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A review by mirandanbenson
Conquest by John Connolly
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.