alien races being introduced and the environment on Andross Station. The story is told through the perspectives of Hikaru Adachi, an Inquisitor, and Thane who, as I mentioned before, is a tracer. A tracer is just like a bounty hunter.

There is a small mystery element involved as Hikaru tries to figure out what is going on, but this is quickly overridden by the action. The action scenes occur and appear steadily throughout the story. Knowing that there were interesting action scenes I was always looking forward to the next moment.

I do have to mention that there are some male and male sexual chemistry moments, but there are no explicit scenes. While the attraction is quick I do appreciate that there is time for the characters to learn more of each other before any step is taken.

There is an interesting premise happening in this world that when the characters were added in I found myself enjoying the story. I will most likely pick this book up again if I want to read something where the world building is not so heavy.

The book does say this this is a novella in the Tracers Universe. I’m not sure if this is a series, or a collection of companions set within the same world, but I will pick up a copy if there is one.