Catalyst Gate

The Protectorate #3

by Megan E. O'Keefe

The universe is under threat and an ancient alien intelligence threatens to bring humanity down unless Major Sanda Greeve and her crew can stop it in the final book of this explosive Philip K. Dick award nominated space opera.
The code has been cracked. The secrets of the Casimir gates have been revealed. But humanity still isn't safe. The alien intelligence known as Rainier and her clones are still out there, hell-bent on its destruction. And only Sanda can stop them.
With the universe's most powerful ship under her command and some of the most skilled hackers, fighters, and spies on her team, it will still take everything she has to find the key to taking down an immortal enemy with seemingly limitless bodies, resources, and power.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Audiobook, Aliens, Space, Fantasy

593 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2021

About the author

Megan E. O'Keefe was raised amongst journalists, and as soon as she was able joined them by crafting a newsletter which chronicled the daily adventures of the local cat population. She lives in the Bay Area of California, and spends her free time tinkering with anything she can get her hands on.

Her fantasy debut, Steal the Sky, won the Gemmell Morningstar Award and her space opera debut, Velocity Weapon was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars ⭐️

Fantastic trilogy!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a lot of things that makes this series great, but what stands out most is its balancing act. I usually prefer a character-first story, with the plot and world-building backing that up. Megan O’Keefe has hit the sweet spot with Catalyst Gate – and the entire Protectorate trilogy, really – by delivering equal amounts of awesome characters, ‘holy-shit!’ plot reveals, and ‘whooooaaa, coooolll’ events that ultimately brings this space opera into blockbuster territory.

Commander Sanda Greeve, her sundry crew of universal misfits and her AI friend Bero are back on board The Light with the sole purpose of bringing down Rainier, the alien tech/human hybrid bent on humanity’s destruction. Sanda’s brother Biran, now vaulted into a powerful leadership position within the High Protectorate, is trying to root out Rainier’s evil from within the populace, while tracing these events back to the source. Tomas the former spy is struggling to find direction with his new-found, unshackled identity, but is still driven by emotions from which he cannot escape. And Jules Valentine – well, Jules being Jules, single-minded as ever – “easy to lose everything you love, when you’ve only ever loved one thing” – continues to be the universal wild card, a bent cog in the machine that could save or destroy everything. Usually both. Always both.

There’s a lot going on. And there’s a lot of ends to tie up. Plot-wise, the end of the story is incredibly exciting, with some hugely satisfying developments in its final acts. There’s a bomb-drop that’s been slowly percolating since book one that finally rears its head, and it is awesome. The major characters finish their arcs in compelling fashion, and the universe is much different than how it started. However, I was hoping to see some more A to B development from the supporting cast. Although we spent time with some great supporting characters, like those on The Light and one or two in the Protectorate – they weren’t given much room to grow. It might be asking too much from a book with so much space dedicated to several POVs, but I found myself wondering if Nox, Arden, and even Bero changed much from the beginning to the end of their arcs.

Catalyst Gate ends a trilogy that I gave high marks to across the board. I really loved this story. O’Keefe’s writing moves at a blistering pace. There’s a protagonist with disability, several LGBTQ+ relationships, and traumatic challenges to overcome. Wild ideas, cool tech, wonderful representation, and suspenseful as hell -- an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a grand adventure in the stars.

9.0 / 10

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this final book of the Protectorate series, Megan O’Keefe offers us a convincing, if not entirely comforting, conclusion. To say that this has been a journey fraught with surprises is to understate it. Catalyst Gate continues the trend, answering questions of both plot and character. The novel is a drawing together of stories, of individuals and groups - it’s a book of conversations finally had and revelations shared. As ever, Sanda, giving all she has to protect her family, blood and found, is the most compelling aspect. The perfect mix of snark and heart, with killer skills and more than a little daring, she’s one of the best space captains I’ve ever read.

A series not to miss.

ARC via Netgalley

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT

A somewhat unsatisfying ending to this trilogy. The first book was very good, the second, pretty good and this one is just, well, ok.

The manifold story lines are interesting. The characters are what I'd expect from such a large developed universe: some are very well fleshed out and others, less so. The character arcs are somewhat muddy, as Sanda and Biran don't really have one, in spite of all that has happened to them. At the end of the third book they are essentially exactly the same people, albeit a little more experienced and cynical, that they were at the beginning of the first book. Jules had more of an arc than any of the other characters, and the rest of the secondary players are essentially one-dimensional and static throughout three books. The text started out somewhat clunky, as if the author was having difficulty finding the pace and voice of story. Ultimately this improved, and the last 3/4 of the book flowed much better.

The main problems I had with this story are:
1. The 'surprise twist' regarding the make up of the main character, plus she gets a 'pass' from the alien mind she encountered and stays enhanced when most everyone else is just back to being a boring old Human meat bag. Yes, I know it was foreshadowed in all three books, but I still think it's out of place and takes a great deal away from an otherwise excellent character. It is an example of the 'god-in-human-form' cliche that is very tiring. Can a simple, normal human ever accomplish any great and terrible feat without having to become some sort of enhanced or god-like persona? With a disappointing 'happy ending' to boot?
2. The 'deus-ex-machina' solution to the mammoth threat to humanity. This is also a tired cliche, perhaps even more so than the first I mentioned, even for science fiction, and I'm sad to see it used here in an otherwise solid trilogy. Is Humanity ever going to be able to pull together and defeat a massive enemy on their own, no matter that the enemy is so overwhelming and the chances of success are almost zero? Does an advanced alien intelligence or two, no matter how ambivalent or hostile they are to Humanity, always have to do the heavy lifting?

The muddled conclusion to the Icarion problem is a huge letdown to an interesting, if not fully explored, enemy. It is too fast, too easy and not believable that they would fall apart and be overwhelmed that easily after the decompression event.

Overall I'm slightly disappointed in this third book. Many other reviews have been more positive, and people genuinely seemed to like it, so perhaps it is a matter of my personal taste in story telling. I will continue to read this author and look forward to her future works.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catalyst Gate is a huge letdown after Chaos Vector. The protagonists have become extremely obtuse and make stupid decisions. The whole story is basically one mistake after another; ending with a double deus ex machina.

Meh.

Avoid this series, if you value consistency in quality of story telling.

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 Velocity Weapon: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
#2 Chaos Vector: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars

*

Catalyst Gate was a journey, oh my god. I was filled with anxiety throughout 95% of it because so much was happening all the damn time??? I will say that the tone here did very much follow along with the dramatics of some of the final twists in the previous book, but it was done so in a way that worked really well for me.

I still loved the multiple perspectives and how they were written. The stakes were so much higher this time around and O'Keefe did a fantastic job at ramping up the tension and making things difficult for the characters. There were so many decisions to be made and I really liked how the consequences of those decisions were developed and explored here.

The twists were! so good! The plot, in general, was so well written and it was very obvious that O'Keefe knew where she wanted to go and where to take the story. Not a moment felt wasted or gratuitous and every one had a part to play. Sanda and Biran were still amazing and I very much enjoyed their character paths. Jules was... a wildcard and I'm still not sure how I feel about her.

I will say I was a bit bummed with the lack of focus on some of the side-characters. The first two books in the trilogy did a good job at introducing and developing them and making them contribute to the progression of the story, so I felt like they were really sidelined here in favor of big plot moments.

The ending was also a tiny bit rushed for me. It still very much wrapped things up in a satisfying manner, though, and I was really glad to discover how things ended for the crew. Overall, a mega entertaining series!

[Queralt✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3 stars.
Fangirl rating: 4 stars.

I feel I have been harsh with the series. Even though I’ve given 5 stars to every book so far, I keep feeling I’m not being honest with the score. Now, don’t get me wrong, this has scratched my ‘The Expanse itch’ big time and it’s been one of the most fun series I have read in my life, but it’s flawed.

When it comes to the good stuff, it all remains the same - the characters are incredible (Sanda, Tomas, Bero, and Nox being the stars for me), it’s incredibly funny and smart, and it keeps your interest at all times. Fangirl-wise, this was amazing. We got to spend time with characters we love, and their banter is fun as always. Seeing their stories conclude was satisfying.

Now unto the bad things, I guess. The last book also featured the stuff I whined about in my review for Velocity Weapon(review), so I will not bother repeating them and just jump to what is new.

1. Plots within plots within plots within plots.
Where are we? What is going on? Every chapter added a new plot or a new twist. And a bunch of times non-sensical stuff was happening and you knew characters had done something behind the scenes, but you had to go three chapters confused af until the new twist would pop up. By chapter 70, I just couldn’t care anymore. I was exhausted.
I find it commendable that O’Keefe had so many ideas and they’re all so good, but everything became too tangled and complex. She wasted bits and pieces of chapters just trying to explain everything that had happened ‘behind the scenes’ or summarizing everything that had been going on (which was nice, because it all flew over my head at a few points).
This leads me to my second point.

2. Deux ex Machina.
Again, I love O’Keefe’s imagination. But in chapter 75 everything was SO tangled. Tangled and messy. I wondered how it would end and I started worrying that would not stick the landing. And I guess it did? Too well? It was neat. It was solved easily. It makes me wonder if the author tangled everything so much she just wrote up a simple thing to get herself out of the mess.

3. Lacking information.
I understand that the readers can’t know everything. But so far, we’ve known as much as the main characters knew. We’re with Sanda at all times. All times. There’s one point in the book where the shit hits the fan (for the 800th time) and she makes a secret plan. We don’t know what it is. And someone tells her “You know what you have to do,” and she agrees. Well, we don’t. We don’t know. We don’t know the plan, we don’t know key information about the plan, but they know. It was annoying to go from being taken along the ride for two books and 450 pages, and then being in the dark for 150 pages while characters do nonsensical stuff.

4. The ending.
I expected something else. It reminded me of Mass Effect 3 but I felt it was unfair and done poorly. If you pick the Destroy ending, you don’t get to save your friends. You destroy ffs.

5. Knuth.
We learned nothing of this dude. As we know he likes to fix things, but I feel Grippy has been giving more of a personality than he has.

6. Biran.
I care about Knuth more than I care about Biran. That’s all I say.

Rant over. I still loved the series, but as I read I highlighted all the 'fan service' and I will only be re-reading that in the future.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was basically perfect T_T

also i think we can all agree bero and tomas is the true love story of this series - serving enemies to partners excellence

(also also tomas spacing himself once a week when sander was gone was so sad T____T)

(re-read 13.6.22)

[MadProfessah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catalyst Gate by Megan O’Keefe is the third book in The Protectorate trilogy, following Velocity Weapon and Chaos Vector. The entire trilogy is an amazing, action-packed, space opera featuring a diverse set of multifaceted characters that exist in a complicated, engaging story that provokes thoughts about the nature of intelligent life, the possible future trajectories of human civilization and the emotional stakes of personal attachments.

The central characters in the Protectorate series are Biran Greeve and Sanda Greeve, brother and sister, who are both citizens of Prime, a galaxy-spanning human civilization. Sanda is in the military and is also the captain of one of the most amazing spaceships known to mankind, inhabited by an artificial intelligence named The Light of Berossus (more commonly known as Bero). Biran is a Keeper of Prime, which means that he contains an implanted computer chip in his head which contains access to Prime’s greatest secret: the technology to the Casimir Gates which facilitate interstellar travel between various Prime star systems. A Keeper keeps Prime safe by keeping secrets.

By the time we get to the third book in the series, Catalyst Gate, the plot has developed to a point where Sanda and Biran are in two very different places, both literally and figuratively. Biran has been named Speaker of Prime and is a member of the High Protectorate, a body akin to an Executive Committee of Keepers who run the government of Prime. In that capacity Biran is dealing with the aftermath of the discovery that Prime’s Casimir Gates were not invented by the revered founder of Prime Inventive, Alexandra Halston, a few centuries before, but were basically reverse engineered from alien technology. Because of a flaw Halston made when she initially engineered the Casimir Gates, on their initial use the gates have been releasing deadly radiation into the star systems they facilitate human travel to, basically sterilizing them of all multi-cellular organisms. This “error” explains why in hundreds of years humans have never encountered any other intelligent alien life despite expanding to dozens(?) of star systems. What’s a little weird (and frankly a little unbelievable) is that humans have not been finding any Earth-like planets either in the star systems that they have colonized to date. All of Prime’s citizens live below huge pressurized domes, generally on large asteroids or rocky, geologically stable planets which for some reason work best with the Gates. The entire subject of how the gates work and any science or technology associated with space travel in any way is highly classified and only Keepers are allowed to have any access to it. O’Keefe does an excellent job of depicting this and other cultural aspects of Prime society in convincing fashion. Her worldbuilding is on par with the very best in SFF. (But as noted above there are still some obvious and lingering questions.)

Sanda is a Commander in the Prime military and due to the events in Velocity Weapon and Chaos Vector has control of the most advanced ship in the known Universe (with Bero on board). She and her crew, which consists of a motley but capable group of folks that are trying to locate Rainier Lavaux, the person responsible for a heinous and deadly biowarfare attack on Prime citizens who has openly stated her genocidal intentions towards humanity. Sanda’s crew includes Tomas Cepko, the double (or triple?) agent who loves her; Arden Wyke, a non-binary computer super-hacker; and Nox, an ex-soldier cum mercenary who used to date one of Sanda’s two dads; Min Liao, a scientist/medical doctor who inadvertently helped Lavaux accomplish her attack; and two other people who help maintain the ship. If this seems like a large cast, it is. But O’Keefe skillfully deploys them and I never felt confused or overwhelmed.

O’Keefe’s writing has numerous strengths: she describes action well, and she also uses it to forward the plot effectively. Additionally, she does an exceptional job of incorporating diverse characteristics and identities into her characters which makes them interesting and relatable without being precious. The Protectorate trilogy is an excellent example of how she’s able to do all this while maintaining within the genre conventions of military space opera, which is quite an impressive feat. Although this series is complete and I am sad to not spend any more time with Sanda and Biran Greeve I am very curious and interested to read what O’Keefe will write in the future, especially if she is able to continue to producing work in the SF genre while still maintaining and expanding her strengths.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*

So, let's talk about Catalyst Gate. It’s the conclusion of Megan O’Keefe’s absolutely cracking Protectorate space opera series. I’ve had a great time in the universe of the Protectorate, with its twists and turns, deep secrets and complex characterisation. And this book, this book raises the already very high bar.

If you’re one for worldbuilding, you’ve come to the right place. O’Keefe expands her intricate, intriguing space, filled with mysteries and old atrocities. What was once a universe defined by the gates one uses to get from place to place the lines of travel, is blown open, in terms of both geography and history. The space we see here is something new, unexplored, in both the physical and temporal case.And each piece of the universe is part of the puzzle, each interlocking part helping to reveal a greater whole, while revelling in its own details of wonder and terror. O’Keefe gives us a humanity which has reached out to the stars. But a humanity whose old wounds and old grudges are part of what defines them. And that’s true too, of the force we see moving against them. Rainier, the creature-that-was-an-AI, is also a fish swimming in a sea of missing gods. Because this is a universe which was not always ours. And even those parts that were, the world we came from, the cradle of us all, hides its own secrets. This is a universe filled with deep secrets, deep magic, wonder, and hidden blades. It’s a universe which has space for something other than us in it, and one where the fire of humanity can both gutter and inspire. I won’t spoil it (and that’s going to be a theme of this review), but there’s revelations about the setting which turn everything up to now on its head (again), and make you rethink everything you’ve read. And it’s still a vivid, beautiful, bloody, unknowable universe.

The people share a depth and emotion with the world. They have a resonance, a humanity which you can feel in your bones. And Rainier, the not-exactly-AI, is something else. A broken horror in borrowed clothes, straining against a leash. Both the people and the Other are whole, and real. Not always nice, no not at all. Not always charming, no, not at all. But filled with passionate intensity and love and comfort, and revenge and horror and everything that makes us feel that we’re something other than vehicles for our impulses. These characters, two books in, you can feel their moods. You can understand what you think their goals to be. You can try to understand the rest, to see the cloaked motives of masked truths. But, to be a bit less poetic about it, you’ll do it because the people on the page will grab hold of you, take you by the hand and make you care about them - from the wounded, vicious AI to the troubled survivor of a planetary slum, and from there to the family of fathers and siblings, deep in their affection and unflinching in their duty. They’re people. And because they’re people, you’ll care about them. Live with them, die with them, cry and laugh and love and live alongside them, as this chapter of their life, as this series, draws to a close. And they’re characters that capture the intimacy and beauty of humanity, as well as our stupidity and cruelty, and the alien and the unknowable that shifts outside our experience is drawn onto the page with skill and wonder in equal measure.

I don’t want to be this vague, I don’t, but this book. This book is willing to turn on a dime and smash your expectations, of people, places and events. I dare not plumb the depths in case I give something away. Because the plot is a thing of joy. A precision work of narrative. It works. It compels your attention, it refuses to let you stop reading. Each word in a sentence in a page in a chapter carries meaning and truth and moments where you just want to express your surprise, loudly. I, personally, used expletives. You’re probably reading this coming off the revelations from the first two books in the series. I can promise you that they are easily overshadowed by things here. And on a narrative level, the story is compelling, intriguing and perfectly paced; a page turner which will keep you reading long, long into the night. And, if you’re wondering: yes. The ending is a wonder. It’s cathartic and smart and warm and, well, exactly what the series needed. This book is the series ending we deserve, the ending we needed, and it’s brilliant. Go pick it up, right now.

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately the series weakened as it continued. Far too much coincidence and deus ex machina, as well as inconsistency (e.g. the guardcore are devastatingly competent - except when it behooves the author for them to be easily taken down, in vast numbers at that).

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Successfully concluding a trilogy is always tricky, and I adored The Protectorate series as a whole, so although there were some parts in this instalment where I found myself less engaged (perhaps because of the sheer amount of action crammed into this book's pages) this was overall a satisfying conclusion. I feel like there is still potential for more stories from this universe - but maybe that's just because I love these characters so much.
I re-read Velocity Weapon and Chaos Vector before diving into this, and I found Catalyst Gate to be a lot more twisty than its predecessors. I tend to be drawn into a narrative by characters, rather than plot, and so it's possible that this is what made me less "all in" for this part. However, this factor could also make this someone else's favourite instalment of the series.
I can definitely see myself re-reading this series as a whole, again, in the future.
4.5 rounded up to 5.
Thanks to Orbit and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Lena (Sufficiently Advanced Lena) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a super solid scifi series, highly recommend!

[Michael Mammay]

A great series all the way through. I'd be hard pressed to say any of the books was better than the others -- they are all three good. To me, this is the perfect series for somebody who read (or watched) The Expanse and is looking for something similar. It's the closest thing to that that I've found, sharing a lot of the same things -- crew as family, a bit of supernatural in an otherwise realistic world, elements of mystery within the story.

Additionally, there's just a ton of originality and imagination in this. O'Keefe is good at big twists that you don't see coming. Whatever you think is going to happen, she's probably got something bigger.

As the last book in the series, it provides a satisfying and definitive ending. I don't see any more books coming in this universe. Or, if they do, they'll have to be completely new stories, because this one is complete.

As a side note, Joe Jameson is one of the best narrators in the business.

[Stuart Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this trilogy overall. I had a hard time visualizing some of the endgame set pieces, but overall thought this was immensely satisfying conclusion to these characters’ arcs.

Also, moving over to StoryGraph after this! Hard to pull the trigger on leaving an app owned by bad people when everyone else you know still uses it, but if not in 2025, then when, am I right?

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

alright this was a fair ending, while reading I was nervous I was gonna hate it, but she brought it all together in the end (phew)

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining and fast-moving plot with a satisfying finale to a really good series. Sanda really gets to shine here (ok, shine some more, because she’s been great since the series’ open) as she takes on the many problems caused by the dangerous and corrupting influence on the Prime Keepers.
Biran continues to show his bold and strategic sides as he deals directly with the corruption within the Keepers, while figuring out what’s really going on with the Gates.
I love the team working with Sanda, especially Bero, the sentient ship.
I found the world building fascinating in this series, and was a little sad when the series wrapped up, as I’d really grown fond of Sanda, Bero, and Biran. Well, I guess I’ll just have to reread this series sometime.

[York · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great wrap-up of the trilogy, still digesting the whole series...I think the Goodreads rating is spot on. There is a bit of a "deus ex machina" ending, but it's not totally out of line...

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for the book and the whole series. This one was long and convoluted. But ultimately very satisfying. The whole story was a hell of a space opera, with the emphasis on Opera! Big drama. Mistaken identity, people coming back from the dead, insomnia, this has every hallmark of daytime TV soapies, and I'm not gonna lie, I loved every moment.

It's so ridiculous, with so many magical plot twists and solutions, but so utterly entertaining. I shouldn't recommend this series to anyone, becasue it's almost embarrassing. But by Jove, I do!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been such a brilliant series and fortunately the author has not fallen at the final hurdle but has offered up a pretty pitch perfect finale - I loved it.

The premise extremely imaginative, the eclectic characters immensely engaging both hero and villain alike. I'm going to miss them all, it has been a roller coaster ride with more action and adventure than you can shake a stick at.

If you like your sci-fi brilliantly written, intelligently plotted and best of all wildly entertaining then this trilogy will definitely be for you.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. I’ve been totally engaged in this trilogy- except for the convoluted plot twists at about 80% or so. Ended very satisfactorily though. Someone else on GR noted that the author dies a nice job balancing world building, characterization and plot. I totally agree!

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC
This ends a Trilogy that captivated me!
What a Ride!!!!

[Traveling Cloak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catalyst Gate is the third and final installment in Megan E. O’Keefe’s The Protectorate series. This is a highly-anticipated release for many, and that is especially true for fans of the space opera trilogy who are looking for the story to end with a bang. If you read no more of this review, know this: to say it went out with a bang would be an understatement.

I try to be particularly discerning with final books of series that I have loved; meaning, I actively look for cause not to give it them a perfect rating. My reasoning for this is that it is the best way to keep myself objective; having already enjoyed the rest of the series, it is human nature to want the finale to be good. So, in order to keep my review balanced, I read with an intent to find something about which I can be critical. In that way, I know I am keeping myself honest. But, honestly, I have nothing to complain about with this one.

The opposite is true; in fact, I have so much to gush about, which I will try to do without revealing too much about the story. I have two objectives for this review: tell you have fabulous the book is and not spoil anything of substance, one of those goals being easier than the other. In any case, that is exactly what I plan to do.

‘My name is Bero. I do not agree with your sentiments.’

What is good about Catalyst Gate is the consistency. The characters that have been here from the beginning persist in their phenomenal roles. Bero. Sanda. Tomas. Biran. Rainier. Okonkwo. Jules. Nox. The list goes on and on, with the point being that the character set has not changed all that much, and I love that. In the course of three books and 1,500+ pages every single one has grown into their role and had their place in the story (and my heart )affirmed. Secrets have been revealed and pasts explored, but every one of them basically stays true to their own. I love that because it has allowed me to grow fonder of each one by the page. I have definitely become invested in all of their fates at this point.

‘Hah,’ Nox said. ‘Got the fuckers, did you, B?’

‘I continue to be the most effective weapon in the known universe.’

Another good thing is the constant action. Pack some extra O2 in your suit because O’Keefe throws you out of an airlock does not allow you to come in for air. But, again, no surprise there as that has been a staple of this series from the very first page of Velocity Weapon. That is what makes it impossible to put down (I broke my self-imposed page restriction every day) is the fact that the story never stops, never even slows, is always accelerating at a breakneck pace. Thrusters at full blast, ready to jump at a moment’s notice. The unceasing need to know what happens next is a huge driver of the story, and it makes for a book that is undeniable.

‘Play nice, now, and we will break a few bones later.’
‘Delayed satisfaction. I can work with that.’

But what makes Catalyst Gate great is the complexity. I thought the first two books had layers (you can read my review of Chaos Vector – book 2 in the series – here), but they were nothing compared to this, the final book in the set. It’s a wormhole, wrapped in a warp gate, inside a supernova. There are so many threads to follow, all intertwined in one big space-timey mesh that it becomes almost impossible to tell where one begins and the next one ends. And that might be my favorite thing about the book (and the series, overall): O’Keefe’s relentless, unforgiving labyrinthian storylines. The author does not go easy on readers, and I am so happy to see it. There is so much to be fleshed out in this story, and O’Keefe accomplishes that in her own way: unapologetically. So, be on your toes, because it gets DEEP quick around these parts. Bring your own shovel and flashlight.

We have established the good and the great of the thing, but I am not stopping there. What makes Catalyst Gate (and The Protectorate Series as a whole) phenomenal is how incredibly well it all comes together. There are so many moving parts and plot twists that at times it was not easy to see a situation where the disparate pieces are connected, and, yet, O’Keefe puts a bow on things in seemingly effortless fashion. By “things” I mean every aspect of the story: the characters and their complicated relationships, past and present behavior and decisions, technology old and new, action and inaction of governing bodies, etc. The list goes on and on, and there are too many “aha!” and “oh yeah!” moments to count.

In the end, Catalyst Gate is one of those books that I was so happy to read but so sad to finish. The Protectorate Series has kept me on edge from the first to the last, and that is the biggest compliment I can give. This book gets my highest recommendation.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars

I had a really great time with this book. It was a long time coming. I started this series in Fall 2021 and proceeded to read one book a year after that. I wish I had read them closer together, but that's just not who I am as a mood reader sometimes.

I thought that this was a good conclusion to the series. I liked the character growth we got to see over the course of the three books, and I feel like this was a good finale to the story.

Overall, I thought this was a really fun, plot-driven sci-fi series with excellent character development along the way. There are twists and turns that seem to define the style of these books, and it was a great deal of fun going along for the ride. I will say that at times I would have preferred to slow down a little in order to process some of the events and reveals along with the characters, but overall it was fun. A solid 4 star series.

I think I might have more love for the series on reread because I do really like the characters. I thought that Sanda was fantastic disability rep, and I love Bero and Nox a lot. This last one had a greater focus on romantic relationships than I expected, but it wasn't unwelcome and didn't detract from the rest of the plot at all.

Overall, I recommend for a fun, fast paced space opera!

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that I finished this trilogy but I’m also so sad that I did as well. I love these characters and I’m going to miss them a lot. Despite being the lowest rating in the trilogy for me, I still had a lot of fun with this book. The characters expanded in a way that was sometimes unexpected and sometimes just the way you would expect them to (both of which can be a good thing in my opinion). There was also so much more history that we learned, which is always something I enjoy. While I do like how everything was explained in the end, it did at times feel like there was too much thrown at me at once and it took me a while to really get a grip on what was going on in those moments. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if the characters experience it in the same way but they all took it in stride so it made me feel like it just wasn’t always explained as well as it could’ve been. Overall though, this was still a good end to the series and I’m really looking forward to the next one she is working on!

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride this series was! I do think I'll benefit from a reread at some point, as I enjoyed the first book more on a reread and there were definitely points in books two and three where I got a bit lost. So much was going on! 😂 I loved that we got more interactions between my favourite characters in book three versus the second book, so I'd say my favourite was Velocity Weapon, then Catalyst Gate, then Chaos Vector. All in all, a solid sci-fi series! And I grew to quite like the narrator's performance and the various voices he did. 🤭

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satisfying enough ending but do feel like it could easily have been a duology

[Saphana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here we go again. Another unpopular opinion. Contains spoilers.

So, the first book in this series was priceless. Really good, new ideas, if not perfect but very serviceable execution. The second has some of the very typical middle book problems. This one, however, is a prime example of an author, completely out of ideas on how to see their plot(holes) through.

1.) The MC is reduced from tough-survivalist to solves-everything-with-violence; a downgrade so brutal that had me disbelieve, I still read the same series.
2.) It is foreshadowed that the MC is no longer human, but still the reveal comes as a surprise, because it's introduced as a total non-sequitur.
3.) The MC meets two superior intelligences in the universe; they are Rivals (!) - because duology is the only valid rule for all cosmos - but hey, at least they both speak English, so there's that.
4.) These superior beings have nothing to say, no seriously. They just review the state of affairs and take corrective action. In a wizardy sort of way. Other than that - no conversation.
5.) Around the 60%-mark, the author starts pulling one deus-ex-machina after another to try and regain control of her plotlines.
6.) We were robbed! The nanite MC and her nanite love interest never have nanite sex onscreen. (/joke)

After having finished the 3rd book, I'm confident in discommeding the entire series.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanda se snaží najít a jednou provždycky zlikvidovat Rainier, která hrozí zkázou celému lidstvu. Také se pokouší vypátrat mimozemské koule a doufá, že budou obsahovat návod, jak zvrátit účinky evoluční materie, aby mohli zachránit přeživší obyvatele planety Atrux, kteří upadli do kómatu.

(Za poskytnutí recenzního výtisku mnohokrát děkuji nakladatelství HOST.)

Mimozemská inteligence Rainier se chce pomstít lidstvu za to, že ukradlo technologii jejích stvořitelů a vytvořilo vesmírné Casimirovy brány. Alexandra Halstonová, jejíž společnost za krádeží a vytvoření prvních bran stála, bohužel ale někde udělala chybu, takže vytvoření nové brány způsobí zpětný ráz, který zničí veškerý život na druhé straně.

Sandin bratr Biran Greeve se stal ředitelem Ady a vydává se za nově a správně postavenou bránu, aby našel případné známky života. Neustále ale přitom bojuje se složitým a potencionálně smrtícím předivem intrik, hrozícím válečným konfliktem i s nelibostí vlastních kolegů, kteří ho chtějí potopit.

Agent Tomas Cepko opustil špionážní organizaci Nazca a připojuje se k Sandě na palubě mimozemské lodi Světlo řízené umělou inteligencí Berem. Jenže před Sandou i její posádkou tají, kdo ve skutečnosti je. Navíc má nevyřešené záležitosti z minulosti a touží po pomstě.

A bývalá zlodějka Jules chce zachránit svoji kamarádku Lollu, která po kontaktu s evoluční materií upadla do kómatu, i když to znamená páchat hrozné věci.

Megan E. OKeefeová píše čtivě a chytlavě. V První bráně opět nechybí spousta politikaření a intrik, zrady, zvratů a akce, nějaké úmrtí nebo troška romantiky. Sanda s Tomasem kolem sebe krouží, protože ona mu nevěří, zvlášť když Tomas stále skrývá tajemství. Bez komplikací není ani Biranův vztah s Rostamem Vladsenem, jelikož milostné vztahy mezi Strážci jsou zakázané. Pokud by na ně někdo přišel, tak by jim vyrvali strážcovský čip z hlavy, což se rovná smrti.

První brána má přes 600 stran, ale i tak jsem ji doslova zhltla. Až mi bylo líto, že mi stránky tak ubíhají pod rukama, protože to znamená, že brzy bude konec. První brána je závěrečným dílem trilogie Protektorát, takže jednotlivé informace a události do sebe zapadají a vytváří komplikovanou mozaiku. Hrdinové se pod tlakem často traumatických událostí vyvíjejí a osud (nebo autorka) je nijak nešetří.

První bráně ale přeci jen kousíček k dokonalosti chybí, protože bitvu a akci způsobila Sanda svým impulzivním chováním, před kterým ji všichni varovali. Závěrečná část by si zasloužila víc stránek a pořádné vysvětlení. Některé věci takhle zůstaly nedotažené a trochu nelogické (ale nemůžu prozradit které, protože by to byl spoiler) a já nedostala uspokojivé odpovědi na všechny své všetečné otázky.

I tak Megan E. OKeefeová v První bráně přinesla důstojný, uspokojivý, i když poněkud hořkosladký závěr. Takže trilogie Protektorát zůstává parádní space-operou, kterou jsem si naprosto zamilovala a doporučuji ji, kudy chodím. A jen doufám, že od Megan E. OKeefeové v českém překladu vyjdou další knihy.

4,5/5
4,5/5

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Star

After starting this series as a buddy read last year with a group of friends, I finally had a chance to continue and finish it this year with Catalyst Gate. I recall one of those friends enjoyed that first book so much he went right into finishing the series shortly after.

At this point Catalyst Gate was actually my fourth read by Megan and I have to say she has become one of my favorite science fiction authors. I will continue to check out more of her work in the future.

The pacing was on par with the rest of the author's works from my experience. I've found no real issues with names or writing style to trip over. I did listen to the audiobook for this one which can give both pros and cons. Joe Jameson does a solid job narrating this series. I visually read book one and listened to his work on both the second and third. The only thing that tripped me up from time to time was his pronunciation of one of the character names. Not to say he was wrong, but it wasn't how I thought it would be pronounced in my own mind.

The world building was done well. I think we had more expansion of areas and things already introduced in previous books in the series more than new locations. However, with that being said, we had some mind blowing moments as things were revealed circling back around to previous moments read in earlier books which was a lot of fun. It made me look back on some scenes in completely different light.

The character development falls into line right with the world building. We do have some new characters and some more details given with some previously mentioned characters but the way several things were revealed to us as this story went on, was just a lot of fun! I will admit that at some point in Catalyst Gate I began wondering why I felt Sanda and Jules were such similar characters in that they were both head strong capable females doing everything they could to protect the ones they love. But seeing the two so much in this book, especially the end assured me that they were each their own character with their own opportunities.

Looking back on the series I think I enjoyed the characters around the heist story arc the most and that really continued throughout the series even if they did get split up.

As previously mentioned, if someone is looking for a solid space odyssey type of science fiction with action, intrigue and some really good twists and turns along the way, I'm going to recommend The Protectorate series.