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Andlios #1
Cydonia Rising
The Emperor has fallen.
Poisoned by his son bent on claiming the galaxy for himself.
Katrijn is the heir to the throne, or was, until her brother killed their father and claimed it for himself. She had promised her father to restore order only to end up in exile, dodging her brother’s assassins.
Now she must fulfill her father’s dying wish: bring freedom to the Republic.
On the other side of the Republic, a lost Krigan princess conspires with her former enemies to take the galaxy back for themselves, for the good of the people of Andlios.
Is it too late to save the galaxy?
For fans of kick ass heroines and classic space opera tales, because everyone loves a girl that can wield a giant laser-axe.
Get it now.
Poisoned by his son bent on claiming the galaxy for himself.
Katrijn is the heir to the throne, or was, until her brother killed their father and claimed it for himself. She had promised her father to restore order only to end up in exile, dodging her brother’s assassins.
Now she must fulfill her father’s dying wish: bring freedom to the Republic.
On the other side of the Republic, a lost Krigan princess conspires with her former enemies to take the galaxy back for themselves, for the good of the people of Andlios.
Is it too late to save the galaxy?
For fans of kick ass heroines and classic space opera tales, because everyone loves a girl that can wield a giant laser-axe.
Get it now.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2019
173 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Dave Walsh
21 books87 followersDave Walsh was once the world's foremost kickboxing journalist, if that makes any sense. He's still trying to figure that one out.
The thing is, he always loved writing and fiction was always his first love. He wrote 'Godslayer' in hopes of leaving the world of combat sports behind, which, as you can guess, did not exactly work. That's when a lifelong love of science fiction led him down a different path.
Now he writes science fiction novels about far-off worlds, weird technology and the same damned problems that humanity has always had, just with a different setting.
He does all of this while living in the high desert of Albuquerque and raising twin boys with his wife. He's still not sure which is harder: watching friends get knocked out or raising boys.
The thing is, he always loved writing and fiction was always his first love. He wrote 'Godslayer' in hopes of leaving the world of combat sports behind, which, as you can guess, did not exactly work. That's when a lifelong love of science fiction led him down a different path.
Now he writes science fiction novels about far-off worlds, weird technology and the same damned problems that humanity has always had, just with a different setting.
He does all of this while living in the high desert of Albuquerque and raising twin boys with his wife. He's still not sure which is harder: watching friends get knocked out or raising boys.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 6, 2023
Cydonia Rising by Dave Walsh Andlios Book One
DISCLAIMER - I received a free copy of this book to review for the 2023 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
Space Opera fans, this is a book for you! We have empires, royalty, palace intrigue, multiple planets, worm holes, anti-heroes, strong female characters, space travel, cybernetic implants, and a little romance.
I really enjoyed this book. While space opera is not my “go to” science fiction, the complex action, evolving characters, and complex plot lines made this a very engaging read. Add to that the fact that Dave Walsh definitely knows how to write.
Cydonia Rising has several separate but overlapping storylines which is what make this book so engaging. Just when you think you know where Walsh is taking the story and how it is going to evolve, he drops in a whole new angle and piece of the overall plot.
The storyline begins with our anti-hero, Jace, alone on his transport ship brooding about the death of his wife. Suddenly there is a life pod floating in space which he needs to bring onboard and see if he can revive the passenger. Of course, that will ruin his solo, moping, alone time. Little does he know this rescue will change the course of his life, along with the lives of numerous others on multiple planets.
A little side note for others who like trivia: Jace’s ship is the Pequod, which I took as a reference to the whaleship in Moby Dick. However, in researching the name Pequod, I discovered it also refers to the Native American people of Connecticut (my home state), as well as the Pequod Glacier and mountain in British Columbia, Canada.
As with all space operas, Cydonia Rising includes a little romance, here involving two couples; one straight and one gay. Fortunately, Walsh resists the temptation that many space opera authors are enticed by and makes his relationships more about emotions than lusty encounters.
Cydonia Rising is the first in the Andlios series. While the ending definitely leads right into the second book in the series, I found this book well worth reading on its own.
DISCLAIMER - I received a free copy of this book to review for the 2023 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
Space Opera fans, this is a book for you! We have empires, royalty, palace intrigue, multiple planets, worm holes, anti-heroes, strong female characters, space travel, cybernetic implants, and a little romance.
I really enjoyed this book. While space opera is not my “go to” science fiction, the complex action, evolving characters, and complex plot lines made this a very engaging read. Add to that the fact that Dave Walsh definitely knows how to write.
Cydonia Rising has several separate but overlapping storylines which is what make this book so engaging. Just when you think you know where Walsh is taking the story and how it is going to evolve, he drops in a whole new angle and piece of the overall plot.
The storyline begins with our anti-hero, Jace, alone on his transport ship brooding about the death of his wife. Suddenly there is a life pod floating in space which he needs to bring onboard and see if he can revive the passenger. Of course, that will ruin his solo, moping, alone time. Little does he know this rescue will change the course of his life, along with the lives of numerous others on multiple planets.
A little side note for others who like trivia: Jace’s ship is the Pequod, which I took as a reference to the whaleship in Moby Dick. However, in researching the name Pequod, I discovered it also refers to the Native American people of Connecticut (my home state), as well as the Pequod Glacier and mountain in British Columbia, Canada.
As with all space operas, Cydonia Rising includes a little romance, here involving two couples; one straight and one gay. Fortunately, Walsh resists the temptation that many space opera authors are enticed by and makes his relationships more about emotions than lusty encounters.
Cydonia Rising is the first in the Andlios series. While the ending definitely leads right into the second book in the series, I found this book well worth reading on its own.
January 16, 2024
SPSFC3 Judge
Stars 4
My Rating 8.2
A princess returned to the dead with Cydonian technology races against a princess on the run from her usurper emperor brother, both seeking to claim a crown they're due.
The world building and various species/factions/aliens/planets were very interesting! The world building was well-done and complex, but avoided any info-dumping. I liked having two princesses with differing but equally legitimate claims to the crown coming to claim what was theirs in different ways. They were very different people with distinct backstories, skill sets, and goals--but both want revenge (which I love!). They gather their allies (sometimes overlapping) as they descend on the capitol planet. There were several characters that I wasn't sure what their true motivations were along the way, and I was surprised by the outcomes! Cydonian technology was very interesting (I want to know more about this), and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of their schemes. I was rooting for the characters throughout, even when they might not have had the same goal. This has the big-galaxy space opera feel without being too heavy into military tactics.
Highly recommend it!
Stars 4
My Rating 8.2
A princess returned to the dead with Cydonian technology races against a princess on the run from her usurper emperor brother, both seeking to claim a crown they're due.
The world building and various species/factions/aliens/planets were very interesting! The world building was well-done and complex, but avoided any info-dumping. I liked having two princesses with differing but equally legitimate claims to the crown coming to claim what was theirs in different ways. They were very different people with distinct backstories, skill sets, and goals--but both want revenge (which I love!). They gather their allies (sometimes overlapping) as they descend on the capitol planet. There were several characters that I wasn't sure what their true motivations were along the way, and I was surprised by the outcomes! Cydonian technology was very interesting (I want to know more about this), and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of their schemes. I was rooting for the characters throughout, even when they might not have had the same goal. This has the big-galaxy space opera feel without being too heavy into military tactics.
Highly recommend it!
February 2, 2020
Jumping ahead a generation after the events of Terminus Rising, this novel works as both a sequel and introduction to the world of Andlios; I genuinely think someone could start here and have a blast. Cydonia Rising reminds me of Game of Thrones mixed in with Star Wars with a dash of Dune.
In the wake of a tragedy, multiple factions vie for control of the Andlios Empire. Former enemies have to work together to keep the empire from being destroyed from within by a corrupt leader, but the multiple parties have different ideas of what should follow....
There's a half dozen or so point of view leads, half of them new, with the other are returning from Terminus Cycle, older and wiser (and sometimes mechanical). The new leads I quickly fell in love with and was excited to see them trying to save the empire while also falling in love. The returning leads are significantly more fleshed out and in one case made me go from dreading seeing them in book one to being excited when their chapters showed up. There's also more women of note and delightful straight and queer relationships that could stand beside Han and Leia.
This volume steps up the world building in this one A TON; I love learning about the cymages and their culture and another faction that was only hinted at in TC.
I highly recommend this for fans of space opera, adventure, swoon worthy ships, court intrigue, and fun world building.
Read
May 25, 2021Terrific space adventure
This was a terrific adventure set in the future after Earth has been colonizing other worlds. Main characters are likeable even if some are hard to relate to because of their adaptations. Good plot that came to a satisfying if somewhat of a cliffhanger conclusion.
This was a terrific adventure set in the future after Earth has been colonizing other worlds. Main characters are likeable even if some are hard to relate to because of their adaptations. Good plot that came to a satisfying if somewhat of a cliffhanger conclusion.
April 25, 2020
An intergalactic mess
I enjoyed Cydonia Riding
A full on save the princes and restore the Kingdom taken to new heights.just when you thought all was well a new twist throws you back in your chair wondering where do we go from here :-)
I enjoyed Cydonia Riding
A full on save the princes and restore the Kingdom taken to new heights.just when you thought all was well a new twist throws you back in your chair wondering where do we go from here :-)
September 1, 2022
I liked this book and I wish that I had the whole series as I was abounded by the technology. I like Princess Alva and Trella from the start as well as Jace and Kat who had run away from home when her brother had killed their father to seize control of their planet and blamed her!
June 14, 2021
Cydonia Rising is a great Sci-Fi novel. It explores what may happen if we incorporate too much technology into our bodies. A related issue is the effects of always being ‘on-line’, connected to an all-pervasive information network.
Some groups of people incorporate a lot of technology into their bodies, so that maybe they are more machine than human. Others reject any and all “upgrades”. The conflict between the groups forms a lot of the story.
Without being preachy the author raises a lot of issues about the place of technology in our lives. This is a thought-provoking read.
Some groups of people incorporate a lot of technology into their bodies, so that maybe they are more machine than human. Others reject any and all “upgrades”. The conflict between the groups forms a lot of the story.
Without being preachy the author raises a lot of issues about the place of technology in our lives. This is a thought-provoking read.
Currently reading
December 7, 2021Walsh has another winner!
This was a great read, in fact I had a hard time putting it down. The characters are well described and the storyline is exciting. I can't wait to read the next in the series. The only bad thing about it is the unbelievably frequent foul language. I found it has to believe that royalty, let alone a princess, would use such coarse words. If you can overlook this it is a really good story.
This was a great read, in fact I had a hard time putting it down. The characters are well described and the storyline is exciting. I can't wait to read the next in the series. The only bad thing about it is the unbelievably frequent foul language. I found it has to believe that royalty, let alone a princess, would use such coarse words. If you can overlook this it is a really good story.
June 19, 2022
.
.
OMG! What a cool and UNIQUE name, and how cool must he be to do this (what a cool book! What a cool story! What cool writing! This is SOOOO cool!!!):
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT NAME BEFORE (except in some other books ! )
“…Jace leaned back in his chair, carefully resting his bare foot on the console in front of him, doing his best to not trigger anything. The metal chassis felt cold to the touch, but so did just about everything on the ship….”
“…Those areas that Jace spent time in were always in a constant state of disarray….”
“…Jace plodded down the metal steps into the ship’s galley, forced to duck through doorways and sidle through the hallways that were rough on his bulky frame. He was tearing through the compartments looking for something that wouldn’t require much of him while sucking on a pack of water. He wore a few days’ worth of stubble at most times and his hair was in a constant state of disarray, a light brown mess that he always ran his fingers through. He was hungry and anything would do. Maybe some of that freeze-dried stuff that never quite tasted like what the label said it was, but it didn’t require him heating anything up or having to wait for it. That stuff also lasted for years….”
“…He sorted through the packets inside the metal drawer, tossing aside a few before picking out one labeled “Cherry” and slamming the drawer shut with his hip while he held the packet up to his mouth. He gnashed his teeth against the top, trying to tear it open….”
“…If Ro were still alive, she’d be lecturing him on being reckless again, and the thought brought an impulsive smile to his face, even with the possibility of certain doom hanging over his head….”
”…He quickly found himself regretting not wearing shoes while he sprinted down the corridor, up to the metal stairs and into the control deck. Jace slid effortlessly into his chair and slapped a button above the control chair to turn the alarm off, the packet dangling from his mouth….”
HOW COOL IS THAT ??????
THAT IS SOOOO COOL!!!!
OMG!!!
IS HE COOL, OR WHAT ???????
I WISH I WERE THAT COOL !!!!
HE IS COOL!!!!!
Wow, that’ some cool stuff !!!
SO COOL that i quit right there and tossed the “book.”
I quit reading on P #3.
I thought this book stinks. (Stunk? Stank? Stinked?)
.
.
.
OMG! What a cool and UNIQUE name, and how cool must he be to do this (what a cool book! What a cool story! What cool writing! This is SOOOO cool!!!):
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT NAME BEFORE (except in some other books ! )
“…Jace leaned back in his chair, carefully resting his bare foot on the console in front of him, doing his best to not trigger anything. The metal chassis felt cold to the touch, but so did just about everything on the ship….”
“…Those areas that Jace spent time in were always in a constant state of disarray….”
“…Jace plodded down the metal steps into the ship’s galley, forced to duck through doorways and sidle through the hallways that were rough on his bulky frame. He was tearing through the compartments looking for something that wouldn’t require much of him while sucking on a pack of water. He wore a few days’ worth of stubble at most times and his hair was in a constant state of disarray, a light brown mess that he always ran his fingers through. He was hungry and anything would do. Maybe some of that freeze-dried stuff that never quite tasted like what the label said it was, but it didn’t require him heating anything up or having to wait for it. That stuff also lasted for years….”
“…He sorted through the packets inside the metal drawer, tossing aside a few before picking out one labeled “Cherry” and slamming the drawer shut with his hip while he held the packet up to his mouth. He gnashed his teeth against the top, trying to tear it open….”
“…If Ro were still alive, she’d be lecturing him on being reckless again, and the thought brought an impulsive smile to his face, even with the possibility of certain doom hanging over his head….”
”…He quickly found himself regretting not wearing shoes while he sprinted down the corridor, up to the metal stairs and into the control deck. Jace slid effortlessly into his chair and slapped a button above the control chair to turn the alarm off, the packet dangling from his mouth….”
HOW COOL IS THAT ??????
THAT IS SOOOO COOL!!!!
OMG!!!
IS HE COOL, OR WHAT ???????
I WISH I WERE THAT COOL !!!!
HE IS COOL!!!!!
Wow, that’ some cool stuff !!!
SO COOL that i quit right there and tossed the “book.”
I quit reading on P #3.
I thought this book stinks. (Stunk? Stank? Stinked?)
.
.
July 24, 2024
A Song of Ice and Fire... IN SPAAAACE!
The author's clearly going for the same sort of intrigue, along with the same sort of structure (each chapter is from a different person's perspective). And it sort of works. The world he creates is an interesting one. However, it feels very rushed at points. A plot point that Martin might take 200 pages to resolve is done and dusted in 2 pages here.
So all in all it's a compelling enough plot that just feels very rushed. The ending is likely to be divisive, so I won't get too much into it. You may find it to be an interesting turn of events, or you may think it ends with a thud. I will say that 3 of the major characters simply disappear during the denouement and are never seen again, which is quite disappointing.
Oh, and this isn't a spoiler but a clarification that took way too long to be made: Ingen is Jonah Freeman. That'll make things a lot clearer when you learn one character's story and motivation.
Good enough for a read, but don't dwell too much on it.
The author's clearly going for the same sort of intrigue, along with the same sort of structure (each chapter is from a different person's perspective). And it sort of works. The world he creates is an interesting one. However, it feels very rushed at points. A plot point that Martin might take 200 pages to resolve is done and dusted in 2 pages here.
So all in all it's a compelling enough plot that just feels very rushed. The ending is likely to be divisive, so I won't get too much into it. You may find it to be an interesting turn of events, or you may think it ends with a thud. I will say that 3 of the major characters simply disappear during the denouement and are never seen again, which is quite disappointing.
Oh, and this isn't a spoiler but a clarification that took way too long to be made: Ingen is Jonah Freeman. That'll make things a lot clearer when you learn one character's story and motivation.
Good enough for a read, but don't dwell too much on it.
April 2, 2024
Decent story, I suppose, got kinda convoluted, probably resolved after a few more novels. Plenty of action, especially at the end. Several good characters.
I didn't know there was a category "LGBTQ+ Science Fiction" (hey, we're all just people), and this book is #5. Who would have thought? Well, very little of that, really, but a male pair and perhaps a female pair. But no sex, except possibly a hetro pair that wasn't discussed as such in the story.
I didn't know there was a category "LGBTQ+ Science Fiction" (hey, we're all just people), and this book is #5. Who would have thought? Well, very little of that, really, but a male pair and perhaps a female pair. But no sex, except possibly a hetro pair that wasn't discussed as such in the story.
Read
March 2, 2021I am sorry to say this was not for me. I quit reading at page 187(42%).
This is my personal opinion - I got bored it felt wordy and it’s switch to different characters to often. I believe there was 6 characters it switch too. The storyline just didn’t mesh well for me. I was looking for a good space adventure and this was not it.
This is my personal opinion - I got bored it felt wordy and it’s switch to different characters to often. I believe there was 6 characters it switch too. The storyline just didn’t mesh well for me. I was looking for a good space adventure and this was not it.
April 19, 2022
This is a great series starter. The characters are easy to like, with interesting back stories. The storyline flows well and keeps you interested. The world is an interesting one. There's plenty of action. There's a lot of political maneuvering, if you're into that. It has something for everybody.
January 22, 2023
This should really be 3.5 stars. It was hard for me to get into the story because it jumps around to about 6 main characters POV's. It did get really interesting in the last 5 or 6 chapters, interesting enough that I'm going to read the next one hoping the action continues.
December 10, 2023
An enjoyable read that has an expansive world building tone where humans have colonized other planets and solar systems eons ago. Control of Andlios is being determined by a number of ambitious clans, which key personalities are well thought out throughout the book.
November 7, 2020
Dysfunctional family
Typical family controversy as who is greatest. I found plot twists expected but was confused as to sub plots point other than sequel to next book in series.
Typical family controversy as who is greatest. I found plot twists expected but was confused as to sub plots point other than sequel to next book in series.
November 5, 2021
Good reading!
June 26, 2022
3.5 stars. It started off slow and took a while to come together. I will be looking for book 2 to see what happens next.
June 28, 2022
Free today on amazon!
dnf-not-for-me
July 22, 20211/10: Couldn't get past the first few chapters; not for me.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews