Stargazer by Colby Hodge

Stargazer is a fun futuristic SF read with lots of non-stop action. Princess Lilly is a telepathic witch from the garden planet of Oasis which provides food for many planets. The neighboring Ravigans whose own planet has been abused for years, cannot raise their own food. They are threatening Oasis so they can plunder its wealth and natural resources. Her uncle, the king of Oasis, sends her on a diplomatic mission to the Interplanetary Senate to enlist their aid in protecting her planet. So she boards a cargo ship disguised from the Ravigans who have surrounded Oasis.

Shaun is a convicted murderer and under sentence to spend the rest of his life underground on a prison planet and being transported frozen in a cryo tube on the same cargo ship. Lilly instantly feels a psychic connection when Shaun's mind reaches out to hers. The ship comes under attack and her protector is killed, so Lilly releases Shaun from his imprisonment and they escape to a nearby planet. Shaun takes on the role of Lilly's protector to the displeasure of her family.

What follows is a rip-roaring adventure and I was thoroughly entertained. There is a bit a mystery about Shaun's birth, his psychic abilities and the scars on his neck that was obvious and I was able to figure them out immediately. The characters were well drawn but not deep, the dialog flowed smoothly, and the psychic bond between H/H was pleasantly satisfying. Shaun's friend Ruben was a fun character and I'm predicting he will get his own book. There were some gladitorial combat scenes that were violent and gory, so avoid or skim those scenes if you are a bit squeamish and you won't be missing anything. If you like space action adventure stories like Star Wars, you'll like this book too.

My Grade: B-

Side note: Don't you think the cover is goofy? His upper half looks overdeveloped compared to his lower half which looks like it's glowing and kind of shrunken. I'm very visual... I can't help these observations... ignore me :)