Right Ascension

Author David Derrico's debut novel, Right Ascension, packs more action and suspense than most Sci-fi novels twice its size. In only 216 pages, Derrico manages to tell a riveting story set in a vivid universe. If you're looking for a page-turner, this is the book for you.

The jaw dropping premise of the novel--humanity faces a grim, perhaps justified judgment from a superior alien race--implies a grand backstory that serves as the underlying mythology for Derrico's universe. Set over a thousand years in the future, Derrico's ensemble cast of characters will keep you deeply engaged as the cunning plot advances to a thrilling conclusion. Derrico's debut is a smashing success.

One of the worse science-fiction books I have ever read..."completely". This book is like a crude, badly crafted Star Trek episode. Characters, behaviors and flow are clearly copied from the TV show. Logic is totally missing from its plot, and the author's bad job with the time-line gives this book a horrible childish taste. I had to make an effort to finish it. It felt like one of those really bad and cheap science-fiction movies.

If you like moral questions about genocide, you might like this. if you like science fiction, go with another author. The characters were cartoonish at best and the physics was laughable.

When an author is as accessible as David Derrico, it draws you in. David is passionate about his work and it shows. He responds to messages, is helpful in every way and interacts with his readers on a one-on-one basis at [...]. Awesome author and awesome content to boot!

I will admit, visions of Picard and Troi danced through my head for much of the story, which felt very much like an episode of TNG. Never-the-less, it was an enjoyable, if short, read.

When a vengeful alien species destroys humanity's 'Peacekeeper' ship, Admiral Picard (Ooops, Atgard) takes matters into his own hands. With typical space opera bravado, he blusters his way into and out of a number of sticky situations, culminating in a final showdown between his ship and the perpetrator of the heinous crime against humanity.

At times, the author fed way too much information - both inside the character's heads, and about the technology - so that in spite of the short length of the novel I was skipping passages. Overall, though, it was a pleasant story with few to no structural issues.

Genocide seems a fairly potent subject especially nowadays. One would think it had been done to death but David Derrico has managed to tackle the issues with sensitivity and tact. Set in the year 3040, Right Ascension tells the story of Admiral Atgard, a highly decorated officer in the ConFedCom Starfleet. When Earth's biggest battlecruiser, the Indomitable, is destroyed by an unknown alien craft he is duty bound to seek out these genocidal beings and destroy them. He has good reasons; his son was killed on board the doomed craft. But a trip to Arcadia reveals that the Lucani Ibron have come before and are the guardians of the universe, preventing dangerous genocidal races from destroying the very fabric of space and Earth has crossed that boundary. As if that wasn't enough, the lizard like Vr'amil'een are on the warpath and a huge armada is amassing, led by a fanatical godlike being. Along the way to defeat the armada and destroy the Lucani Ibron however, he will learn the truth behind the shocking history of his own planet and must come to a decision that while threatening Earth, also threatens his illustrious career as an Admiral.

I found Right Ascension to be an enjoyable read and while we have such potent weapons as the Omega Cannon, Derrico hasn't tried to explain this and other weapons and propulsion systems with complicated or imaginary laws of physics, which is a refreshing change. We only need to know that the Omega obliterates a whole planetary system at once! We are also brought up to date on recent history in the fourth millennium as it pertains to the plot but he doesn't labor the point too much.

The plot moves fairly quickly and we move from one side of the galaxy to the other in a matter of minutes, a fairly easy task when you know how it's done! The interaction between the characters on the appropriately named Apocalypse is lively and entertaining, nothing like the drollness of Star Trek speak. Characterization is well developed in this narrative, although I wished that the characters could be a little bit rougher around the edges, I don't think we humans will be totally politically correct in 3043. Perhaps a few racial or class taunts could be thrown in to let us know that these are humans to which we can relate.

Overall though, this is a great little book and with a subject like genocide on the agenda I think it's appropriate to raise the subject now. We humans are great at obliterating what we do not understand; perhaps Derrico's book provides a little insight into the intricacies of the human mind. Although in closing it's probably safe to say that this book appeals strictly to sci-fi fans and not the general public. Well done and sure to do well in the science fiction market at least.

Written by Alastair Rosie

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It almost reminded me of Rodenberry's Star Trek 60's series from the perspective of action mixed with a social topic of the day. The age old question of "who judges who" continues into the future. The technology was cool, the characters engaging, and the storyline leaving me wanting to read the next book in the series!

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The premise sounded exciting and the flyleaf, while not the best prose in the world, made me want to unravel the mystery. Based on the flyleaf, I'd have given it three stars. As it is, I gave it a chapter and a half before I gave up. The characters are hopeless cliches and I found myself questioning, out loud, the decisions of these supposedly seasoned military men (when I wasn't simply questioning everything, that is).

written very good.
I don't like to write more words or make up stuff just to get the word amount.

Just finished reading the Right Ascension. I have been looking for something to pass the time while waiting on Thomas DePrima's next installment of the AGU series. I am soooo glad I found this. What fantastic read! Thank you sooo much David Derrico. Now on to Declination! w00t w00t!