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The Dark Between the Stars
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[BOTM] - MOD PICK - The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson
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I read this recently while on holiday, last week, and really enjoyed it. Twenty years have passed since the events of the original series and Anderson bridges the time gap well, not dumping a load of information on us and expecting us to cope. He weaves the information in slowly, dropping bits here and there in the short chapters he writes. We are introduced to new characters, many of them children of the characters from the original books, but we also get chapters from those original book characters as well which helps to give a sense of continuity to the universe as a whole.
Speaking of the universe it still feels big and epic and filled with stuff. For the past twenty years the universe has been at peace and has been recovering from the events of the original series. But all is not entirely well, there are factions of all races that are unhappy about changes in the Spiral Arm and these create one plot thread. A further one is disease, that seems to be a common theme in this book, and therefore the series. All of these take a back seat when an ancient enemy re-appears to wage war on all life. This is the main plot that will span the trilogy and helps to make the first book as engrossing and fun to read as the Saga of Seven Suns. Heartily recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Anderson's work or sci-fi in general.
I will start this immediately. It'll be interesting to see where it goes. I really enjoyed the Saga of Seven Suns but felt that a seven book series was a bit of an endurance test. A trilogy built on this wonderful universe sounds like just the ticket!
I'm waiting on the library and then I should be able to read with everyone.
Right then, just finished this and it was fairly close to what I expected. Which is a good thing. A continuation and building of the Saga of Seven Suns story, and typically well written, I have to say that I really enjoyed this.
I have yet to have read the Saga of the Seven Suns. Does this book stand alone well, or am i going to be lost?
Hi Sarah. I think you will be okay, because the author adds information that fills in some of the background story. It stands alone fine, and the guts of the story is completely new, even many of the characters have changed a lot from the previous books. I think you will enjoy it, it's a really fun story.
Les wrote: "Hi Sarah. I think you will be okay, because the author adds information that fills in some of the background story. It stands alone fine, and the guts of the story is completely new, even many of t..."Thanks Les. I'm glad because I'm excited about this one.
It can be read as a standalone I think... I really enjoyed it but I had already read the initial series prior to reading it. I can tell that I felt Kevin Anderson has grown as a writer since the original series and this one was even better. Jimmy gives a great synopsis of this one above.
I picked it up today. I didn't realize how long it was! I'm going to have to shift some stuff around. I may not finish the whole thing by the end of the month, but hopefully I'll get most of it done.
Well done if you can finish it by the end of the month! Don't rush it, enjoy it I say.
Two lines into it and already I gave a question. :) Was Sheol a location used in the Seven Suns series?
No, it's a new planet for this story."Sheol is an unstable, lava-covered world that is the site of Lee Iswander's mining operations."
--(from Wikipedia)
Thanks. I figured there was a reason he used that name and I was curious.
The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson didn't get selected by the Random.org randomizer, but everybody's discussion of it piqued my interest (and it's also available DRM-free in .epub ... which my second choice was 'Zon-locked), so this will be our MOD PICK for September.
"Twenty years after the elemental conflict that nearly tore apart the cosmos in The Saga of Seven Suns, a new threat emerges from the darkness. The human race must set aside its own inner conflicts to rebuild their alliance with the Ildiran Empire for the survival of the galaxy.
In Kevin J. Anderson's The Dark Between the Stars, galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and factions of humanity are pitted against each other. Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making..."
Are you reading The Dark Between the Stars? Shout it out in the comments thread below to find out who else is reading it and discuss what you think about the book. Just remember to be kind ...use the spoiler .html (view spoiler)[so you don't ruin the fun for other people (hide spoiler)] or open your own spoiler-filled discussion thread in the Book Buddies Club folder located w-a-y at the bottom of the main community page where you can discuss the book in spoilery goodness.