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Predator Space Chronicles #1
Evolution Commandos: Well of Furies
Optimistic, exciting space opera!
Amir Tarkos is one of the only humans in the Predator Corp, the most feared and respected military force in the Galaxy. The Predators seek to prevent and punish lifecrimes: violations against ecosystems. With his partner Bria, a bear-like carnivore, Tarkos is given a dangerous and difficult mission. Deep space probes have located the last surviving Ulltrians, a race that once waged a holy war to force competition among the ecosystems of known space, and as a result nearly extinguished much of the life in the Galaxy. Tarkos and Bria must locate the World Hammer, a pair of co-orbiting sunless planets that are the last refuge of the Ulltrians, and discover the Ulltrian plans for a second attack on the Galactic Alliance.
To save Galactic civilization, Tarkos and Bria will have to work with a team of strange aliens and artificial intelligences, explore the perilous ruins of an ancient world, dare the depths of an ocean that engulfs a dark planet, and fight a fierce battle in the ice rings of a gas giant.
Evolution Commandos: Well of Furies is a stand-alone novel, but it is also the first third of the trilogy Evolution Commandos. In addition, it forms part of the ongoing Predator Space Chronicles, which are told in novels and short stories.
EVOLUTION COMMANDOS: WELL OF FURIES
Novel
47,000 words
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig DeLancey has published dozens of short stories, in places like Analog, Nature Physics, Cosmos, Zahir, Aboriginal, and the Mississippi Review Online. His story "Julie Is Three" won the Analog Anlab readers choice award for short story in 2012. He is also a playwright, and his plays have received staged readings and performances in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, and elsewhere.
Amir Tarkos is one of the only humans in the Predator Corp, the most feared and respected military force in the Galaxy. The Predators seek to prevent and punish lifecrimes: violations against ecosystems. With his partner Bria, a bear-like carnivore, Tarkos is given a dangerous and difficult mission. Deep space probes have located the last surviving Ulltrians, a race that once waged a holy war to force competition among the ecosystems of known space, and as a result nearly extinguished much of the life in the Galaxy. Tarkos and Bria must locate the World Hammer, a pair of co-orbiting sunless planets that are the last refuge of the Ulltrians, and discover the Ulltrian plans for a second attack on the Galactic Alliance.
To save Galactic civilization, Tarkos and Bria will have to work with a team of strange aliens and artificial intelligences, explore the perilous ruins of an ancient world, dare the depths of an ocean that engulfs a dark planet, and fight a fierce battle in the ice rings of a gas giant.
Evolution Commandos: Well of Furies is a stand-alone novel, but it is also the first third of the trilogy Evolution Commandos. In addition, it forms part of the ongoing Predator Space Chronicles, which are told in novels and short stories.
EVOLUTION COMMANDOS: WELL OF FURIES
Novel
47,000 words
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig DeLancey has published dozens of short stories, in places like Analog, Nature Physics, Cosmos, Zahir, Aboriginal, and the Mississippi Review Online. His story "Julie Is Three" won the Analog Anlab readers choice award for short story in 2012. He is also a playwright, and his plays have received staged readings and performances in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, and elsewhere.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2012
539 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Craig DeLancey
51 books26 followersCraig DeLancey is a philosopher and writer. His writing includes speculative fiction and plays. His story "Julie is Three" won the 2012 Anlab award for best short story, and his play "My Tunguska Event" was a finalist for the Heideman Award. His philosophical research is mostly in the philosophy of mind, and is recently concerned with applications of descriptive complexity theory to problems in metaphysics.
www.craigdelancey.com
www.craigdelancey.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 24, 2020
A compelling tale of galactic civilization
At the heart of this book is a familiar and timeless theme: civilization evolves from the simple to the complex. The beings that make up a civilization carry all their history within them. People don’t really evolve, they build layers of response onto their original imperatives. This book teases a coming war where a people thought gone from the galaxy are making a comeback aided by their reputation for conquest. In a popular science fiction meme, a small number of humans has been accepted into the galactic organization. Two of them find themselves thrust into the war. As ever, humans will turn out to be more than expected.
This was a quick read that grabbed and held my interest. The story moves along briskly. A picture is built in your mind by a masterful use of description.
At the heart of this book is a familiar and timeless theme: civilization evolves from the simple to the complex. The beings that make up a civilization carry all their history within them. People don’t really evolve, they build layers of response onto their original imperatives. This book teases a coming war where a people thought gone from the galaxy are making a comeback aided by their reputation for conquest. In a popular science fiction meme, a small number of humans has been accepted into the galactic organization. Two of them find themselves thrust into the war. As ever, humans will turn out to be more than expected.
This was a quick read that grabbed and held my interest. The story moves along briskly. A picture is built in your mind by a masterful use of description.
December 27, 2022
Engaging setting with an engaging scenario with hidden intrigue which compelled me to immediately buy the second book in the series when I finished the first.
The interstellar society described is fascinating, especially as you try to figure out exactly how each society fits into it. And the main plot of the story brings you to planets with such worldbuilding I wish I could have seen more of.
Some of the personalities of the different species are a little overplayed, though that appeared mostly to leave a striking and memorable example of how the species themselves think and act as a baseline. The viewpoint chapters from each non-human character were gripping, dripping with details about how newfound humanity fits into the society.
The interstellar society described is fascinating, especially as you try to figure out exactly how each society fits into it. And the main plot of the story brings you to planets with such worldbuilding I wish I could have seen more of.
Some of the personalities of the different species are a little overplayed, though that appeared mostly to leave a striking and memorable example of how the species themselves think and act as a baseline. The viewpoint chapters from each non-human character were gripping, dripping with details about how newfound humanity fits into the society.
December 24, 2024
Great SciFi setting
Quite a bit of novelty in this story's world building. I enjoyed the fact that human beings are a lower "caste" species and late bloomer in the galactic alliance in place. Great characters with some simple but good elements of friendship. The looming threat of the Ulltrians is promising to say the least :-)
Quite a bit of novelty in this story's world building. I enjoyed the fact that human beings are a lower "caste" species and late bloomer in the galactic alliance in place. Great characters with some simple but good elements of friendship. The looming threat of the Ulltrians is promising to say the least :-)
January 20, 2013
Did not hate it or fall in love with it. The author seems to be a favourite of the readers of Analog magazine, which figures: this story is a nostalgic throwback to the Golden Age of scifi adventure with its hyperdrives and conservatively exotic alien races. A bit too familiar territory. I should probably note that I got it free for Kindle.
For some reason "past" is misspelled as "passed" and "taut" as "taught".
The star rating should be a fence sitting 2.5 but as that is not an option I have to round up to 3.
For some reason "past" is misspelled as "passed" and "taut" as "taught".
The star rating should be a fence sitting 2.5 but as that is not an option I have to round up to 3.
April 6, 2020
Chapter one hooks the reader well, reminding me of the sarcastic humor of Laumer’s Retief or Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat series. The race names reminded me of Alan Dean Foster. “Well of Furies” was the perfect COVID19-quarantine read. It had lots of human, action, and intrigue. My only complaint was how short it was. At 52k words, it fell far short of the standard 80k adult sci-fi novel. However, it was free, and I have the rest of the series to look forward to.
May 17, 2025
Tarkos and his commander, Bria, have been chosen to investigate the alleged existence of a deadly Ulltrian warrior race believed to have died 5,000 years earlier. If the rumor is true, then every civilization in the galaxy faces elimination. To find the truth, they must go to a hostile planet and rescue a human who’s been studying Ulltrian systems for some time. Going to the Well of Furies will be a suicide mission, but answers are urgently needed.
Tarkos is one of the few humans in this story. The rest are an interesting and diverse group of species with distinct traits and characteristics. The names were hard to remember at first, but as you get to know the characters it becomes clearer. The pacing is quick, despite all the details about how Tarkos’s space suit and ship functions. Some science fiction fans will appreciate this, but others will likely skip over it. For me, the technical stuff was tough to understand, although it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.
Tarkos is one of the few humans in this story. The rest are an interesting and diverse group of species with distinct traits and characteristics. The names were hard to remember at first, but as you get to know the characters it becomes clearer. The pacing is quick, despite all the details about how Tarkos’s space suit and ship functions. Some science fiction fans will appreciate this, but others will likely skip over it. For me, the technical stuff was tough to understand, although it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.
May 25, 2020
Fantastic aliens. Really creepy bad guys. Love the main characters!
This is one of the best science fiction novels with aliens I've ever read, specifically because each race is distinct, and also specifically because Earth is new to the Alliance, and one of our MCs, Amir Tarkos, is part of the 'special ops' core, and human. And good at his job. The other MC, the Sussurat, is intriguing. And the dangers they're sent into kept me reading the last several chapters all today. This is an ongoing story, mind you. This one sets the stage, and yes I will read the next one.
The only part that wasn't so good is Tarkos's declaration near the end, to another person, of his reasons for leaping toward danger. It was rather silly. Maybe I'll be proved wrong later, we'll see.
This is one of the best science fiction novels with aliens I've ever read, specifically because each race is distinct, and also specifically because Earth is new to the Alliance, and one of our MCs, Amir Tarkos, is part of the 'special ops' core, and human. And good at his job. The other MC, the Sussurat, is intriguing. And the dangers they're sent into kept me reading the last several chapters all today. This is an ongoing story, mind you. This one sets the stage, and yes I will read the next one.
The only part that wasn't so good is Tarkos's declaration near the end, to another person, of his reasons for leaping toward danger. It was rather silly. Maybe I'll be proved wrong later, we'll see.
April 26, 2021
The first book in a 7-part series with tightly coupled stories (while most of the books wrap up their events, each sequel continues the events directly from the previous book).
I believe I got this first book in the series for free or on sale at some point and picked it up on my kindle on a whim when I wanted some sci-fi, so I went into it with no expectations, which I'm sure helped.
DeLancey manages to create a rich universe in which humans are very small players that all feels very organic and "real".
If you're looking for a sci-fi series with compelling characters, interesting ideas, and solid action, this one is worth a read!
I believe I got this first book in the series for free or on sale at some point and picked it up on my kindle on a whim when I wanted some sci-fi, so I went into it with no expectations, which I'm sure helped.
DeLancey manages to create a rich universe in which humans are very small players that all feels very organic and "real".
If you're looking for a sci-fi series with compelling characters, interesting ideas, and solid action, this one is worth a read!
August 18, 2018
Immensely Ejoyable
I do love a good space story about improbable aliens. The author has outdone many with aliens so bizarre that little green men are extremely tame. I like that our hero is a human. He is the only human in the Harmonizer Corp. Humans are barely tolerated as civilized beings yet he saves the day for his Caption and most of those he’s responsible for. Then he’s off to save the galaxy from the most dreaded war mongers of all time. We must follow him to the next book to see if he succeeds.
I do love a good space story about improbable aliens. The author has outdone many with aliens so bizarre that little green men are extremely tame. I like that our hero is a human. He is the only human in the Harmonizer Corp. Humans are barely tolerated as civilized beings yet he saves the day for his Caption and most of those he’s responsible for. Then he’s off to save the galaxy from the most dreaded war mongers of all time. We must follow him to the next book to see if he succeeds.
June 15, 2020
Review of : Well of Furies: Predator Space Cronicles
I found the characters and story line to be of interest. The author finished the adventure before starting a new book. This I appreciated, since some authors leave you hanging till you buy there next book of the series. I think that if your writing and story line is good, you don't need to " bribe" the reader in purchasing your next book. Cudos to this author!. It was a pleasure to read.
I found the characters and story line to be of interest. The author finished the adventure before starting a new book. This I appreciated, since some authors leave you hanging till you buy there next book of the series. I think that if your writing and story line is good, you don't need to " bribe" the reader in purchasing your next book. Cudos to this author!. It was a pleasure to read.
February 10, 2022
A fast moving adventure.
A good space opera with a well realized complex world (galactic ) story likeable characters and horrifying villans.. the action zooms along swiftly and the tension is kept at a great level. It was a fast moving page turner with decent surprises. It was something new and different which kept my inter we st throughout. I am buying the second book in the series.
A good space opera with a well realized complex world (galactic ) story likeable characters and horrifying villans.. the action zooms along swiftly and the tension is kept at a great level. It was a fast moving page turner with decent surprises. It was something new and different which kept my inter we st throughout. I am buying the second book in the series.
April 3, 2020
A multi species war novel.
An interesting multi species war is about to re-ignite. The alien races are are well defined, the individual characters a little less so. When I played traveller rpg they had these race handbooks that would help you to understand the the physiology and psychology of the race. That would be helpful with this universe as well.
An interesting multi species war is about to re-ignite. The alien races are are well defined, the individual characters a little less so. When I played traveller rpg they had these race handbooks that would help you to understand the the physiology and psychology of the race. That would be helpful with this universe as well.
May 16, 2020
The challenge, save the universe and stay alive to enjoy it.
Action story with detailed description of off world environments and other more advanced beings in a struggle with the human characters who are trying to stop an unstoppable warring race from destroying all know races in the universe.
Action story with detailed description of off world environments and other more advanced beings in a struggle with the human characters who are trying to stop an unstoppable warring race from destroying all know races in the universe.
January 30, 2021
A very classic high energy science fiction multi-alien galactic war novella. Well written with an interesting array of aliens. Follows a fairly standard plot of a super bad alien race that must be defeated and includes an appropriate level of intrigue. I enjoyed this very much and will likely read the next in the series.
September 28, 2021
Short but well done story, with good premise and interesting races of creatures, with humans looked down upon but also new to the overall empire. This version on goodreads seems to be an earlier title, the "evolution commandos" title is no longer, just Well of Furies. A good opening act and I look forward to the next chapter in the series.
August 23, 2019
A novel novel
Well thought out, well enough written, but could use an editor. A good read but it's difficult to generate any empathy for the characters - even those of the same species
Well thought out, well enough written, but could use an editor. A good read but it's difficult to generate any empathy for the characters - even those of the same species
February 8, 2020
Intriguing
Great story about a war between a terrible alien race that is determined to destroy every other race and crush them, and the Galactic Alliance who are willing to die to defend themselves.
Great story about a war between a terrible alien race that is determined to destroy every other race and crush them, and the Galactic Alliance who are willing to die to defend themselves.
Read
February 14, 2020Excellent Adventure
This space opera is fast paced and full of action packed adventure. I really enjoyed the storyline and how the author built his tale. The characters were strong and easy to identify with. I highly recommend this book.
This space opera is fast paced and full of action packed adventure. I really enjoyed the storyline and how the author built his tale. The characters were strong and easy to identify with. I highly recommend this book.
March 16, 2020
Simple yet fun
Not much to say it was a simple yet fun read something I feel like I could pick up during my lunch hour and break times and read for light enjoyment not something I would read for like deep thought or otherwise
Not much to say it was a simple yet fun read something I feel like I could pick up during my lunch hour and break times and read for light enjoyment not something I would read for like deep thought or otherwise
May 10, 2020
Enjoyable read with aliens that are very alien to the understanding
Humans are underestimated and new to the bigger galaxy. An old warrior alien race has returned. Will we see humans take an active role, yes we will.
Humans are underestimated and new to the bigger galaxy. An old warrior alien race has returned. Will we see humans take an active role, yes we will.
May 23, 2020
Good start
It is a nice start to the initial conditions of the story. It is always difficult to have nonhuman characters. They are hard to make accessible without making them human.
It is a nice start to the initial conditions of the story. It is always difficult to have nonhuman characters. They are hard to make accessible without making them human.
June 9, 2020
A fun read!
This book started out somewhat slow but quickly picked up speed. The plot took many twist and turns and ended in a completely different direction than I expected! It was fun to see the way this introduction closed! Can't wait for the next installment...
This book started out somewhat slow but quickly picked up speed. The plot took many twist and turns and ended in a completely different direction than I expected! It was fun to see the way this introduction closed! Can't wait for the next installment...
October 7, 2020
I don’t know. I liked it but didn’t. Can’t really say either way. Human and alien goes on mission to hopefully prevent q war. Describes lots of aliens a d their planets and the airships and all but. Ok. I’m done.
October 9, 2020
How can we get along
Interesting story about characters with very different goals and objectives trying to work as a team. Plot changes creates much reader interest in what could be the ending in first book.
Interesting story about characters with very different goals and objectives trying to work as a team. Plot changes creates much reader interest in what could be the ending in first book.
December 21, 2020
Loved it took a while to read because I’ve been getting ready for Christmas but when I had the time to sit and read I did. I like all the different races that were introduced in the book. Very descriptive and I could see them in my mind.
December 28, 2020
Very unique approach to the Science Fiction genre. The characters are very multi-dimensional and interesting action happens even when maintenance moments (such as gathering crew members or setting up a star ship) are happening.
January 3, 2021
Started out really slow, I almost gave up and hunted for another book. Sheer laziness kept me in the book and I finished. The universe introduced is interesting and I may go back for another look. Not sure though.
April 23, 2025
Why do I want political ideology pushed on me in a SciFi?
The story was ok, but I had to stop reading after the 4th or 5th reference to political issues in our current real world.
Don’t read unless you want the political views of the author pushed on you.
The story was ok, but I had to stop reading after the 4th or 5th reference to political issues in our current real world.
Don’t read unless you want the political views of the author pushed on you.
May 7, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Excellent world-building, very interesting characters. One of the best space operas I’ve read in a long time. Ready for more!!
May 18, 2020
DNF (52%) It just didn't get me interested. Don't know why.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews