Great candidate for the next space-based mini-series!
591394
A rollicking good series. Greatly enjoyed this story. Hints of Battlestar Galactica but BIGGER. Is about a group of friends managing to survive in an interstellar colonization ship of incredible size. Lots of ship to explore and many hair-raising adventures doing it. I could definitely see this being turned into a mini-series.
70781
Really nice first book - sets the stage for a series - and I am watching for more to come.  I can see this (if it turns into a series) as being a long and fun ride.  Would have liked it to be longer and for it to have dived a bit deeper into the characters, but overall, a really nice read.  I hate to bring too much into reviews and run the risk of spoilers, but I would day that the basic premise (an officer who has a senior officer that has a grudge and puts the junior officer in a near suicide mission) that evolves in a reasonable and interesting manner, while picking up galactic riff-raff as crew members, is a fun read.
1732878
This was a really engaging read. I'm very pleased to get to see what's happening with the space opera genre these days. Between books like THE STARS ARE LEGION and, for example, Ann Leckie's IMPERIAL RADCH trilogy, it's just an exciting time for the genre, with lots of new takes and new spins on existing tropes. This one takes two elements we're familiar with--memory loss (some interesting parallels here with PLANESCAPE: TORMENT, I thought) and generation ships that have existed so long that the passengers have forgotten they're passengers (e.g. Heinlein's ORPHANS IN THE SKY or Wolfe's BOOK OF THE LONG SUN)--and combines it with the idea of living spaceships, giving us a story that feels very fresh. Great characters, engaging storyline, and, as is so typical of Hurley, amazing worldbuilding. Highly recommended.
1006562
I enjoyed this book, Star Shroud by Ken Lozito. It was much more captivating and engaging than I originally assumed. The premise is infectious: in 1986, shadowy organization employees searching the heavens with their minds, fast forward 60 years (2046) to a hacker exposing said shadowy organization and stumbling upon suppressed information about an alien entity discovered on Pluto. This alien entity must be investigated resulting in a NASA mission, planned to Titan, being redirected to Pluto.  Thus, the adventure begins.  The writing is crisp and fast paced.  The action, intrigue and suspense continually ratchet upward.  The chapters are short and ending such that you must continue reading onward.  This is very satisfying military/space sci-fi.  Ive already started reading book 2, Star Divide.
4642391
Timothy Zahn kicks off a great new space opera trilogy with Pawn: A Chronicle of the Sibyls War. Zahn is no stranger to space adventure and Pawn shows he is still hitting on all cylinders.

19-year-old Nicole and frenemy/street thug Bungie along with the ER doctor theyve kidnapped to treat Bungies wounds are in turn abducted and find themselves on the spaceship Fyrantha where they have been recruited as part of a maintenance crew.

Nicole finds that she is a Sibyl, which means with some pharmaceutical help, she can understand the living ships instructions and relay them to others. Nicole discovers she has it better on Fyrantha than she ever did on the streets of Philadelphia. Bungie, however, is desperate to escape and Nicoles fear of his wrath leads her to explore areas of the ship which should be off limits. She discovers that there are several alien races on board beyond the ones who abducted her and that the ship holds a lot of mystery. How big is it? What is its purpose? And who is really in control?

Zahn does a great job of letting you see the ship through Nicoles eyes, with new discoveries and new mysteries around every corner. Her actions have consequences both intended and unintended. Nicoles life has been spent keeping her head down and trying to survive. But she is skilled at reading people, and her newfound and growing confidence on board Fyrantha sees her start to come out of her shell and steer her destiny rather than be swept away by it.

Pawn is a great story of discovery and adventure. Zahn captures the wonder of space and starships and aliens. The characters are solid and interesting, the action is exciting and the mystery will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Pawn kicks off a space opera adventure trilogy that will keep you up until you finish it and then have you eagerly awaiting the next installment. Fans of his previous work will love it and its a great place for new fans to jump in. Highly recommended!

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
1335914
Fans of Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and the works of Ursula K. Le Guin will love The Jovian Run. Wilks creates an expansive universe to explore, complete with new ships and space toys that you'll one day see emblazoned on a t-shirt. The Gringolet crew is scrappy and smart. Wilks spends time crafting each character in as much detail as he does the ship they soar to Mars on. This isn't like the hard sci-fi you're used to: Wilks' crew is diverse and his women are fierce leaders beside their male compatriots. The mysterious and kick-ass Dinah was immediately my favorite character, and she doesn't disappoint as the trouble of the Gringolet crew gets worse, and worse, and worse. Wilks teaches us that there are no chance encounters in space--every movement and every moment take Captain Staples and her crew further down the rabbit hole. Also, did I forget to mention there are space pirates? YES! Can't wait for the second Sol Space book to bring me back to this incredible universe.
3477765
This is episode 3 of the Beast Arises series, with another half dozen yet to be published on a monthly basis. Up to now at least, the momentum initiated in the first title of the Series had been holding up strong, with both this episode and the previous one remaining fast-paced, action-packed and exciting, regardless of authors.

As for the books title, it is indeed derived from a dramatically short and to the point speech given by the High Admiral to his fleet just before the beginning of a crucial do or die space battle against an Ork fleet and one of their moon-fortresses. The whole quotation (The Emperor expects every man to do his duty) is itself  as a number of UK readers will recognise - a paraphrase of Nelsons own speech and quotation (replace The Emperor by England) just before the battle of Trafalgar. The battle itself is quite gripping, with the Orks continuing to surprise.

Also included are the next step in the machinations, plots and violence taking place between factions on Terra. Without wanting to introduce spoilers, you can expect some rather extreme infighting and more murder at the crossroads, as you have already experienced in a previous episode.

The third continuing stand of the series is the story of Space Marine Captain Koorland, the sole survivor of his Chapter (the Imperial Fists  the Defenders of Terra) with the rest having been wiped out by the Orks. As he tries to rally those that made up Dorns old legion, you will come across four Successor Chapters and some rather interesting characters leading them, including one larger-than-life Marshall Bohemond who seems inspired by the Norman warlord and Crusader of the same name who carved out the Principality of Antioch for himself during the First Crusadebut again, Ill stop here to avoid spoilers.

Another interesting feature of this book relates to the characterisation. A number of new characters appear, especially among the fleet officers and senior commanders, the Inquisition and the Space Marines. As you will see, most of them are rather well drawn. The human naval officers are presented with their flaws, weaknesses and limitations. Some manage to overcome them while others somewhat fail. The ruthlessness and self-righteousness of the Inquisitors  irrespective of the faction that they belong to  is also well displayed.

The sense of loss, sorrow and honour among the descendants of Dorn in general, and as expressed by Captain Koorland in particular, is also well presented and so is his rather sympathetic but also unbending attitude towards humans. His interaction with a young scared but brave Navy Lieutenant is particularly interesting and quite different from the ambivalent or even disdainful attitude that some Space Marine characters may display in other books.

There are two more things to add, perhaps. One is that you do need or at least it is strongly advisable to read the previous episodes before picking up this one. The second point is just my little rant. This book has only slightly over two hundred pages. The advantage is, of course, that it can be read from cover to cover pretty quickly, and this is not negligible given that the story is exciting. However (and here is the rant!) and because it is exciting, I ended up wanting more, much more
742047
This is a strong continuation of the Bobs' story. I do wish it was longer, or deeper, or something. One of the inevitable issues with the premise of and exponentially increasing character base is that there is less focus on any one story-line. The writer does a pretty good job of it, but I did feel like there was less individual character development and detail than in the first book. A longer book, or one more focused on a few of the Bobs would have improved this. I hope the next book doesn't suffer even more from this problem.

All this said, I love the premise of this series, and of this book. It's well reasoned in so many ways, that it allows you to suspend disbelief in the rest of them. If you're an engineer, a futurist, a sci-fi lover, or anything similar, this should be very enjoyable for you.

I will certainly look forward to reading the next book in this series.
4282383
The Two-Space War will be a new experience for most readers. It is science fiction, a training manual for military and police, political commentary, and there is also the poetry!  Of course, this is a lot to pull together, but don't be put off!  The authors do a great job. Above all, the book is a sci-fi adventure combined with a swashbuckling theme in a traditional "battle of ideas."  The diversity of styles affords the reader the opportunity to mark sections and re-read as the mood fits -- training, poetry, or action!  Thanks to Dave Grossman, those with a police or military background will enjoy picking out the names of legendary trainers and accurate tactical lessons. I keep trying to imagine how great this would look as a movie if the special effects for two-space were done properly!
3592112
I decided to check this out after the SciFi series got my attention, and I'm glad I did.  It's engaging near future space opera that I couldn't put down.

The book is set in the near future, after the settlement of the asteroid belt, Mars, and some of the moons but before interstellar exploration, and follows two characters: Morgan, a world-weary Belter detective, and Holden, an idealistic ship's officer.  The various characters find themselves in a action-packed thrill ride, where almost every chapter seems to feature a life or death gun-fight, ship to ship battle, or jaw-dropping revelation about the secrets behind the conflict.

Overall, I liked it a lot.  I couldn't wait to see each new chapter, and almost every one had a couple surprises that made me catch my breath.  My only gripe is that some of the characterization seemed plot driven.  Pretty much every character starts the series as one of the dregs of their profession, but turns under pressure out to be one of the best in the system at what they do.  Other than that, I liked it a lot!
410492
I was skeptical going into this book, knowing it was from a debut author, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! I found myself wanting to find out what happened next, even as it got late into the night. It left me wanting more, and that's exactly what an intro book to a new series should do.

The characters were interesting, and the book gave just enough hints at what's to come that I can't wait to read the next book. The writing is top notch with a good balance of action and description. Though the use of internal monologue might not be for everyone, I enjoyed the style and the insight into the character's thoughts.

I've been looking for a space opera that broke the mold of humans leaving Earth and other far-future tales, and this fits the bill. I'll be anxiously awaiting to see where this series goes.
4131750
I've always wanted to live in Known Space. Who among us hasn't? The vast distances and time scales, the eccentric-genius characters, the marvels of hard science -- and of course the very alien aliens -- all caught up in fantastic adventure. Mr Niven's had a long career, most of it great, but admittedly in the past few years I've been hungering for more old-school Known Space. Then Niven teamed with Lerner and we got something different but just as good: new-school Known Space. I was just geeked when the duo started putting out the Ringworld prequels!

The prequels reach their highest point and greatest excitement in this third book, Destroyer of Worlds. The protagonist is once again Sigmund Ausfaller, the paranoid Lazarus ARM, a great choice of viewpoint to keep the reader just as paranoid and off-kilter. All the characters are fun in this book - they manage to paint sympathetic pictures of a whole motley cast which includes humans, puppeteers, Gw'oth, Outsiders, and Pak, every party scheming against every other. It's this intrigue that drives the excitement. Fleets of ramjets fleeing the core explosion, Puppeteer-vs-Pak spy-vs-spy, kinetic planet-killers, and dangerous experiments with zero-point-energy keep the technical juices flowing too.

And the alien Gw'oth have been an inspired addition to the dramatis personae. They represent the best ideas of new-school Known Space: hard science extended with evolution and computation. A 16-plex group mind of pentasymmetric sea-dwellers calling themselves O'lt'ro is now one of my favorite characters, and if you read Destroyer of Worlds, I think they will be yours too.

Read all the books in the prequel series, but be sure to set aside a few hours just for this one, since you will find it hard to stop reading. Rating: two Puppeteer mouths up.
879079
The Characters, in both universes, remain interesting and motivated by such a different perspective.
Nice to see the antagonist be yourself!  Conspiracy, misunderstandings, and planetary survival - all
wrapped up in an interesting storyline that keeps you moving from episode to episode.
Great job!
3130879
Same as with the previous installment in this serial, I adored this! This isn't overly technical (most scifi authors obsess on the technical and alien details, totally suffocating their stories and usually bore me to tears even though I am a fan of the genre on TV and in movies) and there's a lovely blend of romance amid the action. Cyena is a vibrant character. She has her flaws, such as not knowing her mind, wanting to rely on other people, not being able to move forward, not having confidence, but she does grow during this installment, which is utterly fascinating to watch. I love her relationship with Kaydon and I definitely hope to see more of the both of them together in coming serials. And I loved the direction the story took with her having to face the harsh face of her elite people and make hard choices with who she should side with. This is such a fantastic series and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a dash of romance with a flavor of science fiction.
3388051
Overall, this is probably  my favorite hard Sci-fi Space Opera.  I buy every book the moment I find them. :)

Why only 4 stars?  Mainly because I felt the book didn't really take the story forward. Yes, it is undoubtedly realistic, and probably needed, that we have some setbacks, but I'm not worried that if at this pace the series will be 20 books.

A few things I liked (SPOILER ALERT):
1 - Use of Angel. That could be an interesting story on redemption and and an interesting new character--although honestly, I'm not super interested in politics between the competing Lords, etc.

2 - The new ships using the drive that allows for hundreds or thousands of times faster than light (but not using hyperspace) sounds interesting.  I can imagine a few options (sending small fleets to use the teraton bombs on strategic sights), but this requires that htey are not as easily detected as ships that use hyperspace.

A few other minor nitpicks (SPOILER ALERT):
1 - I found a couple dozen text errors (wrong word used, etc.).  These were generally easy to see and could be caught by even a basic reading word-by-word. I don't recall prior books with this many errors.

2 - Do we really need the time travel sub-plot?  It is getting borderline fantasy in my view, and honestly, I don't think we need this strange threat to help with tension--we have the Caca's to do that.

3 - I feel the use of human POWs for duplicating top-secret technologies is a bit too easy.  Okay, so they figure out how to make black holes, but the proper use of them?  Also, they're duplicating the FTL fighters?  Really? Too easy.

4 - So two of our allies just coincidentally decide to renig on our alliance?  Too much of a plot device.

5 - I'd like more news on other aliens that see the Caca's as a threat and contact us.  None at all (other than a potential race found in the companion AI war series?)

In summary, really enjoy the series, and enjoyed this book.  I would consider most books 5 stars in the series.

Steve
1996645
Starshine: Aurora Rising is a great first book.  I have started taking chances on unknown authors (because the ones that are known just don't get enough new books into circulation!!!), and I was pleasantly surprised by G. S. Jennsen's first book.  It's a space opera in the old style (at least what I remember of the old style ;-) ).  Politics, romance, adventure and a little warfare combine in a tale that is, at least so far, on that focuses on the foibles of humanity.  BUT... there is the threat of the non-human to muck things up even more!

I have not quite completed the first book (90% done now), but I am close enough to know that I like this new author!  It's clear from the title that the end of this first book is not the end of the story and so I feel good about writing this review prior to actual completion of reading the first book.

I look forward to reading more!  Keep up the good work Ms Jenssen!
1369553
I was expecting something similar to Dark Space but this was even better. Much more realistic in its vision of the future. The space science was very accurate and the writing was superb. Based on how the story was going I didn't see the ending coming though I probably should have. Regardless, I want to what's in store next!