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Odyssey One #6
Odysseus Awakening
Defy the inevitable. Such is the stance of Confederation captain Eric Weston and the crew of the starship Odysseus, patrolling the outer limits of Priminae space, anticipating the Empire’s next attacks. Connected with the Terran FTL tech—the transition drive—humanity might stand a chance against the overwhelming forces. Until the entire planetary system goes dark.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Odysseus arrives to find the Empire securing critical intelligence from Priminae ships—data that could prove disastrous in the wrong hands.
As the Odysseus enters the fray, the ship’s systems exhibit increasingly chaotic glitches, while haunting apparitions stalk the crew. As they struggle to control their own ship—and their sanity—against the tide of battle, how can they hope to grasp victory when the Odysseus itself appears to be coming to life?
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
December 11, 2017
I've been a pretty solid fan of the previous books in the series and I really enjoyed the crews and the battle on Earth and striking out and striking hard when seemingly outnumbered in space, but something about this novel failed to strike me.
Yes, we did have a lot more involvement in the empire that's the mirror image of our peace-loving friends, and yes we have some interesting developments with Gaia and the heart of Odysseus, but other than relying on straight reveals, I wasn't overly moved by the straight tale here. Not like I'd enjoyed the previous ones, anyway.
I wanted to like the hallucinations a lot more, too. I love the idea of what's going on, and there were some rather interesting parts of the novel, but overall, I just wasn't spirited away into this particular space opera. It's not a dealbreaker. I'm continuing on from here. I just wish I liked it more.
Yes, we did have a lot more involvement in the empire that's the mirror image of our peace-loving friends, and yes we have some interesting developments with Gaia and the heart of Odysseus, but other than relying on straight reveals, I wasn't overly moved by the straight tale here. Not like I'd enjoyed the previous ones, anyway.
I wanted to like the hallucinations a lot more, too. I love the idea of what's going on, and there were some rather interesting parts of the novel, but overall, I just wasn't spirited away into this particular space opera. It's not a dealbreaker. I'm continuing on from here. I just wish I liked it more.
March 23, 2022
Another quick, fun read by Currie, although this series is quickly (de)volving into fantasy territory. Once again, Captain Weston and a task force head out into the black after being refitted after the last battle with the Empire. This time, when they reach the Priminae home world, they almost immediately respond to a Empire invasion of a new colony world. Once there, they are in for a fight...
Odysseus Awakening is basically one long battle scene with a short preamble at the start. Weston leads three 'Heroic' battle cruisers and six 'Rogue' destroyers and faces a Imperial task recon force of 20 battle cruisers and about the same number of destroyers. There are some Priminae ships as well, but the action is centered on the Odysseus of course.
What takes this into fantasy territory is the 'awakening' of the Odysseus' 'ship god' for lack of better words. We already know the Priminae home world has being called 'Center' at its heart. The Priminae think of 'Center' as a massive computer, but Weston knows (via meetings with Center) that it is far older than the Priminae and akin to Gaia on Earth who saved Weston's ass in the fourth installment of this series. As soon as Odysseus enters the battle scene, strange things start happening on the ship, like it wants to engage in battle and becomes near impossible to control. At the heart of Odysseus are two black holes with 1.3 Earth gravities after all; this seems to be where the 'god' is located. I presume the title of this installment refers to the new 'god' rather than the ship itself, although it is hard to disentangle the two.
This is a reread as I just picked up the seventh and last installment of the series. Love the battle scenes, but the fantasy element sticks in my craw. We have typical scifi tropes in force here: Humanity finds a way to the stars and immediately encounters hostile, space born species, and new allies. The mystery of why the Priminae and the Empire are basically humans, albeit with a 70,000 year evolutionary divergence has kept me interested enough to continue the series, although just barely. 2.5 stars, rounding up for the excellent battle scenes.
Odysseus Awakening is basically one long battle scene with a short preamble at the start. Weston leads three 'Heroic' battle cruisers and six 'Rogue' destroyers and faces a Imperial task recon force of 20 battle cruisers and about the same number of destroyers. There are some Priminae ships as well, but the action is centered on the Odysseus of course.
What takes this into fantasy territory is the 'awakening' of the Odysseus' 'ship god' for lack of better words. We already know the Priminae home world has being called 'Center' at its heart. The Priminae think of 'Center' as a massive computer, but Weston knows (via meetings with Center) that it is far older than the Priminae and akin to Gaia on Earth who saved Weston's ass in the fourth installment of this series. As soon as Odysseus enters the battle scene, strange things start happening on the ship, like it wants to engage in battle and becomes near impossible to control. At the heart of Odysseus are two black holes with 1.3 Earth gravities after all; this seems to be where the 'god' is located. I presume the title of this installment refers to the new 'god' rather than the ship itself, although it is hard to disentangle the two.
This is a reread as I just picked up the seventh and last installment of the series. Love the battle scenes, but the fantasy element sticks in my craw. We have typical scifi tropes in force here: Humanity finds a way to the stars and immediately encounters hostile, space born species, and new allies. The mystery of why the Priminae and the Empire are basically humans, albeit with a 70,000 year evolutionary divergence has kept me interested enough to continue the series, although just barely. 2.5 stars, rounding up for the excellent battle scenes.
December 16, 2017
This was the first of the Odyssey One books that had the starship ODYSSEUS going out into the Black (last time wasn't really scheduled and only a "small" foray).
The war in Sol is over (for now), the humans are rebuilding what they can, cross-breeding alien (Priminae as well as Drasin) with terran science and engineering, not only in their ships but also for the construction of a Dyson construct of a small sort. Weston is now Commodore and has his own, plus two other of the truly big starships together with a number of smaller cruisers under his command. Not sure it was a good idea to name one of the big ships BOUDICA if the enemy calls itself THE EMPIRE though. *lol* I mean, that woman did kick ass of a sort, but it still didn't end well for her.
Anyway, Weston and his small fleet are heading out, supposed to visit the Priminae central planet and then patrol space a bit more, explore, possibly find out about the enemy whatever they can since Earth needs time to build defenses and an even bigger fleet in case the enemy comes to our system again - but of course it all goes to hell very quickly.
Thus, a pretty cool space battle (not in Sol, thank goodness) ensues once again, highlighting the different culture of all three races as well as showing off the new technology and a very interesting development about it on at least one of the big Earth ships. Highlighting the importance of the recon missions on both sides was also very neat.
The action is solid, Currie has more than enough experience by now, but 83% of the book was one and the same battle - not a planetary battle like we had in two of the former books where the annihilation of an entire species was possible, but "just" a battle between one fleet and another with a little bit of piracy thrown in. That was a bit much, even for me (especially considering how it was drawn out at first and as soon as the hand-to-hand fight started, the scene was cut short and we hit the epilogue). That was a bit disappointing because especially after finally knowing the Big Bad, I had hoped for more.
Nevertheless, this was a fun and solid new part to a truly great series.
This was also the first time I listened to an audio version of one of Currie's books and while it wasn't the best I have listened to so far, it was done well, too.
The war in Sol is over (for now), the humans are rebuilding what they can, cross-breeding alien (Priminae as well as Drasin) with terran science and engineering, not only in their ships but also for the construction of a Dyson construct of a small sort. Weston is now Commodore and has his own, plus two other of the truly big starships together with a number of smaller cruisers under his command. Not sure it was a good idea to name one of the big ships BOUDICA if the enemy calls itself THE EMPIRE though. *lol* I mean, that woman did kick ass of a sort, but it still didn't end well for her.
Anyway, Weston and his small fleet are heading out, supposed to visit the Priminae central planet and then patrol space a bit more, explore, possibly find out about the enemy whatever they can since Earth needs time to build defenses and an even bigger fleet in case the enemy comes to our system again - but of course it all goes to hell very quickly.
Thus, a pretty cool space battle (not in Sol, thank goodness) ensues once again, highlighting the different culture of all three races as well as showing off the new technology and a very interesting development about it on at least one of the big Earth ships. Highlighting the importance of the recon missions on both sides was also very neat.
The action is solid, Currie has more than enough experience by now, but 83% of the book was one and the same battle - not a planetary battle like we had in two of the former books where the annihilation of an entire species was possible, but "just" a battle between one fleet and another with a little bit of piracy thrown in. That was a bit much, even for me (especially considering how it was drawn out at first and as soon as the hand-to-hand fight started, the scene was cut short and we hit the epilogue). That was a bit disappointing because especially after finally knowing the Big Bad, I had hoped for more.
Nevertheless, this was a fun and solid new part to a truly great series.
This was also the first time I listened to an audio version of one of Currie's books and while it wasn't the best I have listened to so far, it was done well, too.
April 14, 2020
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
Although I enjoyed this, it did leave alot to be desired.
The story was very one dimensional concentrating mainly on one fight in space.
There was very little in the way of character building or in the way of further building characters relationships with each other.
If you like space opera this isn't bad but it's not great either.
Although I enjoyed this, it did leave alot to be desired.
The story was very one dimensional concentrating mainly on one fight in space.
There was very little in the way of character building or in the way of further building characters relationships with each other.
If you like space opera this isn't bad but it's not great either.
February 29, 2020
*** 4.35 ***
December 12, 2017
nothing is happening in the book
two third of the book is repetitive and unappealing space battle ,with a pointless marine arc
there is no story development whats so ever
two third of the book is repetitive and unappealing space battle ,with a pointless marine arc
there is no story development whats so ever
July 2, 2018
Weston is now a Commodore with several Heroic class ships and a few Rogues under his command, in addition to the Odysseus. He has received orders to engage the Imperials in the hopes to buy time for Earth and the Priminae to prepare for the inevitable war ahead. It doesn't take long for an engagement with the enemy to present itself. In the heat of battle, the Odysseus experiences a bunch of strange malfunctions that almost cost them the ship. Only at the end of the book does the crew become aware of the entity they have aboard.
This series is great. If you are looking for a sci-fi series with lots of space battles but with no romantic distractions, this is it. Book 6 and I'm still entertained, still invested. The new storyline with the entity on board is so interesting and I can't wait to see how it plays out. I'm off to get the next book now.
This series is great. If you are looking for a sci-fi series with lots of space battles but with no romantic distractions, this is it. Book 6 and I'm still entertained, still invested. The new storyline with the entity on board is so interesting and I can't wait to see how it plays out. I'm off to get the next book now.
September 8, 2019
The books in this very enjoyable series continue to improve.
December 23, 2017
Like others, I have followed and enjoyed this series from the beginning. I continue to enjoy and recommend it. A universe populated by groups of humans separated by 100's of light years in space and unaware of each other makes for an interesting setting to me. The different groups have very different cultures and psychologies. Currie makes their interactions interesting. He has created technologies that serve the story and seem credible. He relies a little too much on current human language and mannerisms for the characters, but he isn't alone in that. It helps us relate to them. The story, conflicts, emotions, battles, technologies and people are, for the most part, interesting and exciting.
With that said, an unfortunate trend has surfaced in Currie's writing. As others have noted, after the initial setup and sendoff of the Odysseus, the story settles on a single, protracted battle. (To be sure, Currie's ability to describe these sequences has always been one of his strengths and continues to be.) The characters that have been developed in previous books are here but in mostly cameo roles. This book is NOT about the characters. When the book ends, the next book is already in view. And that is part of my problem with this book (and the latest one in the Silver Wings storyline).
Here is a common story arc that I am familiar with and enjoy. The story starts with (1) the setup of character, place and situation. Then comes (2) the conflict and creates the problems for the characters. (3) That conflict is escaped (with great cost) and is followed by a period of both rest (for the reader and character) and discovery. This is followed by (4) the next (last?) great conflict and resolution. Lately, Currie's book gives us 1, 2 and 3 but no 4. Four is the next book. It is the discovery and following actions that make the story feel like it is moving along. We don't have that here and is why, I think, so many are complaining that there is a battle but no progression in the storyline. The next book should have been the back half of this book.
There is one other thing that has bothered me about this book. Commodore Weston and his battle group are sent on what is supposed to be a patrol mission. As soon as they entire the first system, they are informed of the need to depart immediately for the troubled star system. For me, this is just a little too contrived and convenient. I know that if Currie sends them on patrol, people may complain that he doesn't get to the game fast enough. For me, he gets to it too quickly. There should have been a patrol with the story developing along the way. that way, it builds tension in the reader to anticipate what he knows is coming. In this case, it also would have provided time for the title plot point to develop.
The end of this book reveals something that has been hinted at throughout the second half of the book. It is the staging for what should have been the second half of this book. To read Currie's books, you have to love the battles. As I said, they are his strength. But what keeps us coming back are the wrinkles and new characters and what happens with them. (Really, that is EVERY BOOK EVER WRITTEN.) This book gives vague hints of the wrinkles, but doesn't actually introduce what they mean until the Epilogue. Argggghhh!
In his writing, Currie has three different story arcs going all at the same time. He seems to publish at least one or two books per year for each arc. That is phenomenal for the reading fans. It may be necessary to make the money he needs to survive and prosper. However, I wonder if this pace causes the quality of the work to suffer. Doing what he does is not easy and my hat is off to him.
Start at the beginning of the series and read through it. Even with my objections to style and publishing rhythm, I recommend it to you.
With that said, an unfortunate trend has surfaced in Currie's writing. As others have noted, after the initial setup and sendoff of the Odysseus, the story settles on a single, protracted battle. (To be sure, Currie's ability to describe these sequences has always been one of his strengths and continues to be.) The characters that have been developed in previous books are here but in mostly cameo roles. This book is NOT about the characters. When the book ends, the next book is already in view. And that is part of my problem with this book (and the latest one in the Silver Wings storyline).
Here is a common story arc that I am familiar with and enjoy. The story starts with (1) the setup of character, place and situation. Then comes (2) the conflict and creates the problems for the characters. (3) That conflict is escaped (with great cost) and is followed by a period of both rest (for the reader and character) and discovery. This is followed by (4) the next (last?) great conflict and resolution. Lately, Currie's book gives us 1, 2 and 3 but no 4. Four is the next book. It is the discovery and following actions that make the story feel like it is moving along. We don't have that here and is why, I think, so many are complaining that there is a battle but no progression in the storyline. The next book should have been the back half of this book.
There is one other thing that has bothered me about this book. Commodore Weston and his battle group are sent on what is supposed to be a patrol mission. As soon as they entire the first system, they are informed of the need to depart immediately for the troubled star system. For me, this is just a little too contrived and convenient. I know that if Currie sends them on patrol, people may complain that he doesn't get to the game fast enough. For me, he gets to it too quickly. There should have been a patrol with the story developing along the way. that way, it builds tension in the reader to anticipate what he knows is coming. In this case, it also would have provided time for the title plot point to develop.
The end of this book reveals something that has been hinted at throughout the second half of the book. It is the staging for what should have been the second half of this book. To read Currie's books, you have to love the battles. As I said, they are his strength. But what keeps us coming back are the wrinkles and new characters and what happens with them. (Really, that is EVERY BOOK EVER WRITTEN.) This book gives vague hints of the wrinkles, but doesn't actually introduce what they mean until the Epilogue. Argggghhh!
In his writing, Currie has three different story arcs going all at the same time. He seems to publish at least one or two books per year for each arc. That is phenomenal for the reading fans. It may be necessary to make the money he needs to survive and prosper. However, I wonder if this pace causes the quality of the work to suffer. Doing what he does is not easy and my hat is off to him.
Start at the beginning of the series and read through it. Even with my objections to style and publishing rhythm, I recommend it to you.
September 21, 2018
Like many others here, I enjoyed most of the previous books in the series. Let's face it, Evan Currie's writing isnt amazing to begin with, often reading like a battle log from a strategy video game. "Character 1 hit Character 2 for 100 damage" - He can sometimes mask this problem or mitigate it with interesting ideas, details, or environments.
Unfortunately none of that's here, making it really hard to get through. It is essentially one long monotonous space battle with no character progression or drama to speak of. The epilogue adds a silly reason to wait for the next book. It implies a real left turn into the weird and yet another side distraction for a series that needed real progression and deeper development of its supposed big-bad-empire antagonist like at least 2 books ago. That makes it sound more interesting than it really is. I think I might be done with it.
Here's an excerpt:
"Commodore!, enemy ship ahead!", yelled someone we don't know or care about. "Fire magic missiles", Commodore Eric Weston replied. The missiles, designed to fly through space, eventually hit the enemy vessel and caused damage. The enemy captain noted the damage indicators, wondering about the strange weapons of these human intruders. Back on the Odyssey bridge , Weston said "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir! But they are venting atmosphere!" Weston grunted, thinking about the space battle. "Fire magic lasers!" The laser beams, using large amounts of exotic energy, shined through space. They excited particles along the way and eventually hit the enemy battleship, inflicting damage. The enemy captain considered the oddness of the human strategy of firing weapons to cause damage. It seemed crazy to her. Back on the Odyssey bridge Weston asked "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir! But they took damage!" Weston shifted in his command chair, contemplating the enemy and their ability. "Fire magic missiles!" The missiles, utilized magic engines to fly through space and they exploded when they hit the enemy, as they were built to do. The enemy captain wondered about how insane humans are and shook her head. Back on the Odyssey Weston wondered aloud "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir!" Weston nodded sagely, visibly deciding the next move. "Fire magic lasers on my command.. Fire!"
Repeat till the epilogue.
Unfortunately none of that's here, making it really hard to get through. It is essentially one long monotonous space battle with no character progression or drama to speak of. The epilogue adds a silly reason to wait for the next book. It implies a real left turn into the weird and yet another side distraction for a series that needed real progression and deeper development of its supposed big-bad-empire antagonist like at least 2 books ago. That makes it sound more interesting than it really is. I think I might be done with it.
Here's an excerpt:
"Commodore!, enemy ship ahead!", yelled someone we don't know or care about. "Fire magic missiles", Commodore Eric Weston replied. The missiles, designed to fly through space, eventually hit the enemy vessel and caused damage. The enemy captain noted the damage indicators, wondering about the strange weapons of these human intruders. Back on the Odyssey bridge , Weston said "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir! But they are venting atmosphere!" Weston grunted, thinking about the space battle. "Fire magic lasers!" The laser beams, using large amounts of exotic energy, shined through space. They excited particles along the way and eventually hit the enemy battleship, inflicting damage. The enemy captain considered the oddness of the human strategy of firing weapons to cause damage. It seemed crazy to her. Back on the Odyssey bridge Weston asked "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir! But they took damage!" Weston shifted in his command chair, contemplating the enemy and their ability. "Fire magic missiles!" The missiles, utilized magic engines to fly through space and they exploded when they hit the enemy, as they were built to do. The enemy captain wondered about how insane humans are and shook her head. Back on the Odyssey Weston wondered aloud "Did we destroy them?" Someone said, "no sir, sorry sir!" Weston nodded sagely, visibly deciding the next move. "Fire magic lasers on my command.. Fire!"
Repeat till the epilogue.
December 18, 2017
Slow start, no story progression
The first book in this series was one of my favorite space opera reads when it came out. This book is a joke in comparison. The first 20% was so boring I skimmed most of it because nothing happened except for people
boarding the ship so they could disembark. After the story started, I thought there was still hope for the book because the action was good.
However, the book is literally about one space battle. That’s it. One battle. I want to know what happens next in the storyline and this book was essentially nothing. There’s a couple of hints at what comes next but there is no character development and no story progression which is very disappointing. The story is also starting to suffer some serious believability problems. For the 100th Eric Weston survives insurmountable odds.
The first book in this series was one of my favorite space opera reads when it came out. This book is a joke in comparison. The first 20% was so boring I skimmed most of it because nothing happened except for people
boarding the ship so they could disembark. After the story started, I thought there was still hope for the book because the action was good.
However, the book is literally about one space battle. That’s it. One battle. I want to know what happens next in the storyline and this book was essentially nothing. There’s a couple of hints at what comes next but there is no character development and no story progression which is very disappointing. The story is also starting to suffer some serious believability problems. For the 100th Eric Weston survives insurmountable odds.
May 28, 2021
I've enjoyed the series, and will come back to it, but this has been the weakest entry for me so far. The others have had a mixture of action, character development, and plot. Almost the entirety of this one was taken up by a single battle, with limited development of the universe other than effectively one 'reveal' near the end.
October 11, 2022
This series has had an element of the mystical in it from the outset. I have not minded up to this point, as it barely touched outcomes. In this genre it can be difficult to separate fantasy and SF as everything is speculative and from a certain perspective, all interstellar travel and alien encounters could just as well be flying carpets and elves. However, for me, the line between the two genres has always been one of probability. While their may be a very small chance we will ever develop the technology to travel the stars or meet aliens, we can express mathematical probabilities for both. Gods, ghosts, sprits, etc., whether they are born in the quantum realm or not, have no logical foothold in a material universe. For me, the distinction between fantasy and SF is at this imaginary line, and as a matter of taste, would prefer them each to stay on their side. I love this series, but the mystical element drops it a star for me.
February 16, 2018
Contains some spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Odysseus Awakening is another good entry in Evan Currie's Odyssey One series. The horror of the relentless Drasin assault has apparently been stopped, at least for now. But the Earth system and the Priminae now face the empire that had unleashed them.
Eric Weston still commands the battle cruiser Odysseus, but additionally he has been promoted to Commodore and controls Earth's first quick reaction battle group. When Imperial forces attack a Priminae colony world, Weston's ships and the Priminae must rush to their defense.
We get Curry's trademark exciting battle action both between ships and marines fighting in a crippled ship. The odds are long and the battle desperate. Skill, cunning, and luck are required just for survival.
And in this book another very odd intelligent race which had been hinted at in previous books now makes an active appearance.
Pretty good military SF.
Odysseus Awakening is another good entry in Evan Currie's Odyssey One series. The horror of the relentless Drasin assault has apparently been stopped, at least for now. But the Earth system and the Priminae now face the empire that had unleashed them.
Eric Weston still commands the battle cruiser Odysseus, but additionally he has been promoted to Commodore and controls Earth's first quick reaction battle group. When Imperial forces attack a Priminae colony world, Weston's ships and the Priminae must rush to their defense.
We get Curry's trademark exciting battle action both between ships and marines fighting in a crippled ship. The odds are long and the battle desperate. Skill, cunning, and luck are required just for survival.
And in this book another very odd intelligent race which had been hinted at in previous books now makes an active appearance.
Pretty good military SF.
November 24, 2021
I absolutely love this series! I will say that "Odysseus Awakening" had a little less meat on the bone than some of the earlier entries but it was a thrilling ride all the same. Commodore Weston finds himself once again locked in a life or death battle with the evil Empire...and his ship may also be haunted with the ghost of a little boy.
The book is more or less one epically long space battle (with some on board blaster fights thrown in for good measure). I don't talk enough about the science in these books. Currie really does his homework and truly makes you believe these fantastic technologies. This really felt like "Black Hawk Down" meets "Star Trek" and I..AM...HERE...FOR...IT!
The book is more or less one epically long space battle (with some on board blaster fights thrown in for good measure). I don't talk enough about the science in these books. Currie really does his homework and truly makes you believe these fantastic technologies. This really felt like "Black Hawk Down" meets "Star Trek" and I..AM...HERE...FOR...IT!
June 11, 2019
The Odyssey One series as a whole is a little bit strange. Humans go out into the galaxy only to find... more humans? That are inexplicably closely related and technologically advanced, and yet less capable militarily than us, so that us peppy humans can save the day? This book, at least, drives the plot forward faster than previous books, and leverages the existing setting to allow for a more complicated story.
August 12, 2022
One big battle worth the read.
If you've gotten this far in the series, you don't need me to tell you how enjoyable this series is. We get more insight into the mysterious Empire, good naval and marine combat, and... throw in some mysticism for... some reason. The story is good, the characters are okay (but hard to distinguish between), and there are too many to get a chance to care about any of them. But all that being said, still a good military sci-fi read!
If you've gotten this far in the series, you don't need me to tell you how enjoyable this series is. We get more insight into the mysterious Empire, good naval and marine combat, and... throw in some mysticism for... some reason. The story is good, the characters are okay (but hard to distinguish between), and there are too many to get a chance to care about any of them. But all that being said, still a good military sci-fi read!
June 1, 2018
Another great science fiction story from Evan Currie. The first book in a series shows us at war with the aid of another race that really isn't into war but will follow us if safe to do so. The Imperials want to conquer but Eric Weston is not going to let that stand. Cliff hangar ending.
Great read.
Great read.
June 29, 2023
Vacation read no. 1. Six books in and I’m losing interest in this series. Pulpy space fighter junk food. This one really goes nowhere, and is not keeping its end of the bargain it set out earlier in the books.
January 2, 2018
I used to really like this series, but the last few books have been ho-hum for me. I'm not much liking Captain Weston any more - he's becoming the stereotypical macho leader as is his friend and pilot (is his name Roberts?). I made it through this one, but it was not as enjoyable as, say, the first three in the series.
December 30, 2017
I was a Bit legt down by this book. It‘s simple not on the same Levels as its predecessors
December 17, 2017
Military SF is a niche interest, harking back to the golden age of EE ‘Doc’ Smith and and the later Starship Troopers. It’s also the sub-genre most frequently touched by contemporary geo-political concerns. Plus, really big guns, space battles and shedloads of pseudo-physics. Was I entertained? But we’re talking a high carb, hi-fat guilty pleasure here, not The Forever War.
January 5, 2018
I'm a little bit pissed off with this book for two reasons. Both reasons make it feel like this was just a cash in on a popular series. It wasn't bad it just felt rehashed.
One:
Cue lone Priminae ship bristling with the newest Earth/Priminae technology orbiting a far off colony world. First off, a ship on a solo run no patrol group, nothing. Secondly, off to the edge of their borders with no backup. I don't have to paint the rest for you, any avid reader can tell you what is going to happen here.
Two:
The entire books amounts to what is a quasi real-time space battle between one large fleet and two significantly smaller task forces. The difference in size is balanced with superior technology and a can't lose, all or nothing form of determination. It's thrilling to read but the further I read the more the dreadful obviousness of the outcome rendered dulled my enjoyment, until like the dying light of an exploding hull, all faded to nothingness.
One shouldn't know within two to three chapters how a book is going to end. While there were twists and turns, they weren't enough to move the still target that was altogether apparent goal. I hope the next in the series is not so clear cut.
There is another sub-plot that saunters along during the entirety of the book but that too was apparent in throughout. The revelation was less grandiose that I assumed it would be, the consequences of which I cannot fathom. It does leave me hope for something more in the future now that Weston can't hide it. 2.5 Stars.
One:
Cue lone Priminae ship bristling with the newest Earth/Priminae technology orbiting a far off colony world. First off, a ship on a solo run no patrol group, nothing. Secondly, off to the edge of their borders with no backup. I don't have to paint the rest for you, any avid reader can tell you what is going to happen here.
Two:
The entire books amounts to what is a quasi real-time space battle between one large fleet and two significantly smaller task forces. The difference in size is balanced with superior technology and a can't lose, all or nothing form of determination. It's thrilling to read but the further I read the more the dreadful obviousness of the outcome rendered dulled my enjoyment, until like the dying light of an exploding hull, all faded to nothingness.
One shouldn't know within two to three chapters how a book is going to end. While there were twists and turns, they weren't enough to move the still target that was altogether apparent goal. I hope the next in the series is not so clear cut.
There is another sub-plot that saunters along during the entirety of the book but that too was apparent in throughout. The revelation was less grandiose that I assumed it would be, the consequences of which I cannot fathom. It does leave me hope for something more in the future now that Weston can't hide it. 2.5 Stars.
December 23, 2017
Love the series
This installment was a little on the brief side. The story consisted of one medium sized battle and didn’t significantly advance the story. That said, it’s a really good story in all. I especially like how the author incorporates current scientific discoveries in his narrative. Thus making the sci-fi nerd game of finding scientific explanations to fit the fantasy a lot of fun.
This installment was a little on the brief side. The story consisted of one medium sized battle and didn’t significantly advance the story. That said, it’s a really good story in all. I especially like how the author incorporates current scientific discoveries in his narrative. Thus making the sci-fi nerd game of finding scientific explanations to fit the fantasy a lot of fun.
December 16, 2017
Getting worse.
A whole book on one battle. No real advance of the main story line.
What started out as an averagely written shoot-em-up has degenerated into a procession of uninspired paragraphs.
Avoid it.
A whole book on one battle. No real advance of the main story line.
What started out as an averagely written shoot-em-up has degenerated into a procession of uninspired paragraphs.
Avoid it.
August 23, 2022
In my opinion, the weakest entry into the series yet. Lots of action but so what? I read this series for the story arc and that was nearly nonexistent.
March 15, 2018
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Admittedly, I am a jaded reader since I pour through some 250 books a year. But Author Evan Currie always manages to find a sweet spot with this Odyssey series that I just love. It's not high art, it's not intellectual, it's just pure fun with characters you enjoy following. True space opera that brings back the joy and excitement that comes from popcorn movies like Star Wars rather than the plodding cerebral sci fi of the 1980s and 1990s.Story: When a Priminae ship is ambushed at a colonial star system, the crew fights valiantly despite being outnumbered. Eventually, the Odysseus is brought in to investigate why the star system went silent. What ensues is a cat and mouse battle of power/surprise vs overwhelming numbers. But something else is also happening - random malfunctions all throughout the new heroic class Odyssey. Can the crew discover the root of the issues before a malfunction costs them a battle and their lives?
Odysseus awakening is one long space battle - and surprisingly is all the better for it. The situation escalates and then constantly morphs as Weston, the Priminae captain, a Priminae fleet, and Weston's small accompaniment of destroyers attempt to outwit the enemy imperial fleet. But the malfunctions are causing serious issues that have greatly affected the Odyssey's ability to fight. As with previous books, we get the perspective of the enemy Imperials as well. I'm glad that Earth/Priminae are fighting humans again since the Drasin POVs did feel a bit silly and anthropomorphic.
Currie's really honed his writing and each book is a special listening/reading event for me. I set aside time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! Especially this latest book reminded me of why I loved the Jack Campbell Lost Fleet series so much.
The Audible version was fine - I'm not really a fan of giving people accents based on their names - e.g., I have a German last name but don't speak German. But I do have to admit that it does help to distinguish characters easier when listening. The narrator did a fine job, not the best nor the worst that I have heard.
December 13, 2017
As an avid Audible member I enjoy my books via oral story telling and it works out well for me. While I can't really change my reading speed I can change the playback speed of the audibooks I enjoy. The first 3 books of this series had excellent pacing and progression on all the plot lines. The last two books though have really failed to awe me (maybe because the narrator changed 3 books ago). My solution to this pacing problem has been to make the playback faster, that doesn't seem to have resolved the issue in this book.
This book is basically one battle, the last book was two battles, but the exposition in both of these last two books has really failed to provide anything to the story and due to the pacing I felt like I was drowning in exposition at the start of both books; exposition that didn't really seem to even matter.
If the goals it to build a rich history to the universe of characters and not the universe itself then the author is doing a great job and some people really enjoy letting their imaginations run wild with the potential of what they just read/heard. Some people enjoy things purely based on the potential without ever needing the payoff that the potential suggests. Personally I'm not that type of person, I want concrete progression through the story with some twists and turns along the way to keep my guessing but the story must march forward. At the end of this book I couldn't tell that anything of value actually happened in the main story arcs (could be a limitation on my part entirely), not anything that made any sense that I hadn't already guessed.
There is a bunch of parallel actions that occur in this book but the timing felt extremely off. We could spend hours of story telling time just to have the next sentence suggest that it's only been a few minutes or less of time passed.
This book also ended in a major cliff hanger, like the last book. I'm not even sure if the last cliff hanger was even addressed (I'll have to make better notes this time about what the cliff hanger was).
I'm also going to have to depend on my fellow readers and listeners of the series reviews to know if I should continue on with these books; which makes me slightly sad because the series started off so great and was so interesting.
This book is basically one battle, the last book was two battles, but the exposition in both of these last two books has really failed to provide anything to the story and due to the pacing I felt like I was drowning in exposition at the start of both books; exposition that didn't really seem to even matter.
If the goals it to build a rich history to the universe of characters and not the universe itself then the author is doing a great job and some people really enjoy letting their imaginations run wild with the potential of what they just read/heard. Some people enjoy things purely based on the potential without ever needing the payoff that the potential suggests. Personally I'm not that type of person, I want concrete progression through the story with some twists and turns along the way to keep my guessing but the story must march forward. At the end of this book I couldn't tell that anything of value actually happened in the main story arcs (could be a limitation on my part entirely), not anything that made any sense that I hadn't already guessed.
There is a bunch of parallel actions that occur in this book but the timing felt extremely off. We could spend hours of story telling time just to have the next sentence suggest that it's only been a few minutes or less of time passed.
This book also ended in a major cliff hanger, like the last book. I'm not even sure if the last cliff hanger was even addressed (I'll have to make better notes this time about what the cliff hanger was).
I'm also going to have to depend on my fellow readers and listeners of the series reviews to know if I should continue on with these books; which makes me slightly sad because the series started off so great and was so interesting.
May 27, 2018
Another satisfying military sci-fi space adventure. Less stand alone than some of the others. More military less adventure.
The plot as usual was fun, though very straight forward. The book felt like the first act in a larger plot and consequently lacked closure more than some of the others in the series. There were some surprises and twists but mostly much of the same (as the rest of the series). A satisfying if predictable action climax, with no shortage of heroics.
The characters are there to fulfill the plot and apart from Weston have very little impact on the outcome. That said in a military sci-fi space adventure one shouldn't expect deep personal issues and complex relationships. Black navy personnel and marines are also recruited fully developed and don't need to mature.
As is typical of Currie the style is easy. He has developed a armory of cool weapons and concepts that allow for tactical complexity and tension without overly complicating the science (and becoming a bore). This is perhaps his greatest asset and what keeps me coming back for more.
The swapping between Terran, Priminae and Imperial point of view kept it interesting and gave some interesting tactical insight.
The book lives up to the military sci-fi brand promise of simple, action-packed space warfare. There is limited variation although I enjoyed some of the focus on the marines. Compared to some of Currie's others - there was less adventure and exploration.
The plot as usual was fun, though very straight forward. The book felt like the first act in a larger plot and consequently lacked closure more than some of the others in the series. There were some surprises and twists but mostly much of the same (as the rest of the series). A satisfying if predictable action climax, with no shortage of heroics.
The characters are there to fulfill the plot and apart from Weston have very little impact on the outcome. That said in a military sci-fi space adventure one shouldn't expect deep personal issues and complex relationships. Black navy personnel and marines are also recruited fully developed and don't need to mature.
As is typical of Currie the style is easy. He has developed a armory of cool weapons and concepts that allow for tactical complexity and tension without overly complicating the science (and becoming a bore). This is perhaps his greatest asset and what keeps me coming back for more.
The swapping between Terran, Priminae and Imperial point of view kept it interesting and gave some interesting tactical insight.
The book lives up to the military sci-fi brand promise of simple, action-packed space warfare. There is limited variation although I enjoyed some of the focus on the marines. Compared to some of Currie's others - there was less adventure and exploration.
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