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Archangel One #1
Archangel One
An elite squadron must go undercover behind enemy lines in this thrilling new space adventure from the author of the Odyssey One series.
Humanity has reached an uneasy truce with the Empire—but unless the allies bring the fight to the enemy, extinction is all but assured. In preparation for the inevitable next war, Commander Stephen Michaels is at the helm of the Archangel Squadron, and his orders are go rogue.
Disguised as mercenaries, Commander Michaels and the Archangels seek valuable intelligence on their imposing foe. Their mission takes them deep into uncharted territory, where they make inroads with the Empire, fiercely guarding their true identities and purpose. Fighting for the enemy goes against everything they stand for, but these are desperate times.
As their deception increases, so does the risk. With the Empire’s deadliest secrets within reach, Commander Michaels and the Archangels accept a mission that will take them even deeper into the Imperial fold. They know all too well that one wrong step won’t just end their lives—it could end their entire civilization.
Humanity has reached an uneasy truce with the Empire—but unless the allies bring the fight to the enemy, extinction is all but assured. In preparation for the inevitable next war, Commander Stephen Michaels is at the helm of the Archangel Squadron, and his orders are go rogue.
Disguised as mercenaries, Commander Michaels and the Archangels seek valuable intelligence on their imposing foe. Their mission takes them deep into uncharted territory, where they make inroads with the Empire, fiercely guarding their true identities and purpose. Fighting for the enemy goes against everything they stand for, but these are desperate times.
As their deception increases, so does the risk. With the Empire’s deadliest secrets within reach, Commander Michaels and the Archangels accept a mission that will take them even deeper into the Imperial fold. They know all too well that one wrong step won’t just end their lives—it could end their entire civilization.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2019
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4537 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
October 24, 2023
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Unbeknownst to me, this is a new sequence in an existing ongoing series. It is a military Sci Fi story about a disgraced admiral and a team of volunteers who are tasked with going undercover as mercenaries and pirates to infiltrate vassel civilizations on the fringes of the Empire. Lots of space battles. A little political intrigue.
Most of this book was world building and explaining tech and tactics. Not a lot of plot. Maybe if I'd read the prior novels in the series, it would be enough to make me want to continue. Maybe I would have been more engaged with the characters. As it was, I was more engaged in appreciation of the various kinds of space ships. They were pretty cool.
If you like well written space battles, this is the series for you.
Unbeknownst to me, this is a new sequence in an existing ongoing series. It is a military Sci Fi story about a disgraced admiral and a team of volunteers who are tasked with going undercover as mercenaries and pirates to infiltrate vassel civilizations on the fringes of the Empire. Lots of space battles. A little political intrigue.
Most of this book was world building and explaining tech and tactics. Not a lot of plot. Maybe if I'd read the prior novels in the series, it would be enough to make me want to continue. Maybe I would have been more engaged with the characters. As it was, I was more engaged in appreciation of the various kinds of space ships. They were pretty cool.
If you like well written space battles, this is the series for you.
May 3, 2020
Author Currie likes to write series of books, so be prepared: Archangel One leads into Book2 which leads into Book3, etc. I haven’t read any of the others in this or another related series, so this is what I liked about Archangel One:
This is as pure a space opera as you will encounter. It has cool technology; interesting cultures; enemies who are three-dimensional; and battles that are worth the space devoted to them. Currie makes discoveries in space/time sufficiently plausible to keep things moving. There is more than one focus, so be prepared for some time spent describing what has happened to Earth and its alliances as well as the Empire and several other cultures that lie between them.
The material included below is just to give you a sense of the levels of story on which Currie chooses to operate.
"The space-warp drive did open up the local arm of the galaxy to exploration, but in terms of logistical movement for military purposes, the accessible range was much smaller."
"“You need to push that heap harder,” Alex said. “The Imps are gaining on you, and you’re just not putting enough kick in your pants to open the range.” “Tell me something I don’t know. This heap needs a tuning, pronto. They’ve just let the poor baby rust from the inside out. I swear some people don’t deserve nice things.” “It ain’t nice enough to lose your life for, Steph.” “I’m too good-looking to die, Alex,” Steph responded. “Too damn stupid to know you’re dead is more like it,” she yelled in response. She was getting really sick of hearing his laughter over the comms."
"The problem with that idea was, of course, that stealthing a gravity signature was supposedly impossible. Gravity could be twisted and tamed, otherwise a ship the likes of an Imperial cruiser could never approach a populated planet. The gravity of her singularity core would utterly disrupt any populace with tidal forces the likes of which no one wanted to live through. However, it was quite impossible—supposedly—to disguise the quantum signature of any universal mass. You could make the universe treat mass in different ways, similar to how one might convert matter to energy and vice versa, but that did not in any way negate the fact that the mass existed."
"“I’m no expert, I know, but is a warp ship supposed to be this close to a large gravity source while under power?” the Marine asked. “Nope.” “Okay, that’s what I thought.” Apparently satisfied that his boss either knew what he was doing or was completely crazy, the Marine fell silent, seemingly fine with either outcome. Steph grinned."
3.5*
This is as pure a space opera as you will encounter. It has cool technology; interesting cultures; enemies who are three-dimensional; and battles that are worth the space devoted to them. Currie makes discoveries in space/time sufficiently plausible to keep things moving. There is more than one focus, so be prepared for some time spent describing what has happened to Earth and its alliances as well as the Empire and several other cultures that lie between them.
The material included below is just to give you a sense of the levels of story on which Currie chooses to operate.
"The space-warp drive did open up the local arm of the galaxy to exploration, but in terms of logistical movement for military purposes, the accessible range was much smaller."
"“You need to push that heap harder,” Alex said. “The Imps are gaining on you, and you’re just not putting enough kick in your pants to open the range.” “Tell me something I don’t know. This heap needs a tuning, pronto. They’ve just let the poor baby rust from the inside out. I swear some people don’t deserve nice things.” “It ain’t nice enough to lose your life for, Steph.” “I’m too good-looking to die, Alex,” Steph responded. “Too damn stupid to know you’re dead is more like it,” she yelled in response. She was getting really sick of hearing his laughter over the comms."
"The problem with that idea was, of course, that stealthing a gravity signature was supposedly impossible. Gravity could be twisted and tamed, otherwise a ship the likes of an Imperial cruiser could never approach a populated planet. The gravity of her singularity core would utterly disrupt any populace with tidal forces the likes of which no one wanted to live through. However, it was quite impossible—supposedly—to disguise the quantum signature of any universal mass. You could make the universe treat mass in different ways, similar to how one might convert matter to energy and vice versa, but that did not in any way negate the fact that the mass existed."
"“I’m no expert, I know, but is a warp ship supposed to be this close to a large gravity source while under power?” the Marine asked. “Nope.” “Okay, that’s what I thought.” Apparently satisfied that his boss either knew what he was doing or was completely crazy, the Marine fell silent, seemingly fine with either outcome. Steph grinned."
3.5*
September 17, 2019
Archangel One is an exhilarating novel but they were times when the novel was overly descriptive and technical.
August 22, 2019
A military scifi novel about a squadron of new high-powered spaceships and a plan to infiltrate the all-consuming Empire that rules over the galaxy. The Archangel ships are designed by Earth and its allies to fly faster and with more ease in controls than any fighter ever. Yet, the brunt force and shear number of the Empire’s force causes the Earth’s forces to get creative. Their idea: to go undercover as ‘privateers’ in order to find intelligence about the enemy.
Recruitment, training, and political details take up the first half of the book. And then the mission starts to take shape. I didn’t know that this books takes place in a world the author has written about in several series. He does give sufficient background to get the reader caught up to speed. It wasn’t that that hampered my enjoyment of the book…
I had two main problems with the book: questionable character choice and a heavy dose of the physics of flight. One of the Empire’s noblemen is introduced in the first several chapters of the book and at first I thought this was going to be one of those books where were get a point of view from both sides of the conflict. But the character disappears, not to be heard from for most of the novel. There’s also several entities that live of a couple of the ships that have the ability to read thoughts. I wasn’t really sure about their role in the book. As observers of human behavior?
The second criticism is more of a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ issue. I can only handle so much of the ‘vector’ talk when in space, and this one was very heavy in all of it.
What I did like about this book is the problem solving of the crews. Their ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking kept them one step ahead of the Empire’s forces for much of the novel.
Ultimately, this one felt like “wrong book, wrong time” for me.
3 out of 5 stars.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/08/22/ar...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
Recruitment, training, and political details take up the first half of the book. And then the mission starts to take shape. I didn’t know that this books takes place in a world the author has written about in several series. He does give sufficient background to get the reader caught up to speed. It wasn’t that that hampered my enjoyment of the book…
I had two main problems with the book: questionable character choice and a heavy dose of the physics of flight. One of the Empire’s noblemen is introduced in the first several chapters of the book and at first I thought this was going to be one of those books where were get a point of view from both sides of the conflict. But the character disappears, not to be heard from for most of the novel. There’s also several entities that live of a couple of the ships that have the ability to read thoughts. I wasn’t really sure about their role in the book. As observers of human behavior?
The second criticism is more of a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ issue. I can only handle so much of the ‘vector’ talk when in space, and this one was very heavy in all of it.
What I did like about this book is the problem solving of the crews. Their ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking kept them one step ahead of the Empire’s forces for much of the novel.
Ultimately, this one felt like “wrong book, wrong time” for me.
3 out of 5 stars.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/08/22/ar...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
September 9, 2019
Quite good!
July 20, 2019
I've been following Evan Currie's Odyssey One series for several years now (and yes, loving this military scifi series).
Now, new technology has created the Archangel Squadron of ships to be led by Commander Stephen "Stephanos" Michaels . Their orders are to impersonate mercenaries as they move into deep space seeking intelligence to help defeat the Empire.
I love the action, the technology, and the characters in these books. Archangel One gives Stephanos a larger role in this parallel series connected to the larger Odyssey series, but focusing on the mission of intelligence gathering.
Stephanos, with his willingness to take risks, is perfect for the mission.
These books are like graphic novels in many ways. There's a screenplay quality to this series, and the books are action, not character driven. The characters are likable, and I appreciate the continuity from book to book with its ensemble cast.
The books are great fun, full of suspense, and hard to put down.
NetGalle/47 North
Military SciFi. Sept. 1, 2019. Print length: 272 pages.
Now, new technology has created the Archangel Squadron of ships to be led by Commander Stephen "Stephanos" Michaels . Their orders are to impersonate mercenaries as they move into deep space seeking intelligence to help defeat the Empire.
I love the action, the technology, and the characters in these books. Archangel One gives Stephanos a larger role in this parallel series connected to the larger Odyssey series, but focusing on the mission of intelligence gathering.
Stephanos, with his willingness to take risks, is perfect for the mission.
These books are like graphic novels in many ways. There's a screenplay quality to this series, and the books are action, not character driven. The characters are likable, and I appreciate the continuity from book to book with its ensemble cast.
The books are great fun, full of suspense, and hard to put down.
NetGalle/47 North
Military SciFi. Sept. 1, 2019. Print length: 272 pages.
September 6, 2019
Great read
I love the into the black series, the next instalment can never come fast enough.
Great work keep it up.
I love the into the black series, the next instalment can never come fast enough.
Great work keep it up.
December 18, 2019
(Audio book review)
This was so much fun to listen to. It’s actually the first in a new series, but the universe it exists in originates from the Odyssey One series. This is my first time to read anything by this author so everything in it was new to me.
As best I can tell, the premise is that at the end of the Odyssey One series there is a truce of sorts between Earth and their allies with the Imperialists. However, no one believes the Empire is just going to let things lie. So, with brand new fighter ships that no one has seen before, the Archangel squadron is given the task to go into deep space, pretend to be pirates and start gathering intelligence. What occurs is they find themselves assisting in a battle between two planets, but in the process they learn a lot more is going on from behind the scenes by the Empire.
Audio Book Review
I thoroughly enjoyed the drama and action this book presented over audio. Archangel One is full of action and military space fights and listening to this made everything come alive – from the story, to the characters and to the stress they are all under. If I had to choose between reading orders being given by a character or hearing orders being barked at to another character, I’ll choose the latter every time. I will never go to space or participate in a space opera, but listening to a space battle on audio has got to be the closest thing to it. So much drama and action!
The story also has a wide range of characters in the book, providing the narrator a lot of opportunities to shine with his many voices and accents.
Although, I loved the story and audio book, I did have two very minor issues when listening. First, the audio speed was rather slow. I’m not someone who usually increases the speed of an audio book, although I believe many do. However, the original speed was just a bit too slow for me to listen to, so I felt I needed to increase it in order to make it feel a little more natural sounding. Doing so also created another positive – action scenes come at you quicker and helped increase the intensity of the story. The other issue is more because it was a new series to me than anything else and that is how it was a little difficult at the beginning for me to distinguish where the different scenes take place. In the book, there is clearly a heading telling you where you are in the universe – Earth, Empire, etc. and it does get announced in the story, but somehow my ears had trouble picking this up at first. Thankfully, I did have the book to fall back on and could quickly look to in these situations.
Overall, I found the story to have a cohesive order to it, where circumstances don’t feel out of place or position within the context of the story. In general, I am not very knowledgeable in spaceships and the science of them, so I can’t comment too much on that part, but I found it was generally easy to pick up and understand. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series when it comes out in January 2020.
Rating: 4.5 stars
This was so much fun to listen to. It’s actually the first in a new series, but the universe it exists in originates from the Odyssey One series. This is my first time to read anything by this author so everything in it was new to me.
As best I can tell, the premise is that at the end of the Odyssey One series there is a truce of sorts between Earth and their allies with the Imperialists. However, no one believes the Empire is just going to let things lie. So, with brand new fighter ships that no one has seen before, the Archangel squadron is given the task to go into deep space, pretend to be pirates and start gathering intelligence. What occurs is they find themselves assisting in a battle between two planets, but in the process they learn a lot more is going on from behind the scenes by the Empire.
Audio Book Review
I thoroughly enjoyed the drama and action this book presented over audio. Archangel One is full of action and military space fights and listening to this made everything come alive – from the story, to the characters and to the stress they are all under. If I had to choose between reading orders being given by a character or hearing orders being barked at to another character, I’ll choose the latter every time. I will never go to space or participate in a space opera, but listening to a space battle on audio has got to be the closest thing to it. So much drama and action!
The story also has a wide range of characters in the book, providing the narrator a lot of opportunities to shine with his many voices and accents.
Although, I loved the story and audio book, I did have two very minor issues when listening. First, the audio speed was rather slow. I’m not someone who usually increases the speed of an audio book, although I believe many do. However, the original speed was just a bit too slow for me to listen to, so I felt I needed to increase it in order to make it feel a little more natural sounding. Doing so also created another positive – action scenes come at you quicker and helped increase the intensity of the story. The other issue is more because it was a new series to me than anything else and that is how it was a little difficult at the beginning for me to distinguish where the different scenes take place. In the book, there is clearly a heading telling you where you are in the universe – Earth, Empire, etc. and it does get announced in the story, but somehow my ears had trouble picking this up at first. Thankfully, I did have the book to fall back on and could quickly look to in these situations.
Overall, I found the story to have a cohesive order to it, where circumstances don’t feel out of place or position within the context of the story. In general, I am not very knowledgeable in spaceships and the science of them, so I can’t comment too much on that part, but I found it was generally easy to pick up and understand. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series when it comes out in January 2020.
Rating: 4.5 stars
December 10, 2019
Well,I made a mistake and did not do proper research on this before picking it up. Apparently there is a larger series called Odyssey One,where we meet all the characters and get a start of the story and its development. Archangel One is a start of a spinoff of that series but really it felt very much like a continuation of it because the characters from Odyssey One appeared quite frequently and had adventures and battles. So,in a way I probably missed a lot by not having a necessary background on the world and its workings,but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story nonetheless.
We mostly follow Commander Stephen Michaels and his crew,who have to go deeply undercover pretending to be mercenaries to gain intel. We also have chapters following the characters on Odysseys as well as chapters following the antagonists of this world. All of that was highly entertaining. Stephen is quite a reckless person who comes up with all sorts of crazy strategies that I never knew what he would do next.
At times the writing got overly technical and I found myself not fully understanding what was happening. Also,this felt like a prologue to the main story,the characters barely start being mercenaries in this one,so I think the next books will be even more interesting.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We mostly follow Commander Stephen Michaels and his crew,who have to go deeply undercover pretending to be mercenaries to gain intel. We also have chapters following the characters on Odysseys as well as chapters following the antagonists of this world. All of that was highly entertaining. Stephen is quite a reckless person who comes up with all sorts of crazy strategies that I never knew what he would do next.
At times the writing got overly technical and I found myself not fully understanding what was happening. Also,this felt like a prologue to the main story,the characters barely start being mercenaries in this one,so I think the next books will be even more interesting.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 1, 2021
This off shoot of the Archangel One series is right on the money. Lots of exciting action. Well developed characters and story arc make it a pleasure to read.
Disguised as mercenaries they attempt to get as close as possible to their enemy the Empire to see if they are preparing for another attack on Earth. Along the way they get to do a lot of fun Pirate like; oops I meant mercenary type, stuff that's not only scary as heck and way off the charts.
Space battles are EPIC.
A highly recommended book and Author
Disguised as mercenaries they attempt to get as close as possible to their enemy the Empire to see if they are preparing for another attack on Earth. Along the way they get to do a lot of fun Pirate like; oops I meant mercenary type, stuff that's not only scary as heck and way off the charts.
Space battles are EPIC.
A highly recommended book and Author
March 18, 2024
DNF at less than 10%.
Picked this up to read a new sci-fi; something written in the last 5 years.
Because authors of this genre are able to stand on the shoulders of past giants, one tends to hope that education would lend itself toward a higher read.
However, it appears re-iterating the media's dictates for current social morality, and how you should be thinking, are much more important.
Stereotypical and clichéish.
Picked this up to read a new sci-fi; something written in the last 5 years.
Because authors of this genre are able to stand on the shoulders of past giants, one tends to hope that education would lend itself toward a higher read.
However, it appears re-iterating the media's dictates for current social morality, and how you should be thinking, are much more important.
Stereotypical and clichéish.
September 23, 2020
This book is so incredibly boring. DNF at 20%. Description lacking, too much dialogue. It's hard to get a grasp on the world. The characters are quite flat and it's taking too long to get interesting. Honestly, the deal-breaker was the character Odysseus. I get he's like a sentient being integrated into the ship or something, but the fact that he also has a humanoid body that looks like a young boy and wears ancient Greek costume armor all the time really clashes with the military/political aspect of the story. Too bad, I wanted to like this story so much and slogged through a fifth of the book trying to give it a chance.
January 2, 2024
First things first: This isn't a standalone series; don't read this if you haven't completed the Odyssey One series by the same author, all the way through book 7. Otherwise, nothing will make sense, and you almost certainly won't enjoy it.
That said, it's challenging to define this series, as it's not exactly a spinoff either. While the main story arc is essentially on hold, there is ample information provided to the reader that you wouldn't want to miss, involving the main story arc and key characters and their development.
Prominently featured in this book are Steph Michaels, Milla Chans, and the Archangels. There's also almost as much space dedicated to newly introduced characters, of which there are quite a few.
Michaels remains among my least favorite characters from the Odyssey One series, and unfortunately, this book does nothing to change that. Everything he (and other members of the Archangels) does is either deemed "crazy" or "insane" and is always done with a smirk or a grin. It's like Top Gun's Maverick on steroids but without any of the charm.
Milla Chans could have been a fascinating character for obvious reasons, but her character development in previous books was minimal, and this book fails to alter that trajectory. She tends to solve problems by pulling a rabbit out of her magician's hat. Additionally, she serves as the character to point out that Michaels and/or the Terrans are insane and crazy, ad nauseam, throughout the entire book.
Needless to say, this all becomes tiresome quickly. If you expect or hope to read this book for character development, you'll likely be very disappointed.
Story-wise, it's a bit better. While not overly original and at times an obvious maneuver to stall progress on the main story arc, there are interesting new developments, for instance concerning The Empire and, well.. no spoilers here. The pacing overall is adequate, although it slows down a bit too much for the final encounter, lasting nearly a third of the book but playing out in only a fraction of the time compared to the other two-thirds.
All in all, not great, but decent. If you enjoy the Odyssey One series, there's no reason to skip this, and it's probably best not to. You might even consider it a continuation of the Odyssey One series with a slight shift in focus.
The author appears to have become somewhat lazy on various fronts. Character development is nonexistent at this point, and what we do get only stretches what's already very shallow, rather than delving a little deeper. The need for technology to make logical sense has all but disappeared, with more and more "magic" creeping in whenever it's convenient.
This series as a whole really needs to come to an end.
Rating: 3.5/5, rounding down.
That said, it's challenging to define this series, as it's not exactly a spinoff either. While the main story arc is essentially on hold, there is ample information provided to the reader that you wouldn't want to miss, involving the main story arc and key characters and their development.
Prominently featured in this book are Steph Michaels, Milla Chans, and the Archangels. There's also almost as much space dedicated to newly introduced characters, of which there are quite a few.
Michaels remains among my least favorite characters from the Odyssey One series, and unfortunately, this book does nothing to change that. Everything he (and other members of the Archangels) does is either deemed "crazy" or "insane" and is always done with a smirk or a grin. It's like Top Gun's Maverick on steroids but without any of the charm.
Milla Chans could have been a fascinating character for obvious reasons, but her character development in previous books was minimal, and this book fails to alter that trajectory. She tends to solve problems by pulling a rabbit out of her magician's hat. Additionally, she serves as the character to point out that Michaels and/or the Terrans are insane and crazy, ad nauseam, throughout the entire book.
Needless to say, this all becomes tiresome quickly. If you expect or hope to read this book for character development, you'll likely be very disappointed.
Story-wise, it's a bit better. While not overly original and at times an obvious maneuver to stall progress on the main story arc, there are interesting new developments, for instance concerning The Empire and, well.. no spoilers here. The pacing overall is adequate, although it slows down a bit too much for the final encounter, lasting nearly a third of the book but playing out in only a fraction of the time compared to the other two-thirds.
All in all, not great, but decent. If you enjoy the Odyssey One series, there's no reason to skip this, and it's probably best not to. You might even consider it a continuation of the Odyssey One series with a slight shift in focus.
The author appears to have become somewhat lazy on various fronts. Character development is nonexistent at this point, and what we do get only stretches what's already very shallow, rather than delving a little deeper. The need for technology to make logical sense has all but disappeared, with more and more "magic" creeping in whenever it's convenient.
This series as a whole really needs to come to an end.
Rating: 3.5/5, rounding down.
January 19, 2020
'Archangel One' by author Evan Currie is an exciting, fun adventure! Currie takes his readers into the fringes of meagerly-populated deep space on a newly-developed, agile, top-of-the-line space fighter, Archangel One. Commander "Steph" Michaels is the archangels' squadron leader. His allied mission is to seek out information related to warring minor populations among the outer planets and to glean information related to the ever-warring, conquering Empire. Steph is just the pilot to do this as he is highly-skilled, risk-taking, laid-back and an excellent strategist. His approach to the mission is to pirate, and by book's end the reader is compelled to disembark from the safety of the archangel ship to take one's chance on a broken-down enemy fighter that is surely just one laser beam away from destruction. This is my first foray into outer space, my first experience at pirating, and my first novel written by Currie. The book is, in other words, far outside my normal genres and I did not read his original Odyssey series that apparently feeds into this new Archangel one. And I so enjoyed it! Aside from the page-turning climax to the book, I also found it interesting that despite the Allied versus Empire plot, this author did not present a good versus evil simplistic approach. All characters in the novel are to some extent sympathetic, in that all are simply doing their jobs, living their lives, and trying to do their best for their respective 'sides.' This was an interesting and refreshing presentation.
February 15, 2020
A detour in the main Odyssey One series.
Just like the Star Rogue, the Archangel One is a way to spend time focused on a different character than the usual hero of the Odyssey One series, while you wait for the next "main" book. So, don't expect a different story - it is completely integrated in the main storyline : you need to have read the previous Odyssey One books, and it will almost definitively be required reading for the next.
It's a setting that promises a very different take, and, I think, one that is intrinsically harder to pull off. It's also a kind of a slow burn. There's stuff happening, but what is supposed to be the main story focus isn't happening much during book 1.
So, while it's good mil-fi, it leaves you a bit hungry for more. Which is good for the series, but I'd like to have my books a bit more meaty.
Just like the Star Rogue, the Archangel One is a way to spend time focused on a different character than the usual hero of the Odyssey One series, while you wait for the next "main" book. So, don't expect a different story - it is completely integrated in the main storyline : you need to have read the previous Odyssey One books, and it will almost definitively be required reading for the next.
It's a setting that promises a very different take, and, I think, one that is intrinsically harder to pull off. It's also a kind of a slow burn. There's stuff happening, but what is supposed to be the main story focus isn't happening much during book 1.
So, while it's good mil-fi, it leaves you a bit hungry for more. Which is good for the series, but I'd like to have my books a bit more meaty.
April 4, 2020
3 1/2 stars. A grand space opera with drama, good characters, action and technology. The only problem is that there are so many povs that sometimes it is hard to keep the characters straight.
I started this without realizing there was a series before it. While the reader can easily pick up what is going on you definitely know that there is a lot of context you are missing.
I started this without realizing there was a series before it. While the reader can easily pick up what is going on you definitely know that there is a lot of context you are missing.
August 18, 2019
Excellent plot advancement
I loved the plot and seeing more of Stephanos was great. I thought this felt like a return to the Odyssey One style which has prompted an entire series rereading
I loved the plot and seeing more of Stephanos was great. I thought this felt like a return to the Odyssey One style which has prompted an entire series rereading
September 13, 2019
I’ll write better review later, but now I’ll say they become SPACE PIRATES ... um I mean state sponsored privateers.
August 31, 2019
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Oddly enough, this isn't listed as the 8th book in the Odyssey One series; but note that Archangel One is not a book you would want to read without having read the previous novels. That said, I loved every moment here and always enjoy reading each book as they come out. For this particular book, we're following a more tangential storyline (as in King of Thieves) since we follow Stephanos and his new crew as they do some privateering (aka "pirates") to uncover more intel about the Empire.Stephan Michaels, better known as Stephanos, has followed Commodore Eric Weston through so many battles, both with the Archangel Squadron and then as navigator of the Oddyseus. But Weston has a special assignment for the Archangels: go deep undercover into outlying small star systems and find out more about the Imperials. The Empire is much stronger than the Priminae/Earth alliance and any information obtained could be vitally important.
Similarly to when we followed Captain Morgan and the Autolycus (who makes a brief appearance in this book) rather than the main characters, here we follow Stephanos as he takes specially refitted craft into the farthest reaches of the empire in order to make new 'friends' and discover more about the Empire's strengths and weaknesses. It means the small collection of ships will have to find conflicts, present themselves as aid, and then make associations that they can use later. Stephanos finds the perfect location in a small star system in which two small factions are fighting beneath the Empire's nose.
As with previous novels, we have some great humor, interesting battles, and a lot of gung ho spirit. Weston appears nominally this time; it's mostly about Stephanos and Mila and the Archangels (including Noir and Cardsharp). We also get a bit more backstory on Stephanos, a few more reveals about the nature of the empire, and a few contacts with Odysseus, who is now a 'teen' in spirit.
Archangel One (and in fact the whole Odyssey One series) isn't your dad's science fiction full of techy talk and high concepts; rather, it is a series that greatly owes much to the same elements that we loved in movies like Star Wars. The bad guys behave very similarly to the Star Wars Empire officers, almost comically so. But at heart, it is military sci fi, of a very North American feel. And it's just a fun ride always that is easy to follow and something you feel good after reading. I greatly look forward to the next in the series. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
October 20, 2019
I’ve read some of Evan Currie’s book before and they were good. It looks like he’s on to another very good series in Archangel One. While the story starts out kind of slow with a lot of background stuff, it eventually gets interesting when the Archangel One teams gets fully operational.
Now the setup to the actual deployment of Archangel One is the some what dull part. There’s an Admiral Gracen who seems to be in charge of ship development for the Earth. It also seems that the Earth has been in space for awhile and has even formed an alliance with a race called the Priminae. That race is slightly more advanced than Earth, but has willingly shared their technology with Earth so it can build better starships. And it seems that the Earth has already fought one major war with the Drasin and has recently fought an encounter with the Empire.
The Empire is a new civilization that just made contact with the Earth. Unfortunately, that contact was hostile since the Empire believes that they should command any subjects or systems within its reach. It is very large and very powerful. The Empire is currently ruled by a young Queen with some kind of connection to her dead father, the former King. The Empire is always looking to expand and Earth may be it’s next target.
But, Earth forces managed to scare off the Empires first foray into their space. Earth had developed a very powerful weapon that scared the heck out of the Empire and they retreated. There’s nothing really mentioned about this weapon and it seems to be secondary to what’s happening. It may be that Earth’s secret and powerful weapon can only be deployed around Earth. Either way, Earth has built a new ship called the Odysseus which is going to seek out any further attempts by the Empire to encroach on Earth’s space.
Meanwhile, Admiral Gracen has developed a squadron of very sleek and very modern starfighters that, while small, are much larger than a normal starfighter. Starfighters were thought to be impractical in normal space warfare, but the mission of these new Archangels is going to be different. They are going to be an independent squadron for long-range extended reconnaissance. Their new commander is Commander Stephen “Stephanos” Michaels, who has a reputation of being one wild and crazy pilot. And this is where the fun and excitement starts. Commader Michaels envisions this Arachangel One squadron as privateers or Pirates operating out just on the fringes of the Empire stirring up trouble to find out who is with the Empire and who is really not that much of a fan. He’s also going to gather as much intel on the Empire as possbile without actually engaging the Empire in combat.
This is going to be a fun book give Commander Michaels interpretations of his orders. His first mission encounter goes well with a few twist. It will be interesting to what happens next.
Now the setup to the actual deployment of Archangel One is the some what dull part. There’s an Admiral Gracen who seems to be in charge of ship development for the Earth. It also seems that the Earth has been in space for awhile and has even formed an alliance with a race called the Priminae. That race is slightly more advanced than Earth, but has willingly shared their technology with Earth so it can build better starships. And it seems that the Earth has already fought one major war with the Drasin and has recently fought an encounter with the Empire.
The Empire is a new civilization that just made contact with the Earth. Unfortunately, that contact was hostile since the Empire believes that they should command any subjects or systems within its reach. It is very large and very powerful. The Empire is currently ruled by a young Queen with some kind of connection to her dead father, the former King. The Empire is always looking to expand and Earth may be it’s next target.
But, Earth forces managed to scare off the Empires first foray into their space. Earth had developed a very powerful weapon that scared the heck out of the Empire and they retreated. There’s nothing really mentioned about this weapon and it seems to be secondary to what’s happening. It may be that Earth’s secret and powerful weapon can only be deployed around Earth. Either way, Earth has built a new ship called the Odysseus which is going to seek out any further attempts by the Empire to encroach on Earth’s space.
Meanwhile, Admiral Gracen has developed a squadron of very sleek and very modern starfighters that, while small, are much larger than a normal starfighter. Starfighters were thought to be impractical in normal space warfare, but the mission of these new Archangels is going to be different. They are going to be an independent squadron for long-range extended reconnaissance. Their new commander is Commander Stephen “Stephanos” Michaels, who has a reputation of being one wild and crazy pilot. And this is where the fun and excitement starts. Commader Michaels envisions this Arachangel One squadron as privateers or Pirates operating out just on the fringes of the Empire stirring up trouble to find out who is with the Empire and who is really not that much of a fan. He’s also going to gather as much intel on the Empire as possbile without actually engaging the Empire in combat.
This is going to be a fun book give Commander Michaels interpretations of his orders. His first mission encounter goes well with a few twist. It will be interesting to what happens next.
October 8, 2019
Archangel One is an interesting new chapter in the Odyssey series. If you are new to this series, don't start here; read the whole series. (Mr. Currie would likely tell you differently; that is just my suggestion. If you jump in here, let it convince you that you need to go back to the beginning and read all of them.)
In previous reviews from this series, I've noted that one of Currie's proclivities is to set up the story and then write a prolonged battle sequence. This book follows that theme. We are shown how the Archangel squadron came to be and what is their mission. Then we get to see how they get engaged in their mission. Finally, we see the outcome of their engagements. (You might think this is something of a spoiler, but keep in mind this will be a three-book series.)
One of the things I love about this kind of fiction is to see how the author solves problems for the protagonists. He sets up what seem like insolulable problems and then the good guys find a way. Mr. Currie has done it again here, though perhaps on a somewhat smaller scale. The Archangel squadron is a unique set of spaceships (and personalities) that defy the understanding of the enemy. But their mission is infiltration and intelligence gathering. That is the bit that intrigued me most. How would they find their way into the enemy camp and be successful at the mission? Currie expands our understanding of the universe he has created with a large set of fringe worlds and kingdoms in which the good guys can play (though in a very high stakes game) and find the information and possible allies needed for the good guys to compete.
Since I read military science fiction but don't study military doctrine and history, I am impressed by Currie's use of those ideas. Like I say, I have always been impressed by his ability to write stories that entertain with characters but also with military stories and technology. I usually like my sy-fy separate from fantasy, but Currie likes to mix the two. That aspect is here as well and we seem to have found at the end of the book an extra character to add to that aspect. At some point in the series, the fantasy characters are going to be a major part of the story. For now they are lurking in the background. Looking forward to how it will all come together.
For now, I will continue to enjoy the Odyssey series as the Archangel series goes on. Thanks, Mr. Currie, for another entertaining read.
In previous reviews from this series, I've noted that one of Currie's proclivities is to set up the story and then write a prolonged battle sequence. This book follows that theme. We are shown how the Archangel squadron came to be and what is their mission. Then we get to see how they get engaged in their mission. Finally, we see the outcome of their engagements. (You might think this is something of a spoiler, but keep in mind this will be a three-book series.)
One of the things I love about this kind of fiction is to see how the author solves problems for the protagonists. He sets up what seem like insolulable problems and then the good guys find a way. Mr. Currie has done it again here, though perhaps on a somewhat smaller scale. The Archangel squadron is a unique set of spaceships (and personalities) that defy the understanding of the enemy. But their mission is infiltration and intelligence gathering. That is the bit that intrigued me most. How would they find their way into the enemy camp and be successful at the mission? Currie expands our understanding of the universe he has created with a large set of fringe worlds and kingdoms in which the good guys can play (though in a very high stakes game) and find the information and possible allies needed for the good guys to compete.
Since I read military science fiction but don't study military doctrine and history, I am impressed by Currie's use of those ideas. Like I say, I have always been impressed by his ability to write stories that entertain with characters but also with military stories and technology. I usually like my sy-fy separate from fantasy, but Currie likes to mix the two. That aspect is here as well and we seem to have found at the end of the book an extra character to add to that aspect. At some point in the series, the fantasy characters are going to be a major part of the story. For now they are lurking in the background. Looking forward to how it will all come together.
For now, I will continue to enjoy the Odyssey series as the Archangel series goes on. Thanks, Mr. Currie, for another entertaining read.
April 12, 2020
This is a fast listening, good marine space sci-fi. My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
Commander Michaels, known as “Steph” has been selected to head a new squadron of specially formed ships with the ability to go into space “undercover”. The goal is to infiltrate the outer colonies as a privateer fleet in order to slip into a position to get information on the Empire.
Humanity forces have established a moderate truce with the brutal Empire regime, but they don’t expect it to last. Humanity needs to get more details to protect the species.
Steph and his squadron are fast and willing to push the edges of safety to make a name for their rogue fleet. They step in to help a planetary force when a larger neighbor attacks. The Archangels are able to prevail but at the end of the battle, they realize an enemy Imperial Fleet of the Empire is bearing down on the stricken ships. The Imperial ships do not leave survivors, so Steph decides to quickly save the crews and one of the ships of the defeated attackers. The race out of the system to get away from the Imperial lasers involves an edge of the seat, last-minute desperate maneuver.
I enjoyed the intrigue and the fast action of this story. Step is already a daredevil pilot but he pushes himself and his team to the edge of safety with his actions. Fortunately, he has a whiz of a technician along for the mission who helps save his backside. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the squadron pilot leaders.
I didn’t realize that this series is a branch off from the Odyssey series. I have read book 1 of the first series and have book 2 on my Audible shelf. I plan to pick that up after I read book 2 of this Archangel series. I recommend this author and the series for readers who enjoy military space action sci-fi.
Audio Notes: I felt that Stephen Dexter did a good job with the narration. He provides different voices and accents for the many characters. I didn’t notice any disruptive issues as have been mentioned in other reviews. I enjoyed the listen as good entertainment.
Commander Michaels, known as “Steph” has been selected to head a new squadron of specially formed ships with the ability to go into space “undercover”. The goal is to infiltrate the outer colonies as a privateer fleet in order to slip into a position to get information on the Empire.
Humanity forces have established a moderate truce with the brutal Empire regime, but they don’t expect it to last. Humanity needs to get more details to protect the species.
Steph and his squadron are fast and willing to push the edges of safety to make a name for their rogue fleet. They step in to help a planetary force when a larger neighbor attacks. The Archangels are able to prevail but at the end of the battle, they realize an enemy Imperial Fleet of the Empire is bearing down on the stricken ships. The Imperial ships do not leave survivors, so Steph decides to quickly save the crews and one of the ships of the defeated attackers. The race out of the system to get away from the Imperial lasers involves an edge of the seat, last-minute desperate maneuver.
I enjoyed the intrigue and the fast action of this story. Step is already a daredevil pilot but he pushes himself and his team to the edge of safety with his actions. Fortunately, he has a whiz of a technician along for the mission who helps save his backside. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the squadron pilot leaders.
I didn’t realize that this series is a branch off from the Odyssey series. I have read book 1 of the first series and have book 2 on my Audible shelf. I plan to pick that up after I read book 2 of this Archangel series. I recommend this author and the series for readers who enjoy military space action sci-fi.
Audio Notes: I felt that Stephen Dexter did a good job with the narration. He provides different voices and accents for the many characters. I didn’t notice any disruptive issues as have been mentioned in other reviews. I enjoyed the listen as good entertainment.
June 20, 2020
Author Evan Currie (http://evancurrie.ca) published the novel “Archangel One” in 2019. Mr. Currie has published more than 30 novels. This is the first of a new "Archangel One" series.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’. The story is set in the far future. While Commander Stephen Michaels is the primary character, there are many others who are key to the story.
Humans have achieved an uneasy truce with the Empire. There is no doubt that the war with the Empire will resume, it is just a question of when.
Michaels is leading the Archangel Squadron. The Archangels, now reformed with new ships and tactics, are given a new mission. To gather intelligence on the Empire they take on the role of pirates. That gives them both the chance to inflict damage on the Empire and to make new allies.
I enjoyed the 6+ hours I spent reading this 268-page Science Fiction Space-Opera. While this is a separate series, it continues the events in Currie's "Odysseus One" series. While this novel reads well on its own, I do recommend reading the six novels in the "Odysseus One" series first. Many of the characters are also in those novels. This is the 5th novel of Mr. Currie's I have read. I have to say that they all have been enjoyable. I do like the selected cover art. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’. The story is set in the far future. While Commander Stephen Michaels is the primary character, there are many others who are key to the story.
Humans have achieved an uneasy truce with the Empire. There is no doubt that the war with the Empire will resume, it is just a question of when.
Michaels is leading the Archangel Squadron. The Archangels, now reformed with new ships and tactics, are given a new mission. To gather intelligence on the Empire they take on the role of pirates. That gives them both the chance to inflict damage on the Empire and to make new allies.
I enjoyed the 6+ hours I spent reading this 268-page Science Fiction Space-Opera. While this is a separate series, it continues the events in Currie's "Odysseus One" series. While this novel reads well on its own, I do recommend reading the six novels in the "Odysseus One" series first. Many of the characters are also in those novels. This is the 5th novel of Mr. Currie's I have read. I have to say that they all have been enjoyable. I do like the selected cover art. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
March 19, 2021
Definitely brought up more questions than it answered, but that just left me dying to start the next book. It sounds like this is a spinoff or continuation of his Odyssey series and that you should start with Into the Black before reading this one. I didn't realize that until after I finished this one, but still felt Archangel One can stand on its own. The characters have names, nicknames, and call signs, so it gets a bit confusing on who is who, but once you realize it's all the same person (Steph, Stepanos, Michaels, etc.) it's not too bad. There are times when it gets a bit technical, but it's a SciFi, so I kind of expect that and kind of like that part of it. I could feel my heart rate increasing during the battle scenes and rooting for things to go well and cheering them on when they did, and feeling their disappointment when they didn't.
You jump back and forth between different ships and different races in each chapter. I feel like you need a chart to keep track of who is with who, I will definitely be doing that the next time I read it.
I never thought I would get so invested in the different characters in a book that is under 300 pages, but I did. Can't wait to dive into the second book and start on the series that came before this one. I am definitely an Evan Currie fan!
You jump back and forth between different ships and different races in each chapter. I feel like you need a chart to keep track of who is with who, I will definitely be doing that the next time I read it.
I never thought I would get so invested in the different characters in a book that is under 300 pages, but I did. Can't wait to dive into the second book and start on the series that came before this one. I am definitely an Evan Currie fan!
September 28, 2019
Another in the Odyssey One series. I was hesitant at first, thinking that it would be a distraction or a trip down some uninteresting rabbit hole.
I was wrong.
This story is like a dogfight-writ-large. Stephan Michaels gets a bigger, faster ship and goes undercover as a privateer to gather intel on the Empire. The action sequences are very much like those in aboard the Odyssey and the Odysseus with Weston in command.
The only aspect of the books I don't like is the relative weakness of character development. The characters are interesting and likable, even the antagonists, and I care about what happens to them. But they remain rather two-dimensional, moving through the plot and acting out their roles, but never developing much in the way of depth. We never learn very much about Ithan Milla Chans, for example, other than the fact that she's highly intelligent and skilled in the design and development of weapons and even starships. The same can be said for many of the Priminae characters.
Stephan Michaels' character gets fleshed out a little bit and he shows himself to be a pilot with intelligence and courage, but we knew that already.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, as I have all the others in the series, and I've already pre-ordered Archangel Two.
I was wrong.
This story is like a dogfight-writ-large. Stephan Michaels gets a bigger, faster ship and goes undercover as a privateer to gather intel on the Empire. The action sequences are very much like those in aboard the Odyssey and the Odysseus with Weston in command.
The only aspect of the books I don't like is the relative weakness of character development. The characters are interesting and likable, even the antagonists, and I care about what happens to them. But they remain rather two-dimensional, moving through the plot and acting out their roles, but never developing much in the way of depth. We never learn very much about Ithan Milla Chans, for example, other than the fact that she's highly intelligent and skilled in the design and development of weapons and even starships. The same can be said for many of the Priminae characters.
Stephan Michaels' character gets fleshed out a little bit and he shows himself to be a pilot with intelligence and courage, but we knew that already.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, as I have all the others in the series, and I've already pre-ordered Archangel Two.
January 19, 2020
I was delighted when I noticed that Mr Currie had started with another series in the Odyssey universe. Of course, noticing this took some time for me, so I can’t say that I’ve been on top of the author’s latest novels, but even so, I was happy to be able to explore more of this universe. In short, Mr Currie does not disappoint but neither does he surprise.
The reader now gets to follow both Eric Weston and Stephen Michaels who go their separate ways, one in command of a battle group and the other of a small independent privateer squadron. Inevitably, some battles ensue and both the main characters as well as the reader learn something more about the Empire and how it works. Two of the Empire’s leaders also become point of view characters which at least adds a bit of colour into the mix — though indeed we see or hear from them rather rarely.
And, of course, it probably will not come as a surprise that by the end of it, at least one of our main Terran protagonists has succeeded in their quest (Weston’s story in this book is mostly jumping around various systems). I have to say that I really did enjoy the more piratey part to this book, but I am also becoming disillusioned with the style of Mr Currie’s books — very short, predictable action-thinking-action pattern with the ‘good guys’ coming out on top by the end of it, and nothing really ever develops (except the danger level creeps up by a notch after every ‘good’ victory).
This review was originally posted on my blog.
The reader now gets to follow both Eric Weston and Stephen Michaels who go their separate ways, one in command of a battle group and the other of a small independent privateer squadron. Inevitably, some battles ensue and both the main characters as well as the reader learn something more about the Empire and how it works. Two of the Empire’s leaders also become point of view characters which at least adds a bit of colour into the mix — though indeed we see or hear from them rather rarely.
And, of course, it probably will not come as a surprise that by the end of it, at least one of our main Terran protagonists has succeeded in their quest (Weston’s story in this book is mostly jumping around various systems). I have to say that I really did enjoy the more piratey part to this book, but I am also becoming disillusioned with the style of Mr Currie’s books — very short, predictable action-thinking-action pattern with the ‘good guys’ coming out on top by the end of it, and nothing really ever develops (except the danger level creeps up by a notch after every ‘good’ victory).
This review was originally posted on my blog.
Read
November 8, 2020This was a fun little read but as I'd not read the earlier series which this spins from i sometimes found context a little difficult. It's not a total block but I think i would have enjoyed it more had i known just how tied into the early work it was. As it was a freebie on a kindle deal not so bad but if you are paying for this book then keep that in mind. Also don't expect a resolution to the story; this is very much part of a larger piece but it does end at a natural point and does not seem forced.
In many ways this reminded me of the Lost Fleet series in the way it is constructed. It's a fast paced military sci-fi which has just enough elements of technobabble in it to please more traditional space opera fans whilst not killing the pace of the book altogether or loosing the reader. That said the occasional drop into talking about 18th and 19th century tactics at odd times does sometimes knock the pace and robs scenes of some tension but on the whole i enjoyed this one. Not necessarily a series i would go out looking to complete but if I see them as a set on a deal then I'll probably take a look.
In many ways this reminded me of the Lost Fleet series in the way it is constructed. It's a fast paced military sci-fi which has just enough elements of technobabble in it to please more traditional space opera fans whilst not killing the pace of the book altogether or loosing the reader. That said the occasional drop into talking about 18th and 19th century tactics at odd times does sometimes knock the pace and robs scenes of some tension but on the whole i enjoyed this one. Not necessarily a series i would go out looking to complete but if I see them as a set on a deal then I'll probably take a look.
February 26, 2020
Way too much telling, no showing, and zero character development
The first few pages of this book contained great indigestible lumps of explanation, and zero demonstration. The author told me about these events and conditions, instead of showing me how they impacted his characters. As a result, no character development at all. As a result of that, I had no emotional attachment at all to those characters - three were shown before I quit this book - and when an "As you know, Bob" (a particularly hamfisted method of telling-not-showing) rolled around, I was outta there. Life's too short to read people who might be able to write if they work at it before they've done that work.
The author's blurb indicates that he wrote fanfiction before he tried original character fiction. The trouble with that is that fanfiction has already done all of the character development for the writer. It's a skill that needs to be learned before the original fiction is worth much more than two stars.
The first few pages of this book contained great indigestible lumps of explanation, and zero demonstration. The author told me about these events and conditions, instead of showing me how they impacted his characters. As a result, no character development at all. As a result of that, I had no emotional attachment at all to those characters - three were shown before I quit this book - and when an "As you know, Bob" (a particularly hamfisted method of telling-not-showing) rolled around, I was outta there. Life's too short to read people who might be able to write if they work at it before they've done that work.
The author's blurb indicates that he wrote fanfiction before he tried original character fiction. The trouble with that is that fanfiction has already done all of the character development for the writer. It's a skill that needs to be learned before the original fiction is worth much more than two stars.
September 9, 2019
A too short introduction to a new phase of the "Odyssey One" series. I'll give three and three quarters stars. There are a lot of the same characters with a couple new ones introduced. There is also more attention paid to Stephano and to a limited extent 'Cardsharp'. I liked both of those aspects. There was a lot of time spent jumping around and laying ground work for the series but no real conclusion to any one aspect. It read more like a couple novellas smashed together than an actual single book.
I also had a great deal of trouble with the new 'Archangels'. Were they a large fighter, a corvette, a gun boat? They are described as "smaller" than a cutter but when rescuing a destroyer crew taking on 300 passengers didn't seem to be a problem. TARDIS technology belongs elsewhere but it seems to be taking ahold in this universe as well. My rating may seem a bit high for all this criticism, but for what it was, I really did enjoy the read.
I also had a great deal of trouble with the new 'Archangels'. Were they a large fighter, a corvette, a gun boat? They are described as "smaller" than a cutter but when rescuing a destroyer crew taking on 300 passengers didn't seem to be a problem. TARDIS technology belongs elsewhere but it seems to be taking ahold in this universe as well. My rating may seem a bit high for all this criticism, but for what it was, I really did enjoy the read.
September 3, 2020
Space
I really enjoyed this book although for me personally I had a little trouble keeping everyone in order in the early parts. As the story went on though I was better able to track which group was which. The author has a couple of main subjects with a few minor ones that all interact throughout the story. There is a lot of detail but it is well thought-out and delivered. The story gives you more insight to each character as you read along and your left kind of trying to choose which side are the good guys. Perhaps there is not a choice here but it is interesting to follow each group as the story progresses. The story is an excellent standalone but it does leave you wanting to know more of all the different characters progress through their lives. I had the story sitting in my to read shelf for some time and I'm glad that I actually picked it up and gave it a try. If you enjoy a good Sci-fi book then you should try this one.
I really enjoyed this book although for me personally I had a little trouble keeping everyone in order in the early parts. As the story went on though I was better able to track which group was which. The author has a couple of main subjects with a few minor ones that all interact throughout the story. There is a lot of detail but it is well thought-out and delivered. The story gives you more insight to each character as you read along and your left kind of trying to choose which side are the good guys. Perhaps there is not a choice here but it is interesting to follow each group as the story progresses. The story is an excellent standalone but it does leave you wanting to know more of all the different characters progress through their lives. I had the story sitting in my to read shelf for some time and I'm glad that I actually picked it up and gave it a try. If you enjoy a good Sci-fi book then you should try this one.
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