What do you think?
Rate this book
Exodus: Empires at War #1
Exodus: Empires at War #1
Humanity's worst nightmare has again come out of the Dark. Can a human race in turmoil survive?It's a Fight to the Finish as Two Interstellar Empires go Toe to Toe.When the human race faces extermination at the hands of an expanding species the last survivors travel a thousand years to reestablish the race ten thousands light years away. It is now a thousand years after the birth of the New Terran Empire. The race has aggressively expanded during that time, with a fleet that has never lost a war against an alien species. But the signs are there, the old enemy is back, and the Fleet will face its greatest challenge in a foe fifty times their size.
Science fiction in the tradition of Anderson and Weber, where the physics of normal and hyperspace dictate the strategy and tactics. Enormous fleets battle across the immensity of space with advanced technologies. Can the proud human Fleet hold off the tide of an advancing enemy, rallying allies and deploying new tech? Or will the conquerors achieve what they could not two thousand years before, and end the existence of the upstarts.
˃˃˃ Empires at Book 2 & 3 also available.The long awaited third volume of the Empires at War series is now available. Twice as long as either of the first volumes, the action continues. Find it and other books by Doug Dandridge on Amazon.
Scroll up and grab a copy today. Check out Free Short Stories at my webstie,
Science fiction in the tradition of Anderson and Weber, where the physics of normal and hyperspace dictate the strategy and tactics. Enormous fleets battle across the immensity of space with advanced technologies. Can the proud human Fleet hold off the tide of an advancing enemy, rallying allies and deploying new tech? Or will the conquerors achieve what they could not two thousand years before, and end the existence of the upstarts.
˃˃˃ Empires at Book 2 & 3 also available.The long awaited third volume of the Empires at War series is now available. Twice as long as either of the first volumes, the action continues. Find it and other books by Doug Dandridge on Amazon.
Scroll up and grab a copy today. Check out Free Short Stories at my webstie,
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2012
124 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Doug Dandridge
75 books142 followersDoug Dandridge was born in Venice Florida in 1957, the son of a Florida native and a Mother of French Canadian descent. An avid reader from an early age, Doug has read most of the classic novels and shorts of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as multiple hundreds of historical works. Doug has military experience including Marine Corps JROTC, Active Duty Army, and the Florida National Guard. He attended Florida State University, studying Biology, Geology, Physics, and Chemistry, and receiving a BS in Psychology. Doug then studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama, with specific interests in Neuropsychology and Child Psychology, completing a Masters and all course work required for a PhD. He has worked in Psychiatric Hospitals, Mental Health Centers, a Prison, a Juvenile Residential Facility, and for the his last seven years in the work force for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Since March of 2013 he has worked as a full time writer. Doug has been writing on and off for fifteen years. He concentrates on intelligent science fiction and fantasy in which there is always hope, no matter how hard the situation. No area of the fantastic is outside his scope, as he has completed works in near and far future Science Fiction, Urban and High Fantasy, Horror, and Alternate History.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 16, 2013
This was a hard book to read at the beginning. It didn't really get easier until I got into the second book. It's still a very good book but this one seemed way to short for the potential of the entire story. This book talked about the destruction of Earth and how only a small band of humans managed to flee to a distant part of space.
The aliens have unpronounceable names. They seem to have about twenty-seven letters to each name which doesn't help in the reading so you'll find yourself probably skipping over them quite frequently. It also seems like every human in the book also has a name but the humans don't last very long. It was hard trying to figure out who to follow in this story. Turns out you really just need to know what happens to the humans at the end of this story. That's the whole book for the most part.
The second book is better. At least it gets you focused on a main character some what towards the end, but then it ends. This would have been much better if these two books would have been put together in one single book. Just my opinion.
I am looking forward to the next book when ever it comes out. I can't find much about it although each book has a few chapters of the next book at the end. Sure would be nice to know when the next episode might come out.
The aliens have unpronounceable names. They seem to have about twenty-seven letters to each name which doesn't help in the reading so you'll find yourself probably skipping over them quite frequently. It also seems like every human in the book also has a name but the humans don't last very long. It was hard trying to figure out who to follow in this story. Turns out you really just need to know what happens to the humans at the end of this story. That's the whole book for the most part.
The second book is better. At least it gets you focused on a main character some what towards the end, but then it ends. This would have been much better if these two books would have been put together in one single book. Just my opinion.
I am looking forward to the next book when ever it comes out. I can't find much about it although each book has a few chapters of the next book at the end. Sure would be nice to know when the next episode might come out.
June 8, 2016
Exciting start to the series. As a military sci-fi fan, this book has both space ship-ship elements as well as ground-pounder marine action. The physics and science is enough to enlighten the story without getting to bogged down. I mean, the author has diagrams, measurements and tonnage for each class of ship, I love it!
Some commenters have noted that this book was a little difficult to read in the beginning. I can agree, it wasn't until halfway through the book did it start to smooth out. This book and the series as a whole is ambitious. For me that is part of the charm and excitement. I now have a 10 book series to enjoy. A little patience with world building in book 1 is something I have no issue with when considering the long game. We have politics, maps, mutliverse of characters, physics, science, history, alliances and let's not forget lasers, missles and armor.
If book 1 is the prelude, I am looking forward to the next installments.
Some commenters have noted that this book was a little difficult to read in the beginning. I can agree, it wasn't until halfway through the book did it start to smooth out. This book and the series as a whole is ambitious. For me that is part of the charm and excitement. I now have a 10 book series to enjoy. A little patience with world building in book 1 is something I have no issue with when considering the long game. We have politics, maps, mutliverse of characters, physics, science, history, alliances and let's not forget lasers, missles and armor.
If book 1 is the prelude, I am looking forward to the next installments.
December 8, 2017
Probably one of the most enjoyable start to a series I've ever read.
Doug is a master at creating a believable world, and his characters actually make you care what happens to them.
And OMG, the space battles. He's taken a mix of hard physics and theoretical science and created a blend of space combat that rivals any I've ever read.
Read this book. Then read the series. It is, quite frankly, amazing.
Doug is a master at creating a believable world, and his characters actually make you care what happens to them.
And OMG, the space battles. He's taken a mix of hard physics and theoretical science and created a blend of space combat that rivals any I've ever read.
Read this book. Then read the series. It is, quite frankly, amazing.
August 8, 2015
Empires at War comes across as an ambitious project. There is a huge number of characters, locations, and plot lines. Normally this is something that I like (for example, I think the Nights Dawn triology from Peter Hamilton is fantastic), but in this case I have the feeling that too much has been compressed into a single book (of just 384 pages). Essentially, this book feels like an introduction to the universe in which the story is going to unroll in later books (which I haven't yet read), but on its own this book has little to offer. There are simply too many characters and locations to keep track of, and the author switches between them too quickly (sometimes from one paragraph to the next). Since the locations are light-years apart the book requires you to keep in mind what information has made it to a given location. I'm not yet sure if I like this as a general approach, but in this specific case it did not work well because at least I wasn't able to keep all this information in my head. Often, I had to deduce from the behavior of the characters how far the plot had progressed ("ok, these guys don't feel nervous about an unknown ship approaching, so they must be at a point where it is not yet known that humanity is under attack").
On the plus side, the individual characters are done well (to the extent one can tell from the amount of space that they get), and the plot promises to be interesting. But on the other hand, none of the characters get a chance to really affect the plot and the plot does not evolve at all. This book does not have an end, it simply stops at a point where you'd normally expect a new chapter (or even a new paragraph) to start.
I believe most of the points above could have been easily avoided by merging this book with the next one (or maybe two) in the series, and delaying the introduction of some of the characters and locations to a later point. However, this is just speculation: I haven't read the other books yet.
On a different note, the plot also contains some elements that I'd normally not expect in a science fiction setting. For example, the emperor's bloodline has the ability to see visions of the future in their dreams. While there is nothing wrong with the idea per se, I found it discordant in this setting.
Verdict: as part of a series this book might be a good read if you don't mind the mystical aspects. However, on its own (and it is sold as such), I don't recommend it.
On the plus side, the individual characters are done well (to the extent one can tell from the amount of space that they get), and the plot promises to be interesting. But on the other hand, none of the characters get a chance to really affect the plot and the plot does not evolve at all. This book does not have an end, it simply stops at a point where you'd normally expect a new chapter (or even a new paragraph) to start.
I believe most of the points above could have been easily avoided by merging this book with the next one (or maybe two) in the series, and delaying the introduction of some of the characters and locations to a later point. However, this is just speculation: I haven't read the other books yet.
On a different note, the plot also contains some elements that I'd normally not expect in a science fiction setting. For example, the emperor's bloodline has the ability to see visions of the future in their dreams. While there is nothing wrong with the idea per se, I found it discordant in this setting.
Verdict: as part of a series this book might be a good read if you don't mind the mystical aspects. However, on its own (and it is sold as such), I don't recommend it.
March 2, 2013
When I read the description of the story I thought: “this sounds promising”. Indeed it is a promising start but it was a somewhat difficult book to read. A lot of the book is, not surprisingly, spent on the initial world building. However this felt somewhat disorganized. It felt like it was jumping all over the place with different stories and characters and some of them did not really feel like they were going anywhere others felt like they were just skimping over major past events.
In general the book is quite good reading though. The different parts are well written individually. The starship action, how ships manoeuvre in space and how they fight is believable as is the technology, the way their FTL technology worked, and their weaponry.
In this first book I did not really get that much attachment to any of the characters. I think this was due to the world building and somewhat “jumping around” style the book was written in. I hope it will get better with the next book. I assume that we will be following the young prince somewhat closer in that one for instance.
The book is building up to a certain amount of stupid politics which gives me cause for some concern. I hope the next book doesn’t go overboard in that area. That would really ruin the otherwise promising start.
In general this book makes me want to read the next one though.
In general the book is quite good reading though. The different parts are well written individually. The starship action, how ships manoeuvre in space and how they fight is believable as is the technology, the way their FTL technology worked, and their weaponry.
In this first book I did not really get that much attachment to any of the characters. I think this was due to the world building and somewhat “jumping around” style the book was written in. I hope it will get better with the next book. I assume that we will be following the young prince somewhat closer in that one for instance.
The book is building up to a certain amount of stupid politics which gives me cause for some concern. I hope the next book doesn’t go overboard in that area. That would really ruin the otherwise promising start.
In general this book makes me want to read the next one though.
February 17, 2015
Good series worth reading
May 28, 2015
Rating Clarification: 4.75
I enjoyed this book...and I enjoyed it for the reasons that some others disliked it.
This book is the first in a series and the author, Doug Dandridge, uses this first volume to set the stage for what promises to be a fairly lengthy series. First a brief synopsis. The story is set two thousand years after Earth and humanity's first attempt at an empire is destroyed in a war of genocide by a much more advanced race. A single Ark ship escapes from this holocaust which, after travelling 1000 years in subspace, re-establishes a human empire in a distant part of the galaxy. But despite the fact that they travelled so far to escape, the survivors live in fear of the day that the ancient enemy will rediscover them and restart its single minded attempt at the extermination of the human race...Fast forward 1000 years...the ancient enemy rediscovers humanity and the war resumes.
One of the chief complaints about this book is that "nothing happens". While the book is short of actual combat, it does go a long way towards describing the human, and to a lesser extent, alien society that are about to be thrown into war. The reader receives a detailed description of the Empire's system of government (constitutional monarchy), an overview of the empire's military system, and a very detailed description of the Empire's military and space craft tech. Of critical importance is the Empire's system of interstellar communication. There is something of an "age of sail" feel to this aspect of the empire as messages must be carried from star system to star system by actual starships, messenger buoys, or a hyperwave transmission system that is far from instantaneous. The complications of planning and executing a military campaign over interstellar distances are quickly made apparent and in the last chapters of the book human military forces have made contact with and engaged the ancient enemy while the Empire's military and political leadership are not yet even aware that the war has started. I expected that the complications inherent with communications delay will continue to play a key role as the stories unfold.
For those who want “action” the space combat sequences are well written. I think each new author seeking to write in the military space opera genre needs to find a unique spin on space combat and Dandridge does not disappoint. It is refreshing to find that the human military forces described by Dandridge represent an apparent mix of the military traditions of earth and not simply one real world military force apparently transplanted 2000+years into the future. There are no United States Space Marines or Space Navy fighting on behalf of the Empire for example. And there is intrigue as well, as various factions within the Empire battle for supremacy with a shadowy organization attempting to manipulate the Empire’s Prime Minister into carrying out a coup d’état by assassinating the Emperor. There are also hints of shadowy forces outside the Empire and Ancient Enemy such as sentient machines (a la the Cylons from BSG) that rose up against humanity in a past war, and even a malevolent intelligence discovered by human scientists in a parallel universe. Whether these will prove to be red herrings or come to play a role in subsequent novels remains to be seen.
So…I liked it. I like substance and history to my space opera. Societies wage war, not individual humans or individual ships crews. Dandridge appears to be laying out the back story and larger social tapestry for what I hope will be a very entertaining series. Here’s hoping he can keep it up in the subsequent stories.
I enjoyed this book...and I enjoyed it for the reasons that some others disliked it.
This book is the first in a series and the author, Doug Dandridge, uses this first volume to set the stage for what promises to be a fairly lengthy series. First a brief synopsis. The story is set two thousand years after Earth and humanity's first attempt at an empire is destroyed in a war of genocide by a much more advanced race. A single Ark ship escapes from this holocaust which, after travelling 1000 years in subspace, re-establishes a human empire in a distant part of the galaxy. But despite the fact that they travelled so far to escape, the survivors live in fear of the day that the ancient enemy will rediscover them and restart its single minded attempt at the extermination of the human race...Fast forward 1000 years...the ancient enemy rediscovers humanity and the war resumes.
One of the chief complaints about this book is that "nothing happens". While the book is short of actual combat, it does go a long way towards describing the human, and to a lesser extent, alien society that are about to be thrown into war. The reader receives a detailed description of the Empire's system of government (constitutional monarchy), an overview of the empire's military system, and a very detailed description of the Empire's military and space craft tech. Of critical importance is the Empire's system of interstellar communication. There is something of an "age of sail" feel to this aspect of the empire as messages must be carried from star system to star system by actual starships, messenger buoys, or a hyperwave transmission system that is far from instantaneous. The complications of planning and executing a military campaign over interstellar distances are quickly made apparent and in the last chapters of the book human military forces have made contact with and engaged the ancient enemy while the Empire's military and political leadership are not yet even aware that the war has started. I expected that the complications inherent with communications delay will continue to play a key role as the stories unfold.
For those who want “action” the space combat sequences are well written. I think each new author seeking to write in the military space opera genre needs to find a unique spin on space combat and Dandridge does not disappoint. It is refreshing to find that the human military forces described by Dandridge represent an apparent mix of the military traditions of earth and not simply one real world military force apparently transplanted 2000+years into the future. There are no United States Space Marines or Space Navy fighting on behalf of the Empire for example. And there is intrigue as well, as various factions within the Empire battle for supremacy with a shadowy organization attempting to manipulate the Empire’s Prime Minister into carrying out a coup d’état by assassinating the Emperor. There are also hints of shadowy forces outside the Empire and Ancient Enemy such as sentient machines (a la the Cylons from BSG) that rose up against humanity in a past war, and even a malevolent intelligence discovered by human scientists in a parallel universe. Whether these will prove to be red herrings or come to play a role in subsequent novels remains to be seen.
So…I liked it. I like substance and history to my space opera. Societies wage war, not individual humans or individual ships crews. Dandridge appears to be laying out the back story and larger social tapestry for what I hope will be a very entertaining series. Here’s hoping he can keep it up in the subsequent stories.
July 26, 2014
Fascinating concept! I was so intrigued by the premise of this book... and impressed by the level of detail put into the technologies and future science of his world. At the same time, it was so incredibly detailed that it felt rather dry, and I couldn't sustain enough interest in what was happening to which characters. In part this is because we're being introduced to a very large cast of characters that you can tell will play a large role in the series as a whole.
I think at heart, I'm more of a space opera person who likes more "handwavium" than intense technical and scientific detail. That worked against me while reading this book, because it is all about the hard science and technology. Up to and including detailed ship schematics, the inner workings of different levels of hyperspace, and so on.
Also -- and I strongly appreciate this -- the military details in here are great, extremely realistic, and very much what you would expect given this particular future set of events. It's so easy to be thrown out of a story by implausible behaviors from military characters. In this book, the author has clearly put a great deal of thought into what the "feel" of a space navy would be, and how it would be similar to but different from current-day military services. The Marines were different than the regular navy, and so on.
What I missed -- and what made it hard for me to keep reading -- was a personal connection to the characters. They felt somewhat distant, probably because there were quite a few of them and the POV switched frequently; as soon as I was starting to "get to know" someone and care about what was happening to them, I'd be moved into another person's story and have to start from the ground floor all over again. By the time the POV cycled around to a character I'd already met, I couldn't remember their particular motivations and background anymore. Unfortunately, this meant that I just wasn't involved enough to care about the plots and counter-plots going on in the story, between the technical and scientific exposition. So maybe not the best story for a character-driven reader.
However, while this wasn't exactly my personal cup of tea, I'd recommend it to connoisseurs of hard sci-fi, without reservation. Great book -- just not the right fit for my own preferences.
I think at heart, I'm more of a space opera person who likes more "handwavium" than intense technical and scientific detail. That worked against me while reading this book, because it is all about the hard science and technology. Up to and including detailed ship schematics, the inner workings of different levels of hyperspace, and so on.
Also -- and I strongly appreciate this -- the military details in here are great, extremely realistic, and very much what you would expect given this particular future set of events. It's so easy to be thrown out of a story by implausible behaviors from military characters. In this book, the author has clearly put a great deal of thought into what the "feel" of a space navy would be, and how it would be similar to but different from current-day military services. The Marines were different than the regular navy, and so on.
What I missed -- and what made it hard for me to keep reading -- was a personal connection to the characters. They felt somewhat distant, probably because there were quite a few of them and the POV switched frequently; as soon as I was starting to "get to know" someone and care about what was happening to them, I'd be moved into another person's story and have to start from the ground floor all over again. By the time the POV cycled around to a character I'd already met, I couldn't remember their particular motivations and background anymore. Unfortunately, this meant that I just wasn't involved enough to care about the plots and counter-plots going on in the story, between the technical and scientific exposition. So maybe not the best story for a character-driven reader.
However, while this wasn't exactly my personal cup of tea, I'd recommend it to connoisseurs of hard sci-fi, without reservation. Great book -- just not the right fit for my own preferences.
May 1, 2014
Military space opera in the Weber/Ringo tradition. Beware: at the end of this first book (mercifully now free on Amazon) ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS HAPPENED YET. This is the most blatant setting up of a series I've come across yet. I do expect the first book in a series to work as a standalone novel. Pulling that off with subsequent installments is trickier, of course.
So, if the entire purpose of this book is world-building, then it must do a pretty good job at it? Sadly, no. We are halfway through before we realise that there are three human empires here, not just one. It is never clear if we are supposed to root for one of the three over the others. In fact, you have to pay careful attention to which navy we are in at the moment. I am pretty sure we've been aboard the ships of the Empire and the Kingdom, but there is a vaguely defined democracy in-between that we don't hear too much of. But then, of course, military sf writers are rarely into democracy.
Like so many military sf authors, Dandridge comes across as a frustrated C S Forrester fan, who would much rather be writing novels of adventure on the high seas in the 18th century. His empire is run (and ruined) by scheming aristocrats, the armed forces are structured exactly like a 18/19th century navy ... In two thousand years, there will still be NCOs called "gunny"? Why is military sf so incredibly conservative?
Dandridge lays the foundations of a formidable number of McGuffins. Six bands of usable hyperspace, plus a seventh that can only be used for signalling. What's the bet somone will figure out how to send a ship through level 7just on time to save the day, somewhere around volume 4? Scientists are working on instantaneous matter transmission, but haven't licked it yet. Ditto. There is a warning not to use matter transmission for time travel. Can you feel something coming?
One last thing. The supposed hero of the story, the third son of the Emperor (yup, real original) is an irritating little twat. I hope the aliens eat him ... Damn, now I'll have to put a spoiler warning on here.
So, if the entire purpose of this book is world-building, then it must do a pretty good job at it? Sadly, no. We are halfway through before we realise that there are three human empires here, not just one. It is never clear if we are supposed to root for one of the three over the others. In fact, you have to pay careful attention to which navy we are in at the moment. I am pretty sure we've been aboard the ships of the Empire and the Kingdom, but there is a vaguely defined democracy in-between that we don't hear too much of. But then, of course, military sf writers are rarely into democracy.
Like so many military sf authors, Dandridge comes across as a frustrated C S Forrester fan, who would much rather be writing novels of adventure on the high seas in the 18th century. His empire is run (and ruined) by scheming aristocrats, the armed forces are structured exactly like a 18/19th century navy ... In two thousand years, there will still be NCOs called "gunny"? Why is military sf so incredibly conservative?
Dandridge lays the foundations of a formidable number of McGuffins. Six bands of usable hyperspace, plus a seventh that can only be used for signalling. What's the bet somone will figure out how to send a ship through level 7just on time to save the day, somewhere around volume 4? Scientists are working on instantaneous matter transmission, but haven't licked it yet. Ditto. There is a warning not to use matter transmission for time travel. Can you feel something coming?
One last thing. The supposed hero of the story, the third son of the Emperor (yup, real original) is an irritating little twat. I hope the aliens eat him ... Damn, now I'll have to put a spoiler warning on here.
March 23, 2015
The series got off to a promising start, it felt very Weber-esque, which is something I do enjoy, but this book ultimately felt unfulfilling, especially at the end. There are obviously a bunch of big things coming up, political instability, the ancient threat is starting to attack the borders, etc, but nothing really seemed to happen with those at all,at least in this book. The plot thread with the farmer and his family didn't seem to do much at all, aside from providing a way to drop some background info. Aside from these pacing issues, the book was a fun read.
April 22, 2016
Decently thought out but
There are too many language and grammar errors for my taste. Plus his use of quotes by Twain, Socrates, and other notable philosophers is too pretentious for an average space opera.
There are too many language and grammar errors for my taste. Plus his use of quotes by Twain, Socrates, and other notable philosophers is too pretentious for an average space opera.
started_finish_later
February 5, 2013book 2 is out so time to decide on book 1 and the series; good start but then a little bog down
December 15, 2015
too complicated, how many people can you think off
October 23, 2019
I just couldn’t get into this book, it jumps all over the place, the author throws in new characters then jumps somewhere else. There is no story just a collection of short incidents.
November 21, 2019
Not incredible writing but it does have a really great set of alien cultures that are well fleshed out. The lack of editing detracts from the enjoyment and the novel doesn't hold up as well as the short stories. I wrote this and other reviews after reading a lot of this series.
There's some serious failure to create a MC that's understandable let alone sympathetic. He's a spoiled brat who takes his family power for granted but doesn't want to be treated any differently from all the other junior officers. He doesn't think twice about complaining directly to the captain, with no intervening steps. For anyone not familiar with warships, no one goes to the ship commander first. At least in anything bigger than a fast attack boat with a crew of six to ten or so.
Here we are supposed to admire him, I think. The other officers and sailors read normal, so the writer thinks that consequence free action attached to everyone from a powerful family as their due. It happens and shows up in other novels but the character is never shown in a favorable light, full of righteous indignation (instead of with the contempt that his fellows would feel). Two British princes served in combat units but I doubt that they considered criticising their commanders after demanding face time with him. This imperial heir continues n this same manner through the entire series.
The Reformed Catholic church is the state church for humanity. The writer pays lip service to religious tolerance but keeps coming back to the RCC. His humanity doesn't seem to have cast off religion but no character seems to believe in one. He throws out some racist references to Islam in later books and generously refers to Islam as having become civilized finally. All religions are monotheistic in this future which books down to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. That's a stretch but it wouldn't bother me as much, if he didn't remind me how enlightened this society is. The exposition never stops.
He does the same with the fifty percent (his words) of the populace that is unemployed. They are on the dole but somehow they have voting rights which he doesn't explain. This is a society where nobility and the wealthy commoners can do anything to aliens, and anyone not of this small class with no consequences. That's a weird contradiction. It gets gets worse as he reminds you of how enlightened this whole society is. Why not describe this feudal society and leave it at that, because the justifications don't make sense wreck the plausibility.
The common soldiers, sailors, marines are written more normally. But even here we are reminded how magnanimous the human empire is because it allows alien subjects. The anti-alien bias shows up at the top of all the hierarchies and is considered normal at the low end. Again write it, own it but don't make it OK, because humans are so morally superior in the Terran Empire. The model for this must be the French, British, Spanish, US colonial practise. If the society is human first (second, third and last), you don't need to repeat how wonderful it is. Let the dialogue and character actions demonstrate the society's thrust or just write a better society. The exposition is tedious and says more about the writer's understanding of society than creating a context for the internal and external behaviors of human star nations.
I read the series for the aliens but I couldn't finish the series. Some parts are interesting but the more I saw of the background universe, the less I cared about the human characters. The writer doesn't even realize that he's moralizing, flattening the personalities of the decision makers and undercutting the good work he does on the lower ranks and alien cultures.
The sexist portrayals, the schizoid interactions with aliens and the emptiness of the lives of the non-wealthy, get progressively more difficult to read.
All characters are either military, naval, wealthy commoners or wealthier nobles which is limiting in and of itself. His short stories are fun, some with plot weaknesses but this series plot is on tract to end his century of warfare in about five years. The stupidity of the human commanders in dealing with obvious weaknesses would suggest that maybe that shouldn't happen. The dialogue between the emperor and his consort with every other character, including each other is crazy silly. The constant upgunning of the navy, doesn't add to the drama and it starts to feel like a computer first person shooter. The aliens were cool but not worth the time I put into reading the series.
There's some serious failure to create a MC that's understandable let alone sympathetic. He's a spoiled brat who takes his family power for granted but doesn't want to be treated any differently from all the other junior officers. He doesn't think twice about complaining directly to the captain, with no intervening steps. For anyone not familiar with warships, no one goes to the ship commander first. At least in anything bigger than a fast attack boat with a crew of six to ten or so.
Here we are supposed to admire him, I think. The other officers and sailors read normal, so the writer thinks that consequence free action attached to everyone from a powerful family as their due. It happens and shows up in other novels but the character is never shown in a favorable light, full of righteous indignation (instead of with the contempt that his fellows would feel). Two British princes served in combat units but I doubt that they considered criticising their commanders after demanding face time with him. This imperial heir continues n this same manner through the entire series.
The Reformed Catholic church is the state church for humanity. The writer pays lip service to religious tolerance but keeps coming back to the RCC. His humanity doesn't seem to have cast off religion but no character seems to believe in one. He throws out some racist references to Islam in later books and generously refers to Islam as having become civilized finally. All religions are monotheistic in this future which books down to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. That's a stretch but it wouldn't bother me as much, if he didn't remind me how enlightened this society is. The exposition never stops.
He does the same with the fifty percent (his words) of the populace that is unemployed. They are on the dole but somehow they have voting rights which he doesn't explain. This is a society where nobility and the wealthy commoners can do anything to aliens, and anyone not of this small class with no consequences. That's a weird contradiction. It gets gets worse as he reminds you of how enlightened this whole society is. Why not describe this feudal society and leave it at that, because the justifications don't make sense wreck the plausibility.
The common soldiers, sailors, marines are written more normally. But even here we are reminded how magnanimous the human empire is because it allows alien subjects. The anti-alien bias shows up at the top of all the hierarchies and is considered normal at the low end. Again write it, own it but don't make it OK, because humans are so morally superior in the Terran Empire. The model for this must be the French, British, Spanish, US colonial practise. If the society is human first (second, third and last), you don't need to repeat how wonderful it is. Let the dialogue and character actions demonstrate the society's thrust or just write a better society. The exposition is tedious and says more about the writer's understanding of society than creating a context for the internal and external behaviors of human star nations.
I read the series for the aliens but I couldn't finish the series. Some parts are interesting but the more I saw of the background universe, the less I cared about the human characters. The writer doesn't even realize that he's moralizing, flattening the personalities of the decision makers and undercutting the good work he does on the lower ranks and alien cultures.
The sexist portrayals, the schizoid interactions with aliens and the emptiness of the lives of the non-wealthy, get progressively more difficult to read.
All characters are either military, naval, wealthy commoners or wealthier nobles which is limiting in and of itself. His short stories are fun, some with plot weaknesses but this series plot is on tract to end his century of warfare in about five years. The stupidity of the human commanders in dealing with obvious weaknesses would suggest that maybe that shouldn't happen. The dialogue between the emperor and his consort with every other character, including each other is crazy silly. The constant upgunning of the navy, doesn't add to the drama and it starts to feel like a computer first person shooter. The aliens were cool but not worth the time I put into reading the series.
December 21, 2017
It’s good humans and aliens vs bad humans and aliens.
I don’t really mind the lack of originality, I like a competently written story. This one works as basic military scifi and should be a nice read. I could see where the different characters should develop to and I wanted to read more. Because I could. I would not have continued this series if I’d had to wait for the next book.
This one does fail on a basic level by being almost entirely exposition and no actual plot. Characters are introduced – which takes about two thirds of the book – and some worldbuilding occurs. The book itself doesn’t contain its own story or its own arc. Frankly this reads like it was cut out of a larger story.
I kind of want to see where this story is going. But that won’t keep me from stopping once it gets tired.
I don’t really mind the lack of originality, I like a competently written story. This one works as basic military scifi and should be a nice read. I could see where the different characters should develop to and I wanted to read more. Because I could. I would not have continued this series if I’d had to wait for the next book.
This one does fail on a basic level by being almost entirely exposition and no actual plot. Characters are introduced – which takes about two thirds of the book – and some worldbuilding occurs. The book itself doesn’t contain its own story or its own arc. Frankly this reads like it was cut out of a larger story.
I kind of want to see where this story is going. But that won’t keep me from stopping once it gets tired.
May 19, 2020
Although the author has some redeeming features (such as quotes from well known people, including sci-fi authors), his lack of scientific knowledge (stripping the electrical charge from protons to make them neutral - as if could be done and not making them neutrons) and slow plot with numerous sub-plots which resolve eventually, makes this series a painful reading. Not recommended.
November 13, 2017
Seams like good storey two reed
This story seems to have potential but all of the editing mistakes makes it unreadable to me. If I ever get an email from the author telling me the books have been edited I will gladly give this series another try.
This story seems to have potential but all of the editing mistakes makes it unreadable to me. If I ever get an email from the author telling me the books have been edited I will gladly give this series another try.
January 31, 2018
Really good book. It was a little challenging to start as there were so many characters being introduced I was reading and reading without knowing who anybody was. Maybe it was because I started reading Hyperion just before and that was the complete opposite. On to the next one.
February 26, 2021
I like the concept but it was very difficult to get into. There are so many characters, areas etc. Around the 3/4 part it started to make a little sense but I grew so bored that I put the book away. It had potential but it is trying to much.
March 2, 2019
Pretty fun series. Continuing it.
January 22, 2024
I loved the series. Doug mixes technical aspects with a good story. I have actually read the series a few times now.
May 7, 2024
Fantastic
July 25, 2013
Very Weberesque military science fiction with a lot less political navel gazing. I was a bit disappointed with how the book ended which felt very much like just cutting off in the middle of the book. I understand there are more books coming, but there wasn't REALLY the traditional narrative arc with some kind of big conflict/resolution section. I feel like this is really half a book in a way which books like Fellowship of the Rings doesn't.
(I pick FotR because it definitely just cuts off mid-story with Sam and Frodo at the gates of Mordor, but firstly the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy was originally a single book and got cut apart and secondly there was a definite rise and fall of the story which lead the reader to think "What that's it?" at first but then realize they had a complete adventure and this was the next phase getting set up. Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear another pair of books originally written as one book again has a rise and fall that while still very much unresolved feels like part one of the story. This feels like part one half of the story.
Still very enjoyable and for $2-3 pretty reasonable to be half of a book in terms of entertainment/$ but just a somewhat jarring ending. Especially so as my Kindle told me I had 30 minutes left and I turned the page to find the first appendix which I was not expecting. Maybe we limit our narratives because it is what we are used to. Even serials and old serial television each episode/chapter/book has to follow the standard storytelling arc, sometimes to the detriment of that story (some books feel like they have forced conflicts to fit the arc, but now that I've felt odd not having the full arc, I guess I understand why).
So I enjoyed this book, but don't expect to find this book a satisfying read, you'll clearly need at least the next book and possibly next two books to find that satisfaction.
(I pick FotR because it definitely just cuts off mid-story with Sam and Frodo at the gates of Mordor, but firstly the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy was originally a single book and got cut apart and secondly there was a definite rise and fall of the story which lead the reader to think "What that's it?" at first but then realize they had a complete adventure and this was the next phase getting set up. Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear another pair of books originally written as one book again has a rise and fall that while still very much unresolved feels like part one of the story. This feels like part one half of the story.
Still very enjoyable and for $2-3 pretty reasonable to be half of a book in terms of entertainment/$ but just a somewhat jarring ending. Especially so as my Kindle told me I had 30 minutes left and I turned the page to find the first appendix which I was not expecting. Maybe we limit our narratives because it is what we are used to. Even serials and old serial television each episode/chapter/book has to follow the standard storytelling arc, sometimes to the detriment of that story (some books feel like they have forced conflicts to fit the arc, but now that I've felt odd not having the full arc, I guess I understand why).
So I enjoyed this book, but don't expect to find this book a satisfying read, you'll clearly need at least the next book and possibly next two books to find that satisfaction.
February 8, 2015
An ancient galactic race which only wants to rule,the other race is trying to exterminate Earth people and Earth itself because they tried to assassinate the Emperor's son. Earth just started to travel space, and is nearly annihilated. But they manage to escape and build another empire and for a thousand years they live free to carve their empire, fighting with other alien races and exploiting the rests of the Ancients, the Elysium aliens which lived where the humans are now.
Until the old enemies appear again... And they haven't forgotten humans.
A Galactic war is ready to explode, info,vying a host of alien races, some fighting with mankind and others ready to enjoy humans being toppled from their lofty position of dominance, but in the first book very little happens, and the stage is just set for the other books, probably. The ubiquitous internal political intrigue also appears
The characters are highlighted, the technology is presented, and the past history and the environment is prepared.
The enemy is ruthless (they are also cannibals, and they like to eat humans) but, as in all science fiction of old, mankind is incredibly resourceful. After all they managed to recover a thee thousand year disadvantage in technology in just a thousand years......
I do not think I shall read all the books on the series, probably I shall skip to the latest one and see what happened.
Until the old enemies appear again... And they haven't forgotten humans.
A Galactic war is ready to explode, info,vying a host of alien races, some fighting with mankind and others ready to enjoy humans being toppled from their lofty position of dominance, but in the first book very little happens, and the stage is just set for the other books, probably. The ubiquitous internal political intrigue also appears
The characters are highlighted, the technology is presented, and the past history and the environment is prepared.
The enemy is ruthless (they are also cannibals, and they like to eat humans) but, as in all science fiction of old, mankind is incredibly resourceful. After all they managed to recover a thee thousand year disadvantage in technology in just a thousand years......
I do not think I shall read all the books on the series, probably I shall skip to the latest one and see what happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2013
I enjoyed the book in spite of (or because of) the detail of the universe created and i particular the battle scenes, a clear favourite of the author, as was the faster than light technology (described innumerable times throughout the book - just in case the reader had suffered short term memory loss). Unlike many sci-fi readers I am less inclined to read novels that form part of a series unless each is capable of standing as a book by itself (with exceptions for Lord of the Rings & Chronicles of Thomas Covenant). Unfortunately this novel does not fall into that same class. While the story is imaginative with characters you can connect to the ending does not fully satisfy as there is a clear expectation from the author that you to rush right out and buy the next book (or in my case to download the next one) . To be fair, the story was certainly good enough for me to purchase the next instalment and so was clearly a good enough read to clear that first hurdle.
April 22, 2015
Very weber-esque. Even safehold-esque. A good read for fans of the military SF genre. 1000 years pass as they escape/relocate to another section of the galaxy to escape a race on the verge of exterminating humans. Another 1000 years pass as humans start over and rebuild and ready themselves for the inevitable re-encounter with race that wants them dead to the last.
December 1, 2015
Very unique take on a traditional Sci Fi plot
The characters are extremely engaging and interesting. The plot line feels pretty standard Sci Fi. Humanity at war with an advanced alien race bent on humanities annihilation. However, it has an interest twist which easily makes this book well worth the read.
The characters are extremely engaging and interesting. The plot line feels pretty standard Sci Fi. Humanity at war with an advanced alien race bent on humanities annihilation. However, it has an interest twist which easily makes this book well worth the read.
June 22, 2015
Very very good.
A great read and a very complex storyline building to quite an intriguing series. If you like a good fast read with lots of character development, then this is for you.
A great read and a very complex storyline building to quite an intriguing series. If you like a good fast read with lots of character development, then this is for you.
November 11, 2015
Strong and satisfying world-building in the genre of far-future space opera. Picked this up on a whim and proceeding straight to book two to see what happens next. Some typos and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout the book but don't detract from the enjoyment too much. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews