Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 2) by Michael Listen - Fun And Thoughtful Space Opera

Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 2) by Michael Listen

The second installment of the Echo space opera duology is a satisfying end to a story that I found spellbinding and just plain fun to read.

In the first book, the reader gets to know Kai Randall, a bit of a pirate with a good heart and a solid sense of justice. He becomes an unlikely hero when he rescues Shreya Nova, a scientist and military officer whom he rescues despite the beating she gives him during their first meeting. Added to those two are Perri Hasana, a young woman who has ambitions of being a pilot but is an apprentice to Kai (click here to see my review of the previous book). Together, Kai and Perri gains Shreya's trust sufficiently enough for them to help find her missing husband who was kidnapped during the test flight of a new propulsion system.

Echo 1 was loaded with gut busting humor in an otherwise tragic story of loss and brutality. This volume takes a bit of a darker turn and is terrifying when we finally meet the alien race responsible for the kidnapping and all of Shreya's heartaches. Add to that the continuation of one of the most despicable characters I have ever met in a story, and you get an amazing story to tug at your emotions and might even take you to the breaking point.

Ignoring all available evidence to the contrary, Shreya refuses to accept that her husband is dead and will continue to search for him until she has evidence otherwise, and she is willing to go to any lengths to learn the truth. Kai wakes after healing from injuries he sustained in the previous novel and realizes the feelings he has for his young apprentice.

With a bounty on his head, Kai and his crew head off to an uncharted region of the galaxy and encounter a race of beings so powerful, it is doubtful they will survive.

The action and adventure ramps up to a captivating and satisfying conclusion that will absolutely break the reader's heart along the way. Be sure to have a box of tissues handy as you read this one!

My favorite plot point for this second book revolves around one of the most powerfully compelling characters in any story I have ever read. That would be in the person of Parri Hasana. She is quick-witted, highly intelligent, and able to adapt to unfamiliar situations. I place Parri at the top of my list of the greatest of female characters along with Ellen Ripley.

My takeaway from both parts of Michael's duology is the role of persistence in them. I once saw a quote: "Success is not the absence of failure; it's the persistence through failure." The quote is attributed to Aisha Tyler. First, there is Kai. He could have easily just walked away from Shreya at any time, yet something inside him spurs him on and emphasizes his humane side. Shreya will not give up on her husband, no matter what. And Parri continues to follow her heart. She will not give up on winning Kai's heart.

Even the villains show monumental persistence. The evil commander who tortured Shreya in Echo 1 is back, and he is not giving up seeking his revenge. And there are the aliens who have persistence at their very nature.

In short, the Echo Space Opera Duology, is among the best Sci-Fi I have ever read. It is an amazing, well-told saga that runs a full gamut of emotional content. It will entertain and inspire readers, and I give it my highest recommendations. Don't miss this one. The story unfolds at a good pace and is hard to set aside once you start reading.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michael Listen lives in Oklahoma with his wife and two children. After his time in the Navy, he moved into the Information Technology profession. However, he has always had a passion for art and creativity. He enjoys crafting stories for role-playing sessions with friends or writing short stories for his wife. His first full-length published book was a two-part science fiction space opera titled Echo.

Well, there it is...

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Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 1) By Michael Listen - This Story Has It All - Great Space Opera

Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 1) By Michael Listen

Every now and then, I discover a story that is so compelling, I cannot stop reading for hours at a time. Such a story unfolds in my mind like a movie and is filled with characters who jump off the page and become like real people I care about and invest in. I've been told there should be a surprise in every chapter, on every page, in every paragraph, and in every sentence. This work by Michael Listen is just such a novel.

This story is supercharged with a full range of emotion, from gut-busting laughter at the humor to an evil character so appalling. I cannot wait to see him getting his due.

In this time when anyone can publish their work in the blink of an eye, this is an example of a story that will rise to the top and scream, "Read Me Now!" I cannot imagine any fan of sci-fi space opera that wouldn’t enjoy this story.

It finally happened. All the fossil fuels on Earth were all used up, and humanity had to move away and live among the stars. In the galaxy's vastness, factions arose, and wars broke out and there were those who did their best to make a living. Such was the lot of Kai Randal, the master of a small shuttle. He, along with his apprentice, Parri Hasana, travel around moving small cargos from one place to another, and they also seek opportunities to earn a living and keep their small ship running.

Shreya Nova is a scientist and soldier in the Ursae Dynasty who, along with her husband, are working under a deadline to develop a propulsion system that will allow ships to travel vast distances quickly. She is used to living very well, but when a test fails to provide the desired results, Shreya's husband is lost when the test vehicle is destroyed on the return trip. The failure results in Shreya being ruined and doomed to indentured servitude to a despotic commander who bankrolled the project.

Kai and Parri are on hand for the events as they try to steal the files from the tests. Kai becomes the unlikely hero, saving Shreya from death in the vacuum in space and so begins a precarious relationship where survival is uncertain.

The characters in Echo are amazingly well developed, interesting, and are what drives this story. They all have personalities and flaws as one would expect in reality.

Kai is a forty-something veteran of the Unified Corporate Colonies (UCC) Navy. Retired from the military, he makes a marginal living providing services as he moves between systems. He has a sense of justice and is strongly opposed to slavery, his big motive for working so hard to keep Shreya safe. It also has a moral center that seems quite sound. As he travels with Parri, a young woman who is half his age, he knows his boundaries and sticks to them even though Parri often makes it difficult.

Parri wants to be a pilot. She is in her early to mid-twenties and can be brattish and one gets the impression she is used to getting her way most of the time. But she is also smart and tough. Parri is a very dynamic character, and one cannot help but like this kid. She has a quick wit and is constantly on Kai's case about one thing or another.

These two characters are a source of humor in the story and are brilliantly written. Their relationship is full of tension, but through it all, Kai loves her as a mentor, but Parri wants more from their relationship, maybe more than Kai is willing to give. Parri seems to be in too much of a hurry to grow up.

Shreya Aurelia is on a quest to learn the fate of her lost husband. She refuses to believe he is dead and will not give up until she knows his fate for certain. Shreya has a strong personality and bounces back even in the worse of situations. She has an aristocratic tendency to take charge of things because that is the way of her culture, which often clashes with Kai's culture.

The evil antagonist in the novel is Prefect Marcus Ovius of the Ursaen Legion. He is a despotic commander in charge of getting a new faster-than-light drive built and running, and he has used his own funds to complete the project. This character has no redeeming qualities, and it isn't long before the reader will find him downright despicable.

At one point in the story, Kai, Parri, and Shreya pay a visit to Parri's home planet. Without going into too much detail, Parri displays a desire to take her and Kai's relationship to a new level. This point of the plot allows for a major relief in the tension the author has built in the story and is a source for numerous surprises and a lot of hilarity. While it is a break in the action, it also serves to build tension between our heroes. It gives the reader a chance to catch their breath before the tension builds to the end of the book, which ends in a cliffhanger.

Another plot point I enjoyed is the extensive world building. Listen does an amazing job of setting the scene all the way through this tale and the reader can easily visualize the backdrops behind the story. The details are astounding but not overstated. It is obvious the author has put in a lot of thought to build a universe in which the action can unfold naturally.

My takeaway from Echo is how it demonstrates that all glory is fleeting. No matter how powerful or wealthy one becomes, it can all be lost in the blink of an eye. There is a very thin line between wealth and poverty, freedom and slavery, and benevolence and despotism. While Shreya learns this as a member of a system that allows for it, Kai and Parri see it from the outside. Kai is appalled by what he deems unjust and is willing to fight it, even though it may cost him his life. 

Echo Book 1 is an excellent first novel from author Michael Listen. I hope for more in the future. He has a real handle on writing sci-fi including great world building and characters one can enjoy reading about. 

I loved this first book and will be reporting back with a review of the second book soon.

This is one that space opera fans should not pass by. It is fun, entertaining, hilarious, and appalling (in the right ways). There are characters to love and some to hate. The science isn't too farfetched for those who can take a little time and suspend their disbelief. I give Echo #1 my highest recommendations for some great Sci-Fi!

If you are interested in further information on this book, go to https://authormichaelliste.wixsite.com/authormlisten for more material, histories, maps, and behind the scenes information related directly to this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michael Listen lives in Oklahoma with his wife and two children. After his time in the Navy, he moved into the Information Technology profession. However, Michael has always had a passion for art and creativity. He enjoys crafting stories for role-playing sessions with friends or writing short stories for his wife. His first full-length published book was a two-part science fiction space opera titled Echo.

Well, there it is...

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WIne Dark Deep (Book 1) By R. Peter Keith - A Hard Sci-Fi Novella Packed Full Of Greatness!

Wine Dark Deep: Wine Dark Deep Book 1 By R. Peter Keith

I downloaded this book for free from Kindle Unlimited and am leaving this review voluntarily.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized I actually had a little time to read something that I wanted to read for a change. I had no promises for reviews and was between Honor Harrington books for the podcast, so I could just read for fun. I searched through my Kindle library to see if there was anything there I’d been putting off. I found this one that has been sitting on my reader for a few months. Seeing it was only 144 pages, decided to give it a look.

Wine Dark Deep is the first of a set of three novellas and is the story of a mission commander working to avert disaster for his ship and crew. There is a lot in this story, and it moves at a breakneck pace. It is full of easy-to-understand hard science and focuses on the main character's exploits to keep from being marooned in our solar system’s asteroid belt.

I read it in two sittings, loved it, and am looking forward to the next two installments of the series.

Ulysses mission commander, Calvin Scott, awaits a delivery of fuel as his ship runs dangerously low. He learns that the crew of the Ceres mining station, where his fuel is expected to arrive from, is no longer serving Earth-based ships. It seems the people who live and work on the asteroid have decided they are not being properly represented back home and are making their point by taking over from their bosses.

Whether Cal agrees with the dissenters or not, he has a ship and crew depending on him for their survival in deep space, and far as he is concerned, failure is not an option. His solution is to take the Ulysses to Ceres and get the fuel he needs by any means necessary.

The principal character of Wine Dark Deep, Calvin Scott, is a take charge commander who puts the safety of his ship and crew above all else. When the fuel wouldn't come to him, he knew he needed to go and get it to complete the mission as well as simply survive. What I liked most about him was how cool he was under fire. He understands that launching into a panic will not solve the problem. He would prefer not to get into a squabble with the rebellious workers on the asteroid but is quite capable of doing so if necessary.

I am hoping for more development of this character as we revisit him in future novellas.

My favorite point of plot for this story is how well the technology is handled. This is hard sci-fi, but any reader should be able to access what is contained in this novel easily enough.

My takeaway from Wine Dark Deep is to remember that sometimes, if a job needs doing, one must do it themselves.

I immensely enjoyed this opening story of the Wine Dark Deep trilogy. There isn't a lot of fluff in the book and the fast pace of the story will drive a reader to finish it quickly. The blurb states the story is inspired by The Expanse, Star Trek, and The Martian. It is clear to see the influences of all three of those franchises contained in these pages. Cal is as professional as Kirk, the workers on the asteroid seek the equality enjoyed by everyone else as in the Expanse novels, and the element of survival in an extremely hostile environment comes from The Martian.

As mentioned before, it is a fast read and most will want to read this in one sitting. It is available to borrow on Kindle Unlimited, and if one chooses, it is available for the Kindle for $1.

I recommend Wine Dark Deep for fans of Science Fiction and Space Opera.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

R. Peter Keith is the creative director of a NASA Space Act Agreement partner company that specializes in the design, fabrication, and exhibition of museum exhibits and interactive experiences. He's flown the NASA-Langley Lunar Lander Simulator to a landing in front of the Moon McDonalds (there really is a McDonalds on the moon in that NASA simulator, he has pics) and has spent time inside an original Apollo LM and the Orion Spacecraft with one of its engineers.

Keith collaborated with NASA to produce a simulation-Based exhibition that focused on the basic concepts of spaceflight and their possible application in the colonization of our solar system. On its premier, the exhibition broke all attendance records for Space Center Houston, the official NASA Visitor Center for the Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut program.

The many long, thoughtful, and technical conversations with NASA experts and advisors from Houston, Langly, and JPL that occurred during the creation of this exhibition and its seven simulators and related programs provided the germ of the idea that became the Wine Dark Deep series.

Keith lives in Vermont with his wife, kids, and dogs. He has hung on to an old car for so long it has become cool again and has done the same with a few pairs of pants. He has an unreasonable love for all speculative fiction, having grown up with both classic literary and film works as well as the wonders of Marvel Comics, Star Trek, and Star blazers. He's an avid video game fan as well as a voracious reader.

Bloodstained Skies: The Core Of Rage By Dagmar Rokita - Dark Sci-Fi Space Opera That May Remind You Of Halo And Star Wars

Bloodstained Skies: Core of Rage by Dagmar Rokita

Core of Rage is a dark, sci-fi space opera that is good for readers who enjoy Dune, Halo, Star Wars, and Warhammer. That is, according to Dagmar Rokita, the author of this tale.

I found it a little difficult to get into at first. I kind of missed the background, but what I got from context is there is a faction calling itself the Union that has taken over governance of numerous worlds, much as the Galactic Empire of Star Wars fame. However, the Union's grip is slipping to a very well-armed rebellion as they fight to take back what they have lost. There isn't a lot of detail about the Union. I can only assume there will be more detail about them as the series moves forward with details.

The strength of this book for me was in the principal character, Cerridwen Felvennis. Another strength I enjoyed was the battle scenes, both in space and hand-to-hand in nature. 

Here is the synopsis from the back of the book.

After years of tension, war has finally come to the Union worlds. Hordes of rebels, seeking revenge for their lost worlds, ravage the Peripheral Zones.

One of the leaders of the rebellion is Charon Antares, a strict and shrewd warrior who doesn't accept any weaknesses or cowardice. He has been struggling for years to liberate his planet, Zetherion, from Union control. When another one of his braver missions ends in disaster, the rich and powerful sovereign plans to deprive him of his authority. To save his status, Antares agrees to execute her insane order that may cost the lives of thousands of his people. 

A young and easy-going girl named Cerridwen lives in a peaceful world. One day, by accident, she comes in Antares way. When she finds out about the tragedy that happened to her family, she vows revenge, but without collaboration with Antares and the rebels, she cannot fulfill her plan. 

Meanwhile, a group of the Union scientists decides to end the rebel's invasions, once and for all - they build a deadly, inhumane weapon out of sight of the government.

The principal character, Cerridwen, is a twenty-year-old female character who is secure in her situation and in herself. She possesses skills that allow her to take care of herself and lives on with her father, who is a politician in the Union. She is captured and taken off planet where she is being held by a rebel who wants all the information she might have. When she learns her father has been murdered, she has a strong suspicion about who may be responsible and becomes obsessed with avenging herself upon the offending party. The problem is that she must allow herself to be used as she uses the rebels to achieve her goals.

The best point in the plot occurs later in the book when Cerridwen thinks her way out of an impossible situation to survive and continue her quest. I thought this was a brilliant bit of writing and I couldn't stop reading until the situation was resolved.

There is a devastating weapon introduced in the story that was also very interesting. A brutal killing machine that seemed unbeatable. It was an invention of the Union and designed to end the rebellion forever. If you're thinking Death Star, forget it. The ultimate weapon in this story is far more believable than any of those introduced in Star Wars, and it is on a much smaller scale, but nonetheless dangerous.

My takeaway from Core of Rage is to remember no matter how one thinks they may know the answer, one must also consider they may be wrong.

I would have to further say that the main theme that came to me from the book is obsession. It can sometimes be tragic when one throws caution to the wind and is willing to continue to chase a goal by compromising one’s own ideals.

I enjoyed Core of Rage for the most part. There were a few times I found myself a little confused because there are a lot of different factions to keep track of. Once in a while, I had trouble keeping track of just who was who in the story. Outside of that, I was engaged and entertained as I read. I look forward to more stories in this series as the author continues to grow and develop.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dagmar Rokita is a Polish writer and an artist. She writes and illustrates a dark sci-fi series called Bloodstained Skies. There are two things that inspire her: imaginary world of geek culture and the deepest corners of human psychology. Huge doses of heavy metal and history are her creative fuel. She wants to become a famous artist because she needs money to buy sophisticated food for her cat.

Milk Run: A Smuggler's Tale By Nathan Lowell - A Brilliant Spin Off From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper

Milk Run: A Smuggler’s Tale From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper: Book One by Nathan Lowell

Regular readers to this blog are well aware that I, and many, many others, have fallen in love with Nathan Lowell’s books about life in the “Deep Dark” as ships of various sizes and shapes travel between star systems delivering passengers and goods. Milk Run is the first of what will become a series of stories that will explore the darker side of traveling in space outside of the jurisdiction of the Confederated Planets Joint Comission on Trade (CPJCT). Space is a dangerous place in Nathan’s universe where there is little or no law, except for that of “honor among thieves.”

The story opens with what appears to be an act of self defense that might be interpreted as murder by the Trade Investigation Commission (TIC) which sends two Academy graduates on the run to Toe-Hold Space, a place with little regulation or law. Natalya Regyri, recent graduate and owner of a small scout ship known as the Perigrine, are forced to go on the run with her best friend and fellow graduate Zoya Usoko to escape prosecution under false pretenses. Figuring that they will be safe, Natalya heads toward space that is not under the control of the CPJCT where she plans to use her vessel to make a living as a courier ship between systems. However, when Natalya and Zoya arrive near Dark Knight Station, they discover that the Perigrine has a damaged part that must be replaced before they can start their enterprise.

Natalya learns that it is going to be prohibitively expensive to have her ship repaired at Dark Knight and decides to sign on to work on a bar-bell freighter for a one-time trip to earn enough to get the part she needs so she can get down to business. She and Zoya accept a job offer from Mr. Kondur, the owner of Dark Knight Station, to sail with Captain Trask and a rag-tag crew to deliver a cargo to Siren Station and to bring a cargo back; it is promised to be a “milk run,” but thanks to a few twists and turns, and a few shady characters on board, the journey becomes anything but easy when it is discovered that a locker full of spare parts has been raided and replaced with worthless junk.

Those that are familiar with Dr. Lowell’s previous stories should be pleasantly surprised at the different tack that Milk Run takes from the Ishmael Wang stories where everything is well regulated and maintained. In Toe-Hold space, it would seem that most anything goes as long as the job gets done and the cargo gets delivered. This, at first is a foreign concept to Natalya being just fresh out of the Academy, but soon she finds a way to fit in with the routine on board. She knows her stuff and is quickly assigned the position of de facto chief engineer of the ship under Steve Pritchard, the “official” engineer on board.

Dr. Lowell has a smooth and flowing writing style that makes any of his stories difficult to put down. He writes characters that are easy to believe and relate to, and are often people that I would like to meet and get to know. In this story, there are characters all across the spectrum including those that are good people and bad, some are shady and mysterious, while some are just trying to earn a little extra money; they are ordinary people doing a job under extraordinary conditions. A reader can find characters in Milk Run to care about right from the start of the tale, but there are some that one has to take a little time to warm up to, as well as a few that one can see will be trouble as the story unfolds. Milk Run reads a little like a whodunit with all of the elements of the story satisfyingly resolved by the end of the book. For the most part, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to future installments, but at the same time, I was a tiny bit disappointed by the ending because it did feel a little rushed to finish. The resolution of the missing spare parts part of the story happened at a pace that was much faster than the rest of the book.

Please don’t let my nit-picky observation on the ending deter you from enjoying yet another great story. This one comes from the darker side of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper and opens up a new aspect of the universe created by this brilliant author.  It is well worth a look and I highly recommend it for fans of space opera that appreciate a story that focuses more on character than on conflict.

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The Middle Of Nowhere (Star Wolf Book 3) By David Gerrold - The Penultimate Story Of A Great Series!

The Middle of Nowhere (Star Wolf Book 3) by David Gerrold

The LS-1187 Star Wolf has returned from its mission to rescue with the Burk. While the Burke was lost with all hands owed to the efforts of the Morethan assassin Cinnabar, the Star Wolf did manage to destroy the Morethan ship Dragon Lord at the cost of thirteen of its crew, including its captain leaving Commander Jon Korie in command and having the unenviable task of dealing with Cinnabar, who transferred to the Star Wolf before the Burk was destroyed.

In this installment of the Star Wolf  saga by David Gerrold, the Star Wolf is a crippled ship thanks to the efforts of Cinnabar and is in need of decontamination and refit so they can rejoin the fight against the Morethans. Unfortunately, Commander Korie learns that the Burk was sent out as a decoy to lure the enemy ship Dragon Lord in, and the Star Wolf was sent to keep the Morethan ship busy while capturing the Burk, which had been booby trapped for the Morethans.

While Korie and his crew managed to kill Cinnabar, they didn’t know what he had with him when he boarded the Star Wolf. Cinnabar managed to bring along Imps; small, stealthy creatures that when let loose, continue to sabotage the ship while avoiding capture. So, the Star Wolf hangs in space, away from Spacedock in quarantine indefinitely, that is until Korie learns that his ship will not be repaired, it is to be decommissioned and he is to make parts from the Star Wolf available to any other ship that requests them. Furthermore, he also learns that he is not to be made captain of the ship and that the Burk is going to be given credit for the destruction of the Dragon Lord.

More determined than ever, Korie decides to make an effort to get his ship fit enough to get back in the fight, but first the crew will have to deal with the imp, who has the knowledge to destroy the ship and kill all hands aboard.

The Middle of Nowhere is a book full of chases. One crewman is sent on a quest to find a particular tool while another pursues a relationship with an unlikely partner, and everyone is looking to capture the imp that is wreaking havoc everywhere on the ship. The Star Wolfe really is stuck in the middle of nowhere because they cannot return to their base for repairs; the imp might jump ship and begin to infect the Spacedock, which would severely cripple the war effort.

My favorite story line is a subplot involving one young crewman named Gatineau. When Crewman Third Class Robert Gatineau reports to his department head, he is sent to find and bring back a “left-handed moebius wrench.” What the author does is send Gatineau on a search for a non-existent tool which at first seems like the youngster is being hazed. With every stop, he is given some of the dirtiest duties to perform on the ship and when that is completed, he is then sent to the next place to find the tool. What at first seems like hazing, actually turns out to be a hands-on training program that other members of the crew have endured. Gatineau didn’t know his way from one place to the other until he was sent on this “tour,” and when it was finally over and he was let in on the secret, he knew the ship and it’s many functions very well. But this subplot is not only for the benefit of the character, but for the reader as well, we also get to know the ship and it’s functions. This was a brilliant bit of writing by David Gerrold that I really appreciate. With each chapter involving Gatineau in the first half of the book, we learn a lot about the setting of the story and get an understanding of how the ship functions.

The hero of the story is Commander Jonathan T. Korie, First Officer of the LS-1187. Ships are not given names until they have been successful in battle. Korie was supposed to take command from Captain Lowell, the first commander of the ship. On their first shakedown cruise, the LS-1187 led a Morethan fleet to the convoy which they were charged with escorting. The convoy was decimated and the LS-1187 was crippled beyond the ability of the crew to repair. Lowell was killed and Korie assumed command and used some strange methods to get his ship home, which took six months of very uncomfortable travel through dangerous parts of space. The Morethans also attacked many colonies while the LS-1187 limped back to Spacedock. One of those planets was where Korie’s wife and two sons were living.

Korie is, understandably, very angry about this and instead of mourning his loss, he deals with it by throwing himself into his job and directing his anger at the enemy, and obsessively so. This is his main obstacle to being promoted to command of his own vessel. Even though the fleet is desperately in need of commanders, and Korie has the qualifications and training to be a great commander, he is being held back because, as Captain Hardesty tells him, he is “feral” and “wild, “ and therefore not ready to command his own ship. There is a glimmer of hope for him though, because the admiral informs him that they do have plans for him.

I love David Gerrold’s writing because it reads like classic science fiction in the same vein as the greats, but with his own style. As I read his work, the level of professionalism shines through. Each sentence flows into the next as the story unfolds making it easy to read, even when the author discusses technical aspects of the ship’s operations and technology. This story covers a lot of emotional ground as well, but I find myself cheering for Commander Korie to get his command, but when he is ready, which will hopefully happen in the fourth and final book in the Star Wolfe series.

My highest recommendations for fans of space opera and hard science fiction goes with this, and the previous three books in the series.

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The Legacy Code Bundle By Autumn Kalquist - Excellent and Engaging Sci-Fi

Fractured Era: The Legacy Code Bundle (Books 1-3) (Fractured Era Series) by Autumn Kalquist

The girl’s basketball team from the school in which I work made it to the state tournament last weekend. So you ask, what does that have to do with Sci-Fi? Well for me it meant spending roughly twelve hours on a school bus over three days riding back and forth to Lincoln, Nebraska where the tournament is held, which further means that I had the opportunity to get some reading done to pass the time. As an aside, reading helps to pass the time on a long trip very well. At an my rate, I read most of Autumn Kalquist’s bundle of Fractured Era stories during the ride to and from Lincoln. I could not have chosen better because these books held me mesmerized for the entire time.

The Legacy Code Bundle consists of three books that are set in a dystopian future in which the entire population of Earth, or at least what is left of it, has been forced to leave in search of another place where they can settle and rebuild civilization. There are several ships in which the people are traveling that have become generational ships moving from planet to planet gathering resources to make jump gates to traverse the light years.

Life aboard the ships is hard for the majority of the people as they used are assigned work mostly based on what their parents are. Some are workers that have hazardous jobs that often leave people maimed or even dead, while others inherit the commands of ships after serving as a kind of police force to uphold the rules that govern the fleet. At the head of everything is the president and a board that come from the various ships that meet when necessary. There are many aboard the ships that are not happy with their situations and become rebellious. Such people are considered traitors and the penalty for treason is being “airlocked,” or ejected from the ship after being summarily found guilty and stripped naked to preserve resources.

The specifics of the reason that the feet took to space some three-hundred years in the past are not specifically spelled out in this series at this point because most of the stories are centered on individuals rather than past circumstances.

The first of the three books is titled Better World and centers on a young woman who has just turned eighteen and is so unhappy with her life that she has decided to airlock herself. Maeve is stopped from committing suicide by her friend, Dritan, a fellow worker. She is determined to end her misery caused partly by the conditions on the ship, and partly because she is ridiculed for not being paired (married). One of the major reasons she is not paired is that she prefers the company of her own gender. When the opportunity arises, she volunteers for a mission to the planet Soren to begin setting up operations to gather raw materials to build a jump gate. The chances of surviving the mission are close to none, so she will probably accomplish what she has set out to do.

Legacy Code is the second book of the trilogy. This volume takes place a few years after the events of the previous book, but there is no mention of Maeve, but Dritan is prominent and we learn very early in the story that he has been paired with a woman named Era, a woman of some importance on the ship; she is an archivist, one of the people in charge of safeguarding the accumulated knowledge of humanity for use when the fleet reaches a new planet suitable for colonization.

Following a hull breach on the flagship of the fleet, the Paragon, a further investigation shows that it was not an accident and the crew that Dritan is working on is suspected. While Dritan himself is a loyal member of the fleet, happy to follow the rules and even happier that he is about to have a family, being on the team that made the defective repairs casts doubt on him. When one of Dritan’s crewmates attempts to assassinate the president’s daughter, Dritan steps in and talks the would be assassin down, but he is considered guilty by association and sent to work on the planet.

Meanwhile, Era goes to have an exam for the health of her unborn child and finds that the fetus has the “Defect,” and will have to be aborted. Following the exam, Era does some illegal research in her capacity as archivist and learns that there is a small possibility that her baby can be saved, which only manages to get her secretly airlocked.

An explosion on the planet causes a cave in in a cavern in which Dritan is working trapping and leaving him injured with little hope of rescue. All but given up for dead, Dritan remains determined to survive and escape almost certain death by keeping Era and their unborn child as his motivation.

The third and final book (so far) in the series is Paragon which picks up at the same time that Legacy Code ends. In this segment of the story, we learn that Dritan was sent to the planet to actually be killed and that the explosive that caused the cave in was no accident. We further see that there is corruption at the highest levels of the fleet’s government while those in power want to insure that they maintain power.

Era’s best friend, Zephyr works to find out why Era supposedly comitted suicide, which is the story that is being circulated. Zephyr knows better and her former boyfriend Tadeo is blocking every attempt to learn the truth. At the same time, Tadeo is also charged with looking into the activities of the traitors that were on Dritan’s crew and finds that they were plotting to destroy the Paragon with explosives that were smuggled onto the ship. Later when Tadeo figures out that there is actually a bomb planted on the most sensitive part of the ship, it becomes a race against time to prevent a major catastrophe, including the destruction of all of the accumulated knowledge of the human race.

All the while, Dritan continues working against all odds to get himself, and other survivors, out of the cavern.

While the story is great, I found that the characters in the story were all quite compelling in some way and with not a lot of background information on any of them. Almost all of the female characters were strong and self motivated. Maeve, for instance, only wanted to be in control of her own destiny, which was almost impossible while on board her ship. SHe did have a small support system in Dritan, who genuinely cared about her and didn’t want to lose her friendship. Era was in line to become the head of the Archives on board the Paragon until she was found out by the authorities. She was very determined to find the truth behind the dreaded “disease” that would cost the life of hers and Dritan’s child and finally paid for her quest with her life. Tadeo and his superior officer were knee deep in activities that were nothing more than simple corruption and became characters that one could have a great deal of contempt for, but in Tadeo’s case, he somewhat redeems himself by risking his own life to save the Paragon, and thousands of lives that would have otherwise would have been doomed, and might very well have sealed the fate of what was left of humanity. The one constant thread through all three books was Dritan. He is a person of very good character, falsely suspected of being a traitor and taking the consequences that went with those suspicions as just being his turn to do his part on the planet. One can only wonder, at this point, how Dritan’s attitude might change if and when he returns from the planet and finds that Era and his child are gone.

Not only are the main characters well written, but we get a very good picture of the supporting characters as well. Some are loyal to the cause, but are quickly becoming disillusioned because of the lack of answers, while others cover themselves with lies and treachery in various forms.

The writer also demonstrates great skill in giving the reader a feeling of extreme loneliness in a crowded situation. Whether it is because of a character who is looked down upon for not being paired when others think they should be which is indicated by being tattooed with one hand of an infinity symbol and being tagged as a “half,” or when a character is looking for answers, or when the preference of companionship is looked down upon.

All in all, this is a fine series of books with stories that should hold the attention of the reader. While on the aforementioned bus rides, the time went by like nothing as I read for the entire time finding myself surprised when we finally reached our destination.

While there have been no sequels since the publication, the end of Paragon is wide open for the story to continue, and it is my sincere hope that the author sees fit to continue the saga soon. I have also discovered that there are a couple of short stories that serve as prequels to this trilogy and am planning to read and report on those at a later date. Until then, I give these three stories my highest recommendations for excellent Sci-Fi reading.

Well, there it is…

Qaplah!