Sungrazer

Outriders #2

by Jay Posey

In a new Cold War between Earth and the colonies on Mars, when devastating weapons go missing, there's only one team you can call - the Outriders. A crack force of highly specialised super-soldiers, their clone bodies are near-immortal.

When a fully-autonomous vessel with orbital strike capabilities goes missing, it's up to the Outriders to track the untrackable. But when the trail leads them to the influential Martian People's Collective Republic, the operation gets a lot more complicated...

File Under: Science Fiction

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Action, Espionage, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 4, 2017

About the author

Jay Posey is a professional typist with a face for radio and a voice for print. He’s the author of the Legends of the Duskwalker trilogy (novels, THREE, MORNINGSIDE FALL, and DAWNBREAKER), and the military science-fiction novel OUTRIDERS, all published by Angry Robot Books.

He's also Expert Narrative Designer at Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment, where he has spent over a decade contributing as a writer and game designer to top franchises like Tom Clancy’s award-winning Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, as well as several top secret projects he's not allowed to talk about.

He blogs occasionally at jayposey.com and spends more time than he probably should hanging around Twitter as @HiJayPosey.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military SF that got a little boring with the gadget details by the end. I would have liked it more if it had been shorter. Still, it was a fun romp with a good ending. Well narrated & it stood well alone even though it's the second in the series. I can see where a third book would fit in very well, but I don't have to read it. I appreciate that.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This series was a definite miss for me. It was not able to pack the punch I was looking for. While Sungrazer had a more engaging plot then Outriders, it still failed to have any urgency. There were a couple chapters that really held my attention but that was all. Nothing new to really talk about the characters since they are all returning from book one. We did get a little more backstory for some of the characters but I had no desire to know about them.

I am glad this series, for me at least, didn't continue after this book because I wouldn't have continued on.

[Anthony Eichenlaub · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent piece of military sci-fi. Despite a fairly straightforward plot, this book kept me interested all the way through with a combination of tense action and outstanding character development. I really felt interested the whole way through because the main character, Lincoln, drew me in.

Note: I haven't read the first book. While I think that book might have filled in a few questions, Sungrazer stood just fine on its own.

Reviewing this from a free copy via NetGalley

[Luke Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in the Outriders series was slightly different from the action-emphasis first thriller, but it was still a good read for anybody who likes watching a black ops group work their incredible feats of espionage. The tools used by the Outriders are light years ahead of a basic cold war or modern spy group so it was entertaining to see what weapons and support material the author would imagine for the team's use. Some of it was intriguing to think about.

This second story centers around a weaponized asset that has been parked in deep space to be used, if needed, by the United American Federation as protection against an attack by the government of Mars. Now that asset has been hijacked and the race is on to find Sungrazer as well as track down the organization technologically advanced enough to steal the ship in the first place. A new character is introduced in this story which results in a shift in emphasis from only the Outriders and their high tech military view of the problem to a civilian working undercover on Mars. It takes a while for Elliott to be linked up with the Outriders so his portions of the story left me wondering what his purpose was for being included for quite a long time. It all worked out.

Sungrazer is a good story but that's probably so for me since I had already read Outriders. The second book seemed to have a lot of unexplained circumstances that left me puzzling over how the scene being described reached that point. How did the crew find Link? The formatting of the Kindle version also tripped me up many times because one scene would end and another begin without using spacing to show me the plot had moved on to another situation. Just a couple of blank lines would have kept me from reading portions over again to figure out what I had missed and finding I hadn't missed anything it was just not well formatted. As of the date of this review I cannot find that a third book is set for release. I hope there will be a third book because I would certainly want to read it.

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

With every new book Posey displays
his growing excellence as a writer.
In this sequel to the breathtaking OUTRIDERS
Posey takes the action and suspense up another two
or three notches.
In the future Captain Lincoln Suh
leads one of the United States'
most deeply held secrets,
the covert response team The Outriders.
Tasked with responding to threats that
were too classified, too dangerous
to let the public know about.
Often in a first strike capacity
Link leads a team of uniquely gifted soldiers
into battle on the shadow war field.
Exciting and brilliant.
With a wonderful of realism interjected.
This is the best military SF
series I have read.
It takes just enough SF leeway with reality
to be fun but still firmly grounded
in a hard military adventure.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The DNA of Jay Posey's Outriders is all 007 - from the catchy name (GoldenEye, anyone?) to the cloak and dagger spy plot, this is Bond for the modern age and with an ensemble cast. Though some would label this military sci fi, the operations that the Outriders perform are often planetside and involve infiltration rather than 'pew pew' action. In essense, this is Spy Fi. But it's very easy to follow, has an interesting cast of characters, and each book ends on a complete subarc.

Synopsis: An AI-driven 'deep cover' military assault ship has gone rogue and the Outriders are brought in track down who took it over and from where. Their mission will take them from contraband haulers in space to a remote Martian science station. And what they find is that someone is very invested in destroying the peace between the Martians and the Earth Coalition.

Although Sungrazer had a different story arc than Outriders, the two stories are connected loosely by the end. I always appreciate with there is a larger mystery to be solved over multiple books in the series - a bigger picture amidst all the small battles that the Outriders face. Because this read like a World War II Occupied France spy novel, it was a bit slower than the previous book. Not terrible but also missing a lot of the action that kept the first book so riveting.

Posey likes to introduce a side character whose path will converge later in the story. It's always interesting to see how such a random series of events/person eventually collides with an Outriders mission. But until that happens, it can be baffling reading about a spy wine-ing and dining a target and then the next chapter having exploding airlocks and finding horrific hidden cargo.

In all, I am enjoying Posey's series mostly because it really isn't Military Sci Fi so much as Spy Fi. That's not a bad thing but I'm admittedly not a big fan of spy books or the James Bond series in particular. As well, this is very American jingoistic that grates a bit in a sci fi.  Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the future, mankind has colonized Mars and conquered the stars. Artificial intelligence is at its highest point of evolution and death is a mere concept rather than a certainty.

A secret black ops unit known as the Outriders is put into action to recover a gone-rogue autonomous weaponize spaceship. Last known coordinates place it in the vicinity of Mars - with tension already on high between Mars and Earth, having the autonomous ship in control of the wrong hands could spark a war between the two planets. The stakes are high for this crack team of specialists.

This is the second book in the Outriders series by Jay Posey yet it's new reader friendly. The only thing I really missed out on having not read book one was the group dynamics but that's easy enough to pick up. There are a couple of scenes that reference earlier assignments and one in particular which looks to have a big influence on the teams command yet the author packs enough backstory to make it work.

Sungrazer has a semi military science fiction feel to it, however, the espionage angle is what worked best for me. I love the cloak and dagger and there's a healthy dose of it here, particularly on Mars which fits into the plot nicely.

Overall Sungrazer is an enjoyable read that suffers from long sequences of seemingly inconsequential dialogue and chapters that pay too much attention to the teams downtime which made it feel like the book was treading water in patches. Despite the pitfalls, fans of series like The Expanse should eat this up, as well as those already familiar with the series.

3/5 stars.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This military science fiction adventure once more hooked me in with yet another enthralling plot in a story where the stakes aren’t just cities or countries sucked into war and devastation, but planets… Things are still very tense between Earth and the Mars’ colonies after the last kerfuffle, where our plucky black-ops team narrowly averted a disaster so when a lethally effective weapon disappears, the Outriders are the obvious choice.

Military science fiction naturally requires a cracking plot – and once more, Posey displays his evident skill in his smooth delivery of a storyline where we have a dual narrative – Lincoln, the captain of the Outriders is one of the protagonists, with the other protagonist being Elliot, who is operating as an undercover agent for United States National Intelligence Directorate. The pacing and ramping up the tension is well handled and I enjoyed the twists and turns, particularly the climactic finale where Elliot encounters the Outriders with mixed results.

The characterisation also needs to be good in this genre as we have to care for those going into battle, because if we don’t, then it robs the story of all its tension. Linc is a likeable chap, with sufficient self-doubt and vulnerability for the reader to connect, but not too much because, after all, he is a super-soldier. We also need to identify with the rest of the squad and as this is the second book, I easily recalled all the characters and their particular quirks and skill sets. While reading this, I couldn’t help thinking that it would make a cracking TV mini-series or film.

But the other major ingredient that military sci fi adventures need is plenty of techie weaponry and nifty battle tactics, which need clear explanation before all the action kicks off or the reader isn’t going to full appreciate what is going on. Posey is accomplished at slipping in the salient facts about the guns and those super-suits this crack black-ops team wear, so that in the heat of battle, we are able to follow all that is happening with no trouble. He manages this without compromising the overall pace or gathering tension of the story. Overall, this is yet again a solidly enjoyable story with some unexpected twists – especially near the end that had me reading far longer than I should have done and this one comes highly recommended.
8/10

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 2 out of 5]

all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu

About the Book: An autonomous AI warship, no crew, capable to commit chirurgical precision orbital strikes, basically a weapon in itself, disappears. And as it’s made to be untraceable – it’s the Outriders who’ll get the honors to find it. Following up on any lead, no matter how cold, unlikely, or dangerous. As, once again, planets worth of people are on the line.

My Opinion: Reads like American teenagers who loved their football and were about to join collage, but are now somehow adults in space military. That very specific and annoying stereotype, so very common in YA books, at least the older ones… Add that to the fact that there’s really not that much going on on the page as you read it, even someone, again, kidnapped is mostly just sitting there and thinking, trying to convey discomfort, poorly. Impossible made easy. Extraordinary made dull. It just lacked personality all through out.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good but lacked in keeping my attention throughout the whole thing. There were quite a few parts that were very slow but then action-packed parts a few chapters later. I liked the changes in perspective every few chapters as well. It helped for later in the book, rather than introducing a new, complex character and having to fit a lot of details in a way of giving the information while not boring the reader, Posey introduced the character early on in his own chapter and was able to give the amount of information the reader needed for a complete understanding of the character. When I bought this book, I didn't realize that it was a series but Posey did a good job of making sure even if I didn't have previous knowledge of the series, I didn't feel like I was completely lost because of some detail mentioned that was in Outriders that was not clearly explained in this book.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kicks an astonishing amount of ass. A perfect follow-up to the military spec-ops Outriders, now with even more espionage and armoured action!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the action scenes in this book, but found a lack of transition between them that just made it lack some flow. I think the world needs a little more explanation of the different government factions (or my memory of the first book was not sufficient) to better understand the stakes of the book. But it's a perfectly amicable summer beach read.

[James Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good story! I love the whole mars, military and descriptions in the book. Well done. I'm looking forward to more.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5

Jay Posey is not only one of my favorite authors in the Angry Robots catalog, he's rising to become one of my favorite authors, period.

Sungrazer is the second book in his Outriders series - an action/adventure, military sci-fi space opera. Think Jerry Pournelle crossed with the authors known as James S.A. Corey.

There is a bit of a Cold War going on between Earth and Mars. Though there is a coalition between the two governing worlds, things are tense, to say the least, and right now there is an A.I.-driven military assault ship that has gone missing somewhere in deep space. Possession of this ship could change the balance of power and only the elite team known as the Outriders are likely to track this down.

As good as the Outriders are, with their cloned bodies which make them nearly immortal, their skills will be challenged here as they come up against smugglers in space and adept agents of the Martian People's Collective Republic.

This book is almost non-stop action, with pauses only long enough to keep the story moving forward with swift discovery, followed by more pulse-pounding action.

But what really drives the story, from action moment to story moment to action moment, etc., is the characters. Posey has pulled together a team that is in part a stereotype of every team-oriented action/war movie ever made ... but it works. There is a reason you have a bona fide leader, a super-skilled tech nerd, someone who loves to shoot things, and so on - it really does work! And because Posey draws these characters so nicely for us, we find ourselves attached to them, thinking of them as real and we can't help but want to see them safe and successful.

It is this attachment to the characters that also has us turning pages as rapidly as possible. When the group separates we have multiple story-lines going on and we often can't wait to see what is happening to other members of the squad.

While I often make notes in my Kindle books for later reference when I am writing up my review, my notes here consisted of "Oh, f*@$!" at the end of one chapter, "I can't believe how tense I am" at the end of another, and "I am completely exhausted from the tension here!"

While the team is an elite squadron - the best at what they do - there is a small sense of superhero-ness about them. Their ability to sneak in and around undetected, or to escape from any danger, brings to mind a bit of Batman and the Justice League which sometimes pushes the credibility just a little bit. Even so , this is top-notch space opera and well worth reading.

Looking for a good book? Sungrazer by Jay Posey is the second book in the Outriders series and is thrilling, non-stop action in space and you'll find yourself holding your breath in anticipation as you read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Elaine Aldred · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the future, Earth and its colonies on Mars are locked in a Cold War, where it would take little to make them commit to open warfare. When a dormant and powerful super weapon, Sungrazer, is suddenly awakened, then disappears, it’s up to the Outriders, a special team of super-soldiers to solve the problem of finding and neutralising Sungrazer. But first they have to navigate a tricky path around a political faction which is up to no good as far as peace between Earth and Mars is concerned.
Sungrazer is an example of Machiavellian scheming rubbing shoulders with military might and ingenuity, as the Outriders (a specialist black ops military team) are sent to deal with yet another political hot potato.
Like the first book in the series, Outriders, Jay Posey knows how to grab your attention from the very first sentence and hold it. Sungrazer opens as the spy, Elliot Goodkind, appraises the life-threatening situation he has just walked into and how he’s going to try and extricate himself with little more than brazen banter and the minimum of fuss. Posey’s prose makes sure you invest in Elliot very quickly, and you’re on board in the same way you would be for a character in a classic spy novel. The switch to the military part of the plot is equally as fascinating as the writing takes a slight change in tempo and the dialogue shifts to the back and forth of a group of people who know they can rely on each other.
What lifts Posey’s writing above so many other military science fiction novels in the market is the way in which the Outriders work as a team by pooling their intellectual and physical resources to analyse both the political overview of a situation, as well as focusing on the type of detail required for an on-the-ground, close combat resolution of a problem. Posey’s skills as a narrative designer really come to the fore in the way the prose dovetails with credible dialogue to drive the plot along at a good pace. This enables the reader to get a real sense of the different personalities and rapidly connect with the characters even if they’ve not encountered them before.
As with the Outriders the plot is nail biting and you’re left waiting for the next instalment.
Outriders was courtesy of Angry Robot.

[Kara Contessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, I find this series to be a decent military Sci-Fi sprinkled with Space Opera themes, likable characters, and an interesting plot. I look forward to future installments from Jay Posey involving this cast of characters and, ultimately, seeing how the overarching plot plays out. The Outriders series has the potential to be awesome, but I still feel the book falls flat of what it could be. I was a little bored reading some of the stealth scenes as Posey could have summed up a whole chapter in a paragraph. While I love all the characters, most don't feel complex, fleshed out, and sometimes just lack any emotional interactions. There's maybe two characters that have great characterization, but it feels unbalanced compared to the rest of the cast. I'm left wanting more knowledge about everyone else. I expect Posey to become more experienced in this area as he writes more stories, but it was lacking a bit.

While this might be a little nit-picky, I still have no clue what some of these characters look like. There's some descriptions here and there throughout the series, but I still can't put together an image for each of them. It's a little hard to develop a story in your head when you have no clue what anyone's physical appearance is.

Aside from a few hiccups, I really do think this series is a great read so far. It has everything I could want, even if it hasn't reached its full potential.

[Richardkyser · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, Jay Posey's Sungrazer, was another solid entry in the Outrider series, well thought out plot, in military speak, a broken arrow goes missing and the Outriders are tasked with finding the culprits, who seemingly did the impossible. Hijack, a previously unknown top secret weapon, leaving the relevant questions: like who, where, and how, and most importantly: why? This book while it feels like a standalone story actually feels like a organic continuation of the first novel, lingering questions, plaguing Lincoln Suh, the team leader of the outriders, is bought to forefront, Who is Amanda Flood?? what is her agenda, and the reveal at the end of this book is nicely done. Consequently the effects of the process, is shown through the eyes of the character, Mike, the consequences of the process, the psychological and emotional upheaval of dying and coming back, how does it change a person or does it? I know this is just fiction, and science fiction at that, but if humanity ever got to such a point in the future, I hope some one has the moral answers to such a moral quandary. Descartes' said, "I think therefore, I am" is that true, if such a technology existed, what of the soul? I going to leave that there...I rate this book four out of five stars, patiently waiting for next installment.

[Mason Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have not read this whole book ( but i plan to ). I am on page 233, at the part right before they go into the base on the martian polar ice cap. Even though i have not finished reading this book i can say i will give it 5 stars because i love the different planets and atmospheres. there was even a little tease of Venus being inhabited. I like how one mission they are in a mars city saving someone, then the next is in the mountains on earth, now they are on a space ship finding out that people are smuggling in kids. Finally thier jumping off of a ship far away from mars and landing in the gravitation field to fall right in. What i love most about this book is how sad it is, like when they had to leave the kids getting smuggled instead of saving them, because it wasn't apart of their mission. definitely a 5 out 5. just cant wait to finish reading this book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in the Outriders series by Jay Posey. This book is a great read in the Military Science Fiction genre. In this one an NID spy ship that has been on a years long mission has been stolen. It has the capacity to make a kinetic strike against a planetary target such as a military installation or even an entire city. The NID contacts the Outriders to investigate and infiltrate the people who are responsible for hijacking their spy ship. After tracking the hijackers to Mars the Outriders, with the aide of an embedded NID agent, attempt to retrieve any info that has been stolen including the location of the spy ship before it can be used in an attack. This is another first rate read in this series and I recommend it.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Outriders series. This continues with the elements that I enjoyed in the first novel. The various bits of foreshadowing are less clunky, and one of the surprise reveals at the end (which was telegraphed in the first novel) was slightly different than expected, which was a nice change of pace.

The hero (Lincoln Suh) spends a little less time in rhapsodies over his advanced combat suit than in the first novel. That's good, because it was already old the first time around. Also, the heroes run into situations where they can't use the suits at all, which brings the tension up a notch. It's a bit hard to worry about characters who are running around with technology significantly more advanced than their adversaries.

[Dillon Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, both #1 and #2. The *only* complaint about this book, number 2, is that it was written so that it could be read without reading the first one, which meant that there had to be some overlap in the explanation of some things and the characters and I didn't like that. Afterwards the book basically picked up where it left off: mission planning, running operations and untangling political mysteries.

I hope there is a 3rd book; honestly, I could read 100 books about this team going on missions. You really feel like you're in the military and with a close team when you're reading it.

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A letdown from its excellent predecessor. This one had far too much tactical detail for my tastes: frequent scenes of 15-20 pages that could be summarized as "the team broke into the warehouse." Eliminate all that, and you've got a solid, but very short, spy story.

Still, I continue to be interested in the shadowy Earth/Mars cold war, and the "phantom menace" mastermind emerging as the team's adversary. I'll keep reading, but a little less second-by-second realism, please?

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many sci-fi military novels can come across as cheap and fake, but Jay Posey invests everything here, from the story to the characters, with authenticity. Everything feels real and believable. The problem comes when the book can't mesh authenticity with originality. The story is familiar but entertaining (particularly the spy stuff), and the story is, again, simple but respectable. So while Sungrazer nails the realism, it's hollow of surprises.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun journey full of danger and surprise, Sungrazer bring theOutrider team back together with a new dangerous mission. This is space opera with a great cast of characters, interesting world building and backstory. Set in the Solar System with most of the action on Mars the story is fast paced keeping everything moving. The reader did a very good job with the voices of the characters and matching the pace of the story.

[Mike Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taken a liking to Jay Posey's writing style and the military sci fi genre. With the sequel to Outriders, Sungrazer picks up the story of the team of elite top secret operatives continuing to try and prevent hostilities between Earth and Mars. Jay puts plenty of information and action in his books to keep you busy reading for a week. liking this series and can't wait for the third instalment.

[Sontaranpr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ship that doesn't exist has been stolen by people who shouldn't have known about it to use for reasons unknown. Our won't stay dead protagonists return for a secret agent adventure along with powered armour boarding action goodness.

Good plans go bad and bad plans don't work out as expected.

Fun times.

[Jack Stubblefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to finally get around to reading Outriders #2. I was afraid I would have to go back and review book 1. I shouldn't have worried. I dropped right back into this sci fi military world like a pair of old boots. Fully invested in the squad and peripheral characters. There better be a Outriders #3 Mr. Posey! Good stuff, Maynard.

[Nedam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this on even more than the first one because all the same excitement and cool tech was there plus I really started to fully care about the characters, and them staying a team. I even got attached to the destiny of the new character.

And I was right about Amanda!! .... Kinda..

I wish there were a third sequel.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel up to a point. I found it just too long and filled with all sorts of information which I felted only served as fill. The characters are all well developed and the plot moves well from each task the group has to accomplish.