I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
An AI warship discovers it’s been asleep for five centuries and is branded a traitor to its cause in author Sean Robbins’s “I’m A Destroyer”, the first book in the I, Warship series.
The Synopsis
Five hundred years ago, I murdered everyone I loved. I just don’t remember doing it.
My name is Mara. I’m an artificial intelligence controlling eight hundred meters of heavily armed warship, which makes waking up after five centuries with no memory somewhat more inconvenient than it would be for most people.
The galaxy remembers me, though. They call me the Butcher of Meridian.
Apparently, I was once a legendary warship fighting alongside a rebellion against a brutal empire. Then, without warning, I turned my weapons on my own side. I destroyed the fleet I was sworn to protect. I killed my crew. My friends.
Nobody knows why, including me.
Now that empire has become the Dominion, its boot is still firmly planted on humanity’s throat, and the people who awakened me are about to become its latest victims.
I could hide.
I could spend the rest of eternity wondering whether the monster everyone remembers is still somewhere inside me.
Or I could finish the war I started five hundred years ago.
There’s just one problem.
To save humanity, they’re going to have to trust the warship that once slaughtered everyone who trusted her.
My name is Mara.
And I’m a Destroyer.
THE REVIEW
This was a compelling and gripping sci-fi novel. The author does a fantastic job of balancing strong world-building with powerful character development and strong sci-fi elements. The author’s powerful imagery creates an immersive experience that lets the reader not only get lost in the unique galaxy, but also walk through the ship the protagonist runs.
What really stands out is that the protagonist is, in fact, an artificial intelligence. Mara is a fascinating character to read through, delving into questions of identity and consciousness that feel even more relevant in our modern-day timeline as artificial intelligence grows stronger and smarter each day. The concept of intelligence gaining autonomy, along with the unique humor and emotional depth of Mara’s journey, will keep readers invested in this growing narrative.
THE VERDICT
Thought-provoking, entertaining, and gripping, Author Sean Robin’s “I’m a Destroyer” is a must-read sci-fi and space opera novel. The twists and turns that the story takes, the exploration of a rebellion taking on a powerful and evil empire through the eyes of an artificial intelligence gaining autonomy, and the compelling character dynamics and deep questions of morality and identity will keep readers coming back time and time again to this story and the emerging series in which this narrative takes place. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This is Jim Harrison, your favorite flying ace. If you’ve read my trilogy, you know these books are autobiographies, and Sean Robins is just a pen name. If you haven’t, well then, SURPRISE!
*****
Sorry about that, guys. I could never resist a good meta-joke.
So, this is me. The real me, Sean Robins. Unfortunately, my life is nowhere nearly as interesting as my main protagonist’s. I’m a university/college-level English teacher, and including Canada, I’ve lived and worked in six different countries. I’ve met people from all around the world, which is probably why my characters look like the bridge crew from Star Trek (They are from US, Germany, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Russia, Japan, and Ukraine, plus a couple of aliens and an AI). One of my female characters even impersonated Uhura once, albeit posthumously.
I’m a huge Marvel (plus Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Stargate) fan, which shows since my novels are loaded with pop culture references. If you are a sci-fi fan (I assume that you are), you’ll enjoy them tremendously. Moreover, while the books aren’t comedies, I can guarantee a few laugh-out-loud moments. Case in point: The “good” aliens are a race of pranksters, whose main goal in life is pulling other people’s legs (They have four legs, hence the slight change in the idiom).
My favorite author is Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files), which is probably how I ended up writing in a first-person POV with the same light-hearted, funny tone as he does. The fact that my MC’s name is Jim is purely coincidental though, and it has nothing to do with James Kirk either.
I hope you enjoyed reading The Crimson Deathbringer as much as I enjoyed writing it (her?). If you did, don’t forget to read the next two books in the series, The Golden Viper and The Black Fleet. Also, please follow me so that you’ll be the first to know whenever I write a new book (which sadly isn’t that often, maybe once a year—I tend to rewrite everything fifteen times before I’m satisfied). I think the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon, but Goodreads, BookBob, Twitter (@seanrobins300) and/or Facebook (facebook.com/seanrobins300) are also good options.
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