Recently, I joined a web page called BookSirens where authors can feature their work. They offer their books at no cost in return for honest reviews. I searched for a book to read and came upon The Henderson Helios, a novella by Beatrice Crowl. Beatrice has several books listed on Amazon. This work was released this past May 2021. The front cover attracted my attention, along with the book blurb.
Helios is an adventure/romance/LBGTQ+ sci-fi story set sometime in the distant future.
Since I had searched for a space opera, I was a little surprised by what I got in this book, but not put off by it in the slightest. I enjoyed the story and the characters. There was a good bit of humor, and the dialog gave me a few laughs. Overall, I liked Helios and read it in two sittings. The author has a good imagination and does a great job with the storytelling.
The Henderson Helios is narrated by the principal character Elly Henderson. She is a down on her luck engineer working in the slums of a planet some distance from Earth. Elly runs an engine repair shop, but in her past, she was a well-educated engine designer/builder for the Cadinoff Corporation. For them, she designed an innovative propulsion system, but was frozen out of the company once they felt they had everything they needed from her. Through her dealings with Cadinoff and other corporations, Elly has a deep mistrust for big business.
Elly's apprentice, Ryan convinces her to attend a tech expo to search for a part she needs for a project she's been working on for some time. While there, she sees an opportunity to get the specs for her design back but is caught in the process. Elly gets sidetracked when she discovers her engine is being exhibited as the invention of Benjamin Brassard of the Sev Tech corporation. She winds up handcuffed to Myka Benton, a Cardinoff prominent official and together they have to escape from not just one, but two armies from both company's corporate security forces. As they go on the run, Myka and Elly work their way through difficulties and get to know each other and learn more about who they are.
When the book opens, Elly comes across as smug and imperious. She smokes too much, drinks too much, and probably the worst thing, she has a tendency to speak her mind! While others may feel put-off by her, I loved Elly from the beginning of the book. There was no beating around-the-bush by her, and she made it very plain what was on her mind. What was also great about her was, since the tale was from her own account, we also get to go inside Elly's mind to hear her thoughts. Because of that, the reader will get to know the principal character deeper and find that below her rough-gruff surface, there is a decent human being who is protecting herself from further abuse at the hands of corporate exploitation.
Myka Benton, mostly, is all business. She dresses the part and has a commanding presence. Elly sees her as her enemy because of the treatment during her time at Cadinoff, where Myka acted as Elly's supervisor. As the story unfolds, we see a softer side to Myka, and she presents a few surprises along the way.
Both Elly and Myka are great characters, and I found myself rooting for their success in many ways.
If there was an evil presence in the story, it came from Benjamin Brassard, a classmate at the engineering school Elly attended. Brassard is an idea-pirate. In the story, we learn how Brassard made it through engineering school and just how far he will go to climb the corporate ladder. He is a wholly unlikable person.
My favorite part of The Henderson Helios is the relationship between Elly and Ryan. She found him doing his best to survive on the streets and took him in. Through her training and mentorship, Ryan has become an excellent partner and engineer. But Ryan is getting to the age where he is looking at his own future, but he is concerned with Elly's future. One of the things bothering Ryan is knowing how Elly always keeps people at arm’s length, she will wind up alone. Ryan thinks Elly will let no one get close to her again, and who can blame her? After having her life's work stolen from her by two corporations, anyone might want to be sure they never have to depend on anyone again. At the same time, Ryan is quite independent. He and Elly have no illusions about their relationship; it is not a mother/son thing. Ryan has her blessing to leave whenever he wants, but he says with her because she is good to, and for him. With that being said, the reader will also pick up on the love between the two characters.
Another bit I appreciated about the story is Elly's growth as a character. Even through that gruff exterior, she has a sense of justice. There is also a huge streak of charity in her both as Ryan's mentor, and for what he does for Myka near the end of the story. As far as her act on Myka's behalf, Elly expects nothing from it, and it is huge.
For me, the most prominent theme in the book is to remember no one, or nothing is always what they seem. Elly is not the curmudgeon she would like everyone to think she is, and Myka is not the all-in corporate toady she shows to the world. At the same time, Bassard isn't the brilliant engineer he would have everyone believe he is.
At 124 pages, The Henderson Helios is a fast read and a fine diversion for an afternoon of reading. I recommend this story for intriguing characters and a brisk pace. There's never a dull moment here.
Beatrice Crowl writes at the intersection of romance and space opera, giving readers political intrigue and space battles alongside complex characters and love stories. Join her newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/beanewsletter.
She initially joined the sociology career path but became disillusioned with the reality of academic life. So, she turned to her first love: writing fiction. She's found her sociology learnings have helped her in the endeavour, and she will miss her access to academic libraries.
Beatrice grew up immersed in science fiction and space operas. When the opportunity came for her to invest her time in writing, she knew she wanted to combine this familiar stomping ground with romantic storylines. She enjoys eating delicious food, reading every book she can find, and petting cats. On that note, she lives in California with three cats.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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