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The Forlorn
While the xenophobic alien Morkth race searches the galaxy to destroy the last of human vermin, the lightly armed members of the only human colony must figure out how to defend themselves from the coming attack. Reprint.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 7, 2023
Good sword and planet adventure by Freer, almost a homage to the genre as this was first published in 1999. The sitrep? Late 21st century humanity was overrun by the Morkth, an insectoid, hive species hell bent on genocide. Humanities last gasp was a massive colony ship holding millions, which made it to another planet, but the Morkth caught up. Now, 300 years later or so, remnants of humanity live in various city states scattered around the planet with late feudal technology, but the Morkth also have hive colonies planetside; it seems some last shootout left both sides stranded on the planet. Yet, humans still have a functioning spaceship holding millions (only some made it planetside before the Morkth showed up), but the only way to access the ship is via a matter transmitter. The problem is that the matter transmitter was blown up in some sort of mutiny among the human crew and the 15 or so remaining pieces are scattered around the planet. If they can be brought back together, along with a 'phi' human, the ship can once again be accessed. The problem is the Morkth also want the pieces and the human remnants have all but lost the very fact that they are colonists from space...
Freer serves up an interesting cast of characters who will ultimately quest for the 15 pieces-- a young street thief, a spoiled princess and an escaped Morkth human (it seems the aliens breed humans as a work force, and even military). We also have a survivor of the original crew (now called Cru), along with a handful of associates, who wants the 15 pieces; we know the rag tag humans will eventually find each other for the quest, but the murderous Morkth, who still have lasers and other high tech stuff will do anything to prevent that. So, a 'classic' quest with dubious heroes, with amoral xenophobic aliens set in a late feudal environment. Surprisingly good character development, but the 'you know they are coming' twists and turns were a bit too transparent. A good adventure story, but that will not leave a lasting impression. 3 pulpy stars!!
Freer serves up an interesting cast of characters who will ultimately quest for the 15 pieces-- a young street thief, a spoiled princess and an escaped Morkth human (it seems the aliens breed humans as a work force, and even military). We also have a survivor of the original crew (now called Cru), along with a handful of associates, who wants the 15 pieces; we know the rag tag humans will eventually find each other for the quest, but the murderous Morkth, who still have lasers and other high tech stuff will do anything to prevent that. So, a 'classic' quest with dubious heroes, with amoral xenophobic aliens set in a late feudal environment. Surprisingly good character development, but the 'you know they are coming' twists and turns were a bit too transparent. A good adventure story, but that will not leave a lasting impression. 3 pulpy stars!!
July 22, 2011
Greetings one and all! After reading "Rats, Bats and Vats" (RBV) and "The Rats, the Bats and the Ugly" (RBU), I thought I would try Dave Freer's first novel. I'm very happy I did. It starts off on three different paths that eventually meet up and that's when things really take off.
I loved the characterization as you could either totally empathize with the characters or completely loath them. The bad guy in this book is one of the best I have ever seen.
The book is very gritty and feels like hard boiled fiction at times. However, that is part of its charm and I think Freer makes it work quite well in a science fiction story. I wasn't thrilled with all the talk about sex, but Freer gives it a solid reason for being mentioned so much.
Very well thought out book, makes you honestly believe in future settlements on foreign worlds and the possible societies that would spring up around them. If you don't mind the grittiness, then I think you will be very pleased with this novel. Certainly worth a try and a very satisfying end.
I loved the characterization as you could either totally empathize with the characters or completely loath them. The bad guy in this book is one of the best I have ever seen.
The book is very gritty and feels like hard boiled fiction at times. However, that is part of its charm and I think Freer makes it work quite well in a science fiction story. I wasn't thrilled with all the talk about sex, but Freer gives it a solid reason for being mentioned so much.
Very well thought out book, makes you honestly believe in future settlements on foreign worlds and the possible societies that would spring up around them. If you don't mind the grittiness, then I think you will be very pleased with this novel. Certainly worth a try and a very satisfying end.
September 25, 2014
I find it difficult to quantify why I’m giving this book four stars because the book had a lot of flaws, but I really enjoyed the story. It takes place on a planet where humans and members of a xenophobic alien race are in conflict. Technology exists that could help the humans survive but, due to some sort of a mysterious betrayal, that technology has been scattered around the planet and/or disabled. Only certain kinds of people are able to use the technology, and most of the humans on the planet seem to be oblivious to the fact that this technology exists.
I think one of the things I liked the most and the least about this book was that it kept me guessing. In general, my interest is held better by books that don’t spoon feed information to me but rather give me a chance to figure things out for myself first. The author starts the story off in the middle of the action, and he doesn’t really bother to explain what the heck is going on. Within a couple of pages you grasp the obvious – scared boy touches amulet, seemingly-magical things happen, danger follows. But what is the amulet? How did he get it? How does it work? While you’re speculating on these things, you’re drawn further into the world and you start gathering more questions – what are the Morkth? Why are they there? What exactly happened to bring the humans to the planet they’re on now? Why do only some humans seem to know or care about what happened? Why is one character apparently part ape?
I had a constant stream of questions as I was reading the book, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the answers, but the problem was that not all of the questions were answered by the end of the book and sometimes the lack of answers made it difficult to correctly interpret other events in the book. So the aspect of the book that I enjoyed throughout most of the story started to get annoying by the end. There were some things that were never fully explained, and some things that were explained unclearly. And then, when I got to the end of the book, there was a brief but very informative appendix. I wish I’d thought to check for such a thing sooner! The appendix explained quite a few things that had still been unclear to me by the end of the book, and it gave information that I’m quite sure was never conveyed as part of the story. I don’t mind if an author keeps me guessing – in fact, I like it. But sooner or later I want definite answers and they should be contained in the story and provided in time for me to fully appreciate their ramifications.
Some of the characters were interesting. I liked the main character, Keilin, even though his story was a rather familiar one. He starts off as a scared, homeless boy just trying to survive and ends up playing a large role in the events of the story. I found his character growth believable, if a little predictable, but I wouldn’t have minded more stories showing that growth. One of the other main characters, Shael, started off as a pretty horrible, unlikeable character, but she grew more likeable once she got out from under the influence of her father. There were other characters who were more interesting and unique than the main characters but didn’t get enough “page time”, particularly S’kith. I would have loved to see more of his discoveries about life in general, and I would have enjoyed spending more time in his head once his horizons started to expand as a result of his adventures. I think there were a lot of missed opportunities with him. The villainous characters, on the other hand, all seemed pretty ridiculous to me. They were all purely evil and self-centered, and they were usually pretty stupid too.
The ending was also very abrupt. The main issues were resolved and then it was over. There were so many things that could have been expanded on to flesh the ending out better, and so many questions about what the characters did next that I wanted to see answered. But, even though I found many flaws in the book, in the end I was just wrapped up in the story and I enjoyed it despite its flaws.
I think one of the things I liked the most and the least about this book was that it kept me guessing. In general, my interest is held better by books that don’t spoon feed information to me but rather give me a chance to figure things out for myself first. The author starts the story off in the middle of the action, and he doesn’t really bother to explain what the heck is going on. Within a couple of pages you grasp the obvious – scared boy touches amulet, seemingly-magical things happen, danger follows. But what is the amulet? How did he get it? How does it work? While you’re speculating on these things, you’re drawn further into the world and you start gathering more questions – what are the Morkth? Why are they there? What exactly happened to bring the humans to the planet they’re on now? Why do only some humans seem to know or care about what happened? Why is one character apparently part ape?
I had a constant stream of questions as I was reading the book, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the answers, but the problem was that not all of the questions were answered by the end of the book and sometimes the lack of answers made it difficult to correctly interpret other events in the book. So the aspect of the book that I enjoyed throughout most of the story started to get annoying by the end. There were some things that were never fully explained, and some things that were explained unclearly. And then, when I got to the end of the book, there was a brief but very informative appendix. I wish I’d thought to check for such a thing sooner! The appendix explained quite a few things that had still been unclear to me by the end of the book, and it gave information that I’m quite sure was never conveyed as part of the story. I don’t mind if an author keeps me guessing – in fact, I like it. But sooner or later I want definite answers and they should be contained in the story and provided in time for me to fully appreciate their ramifications.
Some of the characters were interesting. I liked the main character, Keilin, even though his story was a rather familiar one. He starts off as a scared, homeless boy just trying to survive and ends up playing a large role in the events of the story. I found his character growth believable, if a little predictable, but I wouldn’t have minded more stories showing that growth. One of the other main characters, Shael, started off as a pretty horrible, unlikeable character, but she grew more likeable once she got out from under the influence of her father. There were other characters who were more interesting and unique than the main characters but didn’t get enough “page time”, particularly S’kith. I would have loved to see more of his discoveries about life in general, and I would have enjoyed spending more time in his head once his horizons started to expand as a result of his adventures. I think there were a lot of missed opportunities with him. The villainous characters, on the other hand, all seemed pretty ridiculous to me. They were all purely evil and self-centered, and they were usually pretty stupid too.
The ending was also very abrupt. The main issues were resolved and then it was over. There were so many things that could have been expanded on to flesh the ending out better, and so many questions about what the characters did next that I wanted to see answered. But, even though I found many flaws in the book, in the end I was just wrapped up in the story and I enjoyed it despite its flaws.
November 6, 2017
Overall I enjoyed it, but there were a few issues that kind of jarred me out of the moment. It's a sort of cross between young adult, SF and Fantasy consisting of a ragtag group of heroes on a quest filled with loneliness, love, betrayal, science and magic.
I found the world building intriguing, but not fully developed. There seemed to be holes in the descriptions of how the world worked, some of which would later be addressed, but which left me confounded at times until the later explanation. There were also jarring breaks in descriptions of events, usually surrounding the activation of a 'core piece', where it was like pieces of the story were simply missing as one scene was being described and then suddenly something else was being described. There were times I went back to reread the previous couple of paragraphs to see if I had missed something. Perhaps it was just the formatting of the edition I read, but it would have made for a much more enjoyable reading experience if there was some sort of an indication at the beginning of the passage indicating that what was now being described was something new that was pulled into the scene by the 'magic' use of the core pieces.
I liked the heroes. I found them likable and they seemed to grow throughout the book, though they were a little too trusting at times. I imagined Shael looking like a young Natalie Portman. S'Kith like Michael McManus's character Kai from Lexx - but with a shaved head. I imagined Leyla looking like a long haired Eva Habermann, and Keilin like the young thief Gaston played by Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke. I had the same image in my head for the Morkth as for the Buggers from Ender's Game.
Not really a deep thinking type of book, but enjoyable and quick to read. There is some allusion to sex, but nothing I haven't seen in other books aimed at young teens and tweens. Depending on the maturity level of the young reader I think it would be fine for someone in the upper grade school grades, but probably more suitable to someone in middle school looking to get lost themselves in another world for awhile.
The book was formatted well with no obvious spelling or grammatical errors. Thanks to the Baen Free Library and Free Promotional CDs for this title.
I found the world building intriguing, but not fully developed. There seemed to be holes in the descriptions of how the world worked, some of which would later be addressed, but which left me confounded at times until the later explanation. There were also jarring breaks in descriptions of events, usually surrounding the activation of a 'core piece', where it was like pieces of the story were simply missing as one scene was being described and then suddenly something else was being described. There were times I went back to reread the previous couple of paragraphs to see if I had missed something. Perhaps it was just the formatting of the edition I read, but it would have made for a much more enjoyable reading experience if there was some sort of an indication at the beginning of the passage indicating that what was now being described was something new that was pulled into the scene by the 'magic' use of the core pieces.
I liked the heroes. I found them likable and they seemed to grow throughout the book, though they were a little too trusting at times. I imagined Shael looking like a young Natalie Portman. S'Kith like Michael McManus's character Kai from Lexx - but with a shaved head. I imagined Leyla looking like a long haired Eva Habermann, and Keilin like the young thief Gaston played by Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke. I had the same image in my head for the Morkth as for the Buggers from Ender's Game.
Not really a deep thinking type of book, but enjoyable and quick to read. There is some allusion to sex, but nothing I haven't seen in other books aimed at young teens and tweens. Depending on the maturity level of the young reader I think it would be fine for someone in the upper grade school grades, but probably more suitable to someone in middle school looking to get lost themselves in another world for awhile.
The book was formatted well with no obvious spelling or grammatical errors. Thanks to the Baen Free Library and Free Promotional CDs for this title.
July 11, 2010
Read the e-book from Baen Books
Still not sure quite what to think. There were many amusing parts that I was sorry not to have anyone to share with, but on the other hand rather too much perpiness for me to want to recommend it to any of my siblings.
The last chapter or two were too rushed. The lack of a proper ending disappointed me.
Still, much more enjoyable than studying for my test tomorrow. ;)
Still not sure quite what to think. There were many amusing parts that I was sorry not to have anyone to share with, but on the other hand rather too much perpiness for me to want to recommend it to any of my siblings.
The last chapter or two were too rushed. The lack of a proper ending disappointed me.
Still, much more enjoyable than studying for my test tomorrow. ;)
February 23, 2010
Very good read, though the last two chapters seemed rushed, and the race of humans brought out of the hive - after generations of imprisonment - showed no sign of culture shock.
Nominally, it's a science fiction novel, but it might appeal to people who enjoyed the likes of Scott Lynch's "The Lies of Lock Lamora", "The Assassin's Apprentice" by Robin Hobb and/or Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn." Oh, and it's more pacey than those three books, btw.
Nominally, it's a science fiction novel, but it might appeal to people who enjoyed the likes of Scott Lynch's "The Lies of Lock Lamora", "The Assassin's Apprentice" by Robin Hobb and/or Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn." Oh, and it's more pacey than those three books, btw.
February 7, 2017
There is so, so much gratuitous rape in this book.
Much of the story was actually 5-star worthy - interesting, realistic characters, decent world building, flowing and exciting action, etc; but between the rapiness and the downright bullshit that starts happening when the inevitable plot twists start falling into place in the last 50 pages or so, it's getting downgraded.
Much of the story was actually 5-star worthy - interesting, realistic characters, decent world building, flowing and exciting action, etc; but between the rapiness and the downright bullshit that starts happening when the inevitable plot twists start falling into place in the last 50 pages or so, it's getting downgraded.
March 13, 2011
Great book. Believable mediaeval quest-type fantasy seamlessly blended with high-tech science fiction, and an engaging set of protagonists. Some poignant moments,lots of action, multiple sub-plots and a nive romance. I would thoroughly recommend this book.
September 5, 2011
I love this book. I hope Dave writes more in this universe sometime.
August 11, 2012
An interesting book, colonist set down on a world in a lower level of technology with psionics thrown in to make it more fun.
May 16, 2013
Unexpectedly good fantasy/science fiction novel. Fast-paced, high fantasy overtones, good characters and situations. This book was from the Baen Free Library.
December 7, 2013
A pretty good first effort on Freer' part. A free ebook from Baen books.
October 10, 2018
A book from the Baen Free Library.
Interesting, quick read for a first novella. I did enjoy it, and while I don't believe that I agree with all of the pans in the reviews that I read, I don't disagree with all of them either.
I have been reading SciFi since the early 60's. I have some ACE paperback novels with 25 and 50 cent cover prices, in addition to some of the original ACE Doubles. Having read some of Freer's other works, including his expansion of the Karres story, I can see a growth in his ability to tell a tale. I agree with the comment that some of the information contained in the appendex, could, and should, have been woven into the storyline to provide some connectivity and transition between the varied plotlines and viewpoints. I thought that Keilin's character growth, while predictable, was presented well and plausibly. The character of Sheal was also subject to a fairly predictable growth pattern, and while there could have been more explaination of the driving forces behind the changes that she underwent, most of them were supported by the story to some degree. I also agree with the comments that S'Kith could have had more open page development, which would have provided more support for the actions that he took at the First Hive, upon his return. I liked that Freer created the character of "Cap" in such a way that while you might not really like him, there was enough tension in his character that you kept guessing if he was really a good or bad guy. And when you finally find out, you are not really sure if you want him to be the way he was. Bey and the Gene-spliced were likable and made sense in the plot, once you got to the end of the story. I think that there might have been a moment earlier in the book that you could have introduce some of that background information that would make some of Bey's actions more believable, in context. Leyla's character, I believe, suffered alot from a stereotypical treatment that was not fully explained nor supported by the conclusion of the book.
Overall it was an okay read. I did finish the book, and if there were to be a follow-on, I would probably read that, as well. I will most likely read other stories by Freer.
Interesting, quick read for a first novella. I did enjoy it, and while I don't believe that I agree with all of the pans in the reviews that I read, I don't disagree with all of them either.
I have been reading SciFi since the early 60's. I have some ACE paperback novels with 25 and 50 cent cover prices, in addition to some of the original ACE Doubles. Having read some of Freer's other works, including his expansion of the Karres story, I can see a growth in his ability to tell a tale. I agree with the comment that some of the information contained in the appendex, could, and should, have been woven into the storyline to provide some connectivity and transition between the varied plotlines and viewpoints. I thought that Keilin's character growth, while predictable, was presented well and plausibly. The character of Sheal was also subject to a fairly predictable growth pattern, and while there could have been more explaination of the driving forces behind the changes that she underwent, most of them were supported by the story to some degree. I also agree with the comments that S'Kith could have had more open page development, which would have provided more support for the actions that he took at the First Hive, upon his return. I liked that Freer created the character of "Cap" in such a way that while you might not really like him, there was enough tension in his character that you kept guessing if he was really a good or bad guy. And when you finally find out, you are not really sure if you want him to be the way he was. Bey and the Gene-spliced were likable and made sense in the plot, once you got to the end of the story. I think that there might have been a moment earlier in the book that you could have introduce some of that background information that would make some of Bey's actions more believable, in context. Leyla's character, I believe, suffered alot from a stereotypical treatment that was not fully explained nor supported by the conclusion of the book.
Overall it was an okay read. I did finish the book, and if there were to be a follow-on, I would probably read that, as well. I will most likely read other stories by Freer.
May 26, 2022
Dave Freer writes another great book. As usual, he populates it with fascinating characters. Keilin is a street rat with mysterious psi abilities. Then there's Shalin, the selfish princess of the most brutal tyrant on the planet. Things go wrong for her when she flees her father's assassinators.
Along the way they meet desert drifters, beekeepers,and a trio of odd, superfighters.
But what does it all mean?
Read the book and find out.
Along the way they meet desert drifters, beekeepers,and a trio of odd, superfighters.
But what does it all mean?
Read the book and find out.
November 28, 2013
I'm frankly ashamed to admit that I finished books that I give only two stars, but I did. It is books like this one that reveal to me the extent of my current sci-fi/fantasy addiction. I've been scraping the bottom of the barrel at Baen's free library, and having read a short story by this author that I found interesting, I took a chance on this one. Sadly, it was a strike out. A total lack of originality in the plot: unlikely band of heroes must quest for a set of Macguffins scattered across the castles-and-knights planet so they can reclaim their heritage as a space-faring race. Add some Psi powers and a race of insectoid enemies and shake well. Now, a lack of originality is not in and of itself a fatal flaw in many a fantasy: we Like the tropes! It's all in how well you execute them. This is where it "The Forlorn" really fails: the characters are not only mostly unlikable, but also often unbelievable - as in, unbelievably stupid, arrogant, or (most annoyingly) simply Random. The storytelling is wooden, uneven, clunky, and prone to randomly introducing new places, people, or whole plot elements practically out of thin air, leaving the reader seriously disoriented and, by the end, just wanting to get it over with. The only good thing about the ending is that, despite some truly terrifying signs a chapter or two back, it Did end rather than set up a cliff-hanger for a book two!
This was one of Freer's earlier - if not earliest - works, and there's always a chance that, with with practice and good editors, he's gotten better. Still, I am not quite as excited to seek out the Dragon's Ring series as I was before reading this.
This was one of Freer's earlier - if not earliest - works, and there's always a chance that, with with practice and good editors, he's gotten better. Still, I am not quite as excited to seek out the Dragon's Ring series as I was before reading this.
November 15, 2013
First off, darn it, Goodreads, 2 stars doesn't mean it was ok. Means it was subpar.
This book. . .
The writing isn't terrible, there are a couple of decent ideas, and a handful of decent scenes.
The protagonist has no personality. Totally uninteresting. The antagonist is also boring and stupidly competent. The love interest is a hateful little troll of a woman that we're supposed to think gets better by the end of the book. She doesn't.
Ultimately, there are two basically likable characters, and they don't get much screen time.
Then there is the ending. . . Which, pardon my French, sucks balls.
This book. . .
The writing isn't terrible, there are a couple of decent ideas, and a handful of decent scenes.
The protagonist has no personality. Totally uninteresting. The antagonist is also boring and stupidly competent. The love interest is a hateful little troll of a woman that we're supposed to think gets better by the end of the book. She doesn't.
Ultimately, there are two basically likable characters, and they don't get much screen time.
Then there is the ending. . . Which, pardon my French, sucks balls.
December 8, 2015
Didn't really grip.
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