What do you think?
Rate this book
Mankind's Redemption #2
Desolation
Aline and Lar escaped the attack on Noble Ark, but Lar's former ship, Desolashon, is still a threat. As tensions grow and Lar and Aline's situation worsens, finding a way out becomes secondary to daily survival. Murderous plots and jealous rivalries threaten their lives, but even greater danger lies in the secrets they dare not reveal.
- GenresScience Fiction
338 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2014
4 people want to read
About the author
Colette Black
4 books10 followersWhen Colette Black isn't caring for her family, dogs, and a mischievous cat, she spends her time writing. Born and raised in the United States, she has also lived in the Philippines and Switzerland. Currently, she resides in the far outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, where she loves the warm weather and the cotton fields.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 29, 2016
I have been hotly anticipating the release of this book ever since I finished reading "Noble Ark," and I was not disappointed! Colette Black has created characters and a conflict that I love to immerse myself in, and "Desolation" was a worthy successor to "Noble Ark."
At the end of book 1, Lar and Aline were fleeing the Saeanan ship Noble Ark as it was attacked by the Mwalgi. The story picks up in book 2 right where we left them, with Lar and Aline being taken aboard the Desolashon, where Lar had been serving in the Mwalgi military before coming aboard the Noble Ark. Once aboard, it's hard for the two of them to stay out of trouble thanks to the anti-Saeanan prejudices of the other Mwalgi, but especially the ship's captain, mistar Peltay. The only other of his kind Lar trusts with Aline's safety is a man called Cloud. When Peltay forces Lar to go on a CSF collection raid, the Saeanans they are raiding capture him, but the other Mwalgi think he was killed. Word gets back to Aline, so for pretty much the rest of the book she thinks Lar is dead, which is the source of a lot of angst.
[Imagine the Harry Potter Puppet Pal banging his head against a wall going, "Angst. Angst. Angst."]
Seriously, Aline and Lar's anguish felt so real I wanted to strangle the people keeping them apart. THAT tells you how much Colette Black has made me care about her characters.
However, before Lar left on that fateful raid he made Cloud promise to take care of Aline should anything happen to him, and Cloud takes that duty very seriously. It's not an easy job, protecting Aline from the malicious attentions of the other Mwalgi--especially when the scarceness of water and the higher gravity on the Desolashon continually weaken her so she can't defend herself.
Meanwhile, Lar, having been separated from his bonded, is undergoing severance and doing everything he can to get back to Aline. The rest of the book deals with his struggle to return to her and the many obstacles that stand in his way, as well as Aline trying to deal with life among the Mwalgi without Lar.
One thing I really liked about "Desolation" was how after seeing the workings of a human ship in book 1, we get to see the flip side of life among the Mwalgi this time around. Colette Black's aliens are not rehashings of the same tired old scifi tropes--they are fresh and unique and I never get tired of reading about them.
Another thing I liked was how Cloud changed as a character. At first he only protects Aline because he made a promise to Lar, but over time he grows to enjoy spending time with Aline. (There's more to that, but I'm not going to spoil a major plot point.)
My only complaint--and it's a minor one--is that this book, like the first one, could have been a little better edited. It didn't have the egregious grammar errors that I've found in many other non-traditionally-published ebooks, but there was the occasional misused apostrophe that a copy-editor should have caught. But these errors were few and far between and did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Ok, I lied. I do have one other complaint... Now I have to wait for book 3! You can bet I will be reading it, because I love Aline and Lar. I loved watching them fall in love in the first book, and I loved seeing how far Lar was willing to go to protect his beloved in this one. So if you're looking for a clean but emotional roller-coaster ride, "Desolation" is the book for you. Just make sure to read "Noble Ark" first. It'll be well worth your time. Five stars!
At the end of book 1, Lar and Aline were fleeing the Saeanan ship Noble Ark as it was attacked by the Mwalgi. The story picks up in book 2 right where we left them, with Lar and Aline being taken aboard the Desolashon, where Lar had been serving in the Mwalgi military before coming aboard the Noble Ark. Once aboard, it's hard for the two of them to stay out of trouble thanks to the anti-Saeanan prejudices of the other Mwalgi, but especially the ship's captain, mistar Peltay. The only other of his kind Lar trusts with Aline's safety is a man called Cloud. When Peltay forces Lar to go on a CSF collection raid, the Saeanans they are raiding capture him, but the other Mwalgi think he was killed. Word gets back to Aline, so for pretty much the rest of the book she thinks Lar is dead, which is the source of a lot of angst.
[Imagine the Harry Potter Puppet Pal banging his head against a wall going, "Angst. Angst. Angst."]
Seriously, Aline and Lar's anguish felt so real I wanted to strangle the people keeping them apart. THAT tells you how much Colette Black has made me care about her characters.
However, before Lar left on that fateful raid he made Cloud promise to take care of Aline should anything happen to him, and Cloud takes that duty very seriously. It's not an easy job, protecting Aline from the malicious attentions of the other Mwalgi--especially when the scarceness of water and the higher gravity on the Desolashon continually weaken her so she can't defend herself.
Meanwhile, Lar, having been separated from his bonded, is undergoing severance and doing everything he can to get back to Aline. The rest of the book deals with his struggle to return to her and the many obstacles that stand in his way, as well as Aline trying to deal with life among the Mwalgi without Lar.
One thing I really liked about "Desolation" was how after seeing the workings of a human ship in book 1, we get to see the flip side of life among the Mwalgi this time around. Colette Black's aliens are not rehashings of the same tired old scifi tropes--they are fresh and unique and I never get tired of reading about them.
Another thing I liked was how Cloud changed as a character. At first he only protects Aline because he made a promise to Lar, but over time he grows to enjoy spending time with Aline. (There's more to that, but I'm not going to spoil a major plot point.)
My only complaint--and it's a minor one--is that this book, like the first one, could have been a little better edited. It didn't have the egregious grammar errors that I've found in many other non-traditionally-published ebooks, but there was the occasional misused apostrophe that a copy-editor should have caught. But these errors were few and far between and did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Ok, I lied. I do have one other complaint... Now I have to wait for book 3! You can bet I will be reading it, because I love Aline and Lar. I loved watching them fall in love in the first book, and I loved seeing how far Lar was willing to go to protect his beloved in this one. So if you're looking for a clean but emotional roller-coaster ride, "Desolation" is the book for you. Just make sure to read "Noble Ark" first. It'll be well worth your time. Five stars!
November 14, 2014
Great follow up book to Noble Ark. Fast paced story, with several twists and turns.
I thought the pacing was pretty good. It certainly keeps your attention and moves quickly along.
As a reader only mildly interested in romance, I appreciated the development of Aline's discovery. I also appreciate her moral standards and living true to her feelings. It may be 'old-school' but is more realistic, and is portrayed in a realistic light, in my opinion. Thank you Colette!
Can't wait for the final book.
I thought the pacing was pretty good. It certainly keeps your attention and moves quickly along.
As a reader only mildly interested in romance, I appreciated the development of Aline's discovery. I also appreciate her moral standards and living true to her feelings. It may be 'old-school' but is more realistic, and is portrayed in a realistic light, in my opinion. Thank you Colette!
Can't wait for the final book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews