(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I’d probably give this book (or short story, really) 3.5 stars out of 5. The plot idea was really intriguing, but I did feel that the storyline could have been expanded upon. I found it quite difficult to get to know Dayton. I did feel that he seemed to accept everything a bit too quickly… and there was very little evidence of culture shock.
It was good to see Dayton interacting with the other sailors on the ship and I did like the fact that the Captain didn’t actually just believe Dayton… though it was a bit difficult to understand what Dayton’s purpose on the ship actually was.
There were some good elements of tension involved, but the foreshadowing wasn’t subtle or hinted at and I was disappointed that the tension wasn’t expanded upon.
I did think that most of the other characters seemed accepting and told Dayton their secrets straight away, while I think it would have been more realistic to have them more suspicious of him, especially since he was supposed to be assumed to be a stowaway. I did think that Sarah was an interesting character, though I was very confused by her apparent relationship to one of the other characters. I would have liked some more details about that… and more about the relationships between the other sailors and the Captain.
I thought Floyd was a really interesting character, despite the conflict between him and Dayton. It would have been nice to see more of him, but his justification towards the end of the book about the squid was interesting. And I would have liked to know the fate of Sarah’s brother… as well as see her have some reaction to leaving the life she’s known by the end.
There were bits and pieces I felt were left hanging and weren’t explored in the way I felt they could have been. The idea of the time travel was intriguing, but the ending did have a bit of deus ex machina about it.
I’d read the next book in this series if it was expanded upon and there was more of a culture shock… but if the next one is as short, I don’t think there would be enough to draw me in.
Ink of Blood 