Linesman

Today's post is  on Linesman by S. K. Dunstall. It is the first in their Linesman series. It is 372 pages long and is published by Ace. The cover is black with a silver ship in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes hard science fiction, science mysteries and political books. There is mild language, no sex, and voilence in this book. The story is told from the third person close of two characters changing from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy…
Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.
Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.
The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever.

Review- The only thing I liked about this book was Ean. I liked him. I wanted him to get away from everyone else in this book. I wanted him to get on the alien ship and fly into the unknown and be free. Everyone else in this book is despicable. They were all horrible people, who knew that they are horrible, and they just do not care. This is supposed to be a space opera with lots of politics and everyone is shades of grey and all that but I think that I should not want the main character to just fly away from the plot. The leaders were weak and let people under their care be mistreated, sometimes in front of them. The 'bad' guys were no worst the 'good' guys, other than Ean. The mystery of the lines was not really interesting just mostly confusing and pulled me out of the story. I still have no idea what the lines are or even what their purpose is. All in all I did not like this book, I just wanted it to be over so I could read something with more one than character I liked. I will not be reading anymore in this series.

I give this book a Two out of Five. I was given this book by Ace/ROC books in exchange for an honest review.