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Blood on the Stars #17
Descent into Darkness
Victory or Death. Tyler Barron and his associates are divided, split between two courses of action. Barron doesn't believe in the desperate plan to eradicate the Highborn, the strange virus that has been created for that purpose, but may or may not be the exact formula used by the empire three hundred years ago. There are too many possible problems…a small difference in the virus, a cure created by the enemy…for him to accept the plan. Barron commits instead to a traditional defense, even though he knows the chances of ultimate success are almost zero. Many of Barron’s cohorts are on his side, but not all. The leader of the other party is none other than Andi Lafarge, Barron’s wife. If the odds were any less gruesome, either one would have given in to the other. But Andi wants nothing less than the extinction of the Highborn, and she believes the virus will work. She will do anything to see it used. Anything. The two work together, somewhat at least, and apart as well, striving to end the conflict in any way possible, with millions of spacers fighting…and facing probable doom either way. It is the last stand of free humans on the Rim, the final chance to evade slavery…or worse. Descent into Darkness is the penultimate book of the Blood on the Stars series, leading up to the smashing conclusion, Empire Reborn. Blood on the Stars Series Book 1 - Duel in the Dark Book 2 - Call to Arms Book 3 - Ruins of Empire Book 4 - Echoes of Glory Book 5 - Cauldron of Fire Book 6 - Dauntless Book 7 - The White Fleet Book 8 - Black Dawn Book 9 - Invasion Book 10 - Nightfall Book 11 - The Grand Alliance Book 12 - The Colossus Book 13 – The Others Book 14 – The Last Stand Book 15 – Empire’s Ashes Book 16 – Attack Plan Alpha Book 17 – Descent into Darkness Book 18 – Empire Reborn (coming soon) The Andromeda Chronicles (A Blood on the Stars Trilogy) Book 1 – Andromeda Rising Book 2 – Wings of Pegasus Book 3 – Into the Badlands (coming soon)
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2020
452 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
June 17, 2020
A step backwards for this excellent series
Descent into Darkness is still a good read but the editing errors mount up. If I had a dollar for every time Andi gets called Atara or Donolus Daintless (or vice-versa), I could afford the entire series in paperback to complement my kindle editions. Add in the numerous speech to text errors along with broken phrasing that somehow escaped notice and you have a work that is akin to a sports car driving across a lot hole filled stretch of road. This level of editing ball-dropping would have reduced a solid 5-star to a 4-star rating as it affects the readability so much.
However, it is not the poor editing that is responsible for this latest offering in the excellent Blood on the Stars series dropping to 3-stars. My primary reason for the mediocre rating was that the combat sequences feel like they were written by someone else. No personal struggles to keep a shop in the fight by desperate.engineers, no space fighters, no jubilation as a shot lands, etc. Instead we have.an almost antiseptic accounting of icons on a screen and little else.
As this accumulation of personal heroics, true grit perseverance, and gut level emotional swings are what *made* Blood on the Stars the series I've been urging my friends to read, it's absence was.deeply disappointing. The story arc advances, if haphazardly, and I look forward to the next installment; I only wish this one had been better.
Descent into Darkness is still a good read but the editing errors mount up. If I had a dollar for every time Andi gets called Atara or Donolus Daintless (or vice-versa), I could afford the entire series in paperback to complement my kindle editions. Add in the numerous speech to text errors along with broken phrasing that somehow escaped notice and you have a work that is akin to a sports car driving across a lot hole filled stretch of road. This level of editing ball-dropping would have reduced a solid 5-star to a 4-star rating as it affects the readability so much.
However, it is not the poor editing that is responsible for this latest offering in the excellent Blood on the Stars series dropping to 3-stars. My primary reason for the mediocre rating was that the combat sequences feel like they were written by someone else. No personal struggles to keep a shop in the fight by desperate.engineers, no space fighters, no jubilation as a shot lands, etc. Instead we have.an almost antiseptic accounting of icons on a screen and little else.
As this accumulation of personal heroics, true grit perseverance, and gut level emotional swings are what *made* Blood on the Stars the series I've been urging my friends to read, it's absence was.deeply disappointing. The story arc advances, if haphazardly, and I look forward to the next installment; I only wish this one had been better.
June 20, 2020
I don't have a long review to write and unfortunately it's not a good one either. As others have pointed out, the editing errors are too many making me feel this book isn't up to the author's usual standards. Something that I found tedious: the constant descriptions of what the characters are feeling. I felt at one point like their thoughts and feelings were being repeated resulting in almost duplicated sentences, I found myself skipping ahead. Honestly I almost felt like the author was only trying to extend the page read for monetary reasons. There's not much I haven't read by this author but I think the only reason I finished this book was because I had invested so much time in the series. I'm really hoping that the final installment is much better, I think I need closure after 18 books in the series that have become extremely repetitive. Overall disappointing, sorry.
June 25, 2020
Too repetative
There's about 15 minutes or dialogue in this book and the rest, like previous books, is repetitive nonsense of a singular theme by multiple characters continuously throughout the book. BORING!!! Put me to sleep many times, thank you, just what I needed. The series started of great but it became apparent that a minimum number of words were needed in order to be published. I hope the final book is more dramatic. I'm glad these were free on kindle unlimited because of I'd paid money for this book I'd be at your front door demanding my money back. I've been reading sci-fi for 40+ years and this is the sure sign of a burn out.
There's about 15 minutes or dialogue in this book and the rest, like previous books, is repetitive nonsense of a singular theme by multiple characters continuously throughout the book. BORING!!! Put me to sleep many times, thank you, just what I needed. The series started of great but it became apparent that a minimum number of words were needed in order to be published. I hope the final book is more dramatic. I'm glad these were free on kindle unlimited because of I'd paid money for this book I'd be at your front door demanding my money back. I've been reading sci-fi for 40+ years and this is the sure sign of a burn out.
October 9, 2020
Having read all of the books in this series, so far, I have to side with many readers who have expressed some disappointment with this latest addition to the Blood on the Stars story line. While there is some good plot movement interwoven throughout, the book suffers from redundant repetitiveness and major editing issues.
Too many times I found myself thinking, "Didn't I just read that?" as nearly identical sentences pop-up in follow-on paragraphs. There are numerous spots where this takes place and makes reading through almost frustrating. I found myself skimming and skipping paragraphs in order to keep the narrative moving apace.
Likewise, there are many, many editing issues that other readers have likewise identified that make for frustrating reading. The most egregious are the substitution of and alternating between the "Masters" and the "Highborn" in a number of places and the same for the characters of "Andi" and "Atara." Another standout issue occurs towards the end of the book where characters that should have no knowledge of or about the other enemy of the "Highborn" seemingly possess substantial understanding of this matter. The first occurrence has a brief explanation after the fact that tries to assuage the reader's confusion here. But the same thing occurs, again, just a few pages later with another character and no explanation is given as to how this character knows what she knows. A little more back fill of the issue would have been a nice addition to the story and make the situations where this knowledge is presented a little more palatable. Overall, I think a little more careful review before release would easily rectify many of these niggling issues that both distract and detract from the story.
Too many times I found myself thinking, "Didn't I just read that?" as nearly identical sentences pop-up in follow-on paragraphs. There are numerous spots where this takes place and makes reading through almost frustrating. I found myself skimming and skipping paragraphs in order to keep the narrative moving apace.
Likewise, there are many, many editing issues that other readers have likewise identified that make for frustrating reading. The most egregious are the substitution of and alternating between the "Masters" and the "Highborn" in a number of places and the same for the characters of "Andi" and "Atara." Another standout issue occurs towards the end of the book where characters that should have no knowledge of or about the other enemy of the "Highborn" seemingly possess substantial understanding of this matter. The first occurrence has a brief explanation after the fact that tries to assuage the reader's confusion here. But the same thing occurs, again, just a few pages later with another character and no explanation is given as to how this character knows what she knows. A little more back fill of the issue would have been a nice addition to the story and make the situations where this knowledge is presented a little more palatable. Overall, I think a little more careful review before release would easily rectify many of these niggling issues that both distract and detract from the story.
June 22, 2021
Only reading to see what happens
The following is true of the previous books in the series but this one has taken it to new levels. It seems as if nobody, not even the author, proofread this book. Constant errors, words missing, and characters called out by the wrong names. The names of Atara and Andi are basically used interchangeably. That's the first problem. The next is that 50% - 75% of the book is filler material - going around and around repeating and repeating again every character's very simple internal thoughts and monologue. The whole story of this book could have been told in a quarter of the pages and it would have been an improvement.
The following is true of the previous books in the series but this one has taken it to new levels. It seems as if nobody, not even the author, proofread this book. Constant errors, words missing, and characters called out by the wrong names. The names of Atara and Andi are basically used interchangeably. That's the first problem. The next is that 50% - 75% of the book is filler material - going around and around repeating and repeating again every character's very simple internal thoughts and monologue. The whole story of this book could have been told in a quarter of the pages and it would have been an improvement.
June 30, 2020
Sub-par effort in a good series
I've been reading this series for a while, picking it up once the 6th or 7th book was released. I've voraciously bought each new one when it comes out to pick up on a good story with interesting characters. They have been coming fairly quickly, too, meaning that I got a new part of the story every couple of months. But for the first time, I'm regretting the purchase - and it seems like the rapid release schedule had caught up with the series.
Most importantly, the flow of this book is way off. The whole way through it felt like the story was being told, retold and told again without moving forward. The first 18% of the book could have easily been a tenth of that and still gotten the point across instead of belaboring the various crises of faith each character was having. The fourth or fifth time their inner monolog went over the same thing, I found myself bored and annoyed, something I've yet to experience in this series.
It feels as though Mr. Allen is trying to push these books out quickly and the quality is suffering. Not only was the pacing way off, but nearly all of the characters internal anxieties begin to become whiny and two-dimensional, often in ways that betray how well they were written in the past.
But it's not just the pacing or character issues. The editing is really bad. There are dozens of typos, grammatical errors and fragmented sentences which disrupt the narrative flow.
At times he can't even keep character's names straight - is it James or Jaymes?: "...opposite Larson James and Antonio Graves. The two men were both captains now, both as a result of his action. Graves hadn’t been a problem, but James was a surprise…no less to him than to the promotions board. He had the authority to promote anyone to a rank below his own, but he still got back a message asking if he was sure about Jaymes. He was sure. Very sure. Whatever stuff Jaymes had done in his younger years, he had served throughout the protracted crisis, and he hadn’t had as much as a drink…"
Another time he mixes up the names of the central character and another key character.
Other sections - quite a few, actually - repeat the same information two or three times, sometimes in slightly different ways and other times almost the same language: "...she was about to issue orders for her fleet to leave, to head toward one of the six transit points in the sector…and then on its way, to infect a dozen Highborn occupied planets…and then to come back the way she had gone first, and pick up the Highborn present on the world she had already attacked. Some of them, at least.
She knew her mission, larger than she’d imagined before, and despite the fact that she was edgy, more worried than she had been, about whether it would work and whether she would survive, she knew she would comply with her orders…flawlessly.
She would see the fleet through its mission, and she would pick up the infected—hopefully—Highborn on the first planet. She would live at least to see the plan come together, to view evidence that the project had worked…or she would see that it was all a waste of time, that her people, at least as far as she saw them, were doomed."
Another example (wish I could highlight), using almost identical language to say the same thing 3 times about being far from sure about her ship surviving: "But Taggart was far from sure it could withdraw. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Revellus took another hit. It was still there, though barely she thought, but now it was down to a single gun. There was no point in keeping the battleship in the line…but she was far from sure it could escape. Still, there was no choice.
"Revellus…withdraw at once!” She said the words into the comm. She watched as the ship began to pull back almost immediately. She’d expected some bullshit from the battleship’s commander, but her tone had left no room for it. None at all. Still, she was far from sure the battleship would make it."
I like this series and the author. But this book fell WAY short of the previous efforts, taking too long to move the story forward by too little and making the effort to get through it a frustrating exercise.
I've been reading this series for a while, picking it up once the 6th or 7th book was released. I've voraciously bought each new one when it comes out to pick up on a good story with interesting characters. They have been coming fairly quickly, too, meaning that I got a new part of the story every couple of months. But for the first time, I'm regretting the purchase - and it seems like the rapid release schedule had caught up with the series.
Most importantly, the flow of this book is way off. The whole way through it felt like the story was being told, retold and told again without moving forward. The first 18% of the book could have easily been a tenth of that and still gotten the point across instead of belaboring the various crises of faith each character was having. The fourth or fifth time their inner monolog went over the same thing, I found myself bored and annoyed, something I've yet to experience in this series.
It feels as though Mr. Allen is trying to push these books out quickly and the quality is suffering. Not only was the pacing way off, but nearly all of the characters internal anxieties begin to become whiny and two-dimensional, often in ways that betray how well they were written in the past.
But it's not just the pacing or character issues. The editing is really bad. There are dozens of typos, grammatical errors and fragmented sentences which disrupt the narrative flow.
At times he can't even keep character's names straight - is it James or Jaymes?: "...opposite Larson James and Antonio Graves. The two men were both captains now, both as a result of his action. Graves hadn’t been a problem, but James was a surprise…no less to him than to the promotions board. He had the authority to promote anyone to a rank below his own, but he still got back a message asking if he was sure about Jaymes. He was sure. Very sure. Whatever stuff Jaymes had done in his younger years, he had served throughout the protracted crisis, and he hadn’t had as much as a drink…"
Another time he mixes up the names of the central character and another key character.
Other sections - quite a few, actually - repeat the same information two or three times, sometimes in slightly different ways and other times almost the same language: "...she was about to issue orders for her fleet to leave, to head toward one of the six transit points in the sector…and then on its way, to infect a dozen Highborn occupied planets…and then to come back the way she had gone first, and pick up the Highborn present on the world she had already attacked. Some of them, at least.
She knew her mission, larger than she’d imagined before, and despite the fact that she was edgy, more worried than she had been, about whether it would work and whether she would survive, she knew she would comply with her orders…flawlessly.
She would see the fleet through its mission, and she would pick up the infected—hopefully—Highborn on the first planet. She would live at least to see the plan come together, to view evidence that the project had worked…or she would see that it was all a waste of time, that her people, at least as far as she saw them, were doomed."
Another example (wish I could highlight), using almost identical language to say the same thing 3 times about being far from sure about her ship surviving: "But Taggart was far from sure it could withdraw. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Revellus took another hit. It was still there, though barely she thought, but now it was down to a single gun. There was no point in keeping the battleship in the line…but she was far from sure it could escape. Still, there was no choice.
"Revellus…withdraw at once!” She said the words into the comm. She watched as the ship began to pull back almost immediately. She’d expected some bullshit from the battleship’s commander, but her tone had left no room for it. None at all. Still, she was far from sure the battleship would make it."
I like this series and the author. But this book fell WAY short of the previous efforts, taking too long to move the story forward by too little and making the effort to get through it a frustrating exercise.
July 10, 2020
If there was ever a series I was reluctant to read, it’s this one. And I mean that in a good way. I’m so tired of war! The Confederation now lead by Admiral Tyler Barron have been fighting for ages and it has worn them and me completely out! Believe me, that’s a very, very good series when you get so emotionally involved that you feel the effects through every book.
We are fighting the Highborn, a race of humans genetically built to be superior to other humans in order to ensure mankind didn’t kill themselves off. Yet, these Highborn see other humans as inferior and need to enslaved to server the Highborn. There’s no, “Can’t we all just get along together?”. The Highborn believe they were made to rule all humanity and that’s what they are going to do. The only thing in their way right now it this irritating bunch of Rim-worlders and what's left of the Hegemony!
Admiral Barron, the de facto leader of the Alliance, Confederation and Hegemony military has established himself at Forward Base Striker. This, he knows, is where he and his allies will meet the next attack of the Highborn. That may be the final attack for a number of people, mostly his people including himself. Whether they can stand against this attack is pretty well known. If they Highborn have reinforced their numbers then it’s over, if not, they have a chance. Either way, Tyler Barron believes he’s just stalling the inevitable. They cannot win this war by militarily defeating the Highborn. They Highborn have too many assets and they are too advanced. Even now Admiral Barron knows that he’s just fighting a portion of the Highborn since they have another war front in which they are also fighting another enemy. How that war is going, Tyler doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. All he cares about is surviving this war, well, he cares that his people survive. He’s not convinced that he, himself must survive.
Still, there is one other option open to Admiral Barron, but he absolutely does not want to us that option. Yet, Andi, his wife and warrior in her own right, has already decided that his option is the only viable way of ending this war, forever. She must some how convince Tyler that her option is the one they must focus on now, even it if won’t work, they must try.
So, the last great battle is set. Will Admiral Tyler Barron’s forces prevail or will he be forced to go to the final option? That’s what the book is all about. It is a good one and one that will lead to the final book. I can’t wait!
We are fighting the Highborn, a race of humans genetically built to be superior to other humans in order to ensure mankind didn’t kill themselves off. Yet, these Highborn see other humans as inferior and need to enslaved to server the Highborn. There’s no, “Can’t we all just get along together?”. The Highborn believe they were made to rule all humanity and that’s what they are going to do. The only thing in their way right now it this irritating bunch of Rim-worlders and what's left of the Hegemony!
Admiral Barron, the de facto leader of the Alliance, Confederation and Hegemony military has established himself at Forward Base Striker. This, he knows, is where he and his allies will meet the next attack of the Highborn. That may be the final attack for a number of people, mostly his people including himself. Whether they can stand against this attack is pretty well known. If they Highborn have reinforced their numbers then it’s over, if not, they have a chance. Either way, Tyler Barron believes he’s just stalling the inevitable. They cannot win this war by militarily defeating the Highborn. They Highborn have too many assets and they are too advanced. Even now Admiral Barron knows that he’s just fighting a portion of the Highborn since they have another war front in which they are also fighting another enemy. How that war is going, Tyler doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. All he cares about is surviving this war, well, he cares that his people survive. He’s not convinced that he, himself must survive.
Still, there is one other option open to Admiral Barron, but he absolutely does not want to us that option. Yet, Andi, his wife and warrior in her own right, has already decided that his option is the only viable way of ending this war, forever. She must some how convince Tyler that her option is the one they must focus on now, even it if won’t work, they must try.
So, the last great battle is set. Will Admiral Tyler Barron’s forces prevail or will he be forced to go to the final option? That’s what the book is all about. It is a good one and one that will lead to the final book. I can’t wait!
March 27, 2022
The End Has Come
This series has been one of my more enjoyable recently produced reads. Jay Allen typically excels at pacing and drawing the human to human interaction, behind a fight. This episode; ‘Descent into Darkness’ Book 17 of the ‘Blood in the Stars’ series, felt rushed, poorly produced and as a read fell flat. The pacing of the book was all over the place with one battle that took a day being laced into weeks and months long struggles. I could not figure out what was happening when. None of the space battles incorporated any small attack craft operations on this book. Usually the fighters and bombers play a role in the space war tactics but these battles were written as though they didn’t exist. Other than brief mentions of Stockton, it was as though the fighter corps didn’t even exist anymore in this book. There were a few other plot holes that are starting to open into yawning chasms, like; why isn’t Tylor or Chronos for that matter considering guerilla insurgent tactics in the occupied space to draw off the enemy forces, or to attack ship building production or damage overly long supply lines? Why is Tulus production still so far behind after 20 years? When is the alliance going to step up and get with the picture?
There were a few editorial mistakes including one where a chapter started with a Andi leading an effort the accidentally switch to Atara. I understand how Mr Allen could make the mistake when writing but it should have been caught in editing which makes me think the editors were likely getting as bored as I was.
I hate waiting for new books to come out, but this one felt rushed to press. When eating, the only thing worse than waiting for the next course is receiving a dish that is poorly prepared. Similarly, in reading, the only thing worse than waiting is if the story doesn’t measure well. Although, I have enjoyed the series thus far and typically give high marks, the story at this point feels like it is stretched a little thin. Maybe it is time to put a bow on ‘Blood On The Stars’ and start something new?
This series has been one of my more enjoyable recently produced reads. Jay Allen typically excels at pacing and drawing the human to human interaction, behind a fight. This episode; ‘Descent into Darkness’ Book 17 of the ‘Blood in the Stars’ series, felt rushed, poorly produced and as a read fell flat. The pacing of the book was all over the place with one battle that took a day being laced into weeks and months long struggles. I could not figure out what was happening when. None of the space battles incorporated any small attack craft operations on this book. Usually the fighters and bombers play a role in the space war tactics but these battles were written as though they didn’t exist. Other than brief mentions of Stockton, it was as though the fighter corps didn’t even exist anymore in this book. There were a few other plot holes that are starting to open into yawning chasms, like; why isn’t Tylor or Chronos for that matter considering guerilla insurgent tactics in the occupied space to draw off the enemy forces, or to attack ship building production or damage overly long supply lines? Why is Tulus production still so far behind after 20 years? When is the alliance going to step up and get with the picture?
There were a few editorial mistakes including one where a chapter started with a Andi leading an effort the accidentally switch to Atara. I understand how Mr Allen could make the mistake when writing but it should have been caught in editing which makes me think the editors were likely getting as bored as I was.
I hate waiting for new books to come out, but this one felt rushed to press. When eating, the only thing worse than waiting for the next course is receiving a dish that is poorly prepared. Similarly, in reading, the only thing worse than waiting is if the story doesn’t measure well. Although, I have enjoyed the series thus far and typically give high marks, the story at this point feels like it is stretched a little thin. Maybe it is time to put a bow on ‘Blood On The Stars’ and start something new?
September 6, 2020
Story is good but dozens upon dozens of errors
The editing errors are so numerous it's almost unreadable.
"Striker nodded". Ah so now Gary Holsten is also the military base in the Hegemony, fascinating.
“Jake(you mean Tyler) …it’s Andi.”
"The month he had discussed with Atara (you mean Andi)"
I could quite literally paste DOZENS of these mistakes.
There are so many corrections I have to make in my head especially with pronoun usage that it's difficult to read at this point. This is absurd. I'm going to read it because I love the story. I just wish somebody would edit the f*ing books.
Jay I'm not trying to be a jerk. I have respect for anyone that can keep a series going this long and remain interesting. I'm posting the errors in an attempt to get you to do the right thing for your readers. If you're sick of writing the series then end it. If not then fix it.
I'm beginning to have serious doubts that Jay Allan actually wrote the book. There are so many sets of repetitious phrases with just slightly different wording that it's weird. I just don't see this, at least not anywhere close to as many, in the first 12 or so novels. Several feelings are repeated amongst all the characters. One of the most prominent examples from the previous book but not in this one for some reason although there are others is "it felt like a hard punch to the gut". Or "it felt like he had been gut punched". It's the same thing here just different feelings or expressions repeated over and over with slight differences in wording. Very odd.
Edited: I've had to give up entirely on the book right before the end. Pissing me off too much that they continuously use the word Masters to describe the Highborn that Andy is supposed to be picking up off of the initially infected planet. My God this is absolutely unbearable! Screw this series it's done. It was done already a couple of books ago but this latest attempt is beyond words. I would give it 0 stars if I could.
The editing errors are so numerous it's almost unreadable.
"Striker nodded". Ah so now Gary Holsten is also the military base in the Hegemony, fascinating.
“Jake(you mean Tyler) …it’s Andi.”
"The month he had discussed with Atara (you mean Andi)"
I could quite literally paste DOZENS of these mistakes.
There are so many corrections I have to make in my head especially with pronoun usage that it's difficult to read at this point. This is absurd. I'm going to read it because I love the story. I just wish somebody would edit the f*ing books.
Jay I'm not trying to be a jerk. I have respect for anyone that can keep a series going this long and remain interesting. I'm posting the errors in an attempt to get you to do the right thing for your readers. If you're sick of writing the series then end it. If not then fix it.
I'm beginning to have serious doubts that Jay Allan actually wrote the book. There are so many sets of repetitious phrases with just slightly different wording that it's weird. I just don't see this, at least not anywhere close to as many, in the first 12 or so novels. Several feelings are repeated amongst all the characters. One of the most prominent examples from the previous book but not in this one for some reason although there are others is "it felt like a hard punch to the gut". Or "it felt like he had been gut punched". It's the same thing here just different feelings or expressions repeated over and over with slight differences in wording. Very odd.
Edited: I've had to give up entirely on the book right before the end. Pissing me off too much that they continuously use the word Masters to describe the Highborn that Andy is supposed to be picking up off of the initially infected planet. My God this is absolutely unbearable! Screw this series it's done. It was done already a couple of books ago but this latest attempt is beyond words. I would give it 0 stars if I could.
June 13, 2020
Not Jay Allan's best effort
More of the same Old Same Old. Lots of poor editing yet again spoil a very mediocre book. All the Good guys constantly berate themselves over the loss of life.. OK I got the idea 10 books ago! Quit making it such a BIG part of each and every book. Same old story. Big battle, good guys get butt kicked, fall back. The one thing that really, really bothered me was the total lack of any fighters in any of the combat scenes! No explanation, nothing. Even if the allies ran out of fighters, which we know didn't happen from the last book, what about the Others? Did their fighters go on holiday? Did the Author think we just wouldn't notice the complete lack of fighter support, which had been a major part of every single combat scene from book one on? And what happened to the Union forces that defected?? Not a single word.. Geeze. A complete disappointment and the worst book of his that I have ever read. This is the kind of garbage I expect from Morgan Rice not Jay Allen.
More of the same Old Same Old. Lots of poor editing yet again spoil a very mediocre book. All the Good guys constantly berate themselves over the loss of life.. OK I got the idea 10 books ago! Quit making it such a BIG part of each and every book. Same old story. Big battle, good guys get butt kicked, fall back. The one thing that really, really bothered me was the total lack of any fighters in any of the combat scenes! No explanation, nothing. Even if the allies ran out of fighters, which we know didn't happen from the last book, what about the Others? Did their fighters go on holiday? Did the Author think we just wouldn't notice the complete lack of fighter support, which had been a major part of every single combat scene from book one on? And what happened to the Union forces that defected?? Not a single word.. Geeze. A complete disappointment and the worst book of his that I have ever read. This is the kind of garbage I expect from Morgan Rice not Jay Allen.
August 22, 2020
While the crushing depression and defeatism that has been so prevalent in the last several books was not nearly as bad as it has been - there's still a lot of repetition in the story... Almost every time we check in with a character we hear the same thing - over and over and over again.
Look, we haven't forgotten that 30 pages ago when you last checked in with Admiral So And So that they were convinced that the odds were hopeless but they had to hold the line and the future of the Confederation is at stake... We don't need to hear it again - for the fifth time in the book and another three more times before we get to the end of the book.
I've been back for 17 books now because there is a good story here, and when the story is being told it's done well. But the repetitive nature of the writing is really starting to grind me down.
Look, we haven't forgotten that 30 pages ago when you last checked in with Admiral So And So that they were convinced that the odds were hopeless but they had to hold the line and the future of the Confederation is at stake... We don't need to hear it again - for the fifth time in the book and another three more times before we get to the end of the book.
I've been back for 17 books now because there is a good story here, and when the story is being told it's done well. But the repetitive nature of the writing is really starting to grind me down.
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June 17, 2020Good story
I greatly enjoyed reading this book along with the entire series. There was one glaring with it. Throughout the book the Hegmonany and the Highborn were confused with each other. Every book I have read on Kindle has grammatical errors. Things like wrong verb tenses and the like so I have become to expect it. But someone really got lazy on this whether it was a proofreader or editor I don't know but this book had too many glaring mistakes. I still enjoyed the book it was just confusing at times.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book along with the entire series. There was one glaring with it. Throughout the book the Hegmonany and the Highborn were confused with each other. Every book I have read on Kindle has grammatical errors. Things like wrong verb tenses and the like so I have become to expect it. But someone really got lazy on this whether it was a proofreader or editor I don't know but this book had too many glaring mistakes. I still enjoyed the book it was just confusing at times.
June 28, 2020
This is the penultimate book in Jay Allan's "Blood on the Stars" saga. Tyler Barron and his allies in the Confederation are slowly being driven back by the Highborn and their leaders, the Firstborn. The Highborn feel that they are destined to control and subjugate any and all sentient races across space. Their superior numbers and technology seem poised to make this happen after they eliminate two of the Confederation's primary defense installations. Can an ancient and unproven technology save the Confederacy and it's allies. Stay tuned!
July 7, 2020
This is getting old
I loved this series and am sticking with it because I'm stubborn, but my God the author uses 10 words when 3 will do just fine. Please, less rehashing feelings and introspection. We get it, Andy misses Tyler who misses Amdi who both miss Cassiopeia.
This book was highlighting the biggest battle in the series, and throughout the first 14 books, fighters and bombers played a huge role, in this book, they barely rates a mention. Odd.
It is time for this series to conclude.
I loved this series and am sticking with it because I'm stubborn, but my God the author uses 10 words when 3 will do just fine. Please, less rehashing feelings and introspection. We get it, Andy misses Tyler who misses Amdi who both miss Cassiopeia.
This book was highlighting the biggest battle in the series, and throughout the first 14 books, fighters and bombers played a huge role, in this book, they barely rates a mention. Odd.
It is time for this series to conclude.
October 16, 2020
Last chance
This book in the series is a complete changer for the series. If the current tactic success the world that this series will never be the same. I only hope that it will not end on a depressing tone because I do like this series. However I understand if the author might try a darker ending. I would love to see if their is a new series with a different set of characters that are not part of the military or mercenaries. It would interesting to see if the author could do a civilian perspective.
This book in the series is a complete changer for the series. If the current tactic success the world that this series will never be the same. I only hope that it will not end on a depressing tone because I do like this series. However I understand if the author might try a darker ending. I would love to see if their is a new series with a different set of characters that are not part of the military or mercenaries. It would interesting to see if the author could do a civilian perspective.
July 23, 2022
Good series, but this book was rough around the edges
The book seemed rushed somewhat. The quality of the dialogue was not as good as prior books and there were dozens of instances where the character names were mixed (e.g. Highborn vs. masters) up and/or the grammar was wrong. These issues made it harder to follow the stories as I had to go back multiple paragraphs at times to figure out which character was talking. I hope the concluding novel, which is next, is more polished.
The book seemed rushed somewhat. The quality of the dialogue was not as good as prior books and there were dozens of instances where the character names were mixed (e.g. Highborn vs. masters) up and/or the grammar was wrong. These issues made it harder to follow the stories as I had to go back multiple paragraphs at times to figure out which character was talking. I hope the concluding novel, which is next, is more polished.
June 21, 2020
Disappointing and in some cases confusing when Andi was replaced by Atara in some parts of the story as well as Masters to Highborn. No story line on Reg and her fighter wings this time around.
Confusing when Andi was replaced with Atara and the highborn replaced with Masters in some sections of the book . Predominantly when Andi is on her mission of visiting 10 worlds with the virus and capturing a Highbourn.
Confusing when Andi was replaced with Atara and the highborn replaced with Masters in some sections of the book . Predominantly when Andi is on her mission of visiting 10 worlds with the virus and capturing a Highbourn.
October 2, 2020
Still terrible editing errors. Live, die, repeat
I can't believe the amount of errors in this book. Using the wrong names, repeating the same thing over and and over.... One time even calling one very important character by the wrong sex. I continue to speed read and pass by the repeat stuff. As I said in my last review, I will read the last book, but I will never read a Jay Allan book again. Too bad, the basic story was good.
I can't believe the amount of errors in this book. Using the wrong names, repeating the same thing over and and over.... One time even calling one very important character by the wrong sex. I continue to speed read and pass by the repeat stuff. As I said in my last review, I will read the last book, but I will never read a Jay Allan book again. Too bad, the basic story was good.
December 15, 2020
A slapdash effort
I knew that this installment wasn't going to be a Pulitzer prize winner, but this was the worst novel I have read in years. Riddled with plot and spelling errors, repetitive phrases galore, repetitive exposition... I used to teach high school English, and this felt exactly like an assignment left until the last minute, and then stretched beyond the breaking point in an attempt to meet the minimum word requirements.
Book 17. My god. What have I done.
I knew that this installment wasn't going to be a Pulitzer prize winner, but this was the worst novel I have read in years. Riddled with plot and spelling errors, repetitive phrases galore, repetitive exposition... I used to teach high school English, and this felt exactly like an assignment left until the last minute, and then stretched beyond the breaking point in an attempt to meet the minimum word requirements.
Book 17. My god. What have I done.
January 7, 2021
Not his best
Lots of errors that should have been picked up. Very repetitive sequences of thoughts and feelings which really slowed the pace of the book. Seems like Mr Allan was trying to meet a word count. I love the premise of the story though, I understand that Mr Allan had some personal issues which may have impacted his writing. I wish him the best, and hope the final book is back to his usual level.
Lots of errors that should have been picked up. Very repetitive sequences of thoughts and feelings which really slowed the pace of the book. Seems like Mr Allan was trying to meet a word count. I love the premise of the story though, I understand that Mr Allan had some personal issues which may have impacted his writing. I wish him the best, and hope the final book is back to his usual level.
January 29, 2021
This book was so worth the wait. The war against the Highborn is reaching a climax and I can't wait for the final fight yet to come. And what will happen next? And the side trips that Andi and others take and the fighting that ensures just has me on tenterhooks, unsure of who is going to survive. And what kind of world will the survivors be going to? With the next book , Empire Reborn, being the last book of this series, I don't know that I am ready to let BOTS and these strong characters go.
June 16, 2020
Awsome
As healthier book did not disappoint, everything was a continuation of the excellent Blood on the stars series what a set of top notch reading material. Having a hard time waiting for the last installment. Jay Allen you like.the books.you write are too notch. My humble opinion. Dan
As healthier book did not disappoint, everything was a continuation of the excellent Blood on the stars series what a set of top notch reading material. Having a hard time waiting for the last installment. Jay Allen you like.the books.you write are too notch. My humble opinion. Dan
June 21, 2020
Love that series ... but book 17 was a disappointment.
Yes I loved most of the prior 16 books. Not like all if them were equally good, some were great, some were just that good :) However this one felt out of sorts and the real story began somewhere in the last quarter of the book. The first three quarters were forced and not really in sync with the rest of the series.
Yes I loved most of the prior 16 books. Not like all if them were equally good, some were great, some were just that good :) However this one felt out of sorts and the real story began somewhere in the last quarter of the book. The first three quarters were forced and not really in sync with the rest of the series.
July 12, 2020
Decent
Decent continuation of the series. Characters are starting to get a bit whiny as opposed to the emotional strife that is intended. That and and repetitive concerns of the characters, sometimes redundant within the same paragraph...
Looking forward to the final chapter.
Decent continuation of the series. Characters are starting to get a bit whiny as opposed to the emotional strife that is intended. That and and repetitive concerns of the characters, sometimes redundant within the same paragraph...
Looking forward to the final chapter.
July 13, 2020
Good but,
Ok as always I enjoyed this book as much as all the others. But, it left me wondering, what the hell? What happened to the special job for the shuttles? What happened to Anya? I mean I was expecting shuttles loaded with antimatter exploding at the gate when the enemy assemble preparing to attack. It was a let down.
Ok as always I enjoyed this book as much as all the others. But, it left me wondering, what the hell? What happened to the special job for the shuttles? What happened to Anya? I mean I was expecting shuttles loaded with antimatter exploding at the gate when the enemy assemble preparing to attack. It was a let down.
June 18, 2021
Whaaaaah! I thought this was the last one in the series. I’ve never seen the good guys in such a hopeless position. There is no way out except some random plot twist you could never foresee. And Allan wouldn’t do that to us would he?
The next book IS the conclusion. My blood is up, I need the book now. But it’s not published yet.
The next book IS the conclusion. My blood is up, I need the book now. But it’s not published yet.
July 6, 2021
Editor please!!!
I enjoy following the Confederation and the soldiers' stories. However, I am getting annoyed at all the errors I've seen in regards to the characters. The errors are the ones which would be caught if the time was taken to have someone proofread (Masters instead of Highborn, Atara instead of Andi)
I enjoy following the Confederation and the soldiers' stories. However, I am getting annoyed at all the errors I've seen in regards to the characters. The errors are the ones which would be caught if the time was taken to have someone proofread (Masters instead of Highborn, Atara instead of Andi)
May 4, 2023
Storytelling still strong, but proofreading needed
Another strong story, keeping you anxious about what will happen to the end. Unfortunately the writing has some way to go. Some of the sentences are too long, the names of the characters mixed-up, but with some proofreading these minor issues should of be fixed and made it easier to not loose momentum.
Another strong story, keeping you anxious about what will happen to the end. Unfortunately the writing has some way to go. Some of the sentences are too long, the names of the characters mixed-up, but with some proofreading these minor issues should of be fixed and made it easier to not loose momentum.
June 14, 2020
I love these books...
I really love these books and thought that they could not get better with time! But then every one does!!! I feel like the characters have become increasingly important part of my family!! Keep them coming...please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really love these books and thought that they could not get better with time! But then every one does!!! I feel like the characters have become increasingly important part of my family!! Keep them coming...please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 14, 2020
The next volume in the story of the massive universe. The story moves and flows without a constant rehash of events that is common in many long series.
Start at the beginning and read to the end. The time is well worth it!
Start at the beginning and read to the end. The time is well worth it!
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