First Light: (The Red#1) Review

First Light The Red #1

Linda Nagata

Saga Press

June 30, 2015

4/5 Stars

   This book is about Lt. James Shelley.  He is a member of the US Army but not really by choice but because he is doing his time from a protest march.  I think the book was very interesting given that most of it deals with both near future technology and a near future world where DCS’s basically run the world.  It’s quite interesting how Linda Nagata has weaved two very futuristic concepts and making them very realistic and tied into the world we have going on now.

    While I really loved the majority of the book.  I have to say that while James Shelley comes off as a realistic army officer most of the time.  I found some of his reactions to some of the events, odd.  Also, the way that some of the officers in his squad are portrayed sometimes borders on stereotyping.  Which I understand that the book is set in only the main character’s point of view might actually make this more likely.  I have to say that considering how long the squad as been together that the majority of them should be more than just a name and a sentence.

    I have to admit that having the entire story in one book and having it be the first book in a series is amazing.  I have to hand it to Linda Nagata for this.  Very few authors can pull off a one hundred percent self contained story in a any kind of series.