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beckylej's review against another edition
4.0
They are called the Illyri and after discovering how to find and use wormholes for travel, they set about colonizing planets like their own. They arrived on Earth just over sixteen years ago and have ruled the planet ever since.
Syl Hellais holds no hate for this planet. It is her home after all; she was the first of her kind born here. But her movements are restricted. As the daughter of the governor of the islands of Britain and Ireland she is forever protected and guarded. Much of the human resistance has been quashed over the years, but militant parties still exist and Edinburgh is home to one of the most active. Still, the area near the castle Syl and her father call home is generally free of such worries. So When Syl escapes on her sixteenth birthday, intent on exploring the nearby village, she has no way of knowing that she's walking straight into a war zone.
Paul and Steven Kerr are part of the resistance but aren't involved in the bombing that almost kills Syl and her friend. In fact, they come to the rescue saving Syl from the blast and hiding her from the search party. By the time they meet again, Paul and Steven are to be executed for a crime Syl knows they're innocent of.
CONQUEST kicks off a brand new series coauthored by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. This first installment in the Chronicles of the Invaders is awesome in scope and premise. Not only do we have conquering aliens, which of course means an almost certain looming all out war between humankind and the invaders, but the politics of the Illyri are in question as well. There are some pretty big revelations in Conguest, some twists I didn't quite see coming that leave much to look forward to in subsequent books. And while it's clear throughout CONQUEST that this is only the beginning - there's an obligatory cliffhanger-esque ending, too - it's a highly engaging first book.
Connolly and Ridyard seem to work together fairly seamlessly. The collaboration here has resulted in a smooth and well written series debut with great characters, lots of intrigue, and pretty fantastic world building. No word yet on when we can expect the second book in the series, but it's already on my must have list!
Syl Hellais holds no hate for this planet. It is her home after all; she was the first of her kind born here. But her movements are restricted. As the daughter of the governor of the islands of Britain and Ireland she is forever protected and guarded. Much of the human resistance has been quashed over the years, but militant parties still exist and Edinburgh is home to one of the most active. Still, the area near the castle Syl and her father call home is generally free of such worries. So When Syl escapes on her sixteenth birthday, intent on exploring the nearby village, she has no way of knowing that she's walking straight into a war zone.
Paul and Steven Kerr are part of the resistance but aren't involved in the bombing that almost kills Syl and her friend. In fact, they come to the rescue saving Syl from the blast and hiding her from the search party. By the time they meet again, Paul and Steven are to be executed for a crime Syl knows they're innocent of.
CONQUEST kicks off a brand new series coauthored by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. This first installment in the Chronicles of the Invaders is awesome in scope and premise. Not only do we have conquering aliens, which of course means an almost certain looming all out war between humankind and the invaders, but the politics of the Illyri are in question as well. There are some pretty big revelations in Conguest, some twists I didn't quite see coming that leave much to look forward to in subsequent books. And while it's clear throughout CONQUEST that this is only the beginning - there's an obligatory cliffhanger-esque ending, too - it's a highly engaging first book.
Connolly and Ridyard seem to work together fairly seamlessly. The collaboration here has resulted in a smooth and well written series debut with great characters, lots of intrigue, and pretty fantastic world building. No word yet on when we can expect the second book in the series, but it's already on my must have list!
mirandanbenson's review against another edition
4.0
Color me impressed by this space opera full of twists, turns, and a protagonist who's surprisingly confident and self-aware in a genre that usually highlights heroes of the opposite.
CONQUEST, the first in a delicious space opera trilogy that I'm now hooked on, picks up 15-20 years after Earth is invaded by the Illyri, an advanced alien race that's so similar to humans even these invaders have grown to fear their new conquest. Our hero's journey follows Syl, the first Illyri born on Earth and the daughter of one of their race's highest ranking Earth leaders. Though Syl is painted as just a teenager, it's easy to imagine her as a twenty-something exploring her world - but is the world really hers?
Syl's life is forever changed when a trip outside of her Illyri stronghold's walls leads to her in the middle of a planned explosion, and she is saved by Paul, a human resistance fighter. But his small act of kindness results in him being framed by a horrifying Illyri force for the explosions, and only Syl can help him escape. Doing so sets off a series of events that unveils the Illyri's true rulers, the bubbling civil war between the Illyri Military and so-called Diplomatic Corps, and a dark history of colonization that leaves Syl unsure of whether her own race is in the right.
And in the tradition of any great space opera (and all young adult fiction), there is a bubbling romance: Syl and Paul are attracted to each other, but unsure of how to proceed. Most cross-species attempts at romance have resulted in death, and any attempts to escape that has resulted in couples going underground, completely hidden in secret. But as Syl and Paul flee Illyri forces across the Scottish Highlands, they find more examples than they'd expect of an inter-species relationship - some closer to home.
At the heart of the novel is a place you'd least expect: Scotland. With the first half taking place along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (which I've now added to my travel bucket list thanks to this book) and the second half covering the misty beauty of the Scottish Highlands, the reader goes on a journey along with the characters, and is given a unique perspective on post-apocalyptic fiction (there is barely any mention of New York, LA, Tokyo - the usual suspects in any apocalyptic novel). And in doing so, Connolly and Ridyard reveal to readers a world many of us have never known, but in many ways, it's closer to our own backyards than we'd expect.
The only missed opportunity I found in reading CONQUEST - though rest assured, I will be reading the next two books in the trilogy - was exposition. While this is common in any piece of fantasy or science fiction that needs to build a world in a short amount of time, the heavy amounts of exposition at the beginning seemed to throw off the pace of the novel, and in doing so, robbed us of opportunities to learn these things as we explored the world. I personally felt like I missed out on watching the character relationships (particularly between Paul and Syl, as well as their sidekicks Ani and Steven) develop, as much of their conversations were glossed over in paragraphs of exposition. And sincethey are separated indefinitely at the end of the novel, I'm not sure if we'll get another chance to see their conversations again.
Because of the pacing issues, I will warn that most of the action happens in short bunches: around the midpoint, there are 50 pages of high action, and the last 100 pages are jam-packed. Those pages are beautifully written, and clearly demonstrate the tales of Connolly and Ridyard, but serve as a stark contrast against the low-action, fun feeling of the first 100 pages of Syl in Edinburgh.
Overall, it was a pleasure reading the first chapter in Syl's story, and I will be back for more. If you enjoy strong female protagonists, invasion stories with some bite, and conspiracy-type investigations, as well as just great science fiction, I highly recommend you read this book.
CONQUEST, the first in a delicious space opera trilogy that I'm now hooked on, picks up 15-20 years after Earth is invaded by the Illyri, an advanced alien race that's so similar to humans even these invaders have grown to fear their new conquest. Our hero's journey follows Syl, the first Illyri born on Earth and the daughter of one of their race's highest ranking Earth leaders. Though Syl is painted as just a teenager, it's easy to imagine her as a twenty-something exploring her world - but is the world really hers?
Syl's life is forever changed when a trip outside of her Illyri stronghold's walls leads to her in the middle of a planned explosion, and she is saved by Paul, a human resistance fighter. But his small act of kindness results in him being framed by a horrifying Illyri force for the explosions, and only Syl can help him escape. Doing so sets off a series of events that unveils the Illyri's true rulers, the bubbling civil war between the Illyri Military and so-called Diplomatic Corps, and a dark history of colonization that leaves Syl unsure of whether her own race is in the right.
And in the tradition of any great space opera (and all young adult fiction), there is a bubbling romance: Syl and Paul are attracted to each other, but unsure of how to proceed. Most cross-species attempts at romance have resulted in death, and any attempts to escape that has resulted in couples going underground, completely hidden in secret. But as Syl and Paul flee Illyri forces across the Scottish Highlands, they find more examples than they'd expect of an inter-species relationship - some closer to home.
At the heart of the novel is a place you'd least expect: Scotland. With the first half taking place along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (which I've now added to my travel bucket list thanks to this book) and the second half covering the misty beauty of the Scottish Highlands, the reader goes on a journey along with the characters, and is given a unique perspective on post-apocalyptic fiction (there is barely any mention of New York, LA, Tokyo - the usual suspects in any apocalyptic novel). And in doing so, Connolly and Ridyard reveal to readers a world many of us have never known, but in many ways, it's closer to our own backyards than we'd expect.
The only missed opportunity I found in reading CONQUEST - though rest assured, I will be reading the next two books in the trilogy - was exposition. While this is common in any piece of fantasy or science fiction that needs to build a world in a short amount of time, the heavy amounts of exposition at the beginning seemed to throw off the pace of the novel, and in doing so, robbed us of opportunities to learn these things as we explored the world. I personally felt like I missed out on watching the character relationships (particularly between Paul and Syl, as well as their sidekicks Ani and Steven) develop, as much of their conversations were glossed over in paragraphs of exposition. And since
Because of the pacing issues, I will warn that most of the action happens in short bunches: around the midpoint, there are 50 pages of high action, and the last 100 pages are jam-packed. Those pages are beautifully written, and clearly demonstrate the tales of Connolly and Ridyard, but serve as a stark contrast against the low-action, fun feeling of the first 100 pages of Syl in Edinburgh.
Overall, it was a pleasure reading the first chapter in Syl's story, and I will be back for more. If you enjoy strong female protagonists, invasion stories with some bite, and conspiracy-type investigations, as well as just great science fiction, I highly recommend you read this book.
ajakubison's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I couldn't be happier about it, so thank you to Atria Books and the authors.
In this dystopian tale, an alien race known as the Illyri set their sights on conquering Earth. Naturally, the humans inhabiting it are not happy about it and fight back, some of whom are part of what is known as the Resistance. However, the Illyri and the humans find that they have to work together to overcome a new and common enemy.
As others have mentioned, this book is written in a choppy manner, but I liked that. I found it helped me to visualize how the story action occurred, as if it were a movie.
If you enjoyed Divergent, The Host or The Hunger Games, I think you would be interested in this book. I have a feeling the movie Jupiter Ascending will be in the same realm as well.
I'm looking forward to the next.
Full review: http://dreamliveandrepeat.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-trade-conquest.html
In this dystopian tale, an alien race known as the Illyri set their sights on conquering Earth. Naturally, the humans inhabiting it are not happy about it and fight back, some of whom are part of what is known as the Resistance. However, the Illyri and the humans find that they have to work together to overcome a new and common enemy.
As others have mentioned, this book is written in a choppy manner, but I liked that. I found it helped me to visualize how the story action occurred, as if it were a movie.
If you enjoyed Divergent, The Host or The Hunger Games, I think you would be interested in this book. I have a feeling the movie Jupiter Ascending will be in the same realm as well.
I'm looking forward to the next.
Full review: http://dreamliveandrepeat.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-trade-conquest.html
nannybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Reseñado en mi blog Nanny Books
Me encanta la ciencia ficción, hay algo en este género por lo cual nunca me canso de leerlo. Siempre debe estar reinventándose para generar la atención del lector, y en esta apuesta juvenil, como bien es Conquista, John Connolly (famosísimo escritor de policial, del cual tengo un par de novelas leídas) y Jennifer Ridyard (que se embarca en la escritura por primera vez) logran un equilibrio perfecto de todos los buenos elementos del género. Me ha gustado muchísimo esta lectura y se las recomiendo desde ya...
Los ilyrios, una raza alienígena superior en tecnología, nos ha invadido y colonizado mediante una jugada impecable. Sin embargo, las figuras visibles de esta raza no parecen tan temibles para nosotros (si omitimos que ellos mandan) y las rebeliones humanas son cosecha de todos los días. En ambos bandos nacerán los protagonistas de esta saga. Syl, hija del gobernador ilyrio de Europa, se meterá en problemas junto a su mejor amiga Ani, al comenzar a relacionarse con dos hermanos humanos, Paul y Steven. Pero eso quedaría solo en una anécdota, si no se hubiese empezado a caer la falsa moralidad de las altas esferas de poder ilyrias, poniendo en riesgo la vida de todo ser vivo en nuestro planeta.
Si bien al principio creí que la novela sería algo bien tonto de amor juvenil interplanetario, las continuas subtramas que fueron desarrollándose me han dejado con la boca abierta. Y el final es tan abierto que, aunque ya deja plantado el lineamiento que seguirán nuestros héroes en el próximo libro, todo el peligro inminente que hay en ello me ha dejado seriamente preocupada: ¿cómo voy a hacer para esperar hasta la publicación de la continuación?
Los personajes principales están muy bien construidos, especialmente Syl, que aunque es un poco cabezota, me gusta que no la hayan hecho ni muy bonita ni muy especial. Aquí no hay ni damisela en peligro ni femme fatal. De los humanos, se ha ganado mi simpatía Steven, que por ser el menor de los hermanos, esperaba que fuera un llorica. Pero demostró mucha valentía y unos buenos reflejos. De los secundarios, he quedado alucinada con Meia y con todo lo que ella representa.
Con mucha acción, algunas escenas fuertes, algo de amor en el aire y unas tramas políticas/bélicas muy bien pensadas, Conquista es un excelente inicio de saga, con pocos momentos introductorios y diálogos certeros.
"Cogió el bisturí de la bandeja, situó el filo junto a su ojo derecho y empezó a rajarse poco a poco la cara."
A pesar de ser tan buen libro, el ritmo de lectura se me ha hecho algo lento (al menos, para lo que yo estoy acostumbrada), pero para ser ciencia ficción, no presenta ningún tipo de dificultad (no hay abusos de términos inventados y todos los elementos duros del género se presentan esparcidos y fluidos). Por lo tanto, es recomendable tanto para asiduos de lecturas interplanetarias como para "primeros contactos".
Me encanta la ciencia ficción, hay algo en este género por lo cual nunca me canso de leerlo. Siempre debe estar reinventándose para generar la atención del lector, y en esta apuesta juvenil, como bien es Conquista, John Connolly (famosísimo escritor de policial, del cual tengo un par de novelas leídas) y Jennifer Ridyard (que se embarca en la escritura por primera vez) logran un equilibrio perfecto de todos los buenos elementos del género. Me ha gustado muchísimo esta lectura y se las recomiendo desde ya...
Los ilyrios, una raza alienígena superior en tecnología, nos ha invadido y colonizado mediante una jugada impecable. Sin embargo, las figuras visibles de esta raza no parecen tan temibles para nosotros (si omitimos que ellos mandan) y las rebeliones humanas son cosecha de todos los días. En ambos bandos nacerán los protagonistas de esta saga. Syl, hija del gobernador ilyrio de Europa, se meterá en problemas junto a su mejor amiga Ani, al comenzar a relacionarse con dos hermanos humanos, Paul y Steven. Pero eso quedaría solo en una anécdota, si no se hubiese empezado a caer la falsa moralidad de las altas esferas de poder ilyrias, poniendo en riesgo la vida de todo ser vivo en nuestro planeta.
Si bien al principio creí que la novela sería algo bien tonto de amor juvenil interplanetario, las continuas subtramas que fueron desarrollándose me han dejado con la boca abierta. Y el final es tan abierto que, aunque ya deja plantado el lineamiento que seguirán nuestros héroes en el próximo libro, todo el peligro inminente que hay en ello me ha dejado seriamente preocupada: ¿cómo voy a hacer para esperar hasta la publicación de la continuación?
Los personajes principales están muy bien construidos, especialmente Syl, que aunque es un poco cabezota, me gusta que no la hayan hecho ni muy bonita ni muy especial. Aquí no hay ni damisela en peligro ni femme fatal. De los humanos, se ha ganado mi simpatía Steven, que por ser el menor de los hermanos, esperaba que fuera un llorica. Pero demostró mucha valentía y unos buenos reflejos. De los secundarios, he quedado alucinada con Meia y con todo lo que ella representa.
Con mucha acción, algunas escenas fuertes, algo de amor en el aire y unas tramas políticas/bélicas muy bien pensadas, Conquista es un excelente inicio de saga, con pocos momentos introductorios y diálogos certeros.
"Cogió el bisturí de la bandeja, situó el filo junto a su ojo derecho y empezó a rajarse poco a poco la cara."
A pesar de ser tan buen libro, el ritmo de lectura se me ha hecho algo lento (al menos, para lo que yo estoy acostumbrada), pero para ser ciencia ficción, no presenta ningún tipo de dificultad (no hay abusos de términos inventados y todos los elementos duros del género se presentan esparcidos y fluidos). Por lo tanto, es recomendable tanto para asiduos de lecturas interplanetarias como para "primeros contactos".
curlyhairedbooklover's review
4.0
At first I wasn't too sure about this book but when I got into it I loved it!!! I can't wait to read the next one.
conalo's review
4.0
Conquest was a fun and enjoyable read that for the most part hit the marks that I like in Sci-Fi novels. It has some interesting topics in there even if it does not cover much new ground compared to other works. The characters were well written and detailed though not all of them I liked. Interesting technology, aliens and world building were all present so it kept my interest all the way through. I will be continuing with the series when the next novel arrives in 2015.
3.5/4 stars for the fun story.
3.5/4 stars for the fun story.
wyvernfriend's review
3.0
mixed bag This doesn't feel like a complete polished John Connolly novel. However there are moments of nasty that feel quite well thought out.
This is an alien invasion book with some echoes of other books and is an interesting read.
This is an alien invasion book with some echoes of other books and is an interesting read.
liveotherwise's review
4.0
This is excellent. I found it a little slow to get into, possibly because of the complexity of the scene setting but it's well worth that set up time once you're into the story. alien invasion, with twists and turns that layer upon themselves and yet never feel contrived.
Really looking forward to the next instalment.
Really looking forward to the next instalment.
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