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The Far Bank of the Rubicon
An Empire On The Verge Of DestructionWhen interstellar war is forced upon the House of Athena, it expects Jonas to represent the family as a soldier. Unexpectedly brutal combat compels the young noble to grow up fast, and a war thought well in hand slips from the Pax Imperium's grasp.
˃˃˃ From Scorned Royalty To War HeroAs the only bright spot in a war going horribly wrong, Jonas becomes the keeper of the flickering hopes of billions. But it remains to be seen if any person can save an empire that seems beyond repair.
˃˃˃ Full of intense battles, thoughtful humanity, and techno candy, The Far Bank of the Rubicon is high intensity space opera for adults.Scroll Up And Grab Your Copy Today!
˃˃˃ From Scorned Royalty To War HeroAs the only bright spot in a war going horribly wrong, Jonas becomes the keeper of the flickering hopes of billions. But it remains to be seen if any person can save an empire that seems beyond repair.
˃˃˃ Full of intense battles, thoughtful humanity, and techno candy, The Far Bank of the Rubicon is high intensity space opera for adults.Scroll Up And Grab Your Copy Today!
- GenresScience Fiction
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2014
25 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Erik Wecks
23 books44 followersI am a full time writer and blogger living in Vancouver, Washington. I am an author of both non-fiction and fiction, as well as a contributor to the GeekDad blog on Wired.com. I write on a wide range of topics. When not waxing poetic on various aspects of fiscal responsibility, I tend toward the geeky.
When not poised over the keyboard, I love to spend time with my family. I am married to an angel, Jaylene, who has taught me more than anyone else about true mercy and compassion. We are the parents of three wonderful girls. As a group we like swimming at the local pool, gardening, reading aloud, playing piano, and beating each other soundly at whatever table top game is handy.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at erikwecks@gmail.com, follow me on twitter @erikwecks or read more about my work at www.erikwecks.com. If you are interested in finding out when my next book will be published you can sign up for my monthly newsletter there. The link is in the upper right corner.
When not poised over the keyboard, I love to spend time with my family. I am married to an angel, Jaylene, who has taught me more than anyone else about true mercy and compassion. We are the parents of three wonderful girls. As a group we like swimming at the local pool, gardening, reading aloud, playing piano, and beating each other soundly at whatever table top game is handy.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at erikwecks@gmail.com, follow me on twitter @erikwecks or read more about my work at www.erikwecks.com. If you are interested in finding out when my next book will be published you can sign up for my monthly newsletter there. The link is in the upper right corner.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 12, 2018
Well worth a read
This reminds me of the likes of Poul Anderson or Gordon Dickson or even Robert Heinlein in the sense that the author has imagined and shared a future history populated by believable people. Meanwhile he has begun spinning an absorbing yarn. I highly recommend this to any?one who enjoys high adventure and space empires at war.
This reminds me of the likes of Poul Anderson or Gordon Dickson or even Robert Heinlein in the sense that the author has imagined and shared a future history populated by believable people. Meanwhile he has begun spinning an absorbing yarn. I highly recommend this to any?one who enjoys high adventure and space empires at war.
May 6, 2023
Not bad, but pretty YA
December 8, 2014
The first entry in a character-driven space opera, The Far Bank of the Rubicon (Pax Imperium Wars: Volume 1) by Erik Wecks (@erikwecks) takes readers through the prolonged run-up to and early days of a galactic war. Anyone looking for a deep dive into the genre should consider taking a look at this series and the other stories the author has written set in the same “sandbox.”
This sandbox encompasses the Pax Imperium, a coalition empire divided in what I found to be an interesting way. One powerful member of the Empire is a ruthless business corporation, the Unity, while many of the other states are run by royal houses. The largest of these is the House of Athena, which itself serves as the feudal lord to many smaller states. The looming war will pit the “korpis” of the Unity against the Allied “bleeders” (because many follow blood succession) led by King Nicholas of Athena.
This division leads to one of my favorite scenes in the book, when the leader of a small state who has changed sides meets with the Chief Executive Officer of the Unity, the man responsible for the war. The corporate bigwig smirks at the royal’s assurances of loyalty to him as his new “liege lord” and enjoys the turncoat’s disappointment at being “Executive Vice President” and not the new king of Athena.
Although the story starts with a high-tech assassination attempt by a deadly operative code-named Katana, the pace for much of the book is fairly measured. Readers meet and follow the lives of three main characters: Jonas, the second son of King Nicholas, and Jack and Anna, two refugees who escaped the brutality of the Unity (a story told in another of the author’s Pax Imperium books) in the years before the war begins. The development of Jonas from a lonely teenager weary of palace life to a battle-tested leader is particularly well executed.
Once the war begins the story moves a bit quicker and there are some very exciting action sequences ranging from close combat to space battles between massive fleets, and there is a bit of a surprise twist near the end. Throughout the focus is on the Allied side of the conflict — barely seen in this book, the Unity CEO comes off as somewhat of a caricature of the “evil businessman” familiar enough to anyone who’s seen a Bond film from the late 1990s. BUT! Given the level of detail Mr. Weck has put into creating his Pax Imperium sandbox — there are four other novels or short stories now, obviously more coming — I have no doubt that will change.
If you want to delve deeply into a fully realized and fractious galactic universe, check out The Far Bank of the Rubicon and the author’s other Pax Imperium stories. For more about Mr. Weck and his writing, visit his website.
This sandbox encompasses the Pax Imperium, a coalition empire divided in what I found to be an interesting way. One powerful member of the Empire is a ruthless business corporation, the Unity, while many of the other states are run by royal houses. The largest of these is the House of Athena, which itself serves as the feudal lord to many smaller states. The looming war will pit the “korpis” of the Unity against the Allied “bleeders” (because many follow blood succession) led by King Nicholas of Athena.
This division leads to one of my favorite scenes in the book, when the leader of a small state who has changed sides meets with the Chief Executive Officer of the Unity, the man responsible for the war. The corporate bigwig smirks at the royal’s assurances of loyalty to him as his new “liege lord” and enjoys the turncoat’s disappointment at being “Executive Vice President” and not the new king of Athena.
Although the story starts with a high-tech assassination attempt by a deadly operative code-named Katana, the pace for much of the book is fairly measured. Readers meet and follow the lives of three main characters: Jonas, the second son of King Nicholas, and Jack and Anna, two refugees who escaped the brutality of the Unity (a story told in another of the author’s Pax Imperium books) in the years before the war begins. The development of Jonas from a lonely teenager weary of palace life to a battle-tested leader is particularly well executed.
Once the war begins the story moves a bit quicker and there are some very exciting action sequences ranging from close combat to space battles between massive fleets, and there is a bit of a surprise twist near the end. Throughout the focus is on the Allied side of the conflict — barely seen in this book, the Unity CEO comes off as somewhat of a caricature of the “evil businessman” familiar enough to anyone who’s seen a Bond film from the late 1990s. BUT! Given the level of detail Mr. Weck has put into creating his Pax Imperium sandbox — there are four other novels or short stories now, obviously more coming — I have no doubt that will change.
If you want to delve deeply into a fully realized and fractious galactic universe, check out The Far Bank of the Rubicon and the author’s other Pax Imperium stories. For more about Mr. Weck and his writing, visit his website.
September 5, 2015
I can’t believe it has taken me a year to read this seeing as the writer once described me as “one of his favourite review bloggers” or words to that effect. I’ve read four of his works to date, and I was very keen to read this, part one of a trilogy set in the same universe as his first book Aetna Adrift and following on in a roundabout sort of way, from the previous book.
Many people have a love-hate relationship with space opera, it can just as easily be too heavy for most (something like Alistair Reynolds Revelation Space) or superficial fluff (Start Trek: TNG) with very little in between – a very reasonable accusation. So far, Wecks has broken that mould, writing commanding space opera that is both accessible and full of intrigue and solid characterisation. Dare I compare him to Peter F. Hamilton yet? Based on my limited reading of one of the new masters of British scifi, I would say yes – conceptual and accessible is a tough balance to strike.
The Far Side of the Rubicon, part one of The Pax Imperium Wars, delivers exactly what it promises: the start of a galaxy spanning war set against the backdrop of a future human space-faring empire. We watch our protagonist Anna grows up throughout the course of this novel, all the while there are references to Aetna Adrift that serve as reminders. They are not cameo appearances though, previous events are integral and important early on.
This book blends personal story with politics and anticipation of the collapse of a civilisation heading for war. It is largely written at the right pace to build anticipation and concern for the very real characters and for the situation. Wecks could not emphasise enough just what an impending disaster the upcoming war will be for everyone – in that respect, mission achieved in making this a very real human story while keeping the integrity of space opera as a whole.
My only real complaint is that it took a while to get going. It’s not an overly long book either, which makes it even more frustrating that I felt my attention drift from time to time. I understand the need for big world building, I require it even, to avoid falling into the trappings of the more superficial end of the subgenre.
A good, solid book but I would say it is the weakest of this writer’s work so far. But considering that, it is still better than a lot of other self-published work I’ve read and reviewed.
Keep it up!
See more book reviews at my blog
Many people have a love-hate relationship with space opera, it can just as easily be too heavy for most (something like Alistair Reynolds Revelation Space) or superficial fluff (Start Trek: TNG) with very little in between – a very reasonable accusation. So far, Wecks has broken that mould, writing commanding space opera that is both accessible and full of intrigue and solid characterisation. Dare I compare him to Peter F. Hamilton yet? Based on my limited reading of one of the new masters of British scifi, I would say yes – conceptual and accessible is a tough balance to strike.
The Far Side of the Rubicon, part one of The Pax Imperium Wars, delivers exactly what it promises: the start of a galaxy spanning war set against the backdrop of a future human space-faring empire. We watch our protagonist Anna grows up throughout the course of this novel, all the while there are references to Aetna Adrift that serve as reminders. They are not cameo appearances though, previous events are integral and important early on.
This book blends personal story with politics and anticipation of the collapse of a civilisation heading for war. It is largely written at the right pace to build anticipation and concern for the very real characters and for the situation. Wecks could not emphasise enough just what an impending disaster the upcoming war will be for everyone – in that respect, mission achieved in making this a very real human story while keeping the integrity of space opera as a whole.
My only real complaint is that it took a while to get going. It’s not an overly long book either, which makes it even more frustrating that I felt my attention drift from time to time. I understand the need for big world building, I require it even, to avoid falling into the trappings of the more superficial end of the subgenre.
A good, solid book but I would say it is the weakest of this writer’s work so far. But considering that, it is still better than a lot of other self-published work I’ve read and reviewed.
Keep it up!
See more book reviews at my blog
May 25, 2015
I have to be in a mood for a “space opera” because I am usually investing a lot of time into them with getting to know characters, learning history of a new galaxy, and obtaining deep background information that sometimes may not happen in other types of genres.
The Far Bank of Rubicon offered exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. Intrigue. Struggle. Believable characters. Strange, new worlds.
Author Erik Wecks writes the book chronologically, starting when one of the main characters is a child. While the timeline tends to jump a bit, we learn about the main characters by catching up with them through important moments that lead up to the start of a galactic war.
I found it very easy to root for the perceived good guys and hoping the characters to succeed. But The Far Bank of Rubicon is only the first volume in The Pax Imperium Wars. There is much, much more to be told with the first book as a starting point.
I did find it a bit wordy. The longer I read, the more I enjoyed the Far Bank of Rubicon and the world the Wecks had created. However, it started a bit slow. One issue is that it often read like something that would play out on a TV screen, and that doesn’t always translate well for a book.
Good or bad (I haven’t figured out which yet), it reminded me of Battlestar Galatica, the early 2000s version with the high jacking of electronics, the name Athena, and going on the run in space.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how the series plays out.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
The Far Bank of Rubicon offered exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. Intrigue. Struggle. Believable characters. Strange, new worlds.
Author Erik Wecks writes the book chronologically, starting when one of the main characters is a child. While the timeline tends to jump a bit, we learn about the main characters by catching up with them through important moments that lead up to the start of a galactic war.
I found it very easy to root for the perceived good guys and hoping the characters to succeed. But The Far Bank of Rubicon is only the first volume in The Pax Imperium Wars. There is much, much more to be told with the first book as a starting point.
I did find it a bit wordy. The longer I read, the more I enjoyed the Far Bank of Rubicon and the world the Wecks had created. However, it started a bit slow. One issue is that it often read like something that would play out on a TV screen, and that doesn’t always translate well for a book.
Good or bad (I haven’t figured out which yet), it reminded me of Battlestar Galatica, the early 2000s version with the high jacking of electronics, the name Athena, and going on the run in space.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how the series plays out.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
August 10, 2014
I fell in love with the Pax Imperium universe through reading Aetna Adrift. Wecks continues that universe in The Far Bank of the Rubicon. While Aetna told the story of a fringe world, TFBotR explores the galactic conflict between massive corporations.
Wecks also introduces us to the main rival to the Unity Corporation -- the House of Athena. As the tension escalates between the Unity and House Athena the leaders of the house are thrown into the crucible that threatens to consume them completely and along with them the only hope to preserve the peace of the Pax Imperium.
I said it about Aetna Adrift, and it continues to be true here -- Wecks doesn't sacrifice rich character development to bring you a lush, believable future world. He takes on the difficult challenge of imagining future combat and political scheming while still preserving the human element. I don't tend to like pure character studies -- give me action, explosions, and a fun world to play in. But for my tastes, Wecks earns every character-driven moment by giving me as much action and world-building.
My favorite scenes are the ones where he masterfully blends both -- there are space battles where he imagines the dynamics of zero-G combat, acceleration, weapons, and the use of AI beautifully, but then ties it all together with deep pathos drawn from characters that I genuinely care about.
Wecks also introduces us to the main rival to the Unity Corporation -- the House of Athena. As the tension escalates between the Unity and House Athena the leaders of the house are thrown into the crucible that threatens to consume them completely and along with them the only hope to preserve the peace of the Pax Imperium.
I said it about Aetna Adrift, and it continues to be true here -- Wecks doesn't sacrifice rich character development to bring you a lush, believable future world. He takes on the difficult challenge of imagining future combat and political scheming while still preserving the human element. I don't tend to like pure character studies -- give me action, explosions, and a fun world to play in. But for my tastes, Wecks earns every character-driven moment by giving me as much action and world-building.
My favorite scenes are the ones where he masterfully blends both -- there are space battles where he imagines the dynamics of zero-G combat, acceleration, weapons, and the use of AI beautifully, but then ties it all together with deep pathos drawn from characters that I genuinely care about.
August 10, 2014
Disclaimer! I was a beta reader and did some design work for the author.
Erik Wecks knocks it out of the park again with his follow up to Aetna Adrift and the beginning of a new series. The story starts off with familiar characters, but rapidly expands to include an all new cast. Hundreds of years of peace have left House Athena completely unprepared for the Unity invasion. As the war rages on, two young princes struggle with the mantle of leadership and a shadowy agent infiltrates the empire, bent on taking it apart from the inside out.
As we've come to expect from Wecks, this story is very character driven. But don't think he skips on the action - it's there in spades! You'll find epic space battles and imaginative network hacking that are very well thought out. Readers should also be aware there is a sex scene in the book, which is masterfully written. It's intimate, touching and realistically portrayed.
Finally, while this is the first book in a series, it is a complete work. If you're into character-driven sci-fi and bang-bang-shoot-em-up action, pick this up immediately! You won't be disappointed!
Erik Wecks knocks it out of the park again with his follow up to Aetna Adrift and the beginning of a new series. The story starts off with familiar characters, but rapidly expands to include an all new cast. Hundreds of years of peace have left House Athena completely unprepared for the Unity invasion. As the war rages on, two young princes struggle with the mantle of leadership and a shadowy agent infiltrates the empire, bent on taking it apart from the inside out.
As we've come to expect from Wecks, this story is very character driven. But don't think he skips on the action - it's there in spades! You'll find epic space battles and imaginative network hacking that are very well thought out. Readers should also be aware there is a sex scene in the book, which is masterfully written. It's intimate, touching and realistically portrayed.
Finally, while this is the first book in a series, it is a complete work. If you're into character-driven sci-fi and bang-bang-shoot-em-up action, pick this up immediately! You won't be disappointed!
September 2, 2016
I read this book some time ago now, but somehow never posted a review. Two full years have passed already, as I read it days after release. I really enjoyed it. I love the universe Wecks has created, and unlike many novels the characters are truly vibrant and real. They make you care about what happens to them and their world. I was introduced to this world in Aetna Adrift and awaited this installment. I just checked back here to see if another was waiting. I cannot wait to read the next in the Pax series. I have also read most of Wecks' short stories and find them all compelling. He has a style of writing that is fluid and easy to follow. I would highly recommend any of the PAX books or stories to any SciFi fan.
September 5, 2014
The mark of a good space opera is that if you step into it in the middle, as I did with Rubicon, you want to circle back and pick up the first book in series to ensure you're caught up. I did and I'm caught up. The space battles are fun, the technology interesting, and the characters get under your skin. By the end of Rubicon, you've developed that pleasing compulsion to immediately buy the next book in the series to find out what happens next.
Read the complete review at: http://www.rule-set.com/ricks-blog/re...
Read the complete review at: http://www.rule-set.com/ricks-blog/re...
June 23, 2015
Slow start -- as a matter of fact, after the first couple of chapters I put it aside for several months. However, I had enjoyed Aetna Adrift so much that I came back to it, determined to give it another go. I'm glad I did, and look forward to the next installment in the series.
started_finish_later
September 17, 2014had higher hopes but the writing while ok is nothing special and the book is just standard fare and one out of many, many similar offerings and I prefer others much more
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews