Season 7; D.F. Nightshade

**** I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review****

“Season 7” is a bit like what I’d imagine “The Truman Show”, “Hunger Games” and the “X-Files” all having a baby and raising it together to be like. We follow along as Richard has the worst day of his life, a rival gets promoted at work, he gets fired, and just as he attempts to wash away his troubles at a bar before returning to his slob of a roommate, he gets abducted by an alien who promises him that he is the chosen one of his planet, destined to be king. With promises like that, how could Richard not believe his luck was about to turn around? Except Richard is wrong, so very, very wrong, and his bad day gets infinitely worse. It’s an intriguing concept and the aliens D.F. Nightshade creates are all very unique for the short time you see them, but this books creativity is bogged down by some very correctable issues.

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This is a quick read that starts on a crazy ride and ends just as Topsy-turvy. Richard isn’t exactly sympathetic, but his story is a familiar one: bogged down by the monotony of work and a hatred for a rival who gets praise because of who he is, not what he does. If nothing else, you can understand Richard’s predicament (at least at work), and question how he managed to have all the bad luck. I won’t spoil anything, because the twist is the fun part of the book, but a lot of the early situations feel rushed in order to get to that twist and I’d have liked, and really enjoyed, a bit more world building, both on and off Earth, so that the twist would have been a bit more shocking, rather than unbelievable at first.

What the aliens want with the humans they bring to their planet is interesting, and I wish Nightshade had spent more time on why they even do theses “seasons”, or why the emperors enjoy them, or just who are these recruiters responsible for finding the humans, and why no one else in this alien city seems to know or care much about these seasons. They are hinted at towards the end, which makes me think a sequel is coming, but it’s still a bit unclear. Additional world building would have made that scenario feel more real instead of rushed. I’d have been fine not spending time with recruits who don’t make it to the finale if some of those other questions were answered.
 
I don’t like giving these kinds of ratings, I really don’t, but ultimately, even if the author had spent more time world building, it wouldn’t have affected my review score. It would be nice, and would certainly help if there is a “Season 8” to follow this book, but what keeps the rating firmly where it is, is the editing. Or lack thereof, really. Unfortunately, “Season 7” is hampered by so many consistent grammatical and spelling errors, along with several POV violations that make it confusing as to whose point of view we’re in, that it kept me from enjoying the book. I never could get immersed in this crazy world because the errors always snapped me back.  If this book goes through a serious round of cleanup by an editor, I may go back and revise my review score. But as it stands, even with the creativity the author displays, I can’t give this book more than 2 stars.