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Veteran #2
Война в небесата
Престъпленията на Кликата са изобличени от Бога в мрежата, но тя не е победена. Майор Ролистън и последователите му събират сили в колониалните светове, за да завладеят пак Земята.
Лаланд е система с червено джудже. Единствената годна за живот планета в нея е Лаланд 2. Едната й страна е обърната постоянно към Слънцето и гори, а другата е покрита с вечен лед. Сумрачната ивица между двете зони е обитавана от хора, но те живеят дълбоко под земята, за да се пазят от корозивните бури и киселинната атмосфера.
Някъде там се намира и Цитаделата – тайната база на Черните ескадрони, в която Ролистън прави чудовищни експерименти с нови биотехнологични оръжия.
За да го спрат, Джейкъб и другарите му трябва да проникнат в сърцето на непристъпната крепост.
Задача, която изглежда прекалено трудна дори за опитен ветеран като него.
Трудна, но не и невъзможна.
Завладяващото продължение на „Ветеран“ е напрегнат SF трилър, който съчетава твърдата военна фантастика с космическа опера, киберпънк, антиутопия и големи дози черен хумор.
Лаланд е система с червено джудже. Единствената годна за живот планета в нея е Лаланд 2. Едната й страна е обърната постоянно към Слънцето и гори, а другата е покрита с вечен лед. Сумрачната ивица между двете зони е обитавана от хора, но те живеят дълбоко под земята, за да се пазят от корозивните бури и киселинната атмосфера.
Някъде там се намира и Цитаделата – тайната база на Черните ескадрони, в която Ролистън прави чудовищни експерименти с нови биотехнологични оръжия.
За да го спрат, Джейкъб и другарите му трябва да проникнат в сърцето на непристъпната крепост.
Задача, която изглежда прекалено трудна дори за опитен ветеран като него.
Трудна, но не и невъзможна.
Завладяващото продължение на „Ветеран“ е напрегнат SF трилър, който съчетава твърдата военна фантастика с космическа опера, киберпънк, антиутопия и големи дози черен хумор.
592 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2011
14 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Gavin G. Smith
23 books102 followersGavin Smith was born in Dundee in the same year that Iron Butterfly recorded Inna-Gadda-da-Vida. He has also lived in Camberley, Hayling Island, Portsmouth, Hull, Leamington Spa and is currently living a near feral existence in Leicester (if you see him in the streets he will write science fiction for sweeties). Anyone who has been to any of these places will understand why his fiction is like it is.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 13, 2017
Не помня откога един роман хем ми е харесвал толкова, хем ме е дразнил така много. Вместо да бъдат издялкани, малките тресчици от предната книга тук са мутирали като коджа греди. От една страна е пълно с яки битки - от друга главния герой печели макс в 20% от тях. Толкова бой отнася, че не е истина направо. Все се ъпгрейдва уж, пък го разглабят от мариз -
буквално. От една страна героите са много готини и си супер съпричастен с тях - от друга постоянно се карат, терзаят, съмнения, сълзи, не си говорят, после уж се сдобряват, па пак изникне някоя неразбория. Финалът - същата работа, хем така, хем онака. Добре, че няма продължение и са само тези два романа. Бих прочел и друго от същия автор с надеждата да е написано с добавени няколко щипки мъжество и хумор.
буквално. От една страна героите са много готини и си супер съпричастен с тях - от друга постоянно се карат, терзаят, съмнения, сълзи, не си говорят, после уж се сдобряват, па пак изникне някоя неразбория. Финалът - същата работа, хем така, хем онака. Добре, че няма продължение и са само тези два романа. Бих прочел и друго от същия автор с надеждата да е написано с добавени няколко щипки мъжество и хумор.
January 4, 2012
A decent read, but not as good as 'Veteran'. By the end of it I'd grown tired of the characters and their constant dysfunctional arguments, seemingly none of which could be resolved without someone pulling a gun. I ran out of concern for any of the characters fairly early on, as they are pretty much indestructible, which rather prevents any emotional connection with them when they're in peril (which is often).
I hope his next book deals with entirely different characters in a different universe, as I would be loathe to read more about any of the characters that survived this one.
I hope his next book deals with entirely different characters in a different universe, as I would be loathe to read more about any of the characters that survived this one.
June 11, 2016
Война в небесата за контрол над Земята: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
През юни 2013 г. писах за страхотната милитаристична фантастика “Ветеран”, чието продължение “Война в небесата” очаквах с огромно нетърпение и най-сетне то излезе в края на май. В първата книга глобалната конспирация на Кликата бе разкрита, войната с извънземните приключи безславно, но зловещите кукловоди успяха да избягат с мощна флота към земните колонии край други звезди. За кратко време те се развиват изключително много, използвайки извънземните технологии, и заплашват Земята с унищожително нашествие. Гавин Смит отново повежда многострадалния Джейкъб, който отнесе толкова много бой в първата част, и неговите приятели и съюзници към нова, още по-опасна мисия – право в цитаделата на врага, планетата Лаланд.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
През юни 2013 г. писах за страхотната милитаристична фантастика “Ветеран”, чието продължение “Война в небесата” очаквах с огромно нетърпение и най-сетне то излезе в края на май. В първата книга глобалната конспирация на Кликата бе разкрита, войната с извънземните приключи безславно, но зловещите кукловоди успяха да избягат с мощна флота към земните колонии край други звезди. За кратко време те се развиват изключително много, използвайки извънземните технологии, и заплашват Земята с унищожително нашествие. Гавин Смит отново повежда многострадалния Джейкъб, който отнесе толкова много бой в първата част, и неговите приятели и съюзници към нова, още по-опасна мисия – право в цитаделата на врага, планетата Лаланд.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
February 24, 2017
Колебая се в това дали книгата има доста излишни моменти, или има доста описателни такива които са важни за развитието на героите в историята. Границата е тънка, и не мога да взема решение все още, а то е важно. Важно е защото ако тези моменти се окажат излишни, това ще ми остави наистина горчив вкус на иначе тази страхотна кървавица от "Лудият Макс", "Crysis" и "DeusEx". Ако пък не се окажат излишни, то тогава е едно доста развлекателно четиво пълно с всякакви неприятни герои, които пък за сметка на това са доста харизматични. Не знам, ще си помисля още.
September 21, 2011
Really good book. Left me a bit confused at parts, and perhaps not so much action as there was in Veteran. At times seems to be a bit slow but it's not long until something is happening again. Bit of a surprise ending. So yeah, not quite as good as Veteran, but certainly left me anticipating 20/09/2012 when Gavin's next book is out.
May 13, 2017
There is a war in the digital realm. The nefarious military leader Rolleston has unleashed Demiurge, an ultra-powerful AI which seeks to control and consume everything else on humanity's computer networks, to guarantee himself ultimate power. A band of opponents and self-appointed freedom fighters, led (reluctantly and often shambolically) by ex-soldier Jakob Douglas, have fought back by unleashing their own AI onto the net to expose everyone's dark and dirty secrets, which has not gone down well with the great and the good who rule the Solar system. Of course, Jakob also had to go and call this AI 'God', utterly enraging the (very large) religious portion of the human race as well. Still, God has won the first round, banishing Demiurge, Rolleston and their followers to the colony systems.
With Rolleston and his forces gathering strength in the colonies and preparing for a fresh assault on Earth, it falls to Jakob and his colleagues to pursue them and finish the job that they began. But with Jakob's allies including an alien race who until recently had been slaughtering humanity relentlessly for decades, a drug-addicted journalist and a bunch of superstitious hackers, this mission will not be an easy one.
War in Heaven is the sequel to last year's Veteran, Gavin Smith's well-received debut novel. Refreshingly, this is the conclusion to the story (no trilogies here, thank you very much) and the story ends in a pretty definitive manner which seems to limit the chances of a follow-up. As such, those who've held off on reading Veteran until the story was completed can now proceed with confidence.
Like Veteran, War in Heaven is a hard-edged novel mixing elements of space opera, military SF, cyberpunk and horror. It's heavy on the action, but also features a decent amount of character development, with the character of Jakob (our first-person protagonist) being repeatedly taken apart and his motives analysed, along with those of his friends, though often in a manner skewed by Jakob's own perspective. This focus on characterisation as well as on action and battle sequences helps give depth to what could have been a fairly straightforward military SF novel. Unfortunately, there are a few too many moments (and a few more than there were in Veteran) when this introspective edge slips over into characters pointlessly sitting around and talking about the plot for pages on end instead of getting on with business, which tends to result in slightly uneven pacing. The novel has a stop-start feel, increased by is episodic structure: the book is divided into several distinct sections, set in different locations with different tasks to be accomplished.
Smith encourages you to overlook that through some interesting musings on morality and taking responsibility for your actions, as well as a lot of black humour and some nice meta-commentary on science fiction cliches. There's some clever plot twists and the resolution to the story is reasonably well-set-up, though the full impact of some massive events that happen during the finale is lost due to the limits of the first-person perspective. He also delivers great action sequences, involving personal combat, mech battles and space engagements, and succeeds in keeping these elements fresh and intriguing.
War in Heaven (****) is a worthy successor to Veteran and concludes the storyline begun there in a very solid manner. Smith is a talented writer and a strong new voice in the SF field, but some problems with pacing and over-exposition lightly mar this first duology. Certainly he is a writer to watch.
With Rolleston and his forces gathering strength in the colonies and preparing for a fresh assault on Earth, it falls to Jakob and his colleagues to pursue them and finish the job that they began. But with Jakob's allies including an alien race who until recently had been slaughtering humanity relentlessly for decades, a drug-addicted journalist and a bunch of superstitious hackers, this mission will not be an easy one.
War in Heaven is the sequel to last year's Veteran, Gavin Smith's well-received debut novel. Refreshingly, this is the conclusion to the story (no trilogies here, thank you very much) and the story ends in a pretty definitive manner which seems to limit the chances of a follow-up. As such, those who've held off on reading Veteran until the story was completed can now proceed with confidence.
Like Veteran, War in Heaven is a hard-edged novel mixing elements of space opera, military SF, cyberpunk and horror. It's heavy on the action, but also features a decent amount of character development, with the character of Jakob (our first-person protagonist) being repeatedly taken apart and his motives analysed, along with those of his friends, though often in a manner skewed by Jakob's own perspective. This focus on characterisation as well as on action and battle sequences helps give depth to what could have been a fairly straightforward military SF novel. Unfortunately, there are a few too many moments (and a few more than there were in Veteran) when this introspective edge slips over into characters pointlessly sitting around and talking about the plot for pages on end instead of getting on with business, which tends to result in slightly uneven pacing. The novel has a stop-start feel, increased by is episodic structure: the book is divided into several distinct sections, set in different locations with different tasks to be accomplished.
Smith encourages you to overlook that through some interesting musings on morality and taking responsibility for your actions, as well as a lot of black humour and some nice meta-commentary on science fiction cliches. There's some clever plot twists and the resolution to the story is reasonably well-set-up, though the full impact of some massive events that happen during the finale is lost due to the limits of the first-person perspective. He also delivers great action sequences, involving personal combat, mech battles and space engagements, and succeeds in keeping these elements fresh and intriguing.
War in Heaven (****) is a worthy successor to Veteran and concludes the storyline begun there in a very solid manner. Smith is a talented writer and a strong new voice in the SF field, but some problems with pacing and over-exposition lightly mar this first duology. Certainly he is a writer to watch.
September 26, 2017
Space opera .. isn't really my thing. Having said that, I read Veteran and didn't actively dislike it, so when the chance came to pick up the 2nd book, I took it. It was slow reading to begin with, working through all the flashbacks, but gradually gathered pace. The characters were reasonably well fleshed out and their motives believable in this futuristic/alien version of Earth. The last 50 pages or so are what the book has been leading up to, and the revelation at the end might just make me reread the book.
January 4, 2018
Гавин Смит продължава с патакламата от "Ветеран". В традициите на постхуманизма, чарковете и карантията, които бълва книгата, са в равни количества. Много от събитията и персонажите от първата част бяха забравени скоро след прочитането ѝ, но още в началото на "Война в небесата", авторът любезно припомня случилото се дотук. Не вярвам и тази да остави траен отпечатък, но пък си ги бива книгите и ги препоръчвам, особено на феновете на милитаристичната фантастика. Не ми се понрави "шаямаланският" момент в края; стори ми се абсолютно ненужен.
August 19, 2025
Slightly better than the first in the series, battle scenes are better and there is some character development.
Still, its hard to like any character in the book (which makes it difficult to root for anyone) and the pettiness of so many 'professionals' drawing weapons at the slightest provocation got a bit wearisome. I felt like telling some of these so called veterans 'just man up and get on with it'.
Like the first, the 'technical' SF is a bit thin on the ground and the mindless militaristic action is firmly shoved to the foreground.
Still, its hard to like any character in the book (which makes it difficult to root for anyone) and the pettiness of so many 'professionals' drawing weapons at the slightest provocation got a bit wearisome. I felt like telling some of these so called veterans 'just man up and get on with it'.
Like the first, the 'technical' SF is a bit thin on the ground and the mindless militaristic action is firmly shoved to the foreground.
March 26, 2018
Definitely better than Veteran 1.
Very massive battles with intriguing description. Cool weapons and scenes. Fascinating.
Deep characters and lot's of unique places and ideas.
I am very glad I didn't skip that one.
Very massive battles with intriguing description. Cool weapons and scenes. Fascinating.
Deep characters and lot's of unique places and ideas.
I am very glad I didn't skip that one.
December 28, 2018
The guy takes even more combat damage. He's pretty much destroyed 100% every fifth page. In the end we learn that unknowingly, he's been substituted with a ball of metallic worms (far more suited at taking gun fire).
January 22, 2019
Compelling. Fun. Worthy of my time.
July 15, 2021
Добра дъвка за душата - стига да обичате военните щуротии. Неочаквани обрати, интересен поглед в бъдещето. Добро. (И - наистина - главния що бой изяде.....) :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2017
c2011: FWFTB: Them, machine, exo-armour, assaults, Demiurge. It was an engrossing read but not as enjoyable as the first. The writing is still great and I loved the sense of humour but the plot sort of disappointed me somewhat. Not that it was flawed in any way but just what actually happened and a feeling of dues ex machina in a way. SFX states that it is 'Mind-expanding concepts, imaginative aliens and provocative themes.'. Now I normally agree with most of SFX's views but on this one I think mind-confusing concepts, unfulfilled aliens and a theme that was slightly blurred would encapsulate my thought. I hasten to add that I did enjoy the book so can recommend to the normal crew. ' Don't worry, Mudge.We'll get fucking killed soon enough but let'sn at least try first, okay?' I said angily./'Good speech - raises the morale,' Merle said dryly.
June 26, 2016
http://radiradev.blogspot.bg/2016/06/...
Според мен най-добрите книги в жанр военна фантастика са „Звездните рейнджъри” от Робърт Хайнлайн и „Вечната война” от Джо Холдеман. В ревюто си за „Ветеран” вече споменах „Хиперион” на Дан Симънс и трябва да отбележа, че там също има наистина впечатляващи бойни сцени.
„Война в небесата” е един непрестанен екшън. Освен това в нея има нови изобретения и догми, създадени от въображението на автора. Технологиите и религиите понякога се преплитат, а самите боеве се водят както на физическо ниво, така и във виртуалния свят. Сериозно е засегната темата и за наркотиците. Перцепцията на сюжетните линии е леко хаотична, особено при противопоставянето на Бог срещу Демиург.
Книгата започва с кратка ретроспекция. Главният герой Джейкъб Дъглас разказва от първо лице за събития, случили се във „Ветеран”, първата книга от поредицата. Също така описва някои от спътниците си, както и техните кибернетични телесни части.
Харесаха ми някои умозрителни закачки от страна на автора:
„Мамка му, ще вдигнем средния коефициент на интелигентност на цялата раса, като отървем от мъките им ония олигофрени.”
Няколко ръкопашни двубоя на Джейкъб са описани добре.
Направи ми впечатление следната мисъл:
„Бяха гневни ридания на човек, който не може да рони сълзи от новите си очи от метал и пластмаса.”
Част от диалозите в романа изобилстват с вулгаризми, но това е общоприето, когато става въпрос за бивши военни.
Главният герой има подсилени керамични остриета, които изскачат от кокалчетата на юмруците му, ако той прецени за добре. За мен обаче бе по-интересно друго оръжие, описано в книгата – гаусова карабина с мисловен спусък.
Книгата попада също така и в жанра авангарден киберпънк.
Според мен най-добрите книги в жанр военна фантастика са „Звездните рейнджъри” от Робърт Хайнлайн и „Вечната война” от Джо Холдеман. В ревюто си за „Ветеран” вече споменах „Хиперион” на Дан Симънс и трябва да отбележа, че там също има наистина впечатляващи бойни сцени.
„Война в небесата” е един непрестанен екшън. Освен това в нея има нови изобретения и догми, създадени от въображението на автора. Технологиите и религиите понякога се преплитат, а самите боеве се водят както на физическо ниво, така и във виртуалния свят. Сериозно е засегната темата и за наркотиците. Перцепцията на сюжетните линии е леко хаотична, особено при противопоставянето на Бог срещу Демиург.
Книгата започва с кратка ретроспекция. Главният герой Джейкъб Дъглас разказва от първо лице за събития, случили се във „Ветеран”, първата книга от поредицата. Също така описва някои от спътниците си, както и техните кибернетични телесни части.
Харесаха ми някои умозрителни закачки от страна на автора:
„Мамка му, ще вдигнем средния коефициент на интелигентност на цялата раса, като отървем от мъките им ония олигофрени.”
Няколко ръкопашни двубоя на Джейкъб са описани добре.
Направи ми впечатление следната мисъл:
„Бяха гневни ридания на човек, който не може да рони сълзи от новите си очи от метал и пластмаса.”
Част от диалозите в романа изобилстват с вулгаризми, но това е общоприето, когато става въпрос за бивши военни.
Главният герой има подсилени керамични остриета, които изскачат от кокалчетата на юмруците му, ако той прецени за добре. За мен обаче бе по-интересно друго оръжие, описано в книгата – гаусова карабина с мисловен спусък.
Книгата попада също така и в жанра авангарден киберпънк.
February 26, 2014
If you've ever seen "Blade Runner" and enjoyed the scene with the following quote, then you'll want to read this two-part series by Gavin Smith:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."
Smith incorporates concepts and storylines from some of the great science fiction writing of the past 30 years. Some subplots and details seem resonant with ideas first published in Neal Stephenson's code and techno-classic "Snow Crash", Peter Hamilton's multiple tomes, William Gibson's laser-edged cyberpunk fiction, and many others. But it's not a rip-off. It's not space opera in the classic sense; more like the "Seven Samuari" set in a distant but familiar future where the gap between the rich and poor is now a gaping chasm made wider by advanced biotechnology. This is a British writer from the other side of the pond, which lends a certain funhouse mirror feel to the themes and dialogue wherein even the familiar stock elements of this genre feel different and novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Gavin Smith.
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."
Smith incorporates concepts and storylines from some of the great science fiction writing of the past 30 years. Some subplots and details seem resonant with ideas first published in Neal Stephenson's code and techno-classic "Snow Crash", Peter Hamilton's multiple tomes, William Gibson's laser-edged cyberpunk fiction, and many others. But it's not a rip-off. It's not space opera in the classic sense; more like the "Seven Samuari" set in a distant but familiar future where the gap between the rich and poor is now a gaping chasm made wider by advanced biotechnology. This is a British writer from the other side of the pond, which lends a certain funhouse mirror feel to the themes and dialogue wherein even the familiar stock elements of this genre feel different and novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Gavin Smith.
February 12, 2013
If you read Veteran, you should read War in Heaven. War in Heaven is a solid finish to the story. Smith explores a couple new ideas in War in Heaven but overall the tone changes, as a lot of sci fi does, from Sci Fi military to a sort of sci fi horror military story.
The good thing is that by the time this switch occured, I had already bought in. It's worth seeing what happens, and fleetingly what could occur after book 2.
Can't wait to see what people think of what happens to Jakob. He sure does take beating well.
The good thing is that by the time this switch occured, I had already bought in. It's worth seeing what happens, and fleetingly what could occur after book 2.
Can't wait to see what people think of what happens to Jakob. He sure does take beating well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2011
I really liked the "Veteran" - although I thing the beginning is a bit over the top, it develops nicely. But the "War in Heaven" is excellent. The characters are being developed much deeper, the plot is really good and the ending kick ass. For some reason I expected this to be part of trilogy, so I was surprised the story ends here, but it was a good kind of surprise.
I really recommend this to all fans of hard SF, especially if you like guns and/or cyberpunk.
I really recommend this to all fans of hard SF, especially if you like guns and/or cyberpunk.
November 28, 2016
Идеята от предната книга продължава добре, но да беше поредактирана, поизрязани излишни части, несвързани с действието и като цяло да не беше писана толкова за пари...
Само втората половина на книгата е долу-горе на нивото на първата книга... а и тя не беше чак цвете... Добър боевик и до там. Идеи - малко.
Само втората половина на книгата е долу-горе на нивото на първата книга... а и тя не беше чак цвете... Добър боевик и до там. Идеи - малко.
August 7, 2012
I really liked Veteran and I was actually quite pleased when I found out it had a sequel. It holds up.
If you're in to fast paced space violence with overlong descriptions of guns and ammo, this is a book for you.
And gore, tons of gore.
If you're in to fast paced space violence with overlong descriptions of guns and ammo, this is a book for you.
And gore, tons of gore.
October 16, 2012
Interesting - a sci fi novel set in the future with a member of the SAS!
However, I had to give this up 3/4 of the way through. To my mind, totally overwritten, to full of quasi philosophizing,most of the time I was baffled by what was going on
However, I had to give this up 3/4 of the way through. To my mind, totally overwritten, to full of quasi philosophizing,most of the time I was baffled by what was going on
March 2, 2014
Yep I read the sequel. And I likes the first one so much I have no idea if the halo effect was in place for this one. The twists where in place the story was driven at a breakneck pace and then when it seemed to be over it kept driving. A smashing follow up.
November 3, 2015
A good read. A ripping yarn. Weapons platforms. Mech. Cyborgs. Nano. Religion. Sarcasm and sex. Mostly violence. Characters were too angry all the time. They could never die regardless. Theme followed through with a flourish. Warhammer 40K
November 19, 2015
Half cool adventure, half sitting in caves whining. It's half meant to be a running joke but is much too much. Plus the ending really snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. Five for the good bits; one for the rest.
November 8, 2011
Really enjoyed this one, more so than Veteran.
November 3, 2013
So if you can send book 3 to me now, that would be great. Any day now. Now is good.
October 15, 2012
One of the few books I couldn't put down. Became an insomniac in order to finish :)
October 30, 2012
awesome book, well worth it for the biotechnology/nanotechnology bit. Character development was extremely well done.
January 29, 2013
My sort of book, good British sci fi, set in Dundee, so has some good dark Scottish humour in it.
April 26, 2015
Rare to find something I'd rate five stars right now, it's a bit derivative (from pretty much every credible author I can think of), but very readable.
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