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The September Series #1
Oranje
A thousand years in the future the planet Oranje is attacked, its population wiped out by the New Commonwealth--a heartless empire that won't let anyone get in their way.
The Curators--reclusive guardians of the Net that connects all of humanity--are the only ones who know what's happened. But they don't interfere in galactic politics, desiring safety and stability above all else.
Isi wants to change that. Infuriated by the indifference of her fellow Curators, she persuades them to send out the Three to warn the other planets and nations in the September region of the impending invasion. But no-one trusts the shadowy Curators. You can't trust what you can't see.
She will do everything she can to make sure the Three succeed. If they fail, billions more will die.
The fate of September is in their hands.
The Curators--reclusive guardians of the Net that connects all of humanity--are the only ones who know what's happened. But they don't interfere in galactic politics, desiring safety and stability above all else.
Isi wants to change that. Infuriated by the indifference of her fellow Curators, she persuades them to send out the Three to warn the other planets and nations in the September region of the impending invasion. But no-one trusts the shadowy Curators. You can't trust what you can't see.
She will do everything she can to make sure the Three succeed. If they fail, billions more will die.
The fate of September is in their hands.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
361 people want to read
About the author
Jack Lusted
2 books3 followersJack Lusted currently lives in Brighton on the sunny (hah!) South coast of Britain with his wife Clare and two cats Archie and Molly. He's working on the September Series and has plans for many more science fiction stories to come.
You can follow him on the internet, if you really want to, at the following places:
You can follow him on the internet, if you really want to, at the following places:
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2014
The cover is what originally caught my attention and seeing that it was a sci-fi, I had to grab it up. It was the prologue, however, that drew me in. The story was fun and full of adventure. The unexpected twists began right from the beginning. On top of all that, the book is well written, but done in a way that most people do not - telling most of the story through conversation. I was a little concerned about this at first, but it seemed to flow very well. I can't wait to read more of this series.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 3, 2014
Like so many things I first heard of Oranje on reddit. How I don’t remember, but I read the introductory chapter that Jack Lusted posted on his website and was intrigued enough to add it to my backlog. I finished it last night, and while I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it, it didn’t make much of an impression on me. There were certainly some good things about Oranje but these were mostly balanced out by severe mediocrity. Be warned, there are some spoilers ahead.
The concepts in the world that Lusted built were quite interesting; planets allied in nations, or not allied at all, yet tied together by the “Net.” Capitalized internet. Obviously it avoids being limited by the speed of light. The Net has guardians, the Curators, to ensure that it stays free and equal to all. This, naturally, leads them to meddle with the internal politics of the nations, at least from the nations’ point of view. However, when the region of the galaxy known as September is attacked by an outside force the Curators are the ones trying to come to it’s defense.
All of the world building up to this point is well and good, but this is where it gets weird. The big baddies’, the New Commonwealth, modus operandi is to show up with a large fleet above a planet and demand surrender. For some reason, the leaders of these planet decide that even without a military, surrender is not an option, and refuse. The New Commonwealth goes a little overboard with their response, nuking the entire world, but what were the leaders expecting? Yeah, it’s harsh, but they were at least going to wipe out a city or two to make a point. It’s not like anyone tries to take over a planet, and when told no says aw shucks, since you were brave enough to say no I'll leave. I think this was my main problem with the book, I just couldn’t get on board with the big baddy. Besides, at no point in the book do you get to know anyone affected by the New Commonwealth; there’s no emotional response. All that’s left is some random worlds that the reader knows nothing about that aren’t on the Net anymore.
The solution that the Curators come up with to these attacks is just as unconvincing as the enemy perpetrating them. Because the two main nations are too busy fighting each other to defend independant worlds from The New Commonwealth the Curators want to set up a new nation to defend the region. It just doesn't make sense. How exactly is a newly forming nation, probably beset by the nations it's planets succeeded from, going to fight a major enemy force. Even supposing you get a lot of defections from each military you're going to have a logistical nightmare on your hands. Or maybe I'm just thinking too much.
I know the last paragraph is somewhat of a spoiler, but it can be seen coming from pretty early in the book. That's another issue I have; the plot sets out on a certain course and sticks to it. Everything that the characters do succeeds. There's little to no adversity for them; they plan a course of action and are able to execute it with little deviation. I think the biggest hurdle one of them faces is that she's only allowed to wear white and she really likes colors. I don't think it helps the reader become invested in the characters.
I know I've done a lot of bashing of Oranje, but I don't want to leave the impression that I think that it's a bad book. It is solidly mediocre. Though hard to become invested in the story is interesting. The world borrows some ideas from Hyperion, though if I hadn't just read it I wouldn't know. It's the right level of inspiration. The challenges facing the characters is real, it just doesn't materialize in a real way in this book. From the way the situation is left I think that the sequel could be a lot more interesting. When the book ends there are many directions the story could take, and I hope that Lusted puts some thought into having the characters take a bumpier path.
See more on my blog:
http://johnhswenson.wordpress.com/201...
The concepts in the world that Lusted built were quite interesting; planets allied in nations, or not allied at all, yet tied together by the “Net.” Capitalized internet. Obviously it avoids being limited by the speed of light. The Net has guardians, the Curators, to ensure that it stays free and equal to all. This, naturally, leads them to meddle with the internal politics of the nations, at least from the nations’ point of view. However, when the region of the galaxy known as September is attacked by an outside force the Curators are the ones trying to come to it’s defense.
All of the world building up to this point is well and good, but this is where it gets weird. The big baddies’, the New Commonwealth, modus operandi is to show up with a large fleet above a planet and demand surrender. For some reason, the leaders of these planet decide that even without a military, surrender is not an option, and refuse. The New Commonwealth goes a little overboard with their response, nuking the entire world, but what were the leaders expecting? Yeah, it’s harsh, but they were at least going to wipe out a city or two to make a point. It’s not like anyone tries to take over a planet, and when told no says aw shucks, since you were brave enough to say no I'll leave. I think this was my main problem with the book, I just couldn’t get on board with the big baddy. Besides, at no point in the book do you get to know anyone affected by the New Commonwealth; there’s no emotional response. All that’s left is some random worlds that the reader knows nothing about that aren’t on the Net anymore.
The solution that the Curators come up with to these attacks is just as unconvincing as the enemy perpetrating them. Because the two main nations are too busy fighting each other to defend independant worlds from The New Commonwealth the Curators want to set up a new nation to defend the region. It just doesn't make sense. How exactly is a newly forming nation, probably beset by the nations it's planets succeeded from, going to fight a major enemy force. Even supposing you get a lot of defections from each military you're going to have a logistical nightmare on your hands. Or maybe I'm just thinking too much.
I know the last paragraph is somewhat of a spoiler, but it can be seen coming from pretty early in the book. That's another issue I have; the plot sets out on a certain course and sticks to it. Everything that the characters do succeeds. There's little to no adversity for them; they plan a course of action and are able to execute it with little deviation. I think the biggest hurdle one of them faces is that she's only allowed to wear white and she really likes colors. I don't think it helps the reader become invested in the characters.
I know I've done a lot of bashing of Oranje, but I don't want to leave the impression that I think that it's a bad book. It is solidly mediocre. Though hard to become invested in the story is interesting. The world borrows some ideas from Hyperion, though if I hadn't just read it I wouldn't know. It's the right level of inspiration. The challenges facing the characters is real, it just doesn't materialize in a real way in this book. From the way the situation is left I think that the sequel could be a lot more interesting. When the book ends there are many directions the story could take, and I hope that Lusted puts some thought into having the characters take a bumpier path.
See more on my blog:
http://johnhswenson.wordpress.com/201...
September 3, 2016
This book kept my interest from beginning to end.
I liked the carefully crafted political setting and the intriguing plot that gave me pause to think about what happens to high office when there is a political crisis and the power balances are at risk.
The whole story is told using very well written dialogues and for me it was like being at the theatre.
Dialogues work well to convey the tension between characters and the complexity of the plot but sometimes they slow down the rhythm of the narration and I felt the characters need a bit more depth.
Maybe this interesting technique of storytelling would perform better in a short story.
I think the author could also extract a really good script from this novel, it would be a very compelling and intriguing play.
I received a free copy in exchange for a review, and am so glad I did.
I liked the carefully crafted political setting and the intriguing plot that gave me pause to think about what happens to high office when there is a political crisis and the power balances are at risk.
The whole story is told using very well written dialogues and for me it was like being at the theatre.
Dialogues work well to convey the tension between characters and the complexity of the plot but sometimes they slow down the rhythm of the narration and I felt the characters need a bit more depth.
Maybe this interesting technique of storytelling would perform better in a short story.
I think the author could also extract a really good script from this novel, it would be a very compelling and intriguing play.
I received a free copy in exchange for a review, and am so glad I did.
April 15, 2014
This book is set in a far future where man has spread to the stars and then splintered into fragmented groups. It describes the struggles of a group of very different protagonists to find ways to defend their independent societies and ways of life. The characters are interesting and believable and in time-honored sci-fi tradition there are some new and different science spins. Overall though it is the age-old tale of human struggle to get along and yet maintain independence. It is the first book in a series and I care enough about the characters after this first book to be interested in seeing the follow-up. I would have liked more character development and at times the scene elements seemed a bit forced, but overall a good read.
April 26, 2014
I initially almost stopped reading this book. But thankfully, something kept me going. I ended up giving it 5 stars for several reasons.
The characters grew on me to the point that I became amazed at their depth and intensity. I couldn't get enough of them. The story, although not your typical sci-fi fare, was intricate and complex. This story is not for the sci-fi reader that is looking for outlandish futuristic stuff. This story is more for those that enjoy a thought provoking somewhat cerebral plot.
Mr. Lusted has crafted a thoughtful plot that has me longing for the next book in the series. Even though I dislike it when an author writes serial novels, I am yearning for book 2 in this series. It is really that good.
The characters grew on me to the point that I became amazed at their depth and intensity. I couldn't get enough of them. The story, although not your typical sci-fi fare, was intricate and complex. This story is not for the sci-fi reader that is looking for outlandish futuristic stuff. This story is more for those that enjoy a thought provoking somewhat cerebral plot.
Mr. Lusted has crafted a thoughtful plot that has me longing for the next book in the series. Even though I dislike it when an author writes serial novels, I am yearning for book 2 in this series. It is really that good.
October 14, 2015
Great setup for what feels like an all-encompassing star war...and an adventure of a life time for the main characters. compellingly written and left me wanting for more. I'm looking forward to the rewrite coming out as "the Word" sometime soonish I hope!
March 29, 2014
Book is more about people and politics then "space battles". If you like the complexities of people and striving for the better a good read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews