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The Chronicles of Sarco #2
Into the Void
A new ship. A perilous journey.
Humanity and its allies have survived the terror of the planet-ship known as Malum. The Confederacy, badly beaten but not destroyed, is slowly rebuilding from its brush with oblivion.
Now Navy officer Jared Carter has a new task: to track Malum’s path back across the Great Void and determine what threat its makers still pose to the Confederacy. At his command will be the most powerful ship in the Navy and a brand-new escort fleet. But dangers loom in the unknown regions ahead—and even aboard his own ship. Facing the darkness before them will require all the faith and courage he and his crew can summon . . .
Humanity and its allies have survived the terror of the planet-ship known as Malum. The Confederacy, badly beaten but not destroyed, is slowly rebuilding from its brush with oblivion.
Now Navy officer Jared Carter has a new task: to track Malum’s path back across the Great Void and determine what threat its makers still pose to the Confederacy. At his command will be the most powerful ship in the Navy and a brand-new escort fleet. But dangers loom in the unknown regions ahead—and even aboard his own ship. Facing the darkness before them will require all the faith and courage he and his crew can summon . . .
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2018
4 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Joshua A. Johnston
14 books74 followersA novelist, writer, and ruminator, I write on a variety of topics, including science fiction, video games, parenting, and even Aldi. By day, I work in public education as a middle school librarian.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 23, 2018
“Into the Void” is an excellent sequel to “Edge of Oblivion”. It answers many of the questions of the first book, expands the mythos of its universe, and gives the characters interesting things to do and say. It leaves you wanting a third book, without feeling you were cheated by this one. Well done, Mr. Johnston. Can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
February 15, 2018
An excellent cast of characters and sentient life-forms, this book brings to life other worlds effortlessly, with colorful and believable history. As a Star Trek fan, the highest complement I can give is that many times I was reminded of scenes on the bridge of Next Generation. The alien language is written so realistically. Into the Void is perhaps one of the best science-fiction, space adventures I have read.
Best of all, there is a hidden message in the book--belief in God is more powerful than the forces of darkness. But don't worry; it's not preachy at all! I would recommend this book to a secular audience as well, because the use of alien languages and history creates religions that are not Christian, but represent the power in the ONE GOD. Such good writing!
Best of all, there is a hidden message in the book--belief in God is more powerful than the forces of darkness. But don't worry; it's not preachy at all! I would recommend this book to a secular audience as well, because the use of alien languages and history creates religions that are not Christian, but represent the power in the ONE GOD. Such good writing!
December 23, 2018
Firstly, I must congratulate Joshua Johnston for a remarkable feat in creating this incredible future world based in space with an assortment of races with very unusual features, languages and philosophies. Frankly, I am in awe of how Johnston managed to create such depth of detail around not just these multiple races but the various new technologies that he created.
This is Book 2 in the series and I did wonder if I was disadvantaged by not having read Book 1. I expect many things would have been more familiar for me and would have meant it didn’t ‘t take so long for me to get used to the ‘newness’ and ‘unusualness’ of this invented story future space world.
I will also acknowledge that such stories are not my preferred choice to read. I’m just not into ‘space’ stories for some reason. I don’t really enjoy watching ‘space’ movies. And I’ve never been a Trekky, however, enjoy Star Wars but it has a very strong narrative and some marvellous characters that I’ve grown up with.
With that preamble I will admit that I found this difficult to read. There were many times I wanted to put it down. And for one reason, I was bored. Hence, my preamble, because I think my opinion is a little biased because these stories don’t typically grab me.
In saying that there was a lot of focus on the visual elements of the various races, the technologies, language and philosophies which for someone who isn’t particularly interested makes it hard going to read. Yes, there was action but not enough in my opinion. There was a lot more commentary rather than action scenes. In saying that the action scenes were good and Johnston brought me into the scene and I was able to mostly visualise what was going on.
As is common for many male writers, we sometimes de-emphasis the heart and soul of a character when this is always a way of capturing a reader’s interest even if they’re not that interested in what’s going on around the character. And this was one of those stories. I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters. Even Jared Carter, the fine upstanding human Captain. I just don’t get enough of an inside look into his heart, his motivations, his fears, his loves and more.
If you enjoy science fiction and space stories with lots of detail you’ll enjoy this book and I presume the first in the series is similar. Perhaps read that one first. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t my kind of story.
This is Book 2 in the series and I did wonder if I was disadvantaged by not having read Book 1. I expect many things would have been more familiar for me and would have meant it didn’t ‘t take so long for me to get used to the ‘newness’ and ‘unusualness’ of this invented story future space world.
I will also acknowledge that such stories are not my preferred choice to read. I’m just not into ‘space’ stories for some reason. I don’t really enjoy watching ‘space’ movies. And I’ve never been a Trekky, however, enjoy Star Wars but it has a very strong narrative and some marvellous characters that I’ve grown up with.
With that preamble I will admit that I found this difficult to read. There were many times I wanted to put it down. And for one reason, I was bored. Hence, my preamble, because I think my opinion is a little biased because these stories don’t typically grab me.
In saying that there was a lot of focus on the visual elements of the various races, the technologies, language and philosophies which for someone who isn’t particularly interested makes it hard going to read. Yes, there was action but not enough in my opinion. There was a lot more commentary rather than action scenes. In saying that the action scenes were good and Johnston brought me into the scene and I was able to mostly visualise what was going on.
As is common for many male writers, we sometimes de-emphasis the heart and soul of a character when this is always a way of capturing a reader’s interest even if they’re not that interested in what’s going on around the character. And this was one of those stories. I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters. Even Jared Carter, the fine upstanding human Captain. I just don’t get enough of an inside look into his heart, his motivations, his fears, his loves and more.
If you enjoy science fiction and space stories with lots of detail you’ll enjoy this book and I presume the first in the series is similar. Perhaps read that one first. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t my kind of story.
January 15, 2020
The Confederacy is licking their wounds after Malum's attacks. There were so many ships destroyed, Jared is sure he's headed for desk duty. But Garvak is secretly putting together a ship and crew to go out beyond Confederacy space to see if they can find where Malum came from and why. For reasons that are kept hidden from the general population for ages, the mission has to be carried out secretly. The Sarco cleric Nho has obviously been recruited to go on the mission, since he was the only one successful in standing up to Malum. He's insisted Jared captain the mission, which both thrills and intimidates Jared. It is a huge mission. He'll be in charge of a big, experimental ship. And they are headed off into who knows what. But if they can save the Confederacy from future attacks, it is worth it. Right?
This kept up the excitement and high action of the first book and many of the characters we got to know get to go along for the trip so we get to know them better. I like how well Johnston portrayed what it would be like to meet new alien species with a complex variety of cultures. This isn't all "oh, we have a universal translator so communication is instant and seemless," nope. They have to work to understand each other, though they do get the boost of an base codex of some words. (For reasons that make sense.) The huge secret had very interesting consequences. The book has good pacing and never gets dull. Johnston proves himself a brave author in not being afraid to kill off even characters who have been around a while. It is realistic for the number of battles they go through, but not many authors trust their readers or the strength of their plot enough to do that. There are allegorical elements of the story to Christian teachings and Bible stories, but they are tactfully done and not so straightforward that the story is predictable. It's very well done. I also appreciate all the different species and cultures Johnston has been able to create (even with multiple cultures per species). It is imaginative and well-thought out scifi. I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series. Recommended to scifi fans.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There are several battles which result in a lot of fatalities and injuries. Thanks to advanced science, many recover from injuries (though not all). There's a little description of some injuries but nothing super gory. The weight of deaths is well conveyed.
This kept up the excitement and high action of the first book and many of the characters we got to know get to go along for the trip so we get to know them better. I like how well Johnston portrayed what it would be like to meet new alien species with a complex variety of cultures. This isn't all "oh, we have a universal translator so communication is instant and seemless," nope. They have to work to understand each other, though they do get the boost of an base codex of some words. (For reasons that make sense.) The huge secret had very interesting consequences. The book has good pacing and never gets dull. Johnston proves himself a brave author in not being afraid to kill off even characters who have been around a while. It is realistic for the number of battles they go through, but not many authors trust their readers or the strength of their plot enough to do that. There are allegorical elements of the story to Christian teachings and Bible stories, but they are tactfully done and not so straightforward that the story is predictable. It's very well done. I also appreciate all the different species and cultures Johnston has been able to create (even with multiple cultures per species). It is imaginative and well-thought out scifi. I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series. Recommended to scifi fans.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There are several battles which result in a lot of fatalities and injuries. Thanks to advanced science, many recover from injuries (though not all). There's a little description of some injuries but nothing super gory. The weight of deaths is well conveyed.
January 29, 2018
What a ride 'into the void'! The first book in the series (Edge of Oblivion) I enjoyed for the xenosociology, this second book for its exploration adventure. The action hardly abates, the new races are interesting (love the way the author stylises alien language), and an ending which left me checking how long the third book has to go before I can get my hands on it. It is well worth (but not essential) to read the short stories Joshua Johnston wrote as they help fill out the back ground.
From a faith perspective, some interesting thoughts about the incarnation and how it maybe efficacious for sentients other than humans, and a subtle, but true, commentary on the hardness of the heart towards God. Overall a very well written and enjoyable space opera for which I am keenly awaiting the finale.
(I was lucky enough to be a pre-release reader).
From a faith perspective, some interesting thoughts about the incarnation and how it maybe efficacious for sentients other than humans, and a subtle, but true, commentary on the hardness of the heart towards God. Overall a very well written and enjoyable space opera for which I am keenly awaiting the finale.
(I was lucky enough to be a pre-release reader).
March 21, 2018
Love this book! Got a chance to read an advance copy and I really enjoyed it. Even better than the first! I enjoyed the first a lot but this one is an even more exciting read. It's great seeing the characters develop over time, understanding their motivations more and getting to know the different species overall. The alien species in these books are so creative and unique, learning about them really drove my interest. I loved the first book as well but even if you didn't you should check this one out, it really draws the overall narrative together and I'm really, really excited to see how it all ends!
April 13, 2018
4.5/5 Stars. Another engaging installment in a unique and enjoyable Christian sci-fi series. I look forward to the next installment!
July 6, 2018
Space adventure at its best!
I really love this book from a series that I will have on my reading list from now on. A fan!
I really love this book from a series that I will have on my reading list from now on. A fan!
April 10, 2019
This book is full of action and is the typical middle of the series book. It wraps up the previous book and foreshadows the last book. I'm looking forward to number three.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews