A Diplomat of Mars

War in Space

De: Stephan Bellesini, Adrienne Bellesini

Narrado por: Ean Leppin

A gripping action- and tension-filled suspense time travel account of alternate history, filled with science fiction, war, and survival—don’t step on the little ones! You won’t be able to put the audiobook down!

A Diplomat of Mars tells the tragic tale of a girl who could not scream, not because she was in space but because of what she had to scream about. This somewhat futuristic drama tells a very human story, filled with interplanetary political unrest yet marked by the characters’ pride, honor, and resolute conviction never to step on the little ones. It is an easy and enjoyable listen, full of twists and turns...a book that will captivate the listener to the end.

©2022 Stephan Bellesini (P)2022 Ean Leppin

Space Opera with Pirates

This book is a space opera with time travel, it is one that focuses on political unrest, pirates, and human qualities. Uniting the crew of the spaceship is difficult when it is discovered that there is a traitor aboard undermining all efforts. A complex collection of storylines woven together to make an exciting sci-fi book!

The authors, Stephan Bellesini and Adrienne Bellesini take human nature and weave it into several storylines culminating in a final challenge. The time travel, political unrest, and the young girl are all fascinating pieces of this book that fit nicely together. The book is action filled and full of plot twists to hold the attention of the listener.

The narrator, Ean Leppin delivers a powerful performance with unique voices for each, interjecting the appropriate emotion. His narration is done in a compelling manner. The cadence is steady and consistent. His performance allowed me to either like or dislike characters instead of just accepting them. He understood the essence of each character and projected them clearly and effortlessly.

While this was an entertaining and suspense-filled book, the music between chapters and sometimes during scenes – such as the romantic scene was distracting and unnecessary. It made conversations difficult to follow at times as the music was either too loud or too complex.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

A Thrilling Space Epic

In the vast expanse of the science fiction genre, A Diplomat of Mars emerges as a captivating space opera that seamlessly intertwines time travel, political unrest, and the indomitable nature of humanity. Authors Stephan Bellesini and Adrienne Bellesini masterfully weave together a complex tapestry of storylines, resulting in an exhilarating sci-fi adventure that kept me glued to it until the end.

The authors skillfully explore the intricate dynamics of human nature within this context, showcasing the various facets of loyalty, betrayal, and resilience. As the plot unfolds, the narrative effortlessly entwines time travel, political unrest, and the captivating presence of a young girl, forming a richly textured tapestry that immerses the listener in a world of action and intrigue.

Narrated by the talented Ean Leppin, the audiobook’s performance is nothing short of extraordinary. Leppin’s powerful delivery breathes life into each character, employing unique voices that enhance their distinct personalities and emotions. Leppin ensures that the listener becomes personally invested in the story, enabling us to form genuine connections with the characters. His portrayal effortlessly captures the essence of each individual, enabling us to either embrace or despise them instead of merely accepting their presence. Leppin’s intuitive understanding of the narrative’s essence shines through, effortlessly projecting the characters with clarity and authenticity.

What sets A Diplomat of Mars apart from other science fiction works is its ability to seamlessly blend intricate plot twists with an action-filled storyline. Stephan Bellesini and Adrienne Bellesini’s adept storytelling creates a captivating synergy between the political backdrop, time travel, and the relentless pursuit of truth. The authors have successfully crafted a thrilling space epic that leaves no room for complacency, ensuring that listeners remain on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting each surprising turn of events.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this – allowing me to get my sci-fi thrill without being a PURE science fiction story. Their ability to combine different events, things, and feelings into this cohesive story made this really stand out to me.

A Simple [Christian] Space Opera

It’s a space opera, so the normal science rules do not apply (except where convenient). The story really revolves around a few [earth] warships out by Titan and a mysterious girl at the center of a conspiracy that strains credulity … but it’s an opera, so that is ok. In fact, this is really a mash-up with the Christian fantasy genre, and it you judge it strictly on that, it was actually a pretty good story. The good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad and there are a handful of traitors just in it for the 30 silver. While there is a little preaching here, it is generally not forced and logically fits in the storyline … so kudos for that; however, like many in the genre, there really isn’t a lot of constancy here (or if there was, I missed it). The warships are armed with cannons … which seem to actually be mass projectors (eg. canon balls?) with segregated gun decks (one side for women and one side for men … and not patty fingers if you please, at least without a chaperone. Acceleration and maneuver are done via magic hand waving and comms are instantaneous using EM tech.

Basically think "Master and Commander" in space and you get the feel. Of course the whole watch bells was way off with a bell system that was totally incomprehensible even after it was explained. For the record, in naval terms a watch would generally be 4 hrs with one bell each 30 mins (so 8 bells is the change of watch). A dog watch is designed to sift the watch rotation … and is half a normal watch (you could also go the other way a lengthen the watch (sometimes know as a Swedish watch rotation). Of course the is a limited cast of characters driving these capital ships, so when one character is assigned as the cook for the entire crew, she whips up burgers and fries in a fry pan all by herself … learning how to do this from scratch in a little less than 2 hrs. Refer to rule 1 … it’s a space opera … learn to let go (still working on that myself).

The audio production is actually pretty good … with sound effects and good voice differential. In fact, it is the narration that pulls this book up from a slightly subpar feel good story filled with mary sues into the realm of being a fun, if fairly silly, listen. The background music can get a little over dramatic and annoying at times, but it does help take you mind of the speechifying and moralizing goin’ on (sure … I have a quirky sense of humor and this just tickled it all the time … no sure if that was intentional so YMMV). It was really only a problem during the long stretch where the hero catches up on family emails that droned on so long I almost started skipping sections until it got better. Over all, I enjoyed it enough to round up a star.

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#ADiplomatOfMars #FreeAudiobkFacebkGrp

Christianity and feel good space opera

I really almost gave up on this book but one chapter and passion the narrator provided to each character held me long enough to really stay involved.

if you ignore the inconsistencies of space travel and communication you will love this as I did...if you can't get past that you won't like it. being someone who loves a triumph of spirit I LOVED IT!!

A By-the-Numbers Space Drama

A young man drops out of fleet academy and law school, then rises to Captain in a short time (weeks? Months? Years?) after enlisting, only to retire to a life of pro bono lawyering because he learns the power of contentment and friendship on Mars.

In all seriousness, this is a middling sci-fi drama that strained my ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy getting lost in the universe. Our protagonist is a major Marty Stu, seeming to excel at every task he sets himself to. In the few situations from which he cannot extract himself, someone else steps in and instantly resolves the tension. Despite the book’s repeated emphasis on discipline in the fleet, he routinely flaunts orders and takes action without the approval of senior officers, and rarely faces any reprimand for it, much less punishment.

This brings us to the heart of the issue in the book: the authors lack any sense of “show, don’t tell”. Everything we learn about the setting, characters, and events is narrated by the internal monologue of our protagonist or a handful of other characters. One too many times a character chooses to trust another because they “have an honorable look about him” or some such. For example, if it weren’t for the book’s insistence otherwise, I would have to conclude that Captain Franklin is an incompetent tyrant playing favorites, given her willingness to bend the rules and be overridden continually in the midst of battle.

As a brief comment, the story’s handling of the female characters is troubling, even as a staunch conservative. I struggle to recall a single monologue from the ladies of the cast that didn’t revolve around the men (much of this is due to everyone’s thoughts being focused on the protagonist at all times). All relationships are love at first sight, and due to the lack of emotional connection to the characters, I do not care about any of them.

While there are myriad other issues with the writing (illogical structures within the fleet, unclear universe building, victory through the power of friendship, etc.), the most dissatisfying was the handling of the villains. The antagonists are painfully obvious for a book trying to play on the suspense of a traitor, as the foreshadowing came with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The major villain really doesn’t come home, as again, he seems incompetent and cartoonish in comparison to the protagonist, so at no point do you feel tension. There is no explanation given as to why he has the power he possesses, and the only real threat he can offer is easily obliterated. Contrast him to a truly threatening space warlord such as The Mule from Asimov’s books, and you can begin to understand the flaws in this book perfectly.

The production quality was good, with dialogue that was clear and comprehensible. This is a bar that should be less difficult to clear than it often proves to be. The sound effects were at times distracting and unnecessary, though admittedly I prefer a straight reading and little dramatization. Ean’s accents were mostly decent, though it may serve well in future productions to focus more on nailing select accents than having a unique one for each character.