Vortex (The Brightest Void Book 1) by Anne Wheeler

Vortex (The Brightest Void Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Jenelle

  I don’t read a lot of science fiction. I prefer my sci-fi on screen and my fantasy in books. But this story… as soon as I finished it I knew it was going to be somewhere in my top 5 reads for the year, and here we are!
  
  It’s kind of a Coast Guard based story, but set in space in the distant future of our own Earth. Mars has been colonized, as well as other worlds, and space travel has pretty much been mastered. But when something goes wrong at the outer edges of space, Captain Josiah O’Donnell is called on to investigate.
  
  Wrestling with the ghosts of his last mission that went horribly awry and the deaths weighing on his conscience, Josiah finds himself facing all his old fears… and his ex-wife who has been assigned to his crew. Can he overcome his own personal baggage and do his job, or will this be yet another failure on his record?
  
  Meanwhile, Coralie Frazer is stuck in a living nightmare. On the outer reaches of the galaxy, she has become a food source for her former co-workers, who were strangely altered by an unknown phenomenon on their trip to Etrik, and though she cannot bring herself to call them “vampires” Coralie knows that is exactly what they have become. If she calls for help, will anyone hear? And if they do, will they come rescue her, or be caught in the same trap?
  
  Vampires in space. A sort of military science fiction that reminded me a lot of Stargate. A heaping dose of fantasy that made me feel at home. And characters who absolutely stole my heart.
• 
  Julia Garcia

  Why do good books have to end? No seriously, why??? Okay... so maybe it was my fault for wanting to read this book every second of the day, but what else was I supposed to do?
  
  To be honest, this book is not anywhere in my normal realm of reading genre or my normal comfort zone. I read very little science fiction, and I think I've only read one very short story that featured anything vampiristic, but the combination of those two and blurb sucked me in fast. Before I knew it, I was hooked and couldn't stop.
  
  Very much looking forward to the next book and any other books Anne Wheeler decides to write.
• 
  Katherine M

  The dark nights change you
  
  Soft sci-fi with a dash of horror. People will do anything to live-or to redeem themselves. A good story with a surprising ending.
• 
  Cathy McCrumb

  I love this book so much! Josiah, Hope, Patrick, Coralie... They felt so real!
  
  Anne Wheeler has surpassed herself in Vortex! It's an immersive ride through wormholes, rescue missions, suspense with not-quite-vampires, and a story of friendship and second chances. The characters are fantastic, the settings feel real, and the plot? Compelling with such heart!
  
  I want a sequel. ASAP.
• 
  Bory

  You know, I make it a point to give lesser known, self published, and indie authors a fair go. In fact, at this point I read more books by such authors than I do big named and traditionally published writers. Every now and again, I come across a hidden gem. My favorite science fiction series, The Chronicles of Alsea, is one such find. But, alas, most of the time the books I read range from okay to downright awful. This book fits squarely in this category.
  
  Minor-ish spoilers ahead.
  
  The first chapter is good and it gripped me, but it just went downhill from there. The additive effect of many minor inconsistencies, like Coralie first stating that a capsule was sound proof, and them reminiscing of how, while inside such a capsule, she would hear the other prisoners scream in anguish, made this a very frustrating read. Also, it was just badly written science. For example, at one point Coralie is thinking about how fire is a big risk in a low oxygen environment like Etrik... What? Does Anne Wheeler know how fire works? You want to have both a low O2 environment and a fire hazard? No worries, this is science fiction, after all. Make up some bullshit flammable gaseous compound that is part of this alien atmosphere, and you're good to go.
  
  Further, character motivations are all over the place. I don’t know which of the two POVs is the bigger offender, but both are guilty.
  
  Josiah, captain of a starship, sent to conduct a search and rescue mission, where hundreds might be dead, in the uncharted depths of space beyond any hope of help or support from other ships, spends his time angsting over his ex-wife… Not like there were other things to do, like plan for contingencies, or anything else a semi-competent captain would be doing in his position. Professionalism, never heard of her. But hey, those chapters spent with two divorcees trying to make it work? Top-notch sci-fi writing right here. I’m being sarcastic, of course.
  
  And then there's Coralie. A character I wanted to root for, but mostly found myself frustrated with. Let's put it like this: at one point, she’s thinking how one of her former colleagues had distanced himself from her on Etrik, and how she understood, even if she didn’t like it. Come again? We are talking about one of the dudes that imprisoned her inside of a coffin, immobile and in complete sensory deprivation, for months, in order to drain her blood as a food source, content to leave her in there for both her mind and body to rot for decades until she finally croaks. She didn’t like that he distanced himself? Get the f' out of here with this BS.
  
  What about the antagonist, you ask? Thomas Kinnard, the mastermind behind this whole ordeal... A man whose master plan was to lure a spaceship full of trained, heavily armed soldiers in order to captured them... somehow? He lures them to a ship with a distress beacon, doesn't leave any guards to monitor the docking bay where there are most likely to enter said ship, leaves Coralie, a person who is intimately familiar with everything going on to Etrik, alone, without protection or observation, where the trained soldiers he is hoping to trap can and do easily get to her... need I go on?
  
  Just... no. I genuinely feel bad for giving a book with so few ratings a bad review, but Vortex was just bad. It gets a second star because I appreciate stories that include characters dealing with mental trauma, but even that wasn't particularly well handled here, to be frank.
• 
  Eileen Keir

  What do you call someone who's not quite human?
  
  Great sci-fi with villains that will make your skin crawl. The military terms and protocol, were blended seamlessly with the operation of a space going vessel and its mission.
  
  The characters were realistic with flaws and strong points that made them sympathetic. There were parts of the story where I had to suspend disbelief more than I like due to some of the physiological aspects that didn't make sense to me. The author did comsiderable research in this area but still missed the mark in some ways.
  
  Well-written, and if you like sci-fi with a hint of romance, you will most likely enjoy this book.
  
  Excellent story world. I loved that people were living on the moons of planets in our solar system, and different countries on Earth had their own space programs. Much more realistic than stories where all countries are united and operating together in an almost Utopian world.
  
  If you like to see aliens as allies and antagonists, this is not the book for you. The enemy in this story is much more insidious. Can't wait to see what happens especially to the main characters in the next book.
• 
  Sara James

  A very enjoyable read that reminded me of The Expanse with less profanity. I'd love to spend more time in The Brightest Void universe, so I hope the author writes more soon. A solid sci-fi/hint of horror tale.
  
  We are given two very engaging protagonists, Coralie Frazer and Josiah O'Donnell. Sometimes with more than one POV, I don't enjoy one as much as the other, but in this story, I really enjoyed both characters' perspectives. Josiah is a humble captain with integrity. Coralie is brave and resourceful.
  
  There was a creeping sense of horror that was very compelling as I started to understand what was wrong with Coralie's captors and what their plans were, and knowing that Josiah and his crew have no idea what they're about to encounter. Add to that Josiah's personal demons and I was fully invested in both the inner and outer journeys for these characters.
  
  The ending is satisfying and could serve as the final word for the characters, but I sense that there are so many more avenues that could be explored. The worldbuilding whet my appetite to see more of this future as Wheeler envisions it.
• 
  Ashley

  This was my first time reading anything by Anne Wheeler and now I want to read everything she's written! This was so good! One of the best I've read this year. I've been in the mood for a good sci-fi book for a while now, and while I've read a few lately that I've enjoyed, they didn't quite hit the mark. But this one? It was exactly what I was looking for and so much more!​
  
  The first chapter was incredibly intriguing, and things just kept getting more interesting from there. The characters were complex and the world-building was fantastic. Sometimes I get confused with all the science in these kinds of books, but not here. Everything was easy to understand but didn't feel dumbed down. There were twists I never saw coming and a sense of danger that never quite went away.
  
  This book followed me into my dreams. It was constantly on my mind. I'm still thinking about it and I imagine I will for a long time. If you're a fan of science fiction, don't hesitate. Run and grab yourself a copy of this book right now. You won't be disappointed.
• 
  M.J. Blehart

  Honest reviews are challenging
  
  The concept here is intriguing overall. Vortex is a decent read. For me, the characters were largely engaging and sometimes unlikable, and elements of the worldbuild fell flat.