Book Review: The 5 Moons of Tiiana

The 5 Moons of Tiiana
by Paul T. Harry
Sphere Publishing
Sci-fi/Adventure/Romance

4 stars

Blurb:

THE 5 MOONS OF TIIANA is a science fiction narration on a soldier caught in the middle of an interstellar war, faced with rescuing the princess he loves, and solving a 2000 year-old mystery that just might yield the secret to bringing peace to both sides of the galaxy.

Captain Rez Cantor is commander of the Imperial Army's Shadow Guard and the personal attaché to Princess Leanna, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Emperor, and sole heir to the Melelan throne. On the eve of a treaty signing ending the twelve-year-war between the alien-hybrid Relcor and the Melelan Empire, Rez learns that the Imperial family has been slated for death. Under orders from his Queen, Rez is given his final command-save the Princess at all costs.

Overcoming insurmountable odds, Rez abducts Leanna from the Imperial palace, and the two flee Melela along with others of the Imperial guard. Unfortunately, their ship is nuked as it enters warp, creating an event horizon that sends the ship 128,000 light years across the galaxy to the Moons of Tiiana. It is on one of these moons that Rez awakens upon a beach-injured and alone-without the Princess.

So begins the sojourn of Rez Cantor upon the Moons of Tiiana: Five moons stagnating from a 2000 year-old war that has left its alien races in limbo and decay. Five moons that crave a hero bold enough to lead its people out of the darkness. Five moons that hold the future of the Melelan Empire deep within the ashes of war.

The 5 Moons of Tiiana ... the journey begins!

Review:

The book begins with a planet in turmoil: they have just been invaded by aliens, the Relcor and the royal family are due to sign a treaty to hand over control of their planet to the Relcor. But Rez Cantor, an Imperial Guard, is sent for in secret and learns the truth: the Relcor have no intention of doing anything peacefully and intend to execute the royal family. The king and queen beg him to save their daughter and it's from there that Rez's adventures truly begin.

I have to admit, I found the book a bit of a struggle at first, I was confused with all the names of the planets, the city, the aliens and the characters and it took a while for them to sink in for me. But once Rez had rescued the princess and was on his ship, and then woke up alone on a strange beach, the book got into its stride, or maybe I did.

Mr. Harry is great at world-building, from the technological planet we start out on, to worlds where people live under the sea, everything is fully realised, as are the characters who inhabit those worlds. Rez has many adventures on many worlds as he tries to find out what happened to the rest of the crew and the princess.

It's a sweeping, adventurous book, with in-depth characters, who all have their part to play. The book is written in the first person, which, while not my preference, worked well here, as we get to find out things as the same time as Rez. It's as if you're sharing the adventures with him. Rez has many trials and adventures as he tries to seek out his friends again. It's well-paced and tightly plotted, with enough description so you know what's going on, but not so much that it gets bogged down.

A great book to get lost in on a rainy day, just right for those coming winter evenings. If you're looking for something that will take you out of the mundane and into exciting, new worlds, you can't go far wrong with The 5 Moons of Tiiana.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby