Barcus is aboard The Ventura, a deep space survey ship with over 2000 other men and women when it enters the orbit of the planet Baytirus and is immediately shot down. Due to a bit of good luck, or maybe bad, Barcus is in a space suit in a shuttle when the Ventura is attacked and he manages to reach the planet safely. There he activates the Emergency Module AI, or EM, who takes control and formulates a plan to get him to safety. As Barcus learns more about the residents of the planet and the near medieval society they’ve formed, he finds himself unable to resist helping them.
Sci fi books don’t usually end up on my to read list, but I love a good colonization story. This one hit all the right buttons for me, with the added bonus of a medieval setting that seemed like a fantasy book and a page turning puzzle. Those short incident investigation reports at the beginning of each chapter kept me hooked and reading on. The characters are great, Barcus isn’t perfect by any means, but he’s human and real and has everyone’s best interests at heart. Even though the colonization part may be over, I’m invested in these people and I’ve already picked up the sequel.
The narration was well done, with different voices for each character, and he was really easy to listen to. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.