I so enjoyed reading this book!! I found Lou's writing style very engaging and was immediately drawn into Everson's story. The premise of a world being split in two and the consequences years later was really interesting to follow. I would definitely not survive The Tree!! loved the cast of characters surrounding Everson, especially Tobias and of course Taj(love the birduns!!). The roles and abilities of the Wisened and The Which are ones I would certainly like more backstory on and am hoping that we might get to return to this world again to learn more. Wonderful read and will certainly want to read it again and would love a follow up novel!!!

I was extremely skeptical when I saw the author, thinking it was some kind of vanity project. But this book is legit. It's really well-written, though LDP does have a bit of a penchant to use florid language where simpler words might suffice. However, the omniscient narration helps you understand each character and their motivations. Beyond that, the fairytale roots give the book a real heart, and help keep the reader engaged. While it might be somewhat predictable (I mean, there's a prophecy and all), you will find yourself cheering for the heroes to succeed. LDP's cinematic sensibilities are also evident throughout, as the reader can easily see the novel playing out as a movie.

This is a good book. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the story is packed with action and adventure. The author does a great job delivering a story with a solid plot and interesting subplots.

I loved this out by LDP. It will wrap you up and slit you out in it’s quick outing. I look forward to a sequel.

The Tinderbox is a story following the main character Everson with a back drop of two divergent cultures from the same planet which was torn asunder and eventually repopulated the two separate parts of the original planet. The author defines the two cultures well without getting bogged down in tedious detail, the same goes for the character development too. The book is written at a good pace with fairly descriptive "action" passages which I enjoyed. The relationship between Everson and Allegra was well done, as someone who isn't into romance books I was worried that it might become too cloying but I can happily say I didn't find it so. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I'm mostly familiar with Lou Diamond Phillips from Longmire so this was a surprise. I had no idea he was interested in science fiction or a science fiction writer himself. However, I was very eager to get into his book and I am very pleased by the results of what I've found. THE TINDERBOX is a story about a planet that cracked in half and the two civilizations that have since developed on those who resettled it with their space-age tech,. The two sides have long been at war and have devolved into feudalist societies.

The story has a fairy-tale IN SPACE quality like Star Wars, Dune, or even Krull. There's a prophecy about the fall of one of the monarchs when his daughter marries a common soldier. This prophecy may apply to the prince of the enemy side who has been enlisted as a common soldier and is lost on the wrong side of the conflict. Despite having issues with prophecies in fiction, I really like how this story plays out.

The world-building for this is top notch with attention given to the economies, societies, and various groups that make up the two human colonies. The action scenes are also well-done with a decent level of epicness as well as attention to the human cost. The characters are all likeable and I was able to finish the story within a couple of days. If this was adapted to a movie, I'd definitely watch it.

Solid and entertaining sci-fi.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira in exchange for an honest review.

I love fairytale retellings and this one was no exception. I am at a loss with how well Phillips transformed Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox into a space-opera, but it definitely worked.

You can definitely tell Lou Diamond Phillips is used to working in a visual medium. The Tinderbox plays heavily into rich, vivid, descriptions that made it easy to forget you were even reading a book. The Tinderbox has the pacing, stakes, and imagery of a big-studio film release, paired with the nuance and depth of a novel and it worked wonderfully.

A Note: This is a 'love prophesy' book so it comes with its fair share of instalove. If that's not your thing, keep that in mind.