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Odyssey One #4
Z temnoty
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2014)Deep in blackest space, the Drasin have watched humanity’s journey to the stars—and determined that a species as barbaric as ours has no place in the cosmos.
The wreckage of the starship Odyssey, once Earth’s greatest guardian, lies strewn across New York City. Abandoned by all but its captain, Odyssey’s sacrifice covered the withdrawal of countless troops as the Drasin assault ravaged the planet. When Captain Eric Weston finally emerges from the rubble, impossibly alive thanks to the mysterious “Gaia,” he knows with the Drasin it’s kill or be killed.
But not all of the heavens have proven hostile. The Priminae have felt the full brunt of Drasin aggression on their own home world, and they won’t leave humanity to face annihilation alone. Together with what’s left of the crews of the Odyssey and other starships, they race to join Weston and his group of Earth-bound survivors for a desperate last stand.
The final battle of the Drasin War brings bestselling author Evan Currie’s Odyssey One series to its shattering conclusion.
The wreckage of the starship Odyssey, once Earth’s greatest guardian, lies strewn across New York City. Abandoned by all but its captain, Odyssey’s sacrifice covered the withdrawal of countless troops as the Drasin assault ravaged the planet. When Captain Eric Weston finally emerges from the rubble, impossibly alive thanks to the mysterious “Gaia,” he knows with the Drasin it’s kill or be killed.
But not all of the heavens have proven hostile. The Priminae have felt the full brunt of Drasin aggression on their own home world, and they won’t leave humanity to face annihilation alone. Together with what’s left of the crews of the Odyssey and other starships, they race to join Weston and his group of Earth-bound survivors for a desperate last stand.
The final battle of the Drasin War brings bestselling author Evan Currie’s Odyssey One series to its shattering conclusion.
376 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2014
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2537 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
February 9, 2017
The grand majority of this book doesn't really qualify as a space opera, but the end definitely squeaks it in. What do I mean? I mean this book just put me through the hell of watching the Earth get slowly destroyed by a war it simply had no right to think it could win, despite all the stockpiled weapons and munitions, the high tech drones or kinetic slingshots or nukes, and despite even the help of a few alien friends.
The scale and scope of this conflict is immense and overwhelming, and all we could do was watch Eric and all the earthbound heroes triage, burn, and regroup as all the cities fell. I can honestly say that this is probably one of the best Earth Conflict novels I've ever read, at least when it came to straight war, war, and more war. Gannon came close, but this one beats it by timing, likeable characters, and spot-on fortune reversals.
Was the omnipresent intelligence a bit off-putting or odd? Well, yeah, a little bit, but I expect to know more about her in future books. This is NOT the end. :) Was the last-minute bacon-pulling unbelievable? Nah. As a series of books, it contains a very nice symmetry. I mean, turnabout *is* fair play, and let's be honest, things had really, really gone to shit.
Am I happy that book 5 is coming out in half a month? Hell yes.
Am I going to read King of Thieves with great anticipation, now that I'm a firm fanboy of the author? Yes. :)
Do I *really* *really* want to turn on my game console and play Mass Effect 3 right now, to savor the feeling and much more than the greater experience of this novel to feed off of each other, with delight? Yes. Yes I do. :)
The scale and scope of this conflict is immense and overwhelming, and all we could do was watch Eric and all the earthbound heroes triage, burn, and regroup as all the cities fell. I can honestly say that this is probably one of the best Earth Conflict novels I've ever read, at least when it came to straight war, war, and more war. Gannon came close, but this one beats it by timing, likeable characters, and spot-on fortune reversals.
Was the omnipresent intelligence a bit off-putting or odd? Well, yeah, a little bit, but I expect to know more about her in future books. This is NOT the end. :) Was the last-minute bacon-pulling unbelievable? Nah. As a series of books, it contains a very nice symmetry. I mean, turnabout *is* fair play, and let's be honest, things had really, really gone to shit.
Am I happy that book 5 is coming out in half a month? Hell yes.
Am I going to read King of Thieves with great anticipation, now that I'm a firm fanboy of the author? Yes. :)
Do I *really* *really* want to turn on my game console and play Mass Effect 3 right now, to savor the feeling and much more than the greater experience of this novel to feed off of each other, with delight? Yes. Yes I do. :)
February 25, 2022
Well, after two home runs and a triple, I guess it was only time before Currie hits a foul ball. We left Homeworld with Weston crashing the Odyssey into NYC and the planet/solar system overrun with Drasin. A few ships escaped back to Primie land with some folks from Earth, but things do not look good on the home front.
While Out of the Black still has some excellent action sequences, the pacing issues one again made themselves felt, and Currie takes this hardish scifi series into fantasy land, and one with some really annoying deus ex machinas (yes, that is plural!).
Basically, there are 1000s of Drasin cruisers left in the solar system, but they only send down a token force to Earth. Yes, they replicate like crazy, but why, in all their fury, do they not destroy Earth as fast as they can? Currie does give some reasons, when he switches POVs to the Drasin 'hive mind' if you will, but they are not very satisfying. Secondly, in the last installment, Captain Weston was basically awakened after crashing to Earth by Gaia, Earth's spirit I suppose. While we encountered something similar on the Primie world, we were never sure what the intelligence was; Curry left us guessing. Here, we have the Earth spirit in the flesh if you will, helping fend off the Drasin.
So, we spend most of the time here, at least the first half of the book, engaged in 'ground pounder' action on Earth, with Weston and company fending off the Drasin infestation. This was kinda fun, but got old quick. Finally, after Earth has been under siege for a MONTH, a small fleet of new ships-- of hybrid Primie/Terran design-- FTL back to Earth to save humanity. Again, some good space action here, but I can only swallow so much disbelief in one book; that, and the deus es machina at the end almost made me toss the book across the room. 2.5 stars, but this series seems to have run out of gas.
While Out of the Black still has some excellent action sequences, the pacing issues one again made themselves felt, and Currie takes this hardish scifi series into fantasy land, and one with some really annoying deus ex machinas (yes, that is plural!).
Basically, there are 1000s of Drasin cruisers left in the solar system, but they only send down a token force to Earth. Yes, they replicate like crazy, but why, in all their fury, do they not destroy Earth as fast as they can? Currie does give some reasons, when he switches POVs to the Drasin 'hive mind' if you will, but they are not very satisfying. Secondly, in the last installment, Captain Weston was basically awakened after crashing to Earth by Gaia, Earth's spirit I suppose. While we encountered something similar on the Primie world, we were never sure what the intelligence was; Curry left us guessing. Here, we have the Earth spirit in the flesh if you will, helping fend off the Drasin.
So, we spend most of the time here, at least the first half of the book, engaged in 'ground pounder' action on Earth, with Weston and company fending off the Drasin infestation. This was kinda fun, but got old quick. Finally, after Earth has been under siege for a MONTH, a small fleet of new ships-- of hybrid Primie/Terran design-- FTL back to Earth to save humanity. Again, some good space action here, but I can only swallow so much disbelief in one book; that, and the deus es machina at the end almost made me toss the book across the room. 2.5 stars, but this series seems to have run out of gas.
April 5, 2020
I really, really love this space opera series. Once I realized what a space opera gem I had, I flew through all the audio books at super sonic speed. It has everything I’d want in a series: space battles that include cat-and-mouse games, new planet and species discoveries, and an enemy that is easy to root against. There is a classicness to the style and format, which is incredibly easy to read and follow. However, out of all the books in the series this one is my least favorite and when I read the series again it will be the book I intentionally skip.
At the end of book 3, Homeworld, the Drasin had found their way to Earth and began their attack. Earth had a few heroics up their sleeves, but they could not hold back forever the eventual invasion of the Drasin. Now in book 4, Out of the Black, the fight with the Drasin is on Earth, herself. Starting in New York City, we see various efforts of the citizen themselves, but also efforts led by Captain Weston. The fight seems overwhelming hopeless, but Weston always seems to have a new trick to make things seem not so grim.
As I mentioned above, the fight is primarily on Earth and not in space, which is also why it is my least favorite book in the series. Logically, I understand as a series direction why the fight needed to come to Earth, but I also know that I enjoy my space opera to be in space. The time spent on land felt overly long and even though we got to see many of our favorite characters it dragged the story down. The plot does eventually find its way back into space, but for me the length spent on land was just too much to make up for the little space within the book.
The audio version of this book was once again terrific. David de Vries really knows how to bring characters to life with all their different accents and speaking styles. To me, listening to this series on audio is the best way to go and helps bring all the fighting and urgency of the situation to life.
Rating: 3 stars
At the end of book 3, Homeworld, the Drasin had found their way to Earth and began their attack. Earth had a few heroics up their sleeves, but they could not hold back forever the eventual invasion of the Drasin. Now in book 4, Out of the Black, the fight with the Drasin is on Earth, herself. Starting in New York City, we see various efforts of the citizen themselves, but also efforts led by Captain Weston. The fight seems overwhelming hopeless, but Weston always seems to have a new trick to make things seem not so grim.
As I mentioned above, the fight is primarily on Earth and not in space, which is also why it is my least favorite book in the series. Logically, I understand as a series direction why the fight needed to come to Earth, but I also know that I enjoy my space opera to be in space. The time spent on land felt overly long and even though we got to see many of our favorite characters it dragged the story down. The plot does eventually find its way back into space, but for me the length spent on land was just too much to make up for the little space within the book.
The audio version of this book was once again terrific. David de Vries really knows how to bring characters to life with all their different accents and speaking styles. To me, listening to this series on audio is the best way to go and helps bring all the fighting and urgency of the situation to life.
Rating: 3 stars
July 13, 2014
I have been looking forward to this book since I read Homeworld. I have to say that I am certainly not disappointed. This is a great book. Eric Weston is back and he kicks butts. This time not so much in space but on the ground. Actually, this book is somewhat different from previous instalments in that a lot of it takes place as marine-style action on the ground. Although not my favorite type of reading compared to space action it is good stuff. Weston turns out to be a fairly badass marine. It of course helps that he has a few combat suits, a few equally badass friends and a really mean Priminae weapon to help him.
Luckily there is a decent amount of action in space as well even though the Priminae themselves are a wee bit late to the party. The humans survivors that fled have, with the help of the Priminae, gotten themselves some new and shiny armor in space. This time with the capacity for dishing out some real mayhem. It might not be enough though since the Drasins got some surprises of their own.
I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of our main hero, Weston, in it and, as I wrote, he is doing some serious butt-kicking. There are very little annoying politics in this book. Only one stupid senator (of course) tries to be obstructive and he quickly gets a size 45 planted exactly where he deserves it. The one thing I have to say that I was not too thrilled with was this Gaia entity that popped up every so often. To me it was a wee bit too much magic over it and it kind of disrupted the good and believable sci-fi character of the book.
Except for this minor complaint this was a great book. The characters are well done. I even liked the president in this one. The story is great and the action is hot both in space and on the ground. The book blurb on most of the sites I have visited gives the impression that this is the conclusion and the last book in the series. Well, I am not so sure. At least I hope this is not the case since the book is really not a conclusion. Sure, the humans do win back their home planet, at least for now, but the fight is far from over and the book ends with a huge teaser for some new “thing” to materialize.
Luckily there is a decent amount of action in space as well even though the Priminae themselves are a wee bit late to the party. The humans survivors that fled have, with the help of the Priminae, gotten themselves some new and shiny armor in space. This time with the capacity for dishing out some real mayhem. It might not be enough though since the Drasins got some surprises of their own.
I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of our main hero, Weston, in it and, as I wrote, he is doing some serious butt-kicking. There are very little annoying politics in this book. Only one stupid senator (of course) tries to be obstructive and he quickly gets a size 45 planted exactly where he deserves it. The one thing I have to say that I was not too thrilled with was this Gaia entity that popped up every so often. To me it was a wee bit too much magic over it and it kind of disrupted the good and believable sci-fi character of the book.
Except for this minor complaint this was a great book. The characters are well done. I even liked the president in this one. The story is great and the action is hot both in space and on the ground. The book blurb on most of the sites I have visited gives the impression that this is the conclusion and the last book in the series. Well, I am not so sure. At least I hope this is not the case since the book is really not a conclusion. Sure, the humans do win back their home planet, at least for now, but the fight is far from over and the book ends with a huge teaser for some new “thing” to materialize.
December 15, 2015
Okay, so if you read my review of the third book in the series you know now that Earth is at least "holding out".
But, " it don't look good!"
The issue is very much in doubt with Earth being in much the same position in which General Custer found himself at Little Big Horn.
So now with most of the fleet having fled to our erstwhile allies light years away and the "devouring alien threat" closing in the stakes keep getting higher.
We get some excellent action in this book and the plot weaves a great story "tale". There is a plot point that we see for the hero in many books that verges on the absurdist but even this is told well enough that it's enjoyable.
Again, I can recommend this book and this series.
Enjoy.
But, " it don't look good!"
The issue is very much in doubt with Earth being in much the same position in which General Custer found himself at Little Big Horn.
So now with most of the fleet having fled to our erstwhile allies light years away and the "devouring alien threat" closing in the stakes keep getting higher.
We get some excellent action in this book and the plot weaves a great story "tale". There is a plot point that we see for the hero in many books that verges on the absurdist but even this is told well enough that it's enjoyable.
Again, I can recommend this book and this series.
Enjoy.
September 3, 2019
Quite good.
December 29, 2014
This being the fourth book in this particular series, if you are reading a review for it then you more then likely fall into one of two groups of people.
The first group is comprised of people who have read the previous books in the series. In this case all that needs to be said is that it is just like the previous books, and this book very much feels like merely a continuation of the previous book. So, how you would feel about this one will be exactly how you felt about the previous ones.
The second group is comprised of people who, like myself, saw this on a list of good sci-fi from 2014 and are wondering if this series is worth it (I saw it on Goodreads's list). That makes the recommendation question a bit trickier, and the following comments apply not only to this book, but to the entire series.
Starting off with the writing style and quality, think of this almost as "Tom Clancy in space". Mr Currie spends a great deal of time describing the weaponry and how it functions. I thought the concepts were interesting so I enjoyed this. The downside is that he could have benefited from another pass or two by an editor - there is the occasional typo/poorly structured sentence. Another issue is that there is a lot of repetition - phrases used in narration only for that exact phrase to be used in dialog half a page later, and hearing characters repeatedly say that a group of people or someone else is "insane" got pretty old pretty fast.
The most important point about this book and this series, however, is that the overwhelming bulk of the book is spent in combat. The ways Mr Currie uses the concepts of the large distances involved in the space battles, and how where you "see" the enemy is old information because light travels only so fast, was really interesting to me, and I enjoyed seeing how he factors that into the space battles. As mentioned before, he goes into a lot of detail regarding the weapons systems, and the tactics used as well. Note that there are also ground battles, which while good are still out-shined by the space ones. Overall the battles are quite exciting, and make this book (and series) a page-turner.
The very significant downside to this however, is that it comes at the expense of plot development. Because so much of the books is spent in fights, there's little time left to advance to plot outside of them (and it's hard to advance the plot much when the bullets and lasers are flying), and so the series seems a bit slow and bloated. The four books in the series could seriously be compressed into two - as mentioned above this book felt more like a "part 2" for book 3 then its own separate book. After 3 books of this I eventually found myself skimming through a couple of pages here and there for this one.
So, bottom line, should you read this book/series? If you just want to see spaceships blow each other up, and Marines shooting aliens, then this book is for you. However, if you want a deeper story and plot development, then I'd say hold off until there are a couple more books in this series.
The first group is comprised of people who have read the previous books in the series. In this case all that needs to be said is that it is just like the previous books, and this book very much feels like merely a continuation of the previous book. So, how you would feel about this one will be exactly how you felt about the previous ones.
The second group is comprised of people who, like myself, saw this on a list of good sci-fi from 2014 and are wondering if this series is worth it (I saw it on Goodreads's list). That makes the recommendation question a bit trickier, and the following comments apply not only to this book, but to the entire series.
Starting off with the writing style and quality, think of this almost as "Tom Clancy in space". Mr Currie spends a great deal of time describing the weaponry and how it functions. I thought the concepts were interesting so I enjoyed this. The downside is that he could have benefited from another pass or two by an editor - there is the occasional typo/poorly structured sentence. Another issue is that there is a lot of repetition - phrases used in narration only for that exact phrase to be used in dialog half a page later, and hearing characters repeatedly say that a group of people or someone else is "insane" got pretty old pretty fast.
The most important point about this book and this series, however, is that the overwhelming bulk of the book is spent in combat. The ways Mr Currie uses the concepts of the large distances involved in the space battles, and how where you "see" the enemy is old information because light travels only so fast, was really interesting to me, and I enjoyed seeing how he factors that into the space battles. As mentioned before, he goes into a lot of detail regarding the weapons systems, and the tactics used as well. Note that there are also ground battles, which while good are still out-shined by the space ones. Overall the battles are quite exciting, and make this book (and series) a page-turner.
The very significant downside to this however, is that it comes at the expense of plot development. Because so much of the books is spent in fights, there's little time left to advance to plot outside of them (and it's hard to advance the plot much when the bullets and lasers are flying), and so the series seems a bit slow and bloated. The four books in the series could seriously be compressed into two - as mentioned above this book felt more like a "part 2" for book 3 then its own separate book. After 3 books of this I eventually found myself skimming through a couple of pages here and there for this one.
So, bottom line, should you read this book/series? If you just want to see spaceships blow each other up, and Marines shooting aliens, then this book is for you. However, if you want a deeper story and plot development, then I'd say hold off until there are a couple more books in this series.
July 11, 2014
It's like this was written just for me! This is it. The enemy is attacking earth. We've got ground fights, space battles, nuclear explosions, hope lost. I loved it. It says this is the last one but the epilogue suggests more?!
July 12, 2014
This is the dude equivalent of a trashy romance novel. And it's fantastic.
June 22, 2018
In the last book, the Drasin found Earth and started their attack. Captain Weston went down with his ship but didn't die. In this installment of the series, he wages war against the Drasin on land, primarily in New York City. Because of our penchant for war on Earth, the Terran humans (that's us) are better equipped to fight the Drasin drones; however, we are still outnumbered and low on effective ammunition.
I am still enjoying this series; however, I felt a slight shift in Weston's character that bothered me a little. He said and thought things that were just slightly out of character for him given that this book picks up right after the last one ended. At first, I thought that it might be due to a new narrator for the audiobooks, but as the book got rolling, it was definitely more than just the new voice. I still love Weston's character and I'm still rooting for him - he's just a little different.
I am still enjoying this series; however, I felt a slight shift in Weston's character that bothered me a little. He said and thought things that were just slightly out of character for him given that this book picks up right after the last one ended. At first, I thought that it might be due to a new narrator for the audiobooks, but as the book got rolling, it was definitely more than just the new voice. I still love Weston's character and I'm still rooting for him - he's just a little different.
February 21, 2020
Notes:
Books 3 & 4 go together really well. It's like one long extended novel broken in two. If I think of the books as an episode, the pacing makes more sense. Some really cool things happened but not sure if EC will be able to pull it off. To be determined!
Books 3 & 4 go together really well. It's like one long extended novel broken in two. If I think of the books as an episode, the pacing makes more sense. Some really cool things happened but not sure if EC will be able to pull it off. To be determined!
November 13, 2015
That's what friends and allies are for.
Another well written and conceived continuation of the war of the galaxies that pits the humans against the Drasin as more evidence is found pointing to someone (human?) using the Drasin as a weapon system against the Earth and the Priminae to extinction. Captain Eric Westin continues to be the one man confounder of all things Dresin, as the smoking havoc left of what was once Earth faces new challenges for recovery. The governments that united to survive a common threat must now combine just to survive and to prepare for the next step of taking the fight to the Dresin.
The audio for read along is by a different "reader" that is not as effective as the first three books of this series. The inflection needed to distinguish between meanings of words with similar spelling or similar sounds can be puzzling or irritating if not following along in the book. Frequent use of capital letters as the understood shortening of the long name for devices, agencies, or governments are mispronounced as words, looking all meaning and requiring backing up to figure out the meaning if not following along. This is also complicated by the random shopping of the reading, usually at the end of chapters, but often between sections in a chapter. Why shave read along/audible versions if the don't read along? Minor differences between the voice and the book are the result of editing, but should be fixed. Spellchecker is both a help with clarity for the reader and writer, but can be a problem when it changes the spelling to an incorrect spelling because it can, even if the writer has entered it correctly.
Overall, this is a series where each book gets better than the previous ones.
Another well written and conceived continuation of the war of the galaxies that pits the humans against the Drasin as more evidence is found pointing to someone (human?) using the Drasin as a weapon system against the Earth and the Priminae to extinction. Captain Eric Westin continues to be the one man confounder of all things Dresin, as the smoking havoc left of what was once Earth faces new challenges for recovery. The governments that united to survive a common threat must now combine just to survive and to prepare for the next step of taking the fight to the Dresin.
The audio for read along is by a different "reader" that is not as effective as the first three books of this series. The inflection needed to distinguish between meanings of words with similar spelling or similar sounds can be puzzling or irritating if not following along in the book. Frequent use of capital letters as the understood shortening of the long name for devices, agencies, or governments are mispronounced as words, looking all meaning and requiring backing up to figure out the meaning if not following along. This is also complicated by the random shopping of the reading, usually at the end of chapters, but often between sections in a chapter. Why shave read along/audible versions if the don't read along? Minor differences between the voice and the book are the result of editing, but should be fixed. Spellchecker is both a help with clarity for the reader and writer, but can be a problem when it changes the spelling to an incorrect spelling because it can, even if the writer has entered it correctly.
Overall, this is a series where each book gets better than the previous ones.
July 9, 2014
Finished it in one day. This series really has it's hooks in me. I feel like a lot of time is spent on the technical aspects of space warfare, but the main character of Eric Weston still is allowed to develop into a compelling character. The fourth book in the series, real stakes have been built up, and a satisfying conclusion has been reached. Hoping for more, and the story seems like it could lead down a new path in to a very interesting direction.
October 9, 2015
A stunning conclusion to a great series. After bringing the Drasin to Earth it's up to Eric Weston to get rid of them.
Having crashed his starship into New York and surviving he seems he has been in constant battle with the Drasin.
Soon wave after wave of Drasin are landing and chewing up the major cities.
High adventure. Highly recommended
Having crashed his starship into New York and surviving he seems he has been in constant battle with the Drasin.
Soon wave after wave of Drasin are landing and chewing up the major cities.
High adventure. Highly recommended
August 7, 2015
This book is incredibly poorly written AND edited.. save yourself.. put it down.. I didn't even finish it. It was terrible. I had to click finish on goodreads so it stopped showing me the cover.
July 19, 2021
Evan Currie is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors with his "Odyssey One" series. "Out of the Black" picks right up where we left off: The Dresin have reached Earth and it's not looking good. This book was essentially the "Black Hawk Down" of the series an included a lot of ground fighting for the first half with space battles only coming into play in the final act.
Currie clearly did the work to understand the science that he talks about and does a good job of helping the reader understand the rules and stakes of the literary universe he has created.
Captain Eric Weston is a great character and a love letter to the influences that clearly inspired Currie to write these books. I can't wait to see where he takes us readers next!
Currie clearly did the work to understand the science that he talks about and does a good job of helping the reader understand the rules and stakes of the literary universe he has created.
Captain Eric Weston is a great character and a love letter to the influences that clearly inspired Currie to write these books. I can't wait to see where he takes us readers next!
May 1, 2022
Starts off slow, gets better, then great.
If you've gotten to book four of this series, then you like Evan Currie's writing by now. I was annoyed at the beginning of this book because a) he was too weak to kill off his (replaceable) main character and b) Gaia, omniscient, powerless, and completely unnecessary. But once Eric got into the war, it got good. The cavalry arrives, but is it enough? Frankly, I feel like I got jerked around too much in this book with "will they, won't they" survive, but it still only lost one star. THAT'S how much I enjoyed the book.
If you've gotten to book four of this series, then you like Evan Currie's writing by now. I was annoyed at the beginning of this book because a) he was too weak to kill off his (replaceable) main character and b) Gaia, omniscient, powerless, and completely unnecessary. But once Eric got into the war, it got good. The cavalry arrives, but is it enough? Frankly, I feel like I got jerked around too much in this book with "will they, won't they" survive, but it still only lost one star. THAT'S how much I enjoyed the book.
April 5, 2025
"Centrala, tu Kilo Jeden Dziewięć, zgłaszam kod… Centrala, jaki jest pierdolony kod na inwazję obcych."
March 6, 2015
So this is the end of at least this first story arch in the Odyssey universe. Fortunately I know that there will be more to come (first a stand-alone novel at the end of this month that is set in the same universe and at least has one appearance by Cpt. Weston - so let's hope that there will be more in the not-so-distant future).
Careful! Spoilers ahead!
I have to say that it was a real treat to see Cpt. Eric Weston showing that he deserved all the respect he got in the previous books by demonstrating just how good a tactician and even a Marine he is. Also, for the reader it was a somewhat nice change from the space battles. Nevertheless, I found myself missing them in more than the first half of the book since I really like how the author describes them. But the battles on the ground were gripping as well and the characters again were very likable (except for Shioban).
Like the others before it, this book also was action-filled and kept me on edge until the very end (and with that I even mean throughout the epilogue)! And hey, at least Earth lived to fight another day, even if badly scarred, right?!
Of course, I will probably never stop mourning the wonderful "Odyssey" since she was the first and I, personally, preferred many of her weapons over those of the "Odysseus". But I got used to the Archangels piloting the big ships now so maybe I'll get used to no-more-stealth / no-more-underdog as well?
The only part I didn't like too much and for which I deducted one star even, was the sheer incredible scale of some of the weapons (fifty mega-ton warheads, the "space-cannon" they fired from Earth to help Weston) as well as the fact that Weston could simply call old war friends and they would appear almost out of thin air to help him although they hadn't had contact in such a long time. It just felt slightly wrong somehow. And for some reason I would have preferred it if the Terrans had found a way to deal with the Drasin force themselves instead of 16 Priminae ships saving the day (by the way: what made them go against Central's order?). But I guess I should be mighty glad they did!
Anyway, I'm very curious now about the entity in the "Odysseus" (actually, about all the entities), as well as the connection between Terrans, Priminae, Drasin and the Empire and their historical background, respectively.
Careful! Spoilers ahead!
I have to say that it was a real treat to see Cpt. Eric Weston showing that he deserved all the respect he got in the previous books by demonstrating just how good a tactician and even a Marine he is. Also, for the reader it was a somewhat nice change from the space battles. Nevertheless, I found myself missing them in more than the first half of the book since I really like how the author describes them. But the battles on the ground were gripping as well and the characters again were very likable (except for Shioban).
Like the others before it, this book also was action-filled and kept me on edge until the very end (and with that I even mean throughout the epilogue)! And hey, at least Earth lived to fight another day, even if badly scarred, right?!
Of course, I will probably never stop mourning the wonderful "Odyssey" since she was the first and I, personally, preferred many of her weapons over those of the "Odysseus". But I got used to the Archangels piloting the big ships now so maybe I'll get used to no-more-stealth / no-more-underdog as well?
The only part I didn't like too much and for which I deducted one star even, was the sheer incredible scale of some of the weapons (fifty mega-ton warheads, the "space-cannon" they fired from Earth to help Weston) as well as the fact that Weston could simply call old war friends and they would appear almost out of thin air to help him although they hadn't had contact in such a long time. It just felt slightly wrong somehow. And for some reason I would have preferred it if the Terrans had found a way to deal with the Drasin force themselves instead of 16 Priminae ships saving the day (by the way: what made them go against Central's order?). But I guess I should be mighty glad they did!
Anyway, I'm very curious now about the entity in the "Odysseus" (actually, about all the entities), as well as the connection between Terrans, Priminae, Drasin and the Empire and their historical background, respectively.
November 16, 2015
The best book in the series is also the most disappointing. All the elements that appeared in this book (some actual narrative drive, shifting scenes, halfway decent drama and characterization) should have been in the previous books. A far more engaging book than volumes 2 or 3, Currie finally gets away from the "200 pages of space battle" to deliver some above-average ground-battles and some enjoyable political drama in the light of an alien invasion of Earth.
The Priminae are still barely there as characters and I sense Currie doesn't really know what to do with them or got bored with them (I know I did). Similarly, the introduction of Gaia (and abandonment of Central) as characters/plot devices feels too convenient. Currie starts too many plot threads and fails to resolve them and the book's "cliffhanger" ending feels forced since this is already the FOURTH book in the series. But still an enjoyable read.
The Priminae are still barely there as characters and I sense Currie doesn't really know what to do with them or got bored with them (I know I did). Similarly, the introduction of Gaia (and abandonment of Central) as characters/plot devices feels too convenient. Currie starts too many plot threads and fails to resolve them and the book's "cliffhanger" ending feels forced since this is already the FOURTH book in the series. But still an enjoyable read.
December 23, 2020
Well I was worried the author had possibly 'jumped the shark' at the end of the last book. Thankfully the 'what the hell' moment wasn't as big a shift as I thought. This volume is largely set around the battle for Earth and is an intense mix of space and ground battles against the odds and decreasing chances of victory. Looking forward to volume 5 now...
July 27, 2014
What? That's it? But the bad guys are still unknown and out there, WTF?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2024
Up and Down - Wrong and Right
I know. What the heck does a title like this mean? If it confuses you, that's because this is a confusing book.
Like all good science fiction, this book has plenty of science. Just barely believable, but there certainly. The fiction is there, too. We've seen the basic story before: Earth is attacked by a superior species that is pounding us down. What is different is that these spider-like "things" don't want to make slaves of humans, nor do they see humans as a source of food. They see our Earth as food. Each "Thing" sucks in enough matter to "birth" ten more "Things". Ten birth a hundred, a hundred birth a thousand until the entire planet is overcome. They've done it before to other planets. Consuming everything down to and including the core, leaving nothing but a few specks of matter that had been a planet.
There is a pattern to this destruction. The commonality to this destruction is that each of these destroyed planets had a life form very similar to ours.
The over-mind (a type of hive mind) that drives the spidery things feels it must destroy beings like us and wipe the planets we live on from all galaxies, the entire universe. That's the Up and the Right.
Down and Wrong is how the author messes with military rank and responsibility. Majors are seen as platoon leaders, and then in positions of much more responsibility commensurate with their rank. Ostensibly, a Marine Captain is also the Captain of a starship so powerful it could destroy all military forces on Earth. Normally, that would be the position of at least a four star Admiral.
If you are prior military, for the time being, suspend everything you know about military rank. OK, a Marine captain, operating with a squad size unit, commands an Air Force full bull colonel (If you're a Marine, that makes total sense).
If you can't subsume what you know about military rank, this book may be hard for you to digest.
If you know nothing about military ranks and responsibilities, or if you can just ignore what you "know," this is a fun book to read. I recommend it.
Oh, one more thing. The United States is gone. What was once Mexico, the United States, and Canada is now the Confederacy. China and the Far East is the Block. Everything else is not identified. Russia, Australia, South America, Africa, Europe, eh, not important enough to mention.
I recommend the author find a Beta reader, or two, who knows more than a little about military ranks and responsibilities. There should at least be one Command Sargeant Major. Best placed as the trusty sidekick of the "Captain."
I know. What the heck does a title like this mean? If it confuses you, that's because this is a confusing book.
Like all good science fiction, this book has plenty of science. Just barely believable, but there certainly. The fiction is there, too. We've seen the basic story before: Earth is attacked by a superior species that is pounding us down. What is different is that these spider-like "things" don't want to make slaves of humans, nor do they see humans as a source of food. They see our Earth as food. Each "Thing" sucks in enough matter to "birth" ten more "Things". Ten birth a hundred, a hundred birth a thousand until the entire planet is overcome. They've done it before to other planets. Consuming everything down to and including the core, leaving nothing but a few specks of matter that had been a planet.
There is a pattern to this destruction. The commonality to this destruction is that each of these destroyed planets had a life form very similar to ours.
The over-mind (a type of hive mind) that drives the spidery things feels it must destroy beings like us and wipe the planets we live on from all galaxies, the entire universe. That's the Up and the Right.
Down and Wrong is how the author messes with military rank and responsibility. Majors are seen as platoon leaders, and then in positions of much more responsibility commensurate with their rank. Ostensibly, a Marine Captain is also the Captain of a starship so powerful it could destroy all military forces on Earth. Normally, that would be the position of at least a four star Admiral.
If you are prior military, for the time being, suspend everything you know about military rank. OK, a Marine captain, operating with a squad size unit, commands an Air Force full bull colonel (If you're a Marine, that makes total sense).
If you can't subsume what you know about military rank, this book may be hard for you to digest.
If you know nothing about military ranks and responsibilities, or if you can just ignore what you "know," this is a fun book to read. I recommend it.
Oh, one more thing. The United States is gone. What was once Mexico, the United States, and Canada is now the Confederacy. China and the Far East is the Block. Everything else is not identified. Russia, Australia, South America, Africa, Europe, eh, not important enough to mention.
I recommend the author find a Beta reader, or two, who knows more than a little about military ranks and responsibilities. There should at least be one Command Sargeant Major. Best placed as the trusty sidekick of the "Captain."
September 12, 2023
Challenging, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5 ⭐
This story was "balls to the wall" action, almost the entire time.
From the previous book...I thought a main character had died...in world, so did EVERYONE else. It was like he was TOO stubborn to die.
BUT, the way that he survived was so much fun to read about. It was SUPER satisfying.
I am liking the Priminae more and more, but like all NEW friends, I am holding back, just a little...and I hope to be proven wrong.
We still do NOT know who the REAL bad guys are. We've seen little bits and pieces of them, but I feel that THESE are the Others that were first mentioned at the beginning of this series. This threat of the Drasin, is ONLY the drones of this other group of people. I believe that they are the Others of the Priminae.
Now that the Priminae are bulking up in a military fashion, I'm hoping that they do NOT turn to their pacifistic ways, right when they need to press forward to find their true ENEMY.
Hopefully the Earth's courageous will encourage the Priminae to press their advantage...while they have the tech to do it.
Also, I do hope that the Terrans (Earthers) can create a NEW Odyssey ship, that merges the pluses of the Priminae ships, but retains the classic greatness of the old Odyssey ship. I missed that in this story.
Great combat scenes, whether it was Gundam to Drasin, or ship to ship, or whatever...it was a LOT of fun to read.
Also, we were introduced to a good group of new faces, and I do hope that a lot of them return in the next story, too.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5 ⭐
This story was "balls to the wall" action, almost the entire time.
From the previous book...I thought a main character had died...in world, so did EVERYONE else. It was like he was TOO stubborn to die.
BUT, the way that he survived was so much fun to read about. It was SUPER satisfying.
I am liking the Priminae more and more, but like all NEW friends, I am holding back, just a little...and I hope to be proven wrong.
We still do NOT know who the REAL bad guys are. We've seen little bits and pieces of them, but I feel that THESE are the Others that were first mentioned at the beginning of this series. This threat of the Drasin, is ONLY the drones of this other group of people. I believe that they are the Others of the Priminae.
Now that the Priminae are bulking up in a military fashion, I'm hoping that they do NOT turn to their pacifistic ways, right when they need to press forward to find their true ENEMY.
Hopefully the Earth's courageous will encourage the Priminae to press their advantage...while they have the tech to do it.
Also, I do hope that the Terrans (Earthers) can create a NEW Odyssey ship, that merges the pluses of the Priminae ships, but retains the classic greatness of the old Odyssey ship. I missed that in this story.
Great combat scenes, whether it was Gundam to Drasin, or ship to ship, or whatever...it was a LOT of fun to read.
Also, we were introduced to a good group of new faces, and I do hope that a lot of them return in the next story, too.
May 31, 2022
War on a planetary scale sounds great. But this leads to a change of style from the previous books and it's not for the better.
Previous books were basically an excuse for a very long battle. And then you would get battle strategies and detailed descriptions of weapons & munitions. Now on a planetary scale there's no strategy - it's just survival by any means necessary. That's why the president's point of view chapters were usually boring.
The characters are now split geographically and have different jobs. So there's no "dream team" to return to. And you don't see the individuals shine doing the thing they do best. Weston is "demoted" from space ship captain to rogue foot soldier.
We are in our fourth book, so it's natural that the sense of wonder would fade. But I didn't expect the new ships to be that boring. "It's just like the other one, only bigger" is so unimaginative. I want my David vs Goliath stories back.
Gaia was ridiculous - it's the personification of deus ex machina. I expected her to take a more consultative role, to be the collective consciousness.
There was no point for this book to exist. The aftermath is pretty much the same it was in the previous one.
The formula is broken, my trust is broken. I will look elsewhere for scratching the space opera itch for a while.
Previous books were basically an excuse for a very long battle. And then you would get battle strategies and detailed descriptions of weapons & munitions. Now on a planetary scale there's no strategy - it's just survival by any means necessary. That's why the president's point of view chapters were usually boring.
The characters are now split geographically and have different jobs. So there's no "dream team" to return to. And you don't see the individuals shine doing the thing they do best. Weston is "demoted" from space ship captain to rogue foot soldier.
We are in our fourth book, so it's natural that the sense of wonder would fade. But I didn't expect the new ships to be that boring. "It's just like the other one, only bigger" is so unimaginative. I want my David vs Goliath stories back.
Gaia was ridiculous - it's the personification of deus ex machina. I expected her to take a more consultative role, to be the collective consciousness.
There was no point for this book to exist. The aftermath is pretty much the same it was in the previous one.
The formula is broken, my trust is broken. I will look elsewhere for scratching the space opera itch for a while.
September 20, 2017
Before you pick up this book, please recognize it is a continuation of a series: you need to read the first book in the series titled Into the Black (Odyssey One, Book 1) [Remastered Edition](just click on the hyperlink on the book's name to be taken to the Kindle version of book one of the series).
Overall this is a good installment to the series but, without having a spoiler, it did seem to drag quite a bit and at the 35% mark on my Kindle I was questioning if I wanted to continue reading it because it was just one agonizingly slow land-based battle with foot soldiers vs. anything really resembling science fiction or the previous installments of the series. However, I'm glad I stayed with it as the action slowly picked up steam and then really accelerated to a nice ending. An ending which, despite what we thought when reading this was supposed to be the conclusion, leads you to believe there will be a continuation of the saga.
Despite my comments above regarding the first part of the book being really slow, if you enjoyed the series so far you should like this latest installment. I did, and I'm looking forward to where the author's imagination takes us next.
Overall this is a good installment to the series but, without having a spoiler, it did seem to drag quite a bit and at the 35% mark on my Kindle I was questioning if I wanted to continue reading it because it was just one agonizingly slow land-based battle with foot soldiers vs. anything really resembling science fiction or the previous installments of the series. However, I'm glad I stayed with it as the action slowly picked up steam and then really accelerated to a nice ending. An ending which, despite what we thought when reading this was supposed to be the conclusion, leads you to believe there will be a continuation of the saga.
Despite my comments above regarding the first part of the book being really slow, if you enjoyed the series so far you should like this latest installment. I did, and I'm looking forward to where the author's imagination takes us next.
May 15, 2018
Wow
What a battle! The Drasin invade Earth, and the fight is on. This book is like a fabulous rollercoaster ride, or like your first ever parachute jump. It's an adrenaline rush all the way through.
Eric Weston somehow survived the crashing of the Odyssey into Central Park, and is doing all he can to help save Earth from the Drasin. It's a fight to the death, and only one species can survive. There's heavy fighting all across the Earth, as the Drasin targeted high population centers. So China, India, and the American east coast are being overrun, along with the rest of the world. Police, the National Guard, and regular citizens are doing everything they can to try and hold off the Drasin threat, but there are so many. The death toll is in the hundreds of thousands on the first day, and the Drasin just keep coming.
Results: this is my favorite book of the series so far, with non-stop action that will leave you breathless.
I don't really like the entity Gaia, or Central either, for that matter. They seem more fantasy than sci-fi, but you take the good with the bad, and this book is too good to miss.
What a battle! The Drasin invade Earth, and the fight is on. This book is like a fabulous rollercoaster ride, or like your first ever parachute jump. It's an adrenaline rush all the way through.
Eric Weston somehow survived the crashing of the Odyssey into Central Park, and is doing all he can to help save Earth from the Drasin. It's a fight to the death, and only one species can survive. There's heavy fighting all across the Earth, as the Drasin targeted high population centers. So China, India, and the American east coast are being overrun, along with the rest of the world. Police, the National Guard, and regular citizens are doing everything they can to try and hold off the Drasin threat, but there are so many. The death toll is in the hundreds of thousands on the first day, and the Drasin just keep coming.
Results: this is my favorite book of the series so far, with non-stop action that will leave you breathless.
I don't really like the entity Gaia, or Central either, for that matter. They seem more fantasy than sci-fi, but you take the good with the bad, and this book is too good to miss.
September 10, 2019
Absolutely loving this series now, I’m even going to have to start looking as Evan’s other books.
Book 4 here starts right at the very end of book 3. No character introductions, no back story of where we are and how we got here, so don’t pick this one up as start the series here. From the get go there is non-stop action and it is all set on earth, you don’t even get to find out about what’s happening in the other parts of the galaxy until a fair way into the book.
Ok, there is a small frustration where weeks / months are jumped over with no story to them but then again filling those times with story would probably not work, and time would obviously need to pass for what happens. The ending is also a little obvious, but overall I would say that does nOt detract from the overall story.
Next book is already on my kindle list.
Book 4 here starts right at the very end of book 3. No character introductions, no back story of where we are and how we got here, so don’t pick this one up as start the series here. From the get go there is non-stop action and it is all set on earth, you don’t even get to find out about what’s happening in the other parts of the galaxy until a fair way into the book.
Ok, there is a small frustration where weeks / months are jumped over with no story to them but then again filling those times with story would probably not work, and time would obviously need to pass for what happens. The ending is also a little obvious, but overall I would say that does nOt detract from the overall story.
Next book is already on my kindle list.
May 27, 2023
I didn't think the last book could have been topped in the realm of gung-hoery, but this one did it! The Earth is on it's last legs, Captain Weston's spaceship crash-lands but, miraculously, he is saved. Well, blow me down with a feather - we didn't see that coming, did we??? And not only that, but he ralliesd the troops and saves New York from complete destruction from the alien Drasin.
However, it all goes belly up again and it really looks like the end this time, as the intrepid captain (where have I heard that before?) prepares to go into the final battle, vastly outnumbered. But wait, who is that on the horizon? The cavalry, of course, and the friendly aliens come to the rescue and the Earth, and our captain, is saved.
Wow. What a load of unmitigated crap and that's putting it mildly. Still, only 3 more books in the series left, so on with the motley.
However, it all goes belly up again and it really looks like the end this time, as the intrepid captain (where have I heard that before?) prepares to go into the final battle, vastly outnumbered. But wait, who is that on the horizon? The cavalry, of course, and the friendly aliens come to the rescue and the Earth, and our captain, is saved.
Wow. What a load of unmitigated crap and that's putting it mildly. Still, only 3 more books in the series left, so on with the motley.
February 24, 2018
While Evan's work didn't falter one bit, my own personal taste does not favor serious Warring, military Sci-fi. If you love a great war story, this will totally fill you. Characters were completely approachable and believable, as were the imagination of disintegrating Earth. Mine is the hard science, which was for my part, completely believable and plausible as described and kept me in the read. And it totally helped fuel the anxiety of this conflict driven work. I've got to give it 5 stars, as the writing style and the work itself was brilliant, even though this form of Military sci-fi is not my favorite. Hoping that the final book in this series is more in line with my Operatic, scientific tastes....
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