What do you think?
Rate this book
Lazarus War #2
Legion
Conrad Harris is the legend known as Lazarus, and he has died hundreds of times. Using simulant bodies, he runs suicide missions in the depths of space. But he always comes back.
As commanding officer of the Lazarus Legion, Harris and his elite Simulant Operations team are humanity's last line of defence against the hostile alien race known as the Krell.
Having survived their ordeal on Helios, they're now leading a large-scale mission to the perilous, unexplored region of the Damascus Rift. There, another Artefact has been discovered. It is the product of an ancient alien life form - and a possible weapon to be used against the Krell.
This Artefact could finally help humanity win the war. But what Harris and the Lazarus Legion will discover there is from their worst nightmares . . .
As commanding officer of the Lazarus Legion, Harris and his elite Simulant Operations team are humanity's last line of defence against the hostile alien race known as the Krell.
Having survived their ordeal on Helios, they're now leading a large-scale mission to the perilous, unexplored region of the Damascus Rift. There, another Artefact has been discovered. It is the product of an ancient alien life form - and a possible weapon to be used against the Krell.
This Artefact could finally help humanity win the war. But what Harris and the Lazarus Legion will discover there is from their worst nightmares . . .
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
64 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Sawyer
13 books159 followersJamie 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 31, 2022
The follow up to Sawyer's first book Artefact picks up about two years after the first. Our main protagonist, Connor Harris, is now a major in the simulant division and after the loss of one of their team members on Helios, they now have 'new girl' as a replacement (after several other washouts). Once again, this starts with a bang, with a rescue mission to save a top Alliance Shard scholar from a doomed space station (some black ops deal). Then, finally, Harris gets what he has wanted for years-- a chance to go back into Krell territory, this time to investigate some Shard BDO located near a space anomaly called the Rift. Harris, of course, sees this as a chance to locate Elena, his ex-lover who got tired of Harris' obsession with sim missions; she was on the flagship that cemented the peace treaty between the Alliance and the Krell, but that mission never returned to Alliance space.
The Shard BDO is some sort of huge space station, but it is not 'dead' as the team quickly finds out. Sawyer seems to be developing the Shard more and more, and you can be sure the Shard will play a role in the future installments. The Shard we learn here were a galaxy wide civilization, but not biological (at least any more). They fought a brutal war with the Krell thousands of years ago and have supposedly moved on to another galaxy after their victory, but the Krell have made a comeback. Will Harris find Elena? Is he going crazy? He seemingly finds Elena on the BDO but his other team members do not really believe him.
Sawyer also introduces a new twist on the sim program here-- the 'next generation' sims are not battle monsters like his squad, but occupy relatively normal looking people, and they do so for days/weeks at a time rather than just for suicide missions. The new 'fly boy' squad on the mission to the BDO are all sims, and further, it seems this tech has leaked to the other human faction...
Good stuff from Sawyer here. Once again, this got a little bogged down with Harris' reflections on Elena and his obsession with finding her. Lots more on politics as well, as the 'truce' between the Alliance and the Asiatic faction starts falling apart; both sides want the Shard tech, and will do anything to acquire it. Decent paces (except as noted above) and a nice job of world building-- fantastic world without lots of info dumps. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
The Shard BDO is some sort of huge space station, but it is not 'dead' as the team quickly finds out. Sawyer seems to be developing the Shard more and more, and you can be sure the Shard will play a role in the future installments. The Shard we learn here were a galaxy wide civilization, but not biological (at least any more). They fought a brutal war with the Krell thousands of years ago and have supposedly moved on to another galaxy after their victory, but the Krell have made a comeback. Will Harris find Elena? Is he going crazy? He seemingly finds Elena on the BDO but his other team members do not really believe him.
Sawyer also introduces a new twist on the sim program here-- the 'next generation' sims are not battle monsters like his squad, but occupy relatively normal looking people, and they do so for days/weeks at a time rather than just for suicide missions. The new 'fly boy' squad on the mission to the BDO are all sims, and further, it seems this tech has leaked to the other human faction...
Good stuff from Sawyer here. Once again, this got a little bogged down with Harris' reflections on Elena and his obsession with finding her. Lots more on politics as well, as the 'truce' between the Alliance and the Asiatic faction starts falling apart; both sides want the Shard tech, and will do anything to acquire it. Decent paces (except as noted above) and a nice job of world building-- fantastic world without lots of info dumps. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
February 21, 2022
”Welcome to the Damascus Rift.”
A collection of blue stars – ancient and cold – circled the phenomena. They threw dying light across a series of sterile grey planets, trapped in a death-dance with the Rift. Moon-sized pieces of debris tumbled through the schematic.
Then there was the Rift itself.
A fissure in time-space; one of so many stellar phenomena found in the Maelstrom that human science was unable to classify properly, let alone understand. It shimmered with balefire, brighter than the stars that circled it. The debris in near-space gave the impression that it was being gently pulled into the Rift, and, on a glacial scale, that was exactly what was happening. Those stars, those worlds and moon-fields: over the millennia all would be claimed by the Rift’s insatiable hunger.
Space is collapsing in on itself.
This Military Science Fiction series relies on two “hooks” to separate it from the crowd.
The first is the region of space where most of the action takes place, aptly titled the Maelstrom. It is a portion of space that is extremely dangerous and unpredictable (as if “normal space” wasn’t hazardous enough), and which acts as a natural barrier of sorts between humanity and the hostile alien Krell. Because of the way the laws of physics are challenged or re-defined (for lack of a better word) here, it adds an interesting dimension to the proceedings.
The second (and I suppose the two can be switched around as well, if you like) is the use of super-soldier simulant bodies genetically coded to specific users. These bodies are superhumanly strong and able to withstand magnitudes more than the normal human body. However: repetitive use of these simulants come at a cost, both psychologically and physically.
Enter Major Conrad Harris, or “Lazarus”, so named because “he keeps coming back”.
”Stop me if you’ve already heard this one.
It starts with a legend; with a man they called Lazarus.”
I was pleasantly surprised by Artefact. By the time that book (the first in the series) starts, Lazarus is already a legend and the book goes a long way in establishing why (inevitably by putting him in a situation where he does not have access to his simulant, and proceeding to show how he can still pull a rabbit out of a hat. It is probably worth noting that Conrad Harris was a special forces soldier long before the simulant program, and he is one of the “old guard” who actually has real life combat experience – the fact that he took so well to the simulant program is just an added bonus).
This, the second book of The Lazarus War deals with a mission deep into the Maelstrom to look for another artefact of the mysterious Shard (an alien race introduced in Artefact) using information gleaned from the Helios shard artefact (again, Artefact).
Expect action and intrigue aplenty, and a protagonist that is positively unhinged on occasion. Given the fact that there are two opposing human factions (in addition to hostile aliens) there is more than enough drama to go around.
Bonus reveal: expect full berserk mode a time or two.
So, yes, I enjoyed it. I was in the mood for this kind of thing. The Elena story-line is a bit overly melodramatic (for those in the know), but didn’t detract from the general feel of the novel. Fun and explosive with big, big guns.
Fear and awe were my two best friends.
A collection of blue stars – ancient and cold – circled the phenomena. They threw dying light across a series of sterile grey planets, trapped in a death-dance with the Rift. Moon-sized pieces of debris tumbled through the schematic.
Then there was the Rift itself.
A fissure in time-space; one of so many stellar phenomena found in the Maelstrom that human science was unable to classify properly, let alone understand. It shimmered with balefire, brighter than the stars that circled it. The debris in near-space gave the impression that it was being gently pulled into the Rift, and, on a glacial scale, that was exactly what was happening. Those stars, those worlds and moon-fields: over the millennia all would be claimed by the Rift’s insatiable hunger.
Space is collapsing in on itself.
This Military Science Fiction series relies on two “hooks” to separate it from the crowd.
The first is the region of space where most of the action takes place, aptly titled the Maelstrom. It is a portion of space that is extremely dangerous and unpredictable (as if “normal space” wasn’t hazardous enough), and which acts as a natural barrier of sorts between humanity and the hostile alien Krell. Because of the way the laws of physics are challenged or re-defined (for lack of a better word) here, it adds an interesting dimension to the proceedings.
The second (and I suppose the two can be switched around as well, if you like) is the use of super-soldier simulant bodies genetically coded to specific users. These bodies are superhumanly strong and able to withstand magnitudes more than the normal human body. However: repetitive use of these simulants come at a cost, both psychologically and physically.
Enter Major Conrad Harris, or “Lazarus”, so named because “he keeps coming back”.
”Stop me if you’ve already heard this one.
It starts with a legend; with a man they called Lazarus.”
I was pleasantly surprised by Artefact. By the time that book (the first in the series) starts, Lazarus is already a legend and the book goes a long way in establishing why (inevitably by putting him in a situation where he does not have access to his simulant, and proceeding to show how he can still pull a rabbit out of a hat. It is probably worth noting that Conrad Harris was a special forces soldier long before the simulant program, and he is one of the “old guard” who actually has real life combat experience – the fact that he took so well to the simulant program is just an added bonus).
This, the second book of The Lazarus War deals with a mission deep into the Maelstrom to look for another artefact of the mysterious Shard (an alien race introduced in Artefact) using information gleaned from the Helios shard artefact (again, Artefact).
Expect action and intrigue aplenty, and a protagonist that is positively unhinged on occasion. Given the fact that there are two opposing human factions (in addition to hostile aliens) there is more than enough drama to go around.
Bonus reveal: expect full berserk mode a time or two.
So, yes, I enjoyed it. I was in the mood for this kind of thing. The Elena story-line is a bit overly melodramatic (for those in the know), but didn’t detract from the general feel of the novel. Fun and explosive with big, big guns.
Fear and awe were my two best friends.
January 3, 2018
Highly entertaining, exciting military science fiction - fast and fun!
June 9, 2018
This is the second 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 original body and they live to fight another day. The team is led by now Major Conrad Harris, whom some call Lazarus because he has been on over 230 mission's and has still returned safely. In this one they are sent into the Damascus Rift to search for more relics like the Artefact that they found on Helios. Major Harris is also searching for his ex-girlfriend Elana, who along with her entire ship and crew disappeared in this sector of space. The mission becomes more and more complicated with the discovery of living beings from the Shard civilization, traitors in the crew from the Asian Directorate and finally a battle group from all of mankind's enemies, the Krell. This one is as action packed as the first and is a real page turner!
April 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this installment in the series. The author brought some new aspects to the world that really made me appreciate the multiple facets at work here. So much so that I want to upgrade my rating on the first book by a star simply because I understand a few things better now. There was just the right mix of characters in this one to give it a boost above your average stuff. The combination of this vast world plus the inner struggles of Harris (and his relationship with his sister) really made for an engaging read. Good stuff.
November 8, 2018
A great continuation from the first book in the trilogy. Packed with action, adventure, horror, and some weird elements where Sawyer blends the lines between reality and hallucinations. To begin with it appears as if the story will simply echo the first book but it quickly diverges from that path, brings in new elements, while also providing more of a back story on Lazarus. We get to see what happened to him growing up, we find out more about his sister, and we learn just how far he and some of the other Sim Operators can be pushed. Great character development, as always, some big surprises in the story I didn't see coming and overall it was a really fun SF action read. A real page turner as well as I've burned through it in less than a week.
October 31, 2017
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...
La légion se passe quelques moins après les événements du premier tome. J'avais beaucoup aimé celui ci, il était prenant et m'avait bien fait frissonner. En comparaison ce second tome souffre malheureusement de la malédiction des tomes du milieu. J'ai trouvé qu'il reprenait un peu trop les codes du premier et que le personnage principal commençait aussi à tourner en rond et manquait d'évolution.
Parmi les points que je continue à apprécier dans cette série c'est le fait que malgré la menace constant des Krell, les humains sont toujours aussi stupide et tournent toujours autant dans une espèce de guerre froide. Ils ont littéralement dévasté la terre, il n'en reste que des parties surpeuplées et radioactives mais rien ne les arrête dans leur envie de pouvoir.
Du coup j'ai bien aimé tous les passages qui nous apportent un éclairage sur le passé de Conrad (et du monde par la même occasion). J'ai aussi aimé le fait que ce tome remettre cette guerre au premier plan (même si c'est vrai que dire qu'on aime une guerre qui détruit la terre ce n'est pas forcement à prendre au premier degrés, disons que j'ai aimé que le livre aborde ces sujets, ils sont intéressants).
Malgré les flash back sur le passé du personnage par contre j'ai trouvé qu'il n'évoluait quasiment pas durant tout ce tome. On retrouve exactement le même personnage, avec les même problématiques, les même manies, les même obsessions ... La seule chose qui change dans ce tome c'est qu'il se voit pris d’hallucinations qui lui permettent de tout massacrer sur son passage quand il est en grand danger. J'avoue que je n'ai pas du tout aimé ce coté la. J'ai trouvé que du coup ça faisait bien trop Deus Ex Machina et je n'ai pas vraiment compris pourquoi les hallucinations savaient tout de ce qui se produisait autour de lui même ce que lui ne pouvait qu'ignorer. Encore si on avait eu ensuite une explication concrète ou que ça ai permis de révéler des mystères, j'aurais compris. Mais la ça ne servait strictement à rien en fait en dehors de rendre ces passages la pas du tout crédibles à mon avis.
Je n'ai pas trop aimé non plus tout le coté trahison, complots, agents infiltrés ... Même si je me doutais bien sur au vu du résumé qu'il y en aurait, j'ai trouvé que c'était trop gros pour être crédible. Imaginer qu'une partie si importante ai pu en arriver la sans que personne ne se pose de question me parait un peu impensable dans un univers militaire de ce genre ou ils y a des règles pour tout et ou tout est vérifié plusieurs fois.
Bon, je mets quand même quelques doutes parce qu'on sait très bien qu'en général plus c'est gros plus ça passe, mais quand même. J'ai trouvé ça assez moyen.
Par contre l'évolution du monde, elle, continue et on découvre pas mal de secrets sur les mystérieux aliens. Ces passages la m'ont vraiment intéressés, j'ai hâte de voir comment tout cela va évoluer dans le prochain tome. J'ai aussi bien aimé tout les passages d'action et d'essais dans l'artefact, c'était bien fait et j'avais vraiment envie d'en savoir plus.
Au final tout n'est pas noir non plus, si il y a deux points qui ne m'ont pas paru vraiment crédible, ils sont très ponctuel au final j'y ai surtout pensé après coup, une fois le livre terminé. Ça ne m'a pas gâché ma lecture.
Et même si le schéma n'est pas bien différent du tome précédent il marche quand même très bien. On a un bon rythme, un scénario sur plusieurs intrigues imbriquées qui était très sympa, donc j'ai passé un bon moment.
Je pense que pris indépendamment, si je n'avais pas la comparaison assez récente avec le premier, je l'aurais surement mieux aimé. Mais ici malheureusement la déception s'installe un peu.
15.5/20
La légion se passe quelques moins après les événements du premier tome. J'avais beaucoup aimé celui ci, il était prenant et m'avait bien fait frissonner. En comparaison ce second tome souffre malheureusement de la malédiction des tomes du milieu. J'ai trouvé qu'il reprenait un peu trop les codes du premier et que le personnage principal commençait aussi à tourner en rond et manquait d'évolution.
Parmi les points que je continue à apprécier dans cette série c'est le fait que malgré la menace constant des Krell, les humains sont toujours aussi stupide et tournent toujours autant dans une espèce de guerre froide. Ils ont littéralement dévasté la terre, il n'en reste que des parties surpeuplées et radioactives mais rien ne les arrête dans leur envie de pouvoir.
Du coup j'ai bien aimé tous les passages qui nous apportent un éclairage sur le passé de Conrad (et du monde par la même occasion). J'ai aussi aimé le fait que ce tome remettre cette guerre au premier plan (même si c'est vrai que dire qu'on aime une guerre qui détruit la terre ce n'est pas forcement à prendre au premier degrés, disons que j'ai aimé que le livre aborde ces sujets, ils sont intéressants).
Malgré les flash back sur le passé du personnage par contre j'ai trouvé qu'il n'évoluait quasiment pas durant tout ce tome. On retrouve exactement le même personnage, avec les même problématiques, les même manies, les même obsessions ... La seule chose qui change dans ce tome c'est qu'il se voit pris d’hallucinations qui lui permettent de tout massacrer sur son passage quand il est en grand danger. J'avoue que je n'ai pas du tout aimé ce coté la. J'ai trouvé que du coup ça faisait bien trop Deus Ex Machina et je n'ai pas vraiment compris pourquoi les hallucinations savaient tout de ce qui se produisait autour de lui même ce que lui ne pouvait qu'ignorer. Encore si on avait eu ensuite une explication concrète ou que ça ai permis de révéler des mystères, j'aurais compris. Mais la ça ne servait strictement à rien en fait en dehors de rendre ces passages la pas du tout crédibles à mon avis.
Je n'ai pas trop aimé non plus tout le coté trahison, complots, agents infiltrés ... Même si je me doutais bien sur au vu du résumé qu'il y en aurait, j'ai trouvé que c'était trop gros pour être crédible. Imaginer qu'une partie si importante ai pu en arriver la sans que personne ne se pose de question me parait un peu impensable dans un univers militaire de ce genre ou ils y a des règles pour tout et ou tout est vérifié plusieurs fois.
Bon, je mets quand même quelques doutes parce qu'on sait très bien qu'en général plus c'est gros plus ça passe, mais quand même. J'ai trouvé ça assez moyen.
Par contre l'évolution du monde, elle, continue et on découvre pas mal de secrets sur les mystérieux aliens. Ces passages la m'ont vraiment intéressés, j'ai hâte de voir comment tout cela va évoluer dans le prochain tome. J'ai aussi bien aimé tout les passages d'action et d'essais dans l'artefact, c'était bien fait et j'avais vraiment envie d'en savoir plus.
Au final tout n'est pas noir non plus, si il y a deux points qui ne m'ont pas paru vraiment crédible, ils sont très ponctuel au final j'y ai surtout pensé après coup, une fois le livre terminé. Ça ne m'a pas gâché ma lecture.
Et même si le schéma n'est pas bien différent du tome précédent il marche quand même très bien. On a un bon rythme, un scénario sur plusieurs intrigues imbriquées qui était très sympa, donc j'ai passé un bon moment.
Je pense que pris indépendamment, si je n'avais pas la comparaison assez récente avec le premier, je l'aurais surement mieux aimé. Mais ici malheureusement la déception s'installe un peu.
15.5/20
January 4, 2016
In general this books is a fairly ordinary military marine grunt story combined with a discovery and investigation of an ancient alien civilization. Well the first discovery itself was done prior to this book but they do indeed discover new aspects of this alien civilization during the course of this book. To complicate the situation the humans are, surprise surprise, at war between themselves as well.
What sets the book apart somewhat is the simulant technology with which the marines transfer the consciousness into artificially grown bodies.
It is a good adventure story although, personally, I could have been without the human versus human conflict part and the sabotage, infiltration and general mess this causes. The mystery of the ancient alien race and the war against the Krell would have been quite sufficient for me.
Harris (Lazarus) and his team are sent to investigate a second artefact together with a small fleet and a reluctant as well as obstructive Admiral commanding the fleet. This second artefact is not as similar to the first one as they believe and some, costly, surprises await them. As I hinted above the situation is much complicated by the human versus human conflict and infiltrators and saboteurs are doing their best to screw our friends.
As the situation grow dire our friends have to use the ancient technology in the artefact to survive. As the book ends the future does look uncertain for our friends. The ending is indeed quite a bit of a cliff-hanger.
It was an enjoyable read, not wow great as far as I am concerned, but definitely enjoyable. Good characters and adequately well written. I will certainly pick up the next one in this series.
What sets the book apart somewhat is the simulant technology with which the marines transfer the consciousness into artificially grown bodies.
It is a good adventure story although, personally, I could have been without the human versus human conflict part and the sabotage, infiltration and general mess this causes. The mystery of the ancient alien race and the war against the Krell would have been quite sufficient for me.
Harris (Lazarus) and his team are sent to investigate a second artefact together with a small fleet and a reluctant as well as obstructive Admiral commanding the fleet. This second artefact is not as similar to the first one as they believe and some, costly, surprises await them. As I hinted above the situation is much complicated by the human versus human conflict and infiltrators and saboteurs are doing their best to screw our friends.
As the situation grow dire our friends have to use the ancient technology in the artefact to survive. As the book ends the future does look uncertain for our friends. The ending is indeed quite a bit of a cliff-hanger.
It was an enjoyable read, not wow great as far as I am concerned, but definitely enjoyable. Good characters and adequately well written. I will certainly pick up the next one in this series.
September 14, 2016
I read the the first book of the series on the recommendation of a sales clerk at the mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego. And guess what I loved it! I'd say the second book was even better. if you're in the mood for some good strong hard military science fiction this is definitely right up your alley! Sometimes even a really good book can kind of slow down at the end but this one didn't, everything really picked up. I was going to go with 4 stars but the end was so fucking awesome I decided to go with 5. It left me wanting more and I'm definitely going to read the next installment. Nothing is going to stop me nothing will stand in my way from reading the next book!
BRIAN HOGAN
BRIAN HOGAN
July 15, 2017
En quelques mots, arrivée à la fin de ce tome 2 : des personnages qui doivent aller au bout de leur force (la technologie des simulants est assez impressionnante), une quête, des ennemis intérieurs, une race alien menaçante les Krell, une race alien mystérieuse, Shard, très ancienne, dangereuse et très avancée, et de l'action. Des rebondissements à la fin avec un style très vivant. je passe au tome 3 sans pause.
May 16, 2021
Might just have been the weather, but I was completely captivated by the story. My head was just "there" in outer space. Binge reading the whole series.
February 2, 2020
I'm going to try something new with my reviews. Since most of the books I read seem to be parts of ongoing series I'm going to do spoiler heavy plot summaries with my thoughts sprinkled in so I can have a better grasp of what is happening if/when I pick up the series again. This is partially brought on by my general confusion at some minor plot elements in this book (ie what exactly was Harris' relation with Elena in Artefact?). I'm not usually one to go back and re-read books, and especially for a series like this I don't have time to re-read the books before slipping into the new ones.
This is a solidly average book. Pretty much what I'd expect for part two of a trilogy of this nature. I'm honestly trying to think how this advanced the plot in a meaningful way... I guess we learned quite a bit more about the shard, but not really too much. We learn about Harris' childhood and his sister, and their rough upbringing in a bombed out Detroit, a result of the war with the Directorate. I guess the details of his childhood do add a bit to his overall character and why he joined the armed forces, i guess? But beyond that they almost felt like diversions and maybe even filler. However, aside from the flashback sequences feeling a little like filler, they were still well written and interesting for what they were, which is my general consensus for the book. The pacing was fine, the writing was coherent as well as the story, and I couldn't think of any obvious plot holes.
The characters aside from Harris felt a little thin. However, knowing this book is written in first person, I feel like that's how most characters that aren't the main protagonist would end up. However, with the story being told in first person, I felt like more could have been done to make the reader question what was going on. This was used a few times, but in the end it feels like everything Harris thinks he saw is actually real and or explainable.
As for what the story is actually about, I have to admit that this type of story is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Space marines, fighting weird aliens, ancient alien technology... This has a definite Mass Effect (original trilogy) vibe.
The action sequences were all well written and entertaining. The trips onto the Artefact were always interesting and did usually drop little nuggets of information that would leave you wanting more, if not a little frustrated that each mission wasn't a little more fruitful.
The villains on the other hand were a little cliche, especially after what transpired in the first book. It leaves you kind of wondering who the actual villain is or what their motivation is. Is it the mindless, nasty Krell who are just a menacing space scourge? Is it the Directorate - you know, the "other (ie brown skinned Chino)" human society who are characterized as being basically as hive minded and reckless with life as the Krell? Or is it the shard themselves? The only ones you are sure are not the bad guys are the virtuous Alliance, with the exception of the odd infiltrator.
Overall, it's still an interesting and engaging page turner. But the larger plot beyond the exploration and blowing shit up parts feels a little thin. I still think I could come back to this, but there are definitely bigger and better versions of this style of space opera to consider if you haven't already.
Plot synopsis:
Harris' crew and a fleet of ships fly out to an uncharted part of space beyond the limits of what they consider "safe". A location has been revealed by examining the piece of Shard technology they recovered in the first book. This place is revealed to be a massive space station in a part of space known as The Rift, aptly named for the rift in space that this station seems to be orbiting, along with a bunch of other space debris ranging from planets to a belt of moon sized objects. The mission is apparently to figure out what it is used for or what it is, with the aid of the expert on the subject, Saul, who is rescued in a harrowing fight with the Krell that takes up the first 50 pages of the story.
This is a solidly average book. Pretty much what I'd expect for part two of a trilogy of this nature. I'm honestly trying to think how this advanced the plot in a meaningful way... I guess we learned quite a bit more about the shard, but not really too much. We learn about Harris' childhood and his sister, and their rough upbringing in a bombed out Detroit, a result of the war with the Directorate. I guess the details of his childhood do add a bit to his overall character and why he joined the armed forces, i guess? But beyond that they almost felt like diversions and maybe even filler. However, aside from the flashback sequences feeling a little like filler, they were still well written and interesting for what they were, which is my general consensus for the book. The pacing was fine, the writing was coherent as well as the story, and I couldn't think of any obvious plot holes.
The characters aside from Harris felt a little thin. However, knowing this book is written in first person, I feel like that's how most characters that aren't the main protagonist would end up. However, with the story being told in first person, I felt like more could have been done to make the reader question what was going on. This was used a few times, but in the end it feels like everything Harris thinks he saw is actually real and or explainable.
As for what the story is actually about, I have to admit that this type of story is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Space marines, fighting weird aliens, ancient alien technology... This has a definite Mass Effect (original trilogy) vibe.
The action sequences were all well written and entertaining. The trips onto the Artefact were always interesting and did usually drop little nuggets of information that would leave you wanting more, if not a little frustrated that each mission wasn't a little more fruitful.
The villains on the other hand were a little cliche, especially after what transpired in the first book. It leaves you kind of wondering who the actual villain is or what their motivation is. Is it the mindless, nasty Krell who are just a menacing space scourge? Is it the Directorate - you know, the "other (ie brown skinned Chino)" human society who are characterized as being basically as hive minded and reckless with life as the Krell? Or is it the shard themselves? The only ones you are sure are not the bad guys are the virtuous Alliance, with the exception of the odd infiltrator.
Overall, it's still an interesting and engaging page turner. But the larger plot beyond the exploration and blowing shit up parts feels a little thin. I still think I could come back to this, but there are definitely bigger and better versions of this style of space opera to consider if you haven't already.
Plot synopsis:
Harris' crew and a fleet of ships fly out to an uncharted part of space beyond the limits of what they consider "safe". A location has been revealed by examining the piece of Shard technology they recovered in the first book. This place is revealed to be a massive space station in a part of space known as The Rift, aptly named for the rift in space that this station seems to be orbiting, along with a bunch of other space debris ranging from planets to a belt of moon sized objects. The mission is apparently to figure out what it is used for or what it is, with the aid of the expert on the subject, Saul, who is rescued in a harrowing fight with the Krell that takes up the first 50 pages of the story.
November 1, 2015
Major Harris and his team manage to find their way home after escaping from Helios. But things have changed. The Directorate is everywhere, agents have infiltrated even the military. Sci-Dev has worked at understanding the key that was recovered from Helios and they have recovered the data needed to navigate the maelstrom. So Major Harris get's his wish, to go back to the Maelstrom and search for Elena. However, upon reaching Damascus Space and finding the artefact, Major Harris finds himself in a fight to survive and not from Krell, but from the Directorate. And activating the artefact may be their only hope.
I love this series, highly recommended.
I love this series, highly recommended.
September 5, 2015
L'histoire est construite à mon avis un peu trop sur le même modèle que le premier tome
J'espérais plus de "surprises" mais il y a toujours l'action tout du long et l'écriture efficace de l'auteur.
Je me suis attaché à chacun des membres de la Lazarus Team Je lirai certainement le 3e tome
The story is built a little too much (in my opinion) on the same model as the first book
I was hoping for more "surprises" but there are good actions all the way and the writing (style) is very effective.
I became attached to each member of Lazarus Team I certainly will read the 3rd book
J'espérais plus de "surprises" mais il y a toujours l'action tout du long et l'écriture efficace de l'auteur.
Je me suis attaché à chacun des membres de la Lazarus Team Je lirai certainement le 3e tome
The story is built a little too much (in my opinion) on the same model as the first book
I was hoping for more "surprises" but there are good actions all the way and the writing (style) is very effective.
I became attached to each member of Lazarus Team I certainly will read the 3rd book
November 23, 2015
Most of the book was actually rather average and I was strongly considering giving it two stars but then things picked up in the last 30% with a lot of action and I think it deserves 3 stars in the end.
My complains are that the behavior of the main character is still weird, especially his psychology and the whole dynamic with the Directorate doesn't feel very realistic.
Overall there are no real improvement over the first book so if you didn't like the first, you probably won't like the second. If you did like it, the second is more of the same.
My complains are that the behavior of the main character is still weird, especially his psychology and the whole dynamic with the Directorate doesn't feel very realistic.
Overall there are no real improvement over the first book so if you didn't like the first, you probably won't like the second. If you did like it, the second is more of the same.
September 18, 2015
I was really looking forward to reading this after reading Book 1 - Artefact. Legion is superb! Lots of action sequences and make it count moments. LOVED the new characters who really complimented the rest of the squad. Plenty of surprises and twists to the story. Was really left wanting more. A really exciting sci-fi opera which doesn't bog you down with military spec detail or technical speak which I loathe in a book. Looking forward to Book 3 and also the novella that is coming out soon too
September 10, 2015
I was really looking forward to reading this after reading Book 1 - Artefact. Legion is superb! Lots of action sequences and make it count moments. LOVED the new characters who really complimented the rest of the squad. Plenty of surprises and twists to the story. Was really left wanting more. A really exciting sci-fi opera which doesn't bog you down with military spec detail or technical speak which I loathe in a book. Looking forward to Book 3 and also the novella that is coming out soon too.
January 26, 2016
I loved this book - great military scifi/space opera. Ive read a lot of dross military scifi of late and its a pleasure to read some GREAT military scifi. Obviously read the first one then this one!! its a no brainer. Infact this is the first book in a long time that I am chomping at the bit for the next installment! there is a novella you can get - but I got thru it in few hours. And that is pretty good too!
September 14, 2015
Read this one because I really liked the first book 'Artefact'. 'Legion' is really fast like the first book, and the start in particular is very exciting. I liked how we learnt more about the universe that the characters exist in, and hope there will be more of that in future books. I think I'm hooked on this series; would definitely recommend to readers of SF.
June 6, 2018
The second Lazarus War book, and after the first I was eager to see what this one would have in store. I’m pleased it managed to continue the general theme and story of the first, while also adding new elements into the mix. The sf horror aspects also work really well, with comparisons to the Alien films a given, but Sawyer does his own thing very well.
November 25, 2020
Lepšie ako prvý diel, na druhej strane s odstupom času musím priznať, že toho vo mne táto kniha veľa nenechala, keď si neviem spomenúť ani na kľúčové postavy, ani na malú časť deja. Okrem Lazarovej "dlhovekosti"...
Read
January 24, 20163 stars
Not as good as the first one but still an enjoyable read.
Not as good as the first one but still an enjoyable read.
September 4, 2017
This is more of a 3 1/2 star.
It retains the action from the first book but instead of their real bodies there's much more sims this time around. There's also new characters but they don't really spend too much time with them but they're fine. I wish Mason had more time between being a newbie to grizzled vet cause she almost died. It's the same for Loeb as well.
The legion had more character history added to it but it didn't really go any where.
Conrad is front and center most of the book this time around. Less team fights and coordination which was a disappointment but it made up for it with all the sim fights.
We also got to know Conrad a lot better this time around. Jumping back in time to see his relationship with his family and why he joined the army.
I wish more happened but the book is basically divided into: getting to artefact, the drop, the betrayal, and then the extraction.
This leads into the 3rd book much more than the 1st leads into this one. so glad I don't have to wait for it to come out but I'm not largely super gongho to read it because I'm pretty sure I just gonna get a lot of action and not too much characterization. I actually like the inclusion of the new characters as they were proper allies rather than a ragtag group like the 1st book. But granted Sawyer does know how to write an action scene.
A plus compare to the 1st book is that there's is a lot less exposition from Conrad so that's great.
This book could've been stronger if it was character driven rather than action set pieces driven.
It retains the action from the first book but instead of their real bodies there's much more sims this time around. There's also new characters but they don't really spend too much time with them but they're fine. I wish Mason had more time between being a newbie to grizzled vet cause she almost died. It's the same for Loeb as well.
The legion had more character history added to it but it didn't really go any where.
Conrad is front and center most of the book this time around. Less team fights and coordination which was a disappointment but it made up for it with all the sim fights.
We also got to know Conrad a lot better this time around. Jumping back in time to see his relationship with his family and why he joined the army.
I wish more happened but the book is basically divided into: getting to artefact, the drop, the betrayal, and then the extraction.
This leads into the 3rd book much more than the 1st leads into this one. so glad I don't have to wait for it to come out but I'm not largely super gongho to read it because I'm pretty sure I just gonna get a lot of action and not too much characterization. I actually like the inclusion of the new characters as they were proper allies rather than a ragtag group like the 1st book. But granted Sawyer does know how to write an action scene.
A plus compare to the 1st book is that there's is a lot less exposition from Conrad so that's great.
This book could've been stronger if it was character driven rather than action set pieces driven.
December 17, 2020
Konrad Harris je velicí důstojník, jak se patří. Stará škola. Zakalen v boji. S lidskou stránkou v podobě pohnuté minulosti, strastiplného dětství, strachu o svou sestru Carrie i snoubenku, doktorku Elenu de Marceau.
Líbí se mi, jak kniha pracuje s jeho myšlenkami, představami i strachy. Známe ho skrz naskrz. Jako voják si zaslouží respekt. Pramálo si to připouští a uvědomuje, ale stává se legendou.
Pasáž, kde v bojovém obleku likviduje překážky a znovudobývá opevněnou sekci křižníku Colossus patří k nejpůsobivějším demonstracím přímého taktického postupu v boji, jakou jsem četl.
Lazarova legie, pod jeho vedením, Jenkinsová, Kaminski, Martinez i nováček, vojín Masonová, jsou sbírkou zajímavých, svébytných, dobře napsaných postav.
V knize se čtenář nenudí. Sám výsadek duplikantího týmu na nově objevený artefakt je dechberoucí. Objevování neznámých technologií mimozemské rasy fragmentů je plné otázek a nezodpovězených záhad. Technologie fragmentů jako by byla stvořena k potírání odvěkého nepřítele, biotechnologické rasy Krellů. A to by se lidstvu, zvláště po zničení několika strategicky důležitých držav, (Liberty Point) mohlo hodit.
Miluji žánr sci-fi a nutno potvrdit, že J. Sawyer patří k tomu lepšímu z žáru. Často je přirovnáván k českému autoru military sci-fi, Robertu Fabianovi. Nemyslím si to. Fabianův styl mi přijde více strohý. Ryze „vojenský“. Sawyer, oproti tomu umí vyprávět příběhy. Bez toho, aniž by jeho knihy ztrácely na ději či napětí. Dle mého soudu je Sawyer o stupínek lepší. :o)
Líbí se mi, jak kniha pracuje s jeho myšlenkami, představami i strachy. Známe ho skrz naskrz. Jako voják si zaslouží respekt. Pramálo si to připouští a uvědomuje, ale stává se legendou.
Pasáž, kde v bojovém obleku likviduje překážky a znovudobývá opevněnou sekci křižníku Colossus patří k nejpůsobivějším demonstracím přímého taktického postupu v boji, jakou jsem četl.
Lazarova legie, pod jeho vedením, Jenkinsová, Kaminski, Martinez i nováček, vojín Masonová, jsou sbírkou zajímavých, svébytných, dobře napsaných postav.
V knize se čtenář nenudí. Sám výsadek duplikantího týmu na nově objevený artefakt je dechberoucí. Objevování neznámých technologií mimozemské rasy fragmentů je plné otázek a nezodpovězených záhad. Technologie fragmentů jako by byla stvořena k potírání odvěkého nepřítele, biotechnologické rasy Krellů. A to by se lidstvu, zvláště po zničení několika strategicky důležitých držav, (Liberty Point) mohlo hodit.
Miluji žánr sci-fi a nutno potvrdit, že J. Sawyer patří k tomu lepšímu z žáru. Často je přirovnáván k českému autoru military sci-fi, Robertu Fabianovi. Nemyslím si to. Fabianův styl mi přijde více strohý. Ryze „vojenský“. Sawyer, oproti tomu umí vyprávět příběhy. Bez toho, aniž by jeho knihy ztrácely na ději či napětí. Dle mého soudu je Sawyer o stupínek lepší. :o)
March 18, 2023
Lu en anglais.
Grâce à la clé récupérée sur l'artefact de la planète Helios, l'Alliance a maintenant accès à la carte spatiale du Maelstrom. Sans compter que la technologie des Shards (une race extraterrestre très avancée et probablement disparue) est peut-être à portée de main et pourrait aider l'Alliance dans la guerre contre les Krells. Pour ce faire l'Alliance monte une expédition de plusieurs vaisseaux pour explorer plus avant le Maelstrom et , bien sûr, Conrad Harris, et ses compagnons en font partie. Mais c'est en plein territoire Krell !
Un roman de science-fiction militaire avec des combats d'infanterie et quelques (trop peu) batailles spatiales. On a droit à un nouvel artefact des Shards et à une vision inattendue pour le major Harris. Et c'est parti, un gardien énigmatique, une présence mystérieuse, des traitres infiltrés; ce n'est pas l'action qui manque. Par contre, les retours à l'enfance d'Harris ralentissent le rythme et n'apportent pas grand chose. Un tome 2 plus complexe, avec la faction humaine adverse et un aperçu des avancées de la civilisation Shard.
Bien sûr, j'ai beaucoup aimé et j'enchaine sur le tome 3.
Grâce à la clé récupérée sur l'artefact de la planète Helios, l'Alliance a maintenant accès à la carte spatiale du Maelstrom. Sans compter que la technologie des Shards (une race extraterrestre très avancée et probablement disparue) est peut-être à portée de main et pourrait aider l'Alliance dans la guerre contre les Krells. Pour ce faire l'Alliance monte une expédition de plusieurs vaisseaux pour explorer plus avant le Maelstrom et , bien sûr, Conrad Harris, et ses compagnons en font partie. Mais c'est en plein territoire Krell !
Un roman de science-fiction militaire avec des combats d'infanterie et quelques (trop peu) batailles spatiales. On a droit à un nouvel artefact des Shards et à une vision inattendue pour le major Harris. Et c'est parti, un gardien énigmatique, une présence mystérieuse, des traitres infiltrés; ce n'est pas l'action qui manque. Par contre, les retours à l'enfance d'Harris ralentissent le rythme et n'apportent pas grand chose. Un tome 2 plus complexe, avec la faction humaine adverse et un aperçu des avancées de la civilisation Shard.
Bien sûr, j'ai beaucoup aimé et j'enchaine sur le tome 3.
October 1, 2017
And here I was thinking the first book was great military sci-fi... this one is even better! The story is a great blend of action, sci-fi, politics (only slightly) and exploration. Technologies are sufficiently plausible described to add a layer of believable explanation - the focus is on making the story progress.
The most exciting thing about this book is that the author makes a really great work at making me doubt the main character's sanity. Major Harris (promoted since the previous mission), is seeing and hearing things that no one else does. But is it his imagination, or is it real? Is he going crazy, is he delusional or is it happening? I really can't tell!!
Very well done!
The most exciting thing about this book is that the author makes a really great work at making me doubt the main character's sanity. Major Harris (promoted since the previous mission), is seeing and hearing things that no one else does. But is it his imagination, or is it real? Is he going crazy, is he delusional or is it happening? I really can't tell!!
Very well done!
May 2, 2023
"I am Lazarus. I always come back." The second volume of Lazar's War pulls you into the action in the very first chapter, introduces you to old friends and new Legion members, and then suddenly puts the brakes on with flashback chapters that make me rate it "only" 4/5. Aside from a few passages from Harris's childhood, the book has momentum, doesn't get boring, and even when the Legion and the entire fleet find themselves deadlocked and circling around a mysterious artifact, there's still something going on. The ending managed to surprise and suspense me personally. I'm curious to see what the finale will bring.
June 22, 2017
Lazarus Legion legion march on. Alien and Directorate scum are stomped into paste and blasted to mist. I'm not warming to Conrad 'Lazarus' Harris, he seems a bit too erratic. I don't think I'd trust him to operate heavy machinery in my street. In his defense, he's under a bit of stress. Military SF fare. There are good ideas but they are not quite delivered.
February 18, 2020
The story continues and very fast at that. Another artefact, another challenge. The story very quickly goes in overdrive and keeps a relentlless pace until the next waypoint. There certainly is no conclusion yet, perhaps the sollution is further than ever. Perfectly situated between The Expanse and Old Mans War this is almost unparalled in action. Highly recommended series!!
August 18, 2017
Another fun and intense chapter in the Lazarus series. It may not be the best writing, it may not be the most original, but it's definitely entertaining. I like my stories to have mystery about them, and this one, like the first, has plenty of mystery to solve.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews