Odysseus Ascendant

Odyssey One #7

by Evan Currie, David de Vries (Narrator)

A mysterious entity may be the key to a starship’s survival—or a terrifying new threat—as the Odyssey One series continues…

The Empire has set its sights on its next target: human Terrans. As effective allies of the Priminae, the denizens of Earth have proven themselves enemies to the Empire, and now the Imperial forces know more about the Terran home world than ever before.

The battle for the planet’s survival will see the Odysseus first into the breach. But more perils loom for Commodore Eric Weston and his comrades. They’re at odds with the political conflicts dividing Earth’s government and challenged by the mysterious presence haunting their vessel—its intentions unclear, and the extent of its powers unknown.

As the Empire brings the battle home, the crew of the Odysseus will need to determine whether this entity will support them in their fight for survival, or prove to be another dangerous foe.

There’s no turning back…and the only way forward may be a pathway to doom.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Fiction, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Aliens

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 8, 2018

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
After being somewhat disappointed by the previous book, this one showed the author back to his old self.

In this 7th installment, Terran and Priminae forces scramble to come up with some sort of plan because it's only a matter of time before the Empire comes back with a vengeance - and it's especially dangerous for Earth after the information they managed to download in the previous book.
The Empire is more vexed than ever because nothing they know about Humans makes any sense. So one of the vector lords decides to smash the enemy (us), even if he will be called out for using excessive force.
But is it excessive or will Commodore Weston, once again, come up with something to stick it to the Empire? Can project Prometheus be of any help perhaps?

This book had it all: space battles, new and creative technological developments (I especially love that at least some altered form of my beloved Archangels is now back), hilarious scenes, glorious banter, and some more info about the Empire as well as the entities - the sentient spaceship being just one new aspect (albeit the best one). And some serious foreshadowing.

The author actually manages to insert significant moments about gender identity side-by-side with military action, codes of honour, and a mad race to save our home planet (our only planet). Again.

I'm so happy that we're back to the usual high standard of this series and can't wait for the next installment and where the author will take the story.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This latest space battle in the fight for humanity against the Empire continues to be light-hearted despite the stakes.

Technology and bluffs save the day!

Truly, I do think this particular book has a bit more oomph and less light-lag than the last few entries. I liked the others well enough but this one didn't need to rely on slow reveals and mysteries revolving around the extra intelligences hanging around. Indeed, they're all pretty much out in the open and getting accepted by the brass.

Little kid Odysseus is cute. :)

These books continue to have that certain space opera popcorn charm we've come to know and love. Pew pew! :)

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Currie returns to the Odyssey One series after a few years with another installment and instead of bringing the series to a close pens another 'placeholder' installment with lots of room for sequels. I had relatively high hopes that this would end the series and hence was disappointed; especially as Currie did not even give us much space battles, which have been the forte of the series.

After sending back two Imperial forays into Priminae space licking their wounds, the Empire decides to send a full fleet to deal with these trouble makers. So, we start off with a massive Imperial fleet headed out to Priminae (and Earth) space and almost all of the book details the 'holding action' to slow their advance. Earth and the Priminae can field some dozen ships versus the hundreds of capital ships of the Imperial fleet. There is no way the 'allies' can hold out bearing some deus ex machina which of course (mild spoiler) Currie gives us in the last 20 pages.

All the aspects of the series that I really liked-- the sense of adventure, the mystery of an alien, human species, etc.-- are gone here, and what is left are all the things I did not like about the series. We have the 'god child' Odysseus on board Earth's flagship (part of the ship?) and Currie gives us yet another god from Earth to compliment Gaia. This is basically a full dive into space fantasy and a rather lame one at that. So much for wrapping this series up and where it is going I have no desire to follow. 1.5 stars, rounding up 'cause I finished it.

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 4.55 ***

If you are a hard military sci-fi fan, you just have to read this series!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Imperials have mounted a large force to deal with the Othars and their allies (the Earthlings). Captain Weston must engage in a dangerous game of giving up territory slowly in order to buy more time for the Priminae and Earth to prepare themselves for the battle. When the Imperials break for Earth instead of Ranquil, Weston must transition right into the system or risk being too late to save Earth. In true Earthling style, they reveal a new weapon that has the Imperials turning for their home; however, Weston knows it is only a matter of time before they return again.

I have been enjoying this series for a couple of months now. I was a tiny bit disappointed with this installment because I thought the entity known as Odysseus, would play a bigger role, particularly in the climax and that was not the case. Throughout the book, Odysseus is struggling to understand and find his role with the humans on the ship, so I thought he would be a main agent for the action at the climax, but he barely made an appearance. Not to say that the ending wasn't exciting! It was, I just wanted Odysseus to have a bigger role. Oh well. I still like the series and want to read the next one whenever it comes out.

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

4 Stars for Narration by David de Vries
4 Stars for Story Concepts, Overall Arc
4 Stars for Characters
2 Stars for Awkward POV Switches

The second time I've rated a book in the series with 4 stars. All of the things I loved in this book would not have been possible without the buildup from the last three novels. I enjoy 85% of the science, most of the sociological/psychological aspects, and I can go along with the political standings. With each book, there are more questions than answers. I'm okay with that. I took a brief look around on KU and it looks like there are close up views on lots of elements that I would have loved to get a look at within this storyverse.

Overall, fun action, ironically funny scenes with Odysseus and great plot progress in the story.
Plus, I can walk away from this end point and not be completely upset about the story ending on another cliffhanger. =P

[Sic Transit Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed.

The original book in the series, Odyssey One, was great because it was half hard sci fy and half action-packed strategic thriller, with both parts complementing the other. The world was large and believable and consistent. I do not believe that the same things could be said about this latest book.

Odysseus Ascendant is a continuation of the weak, poorly directed attempts that Warrior King and Odysseus Awakening were. The science has "advanced" so far as to become magical, the plots about gestalts is unbound by rules, and the fighting has become mundane. I wonder if the author has lost a sense of purpose for the series, or if the publisher is prematurely putting out these books to ride the popularity of the previous entries.

At this point, I would recommend new readers stop at book four, Out of the Black. At this rate, I am considering abandoning the series. With any luck, book eight will answer questions instead of raise them, produce more characterization instead of reducing it, and close plots instead of opening them. But after three books of non-comittance, I am not hopeful.

[Mick Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great continue of this series of books, Our author Evan has once again placed Commodore Eric Weston and his crew with a major problem. The Empire has decided that it must wipe out the humans and their allies. But as expected the Commodore take a pasting idea to the next level to give his people the edge that they need. But I have a feeling that the new character Saul is going to be the one that we will need to watch. Looking forward to the next book.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Ok so I am a bit of a Evan Currie fan.
Having read several of his previous books this certainly did not let me down.
A wonderful space opera that just keeps giving although it does help to have read the previous books in the series.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, the best yet in this series.

[ElaF · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan Currie writes really kick ass science fiction. He has not let up on the action, danger and tension in Odysseus Ascendant. I enjoyed the book even though I have not read all the book in the Odyssey One series. I knew I had missed the action from some of the previous books but it was still an easy story to get into. While the danger is countered the big problem is still roaming the galaxy so look for more action and adventure in future books.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

[Christof Damian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it is enough for me now. All these king setups, big fights near the end and finally the save with some miracle invention.
I'm also getting tired of the military being the best thing in the world.
Can we bring this to a close with the next book?
Also: how pointless are these "gods"?

[Hex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read the previous installment in this series, so I'm not entirely certain if this one is a fluid continuation of it. I'm also not sure if it matters much, since Currie -similar to many authors- follows the technique of stretching plots fairly thin across multiple books. That said, while the usual action and filler formula is present, he manages to make the "in-between" moments more tolerable, almost convincing (or tricking) you they're not pure fluff.

The story and overall "feel" I get from it have strayed from where it started in part one, now for example with more focus on the entity Odysseus (et al). This already started in the previous book, and while intriguing, I don't overly enjoy the concept so far. As a reader, we don't learn anything new about it, and nothing is being discovered about it either (read: all of this is being pushed ahead and ahead). In a way, it feels like swapping a spaceship for a magic carpet, a twist I'm sure not everyone signed up for, especially six to seven books deep.

The chapters with the focus on The Empire are very enjoyable: they're fleshed out and weighty with plenty of interesting characters and worldbuilding/backstory. I would not be surprised if there's another spin-off coming at some point in the future, featuring The Empire as the main POV.

The overarching story progresses at a reasonably steady pace and new concepts and ideas/technology are being developed and presented to the reader, perhaps a bit too quickly at times. New paths and characters we can follow are appearing, but some of it indeed appears to be there just for the sake of being able to churn out another book. Sometimes it just feels like a rinse and repeat of what we've seen previously, with just enough new paint so that the old coat doesn't show.

The ending was so-so, it felt rushed and left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied, yet at the same time still very interested in what's going to happen next. Maybe he did manage to trick me after all.

3,5/5, rounding up.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Odysseus Ascendant" is the thrilling conclusion to what appears to be the first half of Evan Currie's story of mankind's first trip into the black as it were. I love this series! It's a thrill ride from start to finish. And while it is a love letter to its own influences from Star Wars to Star Trek it can very much stand on its own two feet. I skipped the offshoot book "King of Thieves" and I'm going to go back and read it. Not to spoil anything, but events in that book are quite important in this one. Great stuff!

[Bee Glosson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series...ever evolving...big welcome to Eric Weston and the odyssey series. Each book gets better from start to end

[Jarosław Szymański · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am całą serię, bardzo dobra.

[Jed · Rating 4 out of 5]

New toys!

I enjoyed the new tech. Overall this was another good addition. I read it in a day or two. Not a lot of character depth, just space ships and space battles with a little intrigue mixed in. Definitely more about the tech than the people. I wanted more from the entities.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the whole series went through 5 books in one week

I love how there are so many characters to the books and looking forward to defeating the empire. Saul is such a douche bag tho...

[Koit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evan Currie is really giving empires a bad name — I wonder what they ever did to him? Too much of the social aspect on these novels now seems to be a bit too “perfect” if this makes sense. If the social conduct of this foreign power was a bit different, if the hierarchies worked a bit different, if there was a clear underlying motive to what they are doing…

I did enjoy it — but that’s more due to the amount of innovation and enterprising solutions which get presented, though I was not a fan of that last and final one. What was impressive was how good a tactician some of the people in it were, and therefore how thoroughly thought out some of the action starting with Books 3 and 4 has actually been. This was an aspect which increased my estimation of the author.

Lastly, every book that passes makes it look as if there could be twenty more — although Mr Currie also indicated in which direction this series is going and who is the “real” antagonist, which is a fact that is probably quite obvious to the reader but not to the people in the actual novel. We’ll see how true this course is — or, at least, I will, because despite some of the negatives above I will read the next one as well.

Originally posted here.

[Christopher Bonar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, now I get it. I was so slow on the uptake, that my review of the last book was a criticism of the apparent turn towards fantasy. Now that I know I am reading something more along the lines of an epic novel versus a SF or Fantasy series, I am all in. I had plenty of clues from the very beginning, but I looked for a space opera, and then let that bias my reading from the outset. Changing my perspective of what I was reading let me reflect back on the previous books with a little less criticism. 4 stars for creativity, minus a star for the lack of character depth (but I'd say the same for all the epic poems as well.) "For-ward Harch!" Currie. Forward Harch.

[paul dunlop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading all seven books and I’m really impressed with this series, can’t wait for the next book.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Odysseus Ascendant" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Evan Currie (http://evancurrie.ca). Mr. Currie has published more than 20 novels. This is the seventh in his "Odyssey One" 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 ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. The primary character is Commodore Eric Weston of the Priminae/Earth Alliance.

While Weston is the primary character, the story spends time with several other characters on both sides of the conflict. After two unexpected defeats, the Empire wants to destroy those who have dared to oppose them. As an Empire fleet bears down on Priminae space, Weston and the other allied commanders must find a way to stop them.

Complicating this is the being that was discovered living on the Odysseus in the last book "Odysseus Awakening". The creature appears as a young boy, yet it has considerable power. Is it the spacecraft embodied, or is it more?

I thoroughly enjoyed this 303 page science fiction novel. I have read most of the series and have enjoyed them all. I like the way the author has spread the story over many characters instead of focussing on just a few. This book reads well enough on its own, but I would recommend starting with the first book in the series. I like the cover art. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tym razem Imperium się wkurzyło, gdy jej mała grupa taktyczna poważnie oberwała. Nie zdarzało się to od stuleci. Chcąc szybko rozjechać Terran wzięli jedną z siedmiu armad, i najechali przestrzeń Priminae, by po kilku potyczkach przemieścić się do Układu Słonecznego.
Jednak mam wrażenie, że pojawiło się kilka niedociągnięć:
- gdzieś po drodze Terranie stracili jednego z Herosów... jest tylko wspomniane że został zniszczony w walce
- trudne do określenia rozmiary floty Imperium
- wątek z operacji pod kryptonimem "Prometeusz" słabo rozwinięty
- wyciągnięcie z rękawa karty z opisem "super-broń, użyć w razie zagrożenia zagładą"
- starcia przeskalowane w górę do takiego poziomu, którego nawet autor nie ogarnia.

Ogólnie siódmy tom nie jest zły. Nie jest też rewelacyjny.
Jest na pewno dobrym, solidnym kawałkiem S-F.
Dobrze się czyta, jednakże nie ma już takich emocji, jak to było w pierwszych trzech tomach.
Jednakże akcja jest na tyle wciągająca, że nie da się odstawić książki na dłużej, niż dobę... wciąż się zastanawiałem, jak to się skończy.
Ocena jest bardzo subiektywna, bo dodatkową gwiazdkę dodałem za całokształt serii, która trwa już (bądź co bądź) siedem tomów i jako całokształt jest więcej niż ponadprzeciętna.
Teraz tylko czekać, aż pojawi się ósmy tom w języku polskim ^_^

[Graff Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging, dark, hopeful, inspiring, reflective, sad, and tense.

Fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5 ⭐

I thought that this was the last book of the series, but I was wrong. I'm glad about it (storywise), but I don't have the next book...so I'm not happy about that. Humph.

Earth has got its back against the wall. The Empire is searching to find its location. The Priminae didn't keep it in their ship's drives, but there may be other clues...for the Empire to find it.

The Earth/Terrans are sending ships out...looking for the Empire's next incursion into Priminae space or ANYWHERE near Earth.

They do a lot of cool things with tech in this story, and the ship to ship fighting/strategy is really cool.

Also, they've got something in their back pocket...which is REALLY cool.

Had a LOT of fun breezing through this story. It went by SO fast.

Now, I have to wait. Sadness.

[John (JP) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The war between the alliance of Earth and the Priminae versus The Empire moves from skirmishes to a direct attack on systems. Mean while the planetary entries begin to openly worry about how this war will affect them. Odysseus the entity on the ship Odysseus begins to mature and openly wonders about human behavior, his place in the crew, and where he fit among the other entries. While all this is happening Weston contemplates the consequences of his chosen strategy.

This is a complex story where all the key characters get their time in the spotlight. Currie does a great job of inventing plausible technologies and integrating them in realistic battles. I like the fact that unlike other military science fiction novels the other side is given a voice.

This book in particular as well as the whole series in general is a good summer read. I think you should get your library to buy it.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain West again saves earth from annihilation through brazen subterfuge. Odysseus Ascendant is book 7 in the Odyssey One series. In this book, Odysseus, the ships unwelcomed AI entity, becomes prominent with the spaceship’s crew. He is unwelcomed but tolerated as he serves no useful purpose. Every crew member interaction consists of a fundamental dialog regarding humanity’ foibles or about the meaning of the crew member’s thoughts, which Odysseus can read.

A flotilla of Imperial Forces ships numbering in the hundreds attacks Earth. Using guerilla warfare tactics, West dogs the fleet throughout its journey to Earth. Finally, when all appears lost due to the Imperial's overwhelming force, West makes use of a remote secret weapon. He attacks and destroys a shipyard on the Imperial’s home planet. Using a video of the event, he convinces the Imperial’s to withdraw.

Like the rest of this series, the book is action packed and keeps the reader engaged.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the far future of space travel, Odysseus Ascendant (#7 in the Odyssey One series) continues the battles of survival against The Empire. I've read all of these and enjoy each new installment.

This science fiction is known as Space Opera (Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, chivalric romance, and risk-taking.) Source

Think Star Wars, which is probably the best known space opera of all. The only thing missing is romance. Canadian author Evan Currie's characters are more concerned with friendship, duty, and allegiance.

The novels are full of adventure, suspenseful, and strangely believable. I look forward to each new offering!

Read in March; Blog review scheduled for May 1.

NetGalley/47 North

Science Fiction. May 8, 2018. Print length: 304 pages.

[Vincent Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mil-fi series.

But I get the feeling that the series is falling into a common mil-fi trap in which each side needs to get far more dangerous every round to sustain the suspense. Now, if you're stretching the wars over decades and the power plays are more the result of chance, this works, but here, there's barely a handful of months between each round, and the Empire's progression is logical... which requires leaps in tech from the other side to keep the balance.

And here lies the trap for the series: at which point do you stop believing. The writing - very good - helps, but I still get this little pit in my insides that says "this is going to go downhill soon". Not yet, but potentially soon.

But if you liked the series, you'll still like this one. Even if there's some bits that are slightly more inconsistent (notably regarding the Gestalts Entities).

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of plucky David versus Goliath continues. Everything seems to be "paint by numbers" where the humans lay ambushes along the line of advance. The Empire has never seen the humans before, never encountered the technology, and try not to be over-confident. They had the advantage of numbers and warnings by two captains who had fought them before in the previous books. Maybe after reading enough history and scifi, nothing seemed to phase me.

And once again, the ending is predictable when Earth reviews a final super weapon that is half real and half bluff. Currie ends the book with more questions. How does one planet that just reached the space age defeat a multi-planet Empire? The Priminae allies and the "avatars" - what role do they play?

Currie's characters and stories are pretty 2-D and I don't plan to re-read them, unlike Flint, Weber, Kratman and Ringo, or Clancy.