All for All by Christopher G. Nuttall

 

All for All by Christopher G. Nuttall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third novel is the Cast Adrift series (All for All) continues the story of Earth and its people after being thrown to the metaphorical galactic wolves when the Alphans surprisingly granted Earth its freedom. It turned out that while being under the thumb of the preeminent power in the galaxy may have limited freedom and opportunity it also prevented some very nasty races from looking at Earth as an easy prize. An unexpected victory over the Pashtali within the solar system cost Earth much of its space faring hulls and trained personnel but the Pashtali has resources that rival any of the Galactic Powers and to win this war will take more the firepower. Humanity if nothing else is versatile and imaginative, proving the Pashtali could be beaten may be enough to swing support from fellow "lesser powers" be it in ships or economic support and with that intent targets are selected to maintain the pressure on the Pashtali and swing Galactic opinion in the favour of Earth.
All for All is a strong third novel in the series, Earth is well into the fire and clawing its way around in hopes of gaining traction and we see how our main characters handle the pressure be it from the newly appointed First Admiral Naomi Yagam to the Captain of a spy ship who worries for his children one of which has chosen his own path in the Solar Marines. There is more than enough space combat as well as a look into some of the political issues both within the Earth government and with the ambassadors of both Greater and Lesser powers. Overall a very enjoyable read which is paced well and never lets the readers interest wander.

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The Funny Business by Kevin J. Anderson

 

The Funny Business by Kevin J. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again my reading list is expanded thanks to authors kickstarting projects with previous work as perks. The Funny Business book was a perk of the recent Dan Shamble kickstarter and it was exactly what I expected in that it's cover to cover short storytelling across a wide range of subjects including the aforementioned Dan Shamble as well as some skewed looks at classic cinema tropes and themes. Recommended if you are new to Kevins work or like me you have read his scifi epic The Saga of the Seven Suns or his significant contribution to Dune.


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Redshirts by John Scalzi

 

Redshirts by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Is there a kiss of death for lowly officers or crewman assigned to the UU Intrepid?
Well the ship under the command of Captain Lucius Abernathy does have a regrettable reputation of losing officers and crewmen in spectacular ways yet somehow the main bridge crew and command staff always seem to survive. If this sounds familiar then yes in this Universe there was a show called Star Trek where the joke became anyone in a red shirt and on a landing party (away mission) probably wouldn't last long, often making sure the command staff (aka stars of the tv show) could make it home. Could a tv show from centuries ago being influencing events in the real world, is it possible that if an extra dies on the show before the first ad break then his or her doppelganger is destined for the same fate....
Redshirts is a novel I have long enjoyed reading, a few years back there were strong rumours of a television production but nothing came of it yet you read this novel you have got to think it would fit in with "new" Trek and The Orville mindsets. The novel is very funny and has an edge that John brings to all of his work, being a scifi fan and specifically Trek will certainly help which may dent its appeal to the general audience, if that is you then give it a go, you will enjoy it.

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Awakened by Joshua James

 

Awakened by Joshua James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fourth novel in this series "Awakened" takes a bit of a departure in format from the first three. We learn that the cooperation between nations to fight off the Alien threat has not been maintained and alas scientific research using a portal to explore worlds has gone spectacularly wrong and threatens Earth and numerous other worlds. The Photosynthians arrange a number of teams comprised of two individuals each and they are sent off world to reclaim the deadly canisters that could destroy the biosphere of any world they are opened upon and the clock is ticking.
We then follow each team on their chosen world from start to finish, for example Mission One follows Vasko and a new character Corporal Queens who encounter giant crab like creatures while other missions/teams have to handle time manipulation, alien beings with robots and the dangers of the asteroid belt plus much more. I really did like following each team as they handled their tasks, I suspect the complexity of weaving six elements would have been chaotic and confusing if merged into a single narrative so thumbs up from this reader.

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Codex Alera by Jim Butcher

Codex Alera

by Jim Butcher

Furies of Calderon

Academ's Fury

Cursor's Fury

Captain's Fury

Princeps' Fury

First Lord's Fury

The Codex Alera is a six novel series set in a world not of our own which is dominated by what we would consider to be a mirror or the Roman Empire but in this case with added "powers" in terms of Furies. It is said that a few thousand years ago a Legion of Romans (along with camp followers and logistics) appeared in this realm, their knowledge of war allowed them to survive in a very dangerous world and ultimately to become the dominant species. The Furies were elemental manifestations of almost all things in the realm (think The Force) but in many cases made physical, why throw someone through the air when you can manifest a giant bear to do the same for you, this "crafting" gave some incredible powers but all Alerans' could access these forces, well all but one. It is during the final few years of the reign of First Lord Gaius Sextus and after the death of his only heir that rivals rise to contest his control of the realm, the first major attack is by the Marat who in a joint venture with an Aleran Lord strike at the Calderon valley, its destruction would signal weakness in the First Lord and perhaps allow an opening to depose him.

As it turns out the Calderon valley is saved by the bravery and maybe foolishness of a young shepherd (apprentice at that) named Tavi who well let's say has some spectacular good luck to go hand in hand with his courage.

The following five novels follow Tavi and his associates through his schooling, military service and his rise to become the fulcrum that the Alerans survival and many other races in this world. 

The Codex Alera is a wonderful series, I make a point to read these novels at least once a year and while The Dresden Files is right up there is terms of entertainment it is this series I rate just that little bit higher, maybe because it is self contained with it's strong beginning and steady growth through out. Highly recommended