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Part 2: Episode 5


An entire sector in turmoil...
Neighbors who appear unconcerned...
A favor asked of an old friend...
Sacrifices made for the good of humanity...

Before they can challenge the Dusahn and prevent them from expanding their empire further, the Karuzari must first gather much needed resources. But doing so could be more difficult than anticipated.


"Balance" is the 5th episode in Part 2 of the Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes. Episode 6 is coming soon!

478 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2017

420 people are currently reading
170 people want to read

About the author

Ryk Brown

62 books859 followers
Born in 1960 and raised on an overdose of television, NASA, and science fiction, Ryk Brown has worked as a cook, rock guitarist, stage lighting technician, and paramedic. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife, daughter, and cat. By day he fixes computers, and by night he creates stories.
Having spent his entire life "thinking stuff up", the advent of digital publishing has finally given him an excuse to write it all down and share it with others. ("Others" meaning someone other than his poor wife and daughter.)
A long-time fan of all things science and space, his goal is to write and publish an on-going series of sci-fi adventures. To be set in his own version of humanity's future, his characters will explore the vast reaches of the galaxy, and perhaps even the universe. He invites you all to join him on this journey through his vivid imagination.

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5 stars
1,149 (56%)
4 stars
659 (32%)
3 stars
182 (8%)
2 stars
28 (1%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Jean.
1,819 reviews806 followers
November 5, 2017
I have read all of Brown’s books in the two series. I think it is best if one reads them in order. It helps to keep the characters and events arranged.

The first part of the book introduces some new characters and provides some depth to exciting personalities. The first part provides a buildup of suspense toward an event or battle. Brown weaves various plots and locations as the main plot progresses. Then the story suddenly starts moving very fast. There were some great battle scenes on land and space that had me biting my nails. The title of the book has to do with the operation of the gun ships. Nathan and associates are preparing for war. The ending of the book was a bit of a surprise. Cannot wait for the next book to come out.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is almost eleven hours long. Jeffrey Kafer does an excellent job narrating the book. Kafer has narrated both series.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,378 reviews28 followers
June 16, 2017
Author writes in 3rd person. Yay for that! Decent writing style. I didn't notice any typos. Happy to say, Brown doesn't fill the book with internal dialogue. Doesn't slow the pace with repetitive thoughts, feelings, guilts, fears. However, he does provide some rumination and reflection, in suitable moderation.

I'd rate this book PG-13, with no sex but some swearing. There is also a casual use of religious cussing. (I could do without that.)

I enjoy this series, and have no major complaints, but I don't absolutely love it, either. In terms of character interaction, I feel it is better than many "action heavy" space-opera series.

I felt this book was long in specific plot details but somewhat short on overall plot advancement.

The author is bringing in some characters from the previous series. In this book, we gained another handful of old friends, and but we lost some, too. We also gained a few new potential friends, but their honor, their characterization, and their motivation is in question. Are they really so easily led, and so wishy washy?

The title of the book reflects the mission: To "balance" the playing field between the hastily cobbled together Karuzari resistance fighters and the heavy armed Dusahn Jung. Most of the book reflects that theme, from the first conception of a daring 3-pronged plan to its eventual completion. The first half of the book is basically about securing funding, gaining intelligence, and planning the op. The second half of the book describes the operation itself, in detail. Too much detail, at times. But it did feel credible, to large extent, and painfully real.

For me, the actual "Cobra Gunship" battle went on too long, while very little time went toward the GRAND REUNION scene between Nathan and ____. Then the book ended abruptly, which is annoying after reading nearly 500 pages. The author left no pages for tallying gains and losses (ships gained, men lost, wounds healed). No closure on what was in the boxes given to Nathan. No closure on seeing a particular family safely settled into their Mystic quarters.

There was at least one event that was nearly impossible to believe. A miraculous save of biblical proportions. I'm thinking, "Huh?"

I wanted to see Nathan manifest his special abilities a bit more in this book, and to learn more about why he has such talents, but the focus wasn't on him so much. (Which was fine. Nice to see others get some screen time.)

I wanted to learn something more about the deceitful and seemingly immortal Captain Dubnyk (from prior series). Also, I was expecting to learn a bit about how the Dahsahn got jump technology. From Dubnyk, perhaps? I like these types of details to gradually unfold across books, like peeling an onion.

The scenes with Abby felt real, including her moral dilemma in serving the goals of Admiral Galiardi.

The author is showing stylistic improvement since his first book in the prequel series. I can say so, having read them all.
Profile Image for Arthur Jensen.
7 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2017
Nice read

Long on the action and a bit short on plot advancement. However,quite enjoyable. Hopefully the next release moves a little faster.
Profile Image for Wampuscat.
320 reviews17 followers
July 19, 2017
Balance is a decent continuation of The Frontiers Saga Rogue Castes, but it is what I could call a 'filler novel'. Sure, parts of it were necessary because they build the story up and introduce some new characters.

Unfortunately, it's a slow read for the most part. The ending is great, which is typical of these books.; however, the plot suffered from a bit too much foreshadowing, and a lot of extraneous information is dumped in regarding the details of how to program some of the tech. The entire trip to Earth could have been done much easier and without all the boring details of the trip. All of that just served to make the book tedious and longer that it had to be. Honesty, I think it could have been compacted with whatever is coming next to make a much more exciting read out of it.

There are some new characters that are introduced, and some some expanded, that I just do not care about yet. Maybe they will be important later, but right now they are boring to watch. On the other hand, some of the newest were boring to start, but ended up being kind of cool at the end.

It's hard to write hit after hit, and this series has had it's share, so one that's not a chart topper is not going to make me stop reading the series by any stretch. So, I will give this one a 3 star rating and call it an Average Read. I look forward to the next one in the series.


Profile Image for Ken.
376 reviews85 followers
November 5, 2018
Balance, well another gripping story, love this series, in short this is a heist, thinking Oceans 11, so lets steal a dozen Gunships from the alliance, anyway that's the buildup for this episode. Nathan Scott, Josh and Loki all the familiar characters plus a few new characters, great series onto the next.
Must say the technology and how Ryk weaves it into his story is fantastic, love this series onto the next episode.
Profile Image for Mike Nemeth.
680 reviews13 followers
August 6, 2017
Perhaps the best thing about Ryk Brown's second part of the Frontiers Saga, "Part 2: Rogue Castes," has been going back to basics of storytelling. He's created the universe and explained the geopolitical structure of humanity's space immigration and its survival after the devastation wrought by the biodigital plague. Big battles have been fought. Alliances formed. Earth was saved. In the first part of Frontiers, Brown killed off Captain Nathan "Na-Tan" Scott at its conclusion. Then he brought his hero back through imperfect cloning. He wasn't quite the same. Disaster struck. Others exploiting the jump drive threatened to dismantle all the good Nathan created with his alliances and risk-taking. And as Brown developed his second series, it got better. In "Balance," the fifth of the second series, Brown's rebels, led by Scott and the unbelievable badass General Telles, have to go it alone against a overwhelmingly more powerful opponent. They have friends, of course. Nathan has gathered all his buddies from his previous adventures to unseat the Jung's rogue caste. They have very little in the way of firepower. But they're innovative. Unfortunately, they've got to go against Earth to get resources. And that turns them basically into pirates. But they have no choice. The fate of the universe and interstellar space hangs in the balance. The Earth's greatest hero becomes its No. 1 criminal. Great story. I'll be reading the next as soon as it comes out.
Profile Image for David.
19 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2017
So I've been reading the Frontiers Saga from jump and unlike some of the other longer running series of books I read this one has been consistent in both quality and timing. Ryk Brown does an amazing job of creating characters that you get attached to while also NOT being afraid to kill one when the story calls for it.

There is one drawback to this series though and that's that you can't really just pick up this book and read it, you can as the story is mostly self contained but it might leave you wondering more than a few things since there's not a lot in the way of setup and backstory. There's enough so that you won't be utterly lost but it's far more enjoyable if you've read the previous books in the series. Luckily if you have Kindle Unlimited they're all on there, if you don't though the author's prices are quite reasonable. I can promise you, if you enjoy episodic stories with connecting story arcs and well developed characters and worlds you will definitely enjoy these books.
Profile Image for Paul Kennedy.
7 reviews
June 25, 2017
Love it love it love it

I love this series. I have been hooked since the first book. In fact since the part of the first book. I can't put them down. Sometimes I force myself to not read them so they take longer to get through, hoping the next will be out by the time I finish it. But that doesn't work for long. I end up reading a few pages which turned into a few chapters and the next thing I know I'm finished. Dam it!
That's the only bad thing about these books, hey have an ending.
I loved the way this book played out over so many different plots and locations. It was tricky to keep up but you can. You know the characters well enough. And I love how there's new ones coming in too.
I can't wait for the next instalment. I might have to re read the series (again!)
Profile Image for Ed Tinkertoy.
281 reviews4 followers
August 3, 2017
The book is just like its predecessors, outstanding with lots of action. But it was so intense at one point that I had to put it down for a while. It seemed like one thing after another was not going exactly as planned. But then they got it together and Nathen met his sister and dad, they rescued Abbey and her family, and stole some gun ships. The one problem I had with this book was there were so many characters introduced or included that I lost count of who was who. And the book kept changing for one place to another which kinda broke up the flow. And at the end of the book they succeeded in stealing gun ships but the book ended before it was clear who was lost and how many ships they actually got.

BUT, I cannot wait for the next one!!!
Profile Image for Christian Leonard Quale.
241 reviews3 followers
March 12, 2023
With Balance this series is back to its best. The book is varied, a lot is happening, but it's easy to keep track of, characters are having to make hard choices which seem plausible based on how they've been built up so far in the series, and nothing feels too predictable.

Of course, there are tendencies toward clichés now and then, and dialogue especially can feel a little exposition'y in an action-film kind of way, but that's part of the package with these books. Balance was exactly what I expect and want from these books - a whole lot of easy, relaxing, exciting, fun.
Profile Image for Henning strauss.
11 reviews
May 28, 2017
Bye it already.

This is another fast pace novel with Nathan Scot. If you haven't read any of the earlier books in the series. You should start with the start. I love the way Ryk Brown develop his characters and keep the story running in this amazing phase. If you have read the earlier books in the series, why are you reading her? By the book already. I know you are dying to know what happens next.
Profile Image for John Miller.
5 reviews
May 28, 2017
Great Series

I have enjoyed every book in these series. I find myself running to Amazon and purchasing the next one as soon as I get the email that it is avaliable. This book did not disappoint. It continues in the same tradition same those before. It keeps you up dated on old favorite characters and introduced me to new people that I had just as vested of interest in. I can't wait for the next.
Profile Image for Tamer Sadek.
262 reviews9 followers
May 30, 2017
I know I'm trying to reserve 5 stars for life changing books but I love this series. I love this series SO much. I love how Ryk Brown is writing like a man possessed to push these out in good time. I love the dialogue, the witty repartee (Josh and Loki!!) and the well thought out action. I love the realistic plot. And I love (and hate) how you are never sure if this is the book when one of your favourite characters dies.
3 reviews
June 6, 2017
And it rolls on!!

This series just won't quit. The last hour of this book is absolutely riveting. The first parts of the book set up new characters and gives some depth to characters previously on the periphery. Some make it and some don't. For those of you new to Ryk Brown start from the beginning. For those of you that have been following this space opera and the crew of the Aurora you will not be disappointed. Thanks Ryk!!
1,202 reviews17 followers
June 20, 2017
Another good book in the series.

I enjoyed this book very much, another excellent adventure in the series. It is full of action humor and good plot and character development. If you have not read the others in the series I suggest you start Wayback at episode one. They are you will learn how special Nathan Jessica general and all of those surrounding them are. I am highly and eagerly await Ing this Next book.
Profile Image for Charles A Nichols.
19 reviews
June 28, 2017
Not As Good

Certainty not my favorite book in this series. It didn't really add much to the plot or the development of the characters. Also I'm not a fan of the F*** bombs the author has decided to use. It belittles the characters, in my opinion. Let me give you an example... Holy f***. The action was f****** great but you lost the f****** plot. Maybe the next f****** book will be better.
111 reviews2 followers
July 11, 2017
where to start here........I like this series of books, and this was a reasonable story, paced not too fast or slow, but I think I'm getting a bit of tired of this story arc. The characters are now well understood and familiar, but I'm struggling to see where the story goes from here. It feels like it's just stumbling from one adventure to the next, with no real end game or story arc. will I red the next one? I probably will, but I won't be rushing to buy it.

For fans, this is more of the same, for everyone else, it's more of the same.
36 reviews
August 4, 2023
Kick butt

I don't know how this guy does it but it's still interesting and it's still riveting. It's a bit weird how Telles has become Captain Scott's superior given that he was programmed to obey and defend Captain Scott's life at all costs although I realized the programming has faded. Also, if Jess and Nathan don't get together soon I'm going to freak out. It was very tantalizing end of the first series.
744 reviews2 followers
February 9, 2024
Ok but not great

I've read the first 5 in the series back to back and this was the weakest for me
The end battle/skirmish was far too detailed, I got to the point I didn't care, just wanted to know the outcome
The rest.of the book was good, lots of intrigue , lots of interesting stuff going on.
I should go back and award the first 4 books 4*, but book 6 is waiting and I don't want to delay
41 reviews
June 1, 2017
OUTSTANDING

I Really Enjoy the Frontier Saga series. My one complaint, more a disappointment than a complaint, is the fact that I have to wait so long between the release of the next book in the series. Ha ing NA-TAN back is great. I don't believe the serve would be any good without him.
122 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2017
Keeping the Interest Up

I've read the 15 episodes of the Frontiers Saga and thought the series ended with the death ofNathan.
I was so happy to renew my acquaintances with all of the old characters. Either the series is great or I am insane for reading so any of the Ryk Brown series. I'm inclined to say the series is that great
Profile Image for christopher kishel.
108 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2017
Who knew gunships bounced?

Good lord this was a lot of fun. The whole crew is back in action, jumping around the universe and getting into trouble. This episode was pure action from the first chapter and was a nice change of pace. The first few episodes were setting up the story and we can see the action coming up.
Profile Image for Mordecai.
151 reviews
June 30, 2017
Space opera continues in its usual well written, the point style with exciting & descriptive action scenes.

Not keen on the entry of these new characters & really hoped the book would be more than just stealing gunships, but hey-ho!

As long as we don't wait long for the next one. Where has the Nathan & Jess love story gone to though !?!!

Great read but not the finest so far ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
49 reviews
July 6, 2017
Total excitement

OMG what a great book. Pulls you in and you can not put it down. I read until my eyes felt like they had sand in them. It was was so nice to get reacquainted with all the characters and I really liked the new members who joined up. I would give this book more stars if I could. Can't wait for the next book.
825 reviews2 followers
December 23, 2017
Nathan Scott and team return to earth to obtain two more key pieces to support a rebellion in the Pentoras Cluster: the recruitment of a jump-drive scientist and the theft of many sorely needed gunships. The group of people who know Nathan Scott is alive grows to a few more as Nathan visits his father.
914 reviews2 followers
July 18, 2018
So, Ryk Brown has done a great job thus far. He has kept me wanting to read more of the series.

This one, however, falls flat. Most of the book is spent getting ready for a heist, with secrets trips back to the Sol sector.

Not everything goes according to plan, something which is built up over large portions of the book. It’s a bit of a letdown over his earlier works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review
May 31, 2017
Best space opera period

The Frontiers saga is the best I have ever read and I have read part one three times over the years. No insects or reptiles just great real human character that you can really get involved with.
25 reviews6 followers
May 31, 2017
Keep Them Coming!

A good continuation of a great saga. I'm still trying to figure out the tally of who/what resources are making it to the next round, but as usual, a suspenseful ending that leaves us wanting more.
2 reviews
June 3, 2017
Another Great Installation of the story

It did feel just a bit like filler. I realize that Ryk is building to something, which is exciting. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Profile Image for Tyler Dennis.
15 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2017
S Enjoyable as all of the others!

Another bit of fine work from Ryk Brown. Thank you sir, for providing such great entertainment. I highly recommend the Fronteirs Saga and can't wait for Episode 5.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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