Excellent 4th novel in the series, comparable and maybe even better than book 1 as it enlarges the scope of the series, introduces new locations, new Excellent 4th novel in the series, comparable and maybe even better than book 1 as it enlarges the scope of the series, introduces new locations, new characters etc ...more
The fifth series novel starts kind of like the fourth - a meeting in Redward, a mission to a distant star system etc but the details are different - aThe fifth series novel starts kind of like the fourth - a meeting in Redward, a mission to a distant star system etc but the details are different - a pacifist Quaker world for once, breaking a blockade from a neighbor turned aggressive rather than supporting an internal revolution and this time Kira doesn't even have her most powerful warship with her as the mission seems reasonably doable without supercarrier Fortitude which is currently engaged somewhere else. Quickly though, some details seem not to quite add up and so it goes till the explosive finale that sets up a cracker sixth volume with quite an unexpected (though of course predictable in hindsight) twist.
Easy to read and with energetic prose, better than volume 2 as it brings some new stuff into the plot though still not quite at the level of the firstEasy to read and with energetic prose, better than volume 2 as it brings some new stuff into the plot though still not quite at the level of the first book - the universe with its tiered tech is very interesting but I still feel the author doesn't quite still exploit its features to the max....more
Decent but too much "more of the same" sequel to Conviction which was fresh and new.Decent but too much "more of the same" sequel to Conviction which was fresh and new....more
Intriguing premise and universe with magic-powered starships (the "magic" being actually something genetically engineered several centuries previouslyIntriguing premise and universe with magic-powered starships (the "magic" being actually something genetically engineered several centuries previously) - mages, pirates, fleets revenge etc The book has energy and moves well but it is of the non-stop action continually raising the stakes type getting close to jumping the shark so to speak. Too many convenient happenings and just so converging plotlines for full enjoyment though the series has promise and I will try the next book sooner rather than later...more
Starts intriguing and with lots of promise and while the book has a lot of inventiveness, the action is of the non-stop eventually jumping-the-shark tStarts intriguing and with lots of promise and while the book has a lot of inventiveness, the action is of the non-stop eventually jumping-the-shark type with the book reading more like a cartoon where the heroes go from peril to peril unscathed and without really any repercussion or reflection, so it kind of gets boring at some point; sadly no more books in the series, and most likely from the author for me...more
Excellent sequel to The Exodus gambit - asking the dominant human power, the United Worlds based on Earth for help restoring the legitimate governmentExcellent sequel to The Exodus gambit - asking the dominant human power, the United Worlds based on Earth for help restoring the legitimate government of Adamant, Lorraine and her team acquire new friends and new enemies, find out more about her uncle's coup, and its enablers from the powerful interstellars that didn't like the anticolonial policy of Lorraine's mother and finally she has to make a fundamental decision about how to proceed.
Also lots of backstory about Lorraine's family and some insight into why her uncle turned so decisively against it (didn't help that Lorraine's mother used some underhanded methods that denigrated her brother Benjamin before the monarchical election - methods she later regretted).
A lot of descriptions of Earth's civilization, many sfnal allusions (of course we had the planet Tolkien in the first volume, now we have the Mesa Alignment which promotes genetical modification of the human genome beyond the currently accepted protocols) and much more about the self-aware AI's - called synthetic intelligences which have full personhood and rights under the Asimov protocols etc
Another good ending at a perfect tbc point and the only thing I don't like, namely that we have to wait until March 2025 for the next installment...
Highly recommended and continuing to fulfill the promise of the first volume....more
Very entertaining with great characters and set-up. While the storyline is a familiar one, the execution matters a lot and here it kept me turning theVery entertaining with great characters and set-up. While the storyline is a familiar one, the execution matters a lot and here it kept me turning the pages until I finished it and I definitely plan to read the second series book next.
The universe is also fairly familiar - a central "democratic" and super powerful human polity dominated to a large extent by corrupt and profit-seeking giant interstellar corporations, United Worlds here, the plucky small kingdom of Adamant on the far side of the human space with six habitable worlds and a locally powerful navy, with close enemies (the Richelieu Dominion) and friends (the Concordat of Amal Jadid the native polity of Frederick Adamant-Griffin, the Prince Consort and father of our heroine, lt commander Lorraine Adamant, youngest and fourth in succession to her mother Valeriya the "King" of Adamant), other local polities of the fringe cluster where Adamant is located with diverse relationships in-between and with the UW looming over them.
The government of Adamant, a democratic monarchy has the interesting feature that it doesn't have a crown prince/princess but 5 Pentarchs - in the usual succession order but all need to be over 18, so Lorraine is now 4th Pentarch as the youngest daughter after her two older brothers and older sister but when her twin baby nieces will become of age in 17 years, she will fall out of the Pentarchy, unless the "King" retires or dies and then a 6-month election from the 5 Pentarchs at the time decides the next ruler.
Similarly, her favorite uncle, Benjamin, commander of the Adamant Navy and famed admiral who decisively defeated the Richelieu Dominion in their latest aggressive war a decade past is now 5th Pentarch, though he used to be Second Pentarch and one of the succession favorites alongside his sister Valeriya, but he was badly injured in the accident that killed their father so couldn't really contest the election and lost to his sister, loss which he seemed to have taken with grace, at least until now decades later...
Lorraine, now 28, admired and loved his uncle who taught her the military arts and much more - they have been keeping a long-distance chess contest for years in which Lorraine only recently started having occasional success - and she was eager to follow in his footsteps in the Navy, even being ready to resign her Pentarchy in favor of her cousin, Benjamin's heir, just before the action of the book starts as she most likely would anyway fall out of it in the future...
So when deployed on a space mission on the frigate Goldenrod and Benjamin executes his coup murdering all of Lorraine's family except potentially her second brother who was an army officer and could have been protected by the army who didn't love Benjamin for reasons explained in the book, Lorraine barely escapes assassination by luck and timely action of her chief bodyguard, major Vigo, only to be numb with grief and incredulity that her uncle could have done such a thing. After somehow internalizing all, she realizes that her uncle would have a bunch of other options for her neutralization, from more direct assassination attempts to destroying the ship, to simply faking proof that Lorraine was behind the murders (of course Benjamin faked an attempt on himself too which he "luckily" survived and then took power as emergency Regent until future time when the election for King could be held) so she has to think fast on her feet, hope that both her guard and the crew of Goldenrod would stay loyal and assess her options to respond...
The other interesting thing is the translight mode of travel (slower of course than wormholing) which is done in integral multiples of the speed of light (quanta of c) and of course that dictates a lot of the strategy and tactics of the book.
Overall excellent stuff so far and with a good ending at a tbc point, I am really eager to see what happens next and I highly recommend this series....more
Disappointing in the series context - maybe if you want horror sf or a forever war pastiche you will like it more, but I am not a fan of either and exDisappointing in the series context - maybe if you want horror sf or a forever war pastiche you will like it more, but I am not a fan of either and except for having the humans seemingly as the main enemy of the Caryx, I cannot say there was anything really of interest. One can give it a pass since the blurb makes clear its main point anyway....more
Very interesting book - a mix of philosophical SF, (dumb) AI based future utopia, world-building, and vignette-type action - that offers a lot in partVery interesting book - a mix of philosophical SF, (dumb) AI based future utopia, world-building, and vignette-type action - that offers a lot in parts but ultimately doesn't quite pull it together at the end to truly deliver a memorable sf novel.
Still what we get is very good, entertaining, and with the usual flourishes of the author from a discussion about the mythical author Julie or (maybe Jule) Verne or the famous fictional character Alias in Wonderland, to walking on the core of a planet (see Verne) and so on.
Also typical are the sort of general conclusions of the author that we see in other novels, namely that utopia infantilizes humanity and people need toil and suffering to live meaningful lives as well as that religion blinkers are in practice worse than generic la-la land ones as the actual killers are Christians who believe they converse with the Devil and then try and stop him (he appears as The Gentleman) committing murder, while of course in the process doing the deed themselves, while the rest of the people there just argue about the meaning of the corresponding apparition as per their beliefs (benign aliens, genocidal humans etc) but do nothing...
Overall quite good but uneven in parts and ultimately not quite living up to the early promises. Still recommended and worth reading....more
Excellent sequel to Artifact Space bringing the storyline to a definite conclusion (a bit cute admittedly but I loved it). There is a lot of new inforExcellent sequel to Artifact Space bringing the storyline to a definite conclusion (a bit cute admittedly but I loved it). There is a lot of new information, a lot of explanation of what came before, and the seemingly unusual advancement of Marca, aliens galore, space battles galore, intrigue, and all one wanted after the first book. And to top it off, looks like we will have two more (at least) novels in the series as of course there are many possibilities for new storylines.
