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Frontlines #8
Centers of Gravity
Stranded light-years from home, Major Andrew Grayson and his crew are on a desperate mission to discover the Lankies’ secrets. They can’t let what they’ve found die with them.
Nine hundred light-years from home, Major Andrew Grayson and the crew of NACS Washington are marooned in a sunless system with limited water, reactor fuel, and food. The last hope for survival is to go where nothing human has gone before.
After embarking on a scouting mission to the only moon with surface signs of life, Andrew and his special tactics team make two startling discoveries. One is a dream: a form of protein and plant life that could save the starving humans in the rogue system. The second is a nightmare: this harvested rock is infested with Lankies. Far from the seemingly mindless aggressors Andrew has battled for years, these show a terrifying awareness, and they have surprising secrets of their own hidden away in the darkness.
When the Lankies sense an uninvited presence in their world, Andrew’s operation becomes an expedition to hell. The odds against his small crew are stacked high. Of all the mysteries of space, how to escape with their lives is the greatest unknown of all.
Nine hundred light-years from home, Major Andrew Grayson and the crew of NACS Washington are marooned in a sunless system with limited water, reactor fuel, and food. The last hope for survival is to go where nothing human has gone before.
After embarking on a scouting mission to the only moon with surface signs of life, Andrew and his special tactics team make two startling discoveries. One is a dream: a form of protein and plant life that could save the starving humans in the rogue system. The second is a nightmare: this harvested rock is infested with Lankies. Far from the seemingly mindless aggressors Andrew has battled for years, these show a terrifying awareness, and they have surprising secrets of their own hidden away in the darkness.
When the Lankies sense an uninvited presence in their world, Andrew’s operation becomes an expedition to hell. The odds against his small crew are stacked high. Of all the mysteries of space, how to escape with their lives is the greatest unknown of all.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2022
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November 19, 2022
Sequel to the cliffhanger Orders of Battle (Frontlines #7) and end to the Frontlines series (maybe). Grayson has a lightless, dungeon crawl of the Lanky infested Jupiter-like rogue planet alone in interstellar space. He has a ring-side seat to a space battle. And he participates in an Alamo-like defense against the Lankies.
Lanky Planet Without A Star, Wandering the Galaxy Alone, Except For Its Moons, 900-light years From Human Space
My ebook version was a modest 329-pages. It had a US 2022 copyright.
Marko Kloos is an American MIL-SF and fantasy fiction author. He has written more than ten novels, primarily in two series. This was the eighth book and final book in his Frontlines series. The last book I read by him was Citadel (The Palladium Wars #3) (my review).
Its strongly recommended to read the Frontline series in order. This book would be incomprehensible, if not read as part of the series.
In this story Grayson does a reconnaissance of the rogue planet’s moon used as a Lanky base returning with intelligence valuable to the war effort. However, the recce gone wrong stirs the Lankies like a hornets nest. The human dreadnaught Washington has to escape and get back to human space. An obligatory space battle ensues with Washington beating it back to Willoughby for an Alamo-like last stand on the surface. (That’s two ground combats and a space battle.) Grayson survives to go home to kith and kin after a surprise twist. Enough plotlines and plot elements are left hanging for the author to reboot the series with Grayson or another character.
This book had the same low-standard of editing and proofreading as previous books. Poor proofreading and editing has always been a major shortcoming of Kloos’ books. In the Afterward, Kloos mentions a copyeditor. However, they were crap. This is one of my fave OMG snippets of dialog:
Do you think she’s curious of how far down it goes? Was that first sentence a question? Also, a lot of prose goes into describing and speculating about the "derelict". Its even linked back to a previous book in the series. Yet, the scene just takes-up column inches. It goes nowhere.
The spacey vocabulary of this story was a mite better than before and the maneuvering was more authentic within the confines of the Standard Sci-Fi Fleet trope Kloos straitjacketed himself with. However, his space swabbies are still speaking gobbledygook in the CIC.
In terrestrial fire control Target Motion Analysis (TMA), "heading" has no meaning. Its always, "Bearing, Range, and Speed" from Ownship. A target's course change (I assume that's were heading comes from?) would be reported as a change in bearing and/or range from ownship. The course change could be derived from the new bearing, range and speed. However, Kloos has always been a grunt. In space, besides never hearing his readers scream, he really needs to include the altitude or elevation angle to perform a TMA. Bearing only gives direction in the X,Y plane (North, East, South and West). The altitude angle provides direction in the Z plane (Zenith, Nadir). So, properly,
This story had little in the way of character development. All the characters from Order of Battle remain, with no additions, but some subtractions.
In general, all the sailors and soldiers, both men and women are noble warriors in Kloos’s stories.
Frankly, I find Kloos' female characters to only be superficially female. Mostly they’re warrior boys with breasts. In this particular story, aboard Washington Grayson’s in close company with two (2) eligible women (a sailor and a scientist). He’s even complimented by one of those two women, for “not looking at my ass”. That he doesn’t even note women’s secondary sexual characteristics is just unhuman. It’s not like any soldier, Marine or sailor, I’ve ever encountered that’s been deployed for six weeks. And, I’ve known several.
In the author’s universe, there was no diversity. For example, the LGBQ+ community. All the author’s characters were heterosexuals? That the great majority were also white, even the PRC rats, had long ceased to bother me. However, a reader would have thought there would be ethnic and sexual diversity in the military reflecting the population?
Finally, I continue to find Grayson’s, devoted relationship to his wife to be too saccharine, even for the YA reading demographic he’s targeting.
As in every book of the series, Grayson was tireless. In previous books, he’s been knocked around, once losing a hand. Although, his PTSD was a constant issue. But, he’s fabulously lucky in how he survives while all around him perish. Still, he's super human in the amount and duration of combat in which he's involved in-- in almost every book. A normal human's, adrenaline glands would be withered husks by now, if they lived Grayson's life.
In most of Kloos’ books, his time lines continue to be suspect. Kloos has gotten rather canny about never including both time and distance information in the narrative. I can never check-up on him. Still, the space travel durations/distances are always suspect. Space travel is boring. Koos' normal space travel have hinky numbers implying tremendous accelerations or very short distances by astronomical standards. Mostly he describes travel in terms of hours or days, so you can’t figure out the distances. Communications time delays were also screwy. I also had a problem with The Twist near the end.
As I wrote, there are two ground combats and one space battle in the story. Both types were good. However, a constant complaint remains. Kloos still has no appreciation of how vast space really is. In his space battles, the space dreadnoughts maneuver close enough for a sailor to reach out a porthole and touch the other ship. In this book, there was a ship-to-ship collision, but that was milked for the excitement of the train wreck, but in space. However, Grayson’s assault craft, almost gets run down by a Lanky seed ship. Space is hugely empty. Even enormous seed ships are insignificant in that volume. Space is also the Empty Battlefield. It’s highly unlikely that ships should ever be visible to each other, or almost ‘bumping into each other’ outside of Space Dock.
A related issue, was Washington limping into orbit around Willoughby, the second time, with its engines and maneuvering thrusters severely damaged. The ship was put into a:
I started this series with Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines, #1) read in paperback. At 9-years in the reading, this was not the longest series I’ve ever read, but it was amongst them.
My reading experience with the series has been mixed. The entire series might have been 3000+ pages? I felt there has been a marked improvement in the books over time. Although, I thought the earlier books which were mostly ground combat centered were the best. When Kloos broadened the story into a space opera, the hyper-realism was defeating. The Situational Awareness he did so well with the Small Unit Tactics went out the airlock. (Space is a volume, not a plain [sic].) He also kept-up a fairly steady cadence of a book-per-year. Although I didn’t always appreciate the way he sliced and diced the series' books. For example, Orders of Battle and Centers of Gravity was a duology that should never have been split-up with an excretable cliffhanger. However, I’m glad the series is over.
So, for this book, the ground combat was good. The space combat was mostly good, but most folks potty-trained on the Standard Syfy Fleet trope won’t notice the problems. The boy/girl soldier/sailor stuff was still juvenile, and except for the ultra-violence of fighting monsters with heavy weaponry it’s still YA. In general, there was the same lowly standard of stilted prose, proofreading and copyediting in this story as is previous books in the series. Maybe Kloos should look for a co-author who is technologically savvier, more creative, harder working, taller, and preferably better looking than he is?
I also frankly don’t believe the series is over. There were too many plot lines left hanging, in this story alone. I expect Kloos intends to reboot the series with another character? I suspect the protagonist will also be a woman or he'll go to the page squandering use of multiple POVs?
Lanky Planet Without A Star, Wandering the Galaxy Alone, Except For Its Moons, 900-light years From Human Space
My ebook version was a modest 329-pages. It had a US 2022 copyright.
Marko Kloos is an American MIL-SF and fantasy fiction author. He has written more than ten novels, primarily in two series. This was the eighth book and final book in his Frontlines series. The last book I read by him was Citadel (The Palladium Wars #3) (my review).
Its strongly recommended to read the Frontline series in order. This book would be incomprehensible, if not read as part of the series.
In this story Grayson does a reconnaissance of the rogue planet’s moon used as a Lanky base returning with intelligence valuable to the war effort. However, the recce gone wrong stirs the Lankies like a hornets nest. The human dreadnaught Washington has to escape and get back to human space. An obligatory space battle ensues with Washington beating it back to Willoughby for an Alamo-like last stand on the surface. (That’s two ground combats and a space battle.) Grayson survives to go home to kith and kin after a surprise twist. Enough plotlines and plot elements are left hanging for the author to reboot the series with Grayson or another character.
This book had the same low-standard of editing and proofreading as previous books. Poor proofreading and editing has always been a major shortcoming of Kloos’ books. In the Afterward, Kloos mentions a copyeditor. However, they were crap. This is one of my fave OMG snippets of dialog:
“It’s derelict,” she says. “I wonder how far down it goes. Wish we had some ground-penetrating radar, though. I’d love to see how far down this goes.”
Do you think she’s curious of how far down it goes? Was that first sentence a question? Also, a lot of prose goes into describing and speculating about the "derelict". Its even linked back to a previous book in the series. Yet, the scene just takes-up column inches. It goes nowhere.
The spacey vocabulary of this story was a mite better than before and the maneuvering was more authentic within the confines of the Standard Sci-Fi Fleet trope Kloos straitjacketed himself with. However, his space swabbies are still speaking gobbledygook in the CIC.
Captain Steadman reports. "Bearing, heading, and speed all unchanged."
In terrestrial fire control Target Motion Analysis (TMA), "heading" has no meaning. Its always, "Bearing, Range, and Speed" from Ownship. A target's course change (I assume that's were heading comes from?) would be reported as a change in bearing and/or range from ownship. The course change could be derived from the new bearing, range and speed. However, Kloos has always been a grunt. In space, besides never hearing his readers scream, he really needs to include the altitude or elevation angle to perform a TMA. Bearing only gives direction in the X,Y plane (North, East, South and West). The altitude angle provides direction in the Z plane (Zenith, Nadir). So, properly,
Captain Steadman reports. "Bearing, Altitude, Range and Speed all unchanged."
This story had little in the way of character development. All the characters from Order of Battle remain, with no additions, but some subtractions.
In general, all the sailors and soldiers, both men and women are noble warriors in Kloos’s stories.
Yet all the new lieutenants and junior NCOs have done their jobs in exemplary fashion despite knowing how high the odds are stacked against us.Oddly there were several opportunities for shipboard interpersonal conflicts, that were started, but left hanging. There was also never any: sexual harassment, theft, accident investigations and reports, or substance abuse for Grayson as a CO to deal with either.
Frankly, I find Kloos' female characters to only be superficially female. Mostly they’re warrior boys with breasts. In this particular story, aboard Washington Grayson’s in close company with two (2) eligible women (a sailor and a scientist). He’s even complimented by one of those two women, for “not looking at my ass”. That he doesn’t even note women’s secondary sexual characteristics is just unhuman. It’s not like any soldier, Marine or sailor, I’ve ever encountered that’s been deployed for six weeks. And, I’ve known several.
In the author’s universe, there was no diversity. For example, the LGBQ+ community. All the author’s characters were heterosexuals? That the great majority were also white, even the PRC rats, had long ceased to bother me. However, a reader would have thought there would be ethnic and sexual diversity in the military reflecting the population?
Finally, I continue to find Grayson’s, devoted relationship to his wife to be too saccharine, even for the YA reading demographic he’s targeting.
As in every book of the series, Grayson was tireless. In previous books, he’s been knocked around, once losing a hand. Although, his PTSD was a constant issue. But, he’s fabulously lucky in how he survives while all around him perish. Still, he's super human in the amount and duration of combat in which he's involved in-- in almost every book. A normal human's, adrenaline glands would be withered husks by now, if they lived Grayson's life.
In most of Kloos’ books, his time lines continue to be suspect. Kloos has gotten rather canny about never including both time and distance information in the narrative. I can never check-up on him. Still, the space travel durations/distances are always suspect. Space travel is boring. Koos' normal space travel have hinky numbers implying tremendous accelerations or very short distances by astronomical standards. Mostly he describes travel in terms of hours or days, so you can’t figure out the distances. Communications time delays were also screwy. I also had a problem with The Twist near the end.
As I wrote, there are two ground combats and one space battle in the story. Both types were good. However, a constant complaint remains. Kloos still has no appreciation of how vast space really is. In his space battles, the space dreadnoughts maneuver close enough for a sailor to reach out a porthole and touch the other ship. In this book, there was a ship-to-ship collision, but that was milked for the excitement of the train wreck, but in space. However, Grayson’s assault craft, almost gets run down by a Lanky seed ship. Space is hugely empty. Even enormous seed ships are insignificant in that volume. Space is also the Empty Battlefield. It’s highly unlikely that ships should ever be visible to each other, or almost ‘bumping into each other’ outside of Space Dock.
A related issue, was Washington limping into orbit around Willoughby, the second time, with its engines and maneuvering thrusters severely damaged. The ship was put into a:
"Geosynchronous orbit above the city. Shortest flightpath for the drop ships."Frankly, from the very descriptive damage reports, it was remarkable Washington made any orbit?
I started this series with Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines, #1) read in paperback. At 9-years in the reading, this was not the longest series I’ve ever read, but it was amongst them.
My reading experience with the series has been mixed. The entire series might have been 3000+ pages? I felt there has been a marked improvement in the books over time. Although, I thought the earlier books which were mostly ground combat centered were the best. When Kloos broadened the story into a space opera, the hyper-realism was defeating. The Situational Awareness he did so well with the Small Unit Tactics went out the airlock. (Space is a volume, not a plain [sic].) He also kept-up a fairly steady cadence of a book-per-year. Although I didn’t always appreciate the way he sliced and diced the series' books. For example, Orders of Battle and Centers of Gravity was a duology that should never have been split-up with an excretable cliffhanger. However, I’m glad the series is over.
So, for this book, the ground combat was good. The space combat was mostly good, but most folks potty-trained on the Standard Syfy Fleet trope won’t notice the problems. The boy/girl soldier/sailor stuff was still juvenile, and except for the ultra-violence of fighting monsters with heavy weaponry it’s still YA. In general, there was the same lowly standard of stilted prose, proofreading and copyediting in this story as is previous books in the series. Maybe Kloos should look for a co-author who is technologically savvier, more creative, harder working, taller, and preferably better looking than he is?
I also frankly don’t believe the series is over. There were too many plot lines left hanging, in this story alone. I expect Kloos intends to reboot the series with another character? I suspect the protagonist will also be a woman or he'll go to the page squandering use of multiple POVs?
January 27, 2024
Number 8 in the Frontlines series, the finale.
Major Grayson is still aboard the Washington. The ship is stranded nine hundred light years from home. They must contend with food, water and fuel shortages in a hostile sunless sector of unknown space, an increased Lanky presence, and no clue as to how to get back to where they belong.
The descriptions within this book were extremely evocative. The pitch black of space without a sun to illuminate objects, the rogue planet, the moons, (especially the significant one), the Lanky ships cruising like sharks, the claustrophobic reconnaissance missions in a little drop ship, and the various extraterrestrial environments.
This book brought events full circle to the start of the series and ended on a satisfying note. Highly enjoyable military sci-fi!
Major Grayson is still aboard the Washington. The ship is stranded nine hundred light years from home. They must contend with food, water and fuel shortages in a hostile sunless sector of unknown space, an increased Lanky presence, and no clue as to how to get back to where they belong.
The descriptions within this book were extremely evocative. The pitch black of space without a sun to illuminate objects, the rogue planet, the moons, (especially the significant one), the Lanky ships cruising like sharks, the claustrophobic reconnaissance missions in a little drop ship, and the various extraterrestrial environments.
This book brought events full circle to the start of the series and ended on a satisfying note. Highly enjoyable military sci-fi!
September 10, 2022
After the previous book the NACS Washington is stranded on the other end of the Lankie wormhole network, a mind-boggling distance of 900 light years from their origin point. They're in orbit around a rogue planet which has several large moons and an undoubted, but hidden, Lankie presence. While scouting for supplies and information, Grayson and his troops manage to kick the ant's nest and the Washington and it's troops are quickly fighting for their lives.
The author has stated that this is the last Andrew Grayson Frontlines book, with the action in the Frontlines universe moving to other characters. I welcome both changes. This series has always been about an interstellar war of survival from the direct point of view of a small unit soldier, both in terms of the experience of front line combat, being a small part of a huge military and the way that armed forces at war change over time. Grayson's story from desperate recruit to decorated officer looking towards either retirement or training has been a compelling one, albeit with a rocky start. Kloos has definitely grown as an author, particularly early on in the series. By book 8 he's well into a formula for telling these stories and the formula really works. But with Grayson and Hallie no longer being the focus of the series, we might see that formula shaken up a bit.
Looking forward to seeing what's next.
The author has stated that this is the last Andrew Grayson Frontlines book, with the action in the Frontlines universe moving to other characters. I welcome both changes. This series has always been about an interstellar war of survival from the direct point of view of a small unit soldier, both in terms of the experience of front line combat, being a small part of a huge military and the way that armed forces at war change over time. Grayson's story from desperate recruit to decorated officer looking towards either retirement or training has been a compelling one, albeit with a rocky start. Kloos has definitely grown as an author, particularly early on in the series. By book 8 he's well into a formula for telling these stories and the formula really works. But with Grayson and Hallie no longer being the focus of the series, we might see that formula shaken up a bit.
Looking forward to seeing what's next.
January 3, 2023
"I feel a sudden unshakeable certainty that this is the place we have been looking for all along—the source of my nightmares, the reason for all our hardships over the last thirteen years. A world of monsters, I think. And I just committed myself and forty other people to go down there among them."
Our top protagonist, now Major Andrew Maddox, is in a far corner of the galaxy spying on the aliens that have invaded our solar system and Earth, itself. For those who have followed Kloos’ tales of an Earth invasion, this has been a long and uneven ride. Here, there is an attempt to figure out where these aliens are from and what they are all about.
There is plenty of tension and more than adequate action in “Book 8.” "“When we leave this ship, we can’t come back. There will be no higher ground, no fallback position. We stand and we fight, and we hold the line, or we’re all gone. It’s that simple.”"
Kloos is “building back better” with his best effort in a while.
"“I have good news and bad news. The good news is that a bunch of you will finally get the chance to earn that combat device for your drop badges. The bad news is that you’ll have to pay for it by pissing in a bug suit for about a week and a half.” There’s another smattering of laughter. I like to joke a bit in my pre-mission pep talks to relieve the tension a little because I always appreciated that from my officers when I was listening to those speeches as an enlisted podhead. “Yeah, nobody ever tells you about that in the recruiting center,” I continue. “Join the Corps. Make new friends. Travel across the galaxy. Kill Lankies with large-caliber weapons. No recruiter ever goes into the details of body-waste management in airtight battle armor. Wonder why that is.”"
"The rest of the group join in one by one, some coming out of their crouch and dashing a few dozen meters to where they’ve spotted their quarry. It has been a very long time since I have seen firsthand just how strong and fast Lankies really are, and how hopelessly our species is physically outmatched by them in every way."
As big as they are, the sensors in my bug suit must pool all their input sources to make the creatures visible to my feeble human eyes in this suffocating darkness. Lankies are scary to begin with, but something about the scene in front of me gives the primitive part of my brain an extra jolt of fear: huge monsters, lurking in the dark just beyond the reach of our artificial little campfires, ready to drag us off and eat us if they find us."
"I realize that I haven’t seen so many Lankies moving around out in the open without hurry in a very long time. We were never able to fully claim Mars back from them, but we flew constant combat patrols above the surface and launched rockets at everything that moved until they stopped coming out of their underground burrows."
"I feel something shaking the deck below me a little, the familiar low vibration of a missile launch. We’re at battle stations and engaging something with the heavy ordnance from our missile silos. I try to raise my arms to sit up and get out of this pod, but the restraints keep me from doing more than lifting a finger. I want to call for help but my throat is bone dry, and when I make the attempt, I can’t get a sound out. When I exhale in frustration, I realize that I am wearing a respirator mask. The right side of my face and head are devoid of sensation, numb as a piece of deck lining."
"I shot the photo in that fortuitous split second between the time she turned her head toward me and her realization that I was taking a picture of her. In the photo, she is looking up at me from the rock she’s sitting on, and her expression is all affection and contentment, someone who is completely happy with her company and her place in time and space at that moment. It’s my favorite picture of my wife,"
"“Gentlemen, I know this isn’t an ideal situation. But we’re on a broken ship, in hostile space, without any effective weapons left at our disposal. The next seed ship that comes across us is going to finish us off without having to work for it. And that can happen at any time, so we need to move now. On the ground, we have a chance of holding out for a while. Up here, we have none."
"They all look at me to hear my response. “If I’m going to go out, I’d rather do it with a rifle in my hand,” I say. “And I’m sure I speak for the whole STT on this one.”"
"Of all the privileges that come with my rank, I’ve always enjoyed the private berth the most, and I usually find the tight quarters comforting and cozy, a small capsule of privacy. Now it suddenly feels confining and claustrophobic, and the bulkheads seem closer together than I remember them. It feels like a coffin instead of the safe cocoon it was before."
Our top protagonist, now Major Andrew Maddox, is in a far corner of the galaxy spying on the aliens that have invaded our solar system and Earth, itself. For those who have followed Kloos’ tales of an Earth invasion, this has been a long and uneven ride. Here, there is an attempt to figure out where these aliens are from and what they are all about.
There is plenty of tension and more than adequate action in “Book 8.” "“When we leave this ship, we can’t come back. There will be no higher ground, no fallback position. We stand and we fight, and we hold the line, or we’re all gone. It’s that simple.”"
Kloos is “building back better” with his best effort in a while.
"“I have good news and bad news. The good news is that a bunch of you will finally get the chance to earn that combat device for your drop badges. The bad news is that you’ll have to pay for it by pissing in a bug suit for about a week and a half.” There’s another smattering of laughter. I like to joke a bit in my pre-mission pep talks to relieve the tension a little because I always appreciated that from my officers when I was listening to those speeches as an enlisted podhead. “Yeah, nobody ever tells you about that in the recruiting center,” I continue. “Join the Corps. Make new friends. Travel across the galaxy. Kill Lankies with large-caliber weapons. No recruiter ever goes into the details of body-waste management in airtight battle armor. Wonder why that is.”"
"The rest of the group join in one by one, some coming out of their crouch and dashing a few dozen meters to where they’ve spotted their quarry. It has been a very long time since I have seen firsthand just how strong and fast Lankies really are, and how hopelessly our species is physically outmatched by them in every way."
As big as they are, the sensors in my bug suit must pool all their input sources to make the creatures visible to my feeble human eyes in this suffocating darkness. Lankies are scary to begin with, but something about the scene in front of me gives the primitive part of my brain an extra jolt of fear: huge monsters, lurking in the dark just beyond the reach of our artificial little campfires, ready to drag us off and eat us if they find us."
"I realize that I haven’t seen so many Lankies moving around out in the open without hurry in a very long time. We were never able to fully claim Mars back from them, but we flew constant combat patrols above the surface and launched rockets at everything that moved until they stopped coming out of their underground burrows."
"I feel something shaking the deck below me a little, the familiar low vibration of a missile launch. We’re at battle stations and engaging something with the heavy ordnance from our missile silos. I try to raise my arms to sit up and get out of this pod, but the restraints keep me from doing more than lifting a finger. I want to call for help but my throat is bone dry, and when I make the attempt, I can’t get a sound out. When I exhale in frustration, I realize that I am wearing a respirator mask. The right side of my face and head are devoid of sensation, numb as a piece of deck lining."
"I shot the photo in that fortuitous split second between the time she turned her head toward me and her realization that I was taking a picture of her. In the photo, she is looking up at me from the rock she’s sitting on, and her expression is all affection and contentment, someone who is completely happy with her company and her place in time and space at that moment. It’s my favorite picture of my wife,"
"“Gentlemen, I know this isn’t an ideal situation. But we’re on a broken ship, in hostile space, without any effective weapons left at our disposal. The next seed ship that comes across us is going to finish us off without having to work for it. And that can happen at any time, so we need to move now. On the ground, we have a chance of holding out for a while. Up here, we have none."
"They all look at me to hear my response. “If I’m going to go out, I’d rather do it with a rifle in my hand,” I say. “And I’m sure I speak for the whole STT on this one.”"
"Of all the privileges that come with my rank, I’ve always enjoyed the private berth the most, and I usually find the tight quarters comforting and cozy, a small capsule of privacy. Now it suddenly feels confining and claustrophobic, and the bulkheads seem closer together than I remember them. It feels like a coffin instead of the safe cocoon it was before."
August 30, 2023
DNF at 45%.
I love me a good space opera from time to time. Heck, I'm both a Star Wars and a Star Trek fan. I watch and read plenty of scifi. Problem is, I want my space opera to be, if not smart, then at least entertaining, with a good story and relatable characters I want to invest my reading time into. Not the case here.
The characters here are absolutely lifeless. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they are not characters at all, but cardboard cutouts with a series of threats needed by the author to progress the story. Heck, even the protagonist is so bland that I can't remember his name a week after I gave up on this book. We don't know his motivations, we don't know his needs or wants, or even his fears. Yes, we are told that he is married and misses his wife, but it's told in such a clinical manner that there is no sentiment behind it. The side characters are even less defined.
My other problem is that there really isn't much of a female representation in this book. And the little we have are either guys in skirts, or a guy's wet dream. Which we often see in books written by men, unfortunately. It takes talent to create tridimensional characters, especially those of the opposite sex. And effort. In my opinion, the author simply didn't put in the effort here. Which might be okay for some if action is all they had come for. Unfortunately, action is usually not enough for me.
Speaking of action, this book takes way to long to set up the stage for it. The first 30-40% is basically set up where nothing happens. Characters fly through space. Characters talk. Characters walk. Characters make plans. It can be made interesting if the characters were interesting which is not the case here.
The writing is... serviceable when it comes to description and action scenes, but sucks when it comes to dialog. All characters sound the same, which, since they have no personality to speak of, is not surprising. But the dialog also doesn't sound natural. People don't speak like that, even in the future. This is when I'm glad that I don't listen to audiobooks, because good luck trying to instill life into those conversations.
In summary, this is definitely not for me. I mean, the action might be phenomenal in the second half of the book, but I didn't care enough to stick around for it.
PS: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, check out my blog.
I love me a good space opera from time to time. Heck, I'm both a Star Wars and a Star Trek fan. I watch and read plenty of scifi. Problem is, I want my space opera to be, if not smart, then at least entertaining, with a good story and relatable characters I want to invest my reading time into. Not the case here.
The characters here are absolutely lifeless. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they are not characters at all, but cardboard cutouts with a series of threats needed by the author to progress the story. Heck, even the protagonist is so bland that I can't remember his name a week after I gave up on this book. We don't know his motivations, we don't know his needs or wants, or even his fears. Yes, we are told that he is married and misses his wife, but it's told in such a clinical manner that there is no sentiment behind it. The side characters are even less defined.
My other problem is that there really isn't much of a female representation in this book. And the little we have are either guys in skirts, or a guy's wet dream. Which we often see in books written by men, unfortunately. It takes talent to create tridimensional characters, especially those of the opposite sex. And effort. In my opinion, the author simply didn't put in the effort here. Which might be okay for some if action is all they had come for. Unfortunately, action is usually not enough for me.
Speaking of action, this book takes way to long to set up the stage for it. The first 30-40% is basically set up where nothing happens. Characters fly through space. Characters talk. Characters walk. Characters make plans. It can be made interesting if the characters were interesting which is not the case here.
The writing is... serviceable when it comes to description and action scenes, but sucks when it comes to dialog. All characters sound the same, which, since they have no personality to speak of, is not surprising. But the dialog also doesn't sound natural. People don't speak like that, even in the future. This is when I'm glad that I don't listen to audiobooks, because good luck trying to instill life into those conversations.
In summary, this is definitely not for me. I mean, the action might be phenomenal in the second half of the book, but I didn't care enough to stick around for it.
PS: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, check out my blog.
September 5, 2022
A straight forward action packed sci fi flick.
Surveying the ice moon Hoth:
There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. Sensors are placed. I'm going back.
Surveying the ice moon Hoth:
There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. Sensors are placed. I'm going back.
September 19, 2022
Another perfectly readable addition to the Frontlines series. Some trilling action in a light depraved hellscape, some tense orbital action. My girlfriend listened to a lot of this with me, with zero knowledge of the rest of the story, and fell in quickly and was much entertained. It's got some thrilling ingredients.
You're not reading this review if you haven't read the other 7 book I'm sure, so you'r already committed.
I'll even admit to shedding a wee little tear at the end.
On to the next one I hope. Whenever that would be
You're not reading this review if you haven't read the other 7 book I'm sure, so you'r already committed.
I'll even admit to shedding a wee little tear at the end.
On to the next one I hope. Whenever that would be
April 28, 2023
It wasn't the best of the series but a very satisfying end and a perfect time to wrap it up.
January 23, 2023
Until the end we still don't know much about the Lankies!! And what's with that cheesy ending, huh? And how Andrew basically fucked up his mission coz he made a terrible mistake of allowing the scientist to dawdle? And we did not even get any plot development or reveal out of that fiasco.
I am giving this two stars and not one just because I did enjoy most of the series but truly I am disappointed with this last book. Well at least I got it for free. Would advise others to finish reading after book 5.
I am giving this two stars and not one just because I did enjoy most of the series but truly I am disappointed with this last book. Well at least I got it for free. Would advise others to finish reading after book 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
So I don't dislike the ending ... but full stop I strongly disliked the narrator that took over for Luke Daniels
I also feel a tiny bit cheated because how did hunter gatherer growers get ships into deep space travel? I don't think we got enough answers about the Lankies at all
Thoughts to come
I also feel a tiny bit cheated because how did hunter gatherer growers get ships into deep space travel? I don't think we got enough answers about the Lankies at all
Thoughts to come
July 7, 2022
There is very little that is original in Marko Kloos' Frontlines series - and that is not an insult. This is incredibly well told, thoroughly enjoyable SF Military space Opera. Kloos's books almost always jump to the top of TBR pile, bypassing 'worthier' titles for one simple reason. I have so much fun reading them. Centers of Gravity is the 8th and final book in the current Frontlines series (kloos has suggested there might be more books in this universe, but this is the end of this storyline) and there is no point reviewing the plot. Either you have read the previous 7 titles or you are about to start Terms of Enlistment and will get to this title soon enough. Now I am going to re-watch the Lucky Thirteen episode of Love, Death and Robots season 1 - based on a Marko Kloos story, and set in the Frontline universe.
September 19, 2022
Centers of Gravity by Marko Kloos is the 8th book in the series Frontlines. I was unaware that this was part of a series when I got the copy from NetGalley. (I would recommend to those interested that you start out with the first book in the series--Terms of Enlistment.)
This book is a well written and fast paced military Science fiction novel. I think my enjoyment of it would have been greatly enhanced by a familiarity with the series and the characters. I got the impression that there was some important and dramatic events transpiring but I had only a superficial appreciation of them unfortunately.
I was reminded of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers but also of the old series Perry Rhodan.
I plan on checking out the first book in the series.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #47North, and Marko Kloos for the ARC of #CentersofGravity.
This book is a well written and fast paced military Science fiction novel. I think my enjoyment of it would have been greatly enhanced by a familiarity with the series and the characters. I got the impression that there was some important and dramatic events transpiring but I had only a superficial appreciation of them unfortunately.
I was reminded of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers but also of the old series Perry Rhodan.
I plan on checking out the first book in the series.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #47North, and Marko Kloos for the ARC of #CentersofGravity.
September 13, 2022
Whoo! I made it to book eight. Except... wait a second. Didn't I read almost the same exact scenes written here in earlier books?
Yep. I sure did. And doesn't book 8 start in book 7? That's correct, sir.
Sarcasm over. Yes, I have enjoyed this series since book 1, but book eight didn't do it for me. Simply said, too many of the plot points are on repeat. Being stuck on a Lanky planet? Check. Stuck a billion light years away from home? Check. Taking a wimpy (but fast) scientist along on a dangerous mission and focusing on her instead of your team? Check and check. Missing your wife? Check.
I don't know. It feels like the book is stuck in ever repeating loops. Yes, we know the Lankies are scary, but do you have to throw them in our face to live it all over again? The tension on that front died with the invasion of Mars.
Despite my thoughts on the book, the editing is still top notch. I doubt I'll read book nine. There are too many good military sci-fi books out there to read about the Lankies again.
3/5*
Yep. I sure did. And doesn't book 8 start in book 7? That's correct, sir.
Sarcasm over. Yes, I have enjoyed this series since book 1, but book eight didn't do it for me. Simply said, too many of the plot points are on repeat. Being stuck on a Lanky planet? Check. Stuck a billion light years away from home? Check. Taking a wimpy (but fast) scientist along on a dangerous mission and focusing on her instead of your team? Check and check. Missing your wife? Check.
I don't know. It feels like the book is stuck in ever repeating loops. Yes, we know the Lankies are scary, but do you have to throw them in our face to live it all over again? The tension on that front died with the invasion of Mars.
Despite my thoughts on the book, the editing is still top notch. I doubt I'll read book nine. There are too many good military sci-fi books out there to read about the Lankies again.
3/5*
March 3, 2023
Pretty good continuation from the epic cliffhanger of the previous book. The series looks like it actually has an endpoint in its sights and is making its way toward it at full speed. I like that there are serious, permanent consequences to characters making stupid decisions. There isn't enough of that in fiction these days. The only real problem I have with the book is that it's written in present tense, which I ABSOLUTELY HATE. Pretty much the only thought running through my head while reading this one was, this would be a 5 star book if it wasn't written in present tense.
January 5, 2024
01/04/2024 Notes:
Currently on KU Read & Listen
Well, that was anti-climatic. I was excited by the potential action & story paths by the opening sequences, but that didn't happen.
Books 7 & 8 did not add much to the overall arc or story world. A reader could read #1-6 and consider the series done.
Currently on KU Read & Listen
Well, that was anti-climatic. I was excited by the potential action & story paths by the opening sequences, but that didn't happen.
Books 7 & 8 did not add much to the overall arc or story world. A reader could read #1-6 and consider the series done.
November 12, 2024
Amazing. Fantastic conclusion to the series. Didn't get the answers I wanted, but I just remembered there's a Frontlines spin-off series. Time to read that!
July 25, 2022
An epic sci-fi novel that took my breath away.
Andrew Grayson is on a mission to save the human race. Fighting against Lankies, an alien race, he and the crew have travelled millions of lightyears away from home, into a space no human has gone before. Searching for food and water, they find a lucky break with an ice moon. Then the worst thing that could happen, happens. The ice moon is infested with Lankies. Can they make it out alive? More importantly, will they ever see Earth again?
This is only my second science fiction novel to read as an adult, the first being Project Hail Mary. I thought it was wonderful. The descriptions of the alien worlds created vivid images in my mind. The peak and pace increase were painlessly without fault. The comedic relief seemed to come in just the right moments, even when the grim outcomes were present. The hopelessness felt had me on the edge of my seat. Kloos has written this novel in such a way that you can feel the hopelessness, the desire to return home, the fear of not making it out. The final plot twist was spectacular.
The pace did start out rather slowly, up until about halfway through. You need to understand the military rank structure and quite a bit of military jargon to really follow along, but it isn’t a necessity.
I definitely think this was a great sci-fi novel, though it may not be for people new to the genre. I give this one four out of five stars.
Andrew Grayson is on a mission to save the human race. Fighting against Lankies, an alien race, he and the crew have travelled millions of lightyears away from home, into a space no human has gone before. Searching for food and water, they find a lucky break with an ice moon. Then the worst thing that could happen, happens. The ice moon is infested with Lankies. Can they make it out alive? More importantly, will they ever see Earth again?
This is only my second science fiction novel to read as an adult, the first being Project Hail Mary. I thought it was wonderful. The descriptions of the alien worlds created vivid images in my mind. The peak and pace increase were painlessly without fault. The comedic relief seemed to come in just the right moments, even when the grim outcomes were present. The hopelessness felt had me on the edge of my seat. Kloos has written this novel in such a way that you can feel the hopelessness, the desire to return home, the fear of not making it out. The final plot twist was spectacular.
The pace did start out rather slowly, up until about halfway through. You need to understand the military rank structure and quite a bit of military jargon to really follow along, but it isn’t a necessity.
I definitely think this was a great sci-fi novel, though it may not be for people new to the genre. I give this one four out of five stars.
September 4, 2022
Just a very solid military science fiction series. Great characters and story. The last 7 chapters are a rollercoaster. Eric Dove does a great job with narration.
September 7, 2022
I don't know how to review this book without spoilers of the previous one so: SPOILER WARNING!!! AROOOGA!! SPOILER WARNING!!! You have been warned!
The last book ended with a real whopper of a cliff-hanger ending. The ship ended up accidentally transported into enemy territory a gazillion light years from Earth. How can an author do that to us right at the end of a book! Grrr. Well now the story continues with them exploring the moons around a stray planet just floating in space, not revolving around a sun. So it's dark everywhere. Good thing the aliens are blind. Their explorations give us a new glimpse of Lanky life and fascinating giant sculptures or something. But they end up stirring up a hornet's nest and have to fight for their life. Then they have to figure out a way to get home.
There are quite a few nail-bitter moments in the book, some good military sci-fi action. But what I love about this author is that he doesn't write move-like action sequences but more like real life, in a way. Like if people, just people like us in our time, had to face these situations and make difficult snap decisions what would it be like for them, not just on the surface but also emotionally. Before battle our hero stares at a picture of his wife so that if he were to die that that would be the last thing he would see. Little things like that make the character more like us, we can relate to him. And that makes the book better than just some eye-candy movie moments of action and guns blazing.
The last book ended with a real whopper of a cliff-hanger ending. The ship ended up accidentally transported into enemy territory a gazillion light years from Earth. How can an author do that to us right at the end of a book! Grrr. Well now the story continues with them exploring the moons around a stray planet just floating in space, not revolving around a sun. So it's dark everywhere. Good thing the aliens are blind. Their explorations give us a new glimpse of Lanky life and fascinating giant sculptures or something. But they end up stirring up a hornet's nest and have to fight for their life. Then they have to figure out a way to get home.
There are quite a few nail-bitter moments in the book, some good military sci-fi action. But what I love about this author is that he doesn't write move-like action sequences but more like real life, in a way. Like if people, just people like us in our time, had to face these situations and make difficult snap decisions what would it be like for them, not just on the surface but also emotionally. Before battle our hero stares at a picture of his wife so that if he were to die that that would be the last thing he would see. Little things like that make the character more like us, we can relate to him. And that makes the book better than just some eye-candy movie moments of action and guns blazing.
July 3, 2022
Military space opera at its best
Can‘t believe this is the 8th installment of Kloos‘ Lanky series („Frontlines“ which I have been eagerly following since the start. And contrary to many series which peter out at some point this one is another a great addition brilliantly told (to fully understand and enjoy you should be familiar with the previous books - no hardship since they are excellent too). I really loved how Kloos, a former soldier, gets the details and reality of military life across, the mental drain, the yearning for family and the nitty-gritty of engagements without boring me in the least. I love the secondary characters and I loved how Kloos brings this series full-circle in many ways. It‘s totally credible that the tide may turn now for humanity. I am not sure whether this was the end of this wild ride, if so it is masterfully done. If not, I‘ll gladly go another round with Major Grayson and the Lankies. Fortunately Kloos has another brilliant series going (Palladium Wars), so I won‘t feel too deprived. And kudos to craftmanship: excellent execution - couldn‘t spot a typo and yes, I am one of those readers who open a book and spot the last one standing almost immediately.
Thanks for the ARC via netgalley. This review is left voluntarily.
Can‘t believe this is the 8th installment of Kloos‘ Lanky series („Frontlines“ which I have been eagerly following since the start. And contrary to many series which peter out at some point this one is another a great addition brilliantly told (to fully understand and enjoy you should be familiar with the previous books - no hardship since they are excellent too). I really loved how Kloos, a former soldier, gets the details and reality of military life across, the mental drain, the yearning for family and the nitty-gritty of engagements without boring me in the least. I love the secondary characters and I loved how Kloos brings this series full-circle in many ways. It‘s totally credible that the tide may turn now for humanity. I am not sure whether this was the end of this wild ride, if so it is masterfully done. If not, I‘ll gladly go another round with Major Grayson and the Lankies. Fortunately Kloos has another brilliant series going (Palladium Wars), so I won‘t feel too deprived. And kudos to craftmanship: excellent execution - couldn‘t spot a typo and yes, I am one of those readers who open a book and spot the last one standing almost immediately.
Thanks for the ARC via netgalley. This review is left voluntarily.
October 1, 2022
A lackluster ending to a decent series. It seems all of the big story items happened in the last two or three books and this entry is just a long epilogue with big stakes but little plot reward.
The author hints at a number of things about the Lankies but confirms none of them. The ground combat mission in the first half frustrated me to no end, with characters taking huge risks for no mission reason other than to up the stakes.
At the end Greyson is home and safe but the Lankies are still out there with unfinished business the author doesn't seem motivated to wrap up.
The author hints at a number of things about the Lankies but confirms none of them. The ground combat mission in the first half frustrated me to no end, with characters taking huge risks for no mission reason other than to up the stakes.
At the end Greyson is home and safe but the Lankies are still out there with unfinished business the author doesn't seem motivated to wrap up.
September 4, 2022
Marko Kloos nunca desilude, sabemos sempre que nos trará uma excelente e divertida aventura de space opera militarista. Mas este oitavo livro da série Frontlines termina com uma sensação de conclusão, talvez sendo o último da série.
Centers of Gravity conclui Orders of Battle, o livro anterior. Termina, com o habitual bom estilo de Kloos, uma história que nos deixou em suspenso. O eterno personagem da série encontra-se isolado longe da Terra, num misterioso sistema planetário errante que poderá ser o planeta-mãe dos Lankies, os mortíferos alienígenas desta série. Encalhados para além de qualquer socorro, os militares continuam a sua missão, procurando formas de sobreviver no sistema sem serem detetados pelo inimigo. Exploram algumas luas, em busca de recursos naturais essenciais, e é aí que se deparam com uma chave que poderá permitir compreender o inimigo. Ao penetrar numa das suas tocas, um complexo de túneis que lhes serve de abrigo, soldados e cientistas deparam-se com evidências de linguagem escrita no espectro infravermelho. E descobrem a origem das naves espaciais inimigas, que são construídas organicamente a partir de uma base fungal.
No entanto, a sua presença no coração do inimigo começa a ser detetada, e fugir torna-se imperativo, agora para mais que dispõem de dados cruciais para compreender, e eventualmente derrotar, os alienígenas. Para isso, as tripulações urdem um plano arriscado, onde tentam recriar as condições que os levaram àquele destino desconhecido, deixando-se apanhar pela bolha hiperespacial de uma nave inimiga. Conseguem, mas o plano não é totalmente bem sucedido, sendo atacados pela nave a que se colam. Regressam ao ponto de origem, com a nave despedaçada, conseguindo enviar mensagens para a Terra, antes de, em desespero, tentarem reconquistar uma antiga colónia aos alienígenas, a única forma de sobreviverem. São salvos no momento mais crítico por uma força terrestre. Uma salvação que trará uma enorme surpresa: aquilo que para os tripulantes da nave foram semanas foram passadas no espaço inimigo, na verdade foram anos, cortesia dos efeitos da tecnologia hiperespacial inimiga. Para Andrew, o protagonista da série, o ter sobrevivido a mais esta aventura representa o culminar da sua carreira. A recuperar de graves ferimentos, depois do trauma de ser afastado da mulher que ama, sentido que perdeu três anos da vida dela, e a conhecer a sua filha, está decidido em retirar-se da vida militar e tornar-se civil.
Seria uma pena que Kloos encerrasse aqui a série, embora se compreenda que ao fim de oito livros, o cansaço temático se tenha instalado. Mas há uma vertente que Kloos, nestes livros todos, nunca explorou - as lógicas da civilização alienígena que ataca incansavelmente as colónias terrestres, chegando a ameaçar a Terra. Seres gigantescos, que se comportam como animais de enxame (em terra, a sua forma de ataque é a debandada, que esmaga tudo o que enfrenta), muito difíceis de abater, e com naves de tecnologias misteriosas com armas mortíferas. Uma espécie que nunca tentou comunicar, sobre o qual tudo é desconhecido. Kloos puxa pela imaginação e neste último livro da série, dá-nos umas imagens do mundo e sociedade inimiga.
A chave, talvez, esteja na ideia de fungos que constroem naves orgânicas. Não me surpreenderia se, num eventual próximo livro da série, os fungos fossem revelados como a verdadeira inteligência alienígena, tendo desenvolvido biotecnologias que incluem viagens no espaço, e usando os gigantes Lankies como utensílios vivos e descartáveis, habitantes de uma cultura enxame. Uma civilização micelial que se expande pelo espaço com biotecnologia, eis uma ideia curiosa. Mas, dado o tom final que encerra Centers of Gravity, suspeito que este talvez seja o último livro da série. Pelo menos, de acordo com o site de Marko Kloos, o último que terá Andrew como personagem principal.
Notem que não estamos a falar de ficção científica de excelência. Kloos tem um nicho, que explora muito bem, de aventura militarista, cheia de veneração pelo espirito das forças armadas. Consegue fazê-lo sem cair nos lugares-comuns autoritaristas ou fascizóides associados a este género. Não por acaso, David Weber, que também se distingue pela excelente FC militar sem decair em conservadorismos extremos, é uma das influências óbvias de Frontlines. Claramente, Kloos não procura criar clássicos da FC, apenas contar boas histórias, divertidas e cheias de peripécias. Nem toda a literatura tem de ser profunda e introspectiva, e talvez o facto da Ficção Científica assumir isso, valorizando tanto as vertentes mais experimentais como as mais convencionais, seja um dos fatores que a deixa mal vista pelo mainstream. Quanto a Frontlines, bem, esperemos pelo próximo livro da série, se houver, para voltar a mergulhar na união terrestre que luta pela sobrevivência contra um inimigo enigmático.
Centers of Gravity conclui Orders of Battle, o livro anterior. Termina, com o habitual bom estilo de Kloos, uma história que nos deixou em suspenso. O eterno personagem da série encontra-se isolado longe da Terra, num misterioso sistema planetário errante que poderá ser o planeta-mãe dos Lankies, os mortíferos alienígenas desta série. Encalhados para além de qualquer socorro, os militares continuam a sua missão, procurando formas de sobreviver no sistema sem serem detetados pelo inimigo. Exploram algumas luas, em busca de recursos naturais essenciais, e é aí que se deparam com uma chave que poderá permitir compreender o inimigo. Ao penetrar numa das suas tocas, um complexo de túneis que lhes serve de abrigo, soldados e cientistas deparam-se com evidências de linguagem escrita no espectro infravermelho. E descobrem a origem das naves espaciais inimigas, que são construídas organicamente a partir de uma base fungal.
No entanto, a sua presença no coração do inimigo começa a ser detetada, e fugir torna-se imperativo, agora para mais que dispõem de dados cruciais para compreender, e eventualmente derrotar, os alienígenas. Para isso, as tripulações urdem um plano arriscado, onde tentam recriar as condições que os levaram àquele destino desconhecido, deixando-se apanhar pela bolha hiperespacial de uma nave inimiga. Conseguem, mas o plano não é totalmente bem sucedido, sendo atacados pela nave a que se colam. Regressam ao ponto de origem, com a nave despedaçada, conseguindo enviar mensagens para a Terra, antes de, em desespero, tentarem reconquistar uma antiga colónia aos alienígenas, a única forma de sobreviverem. São salvos no momento mais crítico por uma força terrestre. Uma salvação que trará uma enorme surpresa: aquilo que para os tripulantes da nave foram semanas foram passadas no espaço inimigo, na verdade foram anos, cortesia dos efeitos da tecnologia hiperespacial inimiga. Para Andrew, o protagonista da série, o ter sobrevivido a mais esta aventura representa o culminar da sua carreira. A recuperar de graves ferimentos, depois do trauma de ser afastado da mulher que ama, sentido que perdeu três anos da vida dela, e a conhecer a sua filha, está decidido em retirar-se da vida militar e tornar-se civil.
Seria uma pena que Kloos encerrasse aqui a série, embora se compreenda que ao fim de oito livros, o cansaço temático se tenha instalado. Mas há uma vertente que Kloos, nestes livros todos, nunca explorou - as lógicas da civilização alienígena que ataca incansavelmente as colónias terrestres, chegando a ameaçar a Terra. Seres gigantescos, que se comportam como animais de enxame (em terra, a sua forma de ataque é a debandada, que esmaga tudo o que enfrenta), muito difíceis de abater, e com naves de tecnologias misteriosas com armas mortíferas. Uma espécie que nunca tentou comunicar, sobre o qual tudo é desconhecido. Kloos puxa pela imaginação e neste último livro da série, dá-nos umas imagens do mundo e sociedade inimiga.
A chave, talvez, esteja na ideia de fungos que constroem naves orgânicas. Não me surpreenderia se, num eventual próximo livro da série, os fungos fossem revelados como a verdadeira inteligência alienígena, tendo desenvolvido biotecnologias que incluem viagens no espaço, e usando os gigantes Lankies como utensílios vivos e descartáveis, habitantes de uma cultura enxame. Uma civilização micelial que se expande pelo espaço com biotecnologia, eis uma ideia curiosa. Mas, dado o tom final que encerra Centers of Gravity, suspeito que este talvez seja o último livro da série. Pelo menos, de acordo com o site de Marko Kloos, o último que terá Andrew como personagem principal.
Notem que não estamos a falar de ficção científica de excelência. Kloos tem um nicho, que explora muito bem, de aventura militarista, cheia de veneração pelo espirito das forças armadas. Consegue fazê-lo sem cair nos lugares-comuns autoritaristas ou fascizóides associados a este género. Não por acaso, David Weber, que também se distingue pela excelente FC militar sem decair em conservadorismos extremos, é uma das influências óbvias de Frontlines. Claramente, Kloos não procura criar clássicos da FC, apenas contar boas histórias, divertidas e cheias de peripécias. Nem toda a literatura tem de ser profunda e introspectiva, e talvez o facto da Ficção Científica assumir isso, valorizando tanto as vertentes mais experimentais como as mais convencionais, seja um dos fatores que a deixa mal vista pelo mainstream. Quanto a Frontlines, bem, esperemos pelo próximo livro da série, se houver, para voltar a mergulhar na união terrestre que luta pela sobrevivência contra um inimigo enigmático.
September 19, 2022
Centers of Gravity by Marko Kloos is the 8th book in the series Frontlines. I was unaware that this was part of a series when I got the copy from NetGalley. (I would recommend to those interested that you start out with the first book in the series--Terms of Enlistment.)
This book is a well written and fast paced military Science fiction novel. I think my enjoyment of it would have been greatly enhanced by a familiarity with the series and the characters. I got the impression that there was some important and dramatic events transpiring but I had only a superficial appreciation of them unfortunately.
I was reminded of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers but also of the old series Perry Rhodan.
I plan on checking out the first book in the series.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #47North, and Marko Kloos for the ARC of #CentersofGravity.
This book is a well written and fast paced military Science fiction novel. I think my enjoyment of it would have been greatly enhanced by a familiarity with the series and the characters. I got the impression that there was some important and dramatic events transpiring but I had only a superficial appreciation of them unfortunately.
I was reminded of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers but also of the old series Perry Rhodan.
I plan on checking out the first book in the series.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #47North, and Marko Kloos for the ARC of #CentersofGravity.
March 25, 2023
Real title: Plot Armor (Frontlines Book8)
This was probably one of the worst endings in the worst entry in the history of book series that started amazing. My eyes rolled around so much I think the eroded their size. How many one in a billion chance can Grayson survive? At least four in this book and probably two dozen in the series. It proves Grayson is a liar author adding himself in all major battles of the Lanky War. The action in the final battle was cool except for the fact not a single names character dies (or even gets injured) with the cavalry arriving right on cue. Through in some time distillation and a sappy reunion with Halley, and Kloos found a way to utterly ruin that started with such promise. I'm thankful the series is over. I can see it's going over the edge. Sigh.
This was probably one of the worst endings in the worst entry in the history of book series that started amazing. My eyes rolled around so much I think the eroded their size. How many one in a billion chance can Grayson survive? At least four in this book and probably two dozen in the series. It proves Grayson is a liar author adding himself in all major battles of the Lanky War. The action in the final battle was cool except for the fact not a single names character dies (or even gets injured) with the cavalry arriving right on cue. Through in some time distillation and a sappy reunion with Halley, and Kloos found a way to utterly ruin that started with such promise. I'm thankful the series is over. I can see it's going over the edge. Sigh.
January 10, 2023
Hrm. I'm really torn about this one.
On the one hand, it has some genuinely creepy moments that teeter on cosmic horror in a good way. But it also kind of felt like the author was tired, painted into a corner, and just wanted to wrap everything up.
It had a satisfying ending and some genuinely heartfelt moments, but also just felt a bit crammed and the big "twist", while it didn't fizzle, it wasn't exactly a bang either. Hard to explain and discuss without spoilers. Also felt like it left a lot of awkward loose ends that are places for revisiting and spinoffs, but meh.
The usual comment I give to Kloos though which is, even on a bad day, he delivers solidly entertaining Sci-Fi so I can't complain too hard.
On the one hand, it has some genuinely creepy moments that teeter on cosmic horror in a good way. But it also kind of felt like the author was tired, painted into a corner, and just wanted to wrap everything up.
It had a satisfying ending and some genuinely heartfelt moments, but also just felt a bit crammed and the big "twist", while it didn't fizzle, it wasn't exactly a bang either. Hard to explain and discuss without spoilers. Also felt like it left a lot of awkward loose ends that are places for revisiting and spinoffs, but meh.
The usual comment I give to Kloos though which is, even on a bad day, he delivers solidly entertaining Sci-Fi so I can't complain too hard.
September 1, 2022
I can't believe we are eight books into this series and the ride is over, at least for this storyline. So many military sci-fi stories out there, so few really good ones. This is one of the best, up there with Heinlein, Scalzi, and Steakley. I look forward to every new entry, and now we've reached the end.
But don't worry. This book doesn't fizzle out, and it doesn't really retread much ground, which is kind of a staple of the series. And the author has noted that while this story is coming to a close, it's not the last we will see of this universe nor of the main character.
There's not much you can say without spoiling things, especially eight books in. The writing is good, the plot is good, and the ending is bitter sweet. If you've not read this entire series, you should start. If you've read up until now, well, you know you are going to read this one too, right?
But don't worry. This book doesn't fizzle out, and it doesn't really retread much ground, which is kind of a staple of the series. And the author has noted that while this story is coming to a close, it's not the last we will see of this universe nor of the main character.
There's not much you can say without spoiling things, especially eight books in. The writing is good, the plot is good, and the ending is bitter sweet. If you've not read this entire series, you should start. If you've read up until now, well, you know you are going to read this one too, right?
November 26, 2022
Okay, are we done here? I hope we are. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed (most of) the Lankyverse, but the needle’s been stuck in the same groove for a while now, and many of the mysteries related to the Lankies that needed to be resolved have been resolved (although a bunch of stuff was left hanging in this book, too – but none of it really matters). Also, the cardboard characters were okay for a while, serving as placeholder vehicles for the action scenes, but by book 8 they have seriously worn thin and even though Grayson does whine a bit less about his usual hangups in this one, his uber-nice goody-twoshoes schtick has become seriously grating by now. So, to sum it up, a decent, but in no way mind-blowing ending to the series in a book that really should not have been split from the previous one.
March 7, 2023
This review is for the whole Frontline series.
The books were good but not great, and did drag in a few areas (the fast read was thanks to being sick and looking for an easy distraction.) It's clear that the author was in a western military- his lingo and attitude would fit in any NATO unit around, and I saw almost too many colloquialisms. I also found his depiction of PTSD to be fairly accurate. There were some gaps and/or plot holes that took me out of the story, but I managed to (eventually) get past them and just enjoy the story for what it was.
I did find his Malthusian dystopia Earth to be one of the distractions (it doesn't help that I split up the series with Peter Ziehan's "The End of the World is Just the Beginning" where demographic collapse is a recurring theme.)
The books were good but not great, and did drag in a few areas (the fast read was thanks to being sick and looking for an easy distraction.) It's clear that the author was in a western military- his lingo and attitude would fit in any NATO unit around, and I saw almost too many colloquialisms. I also found his depiction of PTSD to be fairly accurate. There were some gaps and/or plot holes that took me out of the story, but I managed to (eventually) get past them and just enjoy the story for what it was.
I did find his Malthusian dystopia Earth to be one of the distractions (it doesn't help that I split up the series with Peter Ziehan's "The End of the World is Just the Beginning" where demographic collapse is a recurring theme.)
December 22, 2022
This series has been surprisingly good. Characters and situations are consistent and interesting with decisions that make sense. Plenty of intrigue, danger and suspense.
The way this one closed, though, it has to be the final book in the series. It's a satisfying conclusion, though, and if you've read the first few in the series, it's worthwhile sticking it out to the end.
Well done, Marko Kloos. Well done.
The way this one closed, though, it has to be the final book in the series. It's a satisfying conclusion, though, and if you've read the first few in the series, it's worthwhile sticking it out to the end.
Well done, Marko Kloos. Well done.
December 31, 2022
Ironically the last book of the series is the one that is most interesting because they finally engage - vaguely - with the enemy on their home turf. Still no psychology, but at least a sense of something that could turn into a feasible alien civilization. But its clear Kloos has had enough and he gives his leads a vaguely plausible happy ending after a fair few exciting adventure sequences. Entertaining but very much the sum of its broadly repetitive parts.
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