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teokajlibroj's review
3.0
This was a great half book and when I got to the end I was wondering where the second half was? It literally felt like someone took a book and cut out the second half. There isn't even an attempt at an ending, The characters and setting are well introduced but the plot was only getting off the ground when it ended. Of the 4 POVs, only 2 were developed, the other 2 were little more than introductions.
So I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the book, but on the other hand, if you asked me what happened in the book, the honest answer is not much. It does feel like the story is being spread out over more books than it needs to be just to squeeze more money out of readers.
So I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the book, but on the other hand, if you asked me what happened in the book, the honest answer is not much. It does feel like the story is being spread out over more books than it needs to be just to squeeze more money out of readers.
ccollard58's review
3.0
seemed enticing. the universe Kloos creates is believable and interesting, with obvious potential for future action.
the characters are interesting and mostly sympathetic, i really started to root for them, especially Aden.
i was however disappointed at the lack of plot progress. aside from getting a good backstory on the cast of characters almost nothing happens. i will probably try the next book since i am kind of invested in the characters now, but i certainly hope something actually happens.
the characters are interesting and mostly sympathetic, i really started to root for them, especially Aden.
i was however disappointed at the lack of plot progress. aside from getting a good backstory on the cast of characters almost nothing happens. i will probably try the next book since i am kind of invested in the characters now, but i certainly hope something actually happens.
kay_ness's review
3.0
An ok read, very much in the military sci-fi genre, but frustrating to read a book so clearly written as the first of a series that the ending left nothing resolved. Not planning on reading book 2.
sheenarani17's review
3.0
I really wanted to love this book, since I’m a fan of sci-fi, but haven’t had a satisfying read in a while. On the surface, it should have been a hit for me. It has unique and beautiful worlds, good pacing, each chapter written from a different character’s perspective, and a looming and mysterious threat. The world is fantastical enough to be interesting, but realistic enough to be convincing.
Even with all these wonderful qualities, I could not get into this story. I made myself slog through and finish. The military is a huge component of this story, and so far only humans are present (no alien creatures). The biggest problem was I did not care about any of these characters. At times, I kind of felt like I was reading a history book, neutrally learning about things that happened to other people without any sort of emotional connection to the story. I will likely not be reading the next book in the series.
Even with all these wonderful qualities, I could not get into this story. I made myself slog through and finish. The military is a huge component of this story, and so far only humans are present (no alien creatures). The biggest problem was I did not care about any of these characters. At times, I kind of felt like I was reading a history book, neutrally learning about things that happened to other people without any sort of emotional connection to the story. I will likely not be reading the next book in the series.
bloodycontrary's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
chloeshawe's review
4.0
I tend to shy away from sci-fi in general, but I especially avoid series. However, this could be a good trilogy! I wish there was more action but I know this book had to serve as the set up for a multi-planet war, so it’s forgivable. Excited to pick up the next one
bethtabler's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.
I am not one to normally read military science fiction. It is an acquired taste. Often when you read a dense military science fiction it requires a graph, charts, and post-it notes. I am not being hyperbolic. There is a good segment of science fiction readers that can get into the weeds with a thick military science fiction book. Arguments prevail over tactics and disciplines. That is a bit heavy-handed for me. It just isn't my cuppa. That was why I was slightly leary when picking up Marko Kloos's Aftershocks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Aftershocks is just what the title implies. It is the long-reaching aftershocks after a drawn-out interplanetary war. It covers the societal, military, and financial changes that have taken place in the five years since the war. There is an uneasy and easily shakeable alliance that shifts and changes between the 6 planets. As the story moves along we watch the perspectives shift and change from a selection of characters with different personal histories and backstories. The story begins with the character Aden. A former Gretian intelligence officer and I think the star of the story. He found himself in POW camp after his side lost the war. He is a smart, capable, and calm character trying to find his footing after being away so long. It is interesting with his character being both military intelligence and also fish-out-water. Because of the atrocities of what the Gretians did during the war, many of the other planets will not forgive or forget what his people did. His people and culture will forever be marred by the war.
Another interesting character that sits in counterpoint to Aden's character is Idina. For as calm as Aden is Idina is intense. Idina is a Palladian and Palladians were the winning side in the great war between the six planets. Her perspective is quite different than Aden or another character in the book Solvieg. Idina has seen quite a lot of atrocities, some quite recent. She comes from a place of deep patriotism and deeply held grudges.
The pacing of the story is quick moving. The world-building is interesting and gives you just enough to keep you on your toes and open for more. I was also pleasantly surprised that the novel leaned heavily towards space opera rather than military science fiction even though the novel takes place after a war and within the context of the military. This isn't a light and fluffy novel. Far from it. But it had just enough of both military and space opera to be a little bit of both genres. My only real quibble with the story is the ending, and that is only do to preference and style. It is abrupt. It leaves you hanging. Some readers may not like that. Especially when there is no book two written yet to dive into to get your fix. If you are not a fan of that style, wait a bit. I am sure more books are coming. I hope more books are coming because I am for sure going to continue reading this series. I dig everything about it.
I am not one to normally read military science fiction. It is an acquired taste. Often when you read a dense military science fiction it requires a graph, charts, and post-it notes. I am not being hyperbolic. There is a good segment of science fiction readers that can get into the weeds with a thick military science fiction book. Arguments prevail over tactics and disciplines. That is a bit heavy-handed for me. It just isn't my cuppa. That was why I was slightly leary when picking up Marko Kloos's Aftershocks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Aftershocks is just what the title implies. It is the long-reaching aftershocks after a drawn-out interplanetary war. It covers the societal, military, and financial changes that have taken place in the five years since the war. There is an uneasy and easily shakeable alliance that shifts and changes between the 6 planets. As the story moves along we watch the perspectives shift and change from a selection of characters with different personal histories and backstories. The story begins with the character Aden. A former Gretian intelligence officer and I think the star of the story. He found himself in POW camp after his side lost the war. He is a smart, capable, and calm character trying to find his footing after being away so long. It is interesting with his character being both military intelligence and also fish-out-water. Because of the atrocities of what the Gretians did during the war, many of the other planets will not forgive or forget what his people did. His people and culture will forever be marred by the war.
Another interesting character that sits in counterpoint to Aden's character is Idina. For as calm as Aden is Idina is intense. Idina is a Palladian and Palladians were the winning side in the great war between the six planets. Her perspective is quite different than Aden or another character in the book Solvieg. Idina has seen quite a lot of atrocities, some quite recent. She comes from a place of deep patriotism and deeply held grudges.
The pacing of the story is quick moving. The world-building is interesting and gives you just enough to keep you on your toes and open for more. I was also pleasantly surprised that the novel leaned heavily towards space opera rather than military science fiction even though the novel takes place after a war and within the context of the military. This isn't a light and fluffy novel. Far from it. But it had just enough of both military and space opera to be a little bit of both genres. My only real quibble with the story is the ending, and that is only do to preference and style. It is abrupt. It leaves you hanging. Some readers may not like that. Especially when there is no book two written yet to dive into to get your fix. If you are not a fan of that style, wait a bit. I am sure more books are coming. I hope more books are coming because I am for sure going to continue reading this series. I dig everything about it.
bethtabler's review
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.
I am not one to normally read military science fiction. It is an acquired taste. Often when you read a dense military science fiction it requires a graph, charts, and post-it notes. I am not being hyperbolic. There is a good segment of science fiction readers that can get into the weeds with a thick military science fiction book. Arguments prevail over tactics and disciplines. That is a bit heavy-handed for me. It just isn't my cuppa. That was why I was slightly leary when picking up Marko Kloos's Aftershocks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Aftershocks is just what the title implies. It is the long-reaching aftershocks after a drawn-out interplanetary war. It covers the societal, military, and financial changes that have taken place in the five years since the war. There is an uneasy and easily shakeable alliance that shifts and changes between the 6 planets. As the story moves along we watch the perspectives shift and change from a selection of characters with different personal histories and backstories. The story begins with the character Aden. A former Gretian intelligence officer and I think the star of the story. He found himself in POW camp after his side lost the war. He is a smart, capable, and calm character trying to find his footing after being away so long. It is interesting with his character being both military intelligence and also fish-out-water. Because of the atrocities of what the Gretians did during the war, many of the other planets will not forgive or forget what his people did. His people and culture will forever be marred by the war.
Another interesting character that sits in counterpoint to Aden's character is Idina. For as calm as Aden is Idina is intense. Idina is a Palladian and Palladians were the winning side in the great war between the six planets. Her perspective is quite different than Aden or another character in the book Solvieg. Idina has seen quite a lot of atrocities, some quite recent. She comes from a place of deep patriotism and deeply held grudges.
The pacing of the story is quick moving. The world-building is interesting and gives you just enough to keep you on your toes and open for more. I was also pleasantly surprised that the novel leaned heavily towards space opera rather than military science fiction even though the novel takes place after a war and within the context of the military. This isn't a light and fluffy novel. Far from it. But it had just enough of both military and space opera to be a little bit of both genres. My only real quibble with the story is the ending, and that is only do to preference and style. It is abrupt. It leaves you hanging. Some readers may not like that. Especially when there is no book two written yet to dive into to get your fix. If you are not a fan of that style, wait a bit. I am sure more books are coming. I hope more books are coming because I am for sure going to continue reading this series. I dig everything about it.
I am not one to normally read military science fiction. It is an acquired taste. Often when you read a dense military science fiction it requires a graph, charts, and post-it notes. I am not being hyperbolic. There is a good segment of science fiction readers that can get into the weeds with a thick military science fiction book. Arguments prevail over tactics and disciplines. That is a bit heavy-handed for me. It just isn't my cuppa. That was why I was slightly leary when picking up Marko Kloos's Aftershocks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Aftershocks is just what the title implies. It is the long-reaching aftershocks after a drawn-out interplanetary war. It covers the societal, military, and financial changes that have taken place in the five years since the war. There is an uneasy and easily shakeable alliance that shifts and changes between the 6 planets. As the story moves along we watch the perspectives shift and change from a selection of characters with different personal histories and backstories. The story begins with the character Aden. A former Gretian intelligence officer and I think the star of the story. He found himself in POW camp after his side lost the war. He is a smart, capable, and calm character trying to find his footing after being away so long. It is interesting with his character being both military intelligence and also fish-out-water. Because of the atrocities of what the Gretians did during the war, many of the other planets will not forgive or forget what his people did. His people and culture will forever be marred by the war.
Another interesting character that sits in counterpoint to Aden's character is Idina. For as calm as Aden is Idina is intense. Idina is a Palladian and Palladians were the winning side in the great war between the six planets. Her perspective is quite different than Aden or another character in the book Solvieg. Idina has seen quite a lot of atrocities, some quite recent. She comes from a place of deep patriotism and deeply held grudges.
The pacing of the story is quick moving. The world-building is interesting and gives you just enough to keep you on your toes and open for more. I was also pleasantly surprised that the novel leaned heavily towards space opera rather than military science fiction even though the novel takes place after a war and within the context of the military. This isn't a light and fluffy novel. Far from it. But it had just enough of both military and space opera to be a little bit of both genres. My only real quibble with the story is the ending, and that is only do to preference and style. It is abrupt. It leaves you hanging. Some readers may not like that. Especially when there is no book two written yet to dive into to get your fix. If you are not a fan of that style, wait a bit. I am sure more books are coming. I hope more books are coming because I am for sure going to continue reading this series. I dig everything about it.
hank's review
4.0
Well, hooked again. I started with Kloos' Frontline series way back when because they were on sale and I continued because they were good (and still on sale). I think I bought this one full price just as a nod of thanks to a writer I appreciate. Worth every penny. I am already fully invested in the characters and the world building is better than his first series. More complex, more suspense, same military insight without it being too heavy on battles.
I did some brief stats on how many times I end up reading more books in a series after the first one and it is somewhere around 15%, this one will definitely be among them. I would recommend this to any sci-fi reader unless you really don't like military fiction. At its core this is about officers, troops and a coming war but IMO much, much more than that as well.
I did some brief stats on how many times I end up reading more books in a series after the first one and it is somewhere around 15%, this one will definitely be among them. I would recommend this to any sci-fi reader unless you really don't like military fiction. At its core this is about officers, troops and a coming war but IMO much, much more than that as well.
cosmobookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Marko Kloos to niemiecki pisarz, który swojego pisarskiego kunsztu uczył się pod okiem między innymi George’a R.R. Martina. To może tłumaczyć fakt, że pierwszy tom Wojen Palladowych czytało mi się trochę jak Expanse.
Przedstawiony w książce świat to poraniony przez wojnę układ planetarny, który nie jest aż tak bardzo abstrakcyjny, bo gdzieś między wierszami da się wyczytać, że Ziemia była pierwotną planetą. Akcja toczy się pod koniec XXXIX wieku, a cały świat przedstawiony poznajemy z perspektywy czworga bohaterów: majora Adena Robertsona (Gretyjczyka, jeńca wojennego, który właśnie zakończył karę), sierżant Idiny Chaudhary (Palladki, która pilnuje pokoju w szeregach Sojuszu), podporucznika Dunstana Parka (Rhodyjczyka, który ma podobne cele co Idina, tylko w przestrzeni międzyplanetarnej) oraz Solveig Regan, młodej Gretyjki, która przejmuje firmę ojca.
Wojna skończyła się 5 lat wcześniej, wszystkie planety starają się stanąć na nogi, a Gretia - planeta, która wywołała wojnę - jest okupowana przez Sojusz. Kruchy pokój zostaje jeszcze bardziej naruszony przez nagłe wrogie działania. Czyje? Trudno powiedzieć. Partyzanckie i terrorystyczne zamachy wskazują na zbuntowanych Gretyjczyków, ale czy byłoby skłonni poświęcać nawet własnych ludzi? Pierwszy tom wydaje się być zaledwie wstępem do rozwikłania tej tajemnicy. Wstępem na tyle ciekawym, że zaraz sięgam po kolejny tom.
Narracja jest prowadzona w równym tempie, napięcie jest dawkowane, a czytelnik nie ma czasu się nudzić. Zaś bohaterowie wydają się wiarygodni, przy czym dla mnie najsłabszym ogniwem jest Solveig. Wpadłam też na kilka potworków z rodzaju „ludzie mówią tak do siebie nigdy”, ale nie razi to na tyle, by się tym przejmować albo by odbierało to przyjemność z czytania.
Podsumowując: Wstrząsy wtórne, to świetna rozrywka, a całe Wojny Palladowe zanoszą się na kawał dobrej space opery.
Przedstawiony w książce świat to poraniony przez wojnę układ planetarny, który nie jest aż tak bardzo abstrakcyjny, bo gdzieś między wierszami da się wyczytać, że Ziemia była pierwotną planetą. Akcja toczy się pod koniec XXXIX wieku, a cały świat przedstawiony poznajemy z perspektywy czworga bohaterów: majora Adena Robertsona (Gretyjczyka, jeńca wojennego, który właśnie zakończył karę), sierżant Idiny Chaudhary (Palladki, która pilnuje pokoju w szeregach Sojuszu), podporucznika Dunstana Parka (Rhodyjczyka, który ma podobne cele co Idina, tylko w przestrzeni międzyplanetarnej) oraz Solveig Regan, młodej Gretyjki, która przejmuje firmę ojca.
Wojna skończyła się 5 lat wcześniej, wszystkie planety starają się stanąć na nogi, a Gretia - planeta, która wywołała wojnę - jest okupowana przez Sojusz. Kruchy pokój zostaje jeszcze bardziej naruszony przez nagłe wrogie działania. Czyje? Trudno powiedzieć. Partyzanckie i terrorystyczne zamachy wskazują na zbuntowanych Gretyjczyków, ale czy byłoby skłonni poświęcać nawet własnych ludzi? Pierwszy tom wydaje się być zaledwie wstępem do rozwikłania tej tajemnicy. Wstępem na tyle ciekawym, że zaraz sięgam po kolejny tom.
Narracja jest prowadzona w równym tempie, napięcie jest dawkowane, a czytelnik nie ma czasu się nudzić. Zaś bohaterowie wydają się wiarygodni, przy czym dla mnie najsłabszym ogniwem jest Solveig. Wpadłam też na kilka potworków z rodzaju „ludzie mówią tak do siebie nigdy”, ale nie razi to na tyle, by się tym przejmować albo by odbierało to przyjemność z czytania.
Podsumowując: Wstrząsy wtórne, to świetna rozrywka, a całe Wojny Palladowe zanoszą się na kawał dobrej space opery.