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Donovan #5
Adrift
The fifth 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.
The Maritime Unit had landed in paradise. After a terrifying ten-year transit from Solar System aboard the Ashanti, the small band of oceanographers and marine scientists were finally settled. Perched on a reef five hundred kilometers out from shore, they were about to embark on the first exploration of Donovan's seas. For the twenty-two adults and nine children, everything is new, exciting, and filled with wonder as they discover dazzling sea creatures, stunning plant life, and fascinating organisms.
But Donovan is never what it seems; the changes in the children were innocuous--oddities of behavior normal to kids who'd found themselves in a new world. Even then it was too late. An alien intelligence, with its own agenda, now possesses the children, and it will use them in a most insidious way: as the perfect weapons.
How can you fight back when the enemy is smarter than you are, and wears the face of your own child?
Welcome to Donovan.
The Maritime Unit had landed in paradise. After a terrifying ten-year transit from Solar System aboard the Ashanti, the small band of oceanographers and marine scientists were finally settled. Perched on a reef five hundred kilometers out from shore, they were about to embark on the first exploration of Donovan's seas. For the twenty-two adults and nine children, everything is new, exciting, and filled with wonder as they discover dazzling sea creatures, stunning plant life, and fascinating organisms.
But Donovan is never what it seems; the changes in the children were innocuous--oddities of behavior normal to kids who'd found themselves in a new world. Even then it was too late. An alien intelligence, with its own agenda, now possesses the children, and it will use them in a most insidious way: as the perfect weapons.
How can you fight back when the enemy is smarter than you are, and wears the face of your own child?
Welcome to Donovan.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2021
38 people are currently reading
269 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 55 reviews
June 25, 2021
5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2021/06/22/...
Every time I find out about a new book in this series, I simply cannot contain my glee. I do hope the W. Michael Gear keeps them coming, because I don’t think I could ever get tired of returning to Donovan, watching yet another group of know-it-all settlers think they can get the better of the planet only to be slapped down and shown just how wrong they were. Nope, it never gets old!
This time, Adrift takes us to the seas of Donovan, where the Maritime Unit has just set up their research facilities perched on the edge of a reef, hundreds of miles from the closest shore. Having survived the last ten years trapped aboard the Ashanti with a cult of cannibals, the members of this small team mostly made up of oceanographers and marine scientists are excited to have finally arrived on the planet and are eager to start studying its aquatic ecosystems. For many of them, Donovan represents more than just a new life—it’s also a fresh start for humanity. Vowing never to make the same mistakes as their ancestors back on Earth, this was their ultimate opportunity to put a lifetime’s worth of training and education to good use. They will respect the world’s creatures, study and understand them, and hopefully bring a wealth of knowledge back to their corporate sponsors and employers to aid in the colonizing efforts.
But this idealism is shattered almost immediately. Visiting from the mainland, Supervisor Kalico Aguila tries to warn the scientists that Donovan is not like Earth. Nothing can be inferred or assumed based on what they previously knew. Treat every living thing as a threat that’s out to kill you. Always carry a weapon and never let your guard down.
Unfortunately though, hubris proved to be Maritime Unit’s downfall. Even with Scientific Director Michaela Hailwood as their leader, the team has always been largely run by consensus, functioning more like a family than a workplace. Most of the members of this close-knit group are parents, their children having been born on the Ashanti, and this shared communal experience of raising their kids under those harsh conditions had brought them all even closer than before. Which is why, even at Michaela’s insistence, the unit could not be convinced to follow the supervisor’s directives, voting to go it alone even when threatened with a shutdown. Frustrated, Aguila decides to simply wash her hands of the matter, letting the scientists learn for themselves why the local saying “Welcome to Donovan” is less of a greeting and more a warning.
Obviously, for members of Maritime Unit, this spells very bad news. For readers though, what follows is a nerve-wracking, heart-pounding, gut-wrenching series of events, resulting in what might be the darkest, bloodiest Donovan novel to date. Considering all that we’ve been through already with the last four books, that’s definitely saying something! One of the reasons for this extra horror might be the fact that quite a few children are involved in this book, and if you find you that you are more sensitive to stories where bad or disturbing things happen to kids, then yeah, you might want to stay away. Just a warning.
As always though, Gear always keeps several plot threads going, and believe me, there’s much more happening out in the world of Donovan beyond the reef. In Adrift, we also get the chance to catch up with series protagonist Talina Perez, whose relationship with Dek Taglioni is certainly heading down some interesting roads. The former playboy and wealthy scion has made a complete transformation since his early days aboard Ashanti, and with quetzal TriNA now in his body, the changes just keep on coming.
Still, while the romance explored between Talina and Dek was compelling, their plotline was definitely not where my fascination yearned. I confess, as terrifyingly disastrous things were back at in the oceans, I just always wanted to get right back there to see how things were going. From deadly sea monsters to killer algae, poor Maritime Unit never catches a break. That’s what they get for disrespecting my girl Kalico Aguila! The no-nonsense, tough-as-nails supervisor is now officially my favorite character of the series, and I find I just love her more with every book.
But anyway, I could go on forever about how much I loved Adrift, how much I love the Donovan series if left to my own devices. This latest installment is proof that there is so much more of the planet to explore, and that author W. Michael Gear can still keep things new and fresh. If anything, these books just keep getting better and better, and I’m so glad that signs point to there being more to come.
Every time I find out about a new book in this series, I simply cannot contain my glee. I do hope the W. Michael Gear keeps them coming, because I don’t think I could ever get tired of returning to Donovan, watching yet another group of know-it-all settlers think they can get the better of the planet only to be slapped down and shown just how wrong they were. Nope, it never gets old!
This time, Adrift takes us to the seas of Donovan, where the Maritime Unit has just set up their research facilities perched on the edge of a reef, hundreds of miles from the closest shore. Having survived the last ten years trapped aboard the Ashanti with a cult of cannibals, the members of this small team mostly made up of oceanographers and marine scientists are excited to have finally arrived on the planet and are eager to start studying its aquatic ecosystems. For many of them, Donovan represents more than just a new life—it’s also a fresh start for humanity. Vowing never to make the same mistakes as their ancestors back on Earth, this was their ultimate opportunity to put a lifetime’s worth of training and education to good use. They will respect the world’s creatures, study and understand them, and hopefully bring a wealth of knowledge back to their corporate sponsors and employers to aid in the colonizing efforts.
But this idealism is shattered almost immediately. Visiting from the mainland, Supervisor Kalico Aguila tries to warn the scientists that Donovan is not like Earth. Nothing can be inferred or assumed based on what they previously knew. Treat every living thing as a threat that’s out to kill you. Always carry a weapon and never let your guard down.
Unfortunately though, hubris proved to be Maritime Unit’s downfall. Even with Scientific Director Michaela Hailwood as their leader, the team has always been largely run by consensus, functioning more like a family than a workplace. Most of the members of this close-knit group are parents, their children having been born on the Ashanti, and this shared communal experience of raising their kids under those harsh conditions had brought them all even closer than before. Which is why, even at Michaela’s insistence, the unit could not be convinced to follow the supervisor’s directives, voting to go it alone even when threatened with a shutdown. Frustrated, Aguila decides to simply wash her hands of the matter, letting the scientists learn for themselves why the local saying “Welcome to Donovan” is less of a greeting and more a warning.
Obviously, for members of Maritime Unit, this spells very bad news. For readers though, what follows is a nerve-wracking, heart-pounding, gut-wrenching series of events, resulting in what might be the darkest, bloodiest Donovan novel to date. Considering all that we’ve been through already with the last four books, that’s definitely saying something! One of the reasons for this extra horror might be the fact that quite a few children are involved in this book, and if you find you that you are more sensitive to stories where bad or disturbing things happen to kids, then yeah, you might want to stay away. Just a warning.
As always though, Gear always keeps several plot threads going, and believe me, there’s much more happening out in the world of Donovan beyond the reef. In Adrift, we also get the chance to catch up with series protagonist Talina Perez, whose relationship with Dek Taglioni is certainly heading down some interesting roads. The former playboy and wealthy scion has made a complete transformation since his early days aboard Ashanti, and with quetzal TriNA now in his body, the changes just keep on coming.
Still, while the romance explored between Talina and Dek was compelling, their plotline was definitely not where my fascination yearned. I confess, as terrifyingly disastrous things were back at in the oceans, I just always wanted to get right back there to see how things were going. From deadly sea monsters to killer algae, poor Maritime Unit never catches a break. That’s what they get for disrespecting my girl Kalico Aguila! The no-nonsense, tough-as-nails supervisor is now officially my favorite character of the series, and I find I just love her more with every book.
But anyway, I could go on forever about how much I loved Adrift, how much I love the Donovan series if left to my own devices. This latest installment is proof that there is so much more of the planet to explore, and that author W. Michael Gear can still keep things new and fresh. If anything, these books just keep getting better and better, and I’m so glad that signs point to there being more to come.
July 5, 2021
4.5 stars
Another very solid entry in the series. Picking up shortly after the events of Unreconciled, the maritime scientist survivors of the disastrous Ashanti transit have finally established their Marine Unit in one of Donovan's ocean environments.
Despite everything they have previously gone through, and even with continuous attempts at warning and educating the group about the expected dangers, the Maritime Unit basically feels that since they are all highly educated scientists they can figure things out just fine and ask to be left to their own devices. If you've been reading this series, you can basically guess how that works out. But this new and unexplored territory on Donovan makes for exciting reading, with new and more terrible terrors.
Meanwhile, Dek continues to deal with the changes wrought through his voluntary infection with Rocket's quetzel TriNA, but there are some further complications (of course there are). Luckily he has Talina to help.
Finally, we get to spend some quality time with Kalico as she deals with more difficulty at Corporate Mine, tries to work out her feelings for Dek, and more importantly, about Dek and Talina growing closer. She wonders if she's lost her edge, or is she just becoming more herself and more completely Donovan's?
If you are a fan of the series, Adrift won't disappoint. It's filled with the expected amount of action, excitement, emotion, and because it's Donovan, death.
Another very solid entry in the series. Picking up shortly after the events of Unreconciled, the maritime scientist survivors of the disastrous Ashanti transit have finally established their Marine Unit in one of Donovan's ocean environments.
Despite everything they have previously gone through, and even with continuous attempts at warning and educating the group about the expected dangers, the Maritime Unit basically feels that since they are all highly educated scientists they can figure things out just fine and ask to be left to their own devices. If you've been reading this series, you can basically guess how that works out. But this new and unexplored territory on Donovan makes for exciting reading, with new and more terrible terrors.
Meanwhile, Dek continues to deal with the changes wrought through his voluntary infection with Rocket's quetzel TriNA, but there are some further complications (of course there are). Luckily he has Talina to help.
Finally, we get to spend some quality time with Kalico as she deals with more difficulty at Corporate Mine, tries to work out her feelings for Dek, and more importantly, about Dek and Talina growing closer. She wonders if she's lost her edge, or is she just becoming more herself and more completely Donovan's?
If you are a fan of the series, Adrift won't disappoint. It's filled with the expected amount of action, excitement, emotion, and because it's Donovan, death.
June 7, 2021
The nitty-gritty: Gear kills it in his latest Donovan installment, a high-octane adventure that is almost impossible to put down.
“How bad can it be?” Dek wondered. “If it’s just people, like Tal says, we knock a couple of heads. If it’s beasties, we’ve got rifles. Problem solved.”
How bad indeed...Gear’s Donovan series is still going strong, and with this fifth book, Gear has taken his story to new heights, giving his readers a high stakes, exciting and sometimes horrific tale of the ongoing struggles of the colonists who have made Donovan their home. And boy, was this book a nail-biter! I can’t remember the last time a book stressed me out so much, but that's exactly what happened here. And kudos to Gear for knowing exactly how to keep a long running series fresh and interesting! Granted, he has a fantastic recipe for success—a distant planet filled with deadly alien creatures and a group of humans who try to make it home. In each book, readers have been introduced to new species, and in Adrift Gear takes us to a new location as well: the ocean.
Before I get too far, I do want to mention there will be minor spoilers for the previous books in the series. Adrift focuses on three different groups of characters, each caught up in their own particular dramas. First, the main story revolves around the newly established Maritime Unit, a group of scientists from the Ashanti—the ship that featured prominently in the last book—who have finally arrived on Donovan after the Ashanti was lost in space for ten years. Scientific Director Michaela Hailwood and her team are eager to start exploring the mysterious oceans of Donovan. Their environmental Pod has been set up and serves as both housing and lab space for the work they hope to accomplish. Furnished with state-of-the-art lab equipment and two very expensive and durable submarines, the Pod seems impenetrable and sturdy, a safe haven from the unknown creatures who live in the ocean.
Meanwhile, Talina Perez, who now shares her body with quetzal TriNA and has become something more than human, is dealing with her friend Dek Taglioni, who also recently arrived from the Ashanti. Dek is from a high-powered family back home and is rich and powerful, but after his terrifying experiences on the Ashanti—where a group of cannibal cultists nearly killed the entire crew—he’s now faced with a similar situation to Talina’s. He also has quetzal TriNA swirling through his body, and he’s fighting the quetzal voices in his head who seem to be trying to kill him. Talina decides to take Dek to a remote station called Twin Falls Gap and help him through the transition. During their time there, both Dek and Talina must face their feelings for each other, in addition to the changes Dek’s body and mind are going through.
And finally, Corporate Supervisor Kalico Aguila, who runs Corporate Mine, has a couple of things on her plate: first, she’s been called out to the Maritime Unit to make sure things are going smoothly (heads up: they’re not), and then an unexpected cave-in at the mine kills two of her employees, and she must come to terms with the decisions she’s made, wondering if her choices led to the disaster.
I know this sounds like a lot, but trust me, if you’ve been reading the series up to this point it will all make sense. And here’s the part where I mention that yes, you should read these books in order. Gear does a great job of creating an exciting, self-contained story when it comes to the drama with the Maritime Unit, but the side stories of Kalico and Talina require knowledge of earlier events to really enjoy them. As is the case with any multiple perspective story, there will always be that one storyline that rises above the others, and here it was the Maritime Unit events that grabbed me. I really enjoyed Kalico’s story as well, especially since some of her vulnerabilities are revealed. Kalico has always been one of my favorite characters—and in fact the whole series sort of revolves around her—but in previous books she’s shown more of her tough, unrelenting side, part of the reason she’s survived this long in such an unforgiving environment. But in this book, Kalico deals with the emotions of the cave-in deaths as well as her unresolved feelings for Dek Taglioni. When she hears that Talina has taken Dek into the wilderness, she’s surprised at how jealous she feels, so it was interesting to see her explore those feelings.
The sections with Talina and Dek were probably my least favorite, however. Not to say they didn’t have some exciting, life-or-death moments, but the whole idea of quetzals taking over their bodies and controlling their thoughts is a little too metaphysical for my taste. Earlier books go into lots of details about the process of the quetzals “communicating” with Talina and how their presence gives her heightened senses and speed, and from an anthropological standpoint, the idea is fascinating. But I felt this story was overshadowed by the main event in Adrift, the horrors that are unfolding at the Pod.
And here is where Adrift becomes more of a sci-fi/horror novel, which was good news for me because that’s my jam these days. The oceans of Donovan have been unexplored up to this point, so this new perspective was thrilling in many ways. Through the innocent eyes of Michaela and her teammates, we see some fascinating—and downright scary—sea life, including floating lantern-like creatures whose tentacles dangle into the sea, and a terrifying monster who appears out of nowhere and uses its lethal, blade-like appendages to kill its prey. It doesn’t take long for the bad stuff to start happening either. Gear doesn’t hesitate to show how terribly unprepared the crew are, as the scientists of Maritime Unit are picked off one by one, in perfect horror story fashion.
I should also mention that there are quite a few children at the station, children who were conceived and born on Ashanti and who now live with their parents in the (seemingly) impenetrable confines of the Pod. I won’t go into details, but I will say that what befalls these characters involves the children and a particularly nasty alien algae, so do be cautious if you are triggered in any way by stories about evil children and/or child deaths. Gear doesn’t care much about trigger sensitivity (and why should he?), and now you have been warned! The bottom line is that Adrift has some very scary scenes, and Gear’s writing and pacing, combined with short, snappy chapters, were perfect for this horrific tale.
I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with this review, Gear packs so much into his story. As the different groups on Donovan continue to grow and spread out, the author has more and more fodder for future books, and I see the potential for this series to keep going. There’s even hints that the events at the Pod aren’t over, and I for one would be thrilled if Gear decided to revisit those characters in the next book. The Donovan series is perfect for summer, and I highly recommend starting it if you are looking for a unique and exciting sci-fi adventure.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“How bad can it be?” Dek wondered. “If it’s just people, like Tal says, we knock a couple of heads. If it’s beasties, we’ve got rifles. Problem solved.”
How bad indeed...Gear’s Donovan series is still going strong, and with this fifth book, Gear has taken his story to new heights, giving his readers a high stakes, exciting and sometimes horrific tale of the ongoing struggles of the colonists who have made Donovan their home. And boy, was this book a nail-biter! I can’t remember the last time a book stressed me out so much, but that's exactly what happened here. And kudos to Gear for knowing exactly how to keep a long running series fresh and interesting! Granted, he has a fantastic recipe for success—a distant planet filled with deadly alien creatures and a group of humans who try to make it home. In each book, readers have been introduced to new species, and in Adrift Gear takes us to a new location as well: the ocean.
Before I get too far, I do want to mention there will be minor spoilers for the previous books in the series. Adrift focuses on three different groups of characters, each caught up in their own particular dramas. First, the main story revolves around the newly established Maritime Unit, a group of scientists from the Ashanti—the ship that featured prominently in the last book—who have finally arrived on Donovan after the Ashanti was lost in space for ten years. Scientific Director Michaela Hailwood and her team are eager to start exploring the mysterious oceans of Donovan. Their environmental Pod has been set up and serves as both housing and lab space for the work they hope to accomplish. Furnished with state-of-the-art lab equipment and two very expensive and durable submarines, the Pod seems impenetrable and sturdy, a safe haven from the unknown creatures who live in the ocean.
Meanwhile, Talina Perez, who now shares her body with quetzal TriNA and has become something more than human, is dealing with her friend Dek Taglioni, who also recently arrived from the Ashanti. Dek is from a high-powered family back home and is rich and powerful, but after his terrifying experiences on the Ashanti—where a group of cannibal cultists nearly killed the entire crew—he’s now faced with a similar situation to Talina’s. He also has quetzal TriNA swirling through his body, and he’s fighting the quetzal voices in his head who seem to be trying to kill him. Talina decides to take Dek to a remote station called Twin Falls Gap and help him through the transition. During their time there, both Dek and Talina must face their feelings for each other, in addition to the changes Dek’s body and mind are going through.
And finally, Corporate Supervisor Kalico Aguila, who runs Corporate Mine, has a couple of things on her plate: first, she’s been called out to the Maritime Unit to make sure things are going smoothly (heads up: they’re not), and then an unexpected cave-in at the mine kills two of her employees, and she must come to terms with the decisions she’s made, wondering if her choices led to the disaster.
I know this sounds like a lot, but trust me, if you’ve been reading the series up to this point it will all make sense. And here’s the part where I mention that yes, you should read these books in order. Gear does a great job of creating an exciting, self-contained story when it comes to the drama with the Maritime Unit, but the side stories of Kalico and Talina require knowledge of earlier events to really enjoy them. As is the case with any multiple perspective story, there will always be that one storyline that rises above the others, and here it was the Maritime Unit events that grabbed me. I really enjoyed Kalico’s story as well, especially since some of her vulnerabilities are revealed. Kalico has always been one of my favorite characters—and in fact the whole series sort of revolves around her—but in previous books she’s shown more of her tough, unrelenting side, part of the reason she’s survived this long in such an unforgiving environment. But in this book, Kalico deals with the emotions of the cave-in deaths as well as her unresolved feelings for Dek Taglioni. When she hears that Talina has taken Dek into the wilderness, she’s surprised at how jealous she feels, so it was interesting to see her explore those feelings.
The sections with Talina and Dek were probably my least favorite, however. Not to say they didn’t have some exciting, life-or-death moments, but the whole idea of quetzals taking over their bodies and controlling their thoughts is a little too metaphysical for my taste. Earlier books go into lots of details about the process of the quetzals “communicating” with Talina and how their presence gives her heightened senses and speed, and from an anthropological standpoint, the idea is fascinating. But I felt this story was overshadowed by the main event in Adrift, the horrors that are unfolding at the Pod.
And here is where Adrift becomes more of a sci-fi/horror novel, which was good news for me because that’s my jam these days. The oceans of Donovan have been unexplored up to this point, so this new perspective was thrilling in many ways. Through the innocent eyes of Michaela and her teammates, we see some fascinating—and downright scary—sea life, including floating lantern-like creatures whose tentacles dangle into the sea, and a terrifying monster who appears out of nowhere and uses its lethal, blade-like appendages to kill its prey. It doesn’t take long for the bad stuff to start happening either. Gear doesn’t hesitate to show how terribly unprepared the crew are, as the scientists of Maritime Unit are picked off one by one, in perfect horror story fashion.
I should also mention that there are quite a few children at the station, children who were conceived and born on Ashanti and who now live with their parents in the (seemingly) impenetrable confines of the Pod. I won’t go into details, but I will say that what befalls these characters involves the children and a particularly nasty alien algae, so do be cautious if you are triggered in any way by stories about evil children and/or child deaths. Gear doesn’t care much about trigger sensitivity (and why should he?), and now you have been warned! The bottom line is that Adrift has some very scary scenes, and Gear’s writing and pacing, combined with short, snappy chapters, were perfect for this horrific tale.
I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with this review, Gear packs so much into his story. As the different groups on Donovan continue to grow and spread out, the author has more and more fodder for future books, and I see the potential for this series to keep going. There’s even hints that the events at the Pod aren’t over, and I for one would be thrilled if Gear decided to revisit those characters in the next book. The Donovan series is perfect for summer, and I highly recommend starting it if you are looking for a unique and exciting sci-fi adventure.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
September 20, 2021
Again, good premise, bad execution, and cartoonish evil characters, honestly at this point I think most writers are just too lazy to bother thinking more than 3 pages at a time.
April 7, 2023
So glad this is the last book in the series. I had to check and seen if I accidentally picked out a Stephen king novel.
June 21, 2021
A 4.5 starrer. This is a terrific entry in the Donovan series. This is really SF horror done fabulously right.
Michael Gear peels the layers on Donovan further by focusing on a newer side of the planet like he did in the previous book - the ocean. And lo, Donovan doesnt disappoint. So far, we have seen our group of settlers achieve some sort of tenuous fragile equilibrium with Donovan. The 4th book showed a side of the land that indicated that they had barely scratched the surface. This book hammers that point down - no matter how prepared they are, the threats are simply beyond human thinking and the consequences rather severe.
A planned first outing to the ocean brings about inadvertently a new kind of threat. The kind of threat that has hidden under the ocean, away from sunlight, biding its time. A threat that is by an order of magnitude significantly intelligent than human beings. A threat that impacts kids. By far, this was the scariest, creepiest part of the book and also is the primary storyline/ threat of the book. The underwater nature of the habitat the scientists reside in coupled with their siege mentality borne out from their previous travails journeying to Donovan makes this an intensely claustrophobic horror read. In some of the best parts, it evokes movies like Alien and Life. Despite being told about Donovan, this group fails to anticipate how bad it could get and it makes for an uncomfortable read, esp given the target of the threat's attacks
Couple of other side stories find their way in - both of which look into the Donovan we have known before through the key characters of the previous books. Dek Taglioni spends most of the book trying to figure out who he is and how he fits in Donovan. He also has to contend with the alien symbiote within him trying to take control. He think he has changed, for the better and is unsure. All of this takes place even as Talina watches and waits - not knowing if he is an asset of a threat. The relationship growth between Dek and Taline felt entirely organic through the book and slightly unconventional as well
On the other end, Superior Kalico Aguila finds that the mines, that are so essential to the functioning of trade in Donovan, are as lethal and deadly resulting in risk to life. She also struggles with her feeling towards Dek given the debt she owes to the Taglioni's. She also struggles with her place in all of this - her past as a Supervisor, the power and influence that she wielded then to the situation now at Donovan, where she is a power and a leader but exposed and to an extent, addicted to the danger. Kalico's growth is another part where this series has matured (though the book itself takes time to remind how much she has changed - that was probably not needed to be called out so many times)
The side characters, each play their small but vital role and bring Donovan to life - etched in color and vibrant.
As a series, this has so far been fantastic - 4 terrific books and 1 dud (the 3rd book). The series has also evolved - initially the books had been about humans jockeying for what humans usually do to a greater focus on Donovan. However, while I do believe that the author can extend the series indefinitely, it would be good to know where all of this is heading. (Thats the half star being docked)
Michael Gear peels the layers on Donovan further by focusing on a newer side of the planet like he did in the previous book - the ocean. And lo, Donovan doesnt disappoint. So far, we have seen our group of settlers achieve some sort of tenuous fragile equilibrium with Donovan. The 4th book showed a side of the land that indicated that they had barely scratched the surface. This book hammers that point down - no matter how prepared they are, the threats are simply beyond human thinking and the consequences rather severe.
A planned first outing to the ocean brings about inadvertently a new kind of threat. The kind of threat that has hidden under the ocean, away from sunlight, biding its time. A threat that is by an order of magnitude significantly intelligent than human beings. A threat that impacts kids. By far, this was the scariest, creepiest part of the book and also is the primary storyline/ threat of the book. The underwater nature of the habitat the scientists reside in coupled with their siege mentality borne out from their previous travails journeying to Donovan makes this an intensely claustrophobic horror read. In some of the best parts, it evokes movies like Alien and Life. Despite being told about Donovan, this group fails to anticipate how bad it could get and it makes for an uncomfortable read, esp given the target of the threat's attacks
Couple of other side stories find their way in - both of which look into the Donovan we have known before through the key characters of the previous books. Dek Taglioni spends most of the book trying to figure out who he is and how he fits in Donovan. He also has to contend with the alien symbiote within him trying to take control. He think he has changed, for the better and is unsure. All of this takes place even as Talina watches and waits - not knowing if he is an asset of a threat. The relationship growth between Dek and Taline felt entirely organic through the book and slightly unconventional as well
On the other end, Superior Kalico Aguila finds that the mines, that are so essential to the functioning of trade in Donovan, are as lethal and deadly resulting in risk to life. She also struggles with her feeling towards Dek given the debt she owes to the Taglioni's. She also struggles with her place in all of this - her past as a Supervisor, the power and influence that she wielded then to the situation now at Donovan, where she is a power and a leader but exposed and to an extent, addicted to the danger. Kalico's growth is another part where this series has matured (though the book itself takes time to remind how much she has changed - that was probably not needed to be called out so many times)
The side characters, each play their small but vital role and bring Donovan to life - etched in color and vibrant.
As a series, this has so far been fantastic - 4 terrific books and 1 dud (the 3rd book). The series has also evolved - initially the books had been about humans jockeying for what humans usually do to a greater focus on Donovan. However, while I do believe that the author can extend the series indefinitely, it would be good to know where all of this is heading. (Thats the half star being docked)
June 21, 2021
When the Donovan series launched I was enthralled with the brutal reality of what colonizing a distant planet would be like. From the apex predators that dominate the planet to the cold hard reality of knowing that you are truly alone on a hostile planet with no help immediately available, I loved reading about the struggles that the natives faced. Our hubris in our belief that our intelligence and technology would protect us has proven wrong brutally and graphically over the course of this series. So here we are in the 5th book of the series and the story hasn't really progressed. I figured out that humans can be horrible, that Donavan has apex predators, and that the struggle to colonize the planet was real all in book 1. Here we are 5 books later and we have a hint that maybe there is more to this planet then initially feared (the entire planet is 1 single predator with an intelligence we cant comprehend?) I also hated what happened to the crew of the Ashanti. That they survived the horror of the trip to Donovan only to meet an end like they did, at the hands of their kids of all things was depressing at best (while the epilogue may hint at the direction of the story going forward, all chapters with the crew of the Ashanti were ones I skipped)
Ill continue to fall down the rabbit hole of Donovan but this series is no longer on my automatic buy and automatic read list.
Ill continue to fall down the rabbit hole of Donovan but this series is no longer on my automatic buy and automatic read list.
July 23, 2024
I'm finding that the further along these books develop the more they lack in certain areas. Gear appears to be getting very lazy with relationships as one example. You can't just have someone continue saying they love someone and we'll believe them when all evidence points to it only being the beginning of a relationship, lust at best. It's lazy drama creation to have a love triangle that was so completely and utterly non-existent to be laughable. He's also making some of the characters so stupid and unlikeable they're TSTL. At the beginning, characters were more complex, and regardless of your attachment, there was a risk of them dying. Now it's so obvious because they become beyond idiotic there's no choice but for them to die, and by then, you don't like them enough to care.
He's also ramping up the horror. Some of this I don't mind, but some of it is hamfisted, especially the slight sexual perversion that's scattered here and there - nearly always directed towards women. Though the child stuff was icky.
Overall, the series is still good. I really enjoy the main characters, and the world is fascinating. The new challenges every book continue to be a surprise. The pace is almost non-stop, and I love the unexpected twists and turns. Never a safe moment to rest.
So I will continue and hope for the best in the next book. But I'll be dropping this book to a 3 star rating - solely due to that whole scientist nightmare. Don't make ppl stupid just so you can kill them off. With a world like Donovan it's really not necessary.
Final note, big fan of the change in Allison. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.
He's also ramping up the horror. Some of this I don't mind, but some of it is hamfisted, especially the slight sexual perversion that's scattered here and there - nearly always directed towards women. Though the child stuff was icky.
Overall, the series is still good. I really enjoy the main characters, and the world is fascinating. The new challenges every book continue to be a surprise. The pace is almost non-stop, and I love the unexpected twists and turns. Never a safe moment to rest.
So I will continue and hope for the best in the next book. But I'll be dropping this book to a 3 star rating - solely due to that whole scientist nightmare. Don't make ppl stupid just so you can kill them off. With a world like Donovan it's really not necessary.
Final note, big fan of the change in Allison. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.
July 13, 2021
Our favorite characters are back, but the ocean is presented as nothing I ever want to go in, on, or anywhere near. Is it possible that the ocean is worse, more deadly, than the land of Donovan? Can an ocean be manipulative, it sure seems like it. Once again, the world building and character development excel. The pace was steady, and this was one that you could not put down as you waited to see what the “slime” would do.
November 2, 2021
Can't wait for the next one. 😃
July 14, 2021
-Meh- I just hope this space opera does not continue trying to turn into horror. It was an "ok" change of pace to experiment with, temporarily, but... yeah... this author just doesn't have the conflict/resolution perfected enough to write great horror/suspense. And, I did not purchase it for that, anyway.
The world and the life within it was greatly expanded, which was great, being what most fans of this series were likely jonesin' for. And, we can tell that he has only scratched the surface of possibilities. This kept it as a real page-turner, for me. I am not a fast reader, and only read 1-2 chapters before bed every night. If a book keeps me awake by making me want to read "just one more" before sleeping, then I consider it a perfect match, for me. This author has that part down pat. Now, again, it is not due to resolution of conflict, but due my addiction to the experiences of the characters with the alien life and each other.
Also, I could tell that it was very rushed. The editing was shoddy, with missing words here and there. Small things that a computer would not have caught. Easy things for my brain to fill in. But, still. Slow down, buddy. We can wait. <3
The world and the life within it was greatly expanded, which was great, being what most fans of this series were likely jonesin' for. And, we can tell that he has only scratched the surface of possibilities. This kept it as a real page-turner, for me. I am not a fast reader, and only read 1-2 chapters before bed every night. If a book keeps me awake by making me want to read "just one more" before sleeping, then I consider it a perfect match, for me. This author has that part down pat. Now, again, it is not due to resolution of conflict, but due my addiction to the experiences of the characters with the alien life and each other.
Also, I could tell that it was very rushed. The editing was shoddy, with missing words here and there. Small things that a computer would not have caught. Easy things for my brain to fill in. But, still. Slow down, buddy. We can wait. <3
June 4, 2021
I received this novel from DAW Books, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity.
Welcome (back) to Donovan… The most dangerous, most deadly planet explored by mankind returns with the newest perspective on its perils: I’m so glad that author W. Michael Gear decided to go further than the initially planned trilogy set in the extraterrestrial world of Donovan, because there is just so much to explore here, certainly material enough for several more installments in this series. So far, each book has taken us to a different area of the world and the focus on new characters in each volume - besides the “regulars” that always make an appearance - has helped in keeping the narrative fresh and intriguing.
In Adrift we follow three different storylines, two of them concerning characters we already met: former corporate supervisor Kalico Aguila is determined, more than ever, to make her mining project work, and such determination - together with the harrowing experiences she faced and overcame on the planet - has turned her from the hated face of the Corporation into a Donovanian through and through, another hardy settler driven to forge a new life on the alien planet and a respected member of the community, one capable of inspiring loyalty and even affection. Talina Perez, the security chief carrying Donovanian DNA - or rather TriNA - that has transformed her into a sort of hybrid, able to better integrate in the environment, has taken under her wing Derek Taglioni, once a powerful corporate leader and now one of the most tenacious explorers: in the previous installment, the man willingly accepted some quetzal TriNA, but an accident has now infected him with more than he could manage, and Talina - knowing how unpredictable the transformation can be - takes him away from Port Authority for his own sake and the safety of the other inhabitants of the small enclave.
The third point of view concerns the Maritime Unit, a group of scientists ferried by the latest ship with the goal of exploring Donovan’s oceans: after their harrowing experiences aboard Ashanti, where a number of passengers turned into a cannibalistic sect, they are eager to start their work in the self-sustaining pod placed on the chosen seabed. Like most new arrivals, the scientists are not overly worried by the old-timers’ warnings about Donovan’s dangers: after so many years spent in an enclosed space, living with the fear of the savage Unreconciled, they want to offer their children the joys of nature, and the chance of exploring the possibilities of the new world. But Donovan being Donovan, they have no idea of what kind of threats this planet has in store for them…
Adrift might very well be the best Donovan book to date: the constant change of perspective between the three main narrative threads imparts a sense of urgency and impending doom to the story that is more nerve-ravaging than what I experienced in previous books. Where in other novels this kind of shift might prove irritating or distracting, here all its does is compel you to turn the pages faster to learn what else is happening to the characters: even though the three separate storylines don’t mix (except for a brief moment toward the end) they all serve to showcase the extreme hostility of this world and the way the people have to adapt to survive, how they must never, ever, take anything for granted. By this fifth book we have learned that Donovan can throw anything at the people trying to colonize it, and we are made aware that there might never be an end to the hostility ingrained in the planet’s ecosystem, and that the unwary will not survive long.
While it was fun to reacquaint myself with Talina, Kalico, and other Port Authority settlers, who have now become almost like household names, my attention was riveted by what happens on the Maritime Unit’s pod: so far the Donovan series has offered a mix of science fiction, adventure and the strangeness of an alien world, but with Adrift horror has been added to the mix, and in significant quantity. In my review for book 4, Unreconciled, I asked myself what kind of menace might be in store for the oceanographers, because if the land held so many dangers, the sea was bound to do so as well: never, in my wildest imaginings, I would have conceived of a peril so insidious as the one the scientists face, even worse than the half-seen monster that toward the end of that book dispatched the man-eating Unreconciled. Since I intend to keep this review as spoiler-free as I can, I will not reveal any details, but suffice it to say that the ocean-based pod becomes the theater of a closed-space horror story that could easily give the Alien franchise a good run for its money, particularly because it all starts in such an offhand way that no one really understands what’s going on until it’s too late. And because the deadly threat comes from the most unexpected direction…
There are truly no limits to W. Michael Gear’s power of imagination as he crafts new creatures in the wild, deadly Donovan ecosystem, gifting them not only with predatory instincts but also with various levels of intelligence: survival on this planet is not only a matter of physical strength or improved protections, what truly counts here is the ability to think and plan several moves ahead of your opponents in the food chain. And no matter how many victories humans are able to score, either the price they have to pay for them is quite steep, or those victories are only temporary, because something bigger, stronger or more determined to kill them will always loom over the horizon. And I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for us (and his characters) next.
Welcome to Donovan… ;-)
Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG
Welcome (back) to Donovan… The most dangerous, most deadly planet explored by mankind returns with the newest perspective on its perils: I’m so glad that author W. Michael Gear decided to go further than the initially planned trilogy set in the extraterrestrial world of Donovan, because there is just so much to explore here, certainly material enough for several more installments in this series. So far, each book has taken us to a different area of the world and the focus on new characters in each volume - besides the “regulars” that always make an appearance - has helped in keeping the narrative fresh and intriguing.
In Adrift we follow three different storylines, two of them concerning characters we already met: former corporate supervisor Kalico Aguila is determined, more than ever, to make her mining project work, and such determination - together with the harrowing experiences she faced and overcame on the planet - has turned her from the hated face of the Corporation into a Donovanian through and through, another hardy settler driven to forge a new life on the alien planet and a respected member of the community, one capable of inspiring loyalty and even affection. Talina Perez, the security chief carrying Donovanian DNA - or rather TriNA - that has transformed her into a sort of hybrid, able to better integrate in the environment, has taken under her wing Derek Taglioni, once a powerful corporate leader and now one of the most tenacious explorers: in the previous installment, the man willingly accepted some quetzal TriNA, but an accident has now infected him with more than he could manage, and Talina - knowing how unpredictable the transformation can be - takes him away from Port Authority for his own sake and the safety of the other inhabitants of the small enclave.
The third point of view concerns the Maritime Unit, a group of scientists ferried by the latest ship with the goal of exploring Donovan’s oceans: after their harrowing experiences aboard Ashanti, where a number of passengers turned into a cannibalistic sect, they are eager to start their work in the self-sustaining pod placed on the chosen seabed. Like most new arrivals, the scientists are not overly worried by the old-timers’ warnings about Donovan’s dangers: after so many years spent in an enclosed space, living with the fear of the savage Unreconciled, they want to offer their children the joys of nature, and the chance of exploring the possibilities of the new world. But Donovan being Donovan, they have no idea of what kind of threats this planet has in store for them…
Adrift might very well be the best Donovan book to date: the constant change of perspective between the three main narrative threads imparts a sense of urgency and impending doom to the story that is more nerve-ravaging than what I experienced in previous books. Where in other novels this kind of shift might prove irritating or distracting, here all its does is compel you to turn the pages faster to learn what else is happening to the characters: even though the three separate storylines don’t mix (except for a brief moment toward the end) they all serve to showcase the extreme hostility of this world and the way the people have to adapt to survive, how they must never, ever, take anything for granted. By this fifth book we have learned that Donovan can throw anything at the people trying to colonize it, and we are made aware that there might never be an end to the hostility ingrained in the planet’s ecosystem, and that the unwary will not survive long.
While it was fun to reacquaint myself with Talina, Kalico, and other Port Authority settlers, who have now become almost like household names, my attention was riveted by what happens on the Maritime Unit’s pod: so far the Donovan series has offered a mix of science fiction, adventure and the strangeness of an alien world, but with Adrift horror has been added to the mix, and in significant quantity. In my review for book 4, Unreconciled, I asked myself what kind of menace might be in store for the oceanographers, because if the land held so many dangers, the sea was bound to do so as well: never, in my wildest imaginings, I would have conceived of a peril so insidious as the one the scientists face, even worse than the half-seen monster that toward the end of that book dispatched the man-eating Unreconciled. Since I intend to keep this review as spoiler-free as I can, I will not reveal any details, but suffice it to say that the ocean-based pod becomes the theater of a closed-space horror story that could easily give the Alien franchise a good run for its money, particularly because it all starts in such an offhand way that no one really understands what’s going on until it’s too late. And because the deadly threat comes from the most unexpected direction…
There are truly no limits to W. Michael Gear’s power of imagination as he crafts new creatures in the wild, deadly Donovan ecosystem, gifting them not only with predatory instincts but also with various levels of intelligence: survival on this planet is not only a matter of physical strength or improved protections, what truly counts here is the ability to think and plan several moves ahead of your opponents in the food chain. And no matter how many victories humans are able to score, either the price they have to pay for them is quite steep, or those victories are only temporary, because something bigger, stronger or more determined to kill them will always loom over the horizon. And I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for us (and his characters) next.
Welcome to Donovan… ;-)
Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG
September 17, 2021
I'm disappointed with this, the fifth book in the Donovan series. To me it read like a horror movie. Zombie children this time. TriDNA is like magic, it can do just about anything to DNA, modify human physiology, bypass immune systems, adjust limbic and endocrine systems, even read and interpret memories. I liked it when it was arrogant humans, under-equipped due to a flaw in FTL travel and the lag times involved in space travel, vs a completely hostile world filled with predators including the quetzals that seem to hold a grudge. The science was good now it's all magic.
August 17, 2022
3.5 stars. I thought this was the weakest book in the series so far. What has been great about the Donovan series has been the originality of life forms on Donovan. This time I found the new life forms discovered relatively generic. Seems this type of thing has been covered many many times already in horror films and the like. I expected more marine/in the water type forms as well.
Also the basic story didn't really progress much.
Bottom-line: Mediocre installment in a long book.
Also the basic story didn't really progress much.
Bottom-line: Mediocre installment in a long book.
October 7, 2021
I liked the story and the marine aspect. Would have been much better, in my opinion, without yet another Talina romance. I found it unnecessary to the story. Other than that, the story itself was fantastic. I'm guessing and hoping there will be a book 6.
July 15, 2021
Still not as good as the first 3 but much better than the 4th book.
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.
January 9, 2023
I've been addicted to the Donovan series ever since I read Abandoned, the second in the series but the first I ever knew of the series. With the exception of Pariah, the third in the series, they've all been excellent from beginning to end, and even that book is mostly good, with only the "woo woo" parts inside Talina Perez's head being less than great. So I had great anticipation as I looked forward to reading this book.
Alas, it was a disappointment from beginning to end.
It shouldn't have been a disappointment. This book looks at the Maritime Unit which came on the Ashanti, the ship which arrived in the Donovan system in Unreconciled with its cargo of people who'd created a cannibalistic religion during a decade trying to get where they were supposed to be. This is a group assigned to begin the study of life in Donovan's ocean, and their initial inability or unwillingness to comprehend the fact that Donovan is dangerous set up in my mind the anticipation of people suffering from their arrogance. And that was something of a factor.
But Gear chose to go a different route, giving us an analog to algae which is intelligent when the individual cells group together, and winds up turning children into automata. And the story loses strength at that point. The concept itself isn't unprecedented - in previous books we learned that TriNA, the analog of DNA which life on Donovan uses to convey genetic information, is essentially intelligent, in at least a rudimentary way, and "sharing molecules" with quetzals can potentially lead to very vivid hallucinations in which one does bizarre things. But it's more of a leap from that to fully intelligent algae than I can easily swallow. Having created a highly believable planet which by its very nature (even the plants are predatory to an extent) is inimical to human beings, Gear then jumped over a huge territory to come down in the Wonderland realm of algae which can plan and execute a sophisticated strategy of conquest - and that just doesn't work, and kept wrecking my suspension of disbelief.
W. Michael Gear has proven, in the previous books of this series, that he can write magnificent science fiction. In this book he didn't achieve that. But I'm hopeful that in the next book, he'll attain to the same high standard he's already set for himself.
Alas, it was a disappointment from beginning to end.
It shouldn't have been a disappointment. This book looks at the Maritime Unit which came on the Ashanti, the ship which arrived in the Donovan system in Unreconciled with its cargo of people who'd created a cannibalistic religion during a decade trying to get where they were supposed to be. This is a group assigned to begin the study of life in Donovan's ocean, and their initial inability or unwillingness to comprehend the fact that Donovan is dangerous set up in my mind the anticipation of people suffering from their arrogance. And that was something of a factor.
But Gear chose to go a different route, giving us an analog to algae which is intelligent when the individual cells group together, and winds up turning children into automata. And the story loses strength at that point. The concept itself isn't unprecedented - in previous books we learned that TriNA, the analog of DNA which life on Donovan uses to convey genetic information, is essentially intelligent, in at least a rudimentary way, and "sharing molecules" with quetzals can potentially lead to very vivid hallucinations in which one does bizarre things. But it's more of a leap from that to fully intelligent algae than I can easily swallow. Having created a highly believable planet which by its very nature (even the plants are predatory to an extent) is inimical to human beings, Gear then jumped over a huge territory to come down in the Wonderland realm of algae which can plan and execute a sophisticated strategy of conquest - and that just doesn't work, and kept wrecking my suspension of disbelief.
W. Michael Gear has proven, in the previous books of this series, that he can write magnificent science fiction. In this book he didn't achieve that. But I'm hopeful that in the next book, he'll attain to the same high standard he's already set for himself.
May 27, 2021
Adrift (Donovan Book 5)
by W. Michael Gear
The saying goes people “Come to Donavon For three things, To leave, To find themselves or to die.” Nothing is more apparent in Adrift. Those who have followed this series from the beginning know that Donavon is far from safe. Just getting there is risky. The Maritime Unit sent to catalog and explore the ocean of Donavon thought they were the best and the brightest from Earth. They knew on Earth how to survive in the harshest climate, roughest seas, and had the technology to conquer everything in Earth’s oceans. This is not true of the unexplored unknown ocean of Donavon. The planet is far more dangerous than they ever imagined. Weak and starved on Ashanti they were not fit to explore, even Earth's tranquil ocean, let alone Donovan. I counted at least 4 new land species (monsters), and at least 7 species described in part in the ocean, not counting the flora (??). All of life on Donavon is dangerous, even the smallest organisms. The Maritime Unit is not ready. Ignoring the advice from PA, from Corporate Mine, or even Supervisor Aguilar they begin a perilous path that leads to destruction.
Talia and Dex have their own problems with TRiNA, and have their own personal battles, unfortunately this time they can not come save the fresh meat. Their adventures are where we find the 4 new land species, some so deadly even Quetzals are afraid. We also find the strength to carry on through this very eye opening adventure.
Supervisor Aguilar has more battles under her belt than she can even handle with the eleven marines still in her employ. The Maritime Unit, itself is questioning her advice. The Corporate Mine has water issues, to say the least. Her own personal life is a mess. She may have to let something go, and tell people they have to do it on their own.
As a whole I found this book far more haunting, and frightening then the previous books. I asked Michael Gear if it should not be cataloged as a Horror story instead of a Science Fiction, trust me it gets scary. In the end you will find something more beautiful about Donavon, and more science connected to our world than you ever imagined. I can’t wait to see how the Audible book reads.
June 2, 2021
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I feel like every time I do a review of a book in the Donovan series, I say the same thing: This world is incredible, this series is epic. Incidentally, I think it would make a phenomenal series, so someone should get on that. Gimme a call, I have ideas!
I digress. The thing that makes the Donovan series so engaging and memorable is its characters. Yes, the world is beyond bananas, and I love every single minute of this planet's shenanigans. But the crux of the story really is how the characters handle these situations. Who they become in spite of (or perhaps, because of) the hardships presented to them day after day.
Adrift is, dare I say, more brutal than we've seen yet. And we've seen a lot. Our characters have been through it, from cannibalism to man-eating plants to aliens infesting their DNA and that is just your basic Tuesday on Donovan. And in this book, some of the newcomers have to learn that lesson the hard way- the very hard way.
If you haven't started this series and are at all a fan of sci-fi and adventures on new planets, I am going to beg you to do so. You won't regret it.
Bottom Line: Another winning installment of the Donovan series, Adrift is at once the most brutal and emotional of the series.
I feel like every time I do a review of a book in the Donovan series, I say the same thing: This world is incredible, this series is epic. Incidentally, I think it would make a phenomenal series, so someone should get on that. Gimme a call, I have ideas!
I digress. The thing that makes the Donovan series so engaging and memorable is its characters. Yes, the world is beyond bananas, and I love every single minute of this planet's shenanigans. But the crux of the story really is how the characters handle these situations. Who they become in spite of (or perhaps, because of) the hardships presented to them day after day.
Adrift is, dare I say, more brutal than we've seen yet. And we've seen a lot. Our characters have been through it, from cannibalism to man-eating plants to aliens infesting their DNA and that is just your basic Tuesday on Donovan. And in this book, some of the newcomers have to learn that lesson the hard way- the very hard way.
If you haven't started this series and are at all a fan of sci-fi and adventures on new planets, I am going to beg you to do so. You won't regret it.
Bottom Line: Another winning installment of the Donovan series, Adrift is at once the most brutal and emotional of the series.
July 17, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up and debating whether I'll continue reading the series. Looking at other reviewers comments, I found this:
This is the problem with the last two books.
There has been a horror sub plot in all of the novels of the series, but in the last 2.5, it has become the dominant issue in the story.
I'm here for the science fiction: the space ships and space travel; settling a new world; geek tech and science; aliens and fight/military tech scenes.
All of that stuff shines in this series. I love the world the author created. I love the characters.
But I'm not in this to get scared or disgusted. The alien stuff is fascinating. Love the science and the struggle the earthlings and the local fauna are having adapting to each other is unique.
Over all, I felt like he copped out in this one. Not enough story, almost no plot and the other characters were AWOL for the most part, the ones that showed up weren't doing anything interesting. Too much adolescent angst. I did not like what he did with the children. I was almost bored with that plot line, and started to skim.
So I don't know if I'm going to continue. I'm bummed.
So here we are in the 5th book of the series and the story hasn't really progressed.
This is the problem with the last two books.
There has been a horror sub plot in all of the novels of the series, but in the last 2.5, it has become the dominant issue in the story.
I'm here for the science fiction: the space ships and space travel; settling a new world; geek tech and science; aliens and fight/military tech scenes.
All of that stuff shines in this series. I love the world the author created. I love the characters.
But I'm not in this to get scared or disgusted. The alien stuff is fascinating. Love the science and the struggle the earthlings and the local fauna are having adapting to each other is unique.
Over all, I felt like he copped out in this one. Not enough story, almost no plot and the other characters were AWOL for the most part, the ones that showed up weren't doing anything interesting. Too much adolescent angst. I did not like what he did with the children. I was almost bored with that plot line, and started to skim.
So I don't know if I'm going to continue. I'm bummed.
March 13, 2023
Ok sports fans this was a return to kick ass science fiction story telling by W. Michael Gear. The last couple entries in this series seemed a bit mailed in and lacked the Donovanian cock punch of the first three books. One thing about the planet Donovan is it will find a way to to end your existence like a shanking from the bottom bunk of a maximum security prison. In this installment we find marine scientists trying to establish a presence on Donovan in one of the oceans to study marine wild life. The scientists are utterly clueless and quickly find themselves getting knocked off one by ten by the various predators in the water and in the sky. Unbeknownst to them their children are taken over by a thinking algae (yes you read that right). The super algae wants the pod as a place it can grow and multiply without being eaten by various predators. The humans are an impediment to this goal so it promptly wipes them out. Meanwhile all the other horrible shit Donovan has to offer is on full display in a few other equally compelling story lines. If you like raw violent syfy action than this series is for you.
April 22, 2021
This is book five in the Donovan series. Donovan is the seriously deadly, dangerous planet that space explorers have come to colonize. In this book the Maritime unit has been deplored from the Ashanti to begin their study of the ocean and its flora and fauna on Donovan. The team quickly finds that everything on Donovan is out to kill you. On their first task of setting out a buoy to measure waves and tides the young scientist and her son observe many strange and interesting creatures and a very large carnivorous thing lurking in the depths but the boy also reaches out and touches some algae slime that they bring back to the pod they live in.
As with the other books survival and learning the ways of Donovan are the major plot challenges. The author comes up with brilliant creatures and numerous scary means by which a person can fall prey to Donovan. I will credit him with a most vivid imagination, all set with a cast of characters that become your friends. This is a most extraordinary series of books and each one leave you wanting more. Welcome to Donovan!
As with the other books survival and learning the ways of Donovan are the major plot challenges. The author comes up with brilliant creatures and numerous scary means by which a person can fall prey to Donovan. I will credit him with a most vivid imagination, all set with a cast of characters that become your friends. This is a most extraordinary series of books and each one leave you wanting more. Welcome to Donovan!
December 15, 2021
Hmm, this is a Janis novel for me, a good side and a lesser one. Let me start with the worse. I don't liked the story with the kids. I generally don't, but the thoughts in their changing mind just did not appeal to me. As a result, the main body of the marine unit story was a bit meh. And since this was an important piece of the book, the other storylines had a hard time to make up for it and give me the Donovan experience. The Dek-Talina plot was kind of obvious, but well written, loved the Kalico piece. The book could have used some macroplot input. We got some through the Dek flashbacks, but it would have been really cool to have something stirring up the pot from a humanity space opera perspective; maybe some subplot of Whitey, or the Wild Ones. I am not a real fan of a growing zombie algae with unlimited power, hope the role it may play in #6 will be limited. 3.5 stars, rounded up for originality of the marine predator live and the fact that Donovan is a brilliant piece of an alien world. The only way it could be so interesting is by the writing of Mr Gear. 4 stars.
January 19, 2025
Wow, this series is really declining. The worst scientists going to explore an alien ocean i could possibly imagine. Just wow, i eventually just hoped they'd all die as quickly as possible to move along. It's a shame really ,because finally we might have gotten some insights into the world's biology. Then there's the 'love story' between the two primary female protagonists and the new golden boy. Just woof, really really bad. Constantly giving passages that read like a mediocre romance novel. It really is a shame, there's a lot going for this series in terms of overall concepts and characters, but the author needs to probably slow down and start researching some of the professions they're portraying better. Can't stand stories that rely on incompetence on the part of professionals st the top of their game.
November 29, 2023
Marine scientists from the ship Ashanti in book four establish a maritime unit to study the oceans of Donovan. About half of the book is devoted to this, and the the other half follows Dek and Tal in the forest as Dek tries to deal with the alien DNA he's been infused with.
This was a bit slower to start than the other books (especially book 4, my favourite so far I think), but the pace gradually picked up as the sinister side of Donovan creeps into the maritime unit. This book also has been the most horror leaning of them so far, with a high body count and some quite gruesome deaths. It also meant there wasn't as much of the politics of the main local characters as with previous books.
Still a great read overall, just a slightly different approach.
This was a bit slower to start than the other books (especially book 4, my favourite so far I think), but the pace gradually picked up as the sinister side of Donovan creeps into the maritime unit. This book also has been the most horror leaning of them so far, with a high body count and some quite gruesome deaths. It also meant there wasn't as much of the politics of the main local characters as with previous books.
Still a great read overall, just a slightly different approach.
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.
July 2, 2021
More like 4.5
I love this series, and this latest entry added a new dimension to the story, showing just how dangerous Donovan (the planet) can be. Relationships are shifting, the new batch of newcomers are quickly beginning to understand they aren't in Kansas anymore. The kids are a particularly good addition to the cast. As always in this series, the book doesn't end in a cliff-hanger, but we know things are about to change ...
Thank goodness Alyssa Bresnahan was available for the audiobook -- she's performed the entire series and has done an awesome job. Good pacing and creating suspense and action, and good characterizations. She'd better be around for book 6.
I love this series, and this latest entry added a new dimension to the story, showing just how dangerous Donovan (the planet) can be. Relationships are shifting, the new batch of newcomers are quickly beginning to understand they aren't in Kansas anymore. The kids are a particularly good addition to the cast. As always in this series, the book doesn't end in a cliff-hanger, but we know things are about to change ...
Thank goodness Alyssa Bresnahan was available for the audiobook -- she's performed the entire series and has done an awesome job. Good pacing and creating suspense and action, and good characterizations. She'd better be around for book 6.
December 27, 2021
Another winner by Gear. A good part of this story takes place on a research pod in the Donovan oceans. This means new and deadly creatures and other manifestations of Donovan intelligence.
I am glad that Talina still had a major role here too. I hope the introduction to Donovan's ocean life leads to more books in this amazing series.
I am glad that Talina still had a major role here too. I hope the introduction to Donovan's ocean life leads to more books in this amazing series.
June 13, 2022
The marine unit sets up in Donovan’s ocean but things take a deadly turn quickly. Just when you thought the horrors from Asanti were over. Dek and Talina grow closer as she helps his deal with his quetzal problems. Kalico has trouble at the mine and they learn a hard lesson.
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