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The Progenitor Trilogy #3
Progeny
The Commonwealth stands on the brink. As war engulfs the worlds of man, the Shapers are poised to strike at the very heart of human civilisation. The men and women of the Commonwealth Navy now find themselves at the forefront of a desperate battle for the very survival of the species against an enemy whose weapons and technology far exceed their own.
Whilst the conflict rages, the Arkari plot their revenge. Stunned by the Shapers’ savage assault on their worlds, they lick their wounds and shun the other races, instead focusing solely upon the task of striking back at the hated enemy.
Meanwhile, thousands of light years away amidst the ruins of a dead planet, the relics of a long vanished race hold the clues to their own annihilation, and lead to the darkest secrets of both the Shapers and the Progenitors.
The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
Whilst the conflict rages, the Arkari plot their revenge. Stunned by the Shapers’ savage assault on their worlds, they lick their wounds and shun the other races, instead focusing solely upon the task of striking back at the hated enemy.
Meanwhile, thousands of light years away amidst the ruins of a dead planet, the relics of a long vanished race hold the clues to their own annihilation, and lead to the darkest secrets of both the Shapers and the Progenitors.
The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
698 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 3, 2015
Worth concludes his very impressive trilogy with this fairly massive tome. The Arkari have suffered a serious setback, both physically and psychologically by having had their technology subverted, following which they were routed by the inimical machine intelligences, the Shapers.
Admiral Haines has crashed on the jungle moon of Orinoco where he is soon captured.
The Nahabe, in their floating sarcophagi and giant spherical ships have joined the war against the Shapers.
The Arkari, Admiral Mentith, Katherine and Rekkid have been jumped through hyperspace 10,000 light years to a binary system hosting a Progenitor portal and two dead war-scarred planets.
The Progenitor AI and their Arkari ship have been damaged but it is assumed that they have been brought to this system for a reason.
Meanwhile, Admiral Chen is sent on a mission to reclaim a Shaper-held system, a mission that could alter the course of the war.
This is a fitting finale to Worth’s space opera trilogy. He manages, against the odds, to recreate that sense of wonder that older readers of SF, such as myself, had thought might never come again.
He has, in a sense, done the unthinkable and taken Space Opera back to its basics. The emphasis is very much on the characterisation here and the reader is not overwhelmed with the intricacies of quantum states and the value of pi in other universes. Certainly the big science is there, with wormholes, Dyson Spheres, fearsome artificial intelligences, antimatter bombs and the whole kit and caboodle of the SF arsenal, but it is artfully and intelligently employed.
There are sections where characters find themselves on a dead planet in a binary star system ten thousand light years from civilisation, exploring the ruins of a race which destroyed itself. Elsewhere there are space-battles which are as near to edge-of-the-seat white knuckle excitement as one can get.
By the time one gets to about eighty-five percent in, one begins to wonder how the author can pull all the narratives together without compromising the plot but he manages to do it with aplomb.
I find it very exciting that writers such as this can get their work out into the word via self-publishing. I suspect that this trilogy – rather like the work of supernatural detective author James Oswald – will be picked up by a ‘proper’ publisher if it has not been already since it truly deserves a wider audience.
It begs the question – What makes a good read? I am seldom snobbish about SF. It just has to make me keep reading, and if it creates a certain ‘mental flavour’ - for want of a better phrase - that stays in the mind then that for me is quality. I am as at home with JG Ballard, Greg Egan and Philip K Dick as I am with EE ‘Doc’ Smith, AE van Vogt and the Dumarest saga.
One could make the argument to the effect that self-published e-books are the new pulp fiction, which is after all where many of the saints of the SF pantheon got their first break.
Who is to say that a new generation of authors may not now arise from these humble digital seeds sown in the Amazon wilderness?
Admiral Haines has crashed on the jungle moon of Orinoco where he is soon captured.
The Nahabe, in their floating sarcophagi and giant spherical ships have joined the war against the Shapers.
The Arkari, Admiral Mentith, Katherine and Rekkid have been jumped through hyperspace 10,000 light years to a binary system hosting a Progenitor portal and two dead war-scarred planets.
The Progenitor AI and their Arkari ship have been damaged but it is assumed that they have been brought to this system for a reason.
Meanwhile, Admiral Chen is sent on a mission to reclaim a Shaper-held system, a mission that could alter the course of the war.
This is a fitting finale to Worth’s space opera trilogy. He manages, against the odds, to recreate that sense of wonder that older readers of SF, such as myself, had thought might never come again.
He has, in a sense, done the unthinkable and taken Space Opera back to its basics. The emphasis is very much on the characterisation here and the reader is not overwhelmed with the intricacies of quantum states and the value of pi in other universes. Certainly the big science is there, with wormholes, Dyson Spheres, fearsome artificial intelligences, antimatter bombs and the whole kit and caboodle of the SF arsenal, but it is artfully and intelligently employed.
There are sections where characters find themselves on a dead planet in a binary star system ten thousand light years from civilisation, exploring the ruins of a race which destroyed itself. Elsewhere there are space-battles which are as near to edge-of-the-seat white knuckle excitement as one can get.
By the time one gets to about eighty-five percent in, one begins to wonder how the author can pull all the narratives together without compromising the plot but he manages to do it with aplomb.
I find it very exciting that writers such as this can get their work out into the word via self-publishing. I suspect that this trilogy – rather like the work of supernatural detective author James Oswald – will be picked up by a ‘proper’ publisher if it has not been already since it truly deserves a wider audience.
It begs the question – What makes a good read? I am seldom snobbish about SF. It just has to make me keep reading, and if it creates a certain ‘mental flavour’ - for want of a better phrase - that stays in the mind then that for me is quality. I am as at home with JG Ballard, Greg Egan and Philip K Dick as I am with EE ‘Doc’ Smith, AE van Vogt and the Dumarest saga.
One could make the argument to the effect that self-published e-books are the new pulp fiction, which is after all where many of the saints of the SF pantheon got their first break.
Who is to say that a new generation of authors may not now arise from these humble digital seeds sown in the Amazon wilderness?
January 1, 2015
Fantastic. The storytelling and pace of these books has been brilliant from the start, however, what sets this book apart in the trilogy is the edit. Someone spent far more time getting this one right, with no missing paragraphs and only a few missing words, it made for a much smoother read.
A tip top Five Stars for this book. Read the whole trilogy, it's a real treat. If Dan was going for an Indiana Jones in space feel to the adventure, that's what he got. I loved it. And it all wrapped up nicely too.
If you're a sci-fi fan, this trilogy is a must read.
(Oh, and see how many Star Wars quotes you can find. It's not enough to spoil the read, but certainly enough to be noticed. Always nice to have a nod or two to the classics. It's a trap!)
A tip top Five Stars for this book. Read the whole trilogy, it's a real treat. If Dan was going for an Indiana Jones in space feel to the adventure, that's what he got. I loved it. And it all wrapped up nicely too.
If you're a sci-fi fan, this trilogy is a must read.
(Oh, and see how many Star Wars quotes you can find. It's not enough to spoil the read, but certainly enough to be noticed. Always nice to have a nod or two to the classics. It's a trap!)
March 24, 2018
What an unexpected gem!
Just finished the trilogy and having never heard of the author before was hopeful rather than expectant. Have to say I was completely gripped from start to finish. Characters were diverse and well fleshed out and the plot was well paced. Would recommend to Space opera and fans of Peter Hamilton, Ian M Banks, Alaister Reynolds etc.
Just finished the trilogy and having never heard of the author before was hopeful rather than expectant. Have to say I was completely gripped from start to finish. Characters were diverse and well fleshed out and the plot was well paced. Would recommend to Space opera and fans of Peter Hamilton, Ian M Banks, Alaister Reynolds etc.
July 20, 2025
original and exciting
Dan has excelled himself with this book. He brings a great conclusion to the war, and keeps you guessing as to how it will end right to the last chapter. As with all of Dan's books there are lots of editorial typos but if you overlook these you will really enjoy the story.
Dan has excelled himself with this book. He brings a great conclusion to the war, and keeps you guessing as to how it will end right to the last chapter. As with all of Dan's books there are lots of editorial typos but if you overlook these you will really enjoy the story.
January 20, 2018
Superb space opera.
A superb space opera .A fast paced enthralling ,swashbuckling adventure.
The only slight niggle is the obvious lack of proof reading, on the Kindle version. Not enough to spoil the fun though.
The plot ,well read the blurb.
A superb space opera .A fast paced enthralling ,swashbuckling adventure.
The only slight niggle is the obvious lack of proof reading, on the Kindle version. Not enough to spoil the fun though.
The plot ,well read the blurb.
May 21, 2013
It's been a while since I've thoroughly enjoyed a trilogy from a new author, and having come to the climactic ending of this one, that clock has now reset to zero!
The book takes over straight from book 2 (whereas there was a 2 year gap in the timeline between books 1 & 2) and cliffhanger ending, and launches you on several diverging storylines that, by the middle of the book, become very obvious where they are all leading to. The big surprise is which characters live and die at the end.
The writing keeps you reading and reading, this last novel is a roller-coaster and the action is constant, and well written too - it's easy to see the journey that the author is going on with his own style, and how he is developing and improving book by book.
My only real bugbears about this book and series was the timescales. A race 5 billion years old I don't think would have survived, whether in stasis or not, without going insane or, in the words of Iain M Banks, Subliming to a higher state. I would think that they, being the largest hive mind supercomputer ever, could figure out how to hack their own programming and certainly wouldn't be tricked by races very much more inexperienced and younger than themselves. I also think that nature reclaims its own very quickly, and that any ruins 5 billion years old would now be dust, either due to vacuum ablation or weathering. But, I was able to suspend my suspicions for the duration of the trilogy to really enjoy them, and I certainly look forward to Mr Worth's next entry into the sci-fi genre.
The book takes over straight from book 2 (whereas there was a 2 year gap in the timeline between books 1 & 2) and cliffhanger ending, and launches you on several diverging storylines that, by the middle of the book, become very obvious where they are all leading to. The big surprise is which characters live and die at the end.
The writing keeps you reading and reading, this last novel is a roller-coaster and the action is constant, and well written too - it's easy to see the journey that the author is going on with his own style, and how he is developing and improving book by book.
My only real bugbears about this book and series was the timescales. A race 5 billion years old I don't think would have survived, whether in stasis or not, without going insane or, in the words of Iain M Banks, Subliming to a higher state. I would think that they, being the largest hive mind supercomputer ever, could figure out how to hack their own programming and certainly wouldn't be tricked by races very much more inexperienced and younger than themselves. I also think that nature reclaims its own very quickly, and that any ruins 5 billion years old would now be dust, either due to vacuum ablation or weathering. But, I was able to suspend my suspicions for the duration of the trilogy to really enjoy them, and I certainly look forward to Mr Worth's next entry into the sci-fi genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2015
This book is the thrilling final in Dan Worth's trilogy and it is more like the first book than the second. This trilogy is very good and is similar to SF classics like Star Wars and Babylon 5 in its construction and style respectively. The war in this final book is truly epic, the villains truly horrible and struggles on a heroic scale. This leads to one of my very few quibbles with this series is that its sense of scale is so huge. Some of the ships are thousands of kilometers long; there are artefacts that are 8 billion years old (that still function) and technology that allows hundreds of lightyears to seem just down the block.
Despite this though, I heartily recommend this series and enjoyed all three book a great deal.
Despite this though, I heartily recommend this series and enjoyed all three book a great deal.
November 23, 2012
This was an excellent end to a great scifi trilogy. As I mentioned in my reviews of the first two books in the series, Worth's work is definitely derivative (in this book I recognized clear influences of Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and I, Robot). That being said, the story in and of itself manages to be original despite its obvious outside influences. The battle scenes are epic, and it was definitely a page turner from beginning to end.
February 2, 2013
Not bad. At least had a decent ending. Some of the battle scenes got a bit dull as it was repetitive. I found the first two books in the trilogy better than this. Katherine and Rekkid got annoying. If you read the other 2 you have to read this.
January 30, 2013
No let down after first two books with tempting subplots for further stories
February 26, 2015
This series isn't working, I gave up on this about 40% through.
April 25, 2013
Fab sci-fi trilogy, fast-paced all the way through, building to a great finale. As good as Peter Hamilton's best.
September 27, 2013
Excellent, interesting and well written book, aside from some general grammar mistakes. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews