Book Review: Rogue by J T Vaydensen

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I was asked to write a review for this book because I had written a review for Starship Troopers and was told this book was similar. There were a few similarities, but there are other books to which it is more akin, such as Ender’s Game.
The first third of this book is set up and backstory to let us know where Tek/Deuce came from and why he is like he is. I don’t have a problem with story that builds the world and introduces us to characters, but each section of the back story felt as though it had been specifically written with one key scene in mind to let the reader know where a particular aspect of Deuce’s character came from. Each piece of the backstory felt contrived to show one specific plot point, whether it be a personality trait, a particular event or a dynamic between characters. Stories have to advance, but it was blatant what the ‘point’ of each scene was. I don’t want to see the skeleton structure of a story that way, I’d like for it to be covered in muscle and skin so that you can lead me through the story without jarring from significant event to significant event.


The name of the main character changed abruptly from Tek in the early stages of the story, to Deuce for the remainder. The change was abrupt and distracting.  I wasn’t sure for a while whether it was the same character. It was made clear later, and the change in name was explained, but I was never comfortable with the explanation coming so much later. Had it been explained immediately I could have accepted it and moved on, instead of letting it distract me and infuriate me for half a novel.




Creating and resolving believable conflict between characters is hard. The author found a technique that worked for him and used it again and again, stripping it of all emotional impact. “I like you but I’m going to act like I hate you and shut you out because it’s for your own good” became a trope that was used to manipulate relationships. Winger used it on Deuce and Deuce used it on both Kaitlyn and Jasmine. Instead of adding complexity to the characters it made all the relationships shallow and doubtable.
I like stories set in space, but I was too often taken out of the story and distracted by the obvious plot devices and the lack of depth to the characters.


3 out of 5 overly emo ace pilots.

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