Embassy by S. Alex Martin is not a science fiction adventure novel. Rather, it’s a science-fiction journey novel, perhaps the first of its kind I’ve ever read. I started it expecting aliens, laser gunfights, and spaceship battles. Like Star Wars, or Star Trek, or the rest of science fiction that’s out there…
This is a journey.Arman Lance was supposed to travel the galaxy with his father, not watch him die. He was supposed to experience the adventures from his father’s stories, not isolate himself from the world. He was going to join the Embassy Program, fly across the galaxy, and find Ladia Purnell, a girl from another planet who he fell in love with years earlier. Clinging to his fading hopes and dreams, Arman joins the Embassy Program to fulfill that last promise. If he can reach Ladia, he’ll never have to worry, never have to feel alone. But it doesn’t take long for his plan to fall apart when he’s confronted by his fellow Embassy recruit, Glacia Haverns, the ever-smiling adrenaline junkie who decides it’s her job to show Arman there’s more to life than chasing a desperate obsession.
It took me until 80% through the book (on my Kindle) to realize there would be no aliens, no gunfights, no battles. Instead, Embassy follows the quieter, internal journey of a young man named Arman Lance and his dreams of finding the only person who will make him happy after his father’s death.
I was hooked from the beginning, wanting to see if Arman would make it into Undil’s Embassy Program. Subsequent intrigue—such as whether he would find Ladia, what would happen to Belvun and its spreading desert, and if Arman would be happy again—kept me in the story.
These hooks were well-placed because Arman as a character didn’t grab me. He starts the book quiet, antisocial, and too focused on his one goal of finding Ladia. Not much to like. Yet he was real: coping with the unexpected loss of his father, burdened to provide for his mother and sisters, driven to find the girl he loved, and anxious to get away from home. I thought Arman’s character and voice were both accurate to real life.
The universe was also accurate. My thanks to the author for portraying the zero-gravity between planet and spaceship, mentioning the gravity simulators on the ship, and having his characters throw up after their first space journeys. (Gross, I know, but realistic.)
Even the science fiction part of the universe was realistic. I’m leery of reading sci-fi and fantasy because I tend to get lost in other people’s imaginations. S. Alex Martin, however, did an excellent job building his world. Though I didn’t fully grasp everything the first read-through—I never do—I was struck by how neat his planets, politics, and technology were. He obviously thought through his world-building, and it shows.
I didn’t find the writing itself to be anything stellar. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. When a book is written in first-person, the narrative is the voice of the main character. If Arman were a writer, I would expect flowery prose and stunning descriptions, and breathtaking turns of phrase. Maybe. 🙂 Since he’s not a writer, however, the simpler writing style is fine. It suits his character. (Note: I thought the present tense to be handled well. I don’t usually like reading present tense, but Embassy’s style read comfortably.)
Final notes: the turn of events both surprised and pleased me. Points for the satisfying ending and the unexpected way there. I also found Embassy’s storyline refreshingly unique: the main character doesn’t have to save the world, nor does his athletic female friend have to call upon her skills to “kick butt.” And it was a clean read. I think there was only one d-word in the whole book.
Overall, Embassy is the unique journey of a young man who is teachable and respectful, who comes to admire his old coworker and appreciates his young friend, who starts quiet and unhappy but ends quiet and appreciative. Through Arman’s character transformation, this book shows readers that seclusion damages rather than helps, and that there is healing in reaching out and opening up.
Yes, I enjoyed reading Embassy. Yes, I would recommend it to the right friends. And yes, I would read S. Alex Martin’s next book.
I don’t gravitate toward science fiction, but your description today held me all the way thru.
Blessings on you, Jennifer.