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Angry Ghosts #2
Black Hawks From a Blue Sun
Over one thousand years have passed since humans breathed terrestrial air.
Burned from Earth and the colonies by a ruthless enemy, mankind is believed extinct. Yet two pockets of humanity still cling to life. One is a colonist expedition, plodding through space with the thinnest hope of finding a new world to settle. The other is the remnant of a black budget genetic research facility—a Cadre of stoic and fanatical soldiers preying upon the blue-skinned enemy which decimated them.
After a bloody introduction, the Cadre and the Colonists discover they are as alien to one another as the hated Blueskins. Only the remarkable insights of the colonist Counselor bridge the cultural rifts, permitting the groups to lay aside their greater shares of fear and suspicion. But true integration proves elusive.
Wearied by centuries of travel, the Colonists dream of returning home. The Cadre, its entire history lost to the pragmatism of now, is eager to reclaim its legacy and deliver a shocking blow to the enemy. Therein, the two groups find the commonality to join in common purpose: resettling Earth. First, they must know—are the Blueskins still there?
Cadre soldiers Argo, Beckert, and Thompson are rigorously trained and dispatched on a one way reconnaissance mission to Earth. Their standing orders are to discover enemy strength, to determine possibility of assault, and to sow destruction until killed. Their arrival is the beginning of a planetary storm—the falling leaf which seeds the hurricane.
Burned from Earth and the colonies by a ruthless enemy, mankind is believed extinct. Yet two pockets of humanity still cling to life. One is a colonist expedition, plodding through space with the thinnest hope of finding a new world to settle. The other is the remnant of a black budget genetic research facility—a Cadre of stoic and fanatical soldiers preying upon the blue-skinned enemy which decimated them.
After a bloody introduction, the Cadre and the Colonists discover they are as alien to one another as the hated Blueskins. Only the remarkable insights of the colonist Counselor bridge the cultural rifts, permitting the groups to lay aside their greater shares of fear and suspicion. But true integration proves elusive.
Wearied by centuries of travel, the Colonists dream of returning home. The Cadre, its entire history lost to the pragmatism of now, is eager to reclaim its legacy and deliver a shocking blow to the enemy. Therein, the two groups find the commonality to join in common purpose: resettling Earth. First, they must know—are the Blueskins still there?
Cadre soldiers Argo, Beckert, and Thompson are rigorously trained and dispatched on a one way reconnaissance mission to Earth. Their standing orders are to discover enemy strength, to determine possibility of assault, and to sow destruction until killed. Their arrival is the beginning of a planetary storm—the falling leaf which seeds the hurricane.
- GenresScience Fiction
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2010
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2016
A couple of warnings for picky readers before we get into the nitty gritty: first, the book is written in present tense, which I know can irk people. Also, it very much ends on a cliffhanger (feels like the scene's been cut in half, actually), so if you're the kind who can't stand that sort of thing, you may want to wait until the promised third volume has been released.
As a sort of preface to the book, there's not only a brief explanation of the world of Cadre One, but a thorough summary of the first book, which is welcome since Black Hawks from a Blue Sun relies so heavily on the events that preceeded it. Whether you missed the first book or it's been awhile since you read it, the refresher course is a neat idea. Of course, if you're opening volume two immediately upon finishing volume one, you could skip over it easily enough, but for the rest of us it's a handy thing.
I enjoyed Angry Ghosts, which was full of some really lovely worldbuilding and character interactions, and looked forward to the sequel. Black Hawks continues with the character interactions, at least between the three men, but there's far less with the worldbuilding since the team is separated from everyone else and are back on Earth. Thompson, Argo, and Beckert make for a well balanced team, each of them competent enough on their own but nearly unstoppable together. Good thing, too, since the book focuses entirely on the three gentlemen, completely forgetting former teammate Maiella and the rest of the people met in book 1.
The biggest issue I had with the book is that because there was no major conflict driving things forward, the whole thing felt like it meandered aimlessly from mini-adventure to mini-adventure until the team makes their big shocking discovery. It was very episodic, and without a major driving force behind everything, it was easy to put the book down in between adventures and leave it there. Certainly they had their mission, but there was nothing preventing them from completing it. No tension means a serious lack of momentum for much of the book.
Kudos where it's due, though: the big dramatic discovery (which is really a two-parter) is a delicious mind-spinner and the effect it has on Beckert especially is almost worth the read on its own. I can't help but wonder how the new information will be taken by everyone else back at Cadre One, once it gets back there.
As a sort of preface to the book, there's not only a brief explanation of the world of Cadre One, but a thorough summary of the first book, which is welcome since Black Hawks from a Blue Sun relies so heavily on the events that preceeded it. Whether you missed the first book or it's been awhile since you read it, the refresher course is a neat idea. Of course, if you're opening volume two immediately upon finishing volume one, you could skip over it easily enough, but for the rest of us it's a handy thing.
I enjoyed Angry Ghosts, which was full of some really lovely worldbuilding and character interactions, and looked forward to the sequel. Black Hawks continues with the character interactions, at least between the three men, but there's far less with the worldbuilding since the team is separated from everyone else and are back on Earth. Thompson, Argo, and Beckert make for a well balanced team, each of them competent enough on their own but nearly unstoppable together. Good thing, too, since the book focuses entirely on the three gentlemen, completely forgetting former teammate Maiella and the rest of the people met in book 1.
The biggest issue I had with the book is that because there was no major conflict driving things forward, the whole thing felt like it meandered aimlessly from mini-adventure to mini-adventure until the team makes their big shocking discovery. It was very episodic, and without a major driving force behind everything, it was easy to put the book down in between adventures and leave it there. Certainly they had their mission, but there was nothing preventing them from completing it. No tension means a serious lack of momentum for much of the book.
Kudos where it's due, though: the big dramatic discovery (which is really a two-parter) is a delicious mind-spinner and the effect it has on Beckert especially is almost worth the read on its own. I can't help but wonder how the new information will be taken by everyone else back at Cadre One, once it gets back there.
August 24, 2013
Read book one first, Angry Ghosts, you won't regret it. It took a little to get use to this Author's writing style. The books are that good. Black Hawks from a blue sun is the second in a three book series. It follows three Cadre one soldiers as they return to earth to find out why earth had been annihilated. What they find will change many things. If you enjoy world building, action, adventure and space, you will love this series. Highly recommended.
I could not put these books down and am now heading for the third in the series. READ IT, you'll love it.[[ASIN:B004CRTFVM Black Hawks From a Blue Sun (Angry Ghosts)]]
I could not put these books down and am now heading for the third in the series. READ IT, you'll love it.[[ASIN:B004CRTFVM Black Hawks From a Blue Sun (Angry Ghosts)]]
March 26, 2014
A nice story, excellent world building but the style of the author, especially the present tense all over, really needs some getting used to.
Apart from this, I was most amazed at the description of a certain rocky planet around a yellow sun. How alien everyday items and creatures can feel if described through Cadre eyes :-)
Apart from this, I was most amazed at the description of a certain rocky planet around a yellow sun. How alien everyday items and creatures can feel if described through Cadre eyes :-)
March 7, 2014
Almost as good as "Angry ghosts". Again good action, nice tempo.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews