What do you think?
Rate this book
The Movement Trilogy #2
The Colonists
Book 2 of The Movement Trilogy
Earth has become an artifact of history. Children are no longer taught that it is the birthplace of mankind. For them, history begins with the Citadel, the enormous institution that governs the system with a heavy, vicious fist.
Three hundred years have passed since the events of Book 1. The Machine class, oppressed and broken, has scattered throughout the system, building outposts and colonies on every surface they can find. They rely upon the Onyx class, the privileged ones, for sustenance.
But the most brutal attack in human history relights the fuse of war between the two classes, and rebellions break out on every moon, planet and rock between Earth and the stars. And somewhere in the chaos, Tasneem Kyoh and David Dewbury still fight for mankind's future... a new Earth, and a new beginning.
The Colonists, the second title in Jason Gurley's Movement Trilogy, continues the epic story of humanity's greatest struggle, and its desperate battle with its most powerful enemy: itself.
Earth has become an artifact of history. Children are no longer taught that it is the birthplace of mankind. For them, history begins with the Citadel, the enormous institution that governs the system with a heavy, vicious fist.
Three hundred years have passed since the events of Book 1. The Machine class, oppressed and broken, has scattered throughout the system, building outposts and colonies on every surface they can find. They rely upon the Onyx class, the privileged ones, for sustenance.
But the most brutal attack in human history relights the fuse of war between the two classes, and rebellions break out on every moon, planet and rock between Earth and the stars. And somewhere in the chaos, Tasneem Kyoh and David Dewbury still fight for mankind's future... a new Earth, and a new beginning.
The Colonists, the second title in Jason Gurley's Movement Trilogy, continues the epic story of humanity's greatest struggle, and its desperate battle with its most powerful enemy: itself.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2013
32 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Jason Gurley
38 books431 followersJason Gurley is the author of Awake in the World (Roaring Brook, 2019) and Eleanor (Crown, 2016), and co-author of The Edge of Sleep (St. Martin's, 2023). His short fiction appears in the anthologies Loosed Upon the World (Saga, 2015) and Help Fund My Robot Army!!! (2014). He lives and writes in Scappoose, Oregon. More at www.jasongurley.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 25, 2014
I immediately started this book after finishing the first installment of the series. I believe I liked this one even more than the first. I'm anxiously awaiting the third book now.
August 5, 2017
There's been much discussion about the lack of quotation marks. To be honest it only takes a few pages to become accustomed to, and this with the writing style creates a beautiful fluidity in the dialogue. I'm really bummed that the final part has yet to be released as I just gobbled up the first two.
October 26, 2014
One of the best new authors I've found in a long time--he manages to be poetic and philosophical while telling a fast-paced story.
December 22, 2017
A decent second book that continues the story of the first. In some ways, a little more pedestrian a story but well written with a fast-paced plot.
November 4, 2018
Not as good as the first. Tries too hard with its characters. Ultimately disappointing.
December 5, 2018
Looking forward to the last book in the trilogy...
January 4, 2014
The story is interesting if a little slow at times and it skips around a lot. I read these two books one after the other as neither is very long and they have kind of joined together in my mind as they could easily have been one book with Parts 1 and 2. So I'm just going to review them in that manner as well. Tasneem Kyoh and David Dewbury are the characters that tie this story together through all the skipping around as they are the only two around for the 500 years covered in these two stories.
The writing style was peculiar in that the author chose not to use quotation marks for dialogue in either book. I don't know if he was trying to save ink on his printer or what, but I found it somewhat annoying while reading. I can't think of any reason to choose to write dialogue without proper punctuation unless perhaps quotation marks have committed some horrible crime in the future and have been outlawed. On the whole it was distracting to me as a reader. I would have given it a 4 if this had not been so.
Nevertheless, once I got past the grammar the story was really pretty well done and I found it interesting. In the first part, The Settlers, humans are fleeing Earth to live in orbital space stations constructed to save the population from the greed and lack of foresight humankind has shown which has resulted in the planet's weather, volcanoes, etc. being destabilized to such a point that it's becoming unsafe to live on the planet. Having just been saved from certain death on the planet below that has been destroyed at their hands they are more willing to pull together to try to make a go of continuing the species.
By the time we move to the second part of the story, The Colonists, humankind is once again suffering under greed and corruption from those who feel obligated to try to control others in a totalitarian state where the Onyx class lords over the Machine class. People are mad and revolution is in the wind (or the air filtration systems as the case may be). I just watched Elysium the other day so it is difficult not to draw a comparison between the two story lines.
All in all the story itself was good and I was pretty interested. As I mentioned above, I would have given these a 4 if not for the distraction of the improper punctuation or lack thereof.
The writing style was peculiar in that the author chose not to use quotation marks for dialogue in either book. I don't know if he was trying to save ink on his printer or what, but I found it somewhat annoying while reading. I can't think of any reason to choose to write dialogue without proper punctuation unless perhaps quotation marks have committed some horrible crime in the future and have been outlawed. On the whole it was distracting to me as a reader. I would have given it a 4 if this had not been so.
Nevertheless, once I got past the grammar the story was really pretty well done and I found it interesting. In the first part, The Settlers, humans are fleeing Earth to live in orbital space stations constructed to save the population from the greed and lack of foresight humankind has shown which has resulted in the planet's weather, volcanoes, etc. being destabilized to such a point that it's becoming unsafe to live on the planet. Having just been saved from certain death on the planet below that has been destroyed at their hands they are more willing to pull together to try to make a go of continuing the species.
By the time we move to the second part of the story, The Colonists, humankind is once again suffering under greed and corruption from those who feel obligated to try to control others in a totalitarian state where the Onyx class lords over the Machine class. People are mad and revolution is in the wind (or the air filtration systems as the case may be). I just watched Elysium the other day so it is difficult not to draw a comparison between the two story lines.
All in all the story itself was good and I was pretty interested. As I mentioned above, I would have given these a 4 if not for the distraction of the improper punctuation or lack thereof.
August 26, 2014
A fabulous book in line with the true sci-fi genre. I thoroughly enjoyed continuing to read the arc of this story. It's very cleaver that Mr. Gurley isn't just telling the story of one person/life but the story of the human race. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because I had a hard time believing the reason the SOMA didn't kill Tasneem. The science just wasn't there and the reason too vague. It was surprising to see that considering how well thought out the author did every other aspect in the story.
August 24, 2016
A fabulous book in line with the true sci-fi genre. I thoroughly enjoyed continuing to read the arc of this story. It's very cleaver that Mr. Gurley isn't just telling the story of one person/life but the story of the human race. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because I had a hard time believing the reason the SOMA didn't kill Tasneem. The science just wasn't there and the reason too vague. It was surprising to see that considering how well thought out the author did every other aspect in the story.
August 13, 2014
I liked this book a little more than The Settlers. The many storylines were more directly connected, and there was less jumping around I. the timeline. One of my huge gripes from Book 1 remains, though, and that's simply that Gurley "skips over" what I might consider the "good stuff." It was less egregious here, but it still irks me that the plot builds to events that are summed up in a 2 page throwaway chapter, before starting to build to new events...
March 30, 2015
Still an interesting story that I am looking forward to finishing. My only issue remains with the style, which at times makes it hard to understand what's going on (lack of quote marks and identifiers; he said, etc). This book was easier to follow than the first, and I'm hoping that the third will be better still. Gurley is still a fantastic writer, the style of this story just isn't what I'm used to.
April 26, 2013
I enjoyed the first book more than this one only because, I really liked reading about life on the different space stations. In this book, I had a harder time keeping up with the story line because, there was a lot going on. Although, I have to say that I will buy book 3 the day it shows up on Amazon! Keep up the good work Jason Gurley!
April 23, 2015
Jumps about in places but overall a satisfying scifi tale that makes we want to read more.
July 22, 2015
Yep, this one was equally as awesome as the first! I read this in 24hrs, as it was one I had a hard time putting down (same with 'The Settlers'). I now very eagerly await the 3rd book.
March 18, 2015
Again, read more for the plot than the story, if that makes sense.
Read
February 1, 2016Good read
I really enjoyed books 1 and 2. Really
looking forward to the third in the series. At this time, I have not found it
I really enjoyed books 1 and 2. Really
looking forward to the third in the series. At this time, I have not found it
August 8, 2016
Where's the third book?!!? :-)
September 27, 2016
Great series, jumped the storyline between books but still a good read.
January 1, 2018
3.5 stars...Confusing to read just like first book; needs time and chapter seperations
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews