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Darkship #4
Through Fire
ORIGINAL TRADE PAPERBACK. Sequel to Darkship Renegades, Darkship Thieves and A Few Good Men.
Against all odds, spaceship mechanic Zen Sienna finds herself in a fairytale palace, being courted by the ruler of vast lands. But when revolution erupts and heads start to roll, Zen finds that the life of a storybook princess is not be all fancy balls and happy endings. Swept up in a whirlwind of fire and blood, Zen must earn her citizenship on Earth and find her place in a world on the brink of revolution.
About the Darkship
“Hoyt creates a fast-paced and entertaining tale about a revolution and its reluctant leader.”— Galveston County Daily News
"First-rate space opera with a moral lesson. You won't be disappointed."—Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com
“[A] tour de logical, built from assumptions with no contradictions . . . gripping.”–Jerry Pournelle
“[Three Musketeers creator] Alexander Dumas would give [Sarah A. Hoyt] a thumbs up.”–Steve Forbes
“[F]anciful and charming.” – Library Journal
“Exceptional, wonderful and enormously entertaining.” – Booklist
Against all odds, spaceship mechanic Zen Sienna finds herself in a fairytale palace, being courted by the ruler of vast lands. But when revolution erupts and heads start to roll, Zen finds that the life of a storybook princess is not be all fancy balls and happy endings. Swept up in a whirlwind of fire and blood, Zen must earn her citizenship on Earth and find her place in a world on the brink of revolution.
About the Darkship
“Hoyt creates a fast-paced and entertaining tale about a revolution and its reluctant leader.”— Galveston County Daily News
"First-rate space opera with a moral lesson. You won't be disappointed."—Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com
“[A] tour de logical, built from assumptions with no contradictions . . . gripping.”–Jerry Pournelle
“[Three Musketeers creator] Alexander Dumas would give [Sarah A. Hoyt] a thumbs up.”–Steve Forbes
“[F]anciful and charming.” – Library Journal
“Exceptional, wonderful and enormously entertaining.” – Booklist
- GenresScience FictionEbooks
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2016
About the author
Sarah A. Hoyt
206 books178 followersSarah A. Hoyt was born (and raised) in Portugal and now lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and a variable number of cats, depending on how many show up to beg on the door step.
In between lays the sort of resume that used to be de-rigueur for writers. She has never actually wrestled alligators, but she did at one point very briefly tie bows on bags of potpourri for a living. She has also washed dishes and ironed clothes for a living. Worst of all she was, for a long time, a multilingual scientific translator.
At some point, though, she got tired of making an honest living and started writing. She has over 30 published novels, in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical mystery, historical fantasy and historical biography. Her short stories have been published in Analog, Asimov's, Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, and a number of anthologies from DAW and Baen. Her space-opera novel Darkship Thieves was the 2011 Prometheus Award Winner, and the third novel in the series, A Few Good Men, was a finalist for the honor. She also won the Dragon Award for Uncharted (with Kevin J. Anderson.)
a.k.a. Sarah D'Almeida
a.k.a. Elise Hyatt
a.k.a. Sarah Marqués
In between lays the sort of resume that used to be de-rigueur for writers. She has never actually wrestled alligators, but she did at one point very briefly tie bows on bags of potpourri for a living. She has also washed dishes and ironed clothes for a living. Worst of all she was, for a long time, a multilingual scientific translator.
At some point, though, she got tired of making an honest living and started writing. She has over 30 published novels, in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical mystery, historical fantasy and historical biography. Her short stories have been published in Analog, Asimov's, Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, and a number of anthologies from DAW and Baen. Her space-opera novel Darkship Thieves was the 2011 Prometheus Award Winner, and the third novel in the series, A Few Good Men, was a finalist for the honor. She also won the Dragon Award for Uncharted (with Kevin J. Anderson.)
a.k.a. Sarah D'Almeida
a.k.a. Elise Hyatt
a.k.a. Sarah Marqués
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 18, 2020
A rather wonderful romp through a future earth in turmoil. We met Zen Sienna in a previous book where Athena and Kit had come back to earth. Zen came with them and stayed. This story is about Zen's experiences in Liberte Seacity where she had been residing as special guest to the Goodman/Patrician, Simon St. Cyr. It opens with a battle at the palace, her escape and her return to save Simon.
While there is lots of fighting, it's not a military book. It's more of a space opera adventure taking place during a revolution. It was fast paced and kept me interested even though there was a lot of exposition and dialogue explaining events. I also found it fun to see so many of my online friends names listed among the victims, and a very prominent role for one in particular.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment of the Darkship series. And I'm also hoping that she continues with the series, as it's one of my all-time favorites.
The eBook was formatted OK. There seemed to be several spelling/grammar errors towards the end of the novel.
While there is lots of fighting, it's not a military book. It's more of a space opera adventure taking place during a revolution. It was fast paced and kept me interested even though there was a lot of exposition and dialogue explaining events. I also found it fun to see so many of my online friends names listed among the victims, and a very prominent role for one in particular.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment of the Darkship series. And I'm also hoping that she continues with the series, as it's one of my all-time favorites.
The eBook was formatted OK. There seemed to be several spelling/grammar errors towards the end of the novel.
Read
July 1, 2019This was easy to pick up the story even though I missed Darkship #3 (A Few Good Men). Quite enjoyable, on the order of Darkship #1 (Darkship Thieves). It was also refreshing to journey in the head of another character, Zen Sienna. She shows us what's happening on Earth during the Darkship Revolution saga, but with an entirely different take than we'd get from Athena Sinistra. I can't say which character I like better!
January 8, 2017
Part 4 of the Darkship series. Hadn't read the earlier books so not familiar with some of its themes. Main character is enhanced to be a superior fighter and she finds Earth in turmoil similar to the French Revolution with beheadings and plots. Good action and characters, enjoyed it.
January 20, 2024
Pretty good action SF.
However, probably better to have read the first three books in the series before starting this one.
3+ stars.
However, probably better to have read the first three books in the series before starting this one.
3+ stars.
June 11, 2016
Old school SF Romance
Romance, that is, in the Man In The Iron Mask / Errol Flynn sense. The book opens strong - a bioenhanced extraterrestrial is dancing with the surprisingly good natured tyrant ruler of an artificial Sea City under the watchful eye of a flotilla sent by his fellow tyrants when all (revolutionary) Hell breaks loose. As the story unfold, our heroine is drawn into the political and personal strife of this future Earth. Hoyt clearly has a complex and well-developed future history, and I'm blown away by her storytelling chops here: I read this book cold without having read the first three books that proceeded it.
I suspect there'd be another star's worth of emotional payoff for the reader who comes to Through Fire after experiencing the entire story.
Grab a sample, and if you enjoy Sarah Hoyt's distinctive authorial voice as much as I do snag the whole series (I did): You're in for a treat.
Romance, that is, in the Man In The Iron Mask / Errol Flynn sense. The book opens strong - a bioenhanced extraterrestrial is dancing with the surprisingly good natured tyrant ruler of an artificial Sea City under the watchful eye of a flotilla sent by his fellow tyrants when all (revolutionary) Hell breaks loose. As the story unfold, our heroine is drawn into the political and personal strife of this future Earth. Hoyt clearly has a complex and well-developed future history, and I'm blown away by her storytelling chops here: I read this book cold without having read the first three books that proceeded it.
I suspect there'd be another star's worth of emotional payoff for the reader who comes to Through Fire after experiencing the entire story.
Grab a sample, and if you enjoy Sarah Hoyt's distinctive authorial voice as much as I do snag the whole series (I did): You're in for a treat.
June 10, 2016
An all-night read
The one flaw in my mind was the psychobabble on the villain's motivations. Evil had gained a foothold and devoured its host. Further explicating the inexplicable subtracted from the story, and popped me at least right out of it. But I couldn't put it down.
The one flaw in my mind was the psychobabble on the villain's motivations. Evil had gained a foothold and devoured its host. Further explicating the inexplicable subtracted from the story, and popped me at least right out of it. But I couldn't put it down.
May 23, 2016
Enjoyable book, and an interesting continuation of the "Good Man" idea, but it dragged a bit for me. Not as much of a page-turner as the earlier books had been.
June 13, 2016
Hotly Recommended
Hoyt has once again proved that she is a master of sci-fi.
I also hope this is not the end of the Darkship series, but it is Wow, what fiery finish.
Hoyt has once again proved that she is a master of sci-fi.
I also hope this is not the end of the Darkship series, but it is Wow, what fiery finish.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews