There's a really good story in DISCOVERY, but it seems it was rushed to press far too soon. It reads very much like a first draft; the characters are little more than ciphers, the dialogue is very weak, and the action sequences aren't very well fleshed out. The basic premise is terrific: a military patrol ship vanishes during a routine testing of an experimental force shield, and a second ship is dispatched to recreate the "accident," which may hold the long-sought-after secret to Faster-Than-Light travel. Had Tom Stephens been given the time (or taken the time, one or the other) to more fully develop the story and the main characters, the tale no doubt have been much better. As it stands, however, DISCOVERY is best recommended to those who are interested in what a potentially thrilling novella looks like in its earliest stages, before the editing/embellishing process is seen through to completion.

This is a good, but not great story. I think the problem may be that one needs to be more knowledgeable about the universe in which it is set than I am. Nonetheless, I read it through and enjoyed what I read.