Some jobs are just too good to be true.

Captain Matt Spears learns this the hard way after a mysterious employer hires his ship to hunt down an ancient alien artifact but insists on providing his own pilot. Ryce Faine is handsome and smart, but Matt has rarely met anyone more obnoxious. With tensions running high, it isn’t until they are attacked by the hostile Alraki that Matt grudgingly begins to respect Ryce’s superior skills, respect that transforms into a tentative attraction.

Little did he know that their biggest challenge would be reaching their destination, an abandoned alien base located on a distant moon amid a dense asteroid field. But when Matt learns that Ryce isn’t completely who he says he is and the artifact is more than he bargained for, he is faced with a difficult choice. One that might change the balance of forces in the known galaxy.

Matt doesn’t take well to moral dilemmas; he prefers the easy way out. But that might not be possible anymore, when his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible moment. When faced with a notorious pirate carrying a personal grudge, the fragile connection Matt has formed with Ryce might be the only thing that he can count on to save them both.

Before I get into my review of Adrift, by Isabelle Adler, take note that this novel is first and foremost a work of science fiction! While it has a small M/M romantic element to it, reading it with the thought that it is a romance novel, erotic or otherwise, will leave you sorely disappointed. I must admit, I fell into that trap, as I’m always on the lookout for good books that blend my two favorite genres. Viewing this through the lens as a purely science-fiction novel, I can comfortably and objectively state that this author’s debut novel is a good read for those who prefer their sci-fi not to be deep or heavy and are looking for sci-fi stories with LGBTQ characters that don’t involve graphic sex.

Matt Spears is the captain of his own spaceship with a crew of three, hired by clients requiring discretion in performing jobs of dubious (or not-so-dubious) legality. He’s just accepted a job that pays so well that he ignores his better sense about it being too good to be true. On the surface, it’s a simple salvage mission: fly to a moon in a remote part of known space to retrieve an artifact of an ancient and long-extinct alien race. The catch is that Matt won’t be flying the ship. The client’s biggest stipulations are that his man, Ryce Faine, will pilot Matt’s vessel and that everything else about the job is a secret. But when the artifact turns out to be of a nature far more dangerous than he bargained for, Matt is faced with a choice that could tip the balance of power in known space.

This sort of set-up is certainly not new in sci-fi. Throw in some tension with several shady characters and past nemeses, and it’s a recipe that has worked in many a genre. Fortunately, it works in Adrift as well. Much of the story feels like it could be the pilot episode of a TV show. There aren’t big pyrotechnics or epic space chase/battle scenes, just a well-composed story with plenty of tension set in a space environment with characters that can be easily identified with, even if they aren’t deeply developed.

These facts (along with the fact that the title page of the novel identifies this as book one of a series called Staying Afloat) make me think that Adrift is likely the first in a serial-type series of novels. Though I haven’t found any other indication of this, I hope it is the case, as there were plenty of loose ends that would allow a continuation of the story found here. The romance-lover in me also hopes that we will get a continuation, because the romantic aspect of this book is very light—three fully-clothed kisses is all we get. I want to get the feels I so love about romantic fiction, and these two characters definitely have potential. In this novel, though, outside the initial physical attraction, I honestly don’t understand why Matt and Ryce are attracted to each other in a way that is beyond the friendship that forms out of the mutual trust they build in the story. Therefore, more would be a good thing.

As far as the storytelling is concerned, this plot falls into the category I refer to as fun science fiction. By that, I mean the storyline isn’t the sort that makes the reader think deeply about some social issue or moral dilemma our modern-day existence presents. Instead, it’s a story that, with suitable changes, could as easily have taken place in another genre, say as a Western. The writing style is smooth and clean; nothing about the author’s writing pulled me out of the story. And the quality of the plot was well-developed enough to keep it from being predictable.

As a whole, Adrift is a good debut effort as a work of science fiction. From the romance standpoint, it’s almost not existent. That being said, I’m always appreciative of positive portrayals of LGBTQ characters in fictional worlds where the issue of a person’s sexuality is no big deal. I said before that more stories from this author would be a good thing. I must amend that to say that more would be a very good thing, because both aspects show potential.

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Adrift in exchange for this fair and honest review.

Isabelle Adler

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A voracious reader from the age of five, Isabelle Adler has always dreamed of one day putting her own stories into writing. She loves traveling, art, and science, and finds inspiration in all of these. Her favorite genres include sci-fi, fantasy, and historical adventure. She also firmly believes in the unlimited powers of imagination and caffeine.


As a lover and an avid reader of the sci-fi genre, I had a tough time choosing absolute favorites. I’ve selected those that had made the most impact and resonated with me both emotionally and intellectually.

The Goblin Reservation by Clifford D. Simak

En route to an interplanetary research mission, a scientist is abducted by a strange, shadowy race of aliens and taken to a previously uncharted planet, a storehouse of information that would be invaluable—even to an Earth so advanced that time travel allows goblins, dinosaurs, even Shakespeare to coexist.

This a fun, whimsical tale with a strong mystery element and humor, but don’t be fooled by its apparent silliness—there are some deep and strong ideas regarding friendship, acceptance, sacrifice, and standing up for what you believe in.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the 'spice' melange, the most important and valuable substance in the cosmos. The story explores the complex, multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion as the forces of the empire confront each other for control of Arrakis.

This is one of the most popular sci-fi works in the world, and one of the most poignant. Its many layers are often deceptive, but by unpeeling them one by one, you can get a true glimpse of the human nature as it constantly struggles against itself.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

This is the beloved, classic story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In poignant diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment seems to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance—until Algernon begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration. Will the same happen to Charlie?

While this is a tragic story of striving toward scientific advancement and its ultimate failure, it presents the reader with the different aspects of the human experience, dealing with the themes of mental impairment, intelligence, and compassion.

Solaris by Stanisław Lem

When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories.

This work explores a theme common to sci-fi—contact with an alien entity. But what happens when the entity is so tremendously ‘alien’ that we, as humans, cannot comprehend its logic? Is there ultimately a limit to our understanding of the universe?

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