Velocity Weapon is a fantastic book! Yes, I know I say that a lot when it comes to books I like, but in this case it is 100% the truth. Modern Science Fiction is usually something I can't get into, be it in books, movies or on TV because it isn't really doing anything new. And at first glance it doesn't seem like Velocity Weapon is either. But, it is and you realize more than halfway through the book when the plot takes a sudden turn in a direction you don't expect, that it is doing something new and different while making use of the old and familiar. Which I really appreciate especially when the Space Opera has been done quite a lot.
First time author, Megan E. O'Keefe has managed to accomplish what so few authors have tried to do and assembled a story where you get to a certain parts and think, "Oh, that's like Star Trek" or "Hey, that's Star Wars" or "Did she put Andromeda in there?". Except, unlike those other authors, Megan did it without just making a novel that became a Star Trek novel or a Star Wars novel, or an Andromeda novel. But if you know those shows and movies, then you'll spot those elements in this story.
So what exactly is Velocity Weapon about? It's about a woman named Sanda Greeve and her brother, Biran and they find themselves separated when Sanda is supposedly killed during a battle against an enemy known as the Icarion. But she wakes up on a derelict Icarion ship called The Light of Berossus, known as Bero for short, 230 years after she was presumed dead (it takes place 1,521 years in the future from our present day in the year 2020). But nothing is what it seems and Sanda must find her way off the ship before it's too late.
There's a second plot of the story that involves a mercenary/smuggler/thief named Jules and her band of merry people who get in over their heads concerning a mind chip used by the Keepers (basically the Jedi/law enforcement group of this world Megan has crafted) and the information it carries. At first glance this plot seems like it has nothing to do with Biran or Sanda's stories, but by the end it's revealed that it is connected to them in a very real way that works perfectly for me. It wasn't intrusive and it was interesting enough that I didn't need it to go back to Sanda or Biran's stories too quickly. Jules was an interesting enough character for me to feel that her storyline was just as important as the other two main storylines. It was never jarring to switch back and forth between the three storylines, which it easily could've if the right person wasn't writing it.
Speaking of the Keepers, while I said they were like the Jedi, they actually remind me of the Lensmen from E.E. Smith's book Galactic Patrol (1937) or the Green Lantern Corps from DC Comics. With the Protectorate (the Keepers's ruling council) being like the Guardians of Oa from Green Lantern. But again, Megan doesn't rip off Galactic Patrol and Green Lantern. She takes inspiration from these sources and then transforms them into her own.
Bero reminds me of a combination of the Andromeda's sister ship, the Pax Magellanic and the warship, Battle of Judgment both from Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. Each ship had an AI who went insane either from loneliness or through an action the ship was forced to take at some point. Bero is like that in this book. Though the extent of it and the reason behind it isn't revealed until almost the end of the book. There are hints of it in the book before the reveal though, which is good because then it doesn't come out of nowhere.
Something that I appreciate this book doing that most Science Fiction novels fail to do is make the female protagonist a well rounded character. Most times the female lead is either a damsel in distress and completely useless, or they're in the military and they're written as if they're guys and that's because there's a lot of men who write Science Fiction novels and they don't know how to write women even though they all have women in their lives they could take inspiration from. Of course, we see it in movies and on TV all the time. Especially on TV. So it's refreshing to have an interesting female protagonist that can not only fend for herself, but can also admit when she needs help, despite being in the military. Sanda reminds me of Princess Leia from Star Wars as well as Tasha Yar from season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is cool.
One thing that confuses me a little bit is whether or not the Keepers are part of the military. There isn't really an answer in the book, but there are several moments where it's kind of implied that the Keepers and the Military are separate organizations. But then there are other instances where it seems like the Keepers and the Military are the same organization with the Keepers being the supreme authority. It's not actually a problem, I was just curious about this, since the book isn't really clear on the matter and being that the Lensmen and Jedi are separate entities from the Military in both universes, mostly, I wanted to know the answer to that.
Final Thoughts and Rating: Overall, I thought Velocity Weapon is an excellent book. It's also a great start to a series or trilogy (not sure which it's supposed to be). It just came out last year so it's the most recent Science Fiction novel that I've read. If you've never read it before I would highly recommend you do so, because it's great and Megan is an author I'm looking forward to following as she continues this series of amazing Science Fiction novels. I'm giving Velocity Weapon 10/10 stars.
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