PIKE’S POTENTIAL, by John J. Spearman, opens with a brief, action-packed skirmish, one which forces Commander Sandy Pike of the Planetary Alliance Navy to bring his ship, the frigate PAS Wehner, in for repairs. Unfortunately, this leads to a reassignment for Pike, a temporary posting to what Admiral Ketyungyoenwong refers to as “one of the seven circles of hell.” Initially unenthused by what he assumes will be a horrifically boring assignment, the battle-hardened commander is quickly thrust into a brewing intergalactic war, one that forces Pike to take on both an unrelenting enemy and the corrupt political powers handing him his orders.
In many ways, PIKE’S POTENTIAL feels like an origin story, one where an eager-to-please commander is forged into the archetypal character that will drive this ongoing saga forward. Rather than spending the first few chapters setting the stage, Spearman wisely thrusts readers into the midst of a fully realized world, offering explanations and background along the way. This not only helps the novel sustain a sense of momentum throughout, but it makes for a story that refuses to talk down to its audience. While the story features loads of space battles, Spearman grounds his warfare in contemporary tactics. In fact, the basic plot of this book would easily work within the confines of a modern military setting. That isn’t to say that the ‘futuristic’ elements are merely window dressing—make no mistake, this is a science fiction novel—but much like Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, Spearman leans heavily on hard science. From EM drives to the technical minutia of traversing the galaxy, the author takes every opportunity to offer a science-based explanation for the technologies driving this story. With nary a hint of force-esque magic, the world Spearman has imagined feels like an authentic extension of tomorrow, albeit one where humanity has made massive technological leaps.
Like all the best sci-fi, PIKE’S POTENTIAL is ultimately driven by the complex characters who inhabit it. Chief among them is Commander Pike, whose ‘Kirk-meets-Sisco’ mix of integrity and impulsiveness renders him an endearing protagonist. To take the ‘Trek’ analogy one step further, those familiar with the show and its many incarnations will likely recognize additional analogs for some of the series’ most memorable characters occupying this story’s pages. But while Spearman succeeds in crafting a well-paced, highly engaging narrative, the novel isn’t flawless. The text is littered with grammatical inconsistencies and a fair amount of redundant language that, in another genre, may go unnoticed but will likely irk long-time sci-fi fans with an eye for detail. There’s little here that a professional edit wouldn’t rectify, but as it stands, PIKE’S POTENTIAL is a difficult read. Fortunately, the brisk pacing and high-octane action sequences leave the reader little time to dwell on the text-based distractions, and Spearman has laid ample groundwork here for refining via future installments.
Exploring a massive intergalactic setting through the eyes of a seasoned, nuanced Protagonist, John J. Spearman’s PIKE’S POTENTIAL is an engaging, albeit somewhat flawed hard sci-fi thriller that offers readers a healthy dose of political intrigue and naval-themed space combat.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader