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Galactic Civilizations
The Descendants of Prontoth: Galactic Civilizations, Book 2
An eight-hundred-year, galaxy-spanning hunt nears its conclusion setting up a confrontation thousands of years in the making.
For eight hundred years Timion High Command has hunted the Descendants of Prontoth across the galaxy. Wars were fought, lives were lost, but the Descendants of Prontoth remained at large. Hamron Modestus knows Timion High Command has been doing it wrong. Their quest for revenge made them blind to the allies they would need to bring the Descendants of Prontoth to justice. In his new position of power, Modestus is on their trail, ready to succeed where High Command had failed.
Caught in the middle of this inevitable confrontation is retired General Dash Cricken and the entire crew of the Prometheus. Dash and his crew discover evidence of a secret alliance formed to bring down the Descendants of Prontoth. The crew of the Prometheus is caught in the crosshairs of Timion High Command, forced to defend themselves against the hunter on their trail and dissension within their own ranks. Any failure could jeopardize everything they have worked toward.
The Descendants of Prontoth is the action-packed sequel to Mark Raines' debut Novel, Felan's Rescue, following the crew of the Prometheus on another wild adventure.
For eight hundred years Timion High Command has hunted the Descendants of Prontoth across the galaxy. Wars were fought, lives were lost, but the Descendants of Prontoth remained at large. Hamron Modestus knows Timion High Command has been doing it wrong. Their quest for revenge made them blind to the allies they would need to bring the Descendants of Prontoth to justice. In his new position of power, Modestus is on their trail, ready to succeed where High Command had failed.
Caught in the middle of this inevitable confrontation is retired General Dash Cricken and the entire crew of the Prometheus. Dash and his crew discover evidence of a secret alliance formed to bring down the Descendants of Prontoth. The crew of the Prometheus is caught in the crosshairs of Timion High Command, forced to defend themselves against the hunter on their trail and dissension within their own ranks. Any failure could jeopardize everything they have worked toward.
The Descendants of Prontoth is the action-packed sequel to Mark Raines' debut Novel, Felan's Rescue, following the crew of the Prometheus on another wild adventure.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 26, 2023
The League Delegate was an important role, one that Modestus passionately believed had been underutilized for centuries. Each Galactic Civilization chose a Delegate to represent their interests with the League of Galactic Civilizations, the governing body for the galaxy ... To High Command, the League was a necessary evil that allowed Timion High Command to remain largely autonomous while keeping other Galactic Civilizations out of their internal business.
Modestus could not help but think how much better off the other Galactic Civilizations would have been if the Timions had achieved interstellar flight first and could have used their government to rule the galaxy.The Descendants of Prontoth: Galactic Civilizations, Book 2, the sequel to Felan's Rescue, maintains the high standard set by its predecessor. Felan's Rescue provided a rich historical backdrop, giving insight into the formation of the League of Galactic Civilizations and the crucial Developing Civilizations Non-Intervention Compact. This historical context set the stage for the events in The Descendants of Prontoth, where the League's role in galactic affairs and its impact on various civilizations become central themes.
This book continues the galaxy-spanning Galactic Civilizations series, focusing on the Timion High Command's centuries-long pursuit of the Descendants of Prontoth. Hamron Modestus, the newly appointed Timion Delegate to the League of Galactic Civilizations, seeks to offer a fresh approach to this age-old conflict by challenging the established methods of the Timion High Command.
The narrative includes two timelines: one detailing the history of the League and the Descendants and another set in the present, exploring the tensions among the Timion High Command, the League, and the Descendants.
The book provides dialogue-driven character development and an interesting mix of historical and present-day details on governance and politics. The politics and governmental structures depicted are both fascinating and engaging, adding depth to the galactic community. Readers are immersed in the governance, politics, military strategy, and structure of the League. The historical context woven throughout the book allows readers to understand current tensions and alliances while they engage with the evolving present narrative.
I greatly enjoyed the slow build to the return of the Descendants of Prontoth to Carbash. In my opinion, some of the author's best writing was in that section:
Carbash emerged as a dot in the distance, then rapidly ballooned in front of them. Sensors began to blink and shine across the walls that projected the view of space surrounding the Prometheus in all directions. There were at least fifty Timion warships in their sector. Intelligence suggested thousands surrounded Carbash, protecting the planet from invaders.
Overall, the novel shows an optimistic outlook on life and society. Even characters like Modestus, who supports the authoritarian regime he lives under, are portrayed as evolving toward a balance between political interests and a moral + just society. Is a true Galactic Community that respects those in Galactic Civilizations and Developing Civilizations possible? However,
I was glad to see Felan still had a role and that his friendship with Sandra continued. His journey in this sequel reflects a more introspective and personal struggle. Felan, often found alone and contemplative in settings like a bar, grapples with his sense of belonging in a technologically advanced world far removed from his own civilization. I hope to see more about his ability to adapt and learn as his perspective coming from a developing civilization into the stars makes for compelling reading and adds a unique dimension to the narrative.
Mark Raines' Galactic Civilizations Series is an immersive experience in interstellar politics, character development, and narrative. He has crafted a universe rich with political intrigue, complex characters, and a well-thought-out interstellar society. I greatly enjoyed his ability to intertwine the vastness of space with the intricacies of individual lives. This series is particularly recommended for readers who relish space operas infused with deep political undertones and for those who enjoy exploring the evolution of civilizations over time. The audiobook versions, with their excellent narration, are particularly recommended for an immersive experience.
May 29, 2023
Anyone who adores sci-fi would enjoy this read a lot! It could even be considered more of a standalone then a second book to the series due to how it's written, you don't need to have read book 1 to get into this one. Although it does give more background information on some characters as well as how they have grown and what they stand for, so I would recommend to read Felan's rescue first.
I also find that the writing has grown since the first book.
Bringing in new characters is great, and I'm intriqued by them, but they almost take over the story a little too much in the beginning. After the cliffhanger of the first book I would have liked delving into Felan, Sandra and Dash more before the pov's of new characters. That said, it doesn't take away from the great, well executed storyline.
Sometimes it was hard to tell the distinction between the 'current adventure' and 'past adventures' and I would have preferred that being a little more clear from the start.
Also Modestus hunting his prey, killing it, making a photo and then leaving it behind? Couldn't he at least first eat it as to not waste the creature he killed? I found that such a shame, especially given the effort it took him to hunt said prey.
I also love how Sandra and Felan became a part of the Prometheus crew and found their purpose. Especially given Felan felt so alone, and now he feels as a part of the crew. That journey was interesting. I still don't understand why Felan didn't want to return to his planet when he had nothing going for him, to me that made no sense and felt a bit unrealistic. But I'm definitely curious to see how he'll grow among the crew in a more active role, alongside Sandra, and how long it will take his people to come to space. I also can't wait for Sandra to someday return to her planet and see her family again after all this time.
Overall a great book with an amazing storyline, with so many elements to enjoy.
I'm very curious to see how the Galactic Civilizations series continues in book 3. Having read the preview, I'm super excited for the Raptians. I absolutely adore them already! And for fuck's sake at the Cammocks....
I also find that the writing has grown since the first book.
Bringing in new characters is great, and I'm intriqued by them, but they almost take over the story a little too much in the beginning. After the cliffhanger of the first book I would have liked delving into Felan, Sandra and Dash more before the pov's of new characters. That said, it doesn't take away from the great, well executed storyline.
Sometimes it was hard to tell the distinction between the 'current adventure' and 'past adventures' and I would have preferred that being a little more clear from the start.
Also Modestus hunting his prey, killing it, making a photo and then leaving it behind? Couldn't he at least first eat it as to not waste the creature he killed? I found that such a shame, especially given the effort it took him to hunt said prey.
I also love how Sandra and Felan became a part of the Prometheus crew and found their purpose. Especially given Felan felt so alone, and now he feels as a part of the crew. That journey was interesting. I still don't understand why Felan didn't want to return to his planet when he had nothing going for him, to me that made no sense and felt a bit unrealistic. But I'm definitely curious to see how he'll grow among the crew in a more active role, alongside Sandra, and how long it will take his people to come to space. I also can't wait for Sandra to someday return to her planet and see her family again after all this time.
Overall a great book with an amazing storyline, with so many elements to enjoy.
I'm very curious to see how the Galactic Civilizations series continues in book 3. Having read the preview, I'm super excited for the Raptians. I absolutely adore them already! And for fuck's sake at the Cammocks....
April 11, 2023
Performance: ****
Story: ***
A Predictable Military Space Opera with Good Narration
This is the second of the Galactic Civilizations series following Felan's Rescue (which I have not read). The story revolves around two factions of an urmahlullu ("lion man") like alien race (aka Timions) where the dominate take no prisoners authoritarian government (aka High Command) is trying to exterminate the radical Descendants of Prontoth for having the temerity to surrender instead of dying to the last man during a civil war some 800 years ago. These same descendant were apparently introduced in the first book, but so far I am not seeing anything that creates any need to read the first story to understand what is going on here (with the possible exception of a galactic war where the Descendants played a pivotal role). Regardless, there are still fault lines between the seven (7) galactic civilizations that the Timion High Command attempts to leverage in their never ending quest for vengeance (which is actually just a weird justification for what boils don’t to an irrational hatred of deviants).
The story pretty much develops as expected, with a healthy amount of simple intrigue and space combat. Here is where the solid narration saves the day and makes it all more interesting than it otherwise would be leaving only few nits to pick. The obviously manufactured plot conflict is not really that compelling. World Building is primarily done via descriptive text info dumps. There are a few time jumps that were difficult to identify and caused some confusion for a time. There is absolutely no character development and few opportunities to connect with any of the character. Perhaps the most irritating for me is the constant/frequent use of the entire title of the Descendants of Prontoth every single time they are referred to. Would it kill you to consider an acronym or just using the term descendants instead?
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#TheDescendantOfProntoth #GalacticCivilization #KindleUnlimited #FreeAudiobooksFacebookGrp
Story: ***
A Predictable Military Space Opera with Good Narration
This is the second of the Galactic Civilizations series following Felan's Rescue (which I have not read). The story revolves around two factions of an urmahlullu ("lion man") like alien race (aka Timions) where the dominate take no prisoners authoritarian government (aka High Command) is trying to exterminate the radical Descendants of Prontoth for having the temerity to surrender instead of dying to the last man during a civil war some 800 years ago. These same descendant were apparently introduced in the first book, but so far I am not seeing anything that creates any need to read the first story to understand what is going on here (with the possible exception of a galactic war where the Descendants played a pivotal role). Regardless, there are still fault lines between the seven (7) galactic civilizations that the Timion High Command attempts to leverage in their never ending quest for vengeance (which is actually just a weird justification for what boils don’t to an irrational hatred of deviants).
The story pretty much develops as expected, with a healthy amount of simple intrigue and space combat. Here is where the solid narration saves the day and makes it all more interesting than it otherwise would be leaving only few nits to pick. The obviously manufactured plot conflict is not really that compelling. World Building is primarily done via descriptive text info dumps. There are a few time jumps that were difficult to identify and caused some confusion for a time. There is absolutely no character development and few opportunities to connect with any of the character. Perhaps the most irritating for me is the constant/frequent use of the entire title of the Descendants of Prontoth every single time they are referred to. Would it kill you to consider an acronym or just using the term descendants instead?
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#TheDescendantOfProntoth #GalacticCivilization #KindleUnlimited #FreeAudiobooksFacebookGrp
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews