Weapons-laden action, corporate nastiness, incipient robot rebellion and deep-space mystery mesh nimbly in a great ride for...
In McCloskey’s (Slave of Chu Kutall, 2005, etc.) latest sci-fi novel, a sexy corporate spy, a rising executive and an intergalactic law enforcer intertwine in a conspiracy that rocks the deep-space outposts of tomorrow.
This wiry, high-tech military sci-fi novel set in an intrigue-ridden future kicks off a trilogy in which Earth is divided between its Eastern and Western Hemispheres. When ambitious executive Chris is accepted into the faraway sanctum of Vineaux Genomix, he finds that everyone must don identity-concealing (and perception altering?) full-body armor. Aldriena, a seductive Japanese-Brazilian corporate spy, infiltrates VG as part of her employer’s Project Insidious, initiated to seize the competitor’s secrets. United Nations Space Force operative Bren wields military might in bringing rogue mega-corporations to heel. The UNSF goes on alert when Bren’s task force of mighty warrior-robots meets ferocious, unexpected resistance in a raid on a mega-corporate space station. There’s an alphabet soup of acronyms and techno-jargon, and the plot’s MacGuffin is one of the oldest tropes in science fiction. But limber storytelling and description make the novel a grand yarn. Readers will be drawn to the particularly compelling portrayal of the ASSAILs, the UNSF’s synthetic fighters, whose artificial intellects are so advanced that, once online long enough, they tend to decide humans are unworthy masters. To complete the mission, the ASSAILs must be powered down and reformatted within hours, lest an extinction-level robot uprising erupt—potentially more dangerous than the original enemy. Small inside jokes referencing Heinlein and Lovecraft don’t detract from the action. A sudden ending baits and hooks readers for the next books in the author’s Synchroncity series, which will cover the same narrative territory from different viewpoints, like bits of Stephen Donaldson’s Gap series.
Weapons-laden action, corporate nastiness, incipient robot rebellion and deep-space mystery mesh nimbly in a great ride for sci-fi fans that seldom lets up.Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-1440192524
Page Count: 324
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.
This is wizard Harry Dresden’s yearlong mourning period for Karrin Murphy, the woman he loved.
If you keep upping your protagonist’s powers throughout a series, then you must balance the scales by increasing the number and strength of their enemies—as well as seriously messing with their personal life. Over the course of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Chicago PI and now one of the most powerful wizards in the world, thought his first love was dead (she wasn’t), sacrificed his half-vampire girlfriend on an altar to save their child, lost another girlfriend when they learned she’d been mind-controlled into their relationship, bound himself into servitude as the Fae Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and, for the length of an entire book, thought he himself was dead (he wasn’t). But nothing has hit quite as hard as the death of Karrin Murphy, the former police lieutenant who was his quasi-partner, friend, and, after a slow burn across many books, lover. Chicago is in a terrible state following a battle with Ethniu the Titan and her Fomor army, and Harry is doing his best to confront the monsters, dark magic, and anti-supernatural prejudice running wild amid the slowly rebuilding city. He’s also trying to save his half brother Thomas from two different death sentences, train a new apprentice, and juggle a relationship with Thomas’ half sister Lara, the dangerously seductive vampire Queen Mab is forcing him to marry. But he’s doing all this while nearly crushed by grief that threatens his judgment and disturbs his control over his magical powers. Butcher really makes you feel the dark, depressive state Harry exists in as well as the effect it’s having on his friends. Despite all that happens in it, this book is a pause as well as a setup for the series’ planned conclusion, an epic conflict with the eldritch creatures known as “the Outsiders.” It’s a tough, redemptive pause that could be a real drag, but thankfully, it’s not, because Butcher shows balance, too: Even as the crises pile up, so do the help and goodwill from unexpected sources.
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593199336
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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