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Dire Earth Duology #2
Escape Velocity
Part two of a thrilling action-adventure sci-fi duology featuring indomitable characters, incredible worlds, and plenty of rip-roaring action and thrills!
Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Captains Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi (and their respective crews) have smashed through the deadly Swarm Blockade, but now find themselves scattered around the planet Carthage and the space stations that she holds in her orbit. Their mission is now twofold: destroy the military compounds of the nefarious alien overlords and find a way back home to Earth.
Standing in their way are a race of horrifying aliens aided by incredible weapons and technology. Low on supplies and with intermittent communication, the surviving humans must rely on all of their cunning, strength, and plain old good luck to turn the tables and overcome their foes.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Captains Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi (and their respective crews) have smashed through the deadly Swarm Blockade, but now find themselves scattered around the planet Carthage and the space stations that she holds in her orbit. Their mission is now twofold: destroy the military compounds of the nefarious alien overlords and find a way back home to Earth.
Standing in their way are a race of horrifying aliens aided by incredible weapons and technology. Low on supplies and with intermittent communication, the surviving humans must rely on all of their cunning, strength, and plain old good luck to turn the tables and overcome their foes.
415 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
25 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Jason M. Hough
26 books563 followersJason M. Hough (pronounced 'Huff') is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World. In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has also worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning.
The Darwin Elevator began life in 2008 as a project for National Novel Writing Month. The book released on July 30th, 2013 and reached the New York Times Bestseller list the following week. Darwin was Jason’s first published fiction. The subsequent books in that trilogy were released that same summer, along with a prequel novella, The Dire Earth, in 2014.
Jason's latest novel, Zero World, released on August 18th, 2015 from Del Rey Spectra (US) and Titan Books (AUS/NZ). Publishers Weekly called it “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.”
He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.
The Darwin Elevator began life in 2008 as a project for National Novel Writing Month. The book released on July 30th, 2013 and reached the New York Times Bestseller list the following week. Darwin was Jason’s first published fiction. The subsequent books in that trilogy were released that same summer, along with a prequel novella, The Dire Earth, in 2014.
Jason's latest novel, Zero World, released on August 18th, 2015 from Del Rey Spectra (US) and Titan Books (AUS/NZ). Publishers Weekly called it “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.”
He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 10, 2017
Skyler is back, Gloria is back, the crews are back and the Swarm Blockade has been breached! A few minor details they have all landed scattered across the planet Carthage and its space stations, a little battered, a little bruised and in a lot of trouble. Getting back to Earth? Not looking like they will be making the one thousand light year journey without a ship. So why not take out the nasty aliens on their own turf? Sounds like a plan for fools or heroes, but our space travelers are not fools…
Hang on tight as we blast off once again with Jason M. Hough and his latest outer space nail biter, ESCAPE VELOCITY. Talk about being rocketed right into the story! Our heroes don’t even know if they can breathe the air for sure…and just how long will their suits continue to protect, hydrate and feed them? Weapons, what about weapons, what will work, what won’t, how long will they last as they play hide n seek with the enemy on their own turf? Only good old human ingenuity and the will to succeed and survive keep our heroes moving, in search of missing crewmen and a way off the galactic Hell they find themselves in.
Jason M. Hough has another richly detailed, action-packed story that is a pure adrenaline rush from start to finish! There will be no fly-on-the-wall voyeurism, you WILL become part of the story, the action and the true brilliance that is ESCAPE VELOCITY, and you won’t be able to help it. Truly a gem from the stars and beyond!
I received an ARC edition from Del Rey in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Dire Earth Cycle - Book 5 -Duology Book 2
Publisher: Del Rey (June 27, 2017)
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: Science Fiction
Print Length: 432 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Hang on tight as we blast off once again with Jason M. Hough and his latest outer space nail biter, ESCAPE VELOCITY. Talk about being rocketed right into the story! Our heroes don’t even know if they can breathe the air for sure…and just how long will their suits continue to protect, hydrate and feed them? Weapons, what about weapons, what will work, what won’t, how long will they last as they play hide n seek with the enemy on their own turf? Only good old human ingenuity and the will to succeed and survive keep our heroes moving, in search of missing crewmen and a way off the galactic Hell they find themselves in.
Jason M. Hough has another richly detailed, action-packed story that is a pure adrenaline rush from start to finish! There will be no fly-on-the-wall voyeurism, you WILL become part of the story, the action and the true brilliance that is ESCAPE VELOCITY, and you won’t be able to help it. Truly a gem from the stars and beyond!
I received an ARC edition from Del Rey in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Dire Earth Cycle - Book 5 -Duology Book 2
Publisher: Del Rey (June 27, 2017)
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: Science Fiction
Print Length: 432 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
August 29, 2019
I’d not had good luck with this author before reading the first book of this duology, but I thought that “Injection Burn” was fun. Since it was really only half of a book I continued to the second part of the duology. Unfortunately, I was very bored by this book which was all about fighting aliens or escaping from aliens. There was a lot of action, but that isn’t enough for me. It was exactly a book of ideas and it has an extremely annoying love triangle. This probably will be my last attempt with this author. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 25, 2018
On this particular vacation I packed a bunch of ARCs (advanced reader copies) that had built up. This one I don't remember what I was thinking when I acquired it - I had read at least one book by the author that I vaguely remember not hating. What I got was a confused silly sf escape sequel. The characters basically felt like over-powered role playing characters up against great gobs of cannon fodder. It was interesting at times and both the characters and technology had potential. And it was readable. But it wasn't believable and the pathetic-ness of the enemy and the arbitrariness of how everyone came together except the character we weren't supposed to like, was just stupid.
July 24, 2017
Escape Velocity (and this duology) will appeal to those who enjoyed all three books of the Dire Earth series. It has many of the same elements: exploration, the unknown, luck, humans being their own worst enemy, plenty of action, multiple POVs, and a lot of big concepts. But those who have not read the previous three books need not worry - although we have some of the characters from the previous books, this does stand on its own and readers likely will not get lost. Since we have one story here not broken up by an arc (and ending on a cliff hanger), I'll review the duology here.
Story: Skyler and his ragtag band are aboard a Builder ship - traveling for only a few months but in a time bubble where a thousand years have passed. His mission: go to the Builders home planet and free them from the aliens who have enslaved them. Captain Gloria Tsandi also has a mission - prevent the Scipio alien horde from capturing a human ship and gaining fold technology. She's to go in behind enemy lines, recover or destroy a missing human ship, and then get out. Although Gloria and Skyler were born a millennium apart, their missions will converge as the Builders plan a deep game in order to free their people.
For those who wanted to know more about the builders, this is your series. We get quite a bit of detail about them - from how they look to why they released the plague forge on Earth and created the Subs. The information is doled out nicely and slowly amidst the action. Pure sci fi fans will enjoy that this pretty much takes place in space - with plenty of battles and pew pew. But Hough doesn't spare the alien details and it doesn't take three books to get to the knowledge.
As with previous books, there are plenty of surprises and the humans themselves are always their worst enemy. And if humans are the saviors of the builders, it's not because of their ingenuity or mettle. It's because they have dumb luck that always puts them in the right place at the right time to find the right answer. I know many didn't like that aspect of the original Dire Earth Trilogy so keep that in mind here.
If I have one nitpick, it's that the books still feel vaguely sexist and misogynistic. Even with a strong characters like Gloria and Sam, they somehow come off more as male but written as female - rather than true female characters. When the men are weak, they are annoying. When the women are weak, they are very girly and ineffectual. It can get annoying dealing with women unable to make a decision or waffling in the book.
So yes, this continues the story neatly and you'll find a lot of the same very wordy descriptions of alien 'things'. I found this particular duology flowed much more smoothly and went faster than the previous trilogy, however. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
Story: Skyler and his ragtag band are aboard a Builder ship - traveling for only a few months but in a time bubble where a thousand years have passed. His mission: go to the Builders home planet and free them from the aliens who have enslaved them. Captain Gloria Tsandi also has a mission - prevent the Scipio alien horde from capturing a human ship and gaining fold technology. She's to go in behind enemy lines, recover or destroy a missing human ship, and then get out. Although Gloria and Skyler were born a millennium apart, their missions will converge as the Builders plan a deep game in order to free their people.
For those who wanted to know more about the builders, this is your series. We get quite a bit of detail about them - from how they look to why they released the plague forge on Earth and created the Subs. The information is doled out nicely and slowly amidst the action. Pure sci fi fans will enjoy that this pretty much takes place in space - with plenty of battles and pew pew. But Hough doesn't spare the alien details and it doesn't take three books to get to the knowledge.
As with previous books, there are plenty of surprises and the humans themselves are always their worst enemy. And if humans are the saviors of the builders, it's not because of their ingenuity or mettle. It's because they have dumb luck that always puts them in the right place at the right time to find the right answer. I know many didn't like that aspect of the original Dire Earth Trilogy so keep that in mind here.
If I have one nitpick, it's that the books still feel vaguely sexist and misogynistic. Even with a strong characters like Gloria and Sam, they somehow come off more as male but written as female - rather than true female characters. When the men are weak, they are annoying. When the women are weak, they are very girly and ineffectual. It can get annoying dealing with women unable to make a decision or waffling in the book.
So yes, this continues the story neatly and you'll find a lot of the same very wordy descriptions of alien 'things'. I found this particular duology flowed much more smoothly and went faster than the previous trilogy, however. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
November 11, 2018
Great ending to this duology... but will there be another trio to take the story of Skylar Lukein forward? Both of my brains say YES!
June 8, 2017
I was given a preview copy of this book by netgalley, which was great as I would definitely have bought this book.
I'll give my review of this together with the first book, injection burn. These books are exactly what the 80's action movie taglines were made for "high octane", "adrenaline rush" etc.
I was a huge fan of the dire earth cycle books, with an author I hadn't heard anything about. The story was complex and I grew to love the characters. In the new duology, if you haven't read the first books, the character definitions would be very light. I didn't get immersed into the story so much as sucked into the action. These books were fun!
Like all good action movies, you have to suspend your belief somewhat as the coincidences and unlikely escapades are beyond the usual scifi incredibility, but I read the two books in a few days, and they were not that short, so I definitely enjoyed them.
if you loved the first books, these aren't the same, but you'll still enjoy the read.
I'll give my review of this together with the first book, injection burn. These books are exactly what the 80's action movie taglines were made for "high octane", "adrenaline rush" etc.
I was a huge fan of the dire earth cycle books, with an author I hadn't heard anything about. The story was complex and I grew to love the characters. In the new duology, if you haven't read the first books, the character definitions would be very light. I didn't get immersed into the story so much as sucked into the action. These books were fun!
Like all good action movies, you have to suspend your belief somewhat as the coincidences and unlikely escapades are beyond the usual scifi incredibility, but I read the two books in a few days, and they were not that short, so I definitely enjoyed them.
if you loved the first books, these aren't the same, but you'll still enjoy the read.
May 23, 2017
The only expectation I had for Escape Velocity was that it was the conclusion to the Dire Earth Duology, and that it had a badass captain on the cover. If you read my review on Tuesday, you already know that I seriously liked Zero World, so I had high expectations for the Dire Earth Duology.
I think that book two is the better of the two books. The floundering that I had felt in book one was gone, replaced by familiarity. Some of the clunky surreal sequences I was left scratching my head in the first book reached fruition in book two.
The dangling plot from Injection Burn is wrapped up in Escape Velocity, and if Jason Hough decided to write more in the same universe, I’d be an eager reader. I’m probably going to read the Dire Earth Cycle, and I look forward to meeting Jason at the 2017 Phoenix Comicon this weekend. I’m giving Escape Velocity four and a half stars over Injection Burn’s four.
I think that book two is the better of the two books. The floundering that I had felt in book one was gone, replaced by familiarity. Some of the clunky surreal sequences I was left scratching my head in the first book reached fruition in book two.
The dangling plot from Injection Burn is wrapped up in Escape Velocity, and if Jason Hough decided to write more in the same universe, I’d be an eager reader. I’m probably going to read the Dire Earth Cycle, and I look forward to meeting Jason at the 2017 Phoenix Comicon this weekend. I’m giving Escape Velocity four and a half stars over Injection Burn’s four.
October 3, 2017
Couldn't get out of Kindle iPad app without posting a review
I liked the book. I really disliked the non-ending. Writing a novel with the idea of leaving the reader hanging, with the stated motivation that you're waiting to see if the publisher pays you to write a sequel, breaks down the first wall of literature. At least in my book. Go away, whatever your name is faux author. Come back when you want to write because you have a story to tell other than "look what I get paid to do".
I liked the book. I really disliked the non-ending. Writing a novel with the idea of leaving the reader hanging, with the stated motivation that you're waiting to see if the publisher pays you to write a sequel, breaks down the first wall of literature. At least in my book. Go away, whatever your name is faux author. Come back when you want to write because you have a story to tell other than "look what I get paid to do".
August 24, 2018
The best thing I can say about this book is that it finishes the series.
December 24, 2017
"Escape Velocity" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Jason M. Hough (https://www.jasonhough.com/). Mr. Hough has published six novels. This is the fifth in his "A Dire Earth" series.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. Space craft Captains Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi, along with their respective crews, have smashed through the Swarm Blockade around the planet Carthage. Now they are scattered across the planet surface and the space stations circling in orbit.
They must fight their way back together and find a way to get away from Carthage. Each crew member faces their own challenges.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 434 page science fiction novel. This novel picked up immediately after the end of the first novel of the series. Even though I had read the first novel, I found myself confused and wondering what was going on as this novel began. Unless you read them back-to-back, the transition between novels is not smooth. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 3.7 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. Space craft Captains Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi, along with their respective crews, have smashed through the Swarm Blockade around the planet Carthage. Now they are scattered across the planet surface and the space stations circling in orbit.
They must fight their way back together and find a way to get away from Carthage. Each crew member faces their own challenges.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 434 page science fiction novel. This novel picked up immediately after the end of the first novel of the series. Even though I had read the first novel, I found myself confused and wondering what was going on as this novel began. Unless you read them back-to-back, the transition between novels is not smooth. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 3.7 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
September 16, 2017
The first book in this duology started slow, reaching its peak at the end, i.e., the publisher decided to cut a single volume in two at the highest peak of excitement. That leaves the second volume nowhere to go but back downhill. For certain there is a lot of action, a bit of suspense, and some bits of science fiction. Yet, it fails to engage because, luckily, (bit of a spoiler here) it always works out the best for our friends at every dark moment. One might expect a break for commercial to be inserted within each of the we're-gonna-die / oh-guess-not sequences. I've seen some reviews say this book is a great conclusion. Negative. The story does not fully resolve. My guess: Expect another trilogy in a few years when Hough cycles around again to the Dire Earth universe.
January 22, 2023
Escape Velocity is the second book in the "Dire Earth Duology" by Jason M. Hough. This duology is a follow-up to the Dire Earth Cycle (trilogy).
In this one, Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi and their friends have smashed through the deadly Swarm Blockade but now find themselves scattered around the planet Carthage and the space stations in its orbit. They have been separated and are out of contact with each other. Also, Eve, the AI that has been guiding their way has sacrificed herself so that they might complete their mission. They will face overwhelming odds but failure is not an option because Earth's future existence is at stake.
A grand, action-packed conclusion to this fantastic series.
In this one, Skyler Luiken and Gloria Tsandi and their friends have smashed through the deadly Swarm Blockade but now find themselves scattered around the planet Carthage and the space stations in its orbit. They have been separated and are out of contact with each other. Also, Eve, the AI that has been guiding their way has sacrificed herself so that they might complete their mission. They will face overwhelming odds but failure is not an option because Earth's future existence is at stake.
A grand, action-packed conclusion to this fantastic series.
September 4, 2017
Captain Skyler Luiken and Captain Gloria Tsandi are sent on a mission to destroy military compounds of the overlords of the planet Carthage. They break through the blockade but unfortunately crash and are scattered across the planet. They encounter strange beings with gray skin, long faces , three eyes and no noses. Somehow they must accomplish their mission and find a way back home, which isn't easy.
The writing is good, not my favorite kind of story but enjoyable. It had a lot of action, and covert missions. Scary moments, like meeting aliens, but was exactly the kind of story I expected.
The writing is good, not my favorite kind of story but enjoyable. It had a lot of action, and covert missions. Scary moments, like meeting aliens, but was exactly the kind of story I expected.
August 31, 2017
Another thrilling sci-fi adventure providing a fitting end to the Dire Earth series (or at least AN end if not THE final end to the series). This is not a book where the final outcome should come as a big surprise, and it's pretty straight-forward when it comes to who the good guys and the bad guys are. The fun of the book comes from the breakneck pace it pursues through the plot's many twists and turns. Great fun.
December 28, 2018
Reading this book often felt like I was reading an alien invasion story from the Alien’s perspective. There were many moments where the implication was clear that the victims of the heroes were potentially innocent citizens, ignorant of the invasion taking place until too late. The actions of these citizens mirrored what we have often seen from humans in movies about aliens landing on earth. I liked this role reversal and would have liked to see it explored more fully.
August 28, 2017
Dire Earth No More ... now it takes us to explore the stars
Dire Earth No More ... now it takes me to explore the stars. In the first of the series Earth is setup as a test bed by a robot / cyborg mind ... Earth passes and then the ship recruits the text subjects. Quite a story that was and next it's time to go to the stars.
Dire Earth No More ... now it takes me to explore the stars. In the first of the series Earth is setup as a test bed by a robot / cyborg mind ... Earth passes and then the ship recruits the text subjects. Quite a story that was and next it's time to go to the stars.
May 31, 2018
Entertaining, if unlikely.
An awful lot of luck was involved in this book. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed with literature where everything that can go wrong does. Life is more... erratic.
Skyler and the gang have crashed onto enemy soil. They're behind enemy lines. And worst of all, they're separated.
Review to come.
An awful lot of luck was involved in this book. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed with literature where everything that can go wrong does. Life is more... erratic.
Skyler and the gang have crashed onto enemy soil. They're behind enemy lines. And worst of all, they're separated.
Review to come.
August 17, 2018
Granted it has a good ending with the potential of the continuation of the Darwin Elevator but this story just seemed to drag on the way to the climax. The series started out with much promise, however it really hasn't truly grabbed me. Patiently waiting for a sequel Zero World, a mighty fine novel from Jason M Hough.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
February 3, 2025
Another page turner of a book. This author's writing reminds me of Jonathan Maberry's writing in that he is very good at keeping the action moving, and his chapter endings are very cliff hangar-y.
Overall I really enjoyed the series. If you don't include the novella, there are five books in all, and I enjoyed every one of them.
Overall I really enjoyed the series. If you don't include the novella, there are five books in all, and I enjoyed every one of them.
August 14, 2017
Où l'on en apprend un peu plus sur les aliens. Des technologies intéressantes. Des actions suivies en parallèle (maitrise de l'auteur) pour une fin grandiose en feu d'artifice. Bravo pour l'ensemble des 5 tomes dans l'univers de Dire Earth. On en redemande ...
June 11, 2018
I do hate starting with the second book of a series, but this strongly written story was fast paced & desperate the whole way. Manipulated by a Builder AI, the characters fight their way to a solution while not as elegant as a Bond strategy, managed to keep stumbling through.
July 5, 2018
I want more! Loved this series. So much fast paced action that I had to set it down a few times - just to take it all in.
Please more Builders, Eve and Skyler. There just has to be more... it’s not over it is the beginning!
Please more Builders, Eve and Skyler. There just has to be more... it’s not over it is the beginning!
July 10, 2017
Recent Reads: Escape Velocity. Concluding Jason Hough's Dire Earth diptych. Humans play wasp among the aliens. More FPS game action.
September 11, 2017
Satisfying end to this Duology. I enjoyed the new adventures of the Dire Earth crew. Hope Mr. Hough writes more books.
January 28, 2018
A very well written book. Did not want to put it down.
March 8, 2018
Still a bit weird with it's reasoning, but really fun space/aliens combat adventure.
April 23, 2018
This duology is really a single book. Another ripping yarn by Hough, more space opera then post apocalypse this time around.
June 10, 2018
A great cap to a great series.
Lots of action and perhaps an opening for a new series based on the characters.
Lots of action and perhaps an opening for a new series based on the characters.
January 20, 2019
Could not put it down
April 16, 2019
A little more chaotic and alien than I usually read but one heck of an adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews