Book Review: Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater

They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back.

Welcome to one of the March 29th stops on the blog tour for Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater with Rachel’s Random Resources (schedule linked.) Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more spotlights, reviews, and exclusive content!

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Lost Solace
Lost Solace Book One
by Karl Drinkwater

Print/eBook
Published 15 Octoer 2017
Organic Apocalypse
Page Count: 260

Audiobook
Published 25 April 2022
Organic Apocalypse
Narrator: Marisha Tapera
Length: 6 hours and 59 minutes

Genre: Sci-Fi Space Opera
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back.

And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors.

Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.

She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance.

This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible
Try Audible for free!

My Review

My Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads!

Lost Solice is the captivating start of a scifi adventure series in which Opal, a government ward ex soldier gone rogue, has stolen and hacked a cutting edge AI ship in order to find her long lost sister. Danger awaits around every turn and no one can be trusted, but nothing will stop this lethal young woman with nothing left to lose.

I absolutely love the premise of this book and series, and the exploration of emerging advanced AI is timely and very well done. With the “brain” of the ship as a key character, the unstoppable female BIPOC lead, the focus on a special tactical space suit, and a description of alien life as being similar to jellyfish, I was very tempted to compare this title to Paolini’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, but this title is came out first! I would genuinely encourage fans of To Sleep to read the Lost Solace books as well.

This book is very fast paced with a focus on action and the horror/thriller element of life-or-death criminal on the run from aliens and space marines who aren’t afraid to rack up a body count. It’ll also rip your heart out and make you mourn simulations and characters you never get to meet. It ends abruptly with so much story left to tell, and I simply must get my hands on the next entry to find out what happens next.

About the Author

Karl Drinkwater is an author with a silly name and a thousand-mile stare. He writes dystopian space opera, dark suspense and diverse social fiction. If you want compelling stories and characters worth caring about, then you’re in the right place. Welcome!

Karl lives in Scotland and owns two kilts. He has degrees in librarianship, literature and classics, but also studied astronomy and philosophy. Dolly the cat helps him finish books by sleeping on his lap so he can’t leave the desk. When he isn’t writing he loves music, nature, games and vegan cake.

Go to karldrinkwater.uk to view all his books grouped by genre.

As well as crafting his own fictional worlds, Karl has supported other writers for years with his creative writing workshops, editorial services, articles on writing and publishing, and mentoring of new authors. He’s also judged writing competitions such as the international Bram Stoker Awards, which act as a snapshot of quality contemporary fiction.

DON’T MISS OUT!

Enter your email at karldrinkwater.substack.com to be notified about his new books. Fans mean a lot to him, and replies to the newsletter go straight to his inbox, where every email is read. There is also an option for paid subscribers to support his work: in exchange you receive additional posts and complimentary books.

Website | Newsletter | Amazon | Goodreads

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.