Iain Hawkes’s Reviews > Obsidio > Status Update
Iain Hawkes
is on page 284 of 618
This is still a cut above its two predecessors. While I don't care for the teenage drama that keeps rearing its head, when we're beyond that, it's well done. Rhys is still the MVP (decent person employed by horrible people, thrust into a horrible situation), and holy shit, this gets dark, whether it be Huang's execution, or AIDAN, ah, 'culling' the 'Mao.' It isn't just the events themselves, but how they're written.
— 14 hours, 32 min ago
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Iain’s Previous Updates
Iain Hawkes
is on page 284 of 618
"Chilling" is a word that comes to mind, "beautiful" (in a tragic sense) is another. Also, while we're on a ticking clock like the previous books, it works better here in that there's a very clear deadline with a clear objective, or at least, clearer than what's come before. Anyway, it's mostly solid.
— 14 hours, 31 min ago
Iain Hawkes
is on page 120 of 618
Also, while military sci-fi isn't really my go-to sub-genre, I will say that the 'voices' of the troopers are captured excellently, along with Rhys's horror at the slaughter he's walked into. And hey, AIDAN's still around, that's neat. Anyway, solid work so far.
— Jul 02, 2026 09:12PM
Iain Hawkes
is on page 120 of 618
...and things are dark. Dark, as in, suicide bombings, mass graves, summary executions, wounded soldiers and makeshift morgues dark. I've commented in her other works that Kaufman is no stranger to tropes, and while Alien is the source of said tropes (BeiTech is WY, the ATLAS troopers are USCMC), it doesn't feel trite here, in part because of how grim things are, and the ticking timer to retake the planet. (TBC)
— Jul 02, 2026 09:11PM
Iain Hawkes
is on page 120 of 618
This is honestly such a step up from the prior two books, it's kind of a wonder that it's in the same series. I know it's not unheard of for series to mature as they go on (e.g. Harry Potter), but this is only the third book. It also helps that there's less focus on teenage protagonists, and more focus on adult ones (or alternatively, teens matured enough to act as adults). Anyway, BeiTech is occupying Kanezaka...
— Jul 02, 2026 09:08PM