The circuit: executor rising

Rhett C. Bruno
Diversion books, 2014 (a review copy was gently provided to me by the publisher)
Size: Short (my paperback copy has 275 pages)
Theme: Space drama
Narrative: third-person
Main character: (arguably) Cassius Vale or Sage Volus
Recommended minimum age: Young Adult
Would purchase as a gift to any sci-fi reader: YES

After apocalyptic events, Earth was rendered lifeless and humanity had to resort to colonization of several locations in the solar system. A ship travels continuously in a circuit around the solar system, serving all those colonies, in what is called the Kepler Circuit. The ruling party, the Tribune, have established a caste system, but are being defied by the Ceresian Pact, space pirates who apparently aim to steal Gravitum shipments (this being now the most precious commodity in the universe). Cassius Vale is requested by the Tribune council to aid in solving this crisis, which will also highly involve Sage Volus, a Tribunal Executor attempting to infiltrate the Ceresians. However, not all is what it appears at first, and Cassius has his own view on the goals humanity should set for itself. On the other hand, Sage, a deeply faithful adept of the Tribune, is going through personal turmoil, both physical and mental, and much of it appears to be related to the current conflict.

This is a very captivating story, original in many ways, and definitely worth the read. One aspect that I did not appreciate was the number of spelling and grammar errors, which might have been corrected in later editions (mine is a first edition). Aside from that, the pace of the story is nice and the characters are interesting. The major characters were somewhat explored, but there was room for more, and if the novel was longer we might have been shown more about them. If there was one thing I’d have changed would be the length of the novel, exploring further the multiple storylines. Looking forward to the next installment of this series.



*** Spoiler Alert ***
(Warning: the following text contains information that may hamper/ruin how much you enjoy the book):

Cassius Vale is found to be behind the attacks on Gravitum shipments, as he intends to use a series of captured ships to bring down the Tribune and end the regime as well as to take over the Circuit. Sage discovers she has an implant which is allowing the Tribune to control her to some extent, and which was responsible for her recent health issues and operational limitations. Cassius helps her by removing it, and leads her to safety as he blows up Titan.