The first intelligent species to encounter mankind attacked without warning. Merciless. Relentless. Unstoppable. With little hope of halting the in...
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reviews
Aug 06, 2010
Charles
rated it: 
I very nearly gave up on this book. While the setting and overall plot seem full of potential (a small human colony regains contact with the greater galaxy and immediately becomes the centre of a power struggle between multiple forces), the author just did such a terrible job of making the characters interesting, of sticking to a plot section for more than a few pages or of making things cohesive that I found myself pushing to the end of the book just to see whether he'd actually resolve anythi
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Jan 26, 2012
Tom
rated it: 
4 and a half stars, really.
Really fun, engaging space opera which packs EVERYTHING into one story: machines vs organics, alien races both good and evil (and neutral), human resistance, space chases/battles, ancient alien ruins, sentient forests, politics, AI/droid characters with tons of personality, and more. It's a lot like Mass Effect, entirely in good ways. Cobley has created a living universe with lots of action and intrigue.
It's not entirely perfect though. The writing More...
Really fun, engaging space opera which packs EVERYTHING into one story: machines vs organics, alien races both good and evil (and neutral), human resistance, space chases/battles, ancient alien ruins, sentient forests, politics, AI/droid characters with tons of personality, and more. It's a lot like Mass Effect, entirely in good ways. Cobley has created a living universe with lots of action and intrigue.
It's not entirely perfect though. The writing More...
Dec 08, 2008
Liviu
rated it: 
A mixture of IM Banks gonzo imagination and KJ Anderson Seven Suns saga style, The Seeds of Earth is a fast adventure oriented space opera with aliens of all stripes and shapes though all are "humanlike" in the grand old tradition, tiers of hyperspace, joke-cracking characters and all around fun.
Black and white villains and heroes and no character truly worth remembering so far, but so what, the novel is a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the next book.
Har More...
Black and white villains and heroes and no character truly worth remembering so far, but so what, the novel is a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the next book.
Har More...
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Jan 03, 2012
Bane of Kings
rated it: 
Every so often, you come across a book that you enter with high expectetations. For example, every novel in the Horus Heresy series, I enter with high expectations. Every Dresden Files novel I enter with high expectations. Most of the time, my high expectations are rewarded. However, I don’t exactly know why I began Seeds of Earth with expactations, and that was probably my mistake. But, that’s not to say I didn’t dislike all of the first installment in the Humanity’s Fire series, oh no – otherw
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Aug 23, 2010
Paul
rated it:
I don't rate this book much, sorry.
This book should have been longer, so that the author could build up the characters a bit more, or shorter without so many characters. The book has lots of characters (even at the end characters are appearing out of nowhere!) but they all seemed one-dimensional and almost all the same apart from the machine intelligence's (AIs) and a couple of other characters. I didn't really care if someone lived or died. I won't be reading the next one, that's for sure More...
This book should have been longer, so that the author could build up the characters a bit more, or shorter without so many characters. The book has lots of characters (even at the end characters are appearing out of nowhere!) but they all seemed one-dimensional and almost all the same apart from the machine intelligence's (AIs) and a couple of other characters. I didn't really care if someone lived or died. I won't be reading the next one, that's for sure More...
Dec 10, 2009
Mike
rated it:
Seeds of the Earth is the first in a new space opera series by Michael Cobley. The cover features a nice one line quote from space opera master Iain M. Banks describing the novel as “Proper galaxy-spanning space opera.” A statement that couldn’t be more true. Seeds of the Earth is very old school with a large cast of characters and a diverse and wonderfully vibrant phalanx of ideas that makes for an great read and excellent starting point in jumping from my epic fantasy reading of November in
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Aug 17, 2011
James
rated it:
Any book recommended by Iain M Banks has got to be worth a read and this one was worth it. The first in a trilogy - Humanity's Fire - it tells the story of a human community escaped from a doomed Earth making their way on an alien planet. Living alongside it's indigenous peoples when suddenly they are discovered by outside aliens and their world, their history and their future begins to unravel...
Apr 15, 2009
Neil
rated it:
Cobley makes you work hard up front to take in the generous amounts of background information and character viewpoints that stodge up the opening fifth of the book, but after that delivers a rollicking good space opera adventure complete with lost colonies, forgotten technologies, political intrigue and more alien races than you can shake a Mos Eisley cantina drum stick at.
Great fun.
Great fun.
Jan 20, 2012
Mark
rated it:
Fans of Kevin J Anderson's Seven Suns series will love this new addition to the Space Opera field. Full of action and adventure, weird and wonderful alien races, ancient technologies of forgotten civilisations that once ruled the universe and warred themselves to extinction. It isn't the perfect read, but it's fun and sets a good foundation for the rest of the series.
Apr 03, 2010
Kevan
rated it:
Iain M banks is one of my all time favourite authors and he's quoted on the front of the copy of this book - "Proper galaxy spanning Space Opera"
The only way this can make any sense is if the original quote was something like "If this guy thinks he can write proper galaxy spanning space opera then he is seriously delusional"
The only way this can make any sense is if the original quote was something like "If this guy thinks he can write proper galaxy spanning space opera then he is seriously delusional"
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Jun 23, 2011
Cybergit
rated it:
Not a bad romp. Quite jolly!
Not Iain M Banks by any stretch of the imagination. Bank's books have a harder edge, more despicable characters, and well thought out galaxy spanning civilisations. Bank's creations feel more solid and constructed from harder material.
In Seeds of Earth I felt that none of the "baddies" are warped or despicable enough and the tech seems a little clockwork! Having said that the main alien race is strange and mystical enough to keep me interested eve More...
Not Iain M Banks by any stretch of the imagination. Bank's books have a harder edge, more despicable characters, and well thought out galaxy spanning civilisations. Bank's creations feel more solid and constructed from harder material.
In Seeds of Earth I felt that none of the "baddies" are warped or despicable enough and the tech seems a little clockwork! Having said that the main alien race is strange and mystical enough to keep me interested eve More...
May 17, 2009
Keith
rated it:
Great first book and will read upcoming books in the series. Interesting ideas about multiverses and conscious forests and brilliant aliens and robots. However the characters lacked depth and the over egging of ex-pat Scots in space rankled. If Michael Cobley can give his characters some complexity and leave out the haggis references he will be a star/
May 30, 2011
Mattias
rated it:
Det här är en bok som säljs som "proper galaxy-spanning space opera", men jag kan tyvärr inte hålla med. Handlingen bygger alldeles för mycket på politik och intriger. Det är inte så att boken på något sätt är direkt dålig, men space opera är det inte.
Cobley bygger upp en rätt intressant framtida värld som absolut ger mersmak. De intriger och politiska förvecklingar som finns där, blandat med en stor portion action, är för det mesta välskrivet och engagerande. Det här är förs More...
Cobley bygger upp en rätt intressant framtida värld som absolut ger mersmak. De intriger och politiska förvecklingar som finns där, blandat med en stor portion action, är för det mesta välskrivet och engagerande. Det här är förs More...
Feb 24, 2011
John
rated it:
Great story and ideas!
If you are in the Uk I read this at the same time as watching Outcasts on BBC
why could they not have got michael to write the script instead of soap opera hacks!
If you are in the Uk I read this at the same time as watching Outcasts on BBC
why could they not have got michael to write the script instead of soap opera hacks!
Aug 14, 2010
Weenie
rated it:
Book ended rather abruptly and felt rushed, with only a few loose ends wrapped up, somewhat carelessly too I thought. Still, it was not a bad read, despite the annoying Scottish 'accents', with the inevitable haggis mentioned in there somewhere! Nice ideas re the colony ships etc but perhaps overall, the story (and characters) lacked a little depth.
Jun 28, 2011
Rj
rated it:
Good piece of space opera. Fast paced and despite a large cast of characters never becomes confusing.
Jan 24, 2011
Nathan
rated it:
A true space opera with a galaxy of aliens and inter-dimensional travel. A real adventure of the imagination.
Jan 24, 2011
edifanob
rated it:
Seeds of Earth is as powerful as Smoke on the Water (by Deep Purple), as twisted as Paranoid (by Black Sabbath) and as epic as Stairway to Heaven bY Led Zeppelin).
As a lover of epic fantasy I tell you that is the kind of space opera I want to read. For me it is epic fantasy in future. I recommend it! Give it a go....
Read my full review over at Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy.
As a lover of epic fantasy I tell you that is the kind of space opera I want to read. For me it is epic fantasy in future. I recommend it! Give it a go....
Read my full review over at Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy.
Jul 21, 2011
Claire
rated it:
This book is very similar to Sage of Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson: Each chapter is from a different persons view-point, there are numerous characters including various factions of humans, technologically advanced aliens who appear benevolent but are actually evil, low technology aliens who are good, an ancient battle between AI and organic life. I didn't finish the series and I'm not even going to bother finishing this book.
Jan 24, 2011
Ingrid
rated it:
Incredibly complex involving different planets, populations and politics. It is indeed a space epic. I lost who was who and what politics was impacting where a couple of times. Not an easy fast read that's for sure. However it captured me, the central story is great and you want to know more about the key characters. Will I move on to book 2..... hmmmmm not so sure although I really do want to know what happens next....
Jun 09, 2009
Esteve
rated it:
Good: good characters and good stuff about religion mixed with politics and alien worlds & space travels.
Bad: a lot of planets and alien worlds to keep the names of, which sometimes slow / difficult the reading.
Apr 27, 2011
Grahambootle
rated it: 
Lots of characters, lots of aliens, the Scottishness of the whole thing got a bit tiring towards the end, a bit like Liz McWilliams in that respect. Not a bad story, bit predictable and formulaic, but I've read far worse, and would certainly get another book my the author
Feb 11, 2012
