Review: Sunspots by Gary Martin
★★★★ 
Many sci-fi authors focus on unique plot details and extensive exposition to stand out, doing all they can to create a memorable world for their readers. Books like Sunspots, however, show the other side of the sci-fi genre: the banality of space travel when it’s “just a job.” John is a believable character because readers can immediately relate to him; he is a blue-collar worker on a space scow hauling garbage away from Earth. It’s hardly glamorous work, and the entire novel would have seemed disingenuous if the author, Gary Martin, had tried to paint a different picture.[…]
Devon’s Blade by Ken McConnell is a short novel companion to McConnell’s Starforgers series. Commander Devon Ardel is sent to a planet that’s mainly comprised of water to head a struggling starfighter squadron. The squadron is no match for their much better equipped adversary, especially since they are utilizing a newer and deadlier fighter. Devon has to rally the troops and adapt new inventive strategies if her squadron isn’t going to be wiped off the map.
