This is the second book in the author's "Gateway" series. I enjoyed the first one and was looking forward to getting into this one. The first third of the book was a little slower paced and I was starting to think that this story would be one of those filler in-between books that spends a lot of time setting things up and creating a thorough background, etc. Not that there are anything wrong with those books, especially in a lengthy and detailed story. But I confess, I'm an action junkie and a third of the way through this story, BAM! The pace picks up and never lets up. Kudos to the author for managing both to give a lot of background, increase the scope of the story, and still give an exciting, rip-roaringly good, action-filled adventure. Some of the characters have come to grow on me, in particular the pilot and engineer of the Hydra. But my favourite is still Emily Martin. Holy smokes. You can't help but love her one minute, and be annoyed at her the next. But she's never, ever, boring. The majority of the intensity in the story is generated by her character and I love how her character is either 110 percent in the enemy's face, or completely incapacitated. There's no in between. So now I'm anxious to find out how things are going to unfold. I can't wait for the next book!