Absence of Blade

The Expansion Series #1

by Caitlin Demaris McKenna

This isn’t about victory. This is about survival.

Mose Attarish isn’t used to making mistakes. As an intelligence agent on the contested world Olios 3, he gathers the intel to direct the Osk’s operatives into every chink in the Terran forces’ armor. Through sabotage, espionage, and assassinations, the Osk have held their own in the war for Olios 3 – barely. Every failed mission brings the war’s end nearer, and when faulty intel nearly kills one of his operatives, Mose takes it hard.

Gau Shesharrim doesn’t blame Mose for what happened. Bad intel is one of the risks of the job, and it’s a job Gau wouldn’t trade for any other. But his latest brush with death has made even this seasoned assassin consider the merits of early retirement. Too bad the top brass don’t care what Gau wants.

Shomoro Lacharoksa follows a mission apart from the rest of the colony. In a lonely base, she researches the technologies that give the Terrans their invisible edge, hoping to bolster the Osk’s foundering campaign.

It might not be enough. The Terrans are doing research of their own, and no one—not even the Terrans themselves—is prepared for what they will unleash.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2017

About the author

Caitlin was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, but spent her formative years in Minnesota, where on cold, clear nights, she'd look up at the stars and wonder.

In the years since, she has visited three continents, and lived in Vancouver and New York. By day, she is a freelance editor at Scoria Press, LLC, and writes articles at the intersection of technology, media, and society for Yellow Bear Media. Absence of Blade is her first book.

Reviews

[Jane Jago · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a coldly gripping story of the struggle for domination. The protagonists are the human race, and an alien race called the Osk. At the outset we are presented with Osk assassins, and the thought that the alien race are the ‘baddies’, but nothing in this writer’s world is that simple. Instead of that kind of over-simplification we are shown, instead, what any race is capable of when engaged in colonising new worlds. And it doesn’t always make easy reading. Without spoilers it is difficult to dig any further into the intricacies of this book. Suffice it to say that the world building is sharply on point and absolutely consistent, as is the motivation of the cast of characters.

What stopped this being a five star read for me was the disengagement I felt, and my inability to truly care what befell any of the people who walked through these pages. Probably more a fault in me than in the book.

A solid four stars and a bit more.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absence of Blade by Caitlin Demaris McKenna tells a very different sci fi story, one where humans are the alien aggressors. The violent Terran expansion has decimated the Osk, but a few brave rebels fight back in a desperate struggle. All around I loved the imaginative worlds, the cool technology, and the heartfelt message of the story. Great for anyone who loves Avatar or Firefly!

[Joni Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in high-school, a long long time ago, I came across Frank Herbert’s Dune. It was probably the first complex ‘whole new universe’ type of political Sci-Fi I had ever encountered in book form, and it rocked my world. I was so into it, that I even faked illness to stay home in order to read it (geeky I know). I have since came across only a handful of other authors who were talented enough to invent a universe, plausible enough for me to get into… Roger Zelanzy’s Nine Princes in Amber for one is an excellent example. And so, I turned to more ‘realistic’ genres, neglecting Sci-Fi and disassociating from fantasy altogether (‘Dragons live forever but not so little boys’ – as the famous song goes).

This long intro is not to say that Ms. McKenna had written the next Dune, but she definitely holds the potential. Absence of Blade paints an elaborated and intriguing universe of humanity’s (“Terrans”) future, and I’d certainly stand in line to read more.

The year is sometime in the very far future, Terrans’ Expansion to other worlds in new and remote star systems is underway in full throttle (hence “The Expansion series”). However, after a few bloody conflicts that ended with the Terrans’ army having the upper hand over alien species, the Osk colony of Za stands its ground. The Osk have been winning some key battles against the Terrans, thanks to their killer Seph assassins. The story mostly gives us the Osk perspective. They are four legged, have grey-dark complexion, with coloured mane and a snout rather than a nose. They are extremely sensitive to smells, oh and they have killer bodily blades embedded in their arms.
The power behind the Terrans’ Expansion is the ‘Universal Church’ who has its own army and agenda, trying to bring-in other species into the holy trinity system of beliefs.
Sounds complex? not really. Sephs Gau Shesharrim, Mose Attarish and scientist Shomoro Lacharoksa, all Osk, have their own story and missions; while the Terrans are preparing for their final blow, led by General Shanazkowitz and her son Jan.

McKenna’s English and writing is superb (save the ‘fight scenes’ which I found a bit disorienting). The plot-line, which is enriched with the history of this new future weaved with more human warfare and conflicts, is fascinating and the book in general is hard to drop. Also, while at first I thought the Osk point of view (which dominates the novel) is weird, it grew on me, and I think it’s a fresh way to tell an inter-specie story.

What knocked the score to 3.5-4 stars are a few plot-line weaknesses which disturbed me, along with the failure to elaborate on the key human figure, Jan Shanazkowitz, who I suspect will have a major role in future books. What made me even more annoyed was the story leaping 15 years forward. I suspect things have happened during these years which are crucial to the understanding of the characters’ development and their agendas/motives. 15 years, that’s a lot to miss! And that raised questions, which remain unanswered.

Finally, what brought the score back to the solid 4 stars ground is the fact that the author managed to paint a plausible universe, for me, and I totally want to hear more about it. As an author I understand the need to keep it simpler in a debut novel; And I personally will welcome a revised longer version someday, which may include omitted chapters (I suspect there are quite a few). Dune is 604 pages long, and that was just setting the scene! Alas, that’s the main problem when fabricating a whole new world.

Great debut Sci-Fi. If you’re into these kind of books, Space Operas, or anything clever and out-of-the-box, you should definitely read it. Miss this on your own peril: when this is made into a Netflix series, don’t come crying to me – instead have the bragging rights to say you were there first!

Thanks BookGobbler.com for the ARC of "Absence of Blade". More eBooks and paperbacks are free from them.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't consider that I read a lot of Sci-Fi but I did enjoy this book. It was a little different from what I expected but that was a good thing. Strange new world and great interesting characters made this book for me. This book reminded me a little of Star wars and I am not a big Star Wars fan but I found the differences in the this book kept me reading on to find out what would happen next. * I choose to write an honest review after receiving the book from the author*

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If John Le Carre wrote sci-fi, he would produce something like this.

Could have done with some more descriptive, slower, less high-stakes scenes to let readers process what was going on and make the time skips less disorienting, but overall I was super impressed.

An action packed mental workout of a book.

[James Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absence of Blade – “a fencing maneuver involving attacking with one’s blade out of the enemies reach” is the name of Caitlin McKenna’s freshman science fiction novel on war and betrayal. It weaves a riveting tale of espionage, manipulation and revenge – which spans lightyears and decades. The ruthless Human Expansion makes war among the Xenos as it has always done, even to its own kind. The Spartan, Therapsidian Osk species has had enough. The war has ground on for decades, now the end is near…

Something that really shines through is that this novel is obviously just the visible iceberg component of the massive, living world McKenna has fully set running in her extra-large imagination... When I'm reading fiction, especially sci-fi and fantasy, I love knowing the author has done extensive world building behind the scenes - that there is a greater world and logic that the presented story is nested in, even if much of it never is directly presented to the audience. McKenna has this in spades.

The weaving of the three/four main characters and the cast of lesser figures' stories together is also very enjoyable. Well developed, and with zero tasteless spoon-feeding of backstory or "Ensign Su" syndrome - they're all delightfully flawed.

Finally, her voice! The author is clearly an ‘old soul’. Some of her turns of phrases are downright Chaucerian in elegance, Proustian in emotional understanding and subtlety.

Some features of the novel that really moved me are:

• How, with a Zen coan-like simplicity of description, these incredibly alien species are brought to life, in an instantly digestible way - one which invites the imagination, rather than imposes upon it, is masterful.

• How the intentionality of the characters follows an alien logic, and is yet emotionally viscerally cogent.

• The care one is caused to invest in characters who are in ethical polarity is evocative of the new style of sci-fi and fantasy and belays the ethical ambiguity rife in our modern politics and greater world.

I eagerly await the second volume of the series!

[S. Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tired of humans being the good guys in space colonization stories? McKenna shows us Terrans off in space, manifesting destiny again, at someone else’s expense again. Until we meet a few members of the Osk species. They have four legs, snouts and blade arms like Baraca from Mortal Combat. Plus they aren’t happy about a recent turf war with humanity.

I liked how tough it was for me to sort the goodies from the baddies. Everyone had motivation that I could relate to. Ultimately I cast my vote based on the same criteria I use in real life. Are they willing to hurt others to achieve their objective? Do they trivialize the value of a sentient person’s life in some power struggle game?

McKenna has thoroughly developed the Osk people. They display body language and gestures that humans don’t have. They have a martial arts system centered on their bone blades. They remember one another and read emotion by scent. They are also unparalleled martial artists. I know, I know… I already mentioned martial arts. It’s just that I want blades to come out of my forearms.

I received a free copy of this book and I’m under no obligation to leave this review. There are no Osk warriors threatening to shred my briefcase if I don’t leave this review. If you, Dear Reader, choose not to buy this book even though I left a lovely write-up, this little knife armed maniac here will probably just raid the fridge and not choose to cut stuff (send help!). People give me free books because I don’t shut up about the ones I like. You can read a hundred other review and even watch my book club chats at LARC-SciFi(dot)com. Actually, I took so long to get through my TBR and onto this that poor McKenna may have forgotten I have a copy. Sorry!

I hope this turns into a series because my favorite character, the title character I think, has more adventure coming! This is adults only. There is a scene that totally reminds me of the old scifi movie Species.

[Jacqueline Simonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absence of Blade is one of the few sci-fi books where the Terrans aren’t the good guys, nor is there even a human main character (there are four minor characters who are human). This fresh perspective lends a fascinating new look at what living in a space-faring universe would be like.

The Osk—particularly the warrior caste, called seph—are a complex race in direct competition for resources and planets that can be altered for their physiognomy (for the Terrans, this would be called terraforming. McKenna doesn’t go as far as calling this Oskaforming). But the use of programable nanites as a viral weapon ends the war in genocide. Only one Osk could have stopped it... and didn’t.

It’s unclear the direct conflict between the two races, nor what, exactly, the human “Universal Church” is up to, and how much it controls the human government. This is one area I felt need a bit more explanation.

*Trigger Alert*: Two Osks are captured by the humans, and both tortured. In Part 1, the female is extensively physically tortured (chapters and chapters worth) by a representative of this Universal Church. In Part 2, she only appears at the end, leading me to wonder what the point of making the reader go through all the pain with her was. The other Osk is tortured by the Terran government via surgery—bound by physical alterations to do as the humans demand. This coercion, to my mind, was the more effective in that it altered the Osk’s psychology and goals.

The writing is clear and compelling, making me wish for a tighter narrative arc. This is an interesting start to a series, but there needed to be some conclusions for my taste. As it is, there appear to be two further books in the series where things may get more resolution. If you like big bold space operas and elaborate universe-building, this book is for you!

[Kurt Springs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.

Synopsis:

Absence of Blade follows the exploits of three alien Osks as they wage war on the Terran’s Expansion empire. Mose Attarish is a spymaster for the Osks’ intelligence arm, the Seths. He has been looking for a chink in the Terran’s defenses. Gau Shesharrim is one of the best Seths. However, his discovery of a new Terran weapon makes him consider an early retirement of sorts. Shomoro Lacharoska is a Seth and a scientist trying to reverse engineer Terran technologies.

The Terran scientists have not been idle. They unleash a new weapon on an Osk enclave but have not prepared for the aftermath. Cruelty, vengeance, and betrayal leave no species untouched.

Review:

Caitlin Demaris McKenna’s story, Absence of Blade, is the first novel of The Expansion Series. Terra is at the heart of an empire called The Expansion, with a religious organization that drives its efforts to dominate other cultures in the galaxy. Set in the campaign’s closing days, both sides in the war have long since set their moral qualms aside. When the Terrans unleash a nano weapon called Fate’s Shears in the city of Za, it kills almost all its Osk inhabitants. There are three survivors: Mose Attarish, who the Terrans save to hunt surviving Seths. Shomoro Lacharoska who escapes human captivity maimed, but alive and ready to continue the fight. Gau Shesharrim, who withheld the knowledge of the new weapon to allow himself to escape, is now a wanted terrorist.

The story follows how these individuals and their human counterparts have allowed the brutality of what they have endured to mold them. In the end, no one’s hands seem all that clean. It is an exciting and thought-provoking novel.

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rank this book right up there with the best of the alien/terran encounter/war books. Highly reminescent of C.J. Cherryh's Kutath Rising Sun trilogy or the Chanur books. It's right up there with the best of them!

I don't know how long Ms. McKenna's been percolating these worlds in her brain, but she's produced a stunner!

I really enjoyed the sheer variety of her alien species and was unsurprised to find Wayne Barlow mentioned in the author's afterword.

Like the Fading Sun trilogy from Cherryh, 'Absence of Blade' deals with an expanding Terran race from the alien point of view. The Osk and the Terrans have colonized the same planet and are vying for control. These novels deal with the aftermath of a terrible gambit by the Terrans for control.

Three Osk Seph survivors (comparable to the Samurai class in Edo Japan) each deal with the trauma of the fall of Za and their own separate paths to avenge the colony and the Osk species.

Many of the failings of our own colonial history are brought to vivid life in this galaxy spanning saga. The atrocities wrought, cover-ups & platitudes of the victor's to the horrors brought down upon the conquered. The inevitable religious zealots who commit their own atrocities all in the name of a benevolent god that supposedly cherishes all species (Just Terrans the best) it's all here.
Can't wait to move on the the next books!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Philip Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aliens and humans barely coexist at the edge of the galaxy - 3.5 stars

Absence of Blade is a complex story of mutual distrust and desire to conquer new worlds. Non-human aliens have features that put them at a different level than humans. Difference between life forms include number of arms and legs, cognitive skills, and even mindreading. In their desire to rule and conquer the cosmos, humans developed a superior weapon called "Fate's Shears", an apex weapon that could be targeted to kill any specific species.

Keeping track of the various individuals in different species was difficult for me. One alien life form that was initially introduced had knife blades integral to their bodies. This type of alien was hatched rather than born and had four legs and was quick, smart, and wily.

For me the chapters were long. I found it difficult to read long sections at one sitting until the end when individual fighting was fascinating. One long section described depravation and torture that was extraordinary and drawn out. The torture involved both mental and physical abuse.

Absence of Blade is not family friendly in any way. There were many innovative examples of different cultures, advanced technology, and unusual physiologically in addition to the scenes of torture. The book gets high marks for creativity especially if the "inhumanity" by humans and non-humans could be forgotten. The brutality cannot be forgotten.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very complex space opera read. One you really need to pay attention to and you will probably find yourself flipping back to previous scenes as you read and things begin to come together. It is a plot driven saga of two empires, told here as four stories that slowly build toward each other as you learn more about the world. The jumps in time and location can be disorientating and could have been demarked a little more clearly.

Both species are technologically advanced, but one major difference is that humans use nanotech to change their world, and the Osk use biotech to change themselves. The conflict gets very dark in places, and the sides are muddied; it is not a military tale of man vs osk. A book that will make you think, and turn over ideas long after you finished it.

This is the first book in a new series, and it feels like it. There is a lot of world building and character development that doesn't really go anywhere in this book but seems to be setting the stage for what is to come. One of the final confrontation scenes in particular heavily portended events to come.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a review copy by the author.

Im torn on the star rating, for me, this book fell between 3 and 4 stars. I rounded up to a 4 because its a solid read.

Unlike most Sci-Fi that I read, this one is more alien focused and less about the Terran's. Humans are there and their actions set the direction and tone of the alien actions. The aliens are really alien and the universe is full of them. These are all things I really liked about the book.

What knocked the book from a solid 4 to a 3.5 was the pacing and the initial non description of the Osk. It took most of the book for me to get a good mental picture of what one looked like. Events in the book felt very measured in how they played out, years would skip ahead so we can see plots come to fruition. Time didn't matter because of anti-aging treatments. Even the fight scenes felt very constrained and lacked the ferocity of fight scenes in other series.

Overall, its a good read. I enjoyed it and it was worth the time I spent on it and I'm interested to see where the story goes in the next book.

[Teagan Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the kindle version of this book and really wasn't sure what to expect. It felt a little slow at first, and I had a bit of a hard time picturing the main characters and understanding some of their motivations, but as the book went on, everything seemed to fall into place. The narration is really nice in that you, as the reader, get a glimpse into the character's heads without the author over-explaining. It feels really natural, and it allows you to be surprised as you learn more about what drives each individual and each major player in this universe. Speaking of which, the universe is AMAZING. Even with only this brief glimpse into a completely novel and unique world, I feel like there's so much more to explore that just couldn't make it in this book. The universe feels complete, and like the author is providing a window into it. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited for the next one!

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mose Attarish, Gau Shesharrim, and Shomoro Lacharoksa are front-line combatants in a vicious, no-holds barred war against a genocidal alien speices that wants them dead. That species: humans. Told largely from the point of view of these Osk warriors, this is an unusually complex novel. It started off very slowly, and the complex skeins of the plot took a while for me to sort through mentally. By the end this was moving fast and building to a very satisfying and dramatic confrontation (which, of course, presumably sets the stage for sequels to come.) This was among the closest things I’ve read to 007 in space.

8/10

[Big Fat Hairy Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new space opera series that details the continuing confrontation between two growing empires, the Terran Empire and the Osk Empire. The novel concept of this book is that it is portrayed primarily from the Osk point of view. The book itself is very complex as the author sets about building whole new worlds for the series. It bounces between several Osk points of view but becomes a little confusing at times due to the constant jumps in time and place. Overall, it is an interesting novel but definitely only for adults.

I'm a member of the ARC team and have left an honest review voluntarily.

[Matthew W Seniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free of charge.
Absence of a Blade is an action whirlwind. The environments the action takes place in are painted like a realistic portrait. At times I could almost smell the characters which are described with details important to the story. This added a palpable urgency and drive few books manage IMHO. There is no extraneous detail here The scenes of the book fit together like a finely wrought clockwork mechanism. I enjoyed the read and wanted more of it to read by the ending. I recommend this book to “hard sci-fi” fans.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Caitlin this fall and had a great visit with her. Because of our interaction, I bought the first book in the Expansion Series.
I was thoroughly impressed with her characterizations and her handling of conflict from the perspective of the aliens. There were a few instances where I felt the aliens were acting a little too human, however, the book flowed well and her writing is polished and professional. All in all a good read.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as a review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. A gorgeous, fast paced journey where humanity has brought a high cost of abuses to the alien species, the Osk that call Olios-3 home. All of it had left a deep mark upon Mose Attarish and left with the desire to walk away; but that's not an easy thing to do as secrets buried within the carnage of war always have a way to finding to the surface. Highly recommended.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first novel I have read by Caitlin Demaris McKenna and I am very impressed. In this particular novel the humans are the aggressor. and our aliens are the heroes are the aliens. I really enjoyed reading a novel from this perspective. I encourage to take a chance on this novel, you won't be sorry

[Robert Foland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absence of Blade is an amazing adventure. Great world-building. A fantastic plot. Caitlin Demaris McKenna also delivers a cast of solid, well-developed characters. A battle of good vs. evil. (Well maybe evil vs. eviler.) Sci-Fi adventure at its best.

I received a free copy from the author and leave my voluntary review.

[Slugpuppy3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly well written, completely immersing the reader in the alien protagonist’s viewpoint. Kudos to the author. However, I was unable to finish the book due to the heartrending torture presented and the almost continuous violence. I won’t be finishing this series.

[Norman Hirschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

great reading . Inter species fighting against one anothe. Terrans against Osk. Genecide against teh Osk and one Osk wants revenge. Well worth reading if you like suspense and action

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story, well written

An excellent read told with a mastery of words second to none. The story was intriguing and Caitlin's worldbuilding is top notch. A star lost for some minor inconsistencies and the difficulty experienced in following the rapid, disjointed jumps between characters, times, and scenes - but still highly recommended.

[Ronald Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was presented from different species viewpoint and where the Terrans are not the good guys. I enjoyed this story and it was exciting and entertaining.

[Megan Mclellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like space operas you will really like this book. It's character development and world building were really engaging!