Highly recommended and top 5 of the year for me....more
Starts great with lots of mystery and promise in a very interesting far future Solar System setting but it doesn't quite sustain that promise as thereStarts great with lots of mystery and promise in a very interesting far future Solar System setting but it doesn't quite sustain that promise as there is too much of the heroes in impossible situations saved in the last minute by this or that; similarly the villains are a bit too powerfully villainous and the suspension of disbelief gets quite frayed at times. However the main storyline is more or less resolved and the book ends on a promising note so I definitely recommend it as an entertaining read with some imbalance but regaining its initial promise by the end with sequel of interest....more
The best volume in the series since volume 4 which completed so brilliantly the series first part; though in many ways it is just a setup for the finaThe best volume in the series since volume 4 which completed so brilliantly the series first part; though in many ways it is just a setup for the final confrontation (maybe or maybe not of course) with Narthon but it brought back the sense of wonder of those first four volumes that was only occasionally seen in the following ones since; and a truly crazy ending only added to that feeling that finally we are again going somewhere after good but somewhat of the author too much in love with his characters type last two volumes especially.
Highly recommended and definitely exceeded my expectations...more
As an Expanse dropout (after the second book I think), I didn't really expect much from this one though the premise was intriguing - in the vein of saAs an Expanse dropout (after the second book I think), I didn't really expect much from this one though the premise was intriguing - in the vein of say When Heaven Fell (W Barton) which was a big favorite at the time - though as it turned out The Mercy of Gods reminded me considerably more of the latter Rama books, where a few humans - top of the class in their fields like here, though there they were from various such, while here they are a top biology team cracking the mystery of the local alien life on a planet where humans found themselves transplanted 3000+ years back and developed an advanced techonological society - found themselves in a strange new world among lots of aliens, mostly incomprehensible to them and where they have to make a life and purpose - here the aliens are indifferent to hostile and demanding while the Rama ones were more benign, though still indifferent and some quite hostile, especially in the brutal spinoff series...
With great memorable characters and lots of "this is how science works today - at least one of the authors is clearly a survivor of the brutal academic fights for status and grants as the whole brilliant lab team that forms the core of the human heroes reads very real from my academic experience, from the top leader reminding everyone all the time he is the boss, to the jockeying of his senior staff for position in the group, to the do as you are told and do not question us status of the junior researchers, to the fight against competitor groups and to impress the funding administrators" - and interludes from two different alien perspectives, The Mercy of Gods is quite dark and brutal in its own way, but is extremely compelling, a page turner that one doesn't want to put down and an excellent read. Ending at a good tbc moment, the series promises to be a superb one and the next volume is a huge asap.
An excellent sf book of ideas and world-building; if one expects action or nuanced characters this is not for them as the book reads like an old-fashiAn excellent sf book of ideas and world-building; if one expects action or nuanced characters this is not for them as the book reads like an old-fashioned contest of ideas within a fairly inventive ecological world-building. Not the fastest or energetic read to start with, it took me a while to get into it but then it became fascinating and I started turning the pages to see where it goes and what else comes up.
The setup is fairly simple - in a future universe of human expansion to the stars, a few polities dominate - the Core from which our main character POV, Ren Markov is a diplomat and special operative, is a sort of more evolved version of our (western) civilization of today, the Hanseatic League is a corporate polity of worlds (could be seen as another trajectory of our civilization today where the corporations took completely over) and the Old Worlds seems to be a more ideological future version dominated by religion and a strict moral code - it is the least presented of the three main player civilizations so really hard to compare but the names there seem to be Russian based...
Travel (both planetary and interstellar) is done by (manufactured) gateways which allow for instantaneous travel and there are fairly powerful ai's that seem not to be sentient though. Some decades before the start of the action, the Archipelago (Arc), a smallish colony-polity of a few worlds, in an out-of-the-way place with few gateways started developing a distinct socio-economic structure that was anti-corporate (earning the ire of the Hanseatic league which was one of the main investors there) and anti-"democratic" for the value of democratic that means politics and elections, so as usual the Core and Hanseatic agents helped along a "regime change" to a more congenial government - but the ideologues of the Arc expected that and prepared well, embedding their people in the new structure, so one day they mounted a surprise coup and destroyed all the gateways to the rest of human space except one that they closed. Lots of people, including Ren's parents who were from the Arc, got stranded wherever they were in the rest of the human space, though Ren, born on an insignificant Core agricultural planet where his (now deceased) parents settled, met and married, a planet which Ren left for the center of core space at the first opportunity, has very little knowledge of as his parents rarely talked about the Arc.
