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The Silence #2
Exploration
La bataille est terminée. Mais la guerre vient à peine de commencer.
Aleister Lanoe a repoussé la flotte extraterrestre qui menaçait la planète Niraya. Pourtant, cette victoire ne suffit pas à apaiser sa soif de vengeance. Il ne connaîtra pas le repos tant qu'il n'aura pas réduit en cendres le monde d'origine de l’envahisseur extraterrestre.
Or cette revanche devra attendre, car Lanoe se trouve à présent engagé dans une terrible course contre la montre – et contre les forces de Centrocor, le conglomérat interplanétaire –, au terme de laquelle il espère découvrir une vérité susceptible de sauver la Terre elle-même...
« Une écriture trépidante, une histoire futuriste brillamment conçue, des personnages attachants... Une lecture divertissante et accrocheuse. »
SFX Magazine
650 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2017
24 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 3, 2018
Absolutely fantastic! A big book but the pages rocket by. Could not put it down. I need book 3!
January 9, 2020
In this decent sequel to "Forsaken Skies", we learn more about the aliens behind the powerful drone warriors featured in Book #1. Blue-Blue-White is the key insight. Pest control is implied -- but why would gas-giant dwellers particularly care about life on rocky worlds?
We meet another alien race, who are survivors of the drone-warrior attacks, and are nicely imagined, one of the book's highlights. Plenty of cinematic ACTION, but doesn't always make a lot of sense when you give it a bit of thought. For light, fast reading though, it worked just fine. Mostly. The actual text is 588 pp, so not quite as imposing as the 624 pp the publisher lists. You should definitely start with #1. You can probably see I'm getting less happy with #2 as I write it up. I write these things so I can remember what I liked (and disliked) in the stuff I read.
The Kirkus review is the one to read, and identifies other thin spots in the tale: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
"Patchy but overall a notch above mediocre. Fans of the previous should be happy enough." Fair enough.
We meet another alien race, who are survivors of the drone-warrior attacks, and are nicely imagined, one of the book's highlights. Plenty of cinematic ACTION, but doesn't always make a lot of sense when you give it a bit of thought. For light, fast reading though, it worked just fine. Mostly. The actual text is 588 pp, so not quite as imposing as the 624 pp the publisher lists. You should definitely start with #1. You can probably see I'm getting less happy with #2 as I write it up. I write these things so I can remember what I liked (and disliked) in the stuff I read.
The Kirkus review is the one to read, and identifies other thin spots in the tale: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
"Patchy but overall a notch above mediocre. Fans of the previous should be happy enough." Fair enough.
May 24, 2017
Sequel to Forsaken Skies. Serious spoilers ahead for that.
And indeed, it takes some serious twists on its own. But Lanoe and Valk are heading through a wormhole with Valk's information about the aliens, and Centrocor ships are waiting to attack inside the wormhole itself. An interesting fight that has them connecting with the Navy, and the admiralty, a way they were not expecting. And learn a message that the admirals got: offering help.
Meanwhile Centrocor wants Lanoe -- alive -- very much. The employee Bullum does her best to track him down. With considerable resources.
It involves a duel, cowardice, a fugitive from the Establishment Crisis, how many alien races the Blue-Blue-White have wiped out already, knowledge. the peril of AI, and more.
And indeed, it takes some serious twists on its own. But Lanoe and Valk are heading through a wormhole with Valk's information about the aliens, and Centrocor ships are waiting to attack inside the wormhole itself. An interesting fight that has them connecting with the Navy, and the admiralty, a way they were not expecting. And learn a message that the admirals got: offering help.
Meanwhile Centrocor wants Lanoe -- alive -- very much. The employee Bullum does her best to track him down. With considerable resources.
It involves a duel, cowardice, a fugitive from the Establishment Crisis, how many alien races the Blue-Blue-White have wiped out already, knowledge. the peril of AI, and more.
February 17, 2017
I never understand the science going on in these books, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them! Fun characters, witty banter and action are enough for me. Proper review to come.
January 16, 2019
This book was pretty okay. It had aspects I liked and ones I didn't.
One thing I liked about the previous book was the setting, and I still like it in this book. The way corporations are pretty much running things and are ... not evil exactly but profit-maximizing sociopaths seems pretty accurate. Also the idea of unstoppable robots is kinda cool in a terrifying way.
The prose is kinda choppy. I got used to it after a couple days of reading but it was a bit jarring. Also the space fighting is cool (and less boring than in the first book) but the maneuvers don't really make sense, 'cause there's a lot of swooshing around that would make more sense in atmosphere. Like, that's how a dogfighting airplane would turn. Third, there's one character who I thought was just kinda odd but I was just like, okay space people are weird and space engineers are weird, but then it was sorta hinted he was gay (I guess?) and that was him supposed to be kinda flaming? I don't know, the whole thing was weird. I like queer characters in my books but I like to know they're queer (unless they don't know, that's fine) and also I don't like them to be weird stereotypes. Anyway this character was actually cool and I like him, I just don't like things being weird like that.
There are also a couple things I have mixed feelings about. The main character is an ass and he's a well-described and plausible ass and it's not depicted that his assholeness is good or anything, but he's such a jerk. Also, this whole thing is his quest to fight the space jellyfish who unleashed the unstoppable robots, but that doesn't actually make sense. Like, they unleashed the robots a long time ago! Millions or maybe billions of years ago! That horse has well and truly escaped the barn! Also, the space jellyfish aren't the problem, their killer robots are the problem, and fighting the space jellyfish won't do anything about the robots, because they were unleashed a long-ass time ago. I mean, maybe this will be addressed in the third book?
One thing I liked about the previous book was the setting, and I still like it in this book. The way corporations are pretty much running things and are ... not evil exactly but profit-maximizing sociopaths seems pretty accurate. Also the idea of unstoppable robots is kinda cool in a terrifying way.
The prose is kinda choppy. I got used to it after a couple days of reading but it was a bit jarring. Also the space fighting is cool (and less boring than in the first book) but the maneuvers don't really make sense, 'cause there's a lot of swooshing around that would make more sense in atmosphere. Like, that's how a dogfighting airplane would turn. Third, there's one character who I thought was just kinda odd but I was just like, okay space people are weird and space engineers are weird, but then it was sorta hinted he was gay (I guess?) and that was him supposed to be kinda flaming? I don't know, the whole thing was weird. I like queer characters in my books but I like to know they're queer (unless they don't know, that's fine) and also I don't like them to be weird stereotypes. Anyway this character was actually cool and I like him, I just don't like things being weird like that.
There are also a couple things I have mixed feelings about. The main character is an ass and he's a well-described and plausible ass and it's not depicted that his assholeness is good or anything, but he's such a jerk. Also, this whole thing is his quest to fight the space jellyfish who unleashed the unstoppable robots, but that doesn't actually make sense. Like, they unleashed the robots a long time ago! Millions or maybe billions of years ago! That horse has well and truly escaped the barn! Also, the space jellyfish aren't the problem, their killer robots are the problem, and fighting the space jellyfish won't do anything about the robots, because they were unleashed a long-ass time ago. I mean, maybe this will be addressed in the third book?
August 2, 2017
Nice sequel that still brings a nice mix of introspection and character development to it's space-opera action. Commander Lanoe gets a secret mission to find allies against the alien fleets sweeping space free of any "vermin." He gets the remaining members of his team together including traitorious Maggs and the former pilot and current marine Ehta. Two flight cadets and their instructor, a former squaddie of Lanoe, join in with a colorful engineer as well. Centrocor is hot in pursuit the whole time, with the ill agent Bullum given the assignment to capture Lanoe even despite her many near-misses. It all comes to a head at the alien's secret retreat, with plenty of action and enough twists to keep it interesting. One more to go!
July 27, 2017
Very good follow up to the first book. Some new characters and some evolving story line for old ones. There are a couple of statements made that should provoke a few discussions with people and not because they have read the book or even read anything . I won't give away anything but will drop a couple of clues. These are just a few comments made in the discourse between characters and not a huge part of the story. One involves a Greek hero and the other is a sentence pertaining to weapons. If you stumble upon them at least share them with someone as I did and talk a moment or two about them.
December 30, 2017
A good sequel to the first book. That's not to say that there aren't problems--some of the characters are shallow at best, and there's a flimsy motivation for the bad guys, really, but that's not what's important about the book. This is a study of what it's like for the people who are on the winning side to suddenly have to be on the losing side. To deal with the odds breaking against them. I like the way the aliens are explored, too. Valk is the man.
May 1, 2017
Competently written but formulaic military space opera. If you liked Forsaken Skies, you will like this one.
November 11, 2017
Interesting world building and well put together action sequences but dragged between those sequences. Probably could have edited out 50-100 pages without losing anything vital.
April 30, 2023
This is definitely a step back in terms of quality, from Forsaken Skies. We've said goodbye to a lot of the cast from that book, and sadly, they get replaced by unlikable characters doing stupid things--perhaps more sadly, this effect extends to at least one of the returning characters as well: Lanoe. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The shame of this is compounded by the fact that some of these characters are interesting when they're first introduced. Bullam is a Centrocor employee with an exotic and tragic medical condition, who's desperately trying to curry favor with her higher-ups. Candless is one of Lanoe's old squaddies who's tried to leave the life of a pilot behind to become a teacher. Bury is a rookie pilot from a planet that's so dry, hot, and arid that the people living there have adapted to have skin infused with special polymers. But none of that initial potential lasts: Bullam gets sidelined after a few chapters, when a much less interesting character is introduced and starts ordering her around; Candless ends up feeling like just a slightly more competent version of Elder McRae; Bury just flies off the handle at any given opportunity, like if you plucked Bakugo out of My Hero Academia and threw him into a space opera. And that's not even touching on the other new characters who were unlikable, pretty much from the start.
I think I have to talk about Lanoe now. He was always something of a hard-ass, but over the course of this book, he just turns into a full-on tyrant. At some point, he stops being the harsh-but-fair leader who makes hard choices to get things done, and turns into the high school bully who expects to get everything he wants, and if he doesn't, he'll just start hitting people until that changes. Figuratively speaking, of course, but even by the midway point, Lanoe had become an intensely unlikable character, who has no concern for the well-being of, if not his friends then at least the people under his command; the only thing he cares about is getting his way, no matter how ridiculous or dangerous his demands get. It makes his tendency to beat nigh-impossible odds again and again less thrilling and more frustrating, after awhile--I don't think that's a trait you want in your main protagonist.
Honestly, by the end, the only characters I could say I genuinely liked in this book were Valk, Ehta, and even Maggs, because they displayed some modicum of relatable humanity, or at least the propensity to not always take the stupidest option available by default.
It also doesn't help that lke, 3/4 of this book is a chase sequence. Centrocor wants the information Valk has, after interfacing with the alien ships, and they're chasing him and Lanoe all over the galaxy to get it. Even once Lanoe & Co. finally get a solid goal to work towards, most of it plays out with them still being chased. It's better than the insufferable space chase from The Last Jedi, but it does start to feel like padding after awhile.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, because part of me is hoping Forgotten Worlds is just suffering from textbook "middle book syndrome," and that all this connective tissue will lead to some actual meat in book three. Because this is still an interesting universe, populated by characters who have proven they can be personable, when they're not being sidelined, hurried along, or succumbing to their own tunnel-vision. Just, if you're invested in this series after the first book, be prepared for a bit of a slog with this one.
The shame of this is compounded by the fact that some of these characters are interesting when they're first introduced. Bullam is a Centrocor employee with an exotic and tragic medical condition, who's desperately trying to curry favor with her higher-ups. Candless is one of Lanoe's old squaddies who's tried to leave the life of a pilot behind to become a teacher. Bury is a rookie pilot from a planet that's so dry, hot, and arid that the people living there have adapted to have skin infused with special polymers. But none of that initial potential lasts: Bullam gets sidelined after a few chapters, when a much less interesting character is introduced and starts ordering her around; Candless ends up feeling like just a slightly more competent version of Elder McRae; Bury just flies off the handle at any given opportunity, like if you plucked Bakugo out of My Hero Academia and threw him into a space opera. And that's not even touching on the other new characters who were unlikable, pretty much from the start.
I think I have to talk about Lanoe now. He was always something of a hard-ass, but over the course of this book, he just turns into a full-on tyrant. At some point, he stops being the harsh-but-fair leader who makes hard choices to get things done, and turns into the high school bully who expects to get everything he wants, and if he doesn't, he'll just start hitting people until that changes. Figuratively speaking, of course, but even by the midway point, Lanoe had become an intensely unlikable character, who has no concern for the well-being of, if not his friends then at least the people under his command; the only thing he cares about is getting his way, no matter how ridiculous or dangerous his demands get. It makes his tendency to beat nigh-impossible odds again and again less thrilling and more frustrating, after awhile--I don't think that's a trait you want in your main protagonist.
Honestly, by the end, the only characters I could say I genuinely liked in this book were Valk, Ehta, and even Maggs, because they displayed some modicum of relatable humanity, or at least the propensity to not always take the stupidest option available by default.
It also doesn't help that lke, 3/4 of this book is a chase sequence. Centrocor wants the information Valk has, after interfacing with the alien ships, and they're chasing him and Lanoe all over the galaxy to get it. Even once Lanoe & Co. finally get a solid goal to work towards, most of it plays out with them still being chased. It's better than the insufferable space chase from The Last Jedi, but it does start to feel like padding after awhile.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, because part of me is hoping Forgotten Worlds is just suffering from textbook "middle book syndrome," and that all this connective tissue will lead to some actual meat in book three. Because this is still an interesting universe, populated by characters who have proven they can be personable, when they're not being sidelined, hurried along, or succumbing to their own tunnel-vision. Just, if you're invested in this series after the first book, be prepared for a bit of a slog with this one.
October 1, 2018
Nach Der Verratene Planet ist Die Vergessenen Welten der zweite Band in der Silence-Reihe von D. Nolan Clark. Ich muss sagen, dass mir dieser Band wesentlich besser gefallen hat, als der Auftakt der Reihe, auch wenn ich hier dieselben Punkte bemängeln muss wie in Band 1.
Nachdem in Band 1 Lanoe und seine Crew den kleinen Planeten Niraya gegen eine übermächtige Alien-Armada verteidigt haben, sinnt Lanoe in Band 2 auf Rache. Dabei sind ihm so ungefähr alle anderen egal. Lanoe hatte bereits in Band 1 keine großen Sympathien bei mir geweckt In Band 2 werden es sogar noch weniger.
Seine Crew ist bunt zusammengewürfelt. Ehta ist wieder mit von der Partie, auch wenn man wenig von ihr sieht. Auster Maggs ebenfalls und genau wie Lanoe schafft er es, mir noch unsympathischer zu werden. Von Tannis Valk gibt es allerdings so einiges zu sehen. In Band 1 war er meine Lieblingsfigur und in Band 2 hat sich das nicht geändert. Neu dabei ist Pilotin Candless, die den Pilotennachwuchs für die Navy ausbildet, sowie zwei ihrer Kadetten, Bury und Ginger.
Während wie in Band 1, der Großteil der Figuren eher flach und blass blieb, gab es bei Valk und Ginger wesentlich mehr Tiefgang, und die beiden sind mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen. Valk, der sich durch den unerwarteten Twist in Band 1 nun mit Dingen auseinandersetzen muss, mit denen sich normalerweise kein Mensch konfrontiert sieht. Und Ginger, die junge Navy-Kadettin, die aus lang hergebrachter Familientradition Pilotin werden soll, es aber eigentlich nicht will.
Diese Crew führt Lanoe also in die Schlacht und dabei läuft nichts so glatt, wie es sollte. Gejagt vom MegaCon CentroCor, versucht Lanoe mit seinem Schiff einen Planeten ausfindig zu machen, von dem ein Hilfsangebot im Kampf gegen die Blau-Blau-Weiß gesendet wurde. Die Reise dahin ist beschwerlich und an ihrem Ende steht eine neue Alienspezies, die in der Vergangenheit fast vollständig von Blau-Blau-Weiß ausgelöscht wurde.
Das Worldbuilding ist hervorragend. Die Welt, die Clark hier geschaffen hat mit den sich ständig bekriegenden, alles beherrschenden MegaCons, ist schon sehr interessant.
Was mich etwas gestört hat war die Zahl der Weltraumschlachten. Mir sind das einfach viel zu viele. Versteht mich nicht falsch, Clark schreibt ganz hervorragende Kampfszenen, aber für meinen Geschmack wäre weniger davon deutlich mehr gewesen. Nicht nur wird die Geschichte dadurch zu stark aufgeblasen, sondern auch gute Handlungsstränge, die dazu beigetragen hätten, eine richtige Atmosphäre aufzubauen, wurden dabei ständig unterbrochen. Wenn man nach jedem interessanten Absatz in einem Kapitel wieder rausgerissen wird, um irgendwem beim Weltraumkampf zuschauen zu müssen, kann das schon sehr lästig sein. Das fand ich echt sehr schade. Vor allem, wenn man die hierfür verwendeten Seiten genutzt hätte, allen Figuren etwas mehr Leben einzuhauchen.
Fazit
Eigentlich will ich mich nicht beschweren. Das Buch ist spannend, die Geschichte rasant und Band 3 werde ich wohl auch unbedingt lesen müssen. Ich hoffe, dass es dieser auf den deutschen Markt schafft. Ansonsten eine Leseempfehlung von mir für Die Vergessenen Welten. Es mag kein herausragendes Scifi sein, aber es ist spannend, unterhaltsam und bietet ein sehr interessantes Universum. Was will man also mehr?
Nachdem in Band 1 Lanoe und seine Crew den kleinen Planeten Niraya gegen eine übermächtige Alien-Armada verteidigt haben, sinnt Lanoe in Band 2 auf Rache. Dabei sind ihm so ungefähr alle anderen egal. Lanoe hatte bereits in Band 1 keine großen Sympathien bei mir geweckt In Band 2 werden es sogar noch weniger.
Seine Crew ist bunt zusammengewürfelt. Ehta ist wieder mit von der Partie, auch wenn man wenig von ihr sieht. Auster Maggs ebenfalls und genau wie Lanoe schafft er es, mir noch unsympathischer zu werden. Von Tannis Valk gibt es allerdings so einiges zu sehen. In Band 1 war er meine Lieblingsfigur und in Band 2 hat sich das nicht geändert. Neu dabei ist Pilotin Candless, die den Pilotennachwuchs für die Navy ausbildet, sowie zwei ihrer Kadetten, Bury und Ginger.
Während wie in Band 1, der Großteil der Figuren eher flach und blass blieb, gab es bei Valk und Ginger wesentlich mehr Tiefgang, und die beiden sind mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen. Valk, der sich durch den unerwarteten Twist in Band 1 nun mit Dingen auseinandersetzen muss, mit denen sich normalerweise kein Mensch konfrontiert sieht. Und Ginger, die junge Navy-Kadettin, die aus lang hergebrachter Familientradition Pilotin werden soll, es aber eigentlich nicht will.
Diese Crew führt Lanoe also in die Schlacht und dabei läuft nichts so glatt, wie es sollte. Gejagt vom MegaCon CentroCor, versucht Lanoe mit seinem Schiff einen Planeten ausfindig zu machen, von dem ein Hilfsangebot im Kampf gegen die Blau-Blau-Weiß gesendet wurde. Die Reise dahin ist beschwerlich und an ihrem Ende steht eine neue Alienspezies, die in der Vergangenheit fast vollständig von Blau-Blau-Weiß ausgelöscht wurde.
Das Worldbuilding ist hervorragend. Die Welt, die Clark hier geschaffen hat mit den sich ständig bekriegenden, alles beherrschenden MegaCons, ist schon sehr interessant.
Was mich etwas gestört hat war die Zahl der Weltraumschlachten. Mir sind das einfach viel zu viele. Versteht mich nicht falsch, Clark schreibt ganz hervorragende Kampfszenen, aber für meinen Geschmack wäre weniger davon deutlich mehr gewesen. Nicht nur wird die Geschichte dadurch zu stark aufgeblasen, sondern auch gute Handlungsstränge, die dazu beigetragen hätten, eine richtige Atmosphäre aufzubauen, wurden dabei ständig unterbrochen. Wenn man nach jedem interessanten Absatz in einem Kapitel wieder rausgerissen wird, um irgendwem beim Weltraumkampf zuschauen zu müssen, kann das schon sehr lästig sein. Das fand ich echt sehr schade. Vor allem, wenn man die hierfür verwendeten Seiten genutzt hätte, allen Figuren etwas mehr Leben einzuhauchen.
Fazit
Eigentlich will ich mich nicht beschweren. Das Buch ist spannend, die Geschichte rasant und Band 3 werde ich wohl auch unbedingt lesen müssen. Ich hoffe, dass es dieser auf den deutschen Markt schafft. Ansonsten eine Leseempfehlung von mir für Die Vergessenen Welten. Es mag kein herausragendes Scifi sein, aber es ist spannend, unterhaltsam und bietet ein sehr interessantes Universum. Was will man also mehr?
May 31, 2020
At the end of Forsaken Skies, we learned that humanity's understanding that there were no aliens was wrong, very wrong. There *are* aliens, the best translation of their name is the Blue-Blue-White, and they are very real. They dispatched Von Neumann probes across the galaxy, and those robots interpreted all non-BBW life as vermin that must be exterminated. This is the answer to the Fermi paradox: humanity hadn't encountered aliens before because those fleets have been busy purging the galaxy of anything that so much as looked up at the night sky and wondered what was out there. And yes, it's fleets, plural. The Navy has picked up signs of many more fleets heading in humanity's general direction, and they will soon begin arriving in human space en masse. Given how hard it was to fight even one of those fleets, how will mankind survive?
Aleister Lanoe's on-again off-again girlfriend died fighting the robots attacking Niraya in the last book, and now he wants revenge on the aliens that triggered this galactic genocide... but where are they? The Navy has picked up signal hidden in the vast network of wormholes that humans use to traverse the stars... There's someone else out there, and they're offering assistance against the robots! The Navy has their hands full keeping all the different corporations busy so that no one polycorp becomes too dominant, so they give Lanoe a fancy new ship and tell him to make contact on Earth's behalf... Just like the first book, Lanoe gathers some pilots and marines and then they're off for another race against time.
Meanwhile, Centricor, the corporate sponsor that refused to lift a finger when the Nirayans were about to be exterminated, realizes there are potential new markets to exploit! They dispatch their own ship, led by a brain-damaged military genius who literally cannot feel joy outside of battle.
The Centricor rep, Ashlay Bullum, is seriously ill and *must* succeed in capturing Lanoe alive, otherwise she risks losing her health insurance. I have a sick feeling that more readers will relate to her than any of the other characters.
I can't describe the aliens without giving away too much. At first they're weird (alien!) but, once you realize what they're supposed to be a social commentary on, they become downright disgusting. Didn't realize this while I was reading the book, but a tweet from the author that spelled it out and holy shit.
The space fights and the arguments in between are so vivid that I can close my eyes and picture them perfectly even 3 years later. (Yes, I know I'm slow, I'm trying to catch up!) It's a worthy sequel to the first book... and if you haven't read that one, it's an excellent summer escape, so go for it!
Aleister Lanoe's on-again off-again girlfriend died fighting the robots attacking Niraya in the last book, and now he wants revenge on the aliens that triggered this galactic genocide... but where are they? The Navy has picked up signal hidden in the vast network of wormholes that humans use to traverse the stars... There's someone else out there, and they're offering assistance against the robots! The Navy has their hands full keeping all the different corporations busy so that no one polycorp becomes too dominant, so they give Lanoe a fancy new ship and tell him to make contact on Earth's behalf... Just like the first book, Lanoe gathers some pilots and marines and then they're off for another race against time.
Meanwhile, Centricor, the corporate sponsor that refused to lift a finger when the Nirayans were about to be exterminated, realizes there are potential new markets to exploit! They dispatch their own ship, led by a brain-damaged military genius who literally cannot feel joy outside of battle.
The Centricor rep, Ashlay Bullum, is seriously ill and *must* succeed in capturing Lanoe alive, otherwise she risks losing her health insurance. I have a sick feeling that more readers will relate to her than any of the other characters.
I can't describe the aliens without giving away too much. At first they're weird (alien!) but, once you realize what they're supposed to be a social commentary on, they become downright disgusting. Didn't realize this while I was reading the book, but a tweet from the author that spelled it out and holy shit.
The space fights and the arguments in between are so vivid that I can close my eyes and picture them perfectly even 3 years later. (Yes, I know I'm slow, I'm trying to catch up!) It's a worthy sequel to the first book... and if you haven't read that one, it's an excellent summer escape, so go for it!
May 1, 2025
Followed a similar formula to the first book. Kind of sad we didn't get to see more of the characters from the first book and how their stories ended. It almost felt like the new characters just fit the same slots - we lost two teenagers who have opposing personalities and an 'old friend' and ... gained two teenagers who have opposing personalities and an 'old friend'.
Still, the story was compelling. I feel like the pacing was helped by having multiple threats going on and a goal in mind compared to the first book. Like the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome rep.
Interesting ways to portray different mental health crises - surprisingly complex grief in Lanoe, Ginger's near mental breakdown (social anxiety whilst pushing a third person narrative of extroversion was a choice but aside from when the narration tried to speak for her) she was a sincerely compelling character with complex motives and sincere intentions, as well as Bury's very believable growth from struggling mentally with his surroundings to finally being both humbled and placed in a position that clearly suited him more.
I'm on the fence about the aliens. I'm not well-versed in sci-fi but my spidey senses are tingling about whether the characterizations of the aliens are leaning into some sort of stereotyping. I know we were steered narratively away from 'hive mind aliens' but... it's giving hive mind aliens. And all female ones. Posed against the very domineering man, who is even more so in his delirious grief, that is Lanoe... the vibes were off.
Was very easy to read and the cliffhanger was great. Look forward to finishing the series.
Still, the story was compelling. I feel like the pacing was helped by having multiple threats going on and a goal in mind compared to the first book. Like the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome rep.
Interesting ways to portray different mental health crises - surprisingly complex grief in Lanoe, Ginger's near mental breakdown (social anxiety whilst pushing a third person narrative of extroversion was a choice but aside from when the narration tried to speak for her) she was a sincerely compelling character with complex motives and sincere intentions, as well as Bury's very believable growth from struggling mentally with his surroundings to finally being both humbled and placed in a position that clearly suited him more.
I'm on the fence about the aliens. I'm not well-versed in sci-fi but my spidey senses are tingling about whether the characterizations of the aliens are leaning into some sort of stereotyping. I know we were steered narratively away from 'hive mind aliens' but... it's giving hive mind aliens. And all female ones. Posed against the very domineering man, who is even more so in his delirious grief, that is Lanoe... the vibes were off.
Was very easy to read and the cliffhanger was great. Look forward to finishing the series.
July 5, 2020
I wanted to like this volume, I really did, was hoping it was going to expand and gather forces together to fight this army that poses a massive threat to all. However its a volume with a side story that takes up the whole book, turns the semi-likable main character into an insufferable shit and makes all other main characters obnoxious garbage and has kind of a shitty ending. Essentially it takes Lanoe and turns him into someone who driven by personal revenge that he is willing to sacrifice everyone and everything to succeed at this goal. The other main characters are also just annoying and there is no one to root for, even the obvious bad guys are on a similar moral compass as the supposed good guys. So I will basically ditch the series at this point. I didn't want this book to be the same as book 1 but just hoped for a better story.
October 30, 2023
super interesting really enjoy the AI part, I hear and see Valk as 1/2 Garrus and 1/2 Legion from Mass Effect. the doctor too is mostly mordin. not sure I really like the tossed-in kids to the last couple of books as that feels a little forced. more so in the first book than this one as Ginger seems to have a bigger part to play in the next book but really doesn't let an ensemble shine though like the cast from Firefly or The Expanse. although that seems to be the main pilot's MO - do it alone and abuse ppl till they can't do it anymore. which gets a bit old.
April 14, 2019
Énorme coup de coeur pour ce second tome, pour cet univers et pour les personnages !
C'est un récit épique aux enjeux tellement énormes !! J'ai dévoré presque 600p sans m'en rendre compte. C'est une plongée incroyable et il y avait une telle tension tout au long du roman qui a fait que je ne pouvais tout simplement pas le lâcher !
Je n'ai qu'une hâte, celle de lire le tome 3 et découvrir ce que réserve l'auteur à Lanoe et ses compagnons.
C'est un récit épique aux enjeux tellement énormes !! J'ai dévoré presque 600p sans m'en rendre compte. C'est une plongée incroyable et il y avait une telle tension tout au long du roman qui a fait que je ne pouvais tout simplement pas le lâcher !
Je n'ai qu'une hâte, celle de lire le tome 3 et découvrir ce que réserve l'auteur à Lanoe et ses compagnons.
February 14, 2018
It reminded me of Walter Mitty - there were so many whee bam, chakata chakata noises as our hero saved the day.
I liked what story there was, but the guns going pocketa pockta all the time were boring.
Forgot to say in my review of book 1, that his reason why there were no aliens was the best I have ever read.
I liked what story there was, but the guns going pocketa pockta all the time were boring.
Forgot to say in my review of book 1, that his reason why there were no aliens was the best I have ever read.
September 24, 2025
4.5/5 stars
Does not suffer from book 2 syndrome! I actually liked this a little more, maybe because I understood a bit more of what I was getting into. I love our known character arcs, and the new characters are very interesting, even if I miss some characters from the first book. The world building is also amazing and the action was constantly intriguing.
Does not suffer from book 2 syndrome! I actually liked this a little more, maybe because I understood a bit more of what I was getting into. I love our known character arcs, and the new characters are very interesting, even if I miss some characters from the first book. The world building is also amazing and the action was constantly intriguing.
July 20, 2017
love love LOVE this series. It's big clever sci fi that still manages to be action packed and thrilling. And the characters... I love the characters, all of them, even tho a couple of them are determined to break my heart, dammit. I'm now going to wait impatiently for the third book.
July 29, 2025
A fun ride and an interesting interspecies encounter - low cliche factor there. I recommend this series for an entertaining diversionary journey in space. Glad to have read it. Wish books 2 and 3 were available at the library as audiobooks.
May 11, 2017
Look forward to third book in this series later this year. Really want to see what happens next.
September 10, 2017
I like the development of a human antagonist and the continuation of the discovery of the true nature of the aliens.
July 20, 2018
A lot more fun than a second book deserve to be. Actually enjoyed this one more than the first. Plus, ALIENS! yay!
June 16, 2021
Better than the first part !
November 3, 2023
7 / 10 ✪
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Please beware spoilers for Forsaken Skies—the Silence, Book #1
The second volume of Clark’s Silence trilogy takes on a slightly darker cast than its predecessor as headliner Aleister Lanoe become set on vengeance to deal with the loss of his former lover, Zhang. A lover he still sees in his dreams, hears in his head, and can even feel from time to time, nearby, but just out of touch.
More worrying than the state of Lanoe, however, is the state of the universe as a whole. The alien known only as the Blue-Blue-White produced replicating fleets they sent in every direction—and, due to an error in their AI coding—which have been exterminating every sentient species they’ve met along the way.
Which is more worrying: that the reason humanity hasn’t met any other sentients is that they’ve all been systematically exterminated because of an error in code; or that there could be countless billions worth of the same fleet that they’ve just fought off, waiting just off the edges of space, to finish the job?
It’s a take on the universe I hadn’t heard before. A reason why humanity appears to be the only sentient in the galaxy; because the rest of them have been eradicated. The Milky Way exists on a spur, after all, far from the center of the universe. It’s feasible to think that that’s why humanity has lived so long. It’s an interesting realization, and makes for a decent plot to build a trilogy around. First, though, there’s the bit with the corps: an all-powerful, private entity trying to control and monetize the universe around them, blah blah blah.
I mean, it’s not terribly creative, and fails to grab center stage even where the overarching plot succeeds. Thus we have an impasse. This book’s main thrill-ride is based on escaping the corporate threat. The overarching plot is detailed at the same time, but plays second fiddle to the opposing plot. Both are built well-enough that they play out concurrently. I wasn’t thrilled with the corporate story, but I enjoyed the rest of it: Lanoe’s revenge, a secret message from out in the stars, the search for the Blue-Blue-White. What results is an interesting, entertaining followup, yet one which is held back from greatness by its own ambition, and the author’s (or publisher’s?) doubt that it could carry the plot alone.
Some good, some bad. Overall, an entertaining sequel I’d recommend, especially for some surprise twists, immersive characters, and memorable moments. Some I haven’t even forgotten in the years since first reading it.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
Please beware spoilers for Forsaken Skies—the Silence, Book #1
The second volume of Clark’s Silence trilogy takes on a slightly darker cast than its predecessor as headliner Aleister Lanoe become set on vengeance to deal with the loss of his former lover, Zhang. A lover he still sees in his dreams, hears in his head, and can even feel from time to time, nearby, but just out of touch.
More worrying than the state of Lanoe, however, is the state of the universe as a whole. The alien known only as the Blue-Blue-White produced replicating fleets they sent in every direction—and, due to an error in their AI coding—which have been exterminating every sentient species they’ve met along the way.
Which is more worrying: that the reason humanity hasn’t met any other sentients is that they’ve all been systematically exterminated because of an error in code; or that there could be countless billions worth of the same fleet that they’ve just fought off, waiting just off the edges of space, to finish the job?
It’s a take on the universe I hadn’t heard before. A reason why humanity appears to be the only sentient in the galaxy; because the rest of them have been eradicated. The Milky Way exists on a spur, after all, far from the center of the universe. It’s feasible to think that that’s why humanity has lived so long. It’s an interesting realization, and makes for a decent plot to build a trilogy around. First, though, there’s the bit with the corps: an all-powerful, private entity trying to control and monetize the universe around them, blah blah blah.
I mean, it’s not terribly creative, and fails to grab center stage even where the overarching plot succeeds. Thus we have an impasse. This book’s main thrill-ride is based on escaping the corporate threat. The overarching plot is detailed at the same time, but plays second fiddle to the opposing plot. Both are built well-enough that they play out concurrently. I wasn’t thrilled with the corporate story, but I enjoyed the rest of it: Lanoe’s revenge, a secret message from out in the stars, the search for the Blue-Blue-White. What results is an interesting, entertaining followup, yet one which is held back from greatness by its own ambition, and the author’s (or publisher’s?) doubt that it could carry the plot alone.
Some good, some bad. Overall, an entertaining sequel I’d recommend, especially for some surprise twists, immersive characters, and memorable moments. Some I haven’t even forgotten in the years since first reading it.
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