Artefact

Lazarus War #1

by Jamie Sawyer

Artefact is book one of The Lazarus War, an explosive new space adventure series from one of the brightest new stars in science fiction - perfect for fans of The Edge of Tomorrow, Alien and James S. A. Corey's Expanse series. Jack Campbell, author of the Lost Fleet novels calls it "a gripping read that moves at warp speed."
Mankind has spread to the stars, only to become locked in warfare with an insidious alien race. All that stands against the alien menace are the soldiers of the Simulant Operation Programme, an elite military team remotely operating avatars in the most dangerous theatres of war.
Captain Conrad Harris has died hundreds of times - running suicide missions in simulant bodies. Known as Lazarus, he is a man addicted to death. So when a secret research station deep in alien territory suddenly goes dark, there is no other man who could possibly lead a rescue mission.
But Harris hasn't been trained for what he's about to find. And this time, he may not be coming back . . .
Artefact is an action-drenched tale of elite space marines, deep space exploration and galactic empires. Discover The Lazarus War - the thrilling new space opera series from one of the most exciting new voices in science fiction.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Aliens, Science Fiction Fantasy

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

Jamie Sawyer is a science fiction writer from England, first published in 2016. He is the writer of the Lazarus War and Eternity War book series. When he isn’t working on his day-job, he is an enthusiastic reader of all types of SF, especially classic authors such as Heinlein and Haldeman.

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I searched the faces of the crew around me. All were pale with horror.

I enjoyed this book. The first-person narrative made for an immediacy that kept me invested in the story, and there are some interesting concepts, such as the Artefact of the title and the simulant warfare, that appealed to me. I also, especially, liked the Maelstrom, which is a portion of space so fraught with gravimetric storms that it forms a natural defense of the Krell home worlds. I’m not at all sure of the scientific plausibility of everything depicted here, but it still makes for exciting reading.

Sometimes I felt that dying was the only thing I was actually good at.

I don’t normally put all that much stock in blurbs, but it’s interesting to note that this book’s blurbs read like a who’s who of Military Science Fiction. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, but it does at least underscore the fact that this falls firmly in that category. It’s a fairly violent book, with an emphasis on action.

The things were in a killing rage: spitting, slathering, squealing masses of hate.

I quite liked the Krell. They’re somewhat reminiscent of Xeno-morphs, that is, if Xeno-morphs ever evolved to have energy weapons. Needless to say, they’re a dangerous and vicious lot, which is always a good way to convince readers that they pose a real threat to protagonist survival. And when the team of sim operators get sent on a black ops mission in enemy space (outside of a “no man’s land” called the quarantine zone) you just know that the author is going to come up with a way to present some real danger to the cast of characters. The kind that there is no coming back from.

Streaks of brilliant red lightning coursed the horizon. So completely alien, that the display was almost beautiful.

What sets this book aside is the story-within-the-story that is of an intimate nature and has to do with events in the protagonist’s past. This arc is dealt with in flashbacks, but everything eventually converges and points the way forward. And while, in most other aspects, it’s a fairly conventional action-adventure tale, there are just enough surprises to keep me wanting more. I’m quite curious to see where this is headed.

Totally random bit of information: for some reason I really, really dig the spine design on my mass market paperback edition.

"There was a war in heaven. It was centuries ago, perhaps millennia. So long ago that it doesn’t matter any more. Time is difficult to express in human fractions when the stars glow for ever.”

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sawyer's first book is graced by glowing blurbs by Neal Asher and Jack Campbell (among others) and I can see why. Artefact is set around 300 years from now and humanity is basically divided among two opposing factions-- the 'Alliance' of the Americas, Europe and Africa and the Asian Directorate. Both sides are still based on Earth, although each has a sizable colonial presence outworld, where we have the core worlds and the fringe. Further, humanity (largely the Alliance) discovered a hostile alien race called the Krell and after a prolonged war have something of a peace treaty.

Every novel science fiction has to have some sort of hook if you will, and for Sawyer, this involves the use of Simulants. Essentially, some assault troopers have cloned/genetically modified 'bodies' they can 'drive' while safely ensconced in bio-tanks. The 'drivers' have several neural plugs on their bodies that they can 'jack into' the simulant with, giving them a real experience of being the simulant. The simulants are huge and have serious armor suits that can work in vacuum. So, rather than send in a team of 'real' people on hazardous missions, you can send in a team of simulants; if the simulant dies, the 'driver' awakes in their tank. The title refers to one simulant operation team, whose captain (Connor, also the main protagonist of the tale) has been on over two hundred simulant missions, dying in most of them; hence his nick name Lazarus.

This starts with a bang as the Lazarus team investigates a derelict ship coming out of the quarantine zone (QZ) that separates humanity from the Krell. Sawyer introduces the tech and the team via live action rather than info dumps which I appreciated. As the book progresses, we learn more and more about Connor and his crew, who have been together for years. The Krell are great nasty aliens, who basically bio-engineer everything, including space ships, and operate with a logic that is, well, alien. The heart of the story involves a secret mission deep into Krell territory to 'check out' a research station located near a strange artefact from yet another alien species called the 'Shard'.

This really was a fun read. I thought it bogged down a little with Connor's reflections (really his obsession) on his last, doomed relationship with Elena, but this did serve to flesh out his character in some detail. Connor is an adrenaline junkie, going from mission to mission with abandon, and ruing the down time in between them (and boozing it away). Sawyer gives us a interesting world, somewhat plausible tech, some good, flawed characters and weaves them together nicely. While there is a lot of action here, this is not a simple popcorn action adventure tale. Highly recommended for Neal Asher fans! 4 shooting stars!!

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of James S.A. Corey or Robert A. Heinlein, or any military-themed sci-fi such as Aliens, Starship Troopers, Avatar, Stargate, Halo, or Mass Effect, you'll feel right at home with Artefact.

Sawyer begins with a familiar setup – a troop of tough-as-bullets space marines who laugh in the face of death, led by a battle-scarred captain with a dark past – and layers on some interesting worldbuilding, interspersed with some great action sequences.

Looking forward to book 2!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gory, high body count military SF--made tedious by hamfisted banter, total disregard for verisimilitude (the narrator watches space battles with his naked eyes, for instance), and long, pointless flashbacks. After a while, I was skipping some chapters and skimming the rest...and even so it all seemed interminable.

[Gregoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

certes, Artifact est à réserver aux amateurs du genre mais si vous en êtes, M. Sawyer a écrit un page turner très prenant J'ai aimé les concepts (l'artifact les aliens le principe et la psychologie des militaires simulants) mais je tiens à souligner également que l'auteur sait écrire à la première personne donnant de la profondeur à ses personnages Les flash-back éclairent les évènements et les réactions du capitaine Conrad Harris, sans ralentir l'action principale.
Pour une fois, j'ai trouvé que les comparatifs utilisés en pub ne sont pas que commerciaux mais bien justifiés J'ai déjà pré-commandé le deuxième tome, c'est dire si j'ai aimé ...

Certainly, Artifact is to be reserved for the amateurs of military sf but if you are, you will find that Mr. Sawyer write a very fascinating page-turner
I liked the concepts (the artifact the aliens the principle and the psychology of the simulant soldiers) but i also like that the author knows how to write in the first person, giving depths to his characters The flashback enlighten the events and the reactions of captain Conrad Harris without slowing down the main action.
For once, I found that the used comparative names are but well justified I have already pre-ordered the second volume...

[Jon]

3.5 to 4 stars.

Plenty of action in this military SF space opera. Only slowed down a bit about 2/3 of the way through but then ramped up for a satisfying conclusion. Planning on starting the 2nd book this week.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and exciting military science fiction! I'm looking forward to book 2.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable MilSF that varies the formula a little by projecting the personal implications of remote control warfare - Starship Troopers for the UAV generation.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is life on the frontier in The Lazarus War: Artefact, whether in spaceships or on an alien planet. There is plenty of weaponry on display. Captain Harris loves his railgun on the starship Oregon. While he's winning he is like a kid with a computer game slaughtering alien life forms. To quote the great hero:

"It was as though the Oregon was possessed by some feral, bloodthirsty spirit - and therefore I was too. The railgun fired. There was no recoil, no aftershock from each shot."

But that is not all. We humans have the deadly particle beam accelerator and some sort of devastating torpedo, while the Krell, the alien beings, have "brilliant lance-weapons" and bio-plasma thingummies. It's hell out there when it kicks off. It is also depressing to imagine a future universe in which there are potentially only three intelligent species and all they want is to fight each other as rival empires. Whatever happened to culture, science, art, diplomacy, learning and respect? Who knows, perhaps one day in a galaxy not that far away people of all shapes and sizes will visit each other's home-worlds to study, admire the scenery, enjoy good food, talk and laugh, and will not even understand fighting for an extra square kilometer of land.

That is not the way between the humans and the Krell, or between the Krell and the builders of the Artefact. All is bloodshed and dominance as Harris and his simulant warriors - they are human soldiers who remotely control biologically enhanced cloned versions of themselves which go into battle as willing sacrifices - fight it out with the Krell - a species I can only describe as alien monsters. It all boils down to a construction on the planet Helios 3. No one knows who built it but, in some way, it can control the Krell. A team led by Dr. Jarvis Kellerman was sent there to investigate and have since lost contact. Harris and his people must find out what has happened to them in the heart of Krell territory.

What follows is a mixture of blood and thunder military SF, a large spoonful of Forbidden Planet, and even a bit of old Andre Norton - only far more violent. If you like your SF with brains and entrails splattered on the walls and bodies everywhere, you will love it. And there is more. In a Q & A section at the end of the book one question is "What can we expect from the next Lazarus War novel? The answer: "More action. More explosions. More suspense." And I'm guessing, More Krells. You have been warned.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun read with a few flaws, but if you are willing to suspend your disbelief enough it is definitely enjoyable.

The story follows the exploits of the leader of a special operations squad who can project their consciousnesses into clone bodies allowing them to do amazing things and even be killed over and over. The psychic trauma of experiencing dozens of deaths and yet always waking up back at home base and recovering is handled really well. The way different people react to the stress and how they break or stave off their demons is really interesting.

The story is basically a space opera and you should expect that. The hero is overly large and can deal with injuries and traumas that would disable lesser people. He is constantly in the middle of world changing events and has always come through with various levels of success. The injury thing really started to bother me. You know how in an action movie the hero gets shot in the shoulder, but they keep going on and end up beating the bad guy? Well that happens over and over in this story. Shot, broken ribs, beaten, kicked, broken nose, starved. Yeah, but our hero overcomes all those traumas to finish his mission.

That was hard enough to suspend disbelief but there were also a few attempts to delve into hard science which if you think about it even a little bit will bother you. The best example is when they carbon dated material from an alien civilization that obviously did not come from the world that they were on. There is no way to carbon date anything if you don't know what the starting conditions are.

But if you can manage to ignore these issues, like I was mostly able to you will find that this is a fun quick read. There are two more books in the series and I'll probably pick up the second one before too long.

[George Mazurek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artefakt je zdařilá napůl military sci-fi a space opera, o kousek lepší než podobné military sci-fi od Fabiána.

[Kenny Soward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit: After enjoying the second book in this series I upped this rating to 4 stars.* It was written well and kept moving at a pretty great pace. One of my guilty pleasures are books like this. A cool, somewhat mysterious premise, and plenty of action. It had elements of the Alien and Warhammer Series.

Already picked up the second book and will continue on with the series.

[Tommy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this one.
It's all too simplistic and formulaic. And then the guy telling the story doesn't seem to be too bright. All in all nothing that I would consider worth reading. Others might have different opinions and are probably (also?) correct, it just wasn't my piece of cake.

[Per Gunnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am quite surprised by the quality of this book given that it is claimed to be the debutant work of this author. There is a compelling, well worked out and somewhat original story (although comparisons with Avatar are unavoidable) the characters are well made and the writing is exceptionally good for a debutant.

Although there are some fierce space battles at the beginning of the book most of the story plays itself out on the ground. Also, I have to say that, the space battles mostly felt like world war one battleships slowly pounding at each other until one of them succumbed. Given my preferences for the “space stuff” in my books this was of course a wee bit disappointing.

Having said that, the ground action is well done and the story is indeed a fairly interesting and compelling one. It is not your usual “drop to the surface and start shooting” kind of story. For a good chunk of the book the story is more of a mystery and intrigue kind of story rather than a straightforward action story even though the marine action is plentiful. Strange artefacts, a mad professor, mercenaries with dubious loyalties, aliens a’ la Starship Troopers and a backdrop of two competing political human blocks. All of it adds some nice twists and flavours to the book and makes it elevate itself a bit from the usual military science fiction that we readers are served.

The main thread of the story is interleaved with flashbacks into Harris’ past. I can understand why the author did it that way but I have to say that I do not like flashbacks whether it is in a book, a TV show or a movie. They did serve their purpose of gradually building the universe and life of Captain Conrad Harris but I just whish the author would have found another way of doing it.

As a start of a series it is a good book. As a debutant work is it quite impressive. The next one in the series is already on my reading list.

[Louise Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I was hooked after the first chapter. I am Dyslexic and reading new books can be quite nerve raking and difficult, I did not find that with this book (and I only had to look up a few words lol). I am on my way to buy book two now. Can not wait for it to arrive. Jamie Sawyer is being added to my dyslexic friendly reading list :).

[Angie Perrins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Engaging plot with lots of interesting SF ideas. The characters are also really interesting - I’d definitely recommend. This is the first book of a series, which I’ll be following.

[Lola Rachels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting space adventure. Loved the characters, especially Harris (main character and narrator) and his squad of simulants. Perfectly paced so an easy read. All round a very enjoyable book.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah this is good start to a series. Look forward to more.

[rowanthorn ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

RTC!

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good military sci-fi tale. Sort of reminded me of the Old Man's War books and maybe a little Ender's Game mixed with the Honor Harrington series.

Soldiers use avatars ("Sims") to fight xenomorph style aliens. There's also a deep space mystery that unfolds slowly. The characters are likeable and the plot satisfying. I'll almost certainly continue the series in time.

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I can say for the entire series is "Meh". If you want a set of books that unironically involve basically every sci fi military Trope known to man, this is your series. If you want a book series with inconsistently effective technology that doesn't really seem to make sense in its application in universe, this is your book series. If you want a thinly veiled macho power trip of a book, this is your series. otherwise.... don't bother.

The books are mediocre in their writing. Some scenes are so stereotypical of the genre of military fiction that you can't help bit violently roll your eyes. The hardbitten officer that just wants to get the job done. Being outmatched in pretty much every possible way, technologically, numerically, everything, and yet, somehow, they emerge victorious. Having anything and everything go wrong, and yet still coming out on top through sheer grit and determination. Meh. The universe doesn't hang together well, and the technology employed feels more like a kid playing "know what'd be cool... bigger armor! With missile pods! And shields! And Lasers!" Than a realistic military arms race. And of course in the end the bigger armor makes no difference the battle still ends up a slug match between our hero and whoever he happens to be fighting at the time. There really isn't anything original in this, and what comes close to being original is poorly exploited by the storyline.

Unless you are just looking for a mediocre military sci fi romp and you don't care beyond that, don't bother with this series.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Lazarus War trilogy by Jamie Sawyer. I must say that this is first rate Military Science Fiction. It has plenty of action, a good story-line and characters with good depth and interesting back stories. It is about a special team of solders who fight the alien Krell in simulants. Simulants are bio-engineered bodies which the team members control remotely by transitioning their consciousness into the simulant body. Then even if they are killed their consciousness merely returns to it's body and they live to fight another day. The team is led by Captain Conrad Harris, whom some call Lazarus because he has been on over 200 mission's and has still returned safely. The team is given a mission in the Maelstrom, which is the Krell's home territory. It seems like it is a suicide mission and before it's over it might very well be. This book is a great start to this trilogy and I highly recommend it.

[Bertie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the worst one I've read this year so far. It's just a macho, gun-shooting, testosterone-fuelled sci-fi with nothing interesting other than action scene after action scene. The characters were bland and lacked development, the plot was barely existent, the worldbuilding wasn't there. There was an intelligent alien race who seemed to hang around just to get into fight sequences with. Fast-paced action can be fun but it isn't a replacement for characters, plot, or anything else of interest.

Follow me on my Blog, Twitter, and Instagram.

[Jack Pramitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un mélange d'AlienS, Avatar et Apocalypse Now. Alors si tu aimes les space marines, les combats spatiaux, les combats contre des aliens dégueux, les artefact extraterrestres, et les savants fous… tu sais ce que tu dois faire. En plus, c'est taillé pour le cinéma.

[Leather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly written, without any substance.

[Sarah Partridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clichés everywhere, nothing of substance, no character depth....eurgh

[Lianne Pheno · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...

Un livre qui m'aura fait frissonner, une bonne lecture bien prenante dans son genre.

On pourrait argumenter le fait que tous les éléments pris individuellement ne sont guère originaux, et que si on a regardé par mal de films ou lu pas mal de livres de ce genre on y retrouvera pas mal de points déjà vu. Mais l'originalité c'est de les avoir combiné ensemble, ainsi que la personnalité du héros.
En fait si vous prenez, Aliens, Starship Troopers et Avatar et que vous faites un mashup des 3, parmi toutes les possibilités il a des chances que vous tombiez un jour sur un qui ressemblera pas mal au fond de ce livre.

Mais je vous rassure pour ceux qui auraient peur de voir une pâle copie de ce qui se fait ça n'est pas le cas. Déjà la situation est suffisamment unique pour se distinguer et le scénario est aussi original qu'il peut l'être avec ces éléments la.
La seconde originalité pour moi est le personnage principal, Harris, le capitaine de cette petite unité de soldats d'élite. Loin d'être un mec/capitaine parfait il a plein de défauts, dont celui d'être totalement accro à son boulot, au point qu'il n'arrive plus a avoir une vie normale, et qu'il ne vit que pour l’adrénaline et la puissance des SimOps. Son temps libre entre deux mission n'existe que pour faire monter l'impatience de la prochaine.

J'ai beaucoup aimé la tension qui se dégage de ce livre. et pourtant si on m'avait prévenu à l'avance ce point m'aurait surement fait réfléchir à deux fois avant de le commencer, étant assez réfractaire aux romans d'horreur et aux thrillers.
En fait ce qui marche c'est que cette tension est bien dosée. L'auteur ne cherche pas à nous faire vraiment peur, il met juste ses héros dans une situation qui devient de plus en plus difficile jusqu'au grand final. Nous faisant sursauter et suer avec eux.

On pourrait croire en lisant le résumé que tout se résumé à l'humanité contre les Krell, sorte d'aliens insectes capable de tout fabriquer biologiquement même leurs vaisseaux. Mais en fait non pas vraiment. Les hommes continuent à se battre aussi entre eux, et le pays de nos héros n'en est qu'un parmi d'autres. Du coup il y a aussi l'autre bloc, un peu comme lors de la guerre froide et cette confrontation entre les deux prend aussi une part importante de l'histoire. La lâcheté et la cupidité humaine sont toujours la, on ne parle pas que de super soldats héroïques.

Au final j'ai vraiment bien aimé cette lecture même si j'ai passé un moment ou j'étais vraiment sur les nerfs au milieu. Après ce n'était pas non plus au point de me faire arrêter ma lecture donc pari gagné ^^

16.5/20

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a solid debut novel. If I hadn’t been in the military I might have rated it higher but it’s pretty obvious that the author watched a LOT of 80s sci-if and commando movies and based his characters off of the main cliches from that era. The main character has no military bearing at all (nor do any of his companions) which is frustrating but if you can convince yourself it’s not really a military team it gets better.

I am happy to have read it and will likely read the next book in the series but it’s pretty heavy handed with the tropes, attempts to build suspense and cliches (oh man, the cliches), the little bit of originality in the book was interesting enough for me to keep at it though.

This is really odd, I feel like I’m bashing the book and I’m not, it’s worth the quick read that it is, it’s just not great, but definitely shows promise for the future works of the author. I wouldn’t go out of my way hunt down the book but if you run across it I’d say go for the read... and read through the first couple of chapters where the eye rollingly not-military dialogue gets toned down a bit.

[Bluecobras09 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the future humanity finds itself in 2 groups, the Alliance and the Directorate. The Alliance finds itself fighting terrorist from the Directorate a deadly foe called the Krell. The Krell are biological lifeforms that create everything, their ships and weapons biologically. As a way to even out the fight, the Simulant project was created, allowing people to operate simulants of their own body that are engineered for war. They are larger, stronger, faster, better in every way. But when a Simulant team is sent in to Krell space to find out why a research station has gone dark, they find they have little choice to fight in the flesh, without their armored simulants.

I found this to be a very good story. It picked up quickly and defined it characters well from the beginning.

Recommended read.

[Aildiin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not bad military scifi but this is not the cream of the crop either.
The story contains a lot of flashback that are supposed to flesh out the main character but they do not really achieve this.
My main issue ( aside from the setting that is very StarShip trooper like) is with the psychology of the main character. From one chapter to the next he keeps changing.
Overall there is a lot of potential in this novel that was not realized. I already purchased book two so I will read it but if the author doesn't improve I will probably stop there.