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The Phoenix Conspiracy #5
The Phoenix Darkness
The fight for Apollo was a bloodbath, the King is dead, and civil war grips the Empire, forcing humans everywhere to shed human blood or flee in terror. Planets fall, fleets are destroyed, and now the throne itself hangs in the balance. Caerwyn and Kalila wage open war to claim it, knowing its fate will determine the future of humanity—if any future can still be hoped for.
Watching the chaos from a vigilant distance, the Rotham Republic looks upon the Empire's territory with insatiable lust. Renora is already theirs, aside from token resistance, but that planet was never the true prize—only a stepping stone. And now that humanity's defenses grow weaker by the day, the time to strike draws ever nearer.
The seeds are sown for a conflict the size of The Great War, a repeat of the bloodiest fight in galactic history. Only this time one crucial detail is changed: From its origins in the unknown, forbidden, nether regions of Polarian space, the Dread Fleet moves. Silently. Swiftly. A spear born of the darkest darkness ready to scourge all in its path. Few know why the Dread Fleet has assembled after so many years. But those who do, they hail it as the fulfillment of prophecy. One mighty and terrible final gift from the One True God. With the rest of the galaxy poised to rip itself to shreds, how could the Dread Fleet's arrival mean anything but the ushering in of The Final Darkness?
As for Calvin and his team, they’ve been betrayed by Alex. A betrayal that will lead them to uncover one of the galaxy’s greatest secrets—and possible send them each to an early grave. Meanwhile Raidan prepares to execute the final stage of his own plan, vowing to save the Empire. Summers, Tristan, and Blackmoth each race toward Zander and his isotome weapon. And the Rahajiim and other dark forces have plans of their own, plans that threaten to reshape the galaxy to their design—or leave it in dust and ashes.
Watching the chaos from a vigilant distance, the Rotham Republic looks upon the Empire's territory with insatiable lust. Renora is already theirs, aside from token resistance, but that planet was never the true prize—only a stepping stone. And now that humanity's defenses grow weaker by the day, the time to strike draws ever nearer.
The seeds are sown for a conflict the size of The Great War, a repeat of the bloodiest fight in galactic history. Only this time one crucial detail is changed: From its origins in the unknown, forbidden, nether regions of Polarian space, the Dread Fleet moves. Silently. Swiftly. A spear born of the darkest darkness ready to scourge all in its path. Few know why the Dread Fleet has assembled after so many years. But those who do, they hail it as the fulfillment of prophecy. One mighty and terrible final gift from the One True God. With the rest of the galaxy poised to rip itself to shreds, how could the Dread Fleet's arrival mean anything but the ushering in of The Final Darkness?
As for Calvin and his team, they’ve been betrayed by Alex. A betrayal that will lead them to uncover one of the galaxy’s greatest secrets—and possible send them each to an early grave. Meanwhile Raidan prepares to execute the final stage of his own plan, vowing to save the Empire. Summers, Tristan, and Blackmoth each race toward Zander and his isotome weapon. And the Rahajiim and other dark forces have plans of their own, plans that threaten to reshape the galaxy to their design—or leave it in dust and ashes.
413 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2015
50 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Richard L. Sanders
9 books84 followersI’m a 26 year old law student with a B.S. in Economics from the University of Utah. I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek and all of that fun stuff. I’ve been writing stories since I was able to hold a pencil and have always loved escaping into books. In the real world I enjoy the beautiful outdoors (camping, hiking, climbing, swimming, all of that) and have recently gotten into skiing. I also love a good game of chess every now and then.
I cite Orson Scott Card and J.K. Rowling as my primary influences, however there are others (Roddenberry, etc.) who’ve clearly influenced me and the list of those deserving credit is, I’m sure, far longer than I could possibly guess.
Copied from http://www.richardlsanders.com/
I cite Orson Scott Card and J.K. Rowling as my primary influences, however there are others (Roddenberry, etc.) who’ve clearly influenced me and the list of those deserving credit is, I’m sure, far longer than I could possibly guess.
Copied from http://www.richardlsanders.com/
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 22, 2016
Episode 5 somewhat redeems itself
As the plot thickens, Episode 5 somewhat redeems itself by way of less ranting and thought dialogue though it was still pervasive.
The author tries to get the reader to panic at the seeming hopelessness of a situation before the protagonists narrowly escapes. The trouble with this method is the author has literally gnawed away at you rooting for anyone except maybe Reznak and Summers plus Nimoux....everyone else...even Calvin...I don't mind if he dies.
As the plot thickens, Episode 5 somewhat redeems itself by way of less ranting and thought dialogue though it was still pervasive.
The author tries to get the reader to panic at the seeming hopelessness of a situation before the protagonists narrowly escapes. The trouble with this method is the author has literally gnawed away at you rooting for anyone except maybe Reznak and Summers plus Nimoux....everyone else...even Calvin...I don't mind if he dies.
November 14, 2015
After the first four books in this Phoenix Conspiracy were published in fairly quick succession, there was a bit of a delay for the fifth. It seems Sanders expected, in these extra months, that we'd forget entirely what happened in books #1 through #4. So he spends the first 300 pages retelling it. All of it. Every chapter is filled with exposition to remind us how we got here. Further, every character feels the need to explain their actions, and their justifications for them. When they do this through dialog with other characters it really feels awkward. Both the reader and the players (should) already know, so it serves no purpose.
And the last 60 pages? That's just a setup for book six.
So all in all, The Phoenix Darkness was a complete waste of time.
And the last 60 pages? That's just a setup for book six.
So all in all, The Phoenix Darkness was a complete waste of time.
April 21, 2018
Another Great Adventure with Calvin
Oh what surprises, suspense, excitement, confusion, etc, ext, etc!!!! Needless to say I loved this book as much as the previously three! Most of the time I have problems jumping from one action to another and back to the first. Back and forth, upside down, and sideways usually confuses me, however, not this book. It kept me wanting to know what was going on with Shen, Summers, Calvin, Raiden, Blackmoth, and all the rest! This story has really been a great read! I really think it would make a great movie and/or a TV series. I think if you have read the first 3 books and enjoyed them as much as I did you will also enjoy this book as well, just like I did! Read it and see. Now I off to the next adventure!
Oh what surprises, suspense, excitement, confusion, etc, ext, etc!!!! Needless to say I loved this book as much as the previously three! Most of the time I have problems jumping from one action to another and back to the first. Back and forth, upside down, and sideways usually confuses me, however, not this book. It kept me wanting to know what was going on with Shen, Summers, Calvin, Raiden, Blackmoth, and all the rest! This story has really been a great read! I really think it would make a great movie and/or a TV series. I think if you have read the first 3 books and enjoyed them as much as I did you will also enjoy this book as well, just like I did! Read it and see. Now I off to the next adventure!
January 2, 2020
Too many speeches
I had to skip over a lot of material which was basically speeches where one political leader was saying what he was going to do and how bad the other person was and the opposing political leader was doing the same. There were a number of tense situations and close calls that made the story continue to be interesting.
I had to skip over a lot of material which was basically speeches where one political leader was saying what he was going to do and how bad the other person was and the opposing political leader was doing the same. There were a number of tense situations and close calls that made the story continue to be interesting.
March 5, 2018
Book 5
Book 5 had errors throughout, but was a fun read. Blackmoth was an interesting character in his zealous manner and the other characters have grown well. The plot has become more extreme and I am not sure where it will go in book 6.
Book 5 had errors throughout, but was a fun read. Blackmoth was an interesting character in his zealous manner and the other characters have grown well. The plot has become more extreme and I am not sure where it will go in book 6.
January 2, 2021
Bring me the ultimate weapon!
Author freebie. A,sort of cat and mouse game is occurring over who will end up with the ultimate weapon. Some power blocks don't do well and some minor characters die off. Personal philosophies are trotted out and take up space.
Author freebie. A,sort of cat and mouse game is occurring over who will end up with the ultimate weapon. Some power blocks don't do well and some minor characters die off. Personal philosophies are trotted out and take up space.
November 17, 2018
I loved it just as much as the other 4.
January 21, 2019
Brilliant reading
Looking forward to reading the next two parts of the battle for empire should be made into a movie or two
Looking forward to reading the next two parts of the battle for empire should be made into a movie or two
November 26, 2015
Phenominal book! Darkness starts out a bit slow, with so many viewpoints, events to convey, and threads to begin resolving. But it then changes into an extremely fast-paced journey with the perfect setup for the final book, Reckoning. I can't wait until it's out to find out how this amazing series ends.
October 13, 2015
Great addition to the series especially like the cliffhangers at the end of chapters and even in between. Kept me turning the pages thankfully not long to wait for the final installment
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews