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The Rimes Trilogy #2

Transition of Order

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Trouble doesn't wait until you're ready. Jack Rimes foiled the genies' plot to steal the United States' space fleet, but he made a powerful enemy. Now that enemy is back, and it's looking for revenge. The global order is transitioning to a new state, and with change comes extraordinary pain. Militaries across the world are being reduced in size, with no thought about what it means to have millions of unemployed soldiers and no future prospects. At the forefront is the United States military, which has been forced to cut into operational readiness at an unprecedented rate. Worse, the military leadership still has its eyes on fighting old wars--armor, aircraft, and ocean-going vessels. But the new battleground is in space, and only Rimes understands this new paradigm. When the genies stage a coup that nearly causes the collapse of the new world order, it falls on Lieutenant Jack Rimes to lead the hunt with his Elite Response Force. Aided by the Intelligence Bureau's own secret weapon, will Rimes's vision and determination be enough to stop the genies from their genocidal quest, or will their plan to destroy their creators come to fruition?

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2016

13 people are currently reading
37 people want to read

About the author

P.R. Adams

72 books93 followers
I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I joined the Air Force, and my career took me from coast to coast before depositing me in the St. Louis, Missouri area for several years. After a tour in Korea and a short return to the St. Louis area, I retired and moved to the greater Denver, Colorado metropolitan area.
I write speculative fiction, mostly science fiction and fantasy. My favorite writers over the years have been Robert E. Howard, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Crichton.

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5 stars
36 (46%)
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25 (32%)
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17 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
13 reviews
November 2, 2017
A Great Continuation

As the second book of the trilogy, this one is a fine continuation. What impressed me right out of the gate -- and highly impressed me -- was the internal and external dialogue of the military characters, particularly the main protagonist, Rimes. As a two-service enlisted veteran ( USN/USAF) I was genuinely astounded at The accuracy and depth of the military characters.

The hierarchical structure of the military/corporate/political system is finely developed in this novel and genuinely well thought out , adding a lot to the series and the ending has a real societal cliff hanger that leaves you wanting to know what comes next.

As before, the combat scenes are crisp and riveting.

My only criticisms are slight and mostly involve the more science fiction elements of the story. Elements like telepathy, alien technologies and presences and biological telepresences seem abruptly introduced without much pre-integration within the particular novel. Mr. Adams writes very satisfying length novels with a lot of story within them and it's a lot of plate spinning for an author to manage. I'd enjoy a bit more technological back story here and there but the good points outweigh this concern so far.

The only other element of the story I have issue with is Molly, Rimes wife. In part it's because her personality is depressingly reminiscent of some family members in my own life (which isn't the author's fault). As she stands, it's difficult to see her staying the course and she is so apathetic about her life's circumstances that being invested in her as an integral character is difficult for me.

All that said, fantastic follow-on, I've bought the final book of the trilogy and am already seeing that there books isn't going to be enough of these characters and the world behind them. Also; the editing of these books is superb. Some of the best military fiction I've read.
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1,232 reviews50 followers
February 21, 2017
I wasn’t sure about the first book in this series, “Momentary Stasis”. That title didn’t have much to do with the story, yet the story was very good. It was more of a spy novel than anything although there were a number of commando type raids involved. The title to this book doesn’t make much sense either until you get to the very end. I hope you can figure it out.

Jack Rimes is now a brand new Lieutenant, seemingly with a lot of power. He’s a former commando and certainly a special forces operator who has to eventually prove himself as an officer. He’s also a family man who seems to dwell on the wellbeing of his family a little to much and too often (in my opinion). He and his wife were married while he was in the service, so she has no excuse for not knowing what kind of life they were going to have. He’s gone a lot and it’s getting worse. Now as a 2nd Lt., you’d think things would be getting better for both of them. Unfortunately, they also have two small children, and like most young couples, they are struggling to make ends meet. Still, he has a job to do, a mission to complete. If you’re not sure how military families face these kinds of situations, this book gives a pretty good insight. It’s tough to keep a marriage together while in the military, but many do and many don’t.

Now, back to the mission. Jack is fighting the “genies”. As we learned in the first book, “genies” are laboratory created humans using human DNA and modified genetics. They are usually stronger, faster, and smarter than normal humans. They are also treated as lab experiments and in the early stages, when things didn’t go right, they were summarily destroyed if found defective. These are sentient beings and now they are not going to stand around and accept their fate. They are in revolt and wish to leave Earth to creat their own civilization. Yet, they seem to be doing everything they can to destroy all normal humans. They have even declared that genies and humans cannot exist together. So, in comes Jack Rimes with his idea of forming an Elite Reaction Force capable of successfully fighting against these genies. He and his units that he’s trained are the first un-enhanced humans to take on the genies and defeat them. So Jack is out to prove that his ERF concept is valid, can work and can successfully provide a defense against the genies. If only he and his current unit can survive this next mission.

The story is pretty exciting. There are some things going on that have people being controlled by telepaths and some times you’re not sure who is doing what to whom, but it does get sorted out in the end. Jack is some how resistant to most telepathic “pushes”. Other people are not and that can make the do things they don’t know they’re doing or wouldn’t normally do at that particular moment. So, when something strange happens in the middle of a normal paragraph, it’s probably brought on by a genie attack of some kind. Interesting reading. I think this story has a lot of potential although I believe there is only one more book in the series.

I’ve already picked up book 3, “Awakening to Judgement”. I’m looking forward to reading it.
500 reviews8 followers
November 12, 2016
Great Second Volume to the First Trilogy

Adams, in this second book of the series, takes his protagonist from a dying Earth to new worlds. Constant, unexpected ambushes wear down the main characters to the point that they can barely survive, much less achieve their missions. Budget cuts leave thousands of military veterans suddenly unemployed, there are no jobs at home or abroad in the colonies. Rimes gets more information about the enemy genetically manipulated former slaves. He actually has a chance to befriend one of the "genies", but can he trust anyone, as he comes to recognize that the civilians and military may have both been manipulated by the same government that ordered the elimination of those "genies"?

Adams kept me guessing until the final pages, but he has left several possible leads into more stories of his dysfunctional and dystopian future. I sincerely hope to read more, because by the end of this volume I have more questions. I look forward to reading more by P. R. Adams for years to come.

I would have to rate the conclusion of volume 2, and the entire trilogy as"Highly Recommended ".
60 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2025
A thrilling follow-up to the first Rimes novel, "Momentary Stasis". Book two kept me on the edge of my seat - fast paced and exciting. The story picks up with Rimes having completed officer training, and watches him grow in his command. Once again, Adams' characters are complex, entertaining, and believable. As with the first book, there are no easy solutions, no cookie-cutter villains. Adams expands upon the technological and geo-political themes of the first book, where everyday people struggle to make ends meet while the elite live easy, comfortable lives. In "Transition of Order", we see the creation of a new elite commando force heading out to the stars to track down the genetically modified humans who have sworn to eliminate humankind, and the meta-corporations who created them.

I liked the first book a lot (5 star rating), but enjoyed this one even more. I'm eager to start the third book!
60 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2025
A thrilling follow-up to the first Rimes novel, "Momentary Stasis". Book two kept me on the edge of my seat - fast paced and exciting. The story picks up with Rimes having completed officer training, and watches him grow in his command. Once again, Adams' characters are complex, entertaining, and believable. As with the first book, there are no easy solutions, no cookie-cutter villains. Adams expands upon the technological and geo-political themes of the first book, where everyday people struggle to make ends meet while the elite live easy, comfortable lives. In "Transition of Order", we see the creation of a new elite commando force heading out to the stars to track down the genetically modified humans who have sworn to eliminate humankind, and the meta-corporations who created them.

I liked the first book a lot (5 star rating), but enjoyed this one even more. I'm eager to start the third book!
10 reviews
June 19, 2017
Solid read maintaining strong pace

Adams retains a more than believable human and genie platform with action that is realistic and engaging. The introduction of a planet wide antagonist was an overreach and flimsy but still engaged due to Adam's writing strength. Makes one appreciate Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Adams is a winner and his writing will mature well.
23 reviews
December 21, 2020
A fine continuation from the previous book but at time the author it overdoing the step by step thinking of the main character. Though it would be realistic enough given the situation, it feels a bit repetitive after a while and makes the book drag a little more than it ought to.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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