Book 1: Angelfyre

Angelfyre was an unique, thrilling and entertaining Science Fiction Novel. It can be read by everyone who likes Sci-Fi. It took me about 4-5 days to complete the book. This was the book one of the series. Angelfyre was about synthetic intelligence, aliens, spaceships and turf wars. I loved reading about the different worlds the author had created.

The writing style was articulate and grandiloquent. The tone of the book was earnest and informative. The pace of the book was slow. The plot was pretty straightforward and action packed. The characters in the book had good development as the story progressed. I especially enjoyed the SI- Angel's transformation. The narration was in third person.

The story was about Casey, A felsian girl and the SI- Angel. Felsian were hybrid between humans and extra terrestrials called Fel. They were illegal so Casey had to lie low. She was brought up by a bad ass woman called Elissa. Suddenly, Casey finds herself in possession of an SI after an incident. She also finds out that she is to be the pilot of Angelfyre, the most advanced spaceship out there. But trouble is not far. Will Casey and Angel escape or die trying? Read to find out!

I would recommend this book to everyone who read Sci-Fi.

A winner for a debut, Angelfyre (Destiny) by Lydan Francis is a wonderful meld of science fiction, dystopian, and space opera, a story with a setting in the distant future in the twenty-fifth century, a time when humanity has experienced migrations in other planets.

Human beings live side-by-side with the extra-terrestrial race known as the Fel. With time, a new species occurs through the illegal splicing between humans and Fel, resulting in the hybrid called the Felsians, who are eventually treated as low-class and unwanted citizens. But a young felsian girl called Casey who lives with her foster human mother uncovers an artifact that leads to the discovery of Angelfyre, a ship that has a life and intelligence of its own, behaving like a real animal and having the ability to feel and communicate with Casey. The cosmic community faces many threats, and Casey and Angelfyre must determine their place in the struggle to preserve the peaceful co-existence of galactic cultures. Can Casey succeed to win an enviable place for her kind in a world that looks down at them?

Angelfyre (Destiny) is a fast-paced, unique blend of space-faring adventure, and while it imagines a galactic world where different races share the same space, the author examines social class and creates a conflict that contemporary readers can still relate to. The young female protagonist is a character that readers will want to follow, a girl from the class that is considered sub-human or sub-fel, who makes an incredible discovery and sets out on an adventure to create purpose with a unique spaceship. The world-building is impeccable, with fearlessly imagined and perfectly written settings. The characters are unforgettable and fully drawn, and the plot offers twists that are hard to predict. You’ll root for Lydan Francis’ confident writing and bold imagination. The images will be as vivid as any can be in your mind as you read this page-turning story. 

Tautly paced and immersive, Angelfyre proves a superb blend of intrigue and space opera whilst creating a notable emotive connection with its readers. There’s no mistaking it for anything but a really first-rate Science fiction novel but unlike the vast majority of releases that spoon-feed their readers with generic plots, Francis repeatedly gives his readers something they can actually think about.

Something of a rarity in an age of voluminous genre releases it’s ambitious, impressive and visually powerful with the kind of attention to detail that makes Francis’ far-flung worlds and incredible future technology seem tantalizingly real.

Giving us just enough back story to establish the characters and the lead-up to ensuing events, it’s relentlessly intense with one of the key strengths of “Angelfyre” being its deliberate pacing. It’s certainly not slow to start, and Francis is quick to build momentum, absorbing us first by establishing the bond between Casey and Elissa before he introduces us to the technological marvel that is Angelfyre.

Reducing each chapter to its essence, he gives us just enough to contemplate it and fire our imaginations before moving on. The narrative is always clear, but readers expecting easy plot cues will be sorely disappointed with Francis demanding our full attention throughout.

What makes Angelfyre particularly refreshing is that it doesn’t feel the need to consider any of the existential questions about humanity that are typically central to sci-fi novels with this much scale which gives Francis’ narrative a much more human dimension and allows for an innate sense of humour that doesn’t rely simply on flip one-liners.

With Casey at the centre of Francis’ narrative she’s supported by Angel who is quite simply one of the best A.I. characters you will come across in science fiction and though richly allegorical her ‘intelligence’ seems anything but artificial as she becomes the catalyst for a rousing and unabashedly manipulative adventure that never takes itself too seriously.

Simply excellent Angelfyre is one of those rare novels that actually lives up to its potential and is an unreservedly recommended five-star read!

Lydan Francis’ Angelfyre features Casey’s journey. Casey is an outcast because she is a Felsian. They are a mix of a human and a Fel, a humanoid with larger eyes that change color with their mood. Casey collects what she finds pretty, even if it has no value to her foster mother Elissa. On one excursion, she finds a blue glass-like stone that Elissa uses for a necklace. Later that evening, Casey attempts to fight a group of Traxans who snatch the necklace. The necklace breaks and Casey is knocked out, landing unconscious on top of the stone. She wakes up to see a girl in a white dress and finds the stone embedded in her neck. The girl claims that Casey is Angelfyre’s pilot. Elissa is in a coma after crashing her vehicle, so Casey goes with the girl she names Angel. 

Lydan Francis has penned an original science-fiction fantasy full of adventure. The different planets that Casey and Angel venture to are vivid. The internal transformation of Angel is exceptional. Casey’s depressive mental state changes as she learns more about the capabilities of the Angelfyre. Casey’s belief about Angel being more than just a robot was logical, and I believe she was right. Elissa’s character shocked me near the end of the story. I could picture a woman with wild hair and eyes laughing at anyone willing to challenge her. Angelfyre was stunning with all the capabilities it possessed. I could imagine the speed and acrobatics it performed as though I were inside with Casey and Angel. The suspense drew me into the story. I recommend Angelfyre to readers who enjoy a fast-paced science-fiction story filled with well-developed characters.

Angelfyre by Lydan Francis is sci-fi at its best. Casey was having the strangest day of her life. A Felsian girl, she stumbled across something quite stunning, a device that implanted itself in her head and gave her the ability to fly a huge spacecraft called Angelfyre as if she were flying her own body. Her adventures took her gliding across the planets, through oceans, over strange other-worldly landscapes, and even a massive, unruly gas giant. When she befriended a synthetic intelligence called Angel, they joined forces to learn from one another, but the adventure had to come to an end. Every being in the cosmos was under threat from dark forces, and Angel and Casey would be put to the test. Would their abilities be enough to save everyone?

Angelfyre by Lydan Francis is an unusual take on the sci-fi genre. It’s an intriguing story and it feels real, even though it is fiction. It’s full of action from start to finish, and the descriptive writing draws you in, making you a part of this amazing story. It’s a refreshingly different kind of tale, one that makes you think and maybe even question how far AI will go. The characters are well-developed, and there is some backstory that lets us understand the main ones before we are flung wholeheartedly into a suspense-filled adventure laced with humor. Written from a third-person perspective, this is one story you will read right through without stopping. Highly recommended for all fans of sci-fi.

Angelfyre is a work in the science fiction, adventure, and action subgenres. It is suitable for middle-grade and young adult reading audiences but can also be heartily enjoyed by adult readers. Penned by Lydan Francis, in this immersive and immediately engaging work, we are introduced to our central protagonist, Casey, when she awakens with a massive headache, a fractured memory, and some new companions she wasn’t expecting. Gifted with the ability to perfectly fly a spacecraft as smoothly as her own form, Casey’s instant rise to superhero status will come at a price as her adventures intensify.

Lydan Francis has crafted a dramatic and exciting work of science fiction that does away with many more traditional concepts and lets us dive right into the action. I found the novel immensely accessible as the concepts surrounding the spacecraft, technology, and Casey’s gifts are all explained gradually as the plot moves on, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the wonder and mystery of the tech, as well as get to know a fantastic cast of characters. Angel was a particular favorite of mine, with a superb personality. I felt that the dialogue and narrative skill put into every character served to create diverse voices that enhanced the story from their attitude and perspective. Overall, I would recommend Angelfyre for fans of immersive and cinematically penned science fiction that any reader can easily jump into.