Now, 50 years later (and probably not coincidentally the time needed for sublight military expeditions from the powerful polities to arrive secretly in the Arc and prepare to "take it back"), the Arc wants to talk and reestablish relations, so they invite a delegation from the powers above. Ren is selected by his powerful boss Astrid the long-serving leader of foreign relations of the Core to go as the leader of the delegation and see what's up; Astrid knows that the Core hasn't prepared for a secret attack on the Arc, but suspects that the Hanseatic League and/or the old Worlds did so, hence Ren has a dual mandate - the official one to see what the Arc is about, if it's really a perverted totalitarian state oppressing their citizens or if it can mesh with the Core at least on some points etc and a secret one to look out for signs of an invasion, monitor his colleagues from the other polities for signs of preparing and abetting such and warning the Arc leaders if Ren feels the Arc is a reasonable polity and of course has a chance of resisting the invasion.
And so it goes and we slowly go through the Arc's reality and secrets with Ren whose main contact, Oso-Rae an Arc mid-level Central Control operative with her own doubts about the Arc's ideology of "ecological humanism", turns out to be a distant cousin...
With a very good and appropriate ending that leaves room for more in the fascinating universe of this novel, I highly recommend it and I would definitely be interested in more in this universe....more
very disappointing series finale (at least presumably as I didn't really get any sense of closure of the storyline so who knows despite the blurb procvery disappointing series finale (at least presumably as I didn't really get any sense of closure of the storyline so who knows despite the blurb proclaiming it as such, there may be more in the series); disjointed in a way that the other two books weren't despite their multiple pov's and I kind of lost interest early on and turned the pages more from duty and to see if it gets better, but sadly it didn't...more
Interesting premise and energetic writing but somewhat muddled execution.Still interested in the second series book and hopefully that will do justiceInteresting premise and energetic writing but somewhat muddled execution.Still interested in the second series book and hopefully that will do justice to the fascinating setup....more
The second book in the Ascent to Empire saga detailing the fall of the Terran Federation (due to the corruption generated by its long war with the TerThe second book in the Ascent to Empire saga detailing the fall of the Terran Federation (due to the corruption generated by its long war with the Terran League instigated by the alien Rish - the League fares even worse as it happens) and the rise of the Terran Empire under admiral Terrence Murphy whose house of Murphy still rules centuries later at the time of the Fury novel.
Direct sequel to Governor, though it goes a bit slower (as events go not as timeline) and a bit differently than I expected - but it follows the logic of the transformation of Terrence (and many of his friends and subordinates) from loyal sons of the Federation wanting to expose the Rish involvement in the war, so stop it, to improving the treatment of the exploited Fringe worlds (1/10-1/5 of the economic power of the Heart worlds but 2/3 of the Navy and Marines and 90% of the ones doing the dying in the 60 years old war) to reforming the Federation, to realizing that the Five Hundred are so corrupt and bent on utter destruction (including genocide of entire planets of the Fringe) of anyone threatening their exploitation of the Fringe or stopping the war which allowed for their control and massive enrichment (there is a cool sort of speech about this by the actual secretive leader - or at least first among equals of the Five Hundred who usually stays in the background) so only the destruction of the Five Hundred's power by armed force will do...
A few more characters (including a brutal general who epitomizes the methods of the Five Hundred, some more League characters, and of course Fringe leaders), cameos from some of the favorite first volume characters like Silas or the corrupt politician Doyle - a family friend of the powerful Thakore clan - Murphy's in-laws - who got Terry the New Dublin command - and only a little of Callum and Eira and their first intimate romantic scene that comes to quite a sudden and unexpected end... Oh, and Logan finally gets to exorcise his demons (his, we execute people by lethal injection now part, is really cool)
Excellent stuff and fulfilling my high expectations though in slightly different ways than I thought the story would go. Top of the year, while volume 3 (tentatively titled Dictator) is the next huge asap from D Weber....more
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