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The Spiral Wars #8
Ceephay Queen
Deep within hostile Reeh Empire space, the UFS Phoenix is hunting another AI queen. This one is named Chion, and she has been installed at the heart of Reeh Empire power, enslaved against her will, for the past 8,000 years. Within her vast knowledge lies the most intimate data on Nia, the deepynine queen now threatening humanity's very existence. Freeing Chion could be the key to beating Nia, and saving humanity.
But Phoenix's allied drysine queen Styx, and Chion's AI former sidekick Shali, both want Chion for their own purposes. And Chion, of course, will be defended by the full might of the Reeh Empire. To free her, Phoenix and Styx must win control of an AI fleet known as Raka, derived from Nia's deepynine technology long ago, and used by the Reeh Empire for special missions. But this will mean placing the most powerful AI war fleet in known space into the hands of Styx. Shali insists it's suicide, and every bit the existential threat to humanity that Nia is. But do Captain Debogande and Major Thakur have any other choice?
But Phoenix's allied drysine queen Styx, and Chion's AI former sidekick Shali, both want Chion for their own purposes. And Chion, of course, will be defended by the full might of the Reeh Empire. To free her, Phoenix and Styx must win control of an AI fleet known as Raka, derived from Nia's deepynine technology long ago, and used by the Reeh Empire for special missions. But this will mean placing the most powerful AI war fleet in known space into the hands of Styx. Shali insists it's suicide, and every bit the existential threat to humanity that Nia is. But do Captain Debogande and Major Thakur have any other choice?
713 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2022
249 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Joel Shepherd
27 books775 followersJoel Shepherd is an Australian science fiction author. He moved to Perth, Western Australia with his family when he was seven, where he later studied film and television arts at Curtin University. He now lives in Adelaide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 17, 2022
The UFS Phoenix has penetrated deep into hostile reeh space, hunting for an enslaved ceephay AI queen. The ceephay queen Cheon has detailed information on the deepynine AI queen Nia who represents an existential threat to humanity due to her dominance of humanity's supposed allies, the alo. The first step in their mission is for Phoenix's drysine AI queen Styx to take over a powerful reeh AI fleet called Raka, but the new human ally, the ceephay queen Shali, insists that it would be disastrous for humanity for Styx to gain this much power.
Meanwhile, in human space, the alo finally turn on humanity, unleashing the reeh bioweapon on a barely-prepared populous. In croma space, Lisbeth's time has run out, with her ever-changeable parren allies finally turning on her with a lethal surprise attack. Lisbeth and her friends, including the kuhsi child Skah, have their hands full trying to survive against parren attack.
This feels very much like the series is beginning to wrap up. Captain Erik Debogande and Major Trace Thakur are both hardened veterans of both full spiral politics and interspecies military conflict. Their own relationship is maturing, and both have become experts at managing the difficult and fraught relationship with the incredibly powerful AI queen Styx.
Meanwhile, in human space, the alo finally turn on humanity, unleashing the reeh bioweapon on a barely-prepared populous. In croma space, Lisbeth's time has run out, with her ever-changeable parren allies finally turning on her with a lethal surprise attack. Lisbeth and her friends, including the kuhsi child Skah, have their hands full trying to survive against parren attack.
This feels very much like the series is beginning to wrap up. Captain Erik Debogande and Major Trace Thakur are both hardened veterans of both full spiral politics and interspecies military conflict. Their own relationship is maturing, and both have become experts at managing the difficult and fraught relationship with the incredibly powerful AI queen Styx.
July 2, 2022
Shepherd writes some of the best science-fiction I’ve ever read, and it’s all going to get more intense in the last two books. Bring it on!
December 3, 2023
Another good read. Author keeps us guessing. I could do without so many Lisbeth /parren scenes, but whatever. I’m excited for book 9 — back home to human space. A face-off with Fleet, possibly.
We lose a few long-standing important characters. 😢
When available, I will also buy the audiobook. John Lee does such a great job with narration.
I might post a more detailed review some day. Still digesting this book.
New update Dec 2023. No sign of a sequel. Instead, author has written two books in a new series. WhattheactualF?
We lose a few long-standing important characters. 😢
When available, I will also buy the audiobook. John Lee does such a great job with narration.
I might post a more detailed review some day. Still digesting this book.
New update Dec 2023. No sign of a sequel. Instead, author has written two books in a new series. WhattheactualF?
Read
April 3, 2022One of the best military scifi series ever
Weber, Ringo, those to me are what military scifi is. Add shepherd now. This is the 8th book in the series, and except for the first, the best. A wonderful read, the only downside is the wait for the next.
Weber, Ringo, those to me are what military scifi is. Add shepherd now. This is the 8th book in the series, and except for the first, the best. A wonderful read, the only downside is the wait for the next.
April 2, 2022
Wonderful read
Another great one from Joel. I’ll be honest, I’m going to have to to read it again as I was so excited to jump in that I was reading quick bits whenever I had time and didn’t get the fairly complex flow.
Halgolam develops
Another great one from Joel. I’ll be honest, I’m going to have to to read it again as I was so excited to jump in that I was reading quick bits whenever I had time and didn’t get the fairly complex flow.
Halgolam develops
April 7, 2022
This series has been great and I love each of them.
Offers an interesting insight into what it could be to be an artificial sentient life form dealing with the vagaries of humans and other organic beings.
Couldn't put this one too down.
Fun to read; never a dull moment.
Hope the series last longer than another 2.
Offers an interesting insight into what it could be to be an artificial sentient life form dealing with the vagaries of humans and other organic beings.
Couldn't put this one too down.
Fun to read; never a dull moment.
Hope the series last longer than another 2.
November 30, 2022
A mixed bag, varying from 2 to 4.5 stars
After a longer break, the story is restarted with a recap of the story so far, before immediately crashing into yet another battle.
This is the longest novel yet, close to double length of the previous ones, unfortunately the extra length makes the novel rather unbalanced in pace, with the last third being one long battle scene.
The best:
It seems we are finally heading towards a resolution of the main storyline, there's a limit to how many quests for the Holy grail (or yet another brick in the AI wall) I can take.
The precarious balance and power play between humans and AI's
No more beating around the bush, between Eric and Trace
The Worst:
A parallel side story with Lisbeth in Parren space, that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the story.
Unbelievable plot holes - The Phoenix crew rescues an Alo, who's the first of an hostile, heavily augmented, race they encounter and let him have free access to their ship including the shielded area where they keep their secret data, where their own crew can only enter with restrictions and without any electronics at all.
Strange flashback stories with childhood memories from Eric.
After a longer break, the story is restarted with a recap of the story so far, before immediately crashing into yet another battle.
This is the longest novel yet, close to double length of the previous ones, unfortunately the extra length makes the novel rather unbalanced in pace, with the last third being one long battle scene.
The best:
It seems we are finally heading towards a resolution of the main storyline, there's a limit to how many quests for the Holy grail (or yet another brick in the AI wall) I can take.
The precarious balance and power play between humans and AI's
No more beating around the bush, between Eric and Trace
The Worst:
A parallel side story with Lisbeth in Parren space, that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the story.
Unbelievable plot holes - The Phoenix crew rescues an Alo, who's the first of an hostile, heavily augmented, race they encounter and let him have free access to their ship including the shielded area where they keep their secret data, where their own crew can only enter with restrictions and without any electronics at all.
Strange flashback stories with childhood memories from Eric.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2022
First 70% massive 'meh', last 30% recovers. Maybe it's inevitable when a series stretches for so long, and with volumes taking so long to come out (not that one can blame the author for that), but I get the impression that the story is losing its focus. There's now more characters I'm uninterested in than the other way around, and I get the feeling there was barely a dozen pages about Erik and Trace combined, the ones that I do want to read about. On the other hand, the action for the most has lost its grit: the stakes are unclear, it seems that important characters are protected by plot armor, and, after all that's happened, nothing is a challenge anymore, there's no risk. I was so bored by Lisbeth's chapters, I read her last chapter diagonally and I'm shure I didn't miss anything of consequence--yeah, XXXX died, but they had a red-shirt on from the start. Lastly, the underlying themes are just tangentially adressed and don't get any significant development since the last novel.
*SPOILER* A major, very major plot hole in my eyes is that Styx betrays Phoenix, gets crew killed, and everyone is like "that's a bummer, oh well." *SPOILER END*
But the last third of the novel gets momentum going again. The battle is certainly not as heart-stoping as Defiance was, not as huge as Rando evacuation, but there's a clear objective and a big risk, not from the reeh, but from potential backstabing by Styx.
In my opinion, the AI POVs are a mistake, but that's a very subjective opinion.
*SPOILER* A major, very major plot hole in my eyes is that Styx betrays Phoenix, gets crew killed, and everyone is like "that's a bummer, oh well." *SPOILER END*
But the last third of the novel gets momentum going again. The battle is certainly not as heart-stoping as Defiance was, not as huge as Rando evacuation, but there's a clear objective and a big risk, not from the reeh, but from potential backstabing by Styx.
In my opinion, the AI POVs are a mistake, but that's a very subjective opinion.
June 19, 2024
Another great addition to this great series. This one starts out not as compelling as many of the others, but it ends well with twists and turns I could not predict, which Shepherd has been doing to me the whole time, so I could have predicted that I could not predict where it would go. I really like where it ended, though. I am sorry that I will have to wait so long for #9. I am not sure if Shepherd has even started it yet. Guess I will need to reread the first eight sometime before nine comes out.
This one starts with two prologues that are helpful. One is a Fleet Intelligence report that sums up the story so far for you while also still reminding you of the human Fleet's opinion of Phoenix. Then the second opens up a possibility with Nia that the book never explores, but perhaps the next one will.
The rest of the book is quality Shepherd scifi. He gives you some more info about the various technologies, put in a good spot so that it does not seem artificial. He develops characters more. He develops relationships more. He also starts to reveal Styx' true colors, which does not really surprise anyone but does help make her character more real and complex. Finally, he introduces some new characters that seem like they will be important in the next book.
I do not want to say much more because I do not want to give away the book. Read it.
This one starts with two prologues that are helpful. One is a Fleet Intelligence report that sums up the story so far for you while also still reminding you of the human Fleet's opinion of Phoenix. Then the second opens up a possibility with Nia that the book never explores, but perhaps the next one will.
The rest of the book is quality Shepherd scifi. He gives you some more info about the various technologies, put in a good spot so that it does not seem artificial. He develops characters more. He develops relationships more. He also starts to reveal Styx' true colors, which does not really surprise anyone but does help make her character more real and complex. Finally, he introduces some new characters that seem like they will be important in the next book.
I do not want to say much more because I do not want to give away the book. Read it.
October 16, 2022
A long wait
Look, this series is quite complex and complicated. The various species, the politics both internal and external, the numerous enemies who may be friends and enemies. Mr Shepherd inserts an intro now that recaps the highlights of the previous books, however , it is still hard to keep track and recall - the time between books being both good and bad - and it's not probable that one would read the preceding book again.
This story is quite fast paced and runs two different settings parallel. On one hand is Lisbeth and her Parren issues , mainly their own internal issues with each other, which gets bloody. The other chunk is the Phoenix and the AI's attacks on the Reeh . This tale delves into the deeper aspects of AI queens, and there's plenty of intriguing dialogues. I generally like Styx and her way of thinking, Erik isn't my favourite but he is liked. Albeit he is quite obtuse to Styx even when he knows he shouldn't be.
There's plenty of death here and some of the deaths I felt. The story ends as expected with a whole head of steam heading back to human space. How that works out , well we'll see won't we?
Look, this series is quite complex and complicated. The various species, the politics both internal and external, the numerous enemies who may be friends and enemies. Mr Shepherd inserts an intro now that recaps the highlights of the previous books, however , it is still hard to keep track and recall - the time between books being both good and bad - and it's not probable that one would read the preceding book again.
This story is quite fast paced and runs two different settings parallel. On one hand is Lisbeth and her Parren issues , mainly their own internal issues with each other, which gets bloody. The other chunk is the Phoenix and the AI's attacks on the Reeh . This tale delves into the deeper aspects of AI queens, and there's plenty of intriguing dialogues. I generally like Styx and her way of thinking, Erik isn't my favourite but he is liked. Albeit he is quite obtuse to Styx even when he knows he shouldn't be.
There's plenty of death here and some of the deaths I felt. The story ends as expected with a whole head of steam heading back to human space. How that works out , well we'll see won't we?
April 26, 2022
FINALLY 😁😁😁
No, thats unkind but good lord: FINALLY !!
Joel is a favourite author of mine because despite only roughly sketching out the main characters, he sketches them well. Styx is "MWAHAHA" untrustworthy, theres two very welcome "Ugh, FINALLY" and minor characters are brought further into the light. My only tiny gripe is that at this stage it's a bit of a "Wait, which alien race are they again?" stew and i very occasionally had to back track to reorient myself.
Okay, TWO gripes . . . . . one battle scene was SUPER involved and a bit hard to follow and the other minor battle was kinda brushed aside with a "Oh, and then the cavalry showed up and it was all good" that was a bit "um okay, obviously not that important then" and felt rushed.
BTW: Joel . . . . . you cant just DO that to that character . . . . Dammit man, you just cant do that. 😁
All in all, another thoroughly enjoyable and welcome if occasionally overwhelming chapter in the ongoing saga of The Phoenix.
No, thats unkind but good lord: FINALLY !!
Joel is a favourite author of mine because despite only roughly sketching out the main characters, he sketches them well. Styx is "MWAHAHA" untrustworthy, theres two very welcome "Ugh, FINALLY" and minor characters are brought further into the light. My only tiny gripe is that at this stage it's a bit of a "Wait, which alien race are they again?" stew and i very occasionally had to back track to reorient myself.
Okay, TWO gripes . . . . . one battle scene was SUPER involved and a bit hard to follow and the other minor battle was kinda brushed aside with a "Oh, and then the cavalry showed up and it was all good" that was a bit "um okay, obviously not that important then" and felt rushed.
BTW: Joel . . . . . you cant just DO that to that character . . . . Dammit man, you just cant do that. 😁
All in all, another thoroughly enjoyable and welcome if occasionally overwhelming chapter in the ongoing saga of The Phoenix.
May 13, 2022
Book 8. That is the current count in the Spiral Wars series. So much has happened & so much yet remains. Book 8 takes us through Reeh space, to steal Chion, the Ceephay AI queen that helps hold the Reeh Empire together. We get to see differences between AI families and specialization within those families.
Shali is a very interesting addition to the series. She is specialized in working with organics and believes she has emotions. A very different turn as all of the AIs we’ve so far seen have been more of the violent queen variety.
I found this to be more about the AIs than the organics. It is their observations that ring the most true. Being outside of organic limitations, they can see the flaws within civilizations. Especially those that were tasked with running an entire Empire.
The mixed battle scenes, with Phoenix in space combat & Marines deployed are simply the best in military sci-fi. But these are not just palm sweating action pieces. They have consequences & no one comes out the other side still wholly intact. Characters die and the author has been feeling the loss. Amazing to do in this genre.
The only downside is the wait for the next book & the many more after that.
=======
As usual, there are a number of good quotes, especially from the AIs.
“Lieutenant Karajin,” Trace told him. “We are going to punch a hole.”
“Yes Major,” Karajin growled. “It will be the most glorious hole.”
===
Styx
“Compromise amongst humans is a matter of philosophy, but amongst AIs it becomes a problem of engineering, which goes to the structural core of AI civilisation. Changing the way that I think would be to compromise everything that makes me drysine, and by extension, everything that defines all drysines. War is simpler and less destructive.”
“War simply presented itself as the most efficient mechanism for species advancement, and we wished to evolve.”
“Advancement requires destruction. AIs did not choose this -- the universe did. Nothing in this universe is created without something else being simultaneously destroyed, as a matter of physics.”
“The photon hits the electron,” said Styx. “The wave hits the shore. The key fits the lock. We’re all pawns in some larger game. The magic of sentience lies in the attempt to make the process less random.”
===
Lisbeth
“And all those stories conflict with the stories people like to tell about themselves, and the lessons to be learned from them. People prefer to remain at home and stay deliberately ignorant rather than confronting things that make them think differently.”
===
Chion
Your drysine queen is genocide made sentient.
===
Shali
Populist politics only appeals to intuitive logic, because that which is intuitive can be comprehended by the masses. Only when an entity can comprehend all levels of complexity simultaneously, and knows the mathematical forces that drive those inter-relationships, can civilisations cease to be a cause of their own self-destructive vibration.
Shali is a very interesting addition to the series. She is specialized in working with organics and believes she has emotions. A very different turn as all of the AIs we’ve so far seen have been more of the violent queen variety.
I found this to be more about the AIs than the organics. It is their observations that ring the most true. Being outside of organic limitations, they can see the flaws within civilizations. Especially those that were tasked with running an entire Empire.
The mixed battle scenes, with Phoenix in space combat & Marines deployed are simply the best in military sci-fi. But these are not just palm sweating action pieces. They have consequences & no one comes out the other side still wholly intact. Characters die and the author has been feeling the loss. Amazing to do in this genre.
The only downside is the wait for the next book & the many more after that.
=======
As usual, there are a number of good quotes, especially from the AIs.
“Lieutenant Karajin,” Trace told him. “We are going to punch a hole.”
“Yes Major,” Karajin growled. “It will be the most glorious hole.”
===
Styx
“Compromise amongst humans is a matter of philosophy, but amongst AIs it becomes a problem of engineering, which goes to the structural core of AI civilisation. Changing the way that I think would be to compromise everything that makes me drysine, and by extension, everything that defines all drysines. War is simpler and less destructive.”
“War simply presented itself as the most efficient mechanism for species advancement, and we wished to evolve.”
“Advancement requires destruction. AIs did not choose this -- the universe did. Nothing in this universe is created without something else being simultaneously destroyed, as a matter of physics.”
“The photon hits the electron,” said Styx. “The wave hits the shore. The key fits the lock. We’re all pawns in some larger game. The magic of sentience lies in the attempt to make the process less random.”
===
Lisbeth
“And all those stories conflict with the stories people like to tell about themselves, and the lessons to be learned from them. People prefer to remain at home and stay deliberately ignorant rather than confronting things that make them think differently.”
===
Chion
Your drysine queen is genocide made sentient.
===
Shali
Populist politics only appeals to intuitive logic, because that which is intuitive can be comprehended by the masses. Only when an entity can comprehend all levels of complexity simultaneously, and knows the mathematical forces that drive those inter-relationships, can civilisations cease to be a cause of their own self-destructive vibration.
May 20, 2025
This book in the series had a lot to love and a little to dislike.
The Love of course is the interplay between Eric and Styx, and Styx and the Ceephay Queen, as they try to outplay one another. Sorry Styx, I know I fell in love with you in the first few books, but it was nice to see some of the other players in the game hold their own when coming up against you.
The Dislike has two branches. Here we are at book eight, and I noticed that a lot of the main characters with similar characteristics have names that start with the same sound/letter. With the book jumping back and forth so much in its point of view, I really had to strain my brain to keep track of which name went with which character. A little more diversity in naming would have been appreciated. Not a terrible biggie, but it stood out in this book.
The second is the space fights. Eric almost passed out from muscle strain and in fact from gripping the flight control joystick so hard. What??? No onboard flight control computers in this story??? Boeing, SpaceX, and DeepBlue all are navigated by computers in 2025, but THOUSANDS of years into the future, with all this AI running around, and we still have manual flight control??? Please!!!
The Love of course is the interplay between Eric and Styx, and Styx and the Ceephay Queen, as they try to outplay one another. Sorry Styx, I know I fell in love with you in the first few books, but it was nice to see some of the other players in the game hold their own when coming up against you.
The Dislike has two branches. Here we are at book eight, and I noticed that a lot of the main characters with similar characteristics have names that start with the same sound/letter. With the book jumping back and forth so much in its point of view, I really had to strain my brain to keep track of which name went with which character. A little more diversity in naming would have been appreciated. Not a terrible biggie, but it stood out in this book.
The second is the space fights. Eric almost passed out from muscle strain and in fact from gripping the flight control joystick so hard. What??? No onboard flight control computers in this story??? Boeing, SpaceX, and DeepBlue all are navigated by computers in 2025, but THOUSANDS of years into the future, with all this AI running around, and we still have manual flight control??? Please!!!
May 23, 2022
Good but not the best
This is another good Spiral Wars installment that fans will want to read. I downloaded this to my Kindle before a long trans Atlantic flight and had fun reading it on the plane.
But Shepherd needed an external editor. There are too many subplots and minor characters. The story line with Lisbeth and her heroic staff was a well written gem. But many parts of the book felt bloated and I skimmed many pages.
With Styx, He has created what could be one of the greatest characters in the sci-fi canon. Why bore us with romance between the human male captain and human female marine commander. Why have yet again another attack on a planetary system to gain information vital to defeating the deepynines?
This is another good Spiral Wars installment that fans will want to read. I downloaded this to my Kindle before a long trans Atlantic flight and had fun reading it on the plane.
But Shepherd needed an external editor. There are too many subplots and minor characters. The story line with Lisbeth and her heroic staff was a well written gem. But many parts of the book felt bloated and I skimmed many pages.
With Styx, He has created what could be one of the greatest characters in the sci-fi canon. Why bore us with romance between the human male captain and human female marine commander. Why have yet again another attack on a planetary system to gain information vital to defeating the deepynines?
April 23, 2022
Another great entry, though the series has been slipping for me since Defiance or actually Kantovan Vault. The latter books dial down the strangeness and amp up the power creep (AI tech handwaving our ship becoming a match for fleets), while losing a lot of what made the series interesting, which was the angle on future humanity, left behind by our intrepid heroes. The present book adds a single interesting wrinkle to the universe, which I will not spoil and was quite original. The book's execution is flawless and I really like the series, so it gets 5 stars. I consider a star on loan to be paid back with interest in the sequel, which is hinted at returning us to human space (finally).
January 2, 2025
why did I do this
I said I was done after book 7 but figured I’d jump back in and see if it was just an off entry to the series. Nope this author has abandoned what made the first 4 novels so compelling. Now it is page after page after page of details for some side plot centered around an ancillary character that wouldn’t even warrant a novella. But here it is taking up real estate in the main story while the author “yada yada yadas” major plot points to a quick resolution all so he can drop more “quirky” dialogue. And by quirky he means awkward cursing and f bombs to feel cool or girl boss it w/e.
I said I was done after book 7 but figured I’d jump back in and see if it was just an off entry to the series. Nope this author has abandoned what made the first 4 novels so compelling. Now it is page after page after page of details for some side plot centered around an ancillary character that wouldn’t even warrant a novella. But here it is taking up real estate in the main story while the author “yada yada yadas” major plot points to a quick resolution all so he can drop more “quirky” dialogue. And by quirky he means awkward cursing and f bombs to feel cool or girl boss it w/e.
December 9, 2022
Another very good entry to the Spiral Wars series, a solid 4.25 for me. The rest of the review will be heavy with spoilers so I've marked the whole review. I really enjoyed the representation of different AIs in this one, the conflict between Styx and Shali was a fun contrast with the alien carnage going on outside. The intrigue between the ostensible allies accompanying the Phoenix is reminiscent of the parren backstabbing that engulfs Lisbeth and her immediate staff. The last stand of Lisbeth and her guards was a surprisingly emotional beat that added some stakes to the story. Overall a solid entry that makes me excited for book nine in the series to come out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2022
We continue the story of our intrepid UFS Phoenix crew and their Marines. As promised in Book 7, the big showdown between AIs is upon us. Book 8 presents both data-driven AIs and AIs with emotion. How do humans, or any other species for that matter, interact with the various types of Artificial Intelligence? It’s worth pondering since Artificial Intelligence is here and now. Leave it to Science Fiction to explore what the down side might be.
Shepard continues to write awesome battle scenes. And that data-driven AI named Styx, her true colors are starting to show. “Organics” are the problem. And yes, AIs do lie; at least in Shepard’s world.
Shepard continues to write awesome battle scenes. And that data-driven AI named Styx, her true colors are starting to show. “Organics” are the problem. And yes, AIs do lie; at least in Shepard’s world.
May 1, 2022
GIMME!
Writing takes time. I am not a writer, I’m a reader and a consumer and books aren’t a Coke waiting for you in a fridge to be immediately consumed; they take time.
The good books take time and the irrational response to reading this books last page is the title of this review. It’ll get here in time, I just don’t want to wait for it but I will & I’ll have consumed several hundred Cokes in the interim but I cannot wait to see where book nine takes us.
Writing takes time. I am not a writer, I’m a reader and a consumer and books aren’t a Coke waiting for you in a fridge to be immediately consumed; they take time.
The good books take time and the irrational response to reading this books last page is the title of this review. It’ll get here in time, I just don’t want to wait for it but I will & I’ll have consumed several hundred Cokes in the interim but I cannot wait to see where book nine takes us.
September 7, 2022
This book took a while to build. And it did; it built to a great climax. It was interesting seeing more of the life of the advanced AI's. I feel like Sheperd has more courageously, and successfully, figured out how to portray advanced computer-based life than anyone else I've come across.
Anyway, another good installment. Can't wait to see what happens next. I still get emotional when I think about Rando Splicer though, or whenever the story turns to Rika.
Anyway, another good installment. Can't wait to see what happens next. I still get emotional when I think about Rando Splicer though, or whenever the story turns to Rika.
April 19, 2022
Can AI Queens Navel Gaze?
The AI Queens in this episode certainty do, much to the detriment of the story. However, there remains enough of the renegade warrior spirit of Phoenix to make wading through the confusing add-ons to make "Ceephay Queen" worthwhile. And I hope the next book in the series is coming out soon! Hopefully, it will wash away the disappointments of this tale.
The AI Queens in this episode certainty do, much to the detriment of the story. However, there remains enough of the renegade warrior spirit of Phoenix to make wading through the confusing add-ons to make "Ceephay Queen" worthwhile. And I hope the next book in the series is coming out soon! Hopefully, it will wash away the disappointments of this tale.
April 29, 2022
wow, best spiral wars book since #1
Joel hit this one out of the park. Best spiral wars book since #1 by far, IMO. He’s been building to a final showdown and this set the stage for that event with near perfection. Well done. Tons of fun to read and looking forward to the final installment.
Joel hit this one out of the park. Best spiral wars book since #1 by far, IMO. He’s been building to a final showdown and this set the stage for that event with near perfection. Well done. Tons of fun to read and looking forward to the final installment.
May 14, 2022
Does not disappoint!
Like every Joel Shepherd book since the first Cassandra Kresnov novel--my first time reading Joel--randomly pulled off the shelves when Borders was a major bookstore, I went into this book expecting an amazing mix of characters, societies, drama, and action. I was not disappointed.
Like every Joel Shepherd book since the first Cassandra Kresnov novel--my first time reading Joel--randomly pulled off the shelves when Borders was a major bookstore, I went into this book expecting an amazing mix of characters, societies, drama, and action. I was not disappointed.
July 2, 2022
Another great book in the series
The series just keeps growing and getting better. Joel does a superb job in building worlds and their characters along with alien perspectives and politics in dynamic interaction with humans. Great character development and action throughout. I highly v recommend this book and the series.
The series just keeps growing and getting better. Joel does a superb job in building worlds and their characters along with alien perspectives and politics in dynamic interaction with humans. Great character development and action throughout. I highly v recommend this book and the series.
November 18, 2022
I really love this series though admittedly, I do gloss over some of the politics and cultural history as it’s just so involved and extensive. If you are the kind that likes to really delve into that you won’t be disappointed with this series. For me, the real gem is Erik, Trace, and the rest of the Phoenix family. I’m interested to see how things go when they get back to human space.
November 23, 2022
3.5 stars. I've loved this series for the universe-building, the character development, etc. My rating for this book is lower because it was very long. There were a lot of very detailed conversations, battles told through 5+ perspectives, side notes about individuals or historical events, etc., and some of that extra detail could have been removed without influencing the overall plot.
January 20, 2023
Bit of a mixed bag. Shepherd does action incredibly well and is no slouch at Sci-fi either, but his characters are becoming increasingly one dimensional. This is a long book, with plenty of engaging set pieces but it struggles to hang together and the pacing is all over the place.
Excerpts are definitely 5 star, but overall it doesn’t quite justify the highest of ratings.
Excerpts are definitely 5 star, but overall it doesn’t quite justify the highest of ratings.
February 5, 2023
Definitely a worthy entry into the series. The old characters are back and others are added. A new level of intrigue between AIs! it isn't quite as epic or dramatic as some of the other books so somewhere betwene 4 and 4.5, but definitely worth it if you are following the series (which is well worth it!).
April 7, 2022
Great book as usual
This is a book that spans so much it could easily be 2 or 3 books. So much going on. Fantastic characters. I'd love to see smaller books more often than one so chock full
of actions and advancement.
This is a book that spans so much it could easily be 2 or 3 books. So much going on. Fantastic characters. I'd love to see smaller books more often than one so chock full
of actions and advancement.
April 8, 2022
Another great (and long!) part to this series. Lots of big events happening in this book, the conclusion of a story arc and lots of new tensions for the crew of the Phoenix dealing with the AIs. Great ending and really looking forward to seeing how the next chapter in this series goes
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