Be it movies or books; crime, detective, murder and suspense category can give anyone goosebumps and an edge of the seat experience. However, what if we were to say that you encounter such things in the year 2250, where an investigation is in progress for the murder of a crew member who was a part of Europa [Jupiter’s moon] which was a space expedition mission.
There are a lot of thoughts that start flowing into your minds – What would the world be like in 2250, How advanced would be the technology, Whether there would be cars flying in the air, Whether there would be human beings staying on the moon, etc. You would definitely enter a futuristic world when you read Europa by Hywel Richard Pinto which is a sci-fi thriller that unfolds through the eyes of a varied group of characters. Each character has his/her own agenda – one taking a life-risking search, rescue and research trip, to Jupiter’s moon, Europa; the second, through the rivalry between an American businessman and an Indian power hungry politician; whilst the third is the contest between hired guns of both the factions.
In a thriller, characters play a very crucial role and Europa being a sci-fi thriller, the author had to blend suspense with imagination & technology and it was a job done well!
About the Author
Hywel Richard Pinto, born and raised in in Mumbai works full time in a Media agency as a Sr. Director – Media Planning. In addition to this book, he has also written a murder mystery set in Mumbai by the name of ‘The Monday Murder’ which was shortlisted in the top 20 manuscripts from nearly 300 entries by DNA-Hachette India in January 2013 during their Hunt For The Next Indian Bestseller contest. You can read more about Hywel Pinto here
Europa – A Sci-Fi Adventure Of Galactical Proportions : Trailer
The year is 2250 and we are witness to a historical trial of the Silver Fleet’s youngest and most promising captains – Captain Richard Sparks, who has been accused of murdering a fellow crew member during the Silver Star’s lengthy trip to the Jupiter’s moon – Europa. But the crew are divided as to whether the Captain is to be blamed for the fiasco or whether there was a bigger conspiracy on board? Can another murder on board the Silver Star be attributed to the unusual mission that the ship is on? Does someone want the crew of the Silver Star to fail in their mission to locate one of her sister ships, reportedly lost near Europa? And just how many of the crew can Captain Richard Sparks trust, if he is to be believed as being innocent?
Meanwhile, a shadow organization back on Earth contends with a dangerous, corrupt and ambitious politician, with the Europa mission being used as the counterweight. Will this affect the crew on board the Silver Star?
All trials are not as simple as they seem – not when the accused has a story to tell and some people will go to great lengths to protect what actually happened on Europa.
Who is the real culprit and what are the turn of events that would lead to the closure of the case forms the crux of Europa. Mystery, Murder, Politics along with Sci-Fi are keywords that make Europa an intriguing read !!
Europa – A Sci-Fi Adventure Of Galactical Proportions : Detailed Review
As mentioned earlier, the central character is Captain Richard Sparks, who was the commander-in-charge of Silver Star to Europa where the central task was to rescue the crew of missing scientists who had been to Europa before them. The entire crew was there in Europa for close to 408 days and as you would expect, the entire expedition is filled with innumerable twists and turns. The important question to ask is ‘Are the crew members still alive’?
A German scientist who had the samples from Europa was found murdered in Captain Spark’s ship. There is a high possibility of foul play where some crew members might have been involved in this murder. The murder happens just before the ship reaches the destination. All these situations make Europa an edge of a seat thriller.
Be it movies or books, for the ‘murder mystery’ genre, supporting actors also need to play an interesting role to keep the readers/viewers engaged and Europa does not disappoint on this front. Along with Captain Sparks who is the main protagonist, another major character in Europa is his best friend and fellow colleague, Duncan. They share a very good bonding and the have a lingering question in their minds ‘What could be the major reason for promoting a rookie captain like Sparks, that too before a critical mission’. They did feel that something is fishy and the promotion was a part of a major conspiracy planned against Captain Sparks.
Since it is a sci-fi thriller, aliens are also a part of this interesting story. The author has managed to keep the interest alive by introducing different characters at strategic parts of the story. There is also an angle of politics in the story since an Indian politician named Pramod has some vested interests and could also have been a part of the overall conspiracy. Other characters like Draco, Mario, Jewel, Robbie also play crucial roles in this sci-fi thriller.
While the story progresses at a good pace in most parts, it does seem stretched in some cases. However, as per our understanding, this could be because the author wanted to build more suspense and curiosity rather than introducing new characters in a hurry.
While reading the story, you can easily visualize the characters and the story is etched in your minds since it is told in a very subtle manner. The cover photo is well designed and sends the message that Europa has something to do with sci-fi.
The font-size could have been a bit bigger and there was some scope for improvement in the editing department. We could also find some spelling mistakes in the book but even with these minor improvements, Hywel Pinto’s story-telling impressed us!
Rating 3.5/5
Closing Thoughts
Europa – A Sci-Fi Adventure Of Galactical Proportions by Hywel Richard Pinto is an interesting sci-fi thriller where each character is crafted to perfection. As a reader, you feel involved in the story. As you progress through the story, you might feel an adrenaline rush and anxiety about ‘What next’ 🙂 Considering that there are a good number of characters in the story, with each one having a good role to play, a feature film can be made on Europa. If you love reading sci-fi thrillers, you should definitely not miss this one.
You can purchase Europa – A Sci-Fi Adventure Of Galactical Proportions by clicking on the link below
This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!