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Donovan #4
Unreconciled
The fourth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.
Where does one put a messianic cult of practicing cannibals? That becomes the question when Ashanti appears in Donovan's skies. She was designed for no more than four years in space. It's taken ten. The crew has sealed the transportees onto a single deck--and over the years, the few survivors down there have become monsters. Lead by the messiah, Batuhan, they call themselves the Unreconciled.
Supervisor Kalico Aguila settles them at remote Tyson Station. With the discovery of a wasting disease among the Unreconciled, it's up to Kalico, Dya Simonov, and Mark Talbot to try and deal with the epidemic. Only Batuhan has plans of his own--and Kalico and her people are to be the main course.
Talina Perez has brokered an uneasy truce with the quetzal molecules that float in her blood. Now, she, young Kylee Simonov, a quetzal named Flute, and a clueless nobleman named Taglioni rush to save Kalico's vanished party.
But as always, Donovan is playing its own deadly game. Lurking in the forest outside Tyson Base is an old and previously unknown terror that even quetzals fear. And it has already begun to hunt.
Where does one put a messianic cult of practicing cannibals? That becomes the question when Ashanti appears in Donovan's skies. She was designed for no more than four years in space. It's taken ten. The crew has sealed the transportees onto a single deck--and over the years, the few survivors down there have become monsters. Lead by the messiah, Batuhan, they call themselves the Unreconciled.
Supervisor Kalico Aguila settles them at remote Tyson Station. With the discovery of a wasting disease among the Unreconciled, it's up to Kalico, Dya Simonov, and Mark Talbot to try and deal with the epidemic. Only Batuhan has plans of his own--and Kalico and her people are to be the main course.
Talina Perez has brokered an uneasy truce with the quetzal molecules that float in her blood. Now, she, young Kylee Simonov, a quetzal named Flute, and a clueless nobleman named Taglioni rush to save Kalico's vanished party.
But as always, Donovan is playing its own deadly game. Lurking in the forest outside Tyson Base is an old and previously unknown terror that even quetzals fear. And it has already begun to hunt.
488 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2020
43 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
W. Michael Gear
181 books729 followersW. Michael Gear was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the twentieth of May, 1955. A fourth generation Colorado native, his family had been involved in hard-rock mining, cattle ranching, and journalism. After his father's death in 1959, Michael's mother received her Master's degree in journalism and began teaching. In 1962 she married Joseph J. Cook, who taught tool and die making, and the family lived in Lakewood, Colorado, until 1968. At that time they moved to Fort Collins so that Joe could pursue his Ph.D.. During those years the family lived in the foothills above Horsetooth Reservoir.
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
May 23, 2020
This fourth book in the Donovan series introduces Dek Taglioni as a new character and possible future love interest for Tal. He's a little less obvious than Cap was, and has a lot of interesting potential.
Unfortunately we lose some people too, but that's consistent with life in the dangerous environment of Donovan. Kalico continues to be a strong presence, but I would still like to see something more done with her.
I could have done without the brief parts on that took place on the Freelander; that didn't really add much to the story. The resolution with Dan Wirth was nicely done though.
Overall a good addition to the series.
"Fleeing through lava tubes on a planet thirty light-years from Solar System? Pursued by twenty-second-century space cannibals who are going to save the universe by dismembering and eating people? All the while knowing that if nothing in here kills us, we still have to survive virgin forest full of things that want to make a meal of us? What part of training did I miss?"
Unfortunately we lose some people too, but that's consistent with life in the dangerous environment of Donovan. Kalico continues to be a strong presence, but I would still like to see something more done with her.
I could have done without the brief parts on that took place on the Freelander; that didn't really add much to the story. The resolution with Dan Wirth was nicely done though.
Overall a good addition to the series.
"Fleeing through lava tubes on a planet thirty light-years from Solar System? Pursued by twenty-second-century space cannibals who are going to save the universe by dismembering and eating people? All the while knowing that if nothing in here kills us, we still have to survive virgin forest full of things that want to make a meal of us? What part of training did I miss?"
November 16, 2020
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/11/16/...
I make it no secret my love for the Donovan series, which I had initially thought was going to be a trilogy—and of course, the tidiness to the conclusion of the third book Pariah only reaffirmed that suspicion. As you can imagine though, I have never been so happy to be wrong! To say I was ecstatic when I discovered there was going to be a fourth book on the horizon is a massive understatement.
So now we have Unreconciled, in which readers get to return to the planet of Donovan and catch up with all the characters we’ve grown to know and love! As the story opens, the colony is abuzz with anticipation over the imminent arrival of Ashanti, a Corporation ship that had been given up for lost when it failed to show up years ago with its promised supply of resources and new settlers. But while they may have finally made it to their destination, the situation they bring is not good at all. Complications experienced during space travel had increased their journey time by a number of years which ended up stressing the life support systems on Ashanti, causing widespread starvation and death. In the midst of all this chaos, a man named Batuhan rose to power and gained a loyal following. Calling themselves the Unreconciled, they developed a set of beliefs about their place in the universe which also involved a twisted ritual that required eating their own dead in order achieve immortality.
The captain of Ashanti, horrified by the actions of the Unreconciled, did what he could to isolate and quarantine the cannibalistic cult. Convinced that he would be persecuted for his decision once they arrive at Donovan, he is thus completely baffled by the nonchalance displayed by Supervisor Kalico Aguila even after he confesses to all that he had done. For you see, what newcomers do not understand is that all rules go out the window when it comes to Donovan. Even after all these years, it is still a modest colony in the middle of the wilderness, with no central leadership or an organized set of laws. That’s because everyone is too busy trying to survive, fending off the killer fauna and flora. The situation with the Unreconciled is hardly the worst problem they’ve faced, though it does leave the question of where to put them. In the end, a remote satellite outpost by the name of Tyson Base is determined to be the best location to settle the cannibals, being out of the way and relatively defensible. However, what no one realizes is that the area is already inhabited—by something large, hidden, and dangerous, previously unknown to the colonists. And whatever it is, it is hungry and eager to hunt.
Honestly, I am seriously impressed and amazed by the W. Michael Gear’s storytelling skills. Who knows what other cool ideas this man has got kicking around in his head? We may be on book four, but the series is still going strong, bursting with the potential for more conflicts and relationship dynamics. That’s because Unreconciled not only introduces new plot threads, it also features many more additions to the cast with a fresh injection of characters from the Ashanti.
One of my favorite new characters is Derek “Tek” Taglioni, a privileged playboy hailing from one of the wealthy Corporate ruling families, who arrogantly thought he would make a name for himself by signing up for a mission to Donovan. There’s nothing quite like a few years of hardship aboard the Ashanti to quickly change his perspective on life, though. Much like Kalico, he was an elite who quickly learned just how much his name and money was worth once everything turned to shit—that is, absolutely zilch. I sense a promising future for his character, and I especially loved the snappy banter between him and Kalico, not to mention a potential romance with Talina. And then there’s Batuhan and his faithful companions, who are just off the walls cray-cray. Over-the-top their insanity may be, however, there was definitely an element of entertainment there. As well, mere words cannot describe the immense satisfaction I derived from seeing this psycho cult get completely overwhelmed by the brutal nature of Donovan.
Of course, we mustn’t forget the characters from the previous books either. Gear provides us plenty of time with familiar faces, and in addition to Tal and Kalico, we also get to catch up with Mark Talbot, Dan Wirth, Kylee and her quetzal Flute, and others. There are some groundbreaking shakeups to the cast as well, and I won’t lie, some of these changes were so shocking that they made me gasp out loud. In addition, there were plenty of twists and turns in the story, keeping the pace fast and exciting. The danger of Donovan’s vegetation and wildlife has been a constant theme in this series, and I am glad to see this trend continue. What our characters find lurking out near Tyson Base will give you chills! Needless to say, at no time did the momentum flag, as there were interesting new developments every step of the way.
All in all, I am so pleased with the direction the Donovan series is taking, and I am also glad the author decided to write Unreconciled as he’s clearly got a lot more ideas! Naturally, I am crossing my fingers for a fifth book, and I think chances are good since there’s no shortage of mysteries and questions to explore in this amazing world.
I make it no secret my love for the Donovan series, which I had initially thought was going to be a trilogy—and of course, the tidiness to the conclusion of the third book Pariah only reaffirmed that suspicion. As you can imagine though, I have never been so happy to be wrong! To say I was ecstatic when I discovered there was going to be a fourth book on the horizon is a massive understatement.
So now we have Unreconciled, in which readers get to return to the planet of Donovan and catch up with all the characters we’ve grown to know and love! As the story opens, the colony is abuzz with anticipation over the imminent arrival of Ashanti, a Corporation ship that had been given up for lost when it failed to show up years ago with its promised supply of resources and new settlers. But while they may have finally made it to their destination, the situation they bring is not good at all. Complications experienced during space travel had increased their journey time by a number of years which ended up stressing the life support systems on Ashanti, causing widespread starvation and death. In the midst of all this chaos, a man named Batuhan rose to power and gained a loyal following. Calling themselves the Unreconciled, they developed a set of beliefs about their place in the universe which also involved a twisted ritual that required eating their own dead in order achieve immortality.
The captain of Ashanti, horrified by the actions of the Unreconciled, did what he could to isolate and quarantine the cannibalistic cult. Convinced that he would be persecuted for his decision once they arrive at Donovan, he is thus completely baffled by the nonchalance displayed by Supervisor Kalico Aguila even after he confesses to all that he had done. For you see, what newcomers do not understand is that all rules go out the window when it comes to Donovan. Even after all these years, it is still a modest colony in the middle of the wilderness, with no central leadership or an organized set of laws. That’s because everyone is too busy trying to survive, fending off the killer fauna and flora. The situation with the Unreconciled is hardly the worst problem they’ve faced, though it does leave the question of where to put them. In the end, a remote satellite outpost by the name of Tyson Base is determined to be the best location to settle the cannibals, being out of the way and relatively defensible. However, what no one realizes is that the area is already inhabited—by something large, hidden, and dangerous, previously unknown to the colonists. And whatever it is, it is hungry and eager to hunt.
Honestly, I am seriously impressed and amazed by the W. Michael Gear’s storytelling skills. Who knows what other cool ideas this man has got kicking around in his head? We may be on book four, but the series is still going strong, bursting with the potential for more conflicts and relationship dynamics. That’s because Unreconciled not only introduces new plot threads, it also features many more additions to the cast with a fresh injection of characters from the Ashanti.
One of my favorite new characters is Derek “Tek” Taglioni, a privileged playboy hailing from one of the wealthy Corporate ruling families, who arrogantly thought he would make a name for himself by signing up for a mission to Donovan. There’s nothing quite like a few years of hardship aboard the Ashanti to quickly change his perspective on life, though. Much like Kalico, he was an elite who quickly learned just how much his name and money was worth once everything turned to shit—that is, absolutely zilch. I sense a promising future for his character, and I especially loved the snappy banter between him and Kalico, not to mention a potential romance with Talina. And then there’s Batuhan and his faithful companions, who are just off the walls cray-cray. Over-the-top their insanity may be, however, there was definitely an element of entertainment there. As well, mere words cannot describe the immense satisfaction I derived from seeing this psycho cult get completely overwhelmed by the brutal nature of Donovan.
Of course, we mustn’t forget the characters from the previous books either. Gear provides us plenty of time with familiar faces, and in addition to Tal and Kalico, we also get to catch up with Mark Talbot, Dan Wirth, Kylee and her quetzal Flute, and others. There are some groundbreaking shakeups to the cast as well, and I won’t lie, some of these changes were so shocking that they made me gasp out loud. In addition, there were plenty of twists and turns in the story, keeping the pace fast and exciting. The danger of Donovan’s vegetation and wildlife has been a constant theme in this series, and I am glad to see this trend continue. What our characters find lurking out near Tyson Base will give you chills! Needless to say, at no time did the momentum flag, as there were interesting new developments every step of the way.
All in all, I am so pleased with the direction the Donovan series is taking, and I am also glad the author decided to write Unreconciled as he’s clearly got a lot more ideas! Naturally, I am crossing my fingers for a fifth book, and I think chances are good since there’s no shortage of mysteries and questions to explore in this amazing world.
May 21, 2020
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Just when I think I can't be more in love with the Donovan series than I already am, W. Michael Gear goes and kicks it out of the park again. This latest installment is far and away my favorite, each book adding so much complexity and depth to this incredible world that the author has created. Obviously, it's complicated when reviewing a fourth book in a series, so I am just going to tell you all the things I loved since there legit isn't a thing I didn't like!
►Holy high stakes! Look, the stakes have been high since the moment these characters stepped foot on Donovan. That's not a spoiler, that's just the synopsis. Donovan literally will kill you if you hang out too long. But in this book? They're off the charts.
►Grayer gray morality than ever! Is it okay to do the awfullest things if you're just trying to survive? Are there limits? If so, who decides them? And on and on and on. Because there are absolutely no clear cut answers, or "right" answers.
►As such, it's beyond thought-provoking. I could not stop asking myself how I would handle the situations. What I would do, who I would become under similar circumstances. And more so, asking myself what is the closest to "right" answer when it came to some of these huge decisions.
►The characters are more developed than ever. Because it's a larger cast, it took me a book or two to really get to care about them. I liked them from the start, but to be really invested. Now, I am all-in. They've all become so real and multi-faceted, and the fact that the stakes are so high obviously means none of your faves will ever be safe so that's scary.
Bottom Line: Gear continues to create plots and characters that are both eerily plausible and wildly entertaining. If you haven't started the series, do. If you have, continue, because this one is the best of them all!
Just when I think I can't be more in love with the Donovan series than I already am, W. Michael Gear goes and kicks it out of the park again. This latest installment is far and away my favorite, each book adding so much complexity and depth to this incredible world that the author has created. Obviously, it's complicated when reviewing a fourth book in a series, so I am just going to tell you all the things I loved since there legit isn't a thing I didn't like!
►Holy high stakes! Look, the stakes have been high since the moment these characters stepped foot on Donovan. That's not a spoiler, that's just the synopsis. Donovan literally will kill you if you hang out too long. But in this book? They're off the charts.
►Grayer gray morality than ever! Is it okay to do the awfullest things if you're just trying to survive? Are there limits? If so, who decides them? And on and on and on. Because there are absolutely no clear cut answers, or "right" answers.
►As such, it's beyond thought-provoking. I could not stop asking myself how I would handle the situations. What I would do, who I would become under similar circumstances. And more so, asking myself what is the closest to "right" answer when it came to some of these huge decisions.
►The characters are more developed than ever. Because it's a larger cast, it took me a book or two to really get to care about them. I liked them from the start, but to be really invested. Now, I am all-in. They've all become so real and multi-faceted, and the fact that the stakes are so high obviously means none of your faves will ever be safe so that's scary.
Bottom Line: Gear continues to create plots and characters that are both eerily plausible and wildly entertaining. If you haven't started the series, do. If you have, continue, because this one is the best of them all!
May 25, 2020
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Gear does it again with another thrilling entry into his wonderful Donovan series.
I love writers who are able to sustain long series by improving upon each book they write. Such is the case with W. Michael Gear’s Donovan series, I’m happy to report. Unreconciled , the latest edition in Gear’s action-packed science fiction saga, is probably one of my favorite books so far, which proves that Gear has what it takes to keep his books fresh and exciting. If you love SF stories about colonizing new planets and all the drama and politics that goes along with a bunch of people trying to survive on a hostile planet, then you really should read these books. But my recommendation is to start at the beginning. Even though each book can be enjoyed as a self contained story, you’ll miss out on the character development, which is just as important as the action.
When the story opens, the citizens of Donovan are looking forward to the arrival of the long-lost ship Ashanti , which has been missing for the past seven years. Ashanti , you see, had some technical difficulties during the process of inverting symmetry and ended up stuck in an odd time warp-like existence with no way to escape. What should have been a two-to-three-year mission to the planet of Donovan took ten years, and during that time the entire crew nearly died of starvation. To make matters worse, a self-proclaimed messiah on board the ship named Batuhan has recruited a large group of followers he calls the Unreconciled, and they've begun killing and eating their dead. With rations running low, Batuhan turned to cannibalism, believing that by absorbing the dead, he and his followers would become immortal. Now that the Ashanti is about to finally land on the planet, Captain Galluzzi is worried that he’ll be arrested and condemned for his act of cruelty: giving the order to lock Batuhan and his followers on Deck Three to fend for themselves.
But Galluzzi and the rest of the crew have no idea what awaits them on Donovan. Expecting a civilized outpost with clear leadership and rules, he’s shocked to find rundown buildings and gun-toting citizens, not to mention a high fence that separates the town from the wild, untamed vistas of the planet. After learning about the Unreconciled, Supervisor Kalico Aguila knows that they must keep Donovan safe from the unstable Batuhan, and so they decide to install them in a remote, abandoned outpost called Tyson’s Station.
Batuhan is convinced that Kalico stands in the way of his ultimate goal—to purify humanity by killing and eating them—and so he devises a plan to lure Kalico and her contingent out to Tyson’s Station to get rid of them for good. But Batuhan and the rest of the Ashanti passengers are completely unprepared for the dangers on Donovan...
Cannibals. Killer plants. A deranged messiah. A guilt-ridden ship’s captain. All these elements and many more make up Unreconciled , and boy did I have fun with this book! There is a lot going on in this story and quite a few characters to keep track of, but I thought Gear did a great job of switching among all the various story lines to keep things interesting. His short, punchy chapters also helped with the pacing—I’ll admit I’m a big fan of short chapters—and talk about ramping up the tension! I love the way he sometimes leaves the reader hanging at the end of these chapters which only made me want to read faster to find out what happened.
That being said, there is quite a bit of set-up in the first half of the book, and then the action really takes off and doesn’t slow down at all . Gear establishes his players, including old favorites from the previous books like Dan Wirth, Allison Chomko, Mark Talbot and Kylee, and then introduces a host of new characters as well: Captain Miguel Galluzzi, who is trying to make sense of his place in the world after the horrifying events on the Ashanti ; Derek Taglioni, a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in Solar System who has completely changed his outlook on life after ten years of barely surviving the trip to Donovan; Varten Omanian, a security tech on Ashanti who is one of Batuhan’s Unreconciled but who finds his faith in Batuhan wavering; and Batuhan himself, a cult leader who sits on a throne made of human bones and believes he can purify humanity by absorbing it. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Donovan story without Kalico Aguila, Talina Perez and Shig Mosadek, and all three play important parts in this story.
Donovan is a dangerous planet, and if you’ve been following this series then you know all about quetzals, nightmares and slugs, to name just a few of Donovan’s deadly creatures. Now that we’re four books in, Gear introduces some native species that we haven’t seen before, which made the stakes higher than ever for our characters. For one thing, because the Unreconciled are staying at Tyson’s Station, Gear has the opportunity to show us an area of the planet that hasn’t been explored yet, and of course there are some nasty creatures lying in wait for our characters. We also get a ship full of “fresh meat” in this story, the crew and passengers aboard the Ashanti who are in no way prepared for what awaits them on the planet. If you’re at all squeamish, you might want to think twice about reading these books, fair warning. Gear delights in describing such things as the way a slug burrows into the skin of your foot and works its way through your body, or how a nightmare snags its victims with its long tentacles and absorbs them slowly (an awful way to die, I imagine). Gear is only restricted by his imagination, so I fully expect to discover more horrible creatures like these in future books!
Gear’s background in anthropology really shows in this story, as he explores the motivations and meanings behind the cannibalistic cult. In one scene, Shig—the resident philosopher—takes Galluzzi up to the Freelander , the abandoned ghost ship that features in several past books in the series, and forces him to face his demons—literally. I really enjoyed their story line, even though it wasn’t the main focus.
The only parts of Unreconciled that didn’t work that well for me were Batuhan’s chapters where he rambles on and on (and on and on) about his beliefs. Spending time in his head was terrifying at first, but later became repetitive and boring. I get it, he’s a crazed psycho cult leader! What I found much more interesting was the struggle that Varten went through, a man who has eaten human flesh (one would hope because he had to in order to survive) but who is slowly realizing that yes, Batuhan is indeed crazy. I also loved the scientific reason behind the cult’s actions, which made their story much more grounded.
Will there be more books in this series? I believe there will be many more, if Gear has anything to say about it. No news on future books up on Goodreads yet, but Unreconciled ends with several small, unsolved mysteries. These give me hope that Gear is hard at work on his next installment, and with so much untapped story potential, I can happily see the world of Donovan expanding into a much longer series in the future. Fingers crossed, and trust me when I say I’ll be first in line to read the next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Check out my reviews for the rest of the series:
Outpost | Abandoned | Pariah
This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
I love writers who are able to sustain long series by improving upon each book they write. Such is the case with W. Michael Gear’s Donovan series, I’m happy to report. Unreconciled , the latest edition in Gear’s action-packed science fiction saga, is probably one of my favorite books so far, which proves that Gear has what it takes to keep his books fresh and exciting. If you love SF stories about colonizing new planets and all the drama and politics that goes along with a bunch of people trying to survive on a hostile planet, then you really should read these books. But my recommendation is to start at the beginning. Even though each book can be enjoyed as a self contained story, you’ll miss out on the character development, which is just as important as the action.
When the story opens, the citizens of Donovan are looking forward to the arrival of the long-lost ship Ashanti , which has been missing for the past seven years. Ashanti , you see, had some technical difficulties during the process of inverting symmetry and ended up stuck in an odd time warp-like existence with no way to escape. What should have been a two-to-three-year mission to the planet of Donovan took ten years, and during that time the entire crew nearly died of starvation. To make matters worse, a self-proclaimed messiah on board the ship named Batuhan has recruited a large group of followers he calls the Unreconciled, and they've begun killing and eating their dead. With rations running low, Batuhan turned to cannibalism, believing that by absorbing the dead, he and his followers would become immortal. Now that the Ashanti is about to finally land on the planet, Captain Galluzzi is worried that he’ll be arrested and condemned for his act of cruelty: giving the order to lock Batuhan and his followers on Deck Three to fend for themselves.
But Galluzzi and the rest of the crew have no idea what awaits them on Donovan. Expecting a civilized outpost with clear leadership and rules, he’s shocked to find rundown buildings and gun-toting citizens, not to mention a high fence that separates the town from the wild, untamed vistas of the planet. After learning about the Unreconciled, Supervisor Kalico Aguila knows that they must keep Donovan safe from the unstable Batuhan, and so they decide to install them in a remote, abandoned outpost called Tyson’s Station.
Batuhan is convinced that Kalico stands in the way of his ultimate goal—to purify humanity by killing and eating them—and so he devises a plan to lure Kalico and her contingent out to Tyson’s Station to get rid of them for good. But Batuhan and the rest of the Ashanti passengers are completely unprepared for the dangers on Donovan...
Cannibals. Killer plants. A deranged messiah. A guilt-ridden ship’s captain. All these elements and many more make up Unreconciled , and boy did I have fun with this book! There is a lot going on in this story and quite a few characters to keep track of, but I thought Gear did a great job of switching among all the various story lines to keep things interesting. His short, punchy chapters also helped with the pacing—I’ll admit I’m a big fan of short chapters—and talk about ramping up the tension! I love the way he sometimes leaves the reader hanging at the end of these chapters which only made me want to read faster to find out what happened.
That being said, there is quite a bit of set-up in the first half of the book, and then the action really takes off and doesn’t slow down at all . Gear establishes his players, including old favorites from the previous books like Dan Wirth, Allison Chomko, Mark Talbot and Kylee, and then introduces a host of new characters as well: Captain Miguel Galluzzi, who is trying to make sense of his place in the world after the horrifying events on the Ashanti ; Derek Taglioni, a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in Solar System who has completely changed his outlook on life after ten years of barely surviving the trip to Donovan; Varten Omanian, a security tech on Ashanti who is one of Batuhan’s Unreconciled but who finds his faith in Batuhan wavering; and Batuhan himself, a cult leader who sits on a throne made of human bones and believes he can purify humanity by absorbing it. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Donovan story without Kalico Aguila, Talina Perez and Shig Mosadek, and all three play important parts in this story.
Donovan is a dangerous planet, and if you’ve been following this series then you know all about quetzals, nightmares and slugs, to name just a few of Donovan’s deadly creatures. Now that we’re four books in, Gear introduces some native species that we haven’t seen before, which made the stakes higher than ever for our characters. For one thing, because the Unreconciled are staying at Tyson’s Station, Gear has the opportunity to show us an area of the planet that hasn’t been explored yet, and of course there are some nasty creatures lying in wait for our characters. We also get a ship full of “fresh meat” in this story, the crew and passengers aboard the Ashanti who are in no way prepared for what awaits them on the planet. If you’re at all squeamish, you might want to think twice about reading these books, fair warning. Gear delights in describing such things as the way a slug burrows into the skin of your foot and works its way through your body, or how a nightmare snags its victims with its long tentacles and absorbs them slowly (an awful way to die, I imagine). Gear is only restricted by his imagination, so I fully expect to discover more horrible creatures like these in future books!
Gear’s background in anthropology really shows in this story, as he explores the motivations and meanings behind the cannibalistic cult. In one scene, Shig—the resident philosopher—takes Galluzzi up to the Freelander , the abandoned ghost ship that features in several past books in the series, and forces him to face his demons—literally. I really enjoyed their story line, even though it wasn’t the main focus.
The only parts of Unreconciled that didn’t work that well for me were Batuhan’s chapters where he rambles on and on (and on and on) about his beliefs. Spending time in his head was terrifying at first, but later became repetitive and boring. I get it, he’s a crazed psycho cult leader! What I found much more interesting was the struggle that Varten went through, a man who has eaten human flesh (one would hope because he had to in order to survive) but who is slowly realizing that yes, Batuhan is indeed crazy. I also loved the scientific reason behind the cult’s actions, which made their story much more grounded.
Will there be more books in this series? I believe there will be many more, if Gear has anything to say about it. No news on future books up on Goodreads yet, but Unreconciled ends with several small, unsolved mysteries. These give me hope that Gear is hard at work on his next installment, and with so much untapped story potential, I can happily see the world of Donovan expanding into a much longer series in the future. Fingers crossed, and trust me when I say I’ll be first in line to read the next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Check out my reviews for the rest of the series:
Outpost | Abandoned | Pariah
This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
April 6, 2023
This story took a hard turn towards extreme twisted human beings. It was really difficult to enjoy the overall based on the horror and depravity element. Too bad the whole storey bashes all religion based on the one example the author dreames up.
June 9, 2020
Just another good episode in a solid series. I wish someone would persuade the author to lay off the over long psycho-religious philosophizing, though...and I think there wasn’t one passage printed in italics that added anything important to the story. Skip or skim those, and enjoy the rest. Hope the next volume isn’t long in coming...a VERY promising new monster is left on the loose.
November 26, 2022
"On Donovan, stupidity is a death sentence."
The colonists aboard the Ashanti think they're so smart, so wise, so in tune with the universe that they immediately set out to prove this adage. After almost 10 years in the ship, sealed into their quarters by the crew after a violent mutiny, they've developed a cannibalistic religion which claims to receive its revelations from the universe itself, through the demented mumblings of three "prophets," who in fact are suffering from kuru. The "messiah" of this religion rules his subjects by terror and violence, and when they finally arrive at Donovan, he tries to maintain things as they have been.
But slugs and bems, skewers and quetzals, mobbers and nightmares, don't find human cannibals impressive, and because the people refuse to listen to advice from those who aren't in touch with the universe, Donovan begins chopping down their numbers. In the midst of this they decide they want to get away from Tyson Base, where the governments of Donovan (such as they are) have decided to put the cannibals for everyone's protection, and their plan precipitates mass death in the forest, not just from the usual suspects from from something no one's ever heard of before, which quetzals only know as a vague memory...and which terrifies quetzals as quetzals terrify human beings.
After the "woo woo" of Pariah, this book - with all its elements of horror and terror - is a delightful return to what this series is all about. We get aliens that are emphatically alien, and human beings who might be a bit more than human after 35 years interacting with Donovan, and one of the most bizarre and intriguing mysteries in all of science fiction - what in the bloody blue blazes is going on with space travel to Donovan?
The colonists aboard the Ashanti think they're so smart, so wise, so in tune with the universe that they immediately set out to prove this adage. After almost 10 years in the ship, sealed into their quarters by the crew after a violent mutiny, they've developed a cannibalistic religion which claims to receive its revelations from the universe itself, through the demented mumblings of three "prophets," who in fact are suffering from kuru. The "messiah" of this religion rules his subjects by terror and violence, and when they finally arrive at Donovan, he tries to maintain things as they have been.
But slugs and bems, skewers and quetzals, mobbers and nightmares, don't find human cannibals impressive, and because the people refuse to listen to advice from those who aren't in touch with the universe, Donovan begins chopping down their numbers. In the midst of this they decide they want to get away from Tyson Base, where the governments of Donovan (such as they are) have decided to put the cannibals for everyone's protection, and their plan precipitates mass death in the forest, not just from the usual suspects from from something no one's ever heard of before, which quetzals only know as a vague memory...and which terrifies quetzals as quetzals terrify human beings.
After the "woo woo" of Pariah, this book - with all its elements of horror and terror - is a delightful return to what this series is all about. We get aliens that are emphatically alien, and human beings who might be a bit more than human after 35 years interacting with Donovan, and one of the most bizarre and intriguing mysteries in all of science fiction - what in the bloody blue blazes is going on with space travel to Donovan?
July 20, 2021
I last left you complaining about cowboys and indians in space.
Thank God Mr Gear was paying attention.
I still worry at how he promotes the ugliness of free enterprise, exploitation and Capitalism as some wonderful system... the individual is king. Forget working together to build a community, to support each other (they only do that, here, in an emergency), to actually BE a bunch of colonists hacking out an existence on the most brutal of planets...
The REAL enemy of the people is space and the vast distances it covers... and some flaw in their technology... You just don't know how long a journey can take... and when the resources are limited there is always cannibalism...
I actually enjoyed this book... I couldn't put it down as I chewed on my neighbour's thigh-bone.
Thank God Mr Gear was paying attention.
I still worry at how he promotes the ugliness of free enterprise, exploitation and Capitalism as some wonderful system... the individual is king. Forget working together to build a community, to support each other (they only do that, here, in an emergency), to actually BE a bunch of colonists hacking out an existence on the most brutal of planets...
The REAL enemy of the people is space and the vast distances it covers... and some flaw in their technology... You just don't know how long a journey can take... and when the resources are limited there is always cannibalism...
I actually enjoyed this book... I couldn't put it down as I chewed on my neighbour's thigh-bone.
July 23, 2024
Another solid 4 star read. Better than book 3, which had a slow start.
The new characters are interesting, including the new monster. Curious to see how the cannibals integrate into the community, & I'm hoping we get some interesting ocean critters.
Writing was good, well paced. Changing of POV is spectacular, always keeps me up late, bastard.
Surprised by D & K, see where that goes I guess. He seemed more into T.
Also had a few solid laughs throughout this book which I appreciated.
The new characters are interesting, including the new monster. Curious to see how the cannibals integrate into the community, & I'm hoping we get some interesting ocean critters.
Writing was good, well paced. Changing of POV is spectacular, always keeps me up late, bastard.
Surprised by D & K, see where that goes I guess. He seemed more into T.
Also had a few solid laughs throughout this book which I appreciated.
July 25, 2020
Fantastic series.
May 15, 2020
I like the whole series. This one was a great addition to it.Only problem now is we must wait for the next one.Please hurry Michael.
March 26, 2020
Unreconciled
by W. Michael Gear
“What happens next,” Michael Gear allows the reader to love a world incomprehensibly different and dangerous than Earth. Having read the prior three books (Outpost, Abandoned, and Pariah), and listening to the Abandoned as I read this book, I am still amazed by his ability to find a new way to look at not only this remarkable world but Human nature.
In this series we have explored a new very dangerous world in Outpost, a ghost ship of diabolical nature , and supernatural appearance in Abandoned, and finally the devious nature of a man ready to control the universe in Pariah.
Unreconciled is just the beginning of what happens next. As the Ashanti appears on the edge of the solar system the reader is thrown into a nightmare of circumstances. The Freelander frightened readers as it appeared as a mausoleum to the dead, caught between one universe and another, it haunted you. Ashanti may be more frightening than a dead ship. Ashanti has a deck of survivors that are even more terrifying, the Unreconciled. In a world where everything, I mean everything can kill you, now we have people that may make the Quetzal feel at home. The horrifically scarred bodies and religious nature of the Unreconciled show so much the nature of people trying to cope with insurmountable horror. Michael’s ability to create villains that make even Steven King just an amature. Batuhan, is so overwhelmingly frightening in his role you may never have another religiously inspired villain that could match him. His absolute belief in his mission, even though he personally questions it, is frightening. Hearing his inner monolog, you get a thorough look into the convoluted mind of a man on the edge of sanity. His choices to not listen to Donovan's orientation is the marked downfall of his power, his people and his own destruction. He dismisses the warning of the dangerous flora and fauna of Donovan, to the detriment of his people.
For those fans who have followed the series as I have, I will give you a warning, there is something more dangerous than Quetzals on Donovan.
Thank you Michael for this adventure in danger, nightmares that live, and a new science fictional epic.
by W. Michael Gear
“What happens next,” Michael Gear allows the reader to love a world incomprehensibly different and dangerous than Earth. Having read the prior three books (Outpost, Abandoned, and Pariah), and listening to the Abandoned as I read this book, I am still amazed by his ability to find a new way to look at not only this remarkable world but Human nature.
In this series we have explored a new very dangerous world in Outpost, a ghost ship of diabolical nature , and supernatural appearance in Abandoned, and finally the devious nature of a man ready to control the universe in Pariah.
Unreconciled is just the beginning of what happens next. As the Ashanti appears on the edge of the solar system the reader is thrown into a nightmare of circumstances. The Freelander frightened readers as it appeared as a mausoleum to the dead, caught between one universe and another, it haunted you. Ashanti may be more frightening than a dead ship. Ashanti has a deck of survivors that are even more terrifying, the Unreconciled. In a world where everything, I mean everything can kill you, now we have people that may make the Quetzal feel at home. The horrifically scarred bodies and religious nature of the Unreconciled show so much the nature of people trying to cope with insurmountable horror. Michael’s ability to create villains that make even Steven King just an amature. Batuhan, is so overwhelmingly frightening in his role you may never have another religiously inspired villain that could match him. His absolute belief in his mission, even though he personally questions it, is frightening. Hearing his inner monolog, you get a thorough look into the convoluted mind of a man on the edge of sanity. His choices to not listen to Donovan's orientation is the marked downfall of his power, his people and his own destruction. He dismisses the warning of the dangerous flora and fauna of Donovan, to the detriment of his people.
For those fans who have followed the series as I have, I will give you a warning, there is something more dangerous than Quetzals on Donovan.
Thank you Michael for this adventure in danger, nightmares that live, and a new science fictional epic.
August 17, 2021
When you start chuckling while reading that the evil cannibals are transported to the empty science base, in anticipation of the massacre flora and fauna will start, you know you are fully into Donovan. I enjoyed this book very much. It took a lot from the previous books and added not too many new plot twists to it, but cruised on what we learned in the previous novels. Instead, we got lots of additional detail, some character deepening and great pieces around the thinking of the Messiah and the captain; truly brilliantly mirrored against Donovan’s settlers no-bullshit attitude. Then, some new stories were openend with Dek (will he and Tal find love?) and some closed with Dan moving back home. I am looking forward to Waterworld Donovan and the follow up contact with the big black evil in the trees in novel #5. Solid 4 stars.
May 15, 2022
3.5 stars. I thought this was the weakest of the series so far.
Warning: Don't read ahead if you don't want spoilers....
Cannibals. Blah. Could have just as easily been generic zombies. I never found real suspense or drama with this new threat - even when 2 major characters were actually killed off. And speaking of the 2 killed off. Ho Hum. Just another creature in Donovan. We get it. There's bad stuff here. Throwing in another monster doesn't really add to the story any more. At least not terrestrial. I was really hoping this new crew would open up a while 'nother world on Donovan: a marine/water world where we can explore a whole new view of the planet. Maybe that's book 5 but I feel like this was a lost opportunity here.
Book 4 was a letdown to a pretty good series so far. One thing I'll say Micheal Gear can write really well.
Warning: Don't read ahead if you don't want spoilers....
Cannibals. Blah. Could have just as easily been generic zombies. I never found real suspense or drama with this new threat - even when 2 major characters were actually killed off. And speaking of the 2 killed off. Ho Hum. Just another creature in Donovan. We get it. There's bad stuff here. Throwing in another monster doesn't really add to the story any more. At least not terrestrial. I was really hoping this new crew would open up a while 'nother world on Donovan: a marine/water world where we can explore a whole new view of the planet. Maybe that's book 5 but I feel like this was a lost opportunity here.
Book 4 was a letdown to a pretty good series so far. One thing I'll say Micheal Gear can write really well.
August 23, 2022
DONOVAN
NOTE: This is one and the same review for all the books in this series. Why? Because the quality of the whole series is very consistent, and I more or less spilled everything I had to say about it. The specifics of each book are in the blurb anyway, anything else would be a spoil. And last, but not least, I believe great books such as these deserve an exposure. So there.
THIS. INCREDIBLE. SERIES.
I've read some sci-fi colonization books in my days, but this is epic beyond comparison, except maybe The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. And execution is just right. Nothing is too little or too much. These books, all five of them, are the perfect inhabitants of Goldilocks zone of written universe.
In cases like this, it’s important to pay the tribute to narrators. Maybe that’s because they contribute to your overall experience almost as much as the creator of the book. Is that a blasphemy? Maybe, but that’s how impressed I am. So, Alyssa Bresnahan. She puts another layer of „creation” on top of the written source. Just incredible. Male and female voices switching incredibly smooth. All the nuances in emotional variation induced by subtle use of words and phrases, which you would probably miss if you were reading this in written form, in the silence of your mind... Yeah, that’s why I prefer audio.
And what an interesting twist it is with their unique brand of space travel. They’re traveling by means of technology called „inverting of symetry”. For said symetry to be inverted a formula is used that nobody really understands how it works. It needs to be just right or the ship is going to take forever to reach its destination. Or end up in a limbo between the universes so crew will have to revert to some unpopular measures, such as cannibalism just for a handful of them to survive. Or there will be significant or huge discrepancy between ship's time and "outside" time, resulting in all kinds of royal fuckups. Like, whole dynasty of royal families-level fuckups. Basically, on Earth, they don't know if their ships ever reach the target, and on Donovan, they can't be sure if it ever got back to Earth. And they're arriving in almost random order. The first ship launched from Earth could very well arrive the last, although it might seem the transition was instantaneous to the crew. In fact, 30 or so years have passed, but because there's miscommunication, the ship coming from Earth never brings needed equipment the colonials miss desperately.
There's just perfect amount of tech to call it a sci-fi. More than enough of tragedy and loss to call it drama or epic. And just right amount of mystique and inner turmoil induced by good probability that the most beloved character will be taken away from you due to the fact that literally everything on the planet can and will kill you if you’re not super careful, equipped, informed, lucky, or just naturally super savvy, preferably all of the above. The planet is a beast, but interestingly, the Donovans, as they now call themselves, chose that beast over the other one, waiting for them on Earth if they ever come back: humanity and what has become of it.
TLDR; This is fantastic book without much competition. However, I’m reading the Dune these days while trying to assemble my thoughts around this series, and yeah, there trully is similarity. Planet with an atmosphere that can support human life, but more dangerous and unhospitable than anything anybody could have predicted? Check. Ab original inhabitants (organisms) that give you zero chance of survival if faced? Check. Colonists that somehow find their modus vivendi and manage to thrive in impossible conditions? Check. Charismatic members among them who somehow become one with the planet through digestion of the very tissue of it and/or of its natural inhabitants? Check. Yeah the Dune is up there as legendary achievement, but this too is excellent book the lovers of that perennial masterpiece might appreciate very much. The writing style is completely different, but there’s certain... template, executed in original manner. Read it.
NOTE: This is one and the same review for all the books in this series. Why? Because the quality of the whole series is very consistent, and I more or less spilled everything I had to say about it. The specifics of each book are in the blurb anyway, anything else would be a spoil. And last, but not least, I believe great books such as these deserve an exposure. So there.
THIS. INCREDIBLE. SERIES.
I've read some sci-fi colonization books in my days, but this is epic beyond comparison, except maybe The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. And execution is just right. Nothing is too little or too much. These books, all five of them, are the perfect inhabitants of Goldilocks zone of written universe.
In cases like this, it’s important to pay the tribute to narrators. Maybe that’s because they contribute to your overall experience almost as much as the creator of the book. Is that a blasphemy? Maybe, but that’s how impressed I am. So, Alyssa Bresnahan. She puts another layer of „creation” on top of the written source. Just incredible. Male and female voices switching incredibly smooth. All the nuances in emotional variation induced by subtle use of words and phrases, which you would probably miss if you were reading this in written form, in the silence of your mind... Yeah, that’s why I prefer audio.
And what an interesting twist it is with their unique brand of space travel. They’re traveling by means of technology called „inverting of symetry”. For said symetry to be inverted a formula is used that nobody really understands how it works. It needs to be just right or the ship is going to take forever to reach its destination. Or end up in a limbo between the universes so crew will have to revert to some unpopular measures, such as cannibalism just for a handful of them to survive. Or there will be significant or huge discrepancy between ship's time and "outside" time, resulting in all kinds of royal fuckups. Like, whole dynasty of royal families-level fuckups. Basically, on Earth, they don't know if their ships ever reach the target, and on Donovan, they can't be sure if it ever got back to Earth. And they're arriving in almost random order. The first ship launched from Earth could very well arrive the last, although it might seem the transition was instantaneous to the crew. In fact, 30 or so years have passed, but because there's miscommunication, the ship coming from Earth never brings needed equipment the colonials miss desperately.
There's just perfect amount of tech to call it a sci-fi. More than enough of tragedy and loss to call it drama or epic. And just right amount of mystique and inner turmoil induced by good probability that the most beloved character will be taken away from you due to the fact that literally everything on the planet can and will kill you if you’re not super careful, equipped, informed, lucky, or just naturally super savvy, preferably all of the above. The planet is a beast, but interestingly, the Donovans, as they now call themselves, chose that beast over the other one, waiting for them on Earth if they ever come back: humanity and what has become of it.
TLDR; This is fantastic book without much competition. However, I’m reading the Dune these days while trying to assemble my thoughts around this series, and yeah, there trully is similarity. Planet with an atmosphere that can support human life, but more dangerous and unhospitable than anything anybody could have predicted? Check. Ab original inhabitants (organisms) that give you zero chance of survival if faced? Check. Colonists that somehow find their modus vivendi and manage to thrive in impossible conditions? Check. Charismatic members among them who somehow become one with the planet through digestion of the very tissue of it and/or of its natural inhabitants? Check. Yeah the Dune is up there as legendary achievement, but this too is excellent book the lovers of that perennial masterpiece might appreciate very much. The writing style is completely different, but there’s certain... template, executed in original manner. Read it.
August 27, 2021
It was meh atleast, but I just can't get past the fact that it's all so forced plot development, it's almost as of the writer has issues with consistency, it's like comming up with a few scenarios in your head and then just fill the gap with whatever non-sense to reach the next scenario point.
Allow me to elaborate.
Imagine a group of cannibals, who were forced into a bad circumstance, and then they end up forming a cult. Now this group shows open hostility, and is continuously threatening u,and u help them get settled and then walks into their camp without Armor, and hope for the best.
Now this scenario is not only possible but also extremely easy to set up with simple logic and male it feel natural, with simple explanation and other things.
But no, the writer uses the most supposed smart character,who behaves as if everything is a threat to her life, and is never one to not take precautions, and yet the author make her look like a 2 year old trying to learn 11th dimensional physics, do u know why, cause plot, it's so easy to spot the lazy writing and it's just sad.
Like I said in my last review of the last book, its s good setup, but the execution can't be botched more .
And at this point I am starting to suspect that most of the reviews are paid, most of then are the typical genric stuff that screams fake.
And one of the biggest complain I have is the length of thr audio books, it's around 15-18 hours each, u might think wow, that's a lot of story, let me stop u right there, it's not story, it's slow reading, and I can literally summarise each book in one page, one single page, I listen to the books at 1.5x speed, and it still feels like slow talking.
Allow me to elaborate.
Imagine a group of cannibals, who were forced into a bad circumstance, and then they end up forming a cult. Now this group shows open hostility, and is continuously threatening u,and u help them get settled and then walks into their camp without Armor, and hope for the best.
Now this scenario is not only possible but also extremely easy to set up with simple logic and male it feel natural, with simple explanation and other things.
But no, the writer uses the most supposed smart character,who behaves as if everything is a threat to her life, and is never one to not take precautions, and yet the author make her look like a 2 year old trying to learn 11th dimensional physics, do u know why, cause plot, it's so easy to spot the lazy writing and it's just sad.
Like I said in my last review of the last book, its s good setup, but the execution can't be botched more .
And at this point I am starting to suspect that most of the reviews are paid, most of then are the typical genric stuff that screams fake.
And one of the biggest complain I have is the length of thr audio books, it's around 15-18 hours each, u might think wow, that's a lot of story, let me stop u right there, it's not story, it's slow reading, and I can literally summarise each book in one page, one single page, I listen to the books at 1.5x speed, and it still feels like slow talking.
May 27, 2020
A 3.5 starrer
Honestly, I am massively relieved. Initially when this series was announced, it was a trilogy and given how Pariah ended, it was a massive bummer. In a way, I am glad that there is a 4th book and looks like the series may continue
The really superlative aspect of the series has been the planet in itself and the sense of desolation, horror and discomfort that it evokes. Every book has seen the arrival of a new ship to kickstart things off and this one is no different. In fact, I would say this series reads like a cross between Aliens & Event Horizon.
The wrinkle introduced this time in the new ship is the cannibalism aspect. It further exacerbates the sense of dread - Michael Gear does draw out the moment and suitably does elevate the threat. Dealing with this are our bunch of leads who interact in predictable ways until the unpredictability of this new group forces an escalation
The urgency that a book 2 had in its plotting is still not fully back in this and yet the sense of dread is magnified. The newer part of Donovan uncovered presents newer unseen threats, threats that the community may not be equipped to handle. The quetzal angle still dangles - not much is made of it in this book. In general, our lead characters are just reacting but I guess thats the nature of the beast post book 3. Dan Wirth's storyline was the one I did not fully get behind and where the book does leave him is a bit unsatisfactory given how he had been built up so far
Now that the series is back on track, hopefully book 5 does up the tempo and the overall storyline
Honestly, I am massively relieved. Initially when this series was announced, it was a trilogy and given how Pariah ended, it was a massive bummer. In a way, I am glad that there is a 4th book and looks like the series may continue
The really superlative aspect of the series has been the planet in itself and the sense of desolation, horror and discomfort that it evokes. Every book has seen the arrival of a new ship to kickstart things off and this one is no different. In fact, I would say this series reads like a cross between Aliens & Event Horizon.
The wrinkle introduced this time in the new ship is the cannibalism aspect. It further exacerbates the sense of dread - Michael Gear does draw out the moment and suitably does elevate the threat. Dealing with this are our bunch of leads who interact in predictable ways until the unpredictability of this new group forces an escalation
The urgency that a book 2 had in its plotting is still not fully back in this and yet the sense of dread is magnified. The newer part of Donovan uncovered presents newer unseen threats, threats that the community may not be equipped to handle. The quetzal angle still dangles - not much is made of it in this book. In general, our lead characters are just reacting but I guess thats the nature of the beast post book 3. Dan Wirth's storyline was the one I did not fully get behind and where the book does leave him is a bit unsatisfactory given how he had been built up so far
Now that the series is back on track, hopefully book 5 does up the tempo and the overall storyline
December 19, 2022
Another decent entry in the Donovan series by Gear. This book was good but not as good as the first couple books in the series. This time around another spaceship arrives ten years late and in order to survive on the ship the colonists formed a silly cannibal cult, where in by sucking nipples and pooping people out their "essence" continues on in the living members of the cult---yes it is that dumb and at times exhausting to read this nonsense. The core characters make this story and series as usual, but the new additions add little overall to the series. A couple exceptions a major unlikable character leaves Donovan and a new intriguing character arrives. Unlike the last book not as many major characters are smoked aka kilt. Probably a good thing since pretty quickly there would not be anyone left on the planet. For fans of the series they may find my analysis a tad harsh but I think it is accurate. The writing as usual is excellent, the source material not so much. I have some concerns about the next book in this series as well, hopefully those concerns will be unfounded.
May 25, 2020
If you were ever excited about the possibility of travelling in space and discovering a habitable planet, this series will most likely change your mind. Imagine being trapped in space with enough food for 10 per cent of the occupants trapped aboard, resorting to cannibalism to survive and then beyond all odds making it to the planet of Donevan. Only one problem, Donevan isn’t the paradise the Corporation lead you to believe it was. In the first three novels of the series we are introduced to a wide variety of creatures native to the planet that kill in painfully drawn out ways, but nothing compares to the alpha predator lurking in the treetops that we are introudced to in Unreconciled. From religious fanaticism to moral quandaries, Micheal Bear takes us on another wild ride on the frontiers of Donevan. New characters are introduced, beloved characters are killed, plot lines are advanced, some questions are answered and others lurk. Unreconciled continues this stellar must read series.
August 12, 2023
Unreconciled is the 4th book in the Donovan series by W. Michael Gear. The ship Ashanti arrives in orbit around Donovan, and the crew have gone through a terrifying ordeal. After realising there wasn't enough food for the longer than expected journey, the crew locks the passengers in on one level, leaving them to fend for themselves - and becoming a messianic cult of cannibals.
I think this was possibly the best book so far, such a great read. It already has so many positives in the detailed world building of the dangerous planet, and the hardened and varied characters that are so well drawn. Then to throw the new arrivals into the mix makes for a great story. It's also good to see the author doesn't shy away from big moments - killing off some important characters as well.
It's surprising (for me) to be 4 books into a series and seeing it still hold up, let alone get better.
I think this was possibly the best book so far, such a great read. It already has so many positives in the detailed world building of the dangerous planet, and the hardened and varied characters that are so well drawn. Then to throw the new arrivals into the mix makes for a great story. It's also good to see the author doesn't shy away from big moments - killing off some important characters as well.
It's surprising (for me) to be 4 books into a series and seeing it still hold up, let alone get better.
July 21, 2020
If this is really the last time I am to set foot on the amazing, terrifying, unique planet that is Donovan - I will be devastated. Anyone else holding out hope that Gear will save the day and consider writing another instalment in this series? I could read about these people and this place forever, seriously. The world-building is phenomenal, the characters are bad-ass and complex and tragic and tough as nails, the setting is breathtakingly beautiful and full of horror all at once, and the hits just keep on coming. We’ve dealt with killer aliens, psychopathic assassins, and a cannibalistic death cult (or two, really!) - and I could go on reading about this place as long as I could.
This entire series was just a gift that kept on giving, and my only real disappointment is that this is where it ends....I will definitely be rereading this regularly. 🥰
This entire series was just a gift that kept on giving, and my only real disappointment is that this is where it ends....I will definitely be rereading this regularly. 🥰
August 2, 2022
Another great story in the Donovan universe. Another ship was knocked out of hyper drive and starts a ling 7 1/2 year to complete their trip.
With insufficient food supplies the Captain seals the passengers on one deck and sends them a limited supply of food while he struggles to feed the crew. Soon the passengers revert to canibalism.
Having reached Donovan the qaundry is what to do with the surviving passengers who have reverted to a cult focused on a messiah and canabalism. They are transferred to an isolated station and soon their are battles between the two groups.
While this appears to conclude the series there is still a lot of potential plot lines for another volume.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Author and Series
With insufficient food supplies the Captain seals the passengers on one deck and sends them a limited supply of food while he struggles to feed the crew. Soon the passengers revert to canibalism.
Having reached Donovan the qaundry is what to do with the surviving passengers who have reverted to a cult focused on a messiah and canabalism. They are transferred to an isolated station and soon their are battles between the two groups.
While this appears to conclude the series there is still a lot of potential plot lines for another volume.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Author and Series
November 27, 2021
Wow!! Book four of the "trilogy" and I am still of the opinion that this is one of the best stories I have read in years. I try never to include spoilers, so I will more or less repeat my ccomments on the first three books of the trilogy. Gears stories are layered and with many subplots and character lines. Just what I love in a story. The intrigueing problems with space travel (inversion), the interesting Donovan biology, the allusions to Mayan culture, and the socialogical aspects of integrating people of two different societies (Corporation and Donovinians) make for rich compelling stories. My one complaint? To many good charactors get killed.
I will read Adrift as soon as possible and then hope Gear continues with the series.
I will read Adrift as soon as possible and then hope Gear continues with the series.
June 24, 2024
Just when I thought the series would start to wane, this gem appeared out of nowhere. I thought Pariah was my favorite, but Unreconciled has taken the lead. The introduction of a fanatical cult leader, a family member of someone on the Board, and an alpha predator added exciting new dimensions to the story. Its moderate pace kept me engaged and eager to read more.
I was particularly looking forward to the comeuppance for the cult, the growth of existing characters, and the unfolding mystery of the new predator. Overall, it was a thrilling read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
I was particularly looking forward to the comeuppance for the cult, the growth of existing characters, and the unfolding mystery of the new predator. Overall, it was a thrilling read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
November 11, 2022
This was the weakest of the Donovan books so far, I thought. The cannibal cultists were way over the top, and I'm allergic to horror anyway. Here's a clue: they speak (or think) in italics, so I just started skipping that stuff. The eternal battles with Planet Donovan's flora and fauna are entertaining, and all of our favorite characters are back. Solid adventure SF when the cultists are off-stage, and I'm not sure if I will continue on with the series.
May 27, 2020
Donovan still has stories to tell. This time the cast of characters includes some new comers. Some good, some not so good, and some that remain a mystery. Love the action, hate when someone I really like dies, and find the plot to be interesting and different. This is one story Donovan has to tell but there are more waiting as the story ends. Welcome to Donovan.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review
January 4, 2022
I've just finished the first 5 books and am leaving a copied review on all 5 at once. I absolutely LOVED this book series. Each book was more exciting than the last! The creatures were so unique, the space travel used by the humans was also very unique and exciting. Michael W Gear has done an amazing job with this series and I can't wait to re-read them all when he releases the next book! Thank you so much for this excellent read.
August 19, 2022
Somehow Michael Gear keeps churning out stories in the Donovan universe.
Part of me was upset when I realized the trilogy wasn't going to be one after all, but then I started this book and got warped right back into his amazing storytelling and character development.
New characters get fleshed out and old secrets get time to shine. It's a glorious read and I can't wait for book 6.
Also, a cult of space cannibals.
Part of me was upset when I realized the trilogy wasn't going to be one after all, but then I started this book and got warped right back into his amazing storytelling and character development.
New characters get fleshed out and old secrets get time to shine. It's a glorious read and I can't wait for book 6.
Also, a cult of space cannibals.
January 25, 2023
Another good addition to the series. So far each book has continued on with the main plot of this series which is the continuation of the colonization of the planet and the struggles they are facing, but there is always a pretty good side story for each book that makes it interesting enough to keep reading. I am moving on to the next book in the series and will continue unless it just bombs at some point, but so far so good.
June 22, 2020
If you like your science fiction to be intertwined with anthropology and broader socioeconomic issues this culture-clash / colonization series should be on your list. I'm hooked by the great characters, fast-action scenes, good world building, and mysterious underlayer. Recommended in print or audio.
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