AUGUST KITKO AND THE MECHAS FROM SPACE by Alex White – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

August Kitko and the Mechas From Space by Alex White
Series: The Starmetal Symphony #1
Published by Orbit on July 12 2022
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 464
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful trip through space, blasting with loud music, fabulous outfits and of course, giant killer mechas, August Kitko and the Mechas from Space is a wild ride from start to finish.

“Fashion is always intentional, and Ardent has carefully selected their cataclysmic attire for maximum mobility. They tug at the various restraints securing their exploded dress, tearing it away to the sleek bodysuit underneath. They’d worn this ultra-bright stage display on their Hellbitch tour, and had grown to love it for both its breathable layers and sheer goddamned fabulousness.”

It’s the end of the world—no, it’s the end of all the worlds—but humanity might just be saved by a jazz pianist and a famous pop star, in Alex White’s new book, an outrageous space opera that spans multiple worlds and involves gigantic killer mechas. August Kitko and the Mechas from Space is a bold, exciting love letter to music, mechas and mayhem, full of lovable characters that I couldn’t help but root for. This isn’t the first time I’ve read a space opera that revolves around music, but it’s definitely one of my favorites. 

Jazz pianist August “Gus” Kitko has been invited to the party of the century. The Vanguards are headed to Earth to destroy humanity, just like they’ve destroyed countless other planets, and Earth is next on the list. But Gus plans to go out in a blaze of glory. Hired to perform at an exclusive “end of the world” party in Monaco, Gus has recently hooked up with the party’s main attraction, famous pop star Ardent Violet. But as the party goers resign themselves to their fate, something interesting happens. Two of the Vanguards start fighting each other, an unprecedented event that changes everything. Gus is shocked when the winner of the fight, a Vanguard called Greymalkin, chooses him to be a Conduit, a human who is physically (and painfully) hooked up to the mecha in order to help it fight. For whatever reason, Greymalkin has become a Traitor Vanguard who wants to save humanity.

Now Gus must join forces with two other Traitor Vanguards and their Conduits in order to stop the rest of the deadly mechas and their terrifying fleet of Ghosts, gold-plated cat-like robots whose saber tooth tusks pierce the heads of humans in order to Wipe their memories and experiences, killing them in the process. With the fate of human life hanging on by a thread, Gus and Greymalkin find themselves up against some formidable opponents who are determined to destroy them.

Where do I even start? This is one crazy book, folks, and I absolutely loved it. It’s chaotic and fast-paced and full of expansive ideas, but at the same time the story feels intimate and personal, probably due to White’s wonderful characters and the relationships they have with each other. That being said, some readers may struggle with the constant bombardment of frenetic action and detailed world-building. There is a lot going on, and the scope of the world is huge. Even I was intimidated in the beginning, trying to grasp exactly what was happening. But it doesn’t take long for White’s addictive prose to do its magic, and once you get the hang of this world, it’s easy to sink into the story and become invested in the characters.

And speaking of the characters, I loved a bunch of them, but Ardent in particular stole my heart. Ardent is super famous and loves their fans, and they love all the attention as well. Ardent has an immense wardrobe (a crazy futuristic wardrobe!) and a singular style that works perfectly for their David Bowie-like persona. They also have a beloved Stratocaster called Baby that’s almost an extension of their body. Ardent comes across as spoiled and bratty at first, but later we see how devoted they are to Gus and their agent Dahlia. (Dahlia is a great character as well!) There is a romance brewing between Ardent and Gus, and it was so sweet. I guess when you’re staring down the end of the world, relationships feel even more intense than normal, and I loved the way the author handled theirs. Gus and Ardent spend a lot of time apart in this book, so the times they finally get together are super cute.

The story alternates between Gus’s and Ardent’s points of view, so the reader can more easily see the wide scope of this world. We follow Gus and his adventures with Greymalkin, as they eventually meet up with the other Conduits and their Traitor Vanguards and engage in even more space battles. Meanwhile, Ardent is desperate to go after Gus, and so they convince Dahlia to help them steal a ship. The resulting chase through the galaxy was thrilling, and I have to say the scenes with Ardent and Dahlia were by far my favorites.

If you love mecha battles, then you won’t be disappointed. White does a great job of describing the sheer size of the Vanguards, who are armed with all kinds of deadly weaponry. At one point Greymalkin acquires a spear that has the ability to “pierce planets.” The author’s description of Greymalkin emerging from the ocean in the beginning of the story made me gasp, and the fights between the Vanguards were even more exiting that I expected. Eventually we learn where the Vanguards come from—and it’s mind blowing! Alex White’s world feels fully formed, and while we don’t learn everything about the mysterious mechas from space in August Kitko, I’m betting the next book in the series will fill in some of the gaps.

And tying everything together is music, from the strange harmonies of the Vanguards to Ardent’s impossibly fast guitar riffs, to Gus’s bravura chord progressions. White’s story sings with both melody and discord. Music is the first way Gus communicates with Greymalkin, and it’s an important and impactful part of the story. If you’re a Stranger Things fan and you loved the scene where Eddie plays Metallica’s Master of Puppets in the Upside Down, then I guarantee you’ll relate to the musical elements in this book! 

Ridiculously high stakes, tongue-in-cheek humor, emotional moments and much more add up to a uniquely unforgettable reading experience. I guarantee you won’t read anything quite like August Kitko this year.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.