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Ruins of Empire #2
Templum Veneris
Althea Fallon sensed something wrong the moment she set foot in Cytherea, that gleaming city atop Venus’ highest mountain.
It wasn’t just that every citizen was a perfect specimen of physical perfection.
It wasn’t just that Rainha Isabel Maxamilliano ruled over all aspects of the city, including a military force of men trained at birth to defend the state.
And it certainly wasn’t that the rest of her team was enthralled by Isabel and the pleasures of Cytherea.
A darker secret keeps this city in line. And when Althea finds the truth, she and the rest of her team must make a flee the city before the might of the Cytherean army or fight against Isabel’s tyrannical regime and plunge the long-lost human settlement on Venus into total chaos.
It wasn’t just that every citizen was a perfect specimen of physical perfection.
It wasn’t just that Rainha Isabel Maxamilliano ruled over all aspects of the city, including a military force of men trained at birth to defend the state.
And it certainly wasn’t that the rest of her team was enthralled by Isabel and the pleasures of Cytherea.
A darker secret keeps this city in line. And when Althea finds the truth, she and the rest of her team must make a flee the city before the might of the Cytherean army or fight against Isabel’s tyrannical regime and plunge the long-lost human settlement on Venus into total chaos.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2019
2 people are currently reading
About the author
Jeremy L. Jones
2 books16 followersWriter. Brewer. Traveler. Slightly crazed human-person.
He is the author of the Ruins of Empire Series along with hundreds of other books that, for the moment, only exist in his own head. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife, a cat named Mist and an office where he can lock himself away and write down the crazy stories he dreams up. He can be found wandering the craft beer scene sampling the fermented arts created in his home town, or in his garage making his own.
You can stalk him on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuinsofEmpire/
Or on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alleywayrover/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 8, 2020
The Ruins of Empire series takes place far in the future -- so far, in fact, that the colonization of other planets in our solar system is ancient history. Hell, it's so far in the future that even the collapse of this interplanetary civilization (and the subsequent communication failure between all these colonized worlds) is ancient history.
Many, many years later, as the technological level of Earth rises once again, we see the launch of the Human Reconnection Project, which, as the name suggests, seeks to reconnect with the long-lost worlds of our solar system. Saturnius Mons, this book's predecessor, had a quartet of colorful characters embark on a mission to re-discover Titan. It was a fun, action-packed book filled to bursting with running and gunning and Martian swear words.
Templum Veneris shows this same quartet rediscovering Venus, and I'm happy to say that we get a much deeper look into these characters' lives this time around. And because the characters learn the Venusian language while hibernating on their way to Venus, we also trade the crew’s clumsy attempts at understanding Esperanto for a TON of really great dialogue throughout.
Veikko, a Martian, has learned more or less to deal with his drug addiction to a substance called Triple-T. Although his life is, well, quite dull, he attends his NA meetings and he gets by. Cronus, a geek if ever there was one, has grown tired of living his life via the neuronet (a VR internet like the Oasis from Ready Player One, albeit vastly more accessible since it's not a "game" but an interface), and yearns for genuine human interaction, warts and all.
We get a peek into Althea's past and find her returning to humanity's oldest profession. Isra, the leader of the disastrous mission to Titan, has been reassigned to a low-level position meant to keep her out of sight and firmly out of mind. Her superiors remind her of this often.
This is the ragtag group of misfits that reconnect with a Venusian population not too dissimilar from ancient Greece. The crew notices quickly that every single individual is statuesque in appearance -- muscular, attractive, unblemished. And these Venusians (or Cythereans, as they are citizens of Venus’s single city, Cytherea) throw themselves at the crew (You know what I mean). Some, like Veikko, accept this eagerly, which others are immediately suspicious.
I want to be careful discussing what follows, because spoilers, but in short, things are not as they seem. Or, actually, they are, but only because of heavy intervention from the Cytherean ruler. Some of the crazier things that happen include Viekko getting in way over his head as he seeks to find a natural replacement for the high of triple-T. This comes to a head when he accompanies a small group of soldiers on patrol and works himself up into a violent frenzy that he soon regrets. Man, that was a rollercoaster. And to think it all could have been avoided if he’d just shown a little more restraint, but I get it -- he was chasing that adrenaline dragon. Althea witnesses some of the Cytherean ruler’s aforementioned intervention in action and decides to intervene a little bit herself.
And Isra, forever scarred (no pun intended!) by the failure of the Titan mission, may sacrifice every moral she has to ensure that this mission is a success. It's not easy, and she feels at times like Althea and Viekko are going out of their way to sabotage it.
And, in one of my favorite scenes, Viekko attempts to have The Talk © with Cronus. THE Talk. You know what I mean.
The whole book is great, and it manages to be funny and serious sometimes even in the same paragraph. I can’t recommend it enough. It would be difficult to get into without reading the first book, so definitely do that first, and then dive straight into this easy-to-read interplanetary novel.
Many, many years later, as the technological level of Earth rises once again, we see the launch of the Human Reconnection Project, which, as the name suggests, seeks to reconnect with the long-lost worlds of our solar system. Saturnius Mons, this book's predecessor, had a quartet of colorful characters embark on a mission to re-discover Titan. It was a fun, action-packed book filled to bursting with running and gunning and Martian swear words.
Templum Veneris shows this same quartet rediscovering Venus, and I'm happy to say that we get a much deeper look into these characters' lives this time around. And because the characters learn the Venusian language while hibernating on their way to Venus, we also trade the crew’s clumsy attempts at understanding Esperanto for a TON of really great dialogue throughout.
Veikko, a Martian, has learned more or less to deal with his drug addiction to a substance called Triple-T. Although his life is, well, quite dull, he attends his NA meetings and he gets by. Cronus, a geek if ever there was one, has grown tired of living his life via the neuronet (a VR internet like the Oasis from Ready Player One, albeit vastly more accessible since it's not a "game" but an interface), and yearns for genuine human interaction, warts and all.
We get a peek into Althea's past and find her returning to humanity's oldest profession. Isra, the leader of the disastrous mission to Titan, has been reassigned to a low-level position meant to keep her out of sight and firmly out of mind. Her superiors remind her of this often.
This is the ragtag group of misfits that reconnect with a Venusian population not too dissimilar from ancient Greece. The crew notices quickly that every single individual is statuesque in appearance -- muscular, attractive, unblemished. And these Venusians (or Cythereans, as they are citizens of Venus’s single city, Cytherea) throw themselves at the crew (You know what I mean). Some, like Veikko, accept this eagerly, which others are immediately suspicious.
I want to be careful discussing what follows, because spoilers, but in short, things are not as they seem. Or, actually, they are, but only because of heavy intervention from the Cytherean ruler. Some of the crazier things that happen include Viekko getting in way over his head as he seeks to find a natural replacement for the high of triple-T. This comes to a head when he accompanies a small group of soldiers on patrol and works himself up into a violent frenzy that he soon regrets. Man, that was a rollercoaster. And to think it all could have been avoided if he’d just shown a little more restraint, but I get it -- he was chasing that adrenaline dragon. Althea witnesses some of the Cytherean ruler’s aforementioned intervention in action and decides to intervene a little bit herself.
And Isra, forever scarred (no pun intended!) by the failure of the Titan mission, may sacrifice every moral she has to ensure that this mission is a success. It's not easy, and she feels at times like Althea and Viekko are going out of their way to sabotage it.
And, in one of my favorite scenes, Viekko attempts to have The Talk © with Cronus. THE Talk. You know what I mean.
The whole book is great, and it manages to be funny and serious sometimes even in the same paragraph. I can’t recommend it enough. It would be difficult to get into without reading the first book, so definitely do that first, and then dive straight into this easy-to-read interplanetary novel.
July 8, 2021
It’s not often that a second book in a series outshines the first, but I think it did in this case. This was a great sci-fi read full of action, intrigue, and engaging characters. I enjoyed meeting up with the team members from the first book as they embarked on another mission to reconnect with human colonies lost in the solar system – this time on the planet Venus.
What they encounter is a strong ruler and militaristic society of loyal subjects. Citizens are divided into warriors and workers, and all seems to function well, despite the feeling among the team that something is very off. This uneasiness adds a lot of tension as little by little the ugly underbelly of the Venusian culture is revealed.
The action is great and the pace zooms along. I read the story in two sittings, though it’s not a short book. What I enjoyed most of all was the characters. Each member of the team is well-rounded and highly distinct in their personalities and quirks. Motivations are clear and choices are logical and made complete sense to me. Where the first book in the series seemed more plot driven, in this one the characters shine, and I definitely was drawn in. Once again Viekko was my favorite.
This worked well as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book. A great read for sci-fi fans who enjoy a rollicking adventure and great characters.
What they encounter is a strong ruler and militaristic society of loyal subjects. Citizens are divided into warriors and workers, and all seems to function well, despite the feeling among the team that something is very off. This uneasiness adds a lot of tension as little by little the ugly underbelly of the Venusian culture is revealed.
The action is great and the pace zooms along. I read the story in two sittings, though it’s not a short book. What I enjoyed most of all was the characters. Each member of the team is well-rounded and highly distinct in their personalities and quirks. Motivations are clear and choices are logical and made complete sense to me. Where the first book in the series seemed more plot driven, in this one the characters shine, and I definitely was drawn in. Once again Viekko was my favorite.
This worked well as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book. A great read for sci-fi fans who enjoy a rollicking adventure and great characters.
February 13, 2020
One of those books that you can't put down after you start reading it. Main characters all have their flaws that they must overcome. Excellent SciFi story. Can't wait for the third book in the series.
March 26, 2022
Fixing planetary problems in under a week or your money back
If you liked the first book, you get more of the same. More strong prose, more heroics, more action. If you didn't like it, you'll still be annoyed by the same. Plot armor is standard issue, with a healthy dose of incredible breaks, all while using the fewest number of contractions possible. I thought the book was technically an improvement over its predecessor. The first two acts were a solid four-star read. Unfortunately, the ending couldn't stick the landing. The final third dipped to two, possibly one, star territory. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Viekko has to scan his arm for Narcotics Anonymous meetings to confirm no Triple T. It gave a plausible reason to drop the junkie vet trope.
The "From the Fall" entries still tell a better story. The solid grounds for a prequel.
The prose is strong without being purple.
Isra actually lost an eye. I guess there was a chink in the plot armor.
Joana punched Cronus for kissing her after so many passes.
The fights to earn citizenship.
The council women introduced themselves by how many citizens they were mothers of.
The Bad.
The Althea/Viekko will they won't they interactions. Of course they will . . . in the last book. She was cruel to him, so he shouldn't want her (and vice versa), but whatever.
Althea allegedly cared so much for Luciana yet repeatedly referred to her as "the woman.". I think her gender was used more often than her name.
The author kept reminding his readers italics meant a different language and how the Ministry salute went. I didn't need that much hand holding.
Viekko quickly learned how to fight with a sword and hold his own against soldiers trained since birth to fight with melee weapons. Viekko died. That's my head canon. He couldn't survive the scene in a billion variations.
Furthermore, the Cythereans still didn't kill him AND the Corsarios had the wherewithal to gather 200+ lbs of deadweight while running for their lives? Viekko would have died.
Isra fired a gun in the air. Viekko, a trained soldier standing nearby didn't see a problem with this? What goes up, must come down. Firing in the air is foolhardy and leads to a harsh words, if not a fistfight.
Viekko was "entertaining" three beautiful women and kept allowing interruptions for silly things. That's another BS flag.
Althea and Ethan scammed rich people who were apparently to stupid to go to their village and take revenge? For years? That's the very rare flashback plot armor.
The gang solved a global problem learned on Monday by the same week's Friday. That was extremely fast work. Thank goodness for the great Earth/Mars saviors for the poor, backward Venus folk.
The Core Four characters behaved like the Real Housewives of Venus. They were always hot and cold with each other.
A sacrificed baby was returned to his family and everyone just trusted the villain wasn't lying.
The Cythereans treated Isabel like a goddess, until they didn't. In the span of a single conversation, they all turned on her. Fanaticism doesn't break that easily. Especially when complete strangers were the ones to denounce the goddess.
The Technical.
There is violence, including against children only minutes old.
If you liked the first book, you get more of the same. More strong prose, more heroics, more action. If you didn't like it, you'll still be annoyed by the same. Plot armor is standard issue, with a healthy dose of incredible breaks, all while using the fewest number of contractions possible. I thought the book was technically an improvement over its predecessor. The first two acts were a solid four-star read. Unfortunately, the ending couldn't stick the landing. The final third dipped to two, possibly one, star territory. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Viekko has to scan his arm for Narcotics Anonymous meetings to confirm no Triple T. It gave a plausible reason to drop the junkie vet trope.
The "From the Fall" entries still tell a better story. The solid grounds for a prequel.
The prose is strong without being purple.
Isra actually lost an eye. I guess there was a chink in the plot armor.
Joana punched Cronus for kissing her after so many passes.
The fights to earn citizenship.
The council women introduced themselves by how many citizens they were mothers of.
The Bad.
The Althea/Viekko will they won't they interactions. Of course they will . . . in the last book. She was cruel to him, so he shouldn't want her (and vice versa), but whatever.
Althea allegedly cared so much for Luciana yet repeatedly referred to her as "the woman.". I think her gender was used more often than her name.
The author kept reminding his readers italics meant a different language and how the Ministry salute went. I didn't need that much hand holding.
Viekko quickly learned how to fight with a sword and hold his own against soldiers trained since birth to fight with melee weapons. Viekko died. That's my head canon. He couldn't survive the scene in a billion variations.
Furthermore, the Cythereans still didn't kill him AND the Corsarios had the wherewithal to gather 200+ lbs of deadweight while running for their lives? Viekko would have died.
Isra fired a gun in the air. Viekko, a trained soldier standing nearby didn't see a problem with this? What goes up, must come down. Firing in the air is foolhardy and leads to a harsh words, if not a fistfight.
Viekko was "entertaining" three beautiful women and kept allowing interruptions for silly things. That's another BS flag.
Althea and Ethan scammed rich people who were apparently to stupid to go to their village and take revenge? For years? That's the very rare flashback plot armor.
The gang solved a global problem learned on Monday by the same week's Friday. That was extremely fast work. Thank goodness for the great Earth/Mars saviors for the poor, backward Venus folk.
The Core Four characters behaved like the Real Housewives of Venus. They were always hot and cold with each other.
A sacrificed baby was returned to his family and everyone just trusted the villain wasn't lying.
The Cythereans treated Isabel like a goddess, until they didn't. In the span of a single conversation, they all turned on her. Fanaticism doesn't break that easily. Especially when complete strangers were the ones to denounce the goddess.
The Technical.
There is violence, including against children only minutes old.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews