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Space Race: The Complete Series #1-3
The brand-new collection featuring all 3 Space Race novels. Almost 1000 pages of alien invasion, mystery, and sci-fi adventure. Get your copy today!
Arlo Lewis was a famous pilot prodigy, until his grandfather left on an exploratory mission to Proxima and never returned. Now, with a bleak future, he works as a hauler for one of the biggest Primary Corporations.
When the Board calls for the very first Space Race, the CEO of SeaTech lures Arlo to run his team.
What starts out as a race for the rights to mine Proxima, quickly turns into something far more sinister, with intergalactic ramifications.
War is coming, and it’s up to Arlo and his new allies to protect Earth and everyone on it.
Space Race will keep you on the edge of your seat with mysterious twists, evil corporations, and deadly aliens.
From the author of First Life, Lost Contact, and The Event, comes another hit series.
Included
Space Race (Space Race Book One)
Space Battle (Space Race Book Two)
Space Strike (Space Race Book Three)
Arlo Lewis was a famous pilot prodigy, until his grandfather left on an exploratory mission to Proxima and never returned. Now, with a bleak future, he works as a hauler for one of the biggest Primary Corporations.
When the Board calls for the very first Space Race, the CEO of SeaTech lures Arlo to run his team.
What starts out as a race for the rights to mine Proxima, quickly turns into something far more sinister, with intergalactic ramifications.
War is coming, and it’s up to Arlo and his new allies to protect Earth and everyone on it.
Space Race will keep you on the edge of your seat with mysterious twists, evil corporations, and deadly aliens.
From the author of First Life, Lost Contact, and The Event, comes another hit series.
Included
Space Race (Space Race Book One)
Space Battle (Space Race Book Two)
Space Strike (Space Race Book Three)
903 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2022
245 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 13, 2022
This is the Space Race box set that follows Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis and his team as they take on a multi-faceted technological race that will provide great rewards both on the personal level and the corporate level, as this is a futuristic world in which Corporations run everything. It is an exceptional series, that diverges as it continues into a fascinating saga (No Spoilers!!)
Following are individual reviews for each book – but don’t read the reviews for the latter books until you have read the earlier books to avoid spoilers.
Space Race #1- Space Race - Space Race is one of those fast paced, action-packed books, that once you pick it up, you struggle to put down, as it is just so gripping, with these stunning cliff-hanger scenes, a sensational race that is made up of multiple components, and racers (as in the actual ships, not the competitors). The tech in this book is just extraordinary, there are times that it almost starts to slip into a Hard Sci-fi the tech is so in-depth, so fascinating and compelling.
This is only matched by both the exceptional Characters, Hystad’s character building and development is just masterful, and this combines with his beautiful, gritty, and captivating world building. Hystad has created all these different places we get to visit, in this future that is dominated by Corporations.
In this future, there are lots of Corporations all vying for control of the resources within the Sol System. Humanity has been limited to the Sol System for now, but there has been talk of expanding to the Proxima System. This was tried once before, but it didn’t work.
So for now, EVERYTHING, is run by the Corporations. And the aim is to be in the Top 10 – if you aren’t in the Top 10, well, you don’t really count.
For recreation, there is a lot of racing (Things never change), and at the start of the book, we get to see a young racer by the name of Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis, who is brilliant, obviously gifted at the sport of Pod Racing, and destined for great things, having won numerous trophies and competitions already, with his Grandfather by his side as his racing partner and Crew Chief.
That is, until his Grandfather, who is a famous pilot, leaves to pilot the first ill-fated mission to Proxima. Arlo quits racing.
Jump forward 19yrs later, and we find Arlo (our main character by the way), doing cargo runs out to Eris for one of the 10.
There is a bit of backstory, before he is approached by Bryson Kelley, the man who runs one of the Major Corporations, called SeaTech.
With all of Sol now locked down by industry, and humanity needing more space, it has been decided that there should be another mission to Proxima, but rather than having all of the Corporations fighting over the new system, they are going to run a Space Race, and the winner gets the rights to Proxima. However, only the Top 10 Companies can enter, as they want to make sure that anyone who wins has the right amount of capital to expend on such a venture.
At the start of this, SeaTech is actually out of the Top 10, and this is when Arlo is asked to join the team, to be the Pilot in the Mandatory 4 person team for the Race.
I don’t want to spoil things, so I am not going to go into the individual characters here too much, I will just discuss characters in a general sense. Hystad does such a wonderful job in creating this broad spectrum on characters, from all walks of life, with a huge variety of backgrounds, race, religion, colour, everything. This is a future that is less worried about all that sort of stuff, and more worried about where your loyalties are with the company you work for. And if you are a particularly important person, you might find that you are offered substantial money to come work somewhere else, and test those loyalties. It is a fascinating, complex, and intricate world that Hystad has created. On one hand, there appears to be less discrimination in the sense that we know it, and yet, there is substantially more, based on wealth, who you work for, where you live etc. It is so well done, so clever.
When Arlo runs into old friends, who are living a different lifestyle to everyone he knows, he suddenly gets his eyes opened to some of the more insidious things going on in the background, and this makes for a really interesting twist, not the normal rebel scenario that you expect in this type of book either.
Each of the Characters has so much raw depth to them, so much individuality, it really adds to what is a clever and thrilling character driven story. Whilst there are a number of ‘Major’ characters, Hystad’s minor characters are so well done, that they contribute so much to the story.
This is such an in-depth story, from the history of the Races, and Arlo’s involvement, to Proxima and his Grandfather, and the incredible, multi-faceted, and utterly fascinating Corporate System, that reminds you of so many things, but also wondering if we are not careful – is that where we are headed? And then the Space Race.
I don’t want to give away anything about the Space Race – it is just so much fun, you will be glued to the pages, (‘Just one more Chapter…, Ok, I’ll just find out what happens….. Well, I might as well finish the Chapter…2hrs later, and 10 Chapters – you’re still going!!!) It reminded a LOT of Matthew Reilly, A.G Riddle, that face paced story in which there are a group trying to achieve a goal, faced by challenge after challenge, and most of them with great peril attached.
The race is mind-blowing, it would make the most unbelievable video game (and if we can ever get Virtual Reality up and running properly, it would be INCREDIBLE!!), but for now, you have to sink into the Spectacular imagination of Hystad, and enjoy this Masterful Story, with Exceptional Characters and a Race that is both Exhilarating and Terrifying!!!
Space Race #2 – Space Battle - This is a really fascinating sequel to the original, as in this second book, there are no races like the first, gone are the flashy spectacles of race challenges, instead, our intrepid heroes are facing a daunting enemy, and they may be all that stands between them and the utter annihilation of everything that they know and love.
In this second book, we are introduced to the crew of the Obelisk 17yrs ago, and as the story progresses, we move back and forth between present time and the events of what happened with the crew of the Obelisk when they encountered the Velibar all those years ago, up until the battle at the end of book #1.
It makes for a really engaging, interesting, and intriguing read, as Hystad has been very clever, giving us a general gist of the story, but not enough that we have al of it.
Most of the story is told from the eyes of Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis, the main character of the series, and we get to not only ‘see’ the story from his point of view, but also understand what Hawk is feeling, his emotional state at the time.
The ‘main’ story being told is Hawk and his crew (Jade, Luther and R11- Holland of course is still missing after the events of book 1), being asked to go on a mission to a place known as ‘Refuge’ in the hopes of finding an ally against the Velibar.
They have been training in new ‘Pods’, designed on their race pods, but with upgraded weaponry and shields, so that they are able to hold their own in a fight. Hawk has put together a new team, along with his original Race Team, to go along with him, and this consists of Varn Wallish, as Hawk knows that even though he is a pain, he is still an excellent pilot. Then he gets his old friend Jinx, because of his unique skills, as well as Bello’s friend Aster, because she is almost as good in a fight as Luther.
Without giving too much away, this book moves from one that sees the group, and others racing pods in a spectacular race around the Solar System, with this rather intense, deeply political race to see who will win the prize of the rights to the Proxima system, to suddenly realising that they are not alone. That the first mission to Proxima by the Obelisk was not lost as they assumed, it ran into a life form that is vastly superior to them (or so everyone believes, especially the Velibar), along with several other new races as well.
And now, it is a desperate ‘Race’ to see if they can find out what is going on – is Preston Lewis actually the traitor he seems? Although they managed to defeat the Velibar ships at this first encounter, are they in fact safe for a while, or have they just opened a huge can of intergalactic worms, and now the Velibar and their allies are going to return to crush the Earth? Or can Hawk and the selection of people he has, his ragtag crew as it is, race out into the unknown to try and desperately find someone, or something, that can aid them in their fight?
As with the first book, the character work is just brilliant, we get to see a much deeper side of Arlo (Hawk) in this book, as he grown out of his shell now, having gained back some of his credibility from when he left the racing circuit. He is no longer annoyed when people call him ‘Hawk’, in fact, he almost encourages it, and he is now comfortable with his role as leader of this group. He is even comfortable with leading Varn, and it is rather fascinating watching these two former enemies actually change and becoming almost friends in this second book.
Along with this is all the other characters, Luther, Jade, Jinx, Aster, R11, all of home are just so exceptionally well written and I could happily write an essay on each, of how in-depth, and just amazing they are, the backgrounds they have, and how much they have adapted and grown from the original characters we met in book 1. Hystad really brings his characters to life, and they become a part of your life as you read these books, you want to know more about them, and you become very engaged with them, it is a shame when you reach the end of a book, especially the end of the series.
The other aspect of this story that is so extraordinary, is the world (galaxy) building, which in this 2nd book, has just become so much more amazing with the detail, and multi-faceted nature of the worlds that Hystad has created for us to be a part of. Again, without giving away spoilers, with the gang moving out into the galaxy, we get to see more parts of the galaxy as well as come across more interesting things (again, without trying to give too much away!!!) and Hystad’s descriptive work is just masterful!
The intense, gritty nature of the combat, which at times, is both violent, and incredibly brutal, is very realistic, giving you this feeling that you are right in the thick of it as an object flies through the air, striking someone and wounding them, you can hear them screaming, and see the blood flying – it so realistic and just so lifelike – makes reading this series just so engaging.
This second book is even better than the first, and you seriously could not put the first one down (I listened to it in 1 or 2 sittings, it was just so good, I couldn’t stop – I am already 3/4’s of the way through the third book, having only started it a few hours ago, it is stunning. This is a wonderful series, one that is full of exceptional characters who are desperately trying to save their home, their loved ones, fighting for their lives. Originally, it was against evil corporations, but they have been cast into insignificance, against the threat of an overwhelming alien threat, and now the crew of the Pilgrim must again save the earth, if there is time, if they can find help!!
Do Not Miss this series, you will regret it!!!
Space Race #3 – Space Strike - Space Strike opens with the main team from the first book, Arlo, Jade, Luther, and Holland back having been found on a Velibar planet, all trying to work out who the main threat to Earth is. Having originally thought it was the Velibar, they travelled to Refuge, where they met the A.I. “Stin”, a singular A.I. that controls billions of robot ships. Stin is at once Billions of ships and entities, and yet capable of being a singular robot, acting as a person and being able to interact on a very human like level. Having made an alliance with Stin, Arlo and the gang also learn of the Darlor and the Hidan, who they believe are also being attacked by the Velibar.
However, once they meet up with Arlo’s grandfather, Preston Lewis, things change, as it becomes clear, that the Darlor and Hidan are actually the enemy, not the Velibar and that Preston has been acting in the best interests of Earth and Humanity all along.
This series begins to evolve and follows along with a very intense, thrilling, incredibly complex and detailed, and above all, intriguing mystery, as Arlo and his crew of friends, along with Preston Lewis, try to weave through a multifaceted and intricate web of deceit and treachery, to uncover who is the real enemy, and who is the biggest threat to not just Earth anymore, but to the Velibar as well.
As the Scooby Gang uncover more and more, along with Varn and his crew, including Jinx, Aster, and some additional characters that I won’t tell you about as I don’t want to spoil the fun, but just to add, there are some exceptional additions in this book that will make your jaw drop, they find that the Velibar are not the threat. Preston uncovers a particular faction of Velibar that are a threat to the continuation of the Velibar, and this leads to a particular set of storylines that are fascinating.
And that is the core of this book, it is not one story, there are actually about 5 or 6 stories going on, this could have been a collection of short stories almost, and it kind of is, just all collected together.
There is the major stream following Preston and the internal politics of the Velibar. There is another, following Arlo and the several teams under him, as they investigate the alien races and the threats they pose to the future of humanity. Then there is another that is following what is happening back on Earth, with the Corporations, Octavia Post, the 10 Primary’s and their futures. In another, we follow Bryson Kelley and his quest to find his estranged wife, Caterina Kelley, who was thought lost, but has been found and is with the Velibar.
In amongst this, are multiple little threads, ones that both wrap up things from books 1 and 2, and others that provide us with some amazing new characters.
This is an incredible final book to what has been a fascinating series, one that started with a stunning race, that led to a full-blown revolution, then an invasion by aliens, before leading to intergalactic war, this series has had everything possible. It has had numerous aliens and powerful A.I., as well as incredible heroes, and some evil villains.
Hystad has provided some exceptional characters to keep the story moving, and whereas in the first book, the story centred around Arlo, in this book, the focus is on multiple characters, not just Arlo, but Preston, Bryson, as well as several others I won’t mention so as to not give away spoilers. But by opening it up to other points of view, Hystad has really given a multi-dimensional view of the story, giving the reader a really in-depth view of every aspect of the story from every characters point of view.
As well as providing us a great character’s point of view, Hystad also provides an outstanding world point of view, with his masterful world-building, which is just mind-blowing. There are so many aspects of the worlds he creates, from the Stin A.I., to the Velibar society that is an amphibious race that live above and below the water. The worlds of the Velibar are just stunning, especially below the water, in which the detail is just extraordinary and beautiful.
The descriptions of the pod racers and flyers is so nicely down, you can see the graceful curves, and stunning detail of the work that has gone into these ships, just how well Hystad has thought about the creation of these ships for not just the racing element of the story, but the later fighting element as well.
Overall, this is just a masterful series, one that shows all of Hystad’s skills to the fullest, and is just a wonderful read. If you love a great Sci-Fi read, with every aspect of Sci-Fi there is, from intense space races that keep you turning pages, to alien invasions that become intergalactic wars between multiple alien factions, including powerful A.I.’s, this book has everything. The great thing is, that Hystad has wound it all together so seamlessly into this exceptional story that you just can’t put down, it is such a fun and utterly engaging series. Don’t miss out, as this 3rd book is a must read in a series that is just brilliant!!
Following are individual reviews for each book – but don’t read the reviews for the latter books until you have read the earlier books to avoid spoilers.
Space Race #1- Space Race - Space Race is one of those fast paced, action-packed books, that once you pick it up, you struggle to put down, as it is just so gripping, with these stunning cliff-hanger scenes, a sensational race that is made up of multiple components, and racers (as in the actual ships, not the competitors). The tech in this book is just extraordinary, there are times that it almost starts to slip into a Hard Sci-fi the tech is so in-depth, so fascinating and compelling.
This is only matched by both the exceptional Characters, Hystad’s character building and development is just masterful, and this combines with his beautiful, gritty, and captivating world building. Hystad has created all these different places we get to visit, in this future that is dominated by Corporations.
In this future, there are lots of Corporations all vying for control of the resources within the Sol System. Humanity has been limited to the Sol System for now, but there has been talk of expanding to the Proxima System. This was tried once before, but it didn’t work.
So for now, EVERYTHING, is run by the Corporations. And the aim is to be in the Top 10 – if you aren’t in the Top 10, well, you don’t really count.
For recreation, there is a lot of racing (Things never change), and at the start of the book, we get to see a young racer by the name of Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis, who is brilliant, obviously gifted at the sport of Pod Racing, and destined for great things, having won numerous trophies and competitions already, with his Grandfather by his side as his racing partner and Crew Chief.
That is, until his Grandfather, who is a famous pilot, leaves to pilot the first ill-fated mission to Proxima. Arlo quits racing.
Jump forward 19yrs later, and we find Arlo (our main character by the way), doing cargo runs out to Eris for one of the 10.
There is a bit of backstory, before he is approached by Bryson Kelley, the man who runs one of the Major Corporations, called SeaTech.
With all of Sol now locked down by industry, and humanity needing more space, it has been decided that there should be another mission to Proxima, but rather than having all of the Corporations fighting over the new system, they are going to run a Space Race, and the winner gets the rights to Proxima. However, only the Top 10 Companies can enter, as they want to make sure that anyone who wins has the right amount of capital to expend on such a venture.
At the start of this, SeaTech is actually out of the Top 10, and this is when Arlo is asked to join the team, to be the Pilot in the Mandatory 4 person team for the Race.
I don’t want to spoil things, so I am not going to go into the individual characters here too much, I will just discuss characters in a general sense. Hystad does such a wonderful job in creating this broad spectrum on characters, from all walks of life, with a huge variety of backgrounds, race, religion, colour, everything. This is a future that is less worried about all that sort of stuff, and more worried about where your loyalties are with the company you work for. And if you are a particularly important person, you might find that you are offered substantial money to come work somewhere else, and test those loyalties. It is a fascinating, complex, and intricate world that Hystad has created. On one hand, there appears to be less discrimination in the sense that we know it, and yet, there is substantially more, based on wealth, who you work for, where you live etc. It is so well done, so clever.
When Arlo runs into old friends, who are living a different lifestyle to everyone he knows, he suddenly gets his eyes opened to some of the more insidious things going on in the background, and this makes for a really interesting twist, not the normal rebel scenario that you expect in this type of book either.
Each of the Characters has so much raw depth to them, so much individuality, it really adds to what is a clever and thrilling character driven story. Whilst there are a number of ‘Major’ characters, Hystad’s minor characters are so well done, that they contribute so much to the story.
This is such an in-depth story, from the history of the Races, and Arlo’s involvement, to Proxima and his Grandfather, and the incredible, multi-faceted, and utterly fascinating Corporate System, that reminds you of so many things, but also wondering if we are not careful – is that where we are headed? And then the Space Race.
I don’t want to give away anything about the Space Race – it is just so much fun, you will be glued to the pages, (‘Just one more Chapter…, Ok, I’ll just find out what happens….. Well, I might as well finish the Chapter…2hrs later, and 10 Chapters – you’re still going!!!) It reminded a LOT of Matthew Reilly, A.G Riddle, that face paced story in which there are a group trying to achieve a goal, faced by challenge after challenge, and most of them with great peril attached.
The race is mind-blowing, it would make the most unbelievable video game (and if we can ever get Virtual Reality up and running properly, it would be INCREDIBLE!!), but for now, you have to sink into the Spectacular imagination of Hystad, and enjoy this Masterful Story, with Exceptional Characters and a Race that is both Exhilarating and Terrifying!!!
Space Race #2 – Space Battle - This is a really fascinating sequel to the original, as in this second book, there are no races like the first, gone are the flashy spectacles of race challenges, instead, our intrepid heroes are facing a daunting enemy, and they may be all that stands between them and the utter annihilation of everything that they know and love.
In this second book, we are introduced to the crew of the Obelisk 17yrs ago, and as the story progresses, we move back and forth between present time and the events of what happened with the crew of the Obelisk when they encountered the Velibar all those years ago, up until the battle at the end of book #1.
It makes for a really engaging, interesting, and intriguing read, as Hystad has been very clever, giving us a general gist of the story, but not enough that we have al of it.
Most of the story is told from the eyes of Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis, the main character of the series, and we get to not only ‘see’ the story from his point of view, but also understand what Hawk is feeling, his emotional state at the time.
The ‘main’ story being told is Hawk and his crew (Jade, Luther and R11- Holland of course is still missing after the events of book 1), being asked to go on a mission to a place known as ‘Refuge’ in the hopes of finding an ally against the Velibar.
They have been training in new ‘Pods’, designed on their race pods, but with upgraded weaponry and shields, so that they are able to hold their own in a fight. Hawk has put together a new team, along with his original Race Team, to go along with him, and this consists of Varn Wallish, as Hawk knows that even though he is a pain, he is still an excellent pilot. Then he gets his old friend Jinx, because of his unique skills, as well as Bello’s friend Aster, because she is almost as good in a fight as Luther.
Without giving too much away, this book moves from one that sees the group, and others racing pods in a spectacular race around the Solar System, with this rather intense, deeply political race to see who will win the prize of the rights to the Proxima system, to suddenly realising that they are not alone. That the first mission to Proxima by the Obelisk was not lost as they assumed, it ran into a life form that is vastly superior to them (or so everyone believes, especially the Velibar), along with several other new races as well.
And now, it is a desperate ‘Race’ to see if they can find out what is going on – is Preston Lewis actually the traitor he seems? Although they managed to defeat the Velibar ships at this first encounter, are they in fact safe for a while, or have they just opened a huge can of intergalactic worms, and now the Velibar and their allies are going to return to crush the Earth? Or can Hawk and the selection of people he has, his ragtag crew as it is, race out into the unknown to try and desperately find someone, or something, that can aid them in their fight?
As with the first book, the character work is just brilliant, we get to see a much deeper side of Arlo (Hawk) in this book, as he grown out of his shell now, having gained back some of his credibility from when he left the racing circuit. He is no longer annoyed when people call him ‘Hawk’, in fact, he almost encourages it, and he is now comfortable with his role as leader of this group. He is even comfortable with leading Varn, and it is rather fascinating watching these two former enemies actually change and becoming almost friends in this second book.
Along with this is all the other characters, Luther, Jade, Jinx, Aster, R11, all of home are just so exceptionally well written and I could happily write an essay on each, of how in-depth, and just amazing they are, the backgrounds they have, and how much they have adapted and grown from the original characters we met in book 1. Hystad really brings his characters to life, and they become a part of your life as you read these books, you want to know more about them, and you become very engaged with them, it is a shame when you reach the end of a book, especially the end of the series.
The other aspect of this story that is so extraordinary, is the world (galaxy) building, which in this 2nd book, has just become so much more amazing with the detail, and multi-faceted nature of the worlds that Hystad has created for us to be a part of. Again, without giving away spoilers, with the gang moving out into the galaxy, we get to see more parts of the galaxy as well as come across more interesting things (again, without trying to give too much away!!!) and Hystad’s descriptive work is just masterful!
The intense, gritty nature of the combat, which at times, is both violent, and incredibly brutal, is very realistic, giving you this feeling that you are right in the thick of it as an object flies through the air, striking someone and wounding them, you can hear them screaming, and see the blood flying – it so realistic and just so lifelike – makes reading this series just so engaging.
This second book is even better than the first, and you seriously could not put the first one down (I listened to it in 1 or 2 sittings, it was just so good, I couldn’t stop – I am already 3/4’s of the way through the third book, having only started it a few hours ago, it is stunning. This is a wonderful series, one that is full of exceptional characters who are desperately trying to save their home, their loved ones, fighting for their lives. Originally, it was against evil corporations, but they have been cast into insignificance, against the threat of an overwhelming alien threat, and now the crew of the Pilgrim must again save the earth, if there is time, if they can find help!!
Do Not Miss this series, you will regret it!!!
Space Race #3 – Space Strike - Space Strike opens with the main team from the first book, Arlo, Jade, Luther, and Holland back having been found on a Velibar planet, all trying to work out who the main threat to Earth is. Having originally thought it was the Velibar, they travelled to Refuge, where they met the A.I. “Stin”, a singular A.I. that controls billions of robot ships. Stin is at once Billions of ships and entities, and yet capable of being a singular robot, acting as a person and being able to interact on a very human like level. Having made an alliance with Stin, Arlo and the gang also learn of the Darlor and the Hidan, who they believe are also being attacked by the Velibar.
However, once they meet up with Arlo’s grandfather, Preston Lewis, things change, as it becomes clear, that the Darlor and Hidan are actually the enemy, not the Velibar and that Preston has been acting in the best interests of Earth and Humanity all along.
This series begins to evolve and follows along with a very intense, thrilling, incredibly complex and detailed, and above all, intriguing mystery, as Arlo and his crew of friends, along with Preston Lewis, try to weave through a multifaceted and intricate web of deceit and treachery, to uncover who is the real enemy, and who is the biggest threat to not just Earth anymore, but to the Velibar as well.
As the Scooby Gang uncover more and more, along with Varn and his crew, including Jinx, Aster, and some additional characters that I won’t tell you about as I don’t want to spoil the fun, but just to add, there are some exceptional additions in this book that will make your jaw drop, they find that the Velibar are not the threat. Preston uncovers a particular faction of Velibar that are a threat to the continuation of the Velibar, and this leads to a particular set of storylines that are fascinating.
And that is the core of this book, it is not one story, there are actually about 5 or 6 stories going on, this could have been a collection of short stories almost, and it kind of is, just all collected together.
There is the major stream following Preston and the internal politics of the Velibar. There is another, following Arlo and the several teams under him, as they investigate the alien races and the threats they pose to the future of humanity. Then there is another that is following what is happening back on Earth, with the Corporations, Octavia Post, the 10 Primary’s and their futures. In another, we follow Bryson Kelley and his quest to find his estranged wife, Caterina Kelley, who was thought lost, but has been found and is with the Velibar.
In amongst this, are multiple little threads, ones that both wrap up things from books 1 and 2, and others that provide us with some amazing new characters.
This is an incredible final book to what has been a fascinating series, one that started with a stunning race, that led to a full-blown revolution, then an invasion by aliens, before leading to intergalactic war, this series has had everything possible. It has had numerous aliens and powerful A.I., as well as incredible heroes, and some evil villains.
Hystad has provided some exceptional characters to keep the story moving, and whereas in the first book, the story centred around Arlo, in this book, the focus is on multiple characters, not just Arlo, but Preston, Bryson, as well as several others I won’t mention so as to not give away spoilers. But by opening it up to other points of view, Hystad has really given a multi-dimensional view of the story, giving the reader a really in-depth view of every aspect of the story from every characters point of view.
As well as providing us a great character’s point of view, Hystad also provides an outstanding world point of view, with his masterful world-building, which is just mind-blowing. There are so many aspects of the worlds he creates, from the Stin A.I., to the Velibar society that is an amphibious race that live above and below the water. The worlds of the Velibar are just stunning, especially below the water, in which the detail is just extraordinary and beautiful.
The descriptions of the pod racers and flyers is so nicely down, you can see the graceful curves, and stunning detail of the work that has gone into these ships, just how well Hystad has thought about the creation of these ships for not just the racing element of the story, but the later fighting element as well.
Overall, this is just a masterful series, one that shows all of Hystad’s skills to the fullest, and is just a wonderful read. If you love a great Sci-Fi read, with every aspect of Sci-Fi there is, from intense space races that keep you turning pages, to alien invasions that become intergalactic wars between multiple alien factions, including powerful A.I.’s, this book has everything. The great thing is, that Hystad has wound it all together so seamlessly into this exceptional story that you just can’t put down, it is such a fun and utterly engaging series. Don’t miss out, as this 3rd book is a must read in a series that is just brilliant!!
July 26, 2022
More Effort than Expected
So the 3 book compendium seemed like the better choice but halfway into book 2 I had to question my reasoning. The first book was a decent read, reasonable world building and acceptable character development. But the second book went a bit off the rails with characters and situations that just seemed a bit outrageous. Fortunately the series returned somewhat in the last book but there were still far more awkwardly constructed sentences than expected from an author who has written as much as Mr Hystad.
Case in point is this weird sentence from the third book which doesn’t say what the author thinks is does:
“He recognized the system and saw the flurry of dots circumventing toward Dutis.” Circulating maybe, but circumventing is not correct.
There were other examples equally obtuse throughout the 3 books. Still I finished and the ending managed to resolve a majority of the story threads.
So the 3 book compendium seemed like the better choice but halfway into book 2 I had to question my reasoning. The first book was a decent read, reasonable world building and acceptable character development. But the second book went a bit off the rails with characters and situations that just seemed a bit outrageous. Fortunately the series returned somewhat in the last book but there were still far more awkwardly constructed sentences than expected from an author who has written as much as Mr Hystad.
Case in point is this weird sentence from the third book which doesn’t say what the author thinks is does:
“He recognized the system and saw the flurry of dots circumventing toward Dutis.” Circulating maybe, but circumventing is not correct.
There were other examples equally obtuse throughout the 3 books. Still I finished and the ending managed to resolve a majority of the story threads.
April 6, 2022
Received as an ARC, this is an honest review. From the epic roller coaster ride of the Space Race as powerful corporations battle across the stars to win the rights to Prison a that's the beginning of a harrowing journey as humanity finds itself not alone... and there's vicious aliens waiting to strike. This bundled set of the Space Race series keeps you in a continuous edge, deeply engaged by the powerful adventure, highly recommended.
July 16, 2022
This is another case of someone telling a story in a science fiction realm, without feeling the slightest duty to make the science even marginally sensible. As an example - two space ships approach each other head on going faster than light and the "radar" shows them 5000 miles apart --which they say represents 20 minutes travel. Really?
That is not in isolation, absolutely nothing related to space made the least amount of sense - and not in a "we invented FTL drive deal with it" that many stories have, but just the casual by-the-way comments about moment to moment happenings were ridiculous.
The overall plot line was structured so that the racers (and one in particular) could always play a role, related to racing. It pushed that limit quite a bit, but that by itself might be believable. The rest of the plot line was mildly interesting but generally predictable, if not believable. The ending was contrived and bore no logical derivation from the character development of most of the secondary characters we had seen up to that point (like the corporation CEO's running the Earth). What might have been an interesting subplot (discovery of an alien craft early in the story) just sort of vanished from any significant involvement, just an occasional also-mentioned in a few places. It seemed almost as if it was to be one story, and then the author changed their mind.
My recommendation to a potential reader - pass. To the author, write stores in a genre you know, at least until you gain some basic idea of what 'science' means.
That is not in isolation, absolutely nothing related to space made the least amount of sense - and not in a "we invented FTL drive deal with it" that many stories have, but just the casual by-the-way comments about moment to moment happenings were ridiculous.
The overall plot line was structured so that the racers (and one in particular) could always play a role, related to racing. It pushed that limit quite a bit, but that by itself might be believable. The rest of the plot line was mildly interesting but generally predictable, if not believable. The ending was contrived and bore no logical derivation from the character development of most of the secondary characters we had seen up to that point (like the corporation CEO's running the Earth). What might have been an interesting subplot (discovery of an alien craft early in the story) just sort of vanished from any significant involvement, just an occasional also-mentioned in a few places. It seemed almost as if it was to be one story, and then the author changed their mind.
My recommendation to a potential reader - pass. To the author, write stores in a genre you know, at least until you gain some basic idea of what 'science' means.
April 11, 2022
It's nice to read an entire series without having to wait between each instalment. This is a excellent series - very enjoyable. It's set in the future about a century, and follows a young man who enjoyed youth as a competitive pod racer, but eventually became a struggling owner and pilot of a space supply hauler. Fortunately, circumstances lead him to a new position as a pilot with a large corporation that has entered into an esteemed space race with an important prize to the winning company.
I enjoyed the concept of corporations running the world instead of governments. It's a unique idea that adds to the plot greatly. There's lots of moving parts in this series with several stories running concurrent. It moves at a fairly quick pace with many twists and turns along the way. I found a real attachment to the protagonist and his team as the character development was really well done.
This series is certainly not a bunch of warring factions in endless space battles, rather a very unique look at the politics on earth and also distant alien worlds. There are lots of realistic power struggles happening and plenty of characters to root for or condemn. Multiple storylines are happening throughout the series and they all come together in the end with a great conclusion.
I enjoyed the concept of corporations running the world instead of governments. It's a unique idea that adds to the plot greatly. There's lots of moving parts in this series with several stories running concurrent. It moves at a fairly quick pace with many twists and turns along the way. I found a real attachment to the protagonist and his team as the character development was really well done.
This series is certainly not a bunch of warring factions in endless space battles, rather a very unique look at the politics on earth and also distant alien worlds. There are lots of realistic power struggles happening and plenty of characters to root for or condemn. Multiple storylines are happening throughout the series and they all come together in the end with a great conclusion.
April 11, 2022
I enjoyed this story about Arlo and his journey to win a Space Race put on by the major corporations. Everything seems to be business as usual for a future society run my corporations and everyone has a few conspiracy theories as to why a Space Race has really been organized. The story starts out with introducing the main characters of the race team and things seem to be on their way as expected as the team prepares for the race. But of course things are not as they seem and the twists and surprises begin and kept me entertained the rest of the series. I was hooked from the beginning as the series builds up to something that is just not right. I loved it as it slowly drew me in. A great adventure, full of snark, friends and enemies, secrets reveals and a threat or two. Decisions must be made throughout the series and I was glued from the beginning to the end to see what certain characters would choose to do.
May 6, 2022
Unexpectedly Great Read
When I started the series, had no idea what I'd find. By the end, I was so glad I'd tried this. Great story, engaging characters, a sufficiently complicated world. The only gripe I have is with the "reverse the polarity" trope, but even that was pretty funny.
When I started the series, had no idea what I'd find. By the end, I was so glad I'd tried this. Great story, engaging characters, a sufficiently complicated world. The only gripe I have is with the "reverse the polarity" trope, but even that was pretty funny.
June 21, 2022
Good Read
This could be a little hard to follow at times. The story frequently skips between different times and groups of characters. In some cases it takes a while to figure out which character is currently giving their point of view. The pace was good, so this was an enjoyable series to read.
This could be a little hard to follow at times. The story frequently skips between different times and groups of characters. In some cases it takes a while to figure out which character is currently giving their point of view. The pace was good, so this was an enjoyable series to read.
November 18, 2024
This trilogy is rather intriguing as the lessons learned by young Arlo in space pod racing actually became a winning formula for dealing with some rather dangerous aliens nobody was aware of until the attempt of subjugating earth was made.
Not an easy task at all.
And lots of twists and surprises to keep a reader rather short of breath unawares.
Enjoy
Not an easy task at all.
And lots of twists and surprises to keep a reader rather short of breath unawares.
Enjoy
April 12, 2022
Another great read
Once again Nathan has given us a great set of books to read. And this series is a steal, and I recommend it if you are looking for something new to read. It is introduces you to Arlo and his crew who are taking part in a space race, just don't get space sick :-)
November 9, 2022
ready set ….go!
It was indeed a race…. And more! The “race” as the foundation for the epic 3 volume series is just that; a foundation. The story expands into a clever series of trust and betrayal…space travel and aliens leading to intergalactic conflicts
It was indeed a race…. And more! The “race” as the foundation for the epic 3 volume series is just that; a foundation. The story expands into a clever series of trust and betrayal…space travel and aliens leading to intergalactic conflicts
March 5, 2023
Great space adventure.
This is a great multi layered story with adventure, suspense, action, and more. I do recommend this long story that will be hard to stop reading once you have started.
This is a great multi layered story with adventure, suspense, action, and more. I do recommend this long story that will be hard to stop reading once you have started.
April 11, 2022
Great series
I highly recommend any book written by Nathan Hystad. I love every series and this was new and exciting territory.
I highly recommend any book written by Nathan Hystad. I love every series and this was new and exciting territory.
April 26, 2022
Excellent character definition
You care about the characters and the plot since it keeps changing. Victims turn out to be deceitful. Good read.
You care about the characters and the plot since it keeps changing. Victims turn out to be deceitful. Good read.
May 29, 2022
Do not miss this !
Best I have read in a
Long timr. Life time.science fiction reader. Was easy to follow and understand action !!!.
Best I have read in a
Long timr. Life time.science fiction reader. Was easy to follow and understand action !!!.
May 30, 2022
REALLY enjoyed the series😏💐
June 5, 2022
Finally, a saga worthy of being made into a movie series.
These three stories have the ability to stand alone as well as fit together smoothly and form an entertaining saga.
These three stories have the ability to stand alone as well as fit together smoothly and form an entertaining saga.
June 11, 2022
Great story. Reminded me of traditional sf
Great story line and not alot of violence. Good
balance and I liked the emphasis on teamwork through the story.
Great story line and not alot of violence. Good
balance and I liked the emphasis on teamwork through the story.
September 11, 2022
Pulp fiction from another time. Enjoyable albeit tedious.
September 13, 2022
Good books
morrisongary@msn.com very good story I enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading more books by this author until then read on .
morrisongary@msn.com very good story I enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading more books by this author until then read on .
September 30, 2022
Under dog wins
Always like books about the under dog surviving. The establishments are more prone to nepotism and good old boy nets.
Always like books about the under dog surviving. The establishments are more prone to nepotism and good old boy nets.
November 6, 2022
Space at it’s best
Loved the characters and their interactions. Several characters, but easily identified and followed. Would recommend to any sci-fi fan or just a fun reader.
Loved the characters and their interactions. Several characters, but easily identified and followed. Would recommend to any sci-fi fan or just a fun reader.
November 14, 2022
excellent
Didn't want this series to end. it was captivating. glad they worked out who the bad guy really was. robots!
Didn't want this series to end. it was captivating. glad they worked out who the bad guy really was. robots!
December 21, 2023
Fantastic series , another gripping series great story line with brilliant characters.
February 26, 2025
Entertaining
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