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The Progenitor Trilogy #2
Renegades
It is two years since the events of ‘Exiles, Book One of the Progenitor Trilogy’.
Humiliated by defeat, the K’Soth Empire has finally collapsed into civil war amongst the noble houses and now the Commonwealth stands victorious over its old enemy. Vast swathes of territory have been liberated from the alien oppressors and humanity struggles with the post-war burden of restoring order and rebuilding.
But another war is being fought in the shadows. Admiral Michelle Chen, heroine of the war against the Empire, has been recruited into Special Operations Command, a black ops outfit dedicated to intelligence gathering and covert warfare against the ancient, malevolent race known only as the Shapers.
No-one has seen the Shapers and lived to tell about it. No-one except Caleb Isaacs, wayward freighter captain and washed up former navy pilot, who has just slipped through Chen’s fingers.
Meanwhile, archaeologists Katherine O’Reilly and Rekkid Cor journey to the distant Hadar system, on the frontiers of human space, where the Commonwealth Navy have uncovered an ancient ship of unknown origin which, if rumour is to be believed, is killing the men sent to excavate it.
The Arkari watch and wait. Deep in the galactic core, the Shapers are moving.
Humiliated by defeat, the K’Soth Empire has finally collapsed into civil war amongst the noble houses and now the Commonwealth stands victorious over its old enemy. Vast swathes of territory have been liberated from the alien oppressors and humanity struggles with the post-war burden of restoring order and rebuilding.
But another war is being fought in the shadows. Admiral Michelle Chen, heroine of the war against the Empire, has been recruited into Special Operations Command, a black ops outfit dedicated to intelligence gathering and covert warfare against the ancient, malevolent race known only as the Shapers.
No-one has seen the Shapers and lived to tell about it. No-one except Caleb Isaacs, wayward freighter captain and washed up former navy pilot, who has just slipped through Chen’s fingers.
Meanwhile, archaeologists Katherine O’Reilly and Rekkid Cor journey to the distant Hadar system, on the frontiers of human space, where the Commonwealth Navy have uncovered an ancient ship of unknown origin which, if rumour is to be believed, is killing the men sent to excavate it.
The Arkari watch and wait. Deep in the galactic core, the Shapers are moving.
674 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2011
7 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 29, 2014
Worth's eminently readable space opera continues, introducing new character Caleb Isaacs, who appears as a pilot ferrying refugee K'Soth from the civil war torn domains to the Commonwealth. This trip is different however, since the K'Soth are also delivering vital physical evidence of the Shapers' presence.
The Shapers make their presence felt all too soon. Our archaeologists Rekkid and Katherine are sent to inspect an ancient ship apparently crashed on a gas-giant's moon. Initially thinking it to be a Progenitor ship, Admiral Cox is keeping it as his secret project. However, the ship is feeding dreams to people, and calls to Katherine for help.
Admiral Chen, meanwhile, having paid off Isaacs to deliver the K'Soth, discovers that he may hold vital information regarding the Shapers and goes in search of him. Isaacs himself, apparently being pursued by the local mafia, sets off to look for his wife and discovers a network of undercover guerilla fighters who want to destroy the alien ship on the moon, as they believe it to be a trap.
The Hidden hand, as the rebels are called, have unexpected help since they are being supported by the strange and reclusive Nahabe, a race who fought the Shapers long ago and now float about in protective sarcophagi.
Much is discovered, much is revealed, and the pace increases to a series of tense page-turning episodes and a very dramatic climax.
If I have one criticism, it is that the crucial act of the denouement (on the part of Admiral Montith) seemed a little hastily thought out and could have been tweaked a little, but this is a minor quibble seeing that both books so far have been met with almost universal praise from their readers.
It is encouraging that a new breed of writers is emerging who - like Worth - have not sprung via the usual publishing routes. The Progenitors trilogy, for instance, seems only available via e-book formats and the volumes are priced very reasonably. Worth himself as of 2012 still has a day job and writes in the evenings and weekends, which is the downside of the self-publishing route, since there is no publisher to hand over a cheque in advance of the next best-seller.
The Shapers make their presence felt all too soon. Our archaeologists Rekkid and Katherine are sent to inspect an ancient ship apparently crashed on a gas-giant's moon. Initially thinking it to be a Progenitor ship, Admiral Cox is keeping it as his secret project. However, the ship is feeding dreams to people, and calls to Katherine for help.
Admiral Chen, meanwhile, having paid off Isaacs to deliver the K'Soth, discovers that he may hold vital information regarding the Shapers and goes in search of him. Isaacs himself, apparently being pursued by the local mafia, sets off to look for his wife and discovers a network of undercover guerilla fighters who want to destroy the alien ship on the moon, as they believe it to be a trap.
The Hidden hand, as the rebels are called, have unexpected help since they are being supported by the strange and reclusive Nahabe, a race who fought the Shapers long ago and now float about in protective sarcophagi.
Much is discovered, much is revealed, and the pace increases to a series of tense page-turning episodes and a very dramatic climax.
If I have one criticism, it is that the crucial act of the denouement (on the part of Admiral Montith) seemed a little hastily thought out and could have been tweaked a little, but this is a minor quibble seeing that both books so far have been met with almost universal praise from their readers.
It is encouraging that a new breed of writers is emerging who - like Worth - have not sprung via the usual publishing routes. The Progenitors trilogy, for instance, seems only available via e-book formats and the volumes are priced very reasonably. Worth himself as of 2012 still has a day job and writes in the evenings and weekends, which is the downside of the self-publishing route, since there is no publisher to hand over a cheque in advance of the next best-seller.
December 4, 2016
As with the Exiles this book has a very interesting history all the way to the end. A very good book.
June 27, 2025
a great developing series
Will with a read. The story continues, and actually goes in directions that you don't expect. Love it. Highly recommend
Will with a read. The story continues, and actually goes in directions that you don't expect. Love it. Highly recommend
December 30, 2017
An excellent sci-fi story so far
I have just finished books 1&2 and can't wait to see how this story ends. Characters are strong, believable and the plot (and many subplots) are very good with everything from epic space battles to romance and friendship. Some glaring typos are the only real faults I have.
I have just finished books 1&2 and can't wait to see how this story ends. Characters are strong, believable and the plot (and many subplots) are very good with everything from epic space battles to romance and friendship. Some glaring typos are the only real faults I have.
January 14, 2012
I enjoyed this book, although not nearly as much as I enjoyed the first book in the trilogy (Exiles). If Goodreads let you give half-stars, I probably would've given Exiles 4.5 and this one 3.5; as it is, they've both gotten 4 stars from me, as that was what was available to give. Renegades had the same problem as Exiles in that it desperately needed an editor. Additionally, while Exiles managed to walk the fine line between being inspired by Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica and ripping them off, this book crossed the line a little, and managed to add Andromeda into the list of series that gave the author just a tad much inspiration. (Although props to the author for having the ship's avatar be a cat - awesome.) I was disappointed that Steven (one of the main characters from Exiles) didn't appear in this book at all (and was only briefly mentioned once when one of the other characters wondered where he was and what he might be up to). Additionally, while the first book in the trilogy was obviously still part of the same overall story as this one, it managed to tie up all of its loose ends by the time it reached its conclusion, and could serve as a stand-alone tale. In contrast, this book left numerous questions unanswered, and the tale will have to continue in book three, which is unfortunately not out yet. I'll definitely be reading book three once it's available.
March 26, 2013
If I could give this 4.5 stars, I would. This is the second book in the trilogy and was an improvement over the first. The story line flows much better and though there are 3+ simultaneous scenarios that are being followed, it is not hard to keep it straight.
In this book we follow 2 of the groups from the first book, with the addition of a new 3rd main group/character as they become more familiar and aware of the threat posed by the ancient Shapers who exterminated the Progenitors. Chen is back as an Admiral now as are the two anthropologists who, through no fault of their own, still manage to find themselves in the middle of things as they are drafted to help excavate a Shaper ship discovered on a far off moon.
The new character is a Issacs and a group of independent spacers who play an important role.
Other species of the galaxy are introduced and we learn a lot more about the history and genesis of the Shapers and their war with the Progenitors. This is a very good read and I have already started on the last book!
In this book we follow 2 of the groups from the first book, with the addition of a new 3rd main group/character as they become more familiar and aware of the threat posed by the ancient Shapers who exterminated the Progenitors. Chen is back as an Admiral now as are the two anthropologists who, through no fault of their own, still manage to find themselves in the middle of things as they are drafted to help excavate a Shaper ship discovered on a far off moon.
The new character is a Issacs and a group of independent spacers who play an important role.
Other species of the galaxy are introduced and we learn a lot more about the history and genesis of the Shapers and their war with the Progenitors. This is a very good read and I have already started on the last book!
January 1, 2015
It could have been five stars.
Dan Worth has produced another fantastically imaginative story. He has, however, got a terrible habit of mistyping, misspelling, and foreshortening sentences. He really needs to concentrate on editing or at the very least, employing an editor. Please employ an editor.
The story is another belter and we meet a new reluctant hero, Isaacs. A navy pilot abducted early in his military carrier by the overshadowing evil in the galaxy known as the Shapers. Characters like Chen, Katherine and Rekkid are still there and we follow them through more futuristic archaeology and raging galactic war.
I’m very much looking forward to the next in the Progenitor trilogy.
Dan Worth has produced another fantastically imaginative story. He has, however, got a terrible habit of mistyping, misspelling, and foreshortening sentences. He really needs to concentrate on editing or at the very least, employing an editor. Please employ an editor.
The story is another belter and we meet a new reluctant hero, Isaacs. A navy pilot abducted early in his military carrier by the overshadowing evil in the galaxy known as the Shapers. Characters like Chen, Katherine and Rekkid are still there and we follow them through more futuristic archaeology and raging galactic war.
I’m very much looking forward to the next in the Progenitor trilogy.
April 28, 2013
The first book, in hindsight, seems almost like a practice run for the second novel in the trilogy. The second installment really hits home with more powerful storylines, a wider universe and the introduction of more alien races, not to mention the origins of the Shapers. The ending is good enough to make you (well, me) go straight onto the 3rd book without reading something in between to make you savour the storyline.
The author is showing potential to become one of the greats of sci-fi soap opera, and with the recent sad news about Iain M Banks it looks like there's some big shoes to fill.
If the author wants a proof-reader, I'm happy to do the job, as there were some glaring words missing, evidence of an accurate spellchecker but not a grammar checker :P
The author is showing potential to become one of the greats of sci-fi soap opera, and with the recent sad news about Iain M Banks it looks like there's some big shoes to fill.
If the author wants a proof-reader, I'm happy to do the job, as there were some glaring words missing, evidence of an accurate spellchecker but not a grammar checker :P
April 7, 2015
An excellent second book in this trilogy, and Mr Worth has even managed to avoid second book syndrome; granted mainly by the virtue that the first book is very self contained and that this book is more like a first book with several new characters and even races, being introduced.
This book is similar in structure to the first one where there is a mystery that builds until a climax toward the middle of the book which then escalates to a second, larger climax at the end. I enjoyed it a great deal and was surprised a number of times by plot reveals that the author led me to.
I'm moving straight on to the next book and can certainly recommend this one.
This book is similar in structure to the first one where there is a mystery that builds until a climax toward the middle of the book which then escalates to a second, larger climax at the end. I enjoyed it a great deal and was surprised a number of times by plot reveals that the author led me to.
I'm moving straight on to the next book and can certainly recommend this one.
March 14, 2012
the first book suckered me in, and I just had to read the second. I thought some of the plot of remiscent of the Shadows from Babylon 5, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.
January 30, 2013
Well worth reading with plenty to contemplate an moral issues
September 27, 2013
Excellent, interesting and well written book, aside from some general grammar mistakes. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews