Terra Nova broke free of the Ultari tyrants, but the colony’s struggle to survive has just begun. Governor Ken Hale and his expedition brought technology to the Canis Major galaxy that will change the balance of power forever, and the Ultari will stop at nothing to take it for themselves. The colony needs allies, and with no other options Hale sends Chief Kit Carson on a first contact mission that will either shield their vulnerable world or invite its swift destruction. This fast-paced sequel to Terra Nova takes readers on an action packed thrill ride of discovery, mystery and strange new worlds.
Richard Fox is a Nebula Award nominated author, and winner of the 2017 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy novel, author of The Ember War Saga, a military science fiction and space opera series, and other novels in the military history, thriller and space opera genres.
He lives in fabulous Las Vegas with his incredible wife and three boys, amazing children bent on anarchy.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) much to his surprise and spent ten years on active duty in the United States Army. He deployed on two combat tours to Iraq and received the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star and Presidential Unit Citation.
The Ember War Saga: 1. The Ember War 2. The Ruins of Anthalas 3. Blood of Heroes 4. Earth Defiant 5. The Gardens of Nibiru 6. Battle of the Void 7. The Siege of Earth 8. The Crucible 9. The Xaros Reckoning
Terran Armored Corps 1. Iron Dragoons 2. The Ibarra Sanction 3. The True Measure 4. A House Divided 5. The Last Aeon 6. Ferrum Corde
Terran Strike Marines 1. The Dotari Salvation 2. Rage of Winter 3. Valdar's Hammer 4. The Beast of Eridu 5. Gott Mit Uns
The Exiled Fleet: 1. Albion Lost 2. The Long March 3. Finest Hour 4. Point of Honor
The Terra Nova Chronicles 1. Terra Nova 2. Bloodlines 3. Wings of Redemption 4. Hale's War
Subscribe to Richard's spam free email list and get free short stories set during the Ember War Saga (and more as they become available) at: http://eepurl.com/bLj1gf
Book two of the Terra Nova series isn't any better than book one was.
We see the same small group of "Pathfinders" again in this book. Since there are only a few Pathfinders in the expedition, that makes sense, though one would hope that the manufacturing capability of the colony ship could have built something other than their one fast ship. Since there has been a large space battle, with huge quantities of wreckage in orbit, one would expect hull metal (of some sort) to be easy to source.
Well, at least they were able to get an FTL drive intact from a wreck, and figure out how to use it in only a few days. Like you do.
Again, we have a tiny group of people against a planet, though at least at the start, it's a planetary bureaucracy. This was seemingly written for laughs, which doesn't really fit in what is mostly a serious story. We get more unlikely coincidences that both create and solve problems for the protagonists.
At the end, we get the mustache-twirling enemies (who seem to be drawn from the Kryptonian enemies from Superman 2) setting up the next episode in the story. Which I will never read.
Again, there are some really well-done bits of this story, but there just isn't enough for everything to coalesce into a coherent whole.
Exhibit “A” As To Why Author Partnerships In Fiction Are Routinely Disasters
“Bloodlines (The Terra Nova Chronicles Book 2),” with two (2) authors, Mr. Richard Fox, and Mr. Josh Hayes, listed, is a good example as to why author partnerships in writing fiction are routinely disasters. At best, two (2) separate writers are both competing to give voice to one fictional story, a difficult task at best. This leads to unevenness, sloppiness, lack of clarity, and ultimately, disrespect for readers, as one (1) author is building upon an established story arc, created by the other. The original author becomes the “contractor,” while the new writing partner becomes the “subcontractor,” actually writing the book. It’s analogous to the legion of “ghost writers” in non-fiction books. The recent pandemic of joint ventures among indie writers, some following established story universes, while others create crossovers, and still others write “fan fiction,” seem to indicate a concerted, commercial/marketing intent, a headless rush to produce content, ignoring quality. “Bloodlines,” is filled with data points [see this reader’s “Goodreads ‘Highlights and Notes’” for many examples], that empirically evidence the low craftsmanship, incompetent editing and proofreading, and ultimately, questions of who actually wrote the book.
The story continues the spin-off storyline established in Mr. Fox’s “The Ember War” series. A colony of humans was established in another galaxy, as a “failsafe,” in case humanity succumbed to extinction level genocide in “The...War.” The second colony fleet and surviving colonists successfully fought off an initial alien subjugation [see “Book 1”], and are now struggling to build up their meager defenses. The sole “Pathfinder Team,” an US Army Special Forces Team analog, is dispatched in a cobbled together warp drive ship, searching for possible alien allies. On the mission, the “Terra Nova” governor’s twin teen sons, the “Hales,” are discovered as inadvertent stowaways [“‘The Hardy Boys’ In Space” comes to mind], and then the colony’s alien enemies are stumbled upon.
There is merit to the story; some engaging characters, some engaging narratives. But so much is just wrong and just plain dumb. Incessant use of “...raised eyebrow[s]...,” “...of course...,” are a couple of examples. Missing words, wrong tense, misspellings, loss of narrative continuity, an alien fully familiar with a human sidearm at first touch, the law enforcement heavy, tactical bent in action sequences, even “woke” sentiments among many characters, all combine to leave a bad taste.
This reader has enjoyed reading over a dozen or more of Mr. Fox’s solo authored books. Also have read a few of his “joint” projects. The difference in quality, tone, and voice between the two groups is readily apparent. The “joint” ventures have the feel of a “knockoff” bag or “counterfeit” watch, purchased by unsuspecting tourists in Times Square. This is speculation, conjecture, solely based upon the written word of the books in question. Each reader will decide for themselves, whether the posits of this reader have credence.
“Bloodlines” is not recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
This is the second book in the Terra Nova Series. The first is Terra Nova. I also read Iron Dragoons by Fox. He is a prolific author with a large body of work. I really enjoyed the three I’ve read.
Bloodlines continues the Terra Nova story and we follow the Pathfinder squad as they head into unknown territory seeking an ally to help them in their fight against the Ultari.
The author has created this universe with a broad brush. There are human colonists whose plans have gone awry. High tech human gadgets, which are in many ways inferior to the alien tech they encounter, and even ancient technology. In this story the there are tensions among the warriors, families, races and cultures, too.
I like the narrative with its many branches. It feels a little convoluted, but in a good way. More like the real world instead a a linear progression. There are many things happening at the same time and you really get a sense of these different elements.
But, the glue that holds it together for me is the group of Pathfinders led by Chief Carson. Carson is a good strong female lead who might have some flaws in her background. But, she’s got the mettle to lead and find a way ahead.
This continuation of the story takes the Pathfinders to a new world using untested technology they liberated from an abandoned craft left in orbit after a battle.
No spoilers here. But, the new world is fun to explore and presents a number of awkward situations for the erstwhile ambassadors from the fledgling Earth colony to overcome. There are fights, bureaucracy full of red tape to traverse, pirates, and an alien invasion.
I started this review talking about a broad brush narrative. But, it’s the details these guys get right. The choreography of the combat, the descriptions of the ships and even the concepts of life of the alien worlds are presented in lush, believable detail.
I’ll definitely read the next installment in this series.
My review of this book is much the same as the previous book in the series, "Terra Nova". It has plenty of action. The focus has become the two teenage sons of Governor Ken Hale. Apparently Hale was a major character in the previous Ember War series who is now Governor of the Terra Nova colony. His sons, Jerry and Elias, get into a fix which takes them into contact with an alien species... and things go terribly wrong.
There is a lot of seriousness going on with this story, with moments hilarious... maybe a little too hilarious. I suspect the target audience for this story is someone much younger than I am, maybe young high school. The humor seems formulaic and it is probably funny enough for young people, but I've heard these sort of humorous observations so many times before that they have almost become cliche.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of the series.
The story was ok/good and it seemed to flow well from the last book, however, there's much to be explained in the next book, and those explanations will determine if the story makes any sense.
One thing I hated was that the editor seems to have quit about half way through the book. The latter half is full of typos and misspellings. That's never a good sign.
The enemy is defined and is using earth “doughboy” technology to destroy and conquer all species and restore the Triumvirate to power. Former Ibarra operatives, Shannon and Knight are returned to the story. New alie s are introduced. Terra Nova prepares for war ands seeks allies. Great read as usual.
I have yet to find one of Mr. Fox's series lacking. I am eagerly waiting for the next book as I am also waiting for the next Terran Armor Corps and the next Exiled Fleet books. Hurry Mr. Fox!
Really enjoyed the continuation of this story line. New places and new battles. The plot covers 3 different places with interwoven story lines at each keeping the whole thing going. Looking forward to the summer and the next instalment.
Yet another great book from Richard Fox. Could not put the book down, finished it in 2 days. If you like Sci-Fi with mil-spec, get this book. I have read all the books now written by this author and looking forward to reading more later this spring/summer.
This series is the chronicles of the Hale family, Twin brothers Ken and Jared their wives and children in the new galaxy where things are not as advertised. It is occupied and the humans are not prepared. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
A good read, a decently written story. Not as good as the first, but still good. This book was ripe with several grammatical and typographical errors. A little more time in the proofreading should have been made. Still a good read.
Second of the series I read this month.. It was going of KU or I might not have bothered, I probably won't continue the series. It's more action-adventure, doesn't have a whole lot going on otherwise, so not really my thing. It's good though for what it is.