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Honor and Duty #2
Duty from Ashes
Duty calls. Honor demands action.
Major Ashlyn Shaw has survived false accusations and a brutal military prison. Now free, she finds her homeworld once again at war with an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy everything she holds dear. Duty has Ashlyn once again answering the call to serve. She has seen what the enemy is capable of and will do everything she can to prevent it from happening to the home she loves and the people she took an oath to protect.
But something has changed. It goes beyond the fact that the enemy has changed tactics they never wavered from during the previous war. It even goes beyond the fact that there is still a nagging doubt in the back of Ashlyn’s mind that those who betrayed her once before might do so again. No, there is more to the resumption of hostilities, something that seems to point at a new player in the game. But who and what are they playing at?
Will Ashlyn be able to unmask the real enemy before it is too late?
Major Ashlyn Shaw has survived false accusations and a brutal military prison. Now free, she finds her homeworld once again at war with an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy everything she holds dear. Duty has Ashlyn once again answering the call to serve. She has seen what the enemy is capable of and will do everything she can to prevent it from happening to the home she loves and the people she took an oath to protect.
But something has changed. It goes beyond the fact that the enemy has changed tactics they never wavered from during the previous war. It even goes beyond the fact that there is still a nagging doubt in the back of Ashlyn’s mind that those who betrayed her once before might do so again. No, there is more to the resumption of hostilities, something that seems to point at a new player in the game. But who and what are they playing at?
Will Ashlyn be able to unmask the real enemy before it is too late?
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2014
19 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 16, 2018
More action and deeper into the conspiracy, makes this a solid 2nd book in the series.
December 5, 2014
However, it was easy to pick back up and find the threads of the old story arc as well as the new threads. Yes, there are multiple plot threads, but this isn't a book with Byzantine complexity, you will be able to follow the threads and keep all the characters straight, Schall has done an excellent job of creating and fleshing out unique characters.
I really enjoyed all the effort in this book, and I'm not referring to the author now. The main character, Ashlyn Shaw, is struggling with trust, not only her own of the people who are trying to prove that she really does belong in charge of her new regiment, but the trust of those people in their new commander. She's not a superhero, and it takes a lot of effort to gain that trust, something I as a reader appreciated. Sometimes it's fun to see a hero get all befuddled, and then work it through.
One of the subplots in this book rang really true to me, the dealings with the prisoner's of war. I've done a lot of reading about POW camps in WWII, in particular the ones administered by the Japanese, and that feeling of hopeless defiance has been captured nicely by Schall. It makes for a heart-wrenching scene, and I won't spoiler the whole thing for you.
I think if anything, this book is stronger than the first book; oh, and it ends nicely. You can see the story arc coming for the sequel that Schall tells you is there, but you aren't figuratively left hanging by your fingernails at cliff's edge wondering what the hell happens next. Well done.
If I have to compare it to another writer, it would be Weber, but the early Weber, where Honor Harrington is still uncertain, groping her way along, supported by her staff and family. Also, those books were slimmer, and offered more action, more momentum, just as Duty from Ashes does. I stopped reading the Harrington series a while back, when it slipped off into the weeds of massive political info-dumps and ever slower and more convoluted plots. I'm very pleased that this series takes me back to the space opera I most enjoy, character, action, and fun!
I really enjoyed all the effort in this book, and I'm not referring to the author now. The main character, Ashlyn Shaw, is struggling with trust, not only her own of the people who are trying to prove that she really does belong in charge of her new regiment, but the trust of those people in their new commander. She's not a superhero, and it takes a lot of effort to gain that trust, something I as a reader appreciated. Sometimes it's fun to see a hero get all befuddled, and then work it through.
One of the subplots in this book rang really true to me, the dealings with the prisoner's of war. I've done a lot of reading about POW camps in WWII, in particular the ones administered by the Japanese, and that feeling of hopeless defiance has been captured nicely by Schall. It makes for a heart-wrenching scene, and I won't spoiler the whole thing for you.
I think if anything, this book is stronger than the first book; oh, and it ends nicely. You can see the story arc coming for the sequel that Schall tells you is there, but you aren't figuratively left hanging by your fingernails at cliff's edge wondering what the hell happens next. Well done.
If I have to compare it to another writer, it would be Weber, but the early Weber, where Honor Harrington is still uncertain, groping her way along, supported by her staff and family. Also, those books were slimmer, and offered more action, more momentum, just as Duty from Ashes does. I stopped reading the Harrington series a while back, when it slipped off into the weeds of massive political info-dumps and ever slower and more convoluted plots. I'm very pleased that this series takes me back to the space opera I most enjoy, character, action, and fun!
November 25, 2014
As much as I am really enjoying the story and the characters in this series, this second book was somewhat disappointing. It feels as though the author is really drawing out the story to the inevitable conclusion in the third book. There was too much reiteration of certain points (especially with regard to what occurred in the first book). Over and over again the antagonists refer to the main character as "that Bitch, Shaw" but the confrontation that the reader keeps hoping for never arrives. There was very little action and while a certain amount of filler is required, I just felt like the whole book dragged. I really want to see some action from Shaw, not just waiting. The biggest disappointment of the book however, was the lack of good editing. I don't mind overlooking minimal errors but there were many, especially with gender pronouns. I kept having to go back and re-read paragraphs to figure out if a character was male or female as in one instance it would say "he" and then the next, "she". For me, a frustrating read but I will continue on with the third book when it comes out because the overall story is interesting and I do want to find out what happens. I just hope that the third book is better edited and we finally get to see the heroine be heroic.
December 5, 2014
Not as good as the first one. Story advances, people get arrested. Lots of POVs - it got tiring at times. Like the main character a lot, but her relationship with her son doesn't feel at all realistic.
February 21, 2015
Second in a series. Classic space opera with dastardly bad guys, shoot outs, and intrigue galore. Not as good as the first book. Enjoyable but the plot was a bit of a mess, and the heroine's motivations and actions weren't always believable. Not sure if I'm up for the third installment.
September 20, 2015
Like the first book in the series, its not bad. Again, like the first book, it could use some serious editing. The editing (if there was any) is worse than the first book. Characters changed sex in the middle of scenes.
February 23, 2015
Good sequel to Vengeance.
April 9, 2016
Another awesome installment. I'm loving this military SF so much - the action, the characters, the plot. Plus, the totally kickass heroine. I can't wait for the next book!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews