What do you think?
Rate this book
Alarm of War #2
The Other Side of Fear
Victoria’s fate hangs by a thread.
The Dominion’s surprise attack was almost a total success. Victoria’s home world was captured. Victoria’s vaunted Second Fleet was annihilated, its Third Fleet shattered. The Home Fleet fought a bitter and bloody rear-guard action as Queen Anne and the space station Atlas fled to Refuge, but now they are trapped there. The Dominion fleet batters at the worm hole defenses and its strength increases every day. The Victorian forces are not strong enough to fight their way out. It is a war of attrition that Victoria cannot win.
But an unexpected ally holds a millennia-old secret, a secret that offers a chance of survival…if Queen Anne and Admiral Douthat are bold enough. In order to exploit this opportunity, Admiral Douthat must divide the already weak Victorian forces and launch an audacious attack. If they succeed they could blunt the Dominion advance and buy precious time.
If they lose, they lose everything.
For Emily Tuttle, it is a chance to redeem herself after sacrificing a shipmate.
For Hiram Brill, it is nothing more than an elaborate screen to hide his real mission – seize the Dominion prison ship Tartarus and rescue the woman he loves.
For Cookie Sanchez, horribly abused and tormented by her captors, it is her only chance of freedom. But Cookie has a secret as well, learned through great hardship: The most important thing is not staying alive at any cost, but rather dying on your own terms. It is a lesson she intends to share with her captors.
And one by one they face the harsh truth: Everything you desire in this life is on the other side of fear.
The Dominion’s surprise attack was almost a total success. Victoria’s home world was captured. Victoria’s vaunted Second Fleet was annihilated, its Third Fleet shattered. The Home Fleet fought a bitter and bloody rear-guard action as Queen Anne and the space station Atlas fled to Refuge, but now they are trapped there. The Dominion fleet batters at the worm hole defenses and its strength increases every day. The Victorian forces are not strong enough to fight their way out. It is a war of attrition that Victoria cannot win.
But an unexpected ally holds a millennia-old secret, a secret that offers a chance of survival…if Queen Anne and Admiral Douthat are bold enough. In order to exploit this opportunity, Admiral Douthat must divide the already weak Victorian forces and launch an audacious attack. If they succeed they could blunt the Dominion advance and buy precious time.
If they lose, they lose everything.
For Emily Tuttle, it is a chance to redeem herself after sacrificing a shipmate.
For Hiram Brill, it is nothing more than an elaborate screen to hide his real mission – seize the Dominion prison ship Tartarus and rescue the woman he loves.
For Cookie Sanchez, horribly abused and tormented by her captors, it is her only chance of freedom. But Cookie has a secret as well, learned through great hardship: The most important thing is not staying alive at any cost, but rather dying on your own terms. It is a lesson she intends to share with her captors.
And one by one they face the harsh truth: Everything you desire in this life is on the other side of fear.
510 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2014
16 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 18, 2014
This book is definitely my cup of tea. Military space opera just the way I want it. If I should compare it to something else what comes to mind is David webers Honor Harrington series (quite a bit less talk, talk, talk in Alarm of War though) or Doug Dandridge’s Empires At War series. The two books in this series is perhaps a wee bit less complex in terms of the universe and the characters. They also move the story along at a faster pace. It was not until the seventh book that our heores started to really kick back in Empires at War after all. In Alarm of War we get to that stage already in this, the second, book in the series.
After the first book (which I also liked quite a lot) I was a bit worried that it would turn into some perpetual being on the run series a’la Battlestar Galactica. Luckily this is not the way it plays out. It looks like the Victorians are trapped but not everything is as it seams and the Dominions are in for a few nasty surprises. To put it simply it is payback time.
The book is very good. Well written with a nice balance between the various parts although a good chunk of it is action of course. We get single ship action, fleet action and marine action interspersed with Cookie fighting for survival on the Dominion prison ship and Emily having a “vacation” on Refuge. All intermix in bringing the main story arc forwards of course and all of it was very enjoyable reading.
Since a third book is already in the writing I was almost expecting this one to end in a big cliffhanger but to my surprise it does not really. Sure, the author throws in a huge teaser just at the end but it is not really a cliffhanger. The book have a clear, and as far as I am concerned satisfactory, ending. However, the author was rather liberal in spreading around hints that some other players might dip their dirty toes in the swamp of interstellar politics and conquering. Well, I am not sure that will go entirely as planned.
I am indeed looking forward to the next book in the series. I hope that the wait will not be as long as between book one and two.
After the first book (which I also liked quite a lot) I was a bit worried that it would turn into some perpetual being on the run series a’la Battlestar Galactica. Luckily this is not the way it plays out. It looks like the Victorians are trapped but not everything is as it seams and the Dominions are in for a few nasty surprises. To put it simply it is payback time.
The book is very good. Well written with a nice balance between the various parts although a good chunk of it is action of course. We get single ship action, fleet action and marine action interspersed with Cookie fighting for survival on the Dominion prison ship and Emily having a “vacation” on Refuge. All intermix in bringing the main story arc forwards of course and all of it was very enjoyable reading.
Since a third book is already in the writing I was almost expecting this one to end in a big cliffhanger but to my surprise it does not really. Sure, the author throws in a huge teaser just at the end but it is not really a cliffhanger. The book have a clear, and as far as I am concerned satisfactory, ending. However, the author was rather liberal in spreading around hints that some other players might dip their dirty toes in the swamp of interstellar politics and conquering. Well, I am not sure that will go entirely as planned.
I am indeed looking forward to the next book in the series. I hope that the wait will not be as long as between book one and two.
September 29, 2018
3 stars. Story was OK, but increasingly distracted by unrealistic military and astrophysics
May 24, 2015
I got hooked on this series by reading the first book, “Alarm of War”. That was one excellent book, but the story was just getting started. I was hoping there was a sequel, but I didn’t know it was already published. I’m certainly glad I found this second book as quick as I did. The first book left with a typical cliffhanger.
The characters in this story are pretty well developed. They are a little young, but that seems to be the trend in science fiction books now days or may be it’s just because I’m getting older! Emily Tuttle is a very, very smart young lady with an extremely sharp tactical mind. She’s proven herself in the last book as she had to take command of the Coldstream Guards or what was left of them when her Captain was killed. She led them through several desperate battles, all requiring desperate measures if they were to succeed.
Her last battle involved a lot of luck and the use of a weapon which she didn’t really want to use. That weapon was her best friend, Marine Sergeant Maria Sanchez or “Cookie”. Cookie was sent over to a Dominion Battleship with the mission to capture its bridge while additional support would be sent to capture Engineering and other strategic places on this huge ship.
Something goes wrong and only Cookie’s troops are able to get on the ship. As she fights her way to the bridge, she begins to lose a lot of Marines. She and those left finally reach the bridge and capture it. They kill the Admiral, but then find out they the reinforcements they were counting on are not coming and the ships security forces have recovered and are about to re-capture the bridge. It’s surrender or die for Cookie and her Marines. She hates the idea of surrendering, but realizes that’s her only choice.
Now a prisoner of the Dominion, Cookie and another Marine, Private Otto Wisnioswski are transferred to a prison ship. What was done to her and her Marine compatriot will make your blood boil. There apparently isn’t any kind of honorable treatment of POWs as far as the Dominion is concerned. Cookie has to endure a six month ordeal that would kill or drive crazy any other Marine, male or female. Beware when reading about this since although it is treated as best as it can, reading about brutality of helpless prisoners is never a good read.
It is time for the Victorian’s to start getting their planet back if they are ever going to do so. They can’t stay in hiding in Refuge forever and they know that. They also know they don’t have a large enough fleet to do what they need to do straight-on. Something has to be done differently and they have to find some way to use the resources the best way possible.
Thankfully, Emily Tuttle and Hiram Brill, are both up to the task of figuring out how to do the impossible. The story is exciting and very interesting. All the previous characters in the first book are mostly back. It is always good to see the good guys figure out how to turn the tables on the bad guys and that’s what’s about to happen in this book. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first book.
I don’t know for sure, but it sounds like their could be a third book. I, for one, would love to see it and would certainly pay to read it. I hope the author reads this!
The characters in this story are pretty well developed. They are a little young, but that seems to be the trend in science fiction books now days or may be it’s just because I’m getting older! Emily Tuttle is a very, very smart young lady with an extremely sharp tactical mind. She’s proven herself in the last book as she had to take command of the Coldstream Guards or what was left of them when her Captain was killed. She led them through several desperate battles, all requiring desperate measures if they were to succeed.
Her last battle involved a lot of luck and the use of a weapon which she didn’t really want to use. That weapon was her best friend, Marine Sergeant Maria Sanchez or “Cookie”. Cookie was sent over to a Dominion Battleship with the mission to capture its bridge while additional support would be sent to capture Engineering and other strategic places on this huge ship.
Something goes wrong and only Cookie’s troops are able to get on the ship. As she fights her way to the bridge, she begins to lose a lot of Marines. She and those left finally reach the bridge and capture it. They kill the Admiral, but then find out they the reinforcements they were counting on are not coming and the ships security forces have recovered and are about to re-capture the bridge. It’s surrender or die for Cookie and her Marines. She hates the idea of surrendering, but realizes that’s her only choice.
Now a prisoner of the Dominion, Cookie and another Marine, Private Otto Wisnioswski are transferred to a prison ship. What was done to her and her Marine compatriot will make your blood boil. There apparently isn’t any kind of honorable treatment of POWs as far as the Dominion is concerned. Cookie has to endure a six month ordeal that would kill or drive crazy any other Marine, male or female. Beware when reading about this since although it is treated as best as it can, reading about brutality of helpless prisoners is never a good read.
It is time for the Victorian’s to start getting their planet back if they are ever going to do so. They can’t stay in hiding in Refuge forever and they know that. They also know they don’t have a large enough fleet to do what they need to do straight-on. Something has to be done differently and they have to find some way to use the resources the best way possible.
Thankfully, Emily Tuttle and Hiram Brill, are both up to the task of figuring out how to do the impossible. The story is exciting and very interesting. All the previous characters in the first book are mostly back. It is always good to see the good guys figure out how to turn the tables on the bad guys and that’s what’s about to happen in this book. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first book.
I don’t know for sure, but it sounds like their could be a third book. I, for one, would love to see it and would certainly pay to read it. I hope the author reads this!
July 1, 2024
Another fun story from Hudner. This book was much longer then the first book Alarm of War, but it gave up a lot of pacing to fill in extraneous details. For the most part, it helped improve the story, but it didn't really move anything along. The Queen plays a larger role and Skiffington a much more minor one. Like the first story, this focusses mostly on Emily and Hiram with a strong dose of Cookie; but brings in some new characters as well.
Now the bad news. The general editing (dropped and misspelled words, incorrect or changed names, etc.) are much fewer. The consistency of details, is out the window... was it one fort left or none? was it one cruiser or two? can a probe only survive one wormhole, or can it bounce back and forth? I am pretty sure that "grogin" is the plural of "grogon" but Hudner never tells us. Many of the battles felt like they were written as individual scenes and then thrown together in a loosely chronological order with absolutely no care given to linearity or consistency. I have been at times harsh in my reviews of Britt Ringel for focusing so much on distance and time in his battles in space; but I would rather that then Hudner's total disregard for these factors.
Hudner tells a terrific tale; his writing, however, still needs work.
Now the bad news. The general editing (dropped and misspelled words, incorrect or changed names, etc.) are much fewer. The consistency of details, is out the window... was it one fort left or none? was it one cruiser or two? can a probe only survive one wormhole, or can it bounce back and forth? I am pretty sure that "grogin" is the plural of "grogon" but Hudner never tells us. Many of the battles felt like they were written as individual scenes and then thrown together in a loosely chronological order with absolutely no care given to linearity or consistency. I have been at times harsh in my reviews of Britt Ringel for focusing so much on distance and time in his battles in space; but I would rather that then Hudner's total disregard for these factors.
Hudner tells a terrific tale; his writing, however, still needs work.
February 27, 2016
Worthy Sequel to Alarm of War
When I read Alarm of War, I was a bit wowed. Oh, at times it seemed predictable, just another indie published space opera. But, then, the author would throw in a twist or a different nuance, and I kept on reading. Then, when the ending screamed sequel and there wasn't one, I was disappointed.
I checked for a year or two, then forgot about it. But, wait. Hudner did indeed continue the saga, and in fine form. Like many trilogy tales, this middle story has some serious darkness, as the age old battle between good and evil unfolds.
Rather than risk spoilers, I will just say that this novel reads much like the early works of the great David Weber. The best way to create suspense is to put characters that the reader cares about in harm's way, and this book is quite suspenseful.
Fans of space opera and military fiction should love it. I did.
When I read Alarm of War, I was a bit wowed. Oh, at times it seemed predictable, just another indie published space opera. But, then, the author would throw in a twist or a different nuance, and I kept on reading. Then, when the ending screamed sequel and there wasn't one, I was disappointed.
I checked for a year or two, then forgot about it. But, wait. Hudner did indeed continue the saga, and in fine form. Like many trilogy tales, this middle story has some serious darkness, as the age old battle between good and evil unfolds.
Rather than risk spoilers, I will just say that this novel reads much like the early works of the great David Weber. The best way to create suspense is to put characters that the reader cares about in harm's way, and this book is quite suspenseful.
Fans of space opera and military fiction should love it. I did.
November 10, 2014
It will come as no secret to fans of the first book (Alarm of War) that the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger. It's been a long wait for the sequel, but the wait was worth it.
The world building and character development of the first book laid the foundation for a series of epic space battles, tense cat-and-mouse maneuvers behind enemy lines, and not a little politicking and intrigue in book number two. It's difficult to go into much detail without spoiling some of the major plot points, so let me just say that it was just as much of a page turner as the first book, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
The world building and character development of the first book laid the foundation for a series of epic space battles, tense cat-and-mouse maneuvers behind enemy lines, and not a little politicking and intrigue in book number two. It's difficult to go into much detail without spoiling some of the major plot points, so let me just say that it was just as much of a page turner as the first book, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
December 1, 2014
This book picks up where book one left off. There are plenty of space battles and continued character development, making for an enjoyable read. The reader gets a close look at the horrors of war and the author does a good job of outlining those horrors without getting overly graphic. All in all, a good read although it the story feels unfinished so I'm hoping there is at least one more to come in the series!
January 27, 2015
Must Read
I am a big fan of David Weber and his Honor Herrington series and I am always looking for books that give me that kind of reading experience. And though it doesn't compare with Weber's detailed world building ( but what does?) I really enjoyed both books in the Alarm of War series. I will definitely buy the third one!
I am a big fan of David Weber and his Honor Herrington series and I am always looking for books that give me that kind of reading experience. And though it doesn't compare with Weber's detailed world building ( but what does?) I really enjoyed both books in the Alarm of War series. I will definitely buy the third one!
April 21, 2015
A fairly standard and uninspired sequel to a military space opera. I find the lack of imagination in most of the DUC forces to be a bit disappointing.
January 5, 2015
Really enjoyed it! Space Opera Battles are your thing this is for you.
February 2, 2016
Good tight story. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews