Title: Flight Plan
Author: K.M. Herkes
Genre: Techno-Adventure
Rating: 3/5
Once again I find myself recommending another book by K.M. Herkes, and I don’t feel even the slightest bit sorry for it. Flight Plan is the sequel to Controlled Descent, which I really enjoyed reading some months back, and this follow up did not disappoint.
As I’ve said previously, K.M. Herkes has such a magnificent way with words, it makes me long for poetry written by her as well. There isn’t an inch of fat on anything she writes, but it is still so lyrical and emotive, it’s a striking style of writing that contrasts beautifully with the subject matter and genre, making her incredibly unique to read. Everything has purpose, every movement leads somewhere, and her language choices are always perfection. I always find her work a great pleasure to read; the writing itself never fails to speak to me.
She has a keen understanding of the human condition too, and as such her characters are always believable and interesting. Every action causes a reaction, and those in turn are always a fantastic way of showing us just what sort of characters we’re dealing with. Technically speaking the writing is flawless, but romantically speaking I sincerely doubt there will ever be a book written by this author that I won’t enjoy and find great pleasure in reading.
I do have to admit that I did struggle about a third of the way through this one, compared to its predecessor, but after a few chapters I was back in the story once again. This wasn’t any real fault in the writing at all, but rather my own expectations, I think. In book one the main three characters were Justin, Alison, and Tyler. Alison in particular was a favourite of mine, and I was a little disappointed to see her shunted off to the sidelines, along with Tyler. In Controlled Descent she was a force to be reckoned with, whilst still retaining a very human uncertainty and emotional vulnerability. In Flight Plan she was reduced to little more than “playing mother”, which was a shame.
That said, I did enjoy the new characters too, and after my initial realisation that Alison was not playing anything like a key role this time, I was settled back into the story once again. The new characters are all as unique and cleverly written as the original cast, and it was lovely to see Carl and Parker with much more prominent story arcs than in Controlled Descent. Of the new cast members I really enjoyed reading Serena. It’s not very often you get to read a female character quite like her without falling into old, boring tropes about mental health, and for that I think K.M. Herkes deserves further kudos.
All in all, I really enjoyed it. The story was fast-paced, and the setting different and smartly put together. I look forward to reading the next instalment!
If you’re interested in finding out more about K.M. Herkes and her brilliant writing, you can find her on facebook and twitter.
L. Davidson